Keith Laubhan

I don't think you can pigeonhole creativity to either of the two categories you describe. I work in creative fields (day job: graphic designer, night job: design and instruction with a high school band/drumline program), and can honestly say that there are equal challenges to both situations. The challenge of doing less with more is apparent, but for me, having unlimited tools and no predestined direction or constraints is overwhelming and unfocused. Don't underestimate the challenge in that, either. I think both routes, and everything in between, have potential to end with a creative result. At the end of the day, I simply define creativity as introducing something new and unique to the world, whether it's absolutely new or a mash-up of other influences. There are almost always going to be challenges unique to each situation.

Cadets 03 Malaguena is an excellent choice, in my mind. It starts with finesse, ends loud, features every section... It's a great and entertaining chunk that seems to encompass a lot.

With Andy being involved on the staff while Joni was running it, I think there could very well be a smooth transition. Also, having J-Buck back involved can't be a bad thing. You look at what he did with the Colts last year, not to mention the fabulous BK hornlines in the late 90s. A little birdy told me the percussion writing is stellar, too. Can't wait to see them in a week or so!

Good point.

I think the extended percussion break is a casualty of the push for more streamlined, better intergrated shows. There are still more extended throw-downs, like Cadets 05, SCV 04, etc... but shows in general really don't stop and start, changing character between each song. I'd argue that the current model of of smaller, more intergrated percussion features flows better and still showcases some stellar play, but it's a personal preference thing.

The Bridgemen bananas were so pimp looking... in the most literal way... Absolutely perfect for them. I suppose my most cringeworthy WTF moment in recent DCI is the beat poet part in Crown's 04 show... I could almost deal with the rest of it, but that section all but ruins an otherwise very decent performance for me. Another giant WTF moment is the "evolution of drum corps" thing that BK had in 93.... "We're playing Star Trek music... and here's a friggin' caveman!"

Thanks... it's a pretty fun gig. Really is kinda the Colorado all-star team (except for me!)... some good guys and some amazing drummers whith loads of DCI experience from all over the place.

I've also heard that Jason Buckingham is back in a supervisory role, as well. I need to check them out next camp... I hear that the opening statement is ballsy.

No love for the original NFL drumline, huh? They need to get the Broncos drumline in there... 'cause I'd love a trip to Hawaii right now. :)

I'll guess for finals, at least... I think there will be some very close tiers again: 1. Cavaliers --- 2. Cadets 3. Phantom 4. Blue Devils --- 5. Bluecoats 6. Crown 7. Santa Clara --- 8. Blue Knights 9. Glassmen 10. Crusaders --- 11. Academy 12. Spirit

Yeah except the electronic instruments aren't in for this year, so it's a touch to early to declare it a new age. I dunno, maybe with the new 150 rule, they feel they can afford to devote a spot to superior voice talent and still use it tastefully... here's hoping. They've hit the marks with me over the past several years and I'd personally hate to see them go tacky after they've been so ###### hip the past three years.

Hey, guys- I'm working on the design and copy writing for a tour event website, and this year Spokane Thunder is coming to one of the shows. For the website, there are little one paragraph blurbs about each corps. For the World Class corps that frequent our events, it's no problem for me to write something about them, because I'm pretty familiar with their goings-on... but I must admit we don't often get the Open Class crowd at our shows. I'm sort of at loss in terms of what to say about Spokane Thunder. I usually write about the corps' history, current development, past successes and/or what they're known for (like musical styles or unique design). Anyone that can clue me in on them and what they're up to?

One of the best memories I have, not only on tour, but in my life, was our free day in Seattle. It was fun experiencing that city's vibe with my friends, and the seafood was also a nice change of pace. I'm a city slicker, so I'd definitely choose a city. There's generally something for everyone... You can go to a shopping mall any time you want at home.

I'm a new school guy - started watching in the mid 90s, marched in the early part of this decade... but I love the alumni corps. I don't think I'd go see a whole show of only alumni/reunion corps year in and year out, but for a one-off show, I think it's terrific. It helps me get perspective on where things have come from, helps reinforce a corps' identity to me, and probably most importantly, it's a blast to feel the fun that the alumns are having. There's nothing like watching a 100 old fogies reliving their youth, simply for the fun of it all. The genuine enjoyment that they project is infectious. As a spectator who has been raised on and enjoys the newer stuff more than the older stuff, I still find it very entertaining.

I have no doubt that DCI design staffs will eventually find creative and musically tasteful uses of the new technology, but if it's anything like vocal narration, I'm not looking forward to the three or four seasons of completely awkward experimentation until they start to "get it." I mean, we're just now starting to get out of the weird transitional phase in narration. And some won't even agree with me on that. You listen to what the top indoor percussion ensembles and marching bands have done, and many of them have created some very cool, very creative sounds and textures with electronics without altering the fundimental sound of their genre or being tacky. I just hope drum corps can show restraint right off the bat to accomplish that as well... I'm not holding out much hope for The Cadets on that one. ;p

The most valuable advice I ever got was in my high school drumline, but was then reinforced during drum corps: Don't try to perform better than you rehearse. It was counter-intuitive for me at first. I mean, why wouldn't you want to max it out for your show, right? But the second I figured out what my instructors meant, the sooner my performances gained consistancy and my rehearsals were more focused.

Over the summer, I hosted a once a week drum corps video night for the high school band that I teach. We generally had about 15 or so kids come each of the 10 weeks that we did it. I played shows from all decades of DCI, 6 per week. I'm glad I was able to show them so many great shows. I did as much research as I could to give them historical perspective on the older shows. Also gave them some personal anecdotes on the new ones... all and all, went pretty well. Not sure if it will result in more kids auditioning from our program, but I know that it has increased excitement and awareness for DCI within the program.

Haha... You as cold as ICE!

From what I've heard, the organization asked Vic Firth for a more lucritive deal, and when VF scoffed at it, Promark was more than willing to give them what they wanted. It'll be interesting to see if the BD staff will help Promark develop their marching line... I agree with most that their marching products aren't as good as VF or Innovative.

It's one of my favorite Cadets shows, for sure... I thought '97 in general was a pretty good year, top-to-bottom... Especially at the top.

Thanks for the props, Leonard... and thanks for putting in the time to get the site up and running.

While these numbers do make me a little sad, I still maintain that they don't tell the whole story. In many respects, competitive high school marching bands have taken the place of the smaller, community drum and bugle corps. If you look at it on a broader scale (ie, not drum corps, but "competitive marching music"), I'd suspect the numbers show that youth involved in the activity as a whole has increased. Drum corps isn't dying out, IMO... it's just different. It's the ultimate destination, while the high school programs fulfil the more grassroots side of things.

I'm not saying they don't have similarities, but I'll still can't believe people can't tell them apart, especially when they're side be side like that. That said, I still prefer the 05/06 version of the Bluecoats uniforms the best, if for no other reason than they were so recognizable and not at all similar to anyone else.

Getting my copy tomorrow, according to UPS.. I'm stoked... too bad my new 1080P TV and Blu-ray player has made me jaded. I can't wait until we can buy this stuff in hi-def! But regardless, I'm looking forward to it.

Those Glassmen uniforms from the early/mid 90s are garish... For my money, the 2003ish SCV uniforms were great. 99-03 BD is great too... that style totally revolutionized uniforms in the activity when it was introduced in '94. '96 Phantom was perfect for that show without straying too far from their tradition. Cavaliers basic design that's been around for a long time is so intrinsic to their identity. They've done a good job of keeping it current with updates to the cut and detailing. As for classic uniforms, I've always had a thing for the Kingsmen, especially with the black timpani that echoed the uniform trim. As for current uniforms, Mandarins, Academy, Boston, and Colts are all very sleek. I'm coming around to Bluecoats and Crown, too. It's a shame that Crossmen added all of that superfluous trim to their unis, though, as they had such a slick, clean look. The new version is a muddy mess, IMO, but the 04/05 versions are great... maybe the best look at the time.