Keith Laubhan

What are you talking about? There's some fantastic Mexican cuisine here! In fact, it's one of only three or four places in the country that has really good Mexican food, as far as I'm concerned.

Somehow, I predict a DCP-driven drum corps would place somewhere around dead last...

I'm glad the tiebreaker is gone. Drum Corps is an offence-only game. It's not like football where one team's actions affect their head-to-head opponent's. I've used this expression before, but to me, it's no different than if two-sprinters ran the exact same time in a race. Would you award one a victory by virtue of having cleaner shoes? If a bunch of judges, working independently, happen to come up with the same score, then so be it. I think awarding a championship to the highest scoring participants, whether it's 150, 300, or even 450 of them, is a higher priority than some fans' unwillingness to accept that it's not just one corps at the top. I must admit, I've never understood the hatred some have for ties... especially in a competition as subjective as this is.

Hopefully they can get some momentum going and establish a good, consolidated pool to draw from. Hate to see the Pacific Northwest under represented in World Class.

CNN.com Live has good, no talking footage now. Starting at the beginning of the participating units.

I think it's got a lot of potential and is a huge improvement over the current uniform. I think the shako design is very clever. I also like the addition of white. Brent, if you happen to read this, is that gold underneith the teal?

Thanks so much to everyone for their fantastic input. There's definitely some good feedback that I will apply going forward. To address a couple points: Madison #1: The reason I have it on a black rectangle is because that's the way it's displayed on their sleeve patches. I specifically want to use the corps' uniforms as the basis for these icons. Similar situation with Phantom #1— That's how the chevron looks on their sleeves Madison and Phantom, #1 vs #2: I'm kinda surprised how much more popular the sleeve patches are to the uniform fronts. That's cool with me, in the sense that I apparently have a really solid place to fall back on if I can't make the #2s work. I'd like to rework the #2s to make it uniform with the rest of the icons (ie, distinguishable element from the front of the uni). Crown: I really like, and prefer the idea of the crown shaped plate. Knowing that the windows are show specific has bothered me about that one, so I think it's an excellent idea. Crossmen: I'm going off of what their "current" uniform looks like. I'm taking a wait-and-see approach on if they come out again with red or white elements. Personally, I'm hoping it'll be red, and I'll GLADLY change the icon to match if that's indeed the case. Troopers: I like the idea of adding the black strap... I'm going to work on that. No buttons: I made the decision early on in this process that I'd exclude the buttons that decorate the uniforms, even as much as I like them on the actual real life uniforms. I found that they added a degree of clutter that I wasn't comfortable with at that small size, so I took the artistic license to leave them out and keep it as simplistic as possible. What is this for?: You'll have to wait and see. I'm sure many people can put two-and-two together, but I'll let you guys speculate. I've got a lot of work to do on this project, and as much as I appreciate the little market test you guys have given me, I want to keep it under wraps until it's done. Thanks again, guys!

I hesitate to post this one, but I've heard the Madarins had been referred to as the Pink Ch---s back in the day.... Racial slurs, hut!

To clarify, I want to stylize elements of the corps' uniforms, instead of their logos, for this application. Many reasons for it, one being most of the corps logos don't read particularly well at small sizes. Thanks for the input so far. :)

There's something I'm working on, and I want to run it past you guys- Are these icons fair graphic representations of their respective corps' on-field presence? Also, do you prefer the #1 or #2 versions of Madison and Phantom? Thanks for any feedback!

I too have mixed feelings on Throw It Down... I felt the dream sequences were a little contrived and melodramatic. I too wished there was more performance footage, as well as more information on the competitive side of things. I also agree that the narrative was a little disjointed at times. That said, it featured some really engaging members that were easy to root for on their journey. It did do a good job of showcasing the struggle that is the tour, and it does give the viewer a pretty good look at what happens in the activity. I'm still waiting for the really good, all-encompassing, expertly produced masterpiece drum corps documentary, but there's still plenty to like in Throw It Down, as well as America's Core.

There's been some spots of tension between BK and Glassmen and Boston over the last several years. There was a pretty big flare up between Phantom and BK in the late 90s/early 00s, too. That's completely subsided, as far as I know. It funny how being on tour can quickly change your perception of other corps. There used to be corps that I was really into as a fan, then either through close competition or witnessing less than classy behavior, really soured me on them. Only now, several years after marching, have I started to warm up to all but a couple of those groups.

There's probably a different level of excitement about this inauguration than the last one, though. As long as I can see it, I don't care what channel it's on. Good luck to the Cadets on representing DCI on a large stage again.

Glad to hear the bass drums getting some love. I've always thought of them as the offensive line of the drum corps— some of the smartest people on the field, but rarely get the credit they deserve. Phantom has had some great basslines over the past several years, as have some other corps, but if you want to hear the definitive DCI bass moment, at least in my book, check out the end of the ballade for '99 BD. Typically, Devs is not one of my favorite basslines, but they threw it down that season, and that lick, all the way backfield, is amazing. The way it modulates all over the place with no other tempo on the field blows my mind.

I hope mine are at my apartment office when I get home tonight.... that would make my weekend.

'Spensive for a 2 DVD set, but may be worth it. I'll have to consider it.

I always thought it looked tacky... I don't miss it as a spectator at all.

Electronic instruments, just like any design option made available to the corps (by the corps- let's not forget that), have the potential to be used well or poorly. It's up to the corps to define their own individual taste in hopes of affecting us, not DCI. Personally, in terms of electronic instruments, my preference would be to see it used to enhance the music and effects created by a group, without completely altering the identity of the medium's sound... I'd probably prefer that a group doesn't feature synthesized voicing over that of accoustic brass and percussion. I do think it would be a mistake to try to legislate the design of these elements, though. It's no different than trying to legislate what types of music are acceptable or setting required tempo ranges.

Couldn't one make a similar argument about an art form like drum corps.

Can't wait... so many great shows to relive. Can't wait for Phantom, Cavies, and Bluecoats, especially. Loved Blue Stars, BK, and Madison quite a bit, too. What a great year!

In my mind, it's not really an either/or proposition. I'm taking a wait and see approach on electronic instrumentation, but I don't see the type of playing that a cymbal line does being re-created with synths. The only types of cymbal sounds I've ever seen being sythesized in other similar mediums is high-hat sounds... Not exactly the contribution of a cymbal line. They're not mutually exlusive, or even related, outside of one representing "old school" and another representing "new school."

I'm sure glad that two important hires for my old drum corps can inspire such an awesome debate on grammar... Personally, I'm excited about this. Sully's clearly done some great program and drill design, and from the sounds of it is really excited to both embrace and enhance the BK identity. I know less about guard than the musical captions, but it has seemed that the colorguard at Glassmen has been a strength of theirs over the past couple years, so I'm interested to see what is brought to the table on that front too. I think there's a definite possibility of some exciting new stuff for BK in the coming season.

All this talk of great moments makes me want to watch some drum corps... I need to get my video collection back in tact from all the folks I've let to! :)

I'd hesitate to show anything from too long ago... like pre 99... assuming you want to give them a depiction of where the activity is currently at. As much well-deserved nostalgia as those shows have, I think the hairstyles alone would instantly date those clips to your audience.

I agree that the Crown segment would be a much better representation of the current state of Drum Corps than the Bluecoats clip. It has visual interest with drill and colorguard, the full ensemble is playing music, and it's an obvious example of taking existing music and adapting it for the medium.