Eric M. Buckman

There are very few shows of recent years, in which I am betting will be talked about 20 years down the road. Who can hum a tune from most anything today. LOVE, what Coats have done in recent memory especially and Riffs and Revelations will probably have that type of staying power, but what else??? Name a recent year in which the Top 6 you could actually "sing" the entirety of each show start to finish...gotta go back to Mid 80's -90s for that type of affect.

Wait...what??? Ummm, no. this is good, but not nearly the best top 4 in DCI history. Must be young. LOL

https://www.scvanguard.org/vmapa-organization-update-august-4-2023/

Scores tonight mean little in overall scheme...I don't believe one of these judges will be at Finals.

This is rich...the gap closed 0.01 in 6 days.

That could have been said about 1985, no? The demand of the show was so much higher than anyone else, it raised the bar for adjudication. And we still talk about that show today. Cadets were not the cleanest in 85, but it was INSANELY difficult. While, true it may have fallen out of favor, up tempo endings, for a variety of reasons, how do the CADETS identify themselves, in such a narrowing idiom that has been simply robbing from each other? The activity is a bit vanilla in many ways. With now the talk is, how DCI is defined by WGI, when it used to be vis a vis. While there is a lot to be said about tradition and what each Corps is competent in. Movement defines the Cadets. I would rather see them fail while remaining true to this capacity than become mediocre vanilla and unremarkable, or even out of minds eye. The Cadet/Cipriani sound is in Boston (can't deny that) , the Guard is definitely back and doing amazing. Drums will be what they will be, in the mix. But, pushing the boundaries of drill design and innovation for the activity is a must for keeping Cadets relevant, otherwise why go? So the run-and-gun is back. But, it had better be special. Not so sure this season, has "tons of exceptional fan memories" to be taken away that will make you think about the era 25 years later. Some of the most entertaining aspects of the current era, happen, In the LOT!

Three words not forget this season. Santa Clara Vanguard.

LOL, if you plan on challenging someone, then please make sure you A. do your homework, B. research it for yourself. so... DEVS 2022 INTRO 1:43 seconds of Battery 1:43 Brass enters till 2:47. That would be nearly 1 Minute of Brass again the majority of the Crops Drums are in at 2:47 until the Solo Alto Trumpet at 3:19 Only 30 seconds of Battery at 3:30 seconds Brass enters with Low/Moderate demand drill. Low Brass enters around 3:30 and then Upper and Mid voices around 3:48 But that is 3:19 till 4:11 when dress again are in and brass out. that is almost a full minute. from 4:11 till 4:20. 9 seconds of drums then brass is back in at 4:20 till 4:51 seconds when Narrative begins for roughly 20 seconds at 5:10 Back Field Pit and Brass, then Front Field Duet of Moon River with Full Hornline till 7:14 Ovation from the crowd... that is nearly 2 minutes of Brass interaction 7:14 Backfield Moon River MM Low demand 7:43 Narrative Battery Drum Feature Body Movement by Brass till 9:13. so yeah almost 1:30 of Drum Feature 9:13 Brass enters Lor/Moderate Demand drill till: 10:43 Pit 11:07 Brass til Full Corps till ending at 12:02 roughly. So, you might want to rethink your statement about their playing the least amount. And they do it quite well when they do it. The vehicle they have relative to their performance strategy is also completely different, but they play and complete MM in traditional Devils format. not in 30 seconds snippets for the largest membership with, so I stand by my argument. Devs may not have the highest of demand drills, but the Color Guard is spot on the Battery is in the game and does their part more than adequately and is always in the hunt for a Drum Title. And their BRASS play and play quite well, regularly within the context of the show. out of their 12 minute performance, there is about only 3 minutes of pure drums, which cannot be said for this years Cadets iteration, which was my point about how little the Brass plays, and the amount of Body Movement there is without any voice from the Brass...you simply cannot do well if the single largest section of the corps is not doing what they are intended. Might as well hide the color guard the entire show and feature them for 3 minutes. There are too large of chasms when Cadets Brass does. not participate in the over all arching them of Marching Music...you can dance all you want, but that has nothing to do with scores...you don't get points for simply body movement. And yes, that would mean the judging still embodies 1994 era. Oh by the way, 6th place Madison 1994 put on the field exactly as it was, would probably out fair current 6th place in 2023...LOL

This is a lovely show overall, my challenge is this. The entirety of the Corps is seemingly unbalance relative to the show. Some years the focus may be color guard driven visually. Some years it may be Battery. But, those all have to have a foundational aspect that the Brass has to be relevant and present throughout, to tie everything together. This show will place exactly where it is is supposed, as there is very low demand from the largest contributors relative to the production. The Brass. The Colorguard and Battery hold their own within the construct of the design. The Cadets have been long known for marching and maneuvering while playing...and that simply doesn't hold up this year. General Synopsis of Timeline The entirety of the 13 minute production compromises the following The Battery entrance 1:12 seconds long Brass enters and plays for ~30 seconds Brass Movement for another 31 seconds without playing Brass stands and plays another 24 second during Triple Tonging Feature Low Demand Drill 16 seconds Stop and play 10 seconds Drums 44 seconds Solo Ballad 36 seconds with Low Brass and small Hornlike contribution Duet 1:03 seconds into full hornline. Full Hornline Low Demand 26 seconds Battery FEATURE 46 seconds. Brass More Movement No playing Brass Enters 1:19 second low demand drill Brass Enters Moderate demand 30 seconds Pit feature Drum Set Brass Movement No play 45 seconds Baritone Feature 26 seconds FULL HORNLINE 18 seconds Stand And Play 20 seconds FINALE 1:42 of Low/Moderate demand Marching and playing by Brass. While this can be described as a wonderfully delightful Cadets show, from the perspective of what the largest group has to offer the Brass, shorts and all, it is a low demand show. Which means that the guard and battery have to excel beyond belief to make up for everything else. Even if the Brass is flawless musically, the demand isn't really there, otherwise. Cadets have always been the outliers, it is why no one ever uses them to explain demand within the context of the Drum Corps idiom, as they have always had one of the higher demands on M/M, historically(while playing). This show is a definite departure from that, nothing bad, but simply a departure from what, I like many have grown accustomed to since 1982. IMO But, it 'tis a very nice show. Keep cleaning, have fun. And remember Placements/scores don't matter. Will this show live on, 10, 20, 30 years from now, will it be talked about, regardless of placement? That is yet to be seen, and that seemingly is what Cadets have done for the last 40+ years.

Since I can't hide behind a weird moniker for my profile name, I have one simple thought. The Holy Name Cadets, Garfield Cadets, Cadets of Bergen Country, O Holy Name, even into The Cadets all have a rich tradition of Innovation. The question that seems to perplex me, is one revolving around either being an organization, that pushed boundaries and exploration of this idiom we so adore. Today I even noted that Crown is pushing 210 bpm...my heart sank and I thought "what", then I thought good for them, they have continued to be innovate leaders and one of the best in the business for years now. With all the "issues" surrounding the Cadets in recent years, my simple thought is they need to get out of survival mode and get back to innovation. Even in the Erie move, that is right down the street form the other Blue crew, that has completely changed the game in DCI, for the benefit of everyone. What happened to the old Cadet saying..."First we zigged...ZAG!" it seems that current strategies for success in today's world of DCI revolves around Innovation, you cannot remain reactive in this game nor can you solely rely on TRADITION, let me repeat. You cannot rely on tradition, alone. Devils are so far removed from what we know of them in the 80's and 90's and yet they remain the best at innovation and putting the one of the best products on the field of competition. Can the Cadets do the same, or will they simply succumb to the idea of mediocrity and just somewhat complacency, by design...they need to find more of ...

Well Said...

Flat out, there is a reason, why Devs were called White Noise in 88, and also, there is simply no comparison between todays Corps and G Valve Bugles...with fewer members. Anything from G era had a much more robust sound and subsequently, the corps produces much LOUDER melt your face product!

Interesting read. I do feel that in someways we have alienated the people who probably mean the most to the activity, the Traditionalist. we are seeking newer fan base, and "losing" when we should be cultivating the former and current fan base. We have so polarized Drum Corps fan base, sure there is something there for everyone. But really, really, what Alum didn't have some type of are you kidding me moment...ala Cavies, dance, dance, dance craze, I even spoke to Cavalier Alumsn who could only put there head in their hands and shake them...but those same fans, hailed into such high regard Madison! GO MADISON! Unfortunately, you can't necessarily give the entire set of keys to one sole person as the direction of an entity. There was nothing truly wrong with drum corps, yet we intentionally broke it. G Bugle manufacturers or not! 2012 Crown, is the first and quite possibly the only Corps since the last year of G Bugles that made my face nearly melt! Thank you Matt Harloff! As far as developing a story in 11 1/2 minutes....um Michael, did you not pay any attention to what most consider the Golden Era of DCI 83-93 transition. Some of the most memorable story lines ever told in DCI were done in 11 1/2 minutes. We have seen way too many shows that are A.D.D oriented. This year is one of the few that the Top 12 corps developed truly complete shows, and even then, some of them failed miserably in MAJOR Transitions from one segment to the next and two were in the Top 6. I don't know, it is ironic we talk of to today, but even looking at that photo, just makes me wonder about the whole article...Fluff I tell you, Fluff!

Don't be delusional about "record" numbers, there are record numbers at certain show sites, because there are fewer shows to attend and an increase in major regional sites with major corps in attendence. I don't really care at the end of the day who won, cause 10 years from now, you will remember the best shows, wherever they placed. DCI may still be around...but, this is going to end up with only 6-8 corps regionally and that's it. I actually enjoyed BD's show, but feel that Crown wasn't rewarded for their show production and demand, which really was, simply a tougher show top to bottom, and they paid for it. Rough that Beddis left, but that is probably the ultimate sticking point for Crown this year. Percussion, couldn't push them over the top, but was their achilles heel. Devs aren't the death of Drum Corps, personally, the biggest problem was getting away from their target audience to increase the marketability...just like Pepsi "Clear" or the Ferrari Dino. Interesting concepts, but ultimately bad idea!