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Meet The Academy is a fundraiser where the corps introduces their uniforms and the show design and concept. They ask that nothing be leaked about either and I will completely respect that. So no spoilers, but I would like to add my impressions on things I saw and heard. 1. Uniforms - You will know right away that you are seeing The Academy. Their deal with Fruhauf means they get new uniforms each year for the life of their contract. This is the second year and you will see a look that says "Academy" but also fits the show theme. The members who wore them for the event tonight love the new fabric that Fruhauf is introducing. It has the structure of a traditional look with the flexibility of the lycra bottoms we have seen the past few years with Crown and BK and Scouts and BD last year. I am not sure, but I also believe the same fabric is being used for the guard costumes as well. That should tell you how well this new fabrics stretched to allow extreme movements. I expect to see Fruhauf make an entry into the Winter Guard and Drum Line costuming arena. 2. Show concept and music - My husband and I have been around the corps since 2009 and tonight knocked my husband's socks off on how it connected emotionally to him. A 2016 type of connection. Its early and we only heard the first three movements by the brass line, but I think that once again, the audiences are going to enjoy it - and hopefully buy lots of t-shirts! 3. Lindsey Vento - She blew us away! What a great addition to the design team. I spoke with one of the BoD about her and they said she blew THEM away during the hiring process. Her passion for this show was evident. As someone who has been associated with the corps for awhile, I was especially struck by her explaining how important it was for her when she was hired to learn as much as she could about the corps' history and the corps' core values. I really appreciated that. She knows it is important to the corps that the shows are relatable to the audience. They want to create shows that engage the audience and entertain them while at the same time competing to be last Saturday of the season corps and she has incorporated that into her show design process. And finally... 4. Mark Richardson - The founder and Executive Director has grown so much over the past 10 years. He's still passionate but he is a much better leader now than he was when we first saw him in front of an audience all those years. He's created a great culture here in Arizona and drum corps as an activity is better for it. The corps' motto is "Building Great People Through Great Performances" and you can see he believes it be not just a motto but a mission. In all our dealings with Mark, he has always struck us as a man who understands that doing the right thing isn't always easy, but it is the best thing to do and he tries to do it. He comes from a highly respected and influential family in the Arizona Marching band community - third generation - and is doing a remarkable job carrying on that legacy.

Without knowing all the details it seems like a smart decision given what we do know a grown up type decision

Our last camp concluded with a moment of unity as members and alumni spanning over 50 years sang O' Holy Name together. It was a special moment and we are very humbled at the amount of support this weekend.

If he works on a prisoner road crew you know he will be vigilant in ensuring the lines stay freshly painted.

Looking forward to some more good news coming out of there. This is what is needed right now. Thanks for sharing.

This could be disappointing for drum corps fans on the west coast that will not see the Cadets, but it make financial sense. If they appear in, as the post says “nearly the same number of shows” that means about the same amount in performance fees. If they replace the west coast with New England, most likely that would mean more revenue from July 4th parades since there are so many parades in the area. It also cuts the expense of travel which given what could be potential financial challenges, especially anything unforeseen, is wise.

Won't give away anything but the new piece replacing Sound of Silence is going to turn this show into an emotional powerhouse. Very powerful piece of music, definitely not what I was expecting

Lots and lots of tourists.

I'm not sure, but everything they played was great. I really love the intro, and the part with the corps singing. I think Kevin is a great addition to the brass staff. You could just see his energy watching him react to everything while he was sitting in the bleachers. He was like a little kid :)

From who I spoke with Saturday, George, a lot of things are going to be put into place structurally that should have already been there. When everything finally gets going- it'll make things a lot better for everyone in just about every way possible. They have good dedicated people there with the knowledge to make things right being turned loose. I think they were really excited about people showing up. I know it was said this was a great thing to do and were amazed. The transparency so far really has made a difference in so many ways from what I observed.

They sounded very solid!

Just watched the FB Inside Access broadcast from this weekend. Even with only half the horn line there they sound SO GOOD!!

It probably already is, but I'd rather walk on my lips than listen to nearly every original music show I've ever heard outside of a couple of Saucedo's books.

His attorney has already asked the DOC to put his name on the waiting list for the crews that do hash marks.

Getting jacked for this season. Booked the kid's one way ticket to move ins, and then went to the DCI page to check something and saw this... there he is ( right above the photo credit) doing his thing! I'm taking all of this as a good omen!

Full disclosure. My kid marches in the Cavaliers and I bleed green. With that noted, I wanted to recognize just how much I enjoyed the 2017 BAC Show “Wicked Games”. I literally just finished watching it (again), and I thought this was one of if not the most entertaining shows in Finals last year. True to my “PopcornEater” moniker, I really don’t understand all the scoring. And yes I do know good technical brass lines when I hear them. Boston’s brass sounded great in this show. But the show design, the vocals (gasp!), the voice overs, the props, and the theme overall made this a top flight entertainment experience overall! Best of luck to BAC in 2018! Hope my Cavaliers bring their A game! I’ll now return to being a Cavaliers “homer” :-)

Yup. Its been fun hearing the progression from February until now.

Yup, and considering the level they were playing at with half the horns I was so impressed. Just amazing!

I would love it if The Cadets were rescheduled into the Mason, Ohio show 6/25. Only five corps are there now. It’s not a bad drive from Akron to Mason and it’s much farther to Michigan City. Crossing my fingers...

Yes, is that all of the show? So much to take in. I love the ending!

Got to hear this - will be a departure from what the activity has seen from Genesis so far, and in a very good way...

All things considered, it's probably for the best.

Shakespeare based most of his works on material published in the previous 50 years. Akira Kurosawa's films came 300 years after Shakespeare. As it happens, Hamlet also inspired him: The Bad Sleep Well is a modern story of corporate crime that borrows from Shakespeare's play about the vengeful Dane. It's not my favorite Kurosawa (those would be Yojimbo, Sanjuro, High and Low, Seven Samurai, Stray Dog, and Sanshuro Sugato), but here is a brilliant analysis of one scene, well worth three minutes of anyone's time:

Exactly! Adult decisions made by responsible adults.

The story Hamlet was based on was centuries old, and I believe would be in the public domain if our copyright laws existed at the time. Macbeth was based in part on historical chronicals, whose "plots" seem unlikely to have received much copyright protection under our current copyright laws had they existed at the time.

Genesis 2018: “Retrovertigo” Featuring music by the Moody Blues, Peter Gabriel, Mr. Bungle, Metallica, John Zorn, Jonathan Elias, and Pink Martini. https://instagram.com/p/BiKWxpbg19C/

In South America.

A few of my friends will be there...hoping to hear from them later...

Since PA likes to have highway distance markers every 2/10 of a mile and one of the guys making them is scheduled to be released shortly, there will be an opening.

I'll shop somewhere else then.

Forensic hard drive recovery?

Anyway... back on topic... and now that GH has apparently turned the Co. wheels/ Laptop in... whats his next move do we think ?

This bill will have absolutely no impact on arranging and performance rights. It's legislation aimed at changing how payouts are made for playing and streaming the original recordings of music. It *may* have an impact on synch, mechanical, or streaming rights, but since the music performed by DCI corps is not the original recordings, that impact is very much up for debate.

No, Open Class corps still get appearance fees for performing at shows on the DCI tour. Once the Open Class tour starts, those payouts cease, which was a move made at the request of the Open Class directors. They have an entirely different payout system once the Open Class tour starts, which is the last two weeks of the season.

I visited today and got a lot of good vibes from what I observed from the membership and the various people I spoke with. It will take some time to get certain things structurally in place, the commitment is there on a very professional level to do so, and do it right and well. The corps itself seems very calm, relaxed, confident about their business, and working to make things happen the way they need to make them happen. I didn't feel any pressure and weight/stress in that aspect. Very positive.

A friend of mine who was an English teacher died at a young age. How dare you belittle what happened to her?!?!!!????!!!!!!!!???????!

Was it an analogy that caused her pain, or the fact that someone wrote on her head?

How about we call it the Harvey Weinstein of drum corps. A powerful person in the industry taken down by years of his own indiscretions.

Sounds awesome. Hope they have a great weekend

I appreciate your comments a lot. Dinner's ready.

Don't know when they'll announce, but I can tell you that Cadets will be playing some new music this weekend at camp that to my mind is superior musically to the Sound of Silence, and is much more likely to appeal to the younger generations than a rehashed early 60's folk rock song. Can't wait to hear Drew Shanefield's arrangement.