docham

Thanks for the love Silvertrombone! Yeah, I'm forever a rookie, even at DCP. I'd love to read and post more, but there's just not enough hours in the day at this point in my life. I know I drink the Scouts kool-ade. And I know I am further biased because I have a nephew who I am close to marching this year, but I just like the show. As pointless as some may see the show...it's pretty crowd pleasing. And yes, the corps AGE isn't that young but 75% is new to the organization. I'll take 100 19-year-old vets over 100 21- year-old rookies anyday.

I'll jump on board too with the congrats. Many of you who are close to the corps know how young this corps is and how many changes they've had to endure this summer. I couldn't agree more with the first post on this thread. For the first time in years, it is a very bad a*% Scouts show. With all due respect to all Scouts (because they have no say in show design), this is the first Scouts show in a few years that we can look at and say, "Now THAT'S a Scouts' show!!!" My nephew told me that just in the past week they've realized (much due to staff), "Holy ####, we are the Madison f*&ing Scouts...let'g go out there and be it." And the performance level from Atlanta to San Anton to Indy has elevated huge. You hear that crowd? Regardless of score and placement, that's why the men choose to march Madison. When they take the field, there is just that certain energy of those guys that gets the crowd to take notice.

Scouts added a 15-year-old tenor player. He is supposed to be a freak on the drums. Becase of his age, his nickname is "skin n*ts". HAAAAAA!!!!

That Scouts show is vastly improved -and quite different- than the ones we saw back in WI. The ending is going to change. They are adding music and drill this week. I got chills with the opening with the front and the "leaving" of the members.

Based on what my nephew is telling me (rookie mello), all is trending upward for Madison. They start the show now with what was their "warm-up" -which, imho, is a very cool way to take the field and start. And they finish with a blast of music versus scampering off to the endzone like before. This corps is 75% rookies to the Scouts. As the initial post here stated, these kids are amping up and are keying in on San Antonio. They know there's a bit of a buzz. The biggest thing is execution. A judge commented that they were still "feeling their way out" visually. I told my nephew that back when we marched, staff had us SO revved up before each show. He said the staff is finally coming around to that. Now that the show is in place, they gotta get these kids to be marching mother you-know-whats. Another big factor is now that they are on the big nationwide tour, all these rookies are getting a taste of the love that's out there for the corps. They feel like rockstars when someone yells BYBO or goes crazy just cuz they are the Scouts. Could be a fun finish for the Men of Madison.

I'm just looking for a little chatter on the Scouts show. I saw it in Racine. And I know there's two sides to how to evaluate it: entertainment and scoring. I think the entertainment value is there. The ending has to go and I know they are fiddling with it. Honestly, I think it's scoring where it should be. But as an alum, scores and placement aren't where it's at....where it's at is how hyped the crowd gets. The corwd in Racine seemed pretty hyped. And I know the members are staying upbeat -in talking with some corps members after the show, morale is great. They know they have a lot of work to do and are eager to get at it. Overall, it is clearly a show that will take the season to perfect. Endurance is lacking right now. I LOVE how they take the field...maybe they should start the judged portion of the show right away. There is some cool stuff happening as they take the field and the crowd was into it...yet it's "only" the warm-up. And that warm-up has got to zap a chunk of energy because they are moving fast and playing. Musically, it's a solid show to listen to. Overall, I think it's a very Madison show performed by a LOT of really young talented men. I hope everyone realizes that the majority of that corps is rookies. Overall, they are doing Madison proud. BTW, I like the uniforms. They look contemporary yet still being very Madison. Any other thoughts on the show?

I had the pleasure of attending today too. LOVED the Scouts show. Musically it seems to be SO very there. I pray it translates to the field. Each piece has some some serious "f% yeah" moments. On my way to the parking lot, the DM was getting into the new uniform between two cars. The description by Jeffeory nails it. I only had a moment to look. Love the thingies coming off the sholders to give them more presence, but he was right, my eyes immediately went to the diagonal shades of green that separated the white from the dark green. I am not one to make snap judgments so I'll just put the description out there. It is interesting.

Thanks Todd for clarifying my "home team bias" comment. I just want to be clear that I am well-aware that I drink the green kool-aid and may overvalue the corps. But I hope I am wrong in thise case...the music sounds sweet. And I couldn't have said that for last year. Not even close. As for this ONE night of late rehearsal, RELAX. My word. In talking to some members, they thought it was great. Something to talk about down the road. And rehearsal did not start until after 9am on Sunday. I know that for a fact as my nephew (mello player) called me at 9am to say that rehearsal hadn't started yet and they had extra time in the rack since they were up so late. You have some of the greatest men who ever wore the superman uniform heading that corps again. Spanos, Matt Gregg, Schipper, Taras, etc....they know what they are doing. And beyond great Scouts and educators, they are even better people. They won't wear these guys out.

I had the pleasure of attending today also for the ensemble music peformance. They take the field to "Uninvited" and it is very cool sounding with the mix of vocals, brass, and percussion. Dark, driving, and recognizable. They vamp the end of Uninvited until "You may take the field for competition..." And then they hammer you with the beginning of Kasmir. What a smoking tune. It's easy to listen to, but has enough complexity to keep you coming back for more on a repeated listen. After that they do the ballad, which sounds great. The rest of the book is still in the works. I do know they are closing with a tune from Moulin Rouge (Tango de Roxanne). I know I have home team bias, but this show so far has that Madison familiarity to it that's been missing the past several years. And from the current staff that I know, they have the kids so far to knock out a big show this year. Let's just say a prayer that the guard is strong when they join the rest of the corps for camp next month. To be frank, I am tired of the Scouts fielding guards that seem to be at least a step behind the other two sections.

The DVD/CD is out and absolutely ridiculous. I know I'm an alum, but it was goosebumps like I've never had before with any show except for '95 Scouts. Could not stop watching and listening to it when I got it. Made me sad for what drum corps has become -running around a field with the emphasis on visual and not playing a song....but that's a different topic altogether. Get the CD/DVD. It is amazing and the 25 minute documentary about how it all came together is really cool too. I'm usually not drawn to tears by drum corps, but this did it. Just the magnitude of the project and what it represented...haven't seen anything like it.

I watched the full hornline rehearsal on Sunday of "Malaga"...and by the end, whoa, it sounded great. Matt Gregg (brass instructor and program coordinator) even commented to the hornline, "For an audition hornline, that was really good." They rehearsed the first half of the '04 arrangement -no easy piece especially if you're sighting it. But by the end, wow. For a November hornline, they seemed pretty competent -and loud. They didn't tell any of the brass and percussion auditioneees who was "in" or "out" until the very end so many of these guys were really giving it their all. At the end, they split into 3 groups: those who were cut outright, those who were invited back to December camp but not guaranteed a spot (this was the majority of guys it seemed), and then the group that was guaranteed in. I have a sense they are being selective and not worried at all about taking the time to field a great corps. The previous comment about the teaching component is definitely true. I know I'm a biased alum, but it's a great place to march to learn, perform, and have a great time. I think the boys will be fine. My nephew just made the corps on mello -and the kid can flat-out play (collegiate horn scholarship). Hopefully they can continue to corral other rookies of this caliber to fill in the holes. I just want Madison to be Madison again. I liked the Sal Salas Scouts, but certainly wasn't blown away by the shows like I wanted to be. I hope the Spanos/Dunton era brings back a renaissance of high entertainment but still the ability to score. It can be done.

A few things I've seen from this thread that seem to stick out: 1) The corps certainly seems to sell the "fan friendly" pitch to us alums each year, but it is a bit of smoke and mirrors unless you either see the show several times or know the music. 2) That guard. Oh that guard. It's been the step-brother of that corps for years. I thought with the new regime coming in, we'd get a decent pipeline of guard members. Not that they are terrible, but they are a step back from the other two sections. 3) I believe it is possible to be thoroughly entertaining and still score in DCI. I think the Top 4 or 5 each year have many "wow" moments....maybe they just have the talent year in and out to pull it off. I am looking forward to Finals and seeing the finished product. I downloaded the show from DCI so I'll know the music. I just know that upon first glance, I certainly wasn't blown back in my seat like many of the shows of the 80s and 90s.

And I want to be clear that this isn't about placement, it's about "blow the doors off" performance, which I usaully ascribe to the top corps. Scouts haven't had a ridiculous "throw the babies" show in years.

OK, I haven't posted on here in about two years...so I may be a complete babbling idiot... Saw my beloved Scouts tonight in Cedarburg and walked away feeling rather...indifferent. Seems like a "same ####, different year" thing. Horns and drums are good, guard is a far step back, and total show design is just not there. The total package doesn't seem coherent and musically, ugh, doesn't exactly imprint immediately on the memory bank like other Scouts shows Here's my question: what will it take for the Scouts to be a perennial Top 6 contender like they seemed to be most of their existence? It seems like since the late 90s, they went down to the "2nd tier" and haven't been able to knock on the door again. This year seems to be the first sideways year since the new regime has taken over. I just look at Cavies, Cadets, and BD year in and out, and they are ALWAYS there. What do these corps do diiferently to assure a top tier placement every year and why can't the Scouts get there too? Just some thoughts I'd throw to the savvy DCP community. BTW - Bluecoats are goooooooooood.