EmpireQuad

I too was in the Dayton arena, and can agree with your analysis. I think the argument with X and Pulse for the most part has been demand vs. excellence. Without a doubt, Pulse was the cleanest line of the night, and I agree X had some tears, but to put them 5th I feel like was a stretch. In my earlier post, I wasn't accusing Ed of having an agenda, just that he has been at the center of two controversial results in the last few months. To play the other side of it, perhaps this is good thing. I said to my fiancee' before retreat in Dayton that I wouldn't want to be a judge tonight. It has been forever argued that judges make their call based on the uniform the corps is wearing, rather than the product they're putting on the field. Terms like "slotting" and "groupings" are old news these days. Whether or not it exists will be debated as long as this forum is in existence. If Rhythm X really DID have a bag of a show (which we all know they did), or Statesmen's drumline played with broken sticks Saturday night in Kingston, then good on him for making the correct call, rather than the popular call. Referees in any professional sport have always said it's their goal to never be noticed. In our activity, the judges have the same intent I would assume. It's impossible to remain both fair and popular. As you can see, I'm a Statesmen Alum, and proud of it. When I learned of Saturday's recap, I was in shock, as most other percussion-savvy people were I would assume. I wasn't at the show Saturday, so I can't speak with any first-hand knowledge of what happened, just that I found it hard to believe. Until the day judges tapes become "public evidence", we will never know what they saw, but rather argue what we think they should see.

An interesting piece of info, Ed Argenziano was also the judge that put Rhythm X 5th in Music GE on Finals night in Dayton this year. Looking at the recap, Empire's field score was only a tenth about Fusion Core... where as Thurston had Empire 3 tenths above Hurcs for ensemble. Hard to believe there could have been that much of a discrepancy from the field to the box. Jim Joyce anyone?

In my opinion, if you can't march with it on the field, it doesn't belong on the stage. Something like a cowbell mounted to a snare or a set of quads doesn't bother me, but the last two years have been a farce in the Quad category. I&E is about showcasing individual talent, not mass-marketing.

Sounds like things are really shaping up for a great 2009. Eagerly awaiting the remainder of the announcements!

And WHAT a hornline it is!

Hey Jim, On the field during retreat, I noticed that Minnesota Brass was also using black Remo heads. I'm no bass guy, so I couldn't tell you the reasoning behind it.

Good luck this weekend Grenadiers!! Like Adam said, regardless the outcome, getting back on the field despite the odds is a victory in itself. See you guys in Waterloo! Cheers,

Bears are for sale, my Canadian beer however, is not. I will share though, if you provide another meal like we had on the weekend!

Can't wait to put on the uniform for the first time!

What's the status on the video?? Need my MBI fix.

Bump.

Where's the vid?!?!?

As ajlisko mentioned, I'm listed twice in the Snare category. I know I registered SUPER early (beginning of May I think) so I'm hoping the later time is the right time! Mr. Pronti, could you shed some light on the subject, or am I responsible for an encore? Hahaha...

When can we expect this tentative list?

MBI was once again, in my opinion, the class of the field in terms of percussion. Hawthorne certainly crammed alot of notes, and Bucs had a killer bass line, but year after year MBI seems to bring the COMPLETE package to the field, always striving to innovate and take it to 'the next level'. Not sure what happened.

If anyone is looking to unload some tickets for EITHER night in Rochester, I need 3. Not too picky as to where they are, just something where I don't need a pair of binoculars. Between the 30s would be ideal. Send me a PM! I know I know... shouldn't have waited!

Don't buy XL. I bought 4 snare stands, 2 tenor stands, and 5 bass stands (XL Stik) back in 03, and 90% of them are being held together with tape. All the hinges, etc are made of plastic, the bass stands are crooked, and the front arm on the tenor stand is as strong as a straw. If I could do it all over again, I would be putting a nice new set of Dynasty stands together right now, NOT running to Home Depot for more electrical tape.

I have one, and would love to enter! It's already been said there's no venue, but we could just have an 'impromptu' contest outside. Always up for a spinoff!

I'm in! See you there. Best of luck. Any others?

"Heck yes"

A side note about the headphones, Vic Firth offers two different models. We are using the DB22s, specifically designed to reduce volume levels (by 22 decibels.. so it's not just a clever name). The other model is a stereo headphone. Click on this link to see the Santa Clara Vanguard using it to work through exercises designed to play over top of 'pop music'. http://www.vicfirth.com/education/articles/Gusseck.html

T-Minus 6 days, 12 hours, 4 minutes. Definitely not soon enough. I think I wore out my exercise CD, anybody else?????