shawn craig
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Posts posted by shawn craig
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I love Crown's show this year. I love the music and I also enjoyed the visual performance.
I know there needs to be a "theme for the judges" these days, but the theme isn't all that important for me to enjoy the show.
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This is more like a popularity contest on the best book. People might choose Bloo only because it's the only cool feature out there.
Bloo certainly has the best book (not even close), and they play the hell out of it. They consistently use the entire range of the horn unlike any other corps.
Crown gets and honorable mention for one single reason: Playing High F in tune on the Yamaha tubas! The climax of the Mahler has them up there the entire time, and they nail it. No small feat on those horns. Maybe the brass feels different than the silver. This year's book is wayyy easier than last year's...anyway, I always like Crown's tubas.
Cavies book is very good, and they're playing it well. They use the entire range of the instrument, too, if not as obvious as Bloo. I'm sorry, but vamps don't count as features, especially Bb minor blues, lol.
Boston Crusaders is the only other line that gets my attention for great writing coupled with great playing. Every arranger should study BAC's ballad.
I have not seen Blue Knights in a show, but I heard them warming up once, playing Brahms 1st SYmphony. That was very cool tuba writing and fine playing!
SCV's book is very cool, and their parking lot presence if OK. But in the show, it's not working for me...and too much synth.
Phantom: Nice writing, nothing special, but the tubas never really project at fortissimo with the rest of the hornline. Their forte and lower dynamics are awesome.
Cadets: Doesn't Dance of the Tumblers have 16th notes?
Madison: 20. And synth enhanced at that.
BD: Too bad you can't have the mirrors behind the tubas for the whole show. It's the only time I heard them.
I did not hear Blue Stars, except for Spring Training. This disappoints me, because i LOVED WHAT I HEARD from the tubas!! I was looking forward to their book this year too, but it just never happened. I have a suspicion the BS tuba line would've placed way higher in my review, had I had all of the information.
I did not hear Glassmen.
I agree with most that Bluecoats and Crown are probably the best. Really enjoyed Madison's 20 tubas!
But I was very impressed with the Blue Knights tubas in Allentown. Their 12 tuba's projected very well; beautiful tone, full rich sound. Great Job Blue Knights!
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1 Madison Scouts
2 Crown
3 Phantom Regiment
4 Blue Knights
5 Cavaliers
6 Cadets
7 Santa Clara Vanguard
8 Blue Stars
9 Boston Crusaders
10 Blue Devils
11 Bluecoats
12 Glassmen
I'm solid on my top two choices. I certainly respect the quality of BD and Coats but their shows aren't my thing.
Positions 3-7 could easily change depending on my mood at the moment. I really enjoyed all of those shows; they each had different elements and aspects in design that appealed to me and made for a very enjoyable two nights in Allentown.
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Great review and some great observations. And your "dissapointments" are correct.
I also worry when I hear how much electronics are used with the top 3 ranking corps this year (BD, BC, CAVS). If that's what the judges are looking for, I'm scared about what we're going to hear next season.
I do need to say something about Academy's tuning in Allentown. I thought the horn line was very out of tune in some sections, including the horn ensemble and a mellowphone.
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Yeah Crown fell a little short on design this year (and they had some bad luck in perc -- a caption that is still biting them in the a**). Despite all that I still think they can finish top 3 this year. IMO CC is the only corps (right now) to have the talent and training to hang with and pass BD.
In Allentown, Crown's show was one of my top 3 and my fiend's favorite.
But to be top 3 with the judges you apparently have to include a ton of electronics, including pre-recording crap.
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What will the attendance be at Finals the year they are not in Indy?
Could they possibly double it?
I'm guessing it will greatly increase maybe double. Of course the location, which probably won't be annunced for awhile, will be very key. If it's another domed stadium, it might not go up nearly as much.
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And dang, they didn't even give away free gas cards. Maybe it's not drum corps turning people off as much as people might not want to go to Indy several years in a row ?
I'm one of those not wanting to go to Indy several years in a row. However, the real reason I don't want to go to Indy in the oil can.
The next time I attend finals will be in 2014 (?) or whatever the year is there is a conflict and it won't be in the oil can. I'd probably buy my tickets tomarrow if they announced the location for that year (unless it's another dome).
I find the Allentown area (Bethlehem, Easton, etc) more enjoyable then Indy. Indy's saving grace was the Weber Grill resturante!
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Teal Sound- Hated (I rarely completely hate a show)
Just Ok
Pioneer
Cascades
Jersey Surf
Enjoyed
Mandarins
Pacific Crest
Crossmen
Spirit
Academy
Troopers
Glassmen
Blue Devils (I repect the quality of the performers, the mirrors were too much for me in the second half of the show)
Really Enjoyed!
Colts
Cavaliers (if they'd tone down the electronics a bit I could love this show)
Bluecoats (same comment as above)
Blue Stars
LOVED!!!
Phantom
Madison
Blue Knights
SCV
Cadets (first time in several years I really enjoyed one of their shows)
Crown
Boston
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Wow, I thought the Friday turnout was really bad for Allentown. It's always less then Saturday because of people's work etc. But I thought it was really low this year. Saturday seemed about on par but not better than normal to me.
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Scouts easily had the most and best response in Allentown over the weekend.
GREAT SHOW!!!
Sorry Blue Devils but those mirrors are way to distracting; as the show goes on they really become way to much. I really don't remember a single drill move or anything visual other than the mirrors.
I want to enjoy what the MEMBERS are doing; what the DESIGNERS can do is less important to me.
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Saw everyone in Allentown over the weekend.
THANK YOU MADISON SCOUTS!!!
Great show and deffinately the best and most crowd response of the entire weekend!
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I've been to one show, Arlington, Va.
I feel that overall the synths are louder and used more.
Last year, it seemed as the season progressed some corps made adjustments and turned back the synths, others didn't and were still too loud at Indy.
We'll see who gets it right by TURNING DOWN the SYNTHS!!!
Phantom seemed to not over use them as much as the other corps. Bluecoats had way too much for me.
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my understanding is they are miced, not for volume, but for effect. They are running the soloists through some effects on the board which changes their sound.
I wasn't at the show, but I watched their practice all day, and don't recall any brass being prerecorded. They had the vocal stuff and the techno stuff, but I don't recall brass coming from the synth.
At first I thought they were miced but I couldn't see them which made me think maybe they were pre-recorded. Maybe they're hiding behind the pit or somewhere.
It's my favorite Bluecoats show to date. My personal taste is for less synth or at least turn the volume down.
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Nice review agree with most of your points.
I would disagree about the stadium being good for drum corps. It was way to low. I was in the top row (row 17) and couldn't get a good read on most of the drills.
It was a good crowd. I took two fiends to their first drum corps experience and they enjoyed it a lot.
Surf, good middle and low brass, trumpets strugled a bit. They have some holes but don't know if they're looking to fill them or already have some folks still learning the spots. Don't care for the show design but that's just personal preference.
Spirit was a definate step up. Brass had some stamina problems. Drum line is good!
Crossmen, good show
Boston had a great first show. Strong visiuals but with room to grow. Best brass sound from them I can remember.
Bluecoats are strong and the contra feature is great. Must be there best ever guard. Overall I enjoy the show. Not that it matters much to me in terms of enjoying the show but the theme doesn't come across at all to me. My main critisism is to much synth! I also don't understand prerecorded brass when you have talent like that on the feild. The mellow solo wouldn't need to be miced if they'd just TURN DOWN THE SYNTH!
Phantom: Agree with what reviewer and others have said. I imagine the middle section will be much more developed in terms of the theme as the summer goes on. The drill was the most difficult to read in this low stadium becuase of the way it uses the extremes of the feild.
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Tradition! Even back in the early 80s the band kids went to Pollyeyes. I was in FMB for 1 year but, as was the case at that time, band and corps were not the greatest of friends. I chose drumcorps.
Myles really is better pizza though.
Is Dino's pizza still around? It was the best pizza back in the 70's, early 80's. It was diagonally across from the old music building (I think it became the speech building and am not sure if it's still there).
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There will be a Woodwind solo (oboe is the rumer I heard) in at least one top corps pre-show show.
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Yes. This is called "Common sense".
In every musical performance on earth in any genre, you perform to your venue.
Thats why my band used to have a different sound scheme if we played in a coffee house vs playing in a 2000 seat venue.
And i hate to burst any bubbles, but drum corps have been focused on the finals venue for years.
You dont plan your show around the stadium thats 4 rows high with a press box thats 10ft up. You prepare for the "Big Dance".
This is true. I've been in vocal and instrumental groups all my life and you do adjust TO THE EXTENT YOU CAN. Howver when a hall is as bad as Lucas Oil there's only so much you can do. The corps are still going to sound like they're playing in a barn.
But hey it's Indiana what else would you expect.
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We thank you for sharing your thoughts and for your continued support of the organizations which comprise Drum Corps International.
Later this month, we will be launching an online customer satisfaction survey, providing our valued fans with the opportunity to contribute important feedback regarding the 2009 World Championships in Indianapolis.
Our goal is to provide an exceptional experience for the more than 5,000 performers taking the field of competition and for each of their loyal fans and supporters. With your assistance, we will work to continue to improve the quality of the World Championships as a celebration of the outstanding achievements of the world's most elite marching music ensembles.
Thank you again for your continued support of Drum Corps International and its member corps.
That's indeed the email I received after sending DCI my email of concern.
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You folks who are bent out of shape because you weren’t invited to take the survey might want to take a chill pill instead.
First of all, as I said in another thread, surveys are supposed to be randomized. You don’t invite yourself to participate because that might skew the results. You weren’t part of the random sample. Big whup.
Second and more important relates to the big whup. You don’t have to take the survey to share your opinion. If you have something you think DCI should know, send them a letter and tell them. The funny thing is that’s probably a better way to convey your thoughts because your words won’t be filtered through some statistician (as they will be in the survey).
The survey is a tool. It’s not a magic wand. And it’s over. So let’s move on.
HH
Actually I did write a email to DCI with my concerns upon my return from Indy.
Myself and others who wrote letters/emails to DCI in the first week or so after finals received emails stating DCI would be doing a survey and we would be hearing from them.
It was DCI who told me I would hear from them and then I didn't. I sent a follow up email and was told they weren't finished yet and made it sound like I would still hear from them about the survey. I never did.
If they had stated the survey would be random or that our letters would be included in the survey results or something else that would be fine. But THEY said I would hear from them and didn't follow up.
By not including customers who complained about Lucas Oil in the survey wouldn't DCI be the ones scewing the results in their favor?
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I never got my survey. I called my DCI friends rep and she said she would send me a link, even gave me a time frame. I never got it, funny I get all her and DCI's other e-mails. I followed up with 2 more e-mails after her promised date came and went, they were roundly ignored. I’m a fancy friend too, one of the 4 digit donation, name in the program types of friends. Part of the reason I’m going to be so vocal here is because I’ve been so completely blown of by DCI. Seems they don't want to hear from me. I also sent her an e-mail upon my return from finals, thanking her for the seats and expressing my displeasure with the sound and no reply
I tried to give my feedback through official channels but...
I haven't bought my tickets for next year, am not renewing my friends membership, don’t really have a plans to go to DCI 2010, didn’t buy the 2009 DVD all things I normally would have done by now but I was so disappointed with the sound at the dome and then insulted by the customer service from DCI
by the way, my friends rep initials are D P, if you really do want to address this DCI
and a tip to other friends, the sound in the 'friends' seats is about the worst in the stadium, if you are a friend to get 'good seats' and your version of 'good' means good sound, just skip the friends thing...
overall, I do read this as fluff a piece... a trust us, come buy our tickets, we will fix it THIS time, really, buy our tickets...buy our tickets....trust us...it will sound good when we get 20,000 in the seats for final....20,000, wow, way to set the bar low so I guess that 5k at quarters is SOL and its now your fault it sounds bad because we can’t get 20 K to show...
there is nothing specific here, no new blood involved, no we’re sorry, here have a free ticket or t-shirt, just more of the same bull
How about an unconditional money back guarantee DCI? If I buy the seat and I don’t like the sound, will you give me my money back? One of your staff laughed in my face when I told that at the Dome this past fall
you are 0/2 in Indy DCI how many more blown years can you afford?
I can wait Indy out, doubt you can and yeah, I'm that guy that has been to over 25 finals but no more, it was that bad
I purchased tickets and attended finals in the oil can and did not receive the survey. I also emailed DCI asking about the survey. They said they hadn't gotten to every yet and to wait.
I"M STILL WAITING!
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I can't wait for the drum corps season to begin so we can deal with reality rather than assumptions
Forgive me. I forgot that you aren’t allowed to state anything positive on DCP or get to excited.
So based on:
My enjoyment of most SCV shows over the past 37 years, (I saw this corps in 73 before many of you were born)
My enjoyment of Ballet for Martha and other recent productions by SCV,
My love of Bartok’s music in general,
My fondness for the two specific pieces chosen for SCV’s 2010 production,
The current staff of SCV led by Jeff Fiedler,
And the relative consistency of the corps over the past 40+ years,
There is a very good chance that I will very much enjoy this production and it might become a favorite.
Better?
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Two of my favorite pieces.
I heard the Baltimore Symphony perform the Concerto about six weeks ago with Marin Alsop conducting; Great Performance!
She also invited a folk group that plays a lot of Eastern European folk music to perform some pieces first so you could hear the folk influence in the Concerto that followed.
SCV and these two pieces will be AWESOME!!!
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Now let's hope they get a good brass book to teach.
My first thought as well.
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LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY AT 9:18 into the VIDEO PLEASE ! WHAT HAPPENED ?!?!
http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=1...ea-f85ef5fc5f62
Listening to most of this it appears Indianapolis courted DCI and wants us there. Therefore DCI should not apoligize for itself! They need to let the city and stadium officials know there are serious sound issues and that we need them fixed to stay in Indianapolis.
However, I'm not holding my breath.
The Oil Can Lid
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
I understand why they can't open the roof on such a hot and humid day with a high index, making for poor air quality.
I personally don't think opening the roof will help. What I do believe might help a little bit is having the north window opened. That's a LOT of glass and metal for the sound to bounce off of. The roof is so high that the damage is done before the sound ever gets out.