madalumni

I'm sure they will release some video snippets from dress rehearsal this coming Wednesday. Maybe some cool drone footage! And in just over a week, I will be road-tripping back to Madtown to see Drums on Parade live....not to mention participate in the first rehearsal for our Corps of Brothers Macy's performance!

I like the sound of that....when the Scouts of the past were given truly great "swing" charts....and taught accordingly how to lay on the back of the beat and articulate in almost a "scat" technique, it was magical! A couple of my favorite examples were 82 Strawberry Soup (83 was still good, but didn't seem to groove/swing as much), 86 Harlem Suite, parts of 10 and 11. Very much looking forward to the 2014 installment of the Mighty Madison Scouts! And truly curious to see/hear what the Trombone ensemble in the pit is going to sound like. I think if done really well, it could do a lot to enhance the jazz orchestra vibe that I think the show will have.

IT will be interesting to see if they feature Trombones as a small ensemble during Bulgarian Bulge. That piece is listed as a percussion feature/small ensemble section of the show.

Madison in both Cheyenne and Denver baby!

It is neither. This show will not have anything the Scouts have ever done before!

Aw HELL yeah!!!

From what Chris Komnick told me, by Saturday night, they had sold 17 of the Limited Edition Prints ($250 each), and the final bid on the Original Painting was $1,000. So if that holds true, that is about $5,250 raised for the Scouts so far! :)

Thanks everyone! Saw a bunch of fellow alums tonight at the pre-banquet brass rehearsal and after party...the painting is being well received and should bring in some great funds for the Corps tomorrow night at the 75th!

Hey everyone - I thought I would repost this here. I donated a painting to the Madison Scouts in celebration of our 75th Anniversary and to help raise funds for the Corps. Our banquet is this weekend in Madison where the original painting is being auctioned off. However the bidding has begun. Here is the link to more info! http://www.madisonscouts.org/blog/?p=1040 P.S. Does someone know how to post the pic of the painting on here? I used to be able to do it through flickr, but don't have the capability anymore. :)

Of course all of them. But in particular, Star, Suncoast, 27th and Bridgemen for me...all four of those Corps offered so much and each made a unique contribution to the activity!

Thank you. Glad you like my work! And yep, 89 was a great year with many talented people around the activity! And thanks for the link. Great stuff...LOVE his use of light and color!

Thanks...likewise on your horns! Loved that full/balanced, but loud Jimmer horn line! Fantasia on the Dargason is an alltime favorite of mine! And pushball - dang, why'd ya have to bring that up? Lol. We had some talent there, but you guys brought the heavy hitters!

2009 Phantom was indeed a great show, but suffered an impossible comparison with the year before, in that Spartacus was such a brilliantly designed and executed program. Another factor (and it does happen quite often) is that you had a competitive field of so many drastically improving corps around them. But in the big picture, 2009 Phantom holds up as a great show. I would be remiss however, if I didn't admit at least a small amount of relief felt on my part at their 2009 placement, because finally, after 20 years, the 1989 Madison Scouts (my rookie year) no longer held the distinction of taking the biggest fall after winning a title! But seriously, I feel both shows - ours and Phantom's - were well designed and performed, just not quite staying competitive with the great Corps around us those years. Most importantly though, I hope Phantom ties us for the 2nd highest jump to a title going into 2014 (6th to 1st)...or better yet, we set a new record for the highest jump to a title (9th to 1st)!

I remember the week after tour - both 89 and 90 - walking around the Pine Tree Mall in my hometown of Marinette Wisconsin, swearing I was seeing all these different guys I marched with...and then realizing it wasn't them...and then realizing how scary it was to see a woman who looked like Brian Zielsdorf! No offense Brian.

I would rank them by height.

Here are my predictions.... BD 98.45 Crown 98.1 SCV 97.55 Cadets 95.8 Phantom 94.8 Bluecoats 94.75 Boston 92.2 Madison 91.5 Cavaliers 91.45 Blue Knights 91.4 Spirit of Atlanta 89.0 Blue Stars 88.5

Yes, and I've seen pictures to prove it...and I've seen some of those guys in person recently...to prove that it still applies. Lol.

Lol. Awesome! Even my Air Force buddies would laugh at that.

So Hooah...is there a variation on that, like "Hoorah"? Or is that more of a Hollywood embelishment?

Very true. Many seem to think it's the GE or the concept of the show. But like you have pointed out, all one has to do is look at the recaps and it is clear. Madison has actually put themselves in a good position for the long term because they have solidified several captions. Now, like you said, they need to take it up a couple notches in Guard and Visual. They will, but these days, building a Color Guard program is one of the toughest things...especially in today's climate, where there are so many great programs. I know there are some who think being patient for the future is settling for mediocrity in favor of pushing for excellence, but I disagree. I would rather see the staff continue to do what they are doing - which is build the program slow and steady!

These are good points, and I think the current design team at Madison is attempting to find that balance. Maybe they aren't there yet, but quite frankly, I am very happy with this year's offering and I'm not really bothered by or concerned with where they end up placement wise. Like someone else said on here recently, I'm just happy they are in the conversation and that they are winning the hearts of the people. But as far as competition, I've realized that At the end of the day, they could find the absolute perfect balance and have the absolute best talent, and still there could be many Corps that are just simply better. And that is good. It is good for all these Corps to be so insanely competative. It inspires not only the audience member, but hopefully all the Corps to reach higher and produce more greatness. One thing that really impressed me this summer, is how humble and professional all the young members are these days, that includes members of the Scouts, Blue stars, Troopers, Cavaliers...and they have camaraderie with each other too...but none of them seem overly concerned with scores/placements, but much more with perfecting their own game. When I marched, it seemed like there was so much more focus on "defeating the enemy" even the our Director preached against that. Anyway, I'm rambling here. We'll see where the Scouts end up, but so far, this 75th anniversary season has been a smashing success as far as I'm concerned!

Me too...Allentown is classic, both the city, and the crowd! And GO SCOUTS!

Great points, and I agree whole heartily! Slow and steady wins the race. It's tough to watch the process and we would rather see the guys vault towards the top faster, but I would rather have consistency built over many years and launch forward from a place of strength, than shoot for the moon while sacrificing important things just for short term gain. And let's not forget, the season isn't over yet. Madison is not doomed to a certain placement/score just because of what happened last year. They have it in them to max this puppy out by Finals!

How do you explain the Cavs getting ousted last year by Boston then? Also, are you aware that many judges are opposed to the G7/MiM?

I agree - the original ending had more punch and excitement, both musically and visually...the new ending isn't bad, just not quite as good. But, last year they went through a couple changes before they settled on the end of the closer, maybe they have something yet to add this year.