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Reading Buccaneers in action:

I'm a filmmaker. I communicate in video form. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyzctsA0ZoU Thanks to Minnesota Brass for the access and hang time all last week! Let the Madd circus begin! Their closer features some of Queen's "The Show Must Go On" and I thought it the perfect track for a DCA team who spends most of the season all alone in MN. ;)

Just got word that the fallen Chops guard member is OK.

(I've added the scores to your quoted post here.) I was certainly surprised when Ghost Riders were announced in third . . . . . . because I thought they'd place fourth. That would really have caused a stir. I sit just now in the business services center of the Radisson because I realized, three hours into my drive to Rochester, that my laptop was still sitting in my bedroom at home. Behind me at the bar when I came over, Star United was enjoying some well-deserved refreshments. My picks for #1 and #8 matched the judges, and I put the same four corps in the top half of scores and in the bottom half of scores as the judges did, but beyond that our opinions differed. This is what I felt should happen: 1. 97.0 -- Star United 2. 94.5 -- Minne Brass 3. 94.0 -- Freelancers 4. 92.5 -- Ghost Riders 5. 87.0 -- Brig Juice 6. 85.0 -- Rocketeers 7. 81.0 -- Bridgemen 8. 77.0 -- Steel City Ambassadors I couldn't get out of work until mid-afternoon, plus before stopping home to grab (and forget) my things, I needed to get an oil change in anticipation of driving 250 miles each way, so I only arrived in Rochester at ten minutes before nine, and only got into the ballroom as Fran was telling Brig Juice they could start their performance. I stood along the back wall until they were done, and when they were done, I found a seat about halfway back, just in front of the aisle, about as far left as that edge of the stage. So I missed the title of the Brig Juice show. Does anyone know: was there one? And can you confirm the pieces they played? The first was a driving jazz number that I believe the Brigadiers played in one of their championship shows. Could it have been the Channel One Suite? I know it's drum corps heresy not to know that piece, but I started following corps only after the heyday of that work. The second piece was certainly "Harlem Nocturne" and the third was "Mercy Mercy Mercy", so Channel One would make sense as their opener, because they'd be recreating their 1999 championship show. I think that like the Thunderbirds last year, Brig's score suffered for going on first--although they were notably better than the '14 T-birds had been. Brig Juice made a number of small mistakes, sure, but if not for their closer being a significant step down from the rest of their show, I'd have put them close to 90. Up to that point, it was a grooving, entertaining show. I counted 21 horns and a percussionist, plus the conductor. I don't recall any drill, just some shifts in staging. Fran announced a title for Steel City Ambassadors' show, but I couldn't quite make it out. It sounded like "The Second Corps". Their repertoire was two pieces I'd never heard of before (although I liked both), called "Western One-Step" and "Heaven's Light" (Fran announced the composers but I didn't catch the names), plus Shostakovich's "Galop". This was a difficult, ambitious show that seemed a bit too much for the corps. Lots of tricky rhythms, varying dynamics, difficult balances, but enough of the music came across to at least make the pieces conceptually clear--clear enough to see the scope of the challenges. I counted 11 horns and 2 percussionists, plus the conductor. There was some playful choreography attempted during the "Galop". I believe Madison Scouts included that piece in their 2000 show; it's delightful and I wouldn't mind seeing a field corps attempt it again. The Bridgemen, initially introduced by Fran as "the bananas from Bayonne" (with 21 horns and three percussionists, plus the conductor, by my count), possibly suffered in my eyes for being too familiar. I don't believe their show was titled, but it was said to commemorate their 50th anniversary. Opening with a brief medley that included "I Love New York" and "New York New York" (from On the Town), they then played "Birdland", the theme from The Summer of '42, and the William Tell Overture. I thought the trap set was not quite with the horns for much of "Birdland". Summer of '42 was pretty enough (though with too much edge on that tuba at the end, in my opinion). And much of their arrangement of William Tell is so watered down from the original--which as the evening would go on to show, need not happen in drum corps. Only near the end of the piece was the brass really pushed. Overall, this seemed like a much easier show than those from the previous two corps, and while they did pretty well engaging the audience (thus the fan award), the trademark Bridgemen sense of humor was generally absent. Rocketeers did bring some playfulness to their show, "A Child at Heart", which featured three songs: the theme from Sesame Street (with variations), "God Bless the Child", and "The Land of Make Believe". One member was pulled onto the stage in a child's wagon, others had various toys, and as the show started, they were jumping rope and playing other games. Later there was a scooter, some juggling, and one corps member blowing bubbles (I guess there's no penalty for the residue in Mini Corps). As fun as that was, they might have been better cutting it back in favor of more rehearsal. The arrangements were interesting and the playing was engaging enough, but there was a lot of exposure for such a small group (11 horns, one percussionist, and the conductor), who were not always up to the challenge: see the muddiness when the two trumpet players manipulated each other's keys in "Make Believe". But often they were doing what they should, and I would praise in particular the horn soloist in "God Bless". I wasn't quite sure what was happening right before the very end, when the drummer pulled off his top to reveal a black Batman tee shirt beneath. Last year, I felt the Freelancers were over-scored. This year I had no doubt that their production, apparently untitled but featuring "Tiger of San Pedro", "Diego's Goodbye" (from The Mask of Zorro), and a Chuck Mangione piece whose title I didn't quite catch (skimming Corps Reps, my guess is "Echano" from Children of Sanchez), deserved to be in the top three. They hit the mark that Brig Juice and Bridgemen were aiming for: populist entertainment on a large scale (I counted 23 horns, two percussionists, and the conductor). This seemed like the show that most impressed the audience, and Freelancers were the audience text winner last year, so it was quite surprising to me that Bridgemen claimed that accolade this year. There was no drill, but there was much very helpful staging: moving the right people into focus at the right time. Their high brass especially was fantastic, offering one fine solo after another, and delivering a huge bright sound as a group. Their low brass, though good, was not as impressive, and the bari solo at the start of the closer wasn't loud enough. Near the end, there was a really cool section where a great trumpet solo was perfectly matched against some crescendos and decrescendos from the rest of the brass, partly generated through horn movement. Hey, Fran: were you cued in advance as to the false ending? I couldn't tell, but it almost looked like the Freelancers hadn't expected the audience to assume they were done so soon. In my opinion, Minne Brass, with a show titled "The Music of the Hornheads" (which, Fran explained, is a Minneapolis band that originally formed to work with Prince; I had to do a little digging around the internet just now, since I wrote the name down as "Horn Hens"), was just as good, albeit with a completely different approach. This should be the model for all the truly mini mini corps, like Steel City and Rocketeers: with just 10 horns and one percussionist (the latter perhaps utilized too little), they had a huge, full sound that at times rivaled the full-size mini corps. It never felt thin. Their songs were "Head Case", "Waltz for Horns" (had trouble with my handwriting: thought this was "Waltz on Mars"), "How Will I Know", and "Interrupting Cow". Minne Brass were as well staged as the Freelancers, nearly as playful as the Rocketeers, and with astonishing brass technique, which they show off right at the start. Last year this corps impressed me, this year they were stronger still, holding my interest completely right to the nifty end, in which a series of solos were accompanied by the other horns tapping through their mouthpieces. The only flaw might be a slight feel of the clinical, which perhaps explains what astonished me: how uninterested the audience generally seemed to be. A real shame. Ghost Riders were clearly not at their level of the past two years, in my opinion, and I was relieved that the judges agreed with me that far. Their show, titled "20", commemorates their unmatchable string of appearances in DCA's mini corps competition. It opens with a medley of movie themes, continues with Ticheli's "American Elegy" (I'm not sure it was a good idea to have Fran note that this was written in honor of the Columbine victims--bit of a downer in this context), and concluded with the William Tell Overture. Let's start with the last item, which was a high point of the evening: Bridgemen, this is how you do William Tell. The writing very nearly matches the difficulty of the source, and the playing was largely good enough to bring it off. It seems the Riders put their greatest attention here (Donny said to the corps before they started the piece, "This is the one"), and kudos for that achievement. If only the rest of the show was as good, but there was a lot of muddy tongues and fingers, to my ears, and many challenges with balance. It's nice that Star is not the only mini corps to incorporate a lot of drill, but for this performance, that effect seemed to me to come at the expense of the musical execution, and--BRASSO take note--the corps' score (I guess) suffered accordingly. Still, it was a more than worthwhile show that surely deserved its "box five" score. I thought Star United's 10th anniversary show, featuring Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, "Fire of Eternal Glory", and "Festive Overture", although certainly the best production of the evening, was less impressive than Ghost Riders' show of 2014, which is why I only scored Star at 97. That said, I would not be surprised to find that it was their most difficult show ever. (I haven't seen them all.) They appear to have put so much effort into simply mastering the technical challenges of the production that they never really make it sing. I don't mean that their 21 horns and four percussionists (plus one drum major, who was enjoying, if I heard correctly, anisette with orange juice when I left the bar; I don't drink: is that possible?) didn't generate their usual exemplary sound. Love those four tubas! I mean just that they were missing a level of emotional interpretation that they've often had before. Like Ghost Riders, they weren't at the top of the game--but they were closer. If there's one moment in particular to emphasize, it's when one trumpet is trading the melody with the rest of the corps in the symphony, a sort of game of musical catch (or maybe it should be called concerto-like). I don't know if the audience was better behaved this year, or if I benefitted from being farther forward and to the left, away from the crowd in the back, but that noise was less for me. I did notice people walking in and finding their seats a few times during performances, and one of those in particular said to his companion, right behind me during Rocketeers' show, "Joe, how about this seat?" And then they tried to pull out some seats from the row as the corps was playing. Who does that?

Proud of my son winning I&E for percussion duo for the second year in a row :) Here is last year's warm up before heading to the venue... https://youtu.be/SArrqnrb0xw

Saw a couple good shout outs to DCA on DCI websites. Glad to see the mutual support DCI Site: http://www.dci.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=33500&ATCLID=210308409 Carolina Cr​own : http://www.carolinacrown.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=650&catid=88&Itemid=553 There are probably a lot more out there. ​

Well they just placed 2nd. I'm kind of dumbfounded as to how.

Hard to beat the Dino BBQ. Thanks for keeping us up to the minute!

Great reporting Kevin again thank you

OK, signing off. Thanks for the DCP crew for letting me blog and for the air conditioned goodness of the press box. Best of luck to everyone tomorrow night !

Big spread for Scheherazade. Never quite sure about that spelling.

YEAH! GREAT RUN!!! (yeah, I'm a homie)

The Show Must Go On!

The corps is playing Breakfast Machine from Pee Wee Herman. Meanwhile, we've got a literal three ring circus of crazy on the field.

Next on the field is Minnesota Brass from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Their 2015 program is entitled "Mad Circus" and consists of: Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Pt. 2 by Emerson, Lake, & Palmer Breakfast Machine by Danny Elfman Complainte De La Butte by Rufus Wainwright Roustabout by Beats Antique Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky The Show Must Go On by Queen

Coming up, another train arrives, this time carrying the Minnesota Brass Mad Circus. Yeah, I'm a homer. Don't expect objectivity from me.

The druid priest was thwarted in sacrificing the girl! The golden princess/goddess/priestess we saw before came back and struck him down!

Man, this is an eclectic mix of music. Medea, Celtic jigs, screaming trumpets...It all works, too!

Druid priests are now spreading incense while the guard shroud themselves in translucent gray silks. Uh oh, I think we've got another sacrifice happening tonight...

I love DCA. The corps still have screamers!

Now we have a soloist on piccolo trumpet and he nails it!

What a bloody horn line, mate!

Yep. Watching at home coventry, UK

love the italian flag with eiffel tower superimposed!

I gotta fever...

Hey Brent Go Sun

How much of the fans disdain towards Star in those years were do to their shows or was some of it because the corps had Bill Cooks check book?

hey Brent Turner and Kevin... thank for the coverage,,, soooooo cool at home , DeeDee

Todd, prouder than you can imagine. We are a happy bunch today.

Snow flakes coming onto the field. Not sure they are going to last.

Next on the field is the Kilties from Racine, Wisconsin. Their 2015 program is entitled "A Tour of Time: Old Friends. New Adventures" and consists of: My Favorite Things (from The Sound of Music) by Rodgers, Richard First Suite in E-Flat by Holst, Gustav English Dances by Arnold, Malcolm Skye Boat Song by Boulton, Harold Skye Boat Song Loch Lomond by Luboff, Norman

Hey Frank, really looking forward to Cabs tonight! Do it up!

Nice interpretation of Queen by Erie. Took this photo of the Freddie Mercury statue in Geneva:

Bass line is playing some sweet licks. Percussion is definitely the strong point of this corps.

Horns turn front and hit us with Under Pressure! Guard has red and orange fire flags. I guess we're under pressure from the heat.

Todd Tanji has joined me in the press box and will also be providing commentary on today's performances.

The redundant winning of certain groups could indicate that the judges are doing fair, objective adjudicating, rather than allowing sentiment guide their assessments. Personally, I think that's a good thing. Also, go Cadets!

The British and American national anthems have played and we are ready to go!

We are finalizing the bonus features now, and expect to announce news within the coming weeks about pre-orders, the official release dates and the details regarding not only the DVD, but the Ultimate Blu-ray edition, as well as the digital streaming and downloadable versions.

Crown doing Troopers! It would be like triple Crown all over. Loved that show...

I dont know a drum corps person young or old that doesnt have the marching knee issues..lol..Especially those of us who were taught high leg lift and pound them in the ground. Guard people will also have the dancer leg and feet and knee issues as they get older. Part of the game i guess. we do get great dancer butts though....lol

Okay ... I'm in ... cleared most of the afternoon and tomorrow morning ... should be a fun time watching/listening on my big screen and surround sound ... worked well a few years ago and I've rewired the speakers since ... I know - I know ... TMI ... Got some munchies ... got some wine ... no rain in the forecast ... looking forward to seeing all the corps performances ... See y'all in cyberspace ... :-)

trptmagnet - Your input is appreciated. As you can tell, I'm a little concerned about overuse of 'Brass Viagra.' I notice your first years with Skyliners were also my first years with Buccaneers! Those days, particularly with G bugles, and arrangers like Hy Dreitzer, everything was not only natural, but plenty LOUD ! To me, Skyliners created LOUD. Using amplification devices these days, for soloists, is a nice change. But, to electronically create the appearance of enormous power by laying down a heavy sample of near-matching, faux organ chords cheapens the integrity of the craft. Works at a rock concert, of course, but I'm having a hard time grasping this new ability and the potential for abuse it represents. Thanks again.

I'd love to see BD15 march/play Cadets15 and vice versa. That would be interesting!

YES!!!! Absolutely, 100%, with no hesitations YES! This three night average thing is ludicrous. If your caption is good enough to win 99% of your shows, then they should be good enough to win on the night that matters most. If they can't, then they don't deserve the caption award. It's absurd to me that a corps who doesn't win their caption on finals night could somehow be given a trophy for it. At least with the Jim Ott Award this year, Crown won by a tenth and Cadets won by a tenth, so they were essentially even for finals night and it truly was a winner take all occasion. The way it should be.

Well, "might be even more relevant today" has been the heart of much disagreement in this thread. The discussion's nominal subject was whether power should return from designers to performers, and there has been much talk about how the rules now favor effect over execution, but upon investigation, it seems that it's always been harder to win with weaker G.E. than with weaker execution, and that quotes supporting the idea that DCI favors G.E. over performance date back more than twenty years. As you say, time "may not have changed" the emphasis on G.E., so let's drop the talk about getting back to some better age. If DCI is broken because G.E. is overemphasized, then apparently DCI was always broken.

And this just in: Judge Richard M. Berman has ruled that the Muchachos may compete in the 1975 DCI Finals ... oh wait.

Show meanings and composer's meanings of pieces are not specifically on the DCI sheet and may be duly disregarded by judges and corps if the corps presents something unique and excellent by corps re-working and performance. Pouting, panting, and throwing philosophical tantrums by ideologues does not change the corps' mission, the judges' mission, or the scoring process. If you think the sheets are wrong, change them. Otherwise it's all verbiage to make one look knowledgeable and important. And we all realize that such self-pride stinks.

I actually enjoyed touring with people from all over the country and the world. Wouldn't change that for anything.

This looks like a picture circa 1959.