cixelsyd

OMG, how horrible. So when the judges give Cadets a lower score than both Crown and BD, they are telling the Cadet members that they do not deserve to be either 1st or 2nd. That is even more cruel to the kids. And they are even more cruel to SCV, and PR, and - oh, how can you stand it?

I applaud the efforts of the kids when they are on the field, during or at the end of their performance. Score announcements are when I applaud the efforts of the judges (if they deserve it).

How about this - make a list of judges who HAVE responded to the performances of the day, and given different results at different shows so far.

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They did - in fact, their ideas were formulated into a 5-year business plan that was ratified by DCI in 2009 by a vote that was unanimous, except for one dissenter (George Hopkins).

This was a fun show. Perfect weather. Oregon Crusaders drumline is improving by leaps and bounds. Their features are real attention getters. (They also won the drumline battle during intermission.) Oh, and if you are into vocals, their singer is way better than that girl from Bluecoats, in my non-expert opinion. I cannot even explain to you how much the Jersey Surf brass have improved in the past month. Their whole show is an entirely different proposition now, offering endless point-counterpoint effects between the gimmicks and the sound of the corps proper. Troopers performed as if they decided every note they play in 2013 is going to be absolutely delicious, like the best chocolate cake you ever tasted. While other corps water down their music, Troop is adding more difficult rapid-note features. What do you call this - watering up? Drums were fantastic, sounding about as clean as Rennick's other line was last night. Digging the show of Pacific Crest, but they really need an ensemble rehearsal block - had some phasing in the middle of their opening act. Academy baritones were in tune, even in the unseasonably cool weather that usually drives them flat. The show makes more sense as I spot more and more visuals coordinated with the music, but frequent changes are taking a toll in execution. Blue Stars are getting cleaner, and the intent of their show is starting to register with me, but that also reveals deeper layers of dirt. Big thing now is crescendos to a silent downbeat, which expose brass individuals every time. There is no time for the total rewrite I think the drumline needs. I finally understand the Crossmen drill. They are angling to become the first SoundSport champion. Brass problems I noticed in San Antonio still stick out like a sore thumb. After impressing me with their performance in the dome last weekend, Blue Knights did not even retain that level here. Most of this was errors in the battery, but brass had a breath gap or two. Spirit perplexes me. They completely blow a simple downbeat horn note, but then they have this wicked hard, wicked long brass articulation feature that was wicked clean in the Gershwin. Seems like not every phrase is getting their best effort. They should watch the Troopers perform, and learn from them. Big high note night, though - could probably hear them in neighboring states. Boston really perplexes me. I hear "feet" in the mellophone sound, in spots where they are barely moving. Baritones did not even try to play loud until the last minute tonight. Meanwhile, drums had the best run I have heard from them in a long time. Madison was very clean, especially musically. I was expecting a 3 point victory margin.

Rumor has it that the Murfreesboro VODs will have clean audio from another source. But no, the "major announcement" will be something else.

Who came up with which idea, then?

Maybe he got that idea from the PowerPoint slide that said "Here is a detailed format for the G7 events as prepared by David Gibbs"... and the 16 slides of show format details that followed.

Was there live - a few impressions. To my ears, percussion sounds like a close battle, and one that has different winners from one viewing to the next. Tonight it was Vanguard's turn. Cadet snares did not have their best run. Crown battery has improved dramatically over the past six days, good for a close 4th in my estimation tonight. A good night for hornlines. With Crown kicking once again and BD sounding particularly lively tonight, it was a six-way tie for who had the loudest horns. Stadium now has tarps hanging on the railings, partially blocking view from the front 3-4 rows of the bleachers. Keep this in mind when selecting seats in the future.

Bridgemen were still operating in 1985, so that would not matter.

I thought they ran the outdoor San Antonio event as two evening shows.

What a coincidence - these are all the corps whose first APD would be San Antonio.

About 15 choices in, I realized I have not picked a favorite show yet. But my favorite experience so far in 2013 is that sound the Troopers are producing.

Maybe they would rather have their show hummed by fans on the way out of the stadium, rather than just "talked about".

Think I will try my hand at a brief review. Guardians started the proceedings with an exhibition of their SoundSport group, which quite frankly was a full-fledged drum corps on a smaller chunk of field. Brass, battery, pit, guard, over 50 kids, nice uniforms and everything. Performed like an experienced group. Genesis was the lone open-class corps here today, which is sad. But they have exploded in growth to something like 56 brass and a couple dozen guard, which is not sad. Corps proper has gone to green tops, in keeping with the Oz component of their 2013 program. That meant we would start with three green corps in a row, as Cascades led off the world-class action. It takes a little time for me to acclimate to dome acoustics, but their music ensemble helped speed the process up with their clarity. I think we can pencil Jersey Surf in for 20th spot. Actually, make that ink. Honestly, nothing was likely to match the fan friendliness of Bridgemania, but I appreciate the improved battery they are fielding this year, and wonder what surprises might be in store if the brass can grow their contribution while on tour. Oregon Crusaders debuted their complete production today, and it is layered, theatrical design that may score points with both fans and judges. After a soft first number, the initial loud brass stabs were sharply executed. Drums are clearly taking their act to a new technical level in 2013, but today was not the job they are capable of. Pioneer is over 30 horns, and they stage their pit behind the sideline so that those horns can march into the pit area and let loose. There is much cleaning to be done, though - I would start with the parts they play from in the pit area, from where we can hear every detail. Mandarins took the field with an air of deliberate purpose, as if a historic performance was about to take place. I think my expectations ran too high - they are certainly having an up year, but 17th does not belong to them yet. They almost sound like a Gino Cipriani hornline, with the upper half of their 60-something brass playing out while low brass, well, not so much. New uniforms, props, everything visually is professionally done, and the theme goes over well, but today the narration was just SO FREAKING LOUD... I mean, you could just hang out in the lot all day, and still catch THAT part of the Mandarins show. Luck of the draw had Colts performing in the first block, so early that their soloists may not have been fully warmed up. As this was my first read on them, I was looking for why their drumline has been such an Achillies heel on the recaps - did not really notice. But I also did not really notice why their visual design has been getting such high marks. The drill is good, but I think it is more a case of some of their competition having drill design flaws. The new uniforms lack "pop" even up close, and must look really bland up top. Lot more horn players this year, and the show is one of the more accessible ones, thematically and musically. Academy - OK, we get the whole French piano player bit. Must he babble on for all that time? I am the last person to ask for more synth playing in drum corps, but here is one place where a few piano notes would be a welcome accompaniment (or replacement) for some portion of that monologue. Not sure where this show is heading. In the push of the Shostakovich, where the entire lead line could not be heard in Denver, they now play the whole push backfield, so that here you could not hear the horns at all. And come on, ever since you got the Jupiter horns, those baritones have been out of tune. Will you pull the slides in already, or do I have to do it for you? (Sorry to sound so critical - I should note, Academy was one of my favorite 2-3 shows last year, but wow, they are determined to be different every year.) Pacific Crest - looking good in all areas. No, they will not be threatening for top 12, but they appear headed for a duel with Colts for 15th. Like the Colts, they have over a dozen more horn players than last year. The first top-12 threat to appear, Crossmen, have a lot of work yet to do. Hornline is not in the overachieving mode of last year yet, and I caught some blatant balance/blend offenses. The drill is not lacking in demand, IMO, just lacking field coverage. That will be hard to fix, especially starting now. Troopers! Troopers have a big, lush sound like no one else this year, that makes you want to type exclamation marks! This line speaks as if given voice by some higher power. And what a gorgeous show. This corps should be in the top 12. Why are they not there right now? Drums have stepped up their game, executing an effective book by Paul Rennick. While the brass do not have as many notes as, say, Crown, they do make a point of delivering demanding rhythms clearly from different sections staged in field spreads that would have many world-class hornlines crashing in ruin. There is work remaining visually, where technique has improved and focus now needs to go to timing. I like the show theme Boston is presenting, and suspect some of their musical moments will be among my favorites of 2013. But it seems like they must have a young hornline or something, because they still have balance, tone and breath gaps to fill in at some of the more physically demanding spots in the music. They have come a long way since June, but are still playing catchup in that regard. I have a real problem with them placing ahead of the corps that performed next. Spirit of Atlanta, meanwhile, seems to have a new abundance of talent over recent years, and they show it off. They have also found a formula to balance old-school, in-your-face music with modern sprinting drill. Well done, except for a confusing lack of sound late show at the long anticipated Sweet Georgia Brown park-and-blow. Blue Stars have not connected with me yet. Despite a new staff of proven successful designers, their show leaves me with all questions and no answers. Maybe the spell has been cast on me; maybe I need to see it a few more times. The brass book does not impress itself on my memory, despite improving execution and a star baritone soloist. I see the drums working away, but most of what they are playing is not projecting well. Too much time is spent with the entire hornline on one side of the 50 yard line. Thanks to all the DCP comments about blue balls, I now have trouble keeping a straight face as Blue Knights start their show. But thanks to a monster baritone line, that is quickly forgotten. BK has an exhausting show of non-stop physical demand, but they are up to the task. All sections impressed me today, so I am not surprised to see them 9th (and would not object to seeing them 8th at this point). Madison Scouts are going full Spartacus now. They have a DM conducting the audience in the singing of YNWA, with several clusters of spectators standing to participate tonight... and the whole audience standing by the time the front advanced toward them. Corps is in full character from the start, with horns jogging out the stadium tunnel with some Army-style jog-chant thing going on. Battery is performing very well on all sorts of weapon-like effects. Hard to imagine how this corps places anywhere other than 7th, or how anyone else comes within a point of changing that (in either direction). Speaking of which, Cavaliers performed next. While I am relieved to find that rumors of a 17th-place caption finish in brass are overblown, I just do not see what should make this show go higher than 8th even if it gets fully clean (which is a long way off from a marching standpoint). Where are those cool drumline throwdowns, upside-down tenors, and the like? Oh, regarding the robes, I have no problem with them, and in fact, would rather see them used more rather than less. Phantom Regiment was looking and sounding just fine. Early season phasing is gone, even here in the dome. Only real question is, given the medalist placement earned last year, was any of this show designed with aspirations of title contention in mind? I get the feeling this staff can do better... maybe they have something up their sleeve being saved for late season. Bluecoats were next with their "Looking for Disjointedness" show, and yes, they found what they were looking for. Last year, they took an enjoyable, melodic show, performed the snot out of it, and were inexplicably slotted into 6th place no matter what they or the corps around them did. So to change things, they have designed the complete opposite this year, employing tactics comparable to recent BD shows - and they are 6th. Lesson learned, I hope. At least we had an enjoyable, melodic show soon after Bluecoats, as SCV appeared next. This show works. No design fixes are required. A couple of specifics - drums had a good run, but they are mere mortals this year and probably headed for 3rd in their caption in the end. Heard a few uncharacteristic fracks from mellophones tonight. Even after SCV, Cadets brass surprised me with their power. This is a strong year for them in both brass and percussion. If only they used their whole guard full time instead of pushing those oversized toy blocks around on those wobbly wheels, maybe they would be making it a three-horse title race. Is it too late to dump the props? At least fix the wheels, and make the 3rd place video look nice. Carolina Crown has, IMO, the most challenging and exposed music ensemble show of the 2013 field. As a result, their first dome show of the season was a little rough, by their standards. Horns had a spot or two where timing was not as perfectly synchronized as past shows. Horns have also let up a bit on the throttle recently, after being the clear decibel leader earlier. Drums are not the train wreck some suggest, but there are a couple of spots that might require modification, and a couple of spots where clearly performable figures are randomly out of focus. Progress will be required in both of those aspects, as too low an ordinal placement in drums will dictate a point spread that could wipe out most of their advantages in other areas. Blue Devils have improved immensely. No more tripping over poles. Drums had a great run tonight, while horns may have given their best of the year so far. Score movement reflects corps improvement in this case. But where do Devils go from here? This particular flavor of Rite of Spring seems like a limiting design choice. In brass and in guard, the whole show seems to plod forth in monotony, with only occasional variation. Guard and GE music scores seem to reflect reality there too. Percussion still delivers the full range of their perennial skills.

I have no argument with this post. I did underline that one word, though, to illustrate the concern you asked about earlier. I believe the concern is that some of the changes envisioned in recent proposals seek to artificially reduce what little natural "churn" we have by creating new subdivisions of corps where voting power, revenue and even show access are increasingly taken away from some current DCI member corps and given to a specific 7 corps instead. Should those proposals be enacted, advances and comebacks like the examples you cite above would be artificially constrained from occurring in the future.

Oh. I thought you might have a particular vision of your own in mind. IMO, growing it. More specifically, IMO, growing participation in drum corps... which, inevitably (IMO) means more corps. Once I lay those few cards on the table, you can see where I stand on most G7 related issues. I am not so sure. For one thing, there is an idea floating around now where a future DCI BOD would be composed of selected representatives from the individual corps BODs, instead of the corps directors. It is entirely possible that the "one corps, one vote" dynamic would play out very differently when the people executing it are representing the business interests of their respective corps, instead of their competitive interests. Meanwhile, is the "one corps, one vote" system really to blame for the dysfunction we have seen recently? I would say we have deviated quite a bit from the "one corps, one vote" principle. In fact, we have never really had that principle, seeing that there have always been participating corps in DCI who are denied membership - "one corps, zero vote". But DCI has strayed further from that principle with the smaller executive BOD setups. And the G7 saga has been more like a two-party political drama, rather than individual corps casting votes that demonstrate their individuality.

Elevating DCI to what? I mean, that is what drum corps is, in the loosely defined notion of some - a series of marching band shows under a different name. Do you want DCI to move into some other line of work? I agree that consensus has been lacking lately. But what is the difference? The G7, given their opportunity, have merely created another series of drum corps shows, just with I&E acts before the show and a return to a mass finale. Meanwhile, the rest of DCI has come up with SoundSport and Drumline Battle - a little more imaginative, but still carrying drum corps DNA. Neither of these visions will elevate DCI to something greater than a series of "marching band" shows.

Sorry, but I do not agree. When a corps plays "Ghost Train", for example, it is no great stroke of genius to think of incorporating a train whistle and/or chug-chug sound effect. Duh. What is interesting is to hear how the music is shaped to represent what the title describes. If those train whistle and steam engine sound effects are also produced musically, by acoustic means, it is equally interesting to hear how it is done and how cleverly it resembles the real thing. Playing a recording of a train whistle or steam engine over loudspeakers instead - well, that is neither clever nor interesting to me. I find that moment frustrating. I want to hear that hornline release. I suspect Cadets have a particularly good line this year, but how will I ever know if I do not get to hear the finer aspects of their performance? You know, people can sing too.

Not anymore. They cannot learn this, because the designers teaching them have not learned it yet. Then why would a sound board operator adjust the volume every few seconds throughout a 12-minute performance? The acoustic environment does not change every few seconds. You have no idea, do you? Some sound board operators have a cue sheet, listing the 50 or more adjustments they must make to the mix during each performance. Watch them work sometime, and listen. Are you one of those people who only sits up high, in or near the press box? I could give hundreds of examples, but to what end? You will simply say (like above) that you have not experienced the same. And you may be correct if your seating position is atypical, or if your taste for pit or electronics shapes your perceptions.

Sounds good. I am totally in favor of the 8-14, 15-21, 22-28, and open-class getting their own series of shows with the same pay scale as the TOC. I honestly cannot believe I am reading this. Yes they did. They said explicitly (p. 44 of the PowerPoint) that "touring corps (AA) will perform Monday through Thursday and Saturday". How could the 8-14 corps "attempt the same thing" if they are not allowed to perform on Fridays and Sundays? You forgot the part about the A corps having 0 votes. Several DCI member corps would have lost their voting power as a result.

What are you talking about? We have fundamentally transformed drum corps over recent years, going from G bugles to "any-key" brass, adding a caption for colorguard, adding amplification and then electronic instruments. Those were decisive actions, ratified by one man - one vote. Well, if you are so certain doomsday is approaching, then what would you change?

I understand that. All I was saying is that because the shows are currently still under the DCI umbrella, that muddies the waters enough to dispel the possibility of a fan boycott.

Then the G7 have already deviated from that plan by insisting Boston not be invited to the 2013 TOC series. False premise #1. According to that provision, Blue Stars should still be in the club for their three straight top-8 seasons 2008-2010. False premise #2. So forget all those other rules - we can just vote you out anyway. False premises #3, 4, 5...