eddylyons

I was pretty annoyed with the amount of camera time they gave to colorguard solo/duo performers for every corps. In years past it was the pit or the drumline. This is not better. Waiting anxiously for the DVD.

I can only speak to what i saw at BLL7 in the theater Shows I really liked: * Madison - Sure it was a play on nostalgia, but it was perfect for what they need to accomplish as a corps. So very honest, very well thought out, well executed. And the colorguard was spot on. * Phantom - Beautiful show. Just beautiful all around. * Troopers - Musically very well done. Visually not as on par with the music as it could've been, but still very enjoyable * Crusaders - Way to take a theme and run with it. * Cavaliers - I think they could've done more to speak to PTSD to make it a tad more obvious. The guard uniforms were freaky. But I just loved the theme overall and could watch it again. Biggest Disappointments: * Cadets - Jeffrey was nothing but annoying. Didn't really play into the theme at all. And I liked it earlier in the season when the colorguard was in the same corps outfits. That was cool. * SCV - Very well played, very well marched, very good visually. Just too weird musically for me to get engaged as a fan Meh when I was expecting to be wowed: * Crown * BD * Bloo All very well executed but not entertaining. Gripes: *The keyboards provide too much bass. It sounds unnatural and out of place. *Too many corps are relying on electronic sound effects. It's jarring because it's not coming from the field. *Why have a keyboard sound like a piano when you have 20 marimbas and xylophones sitting in front of you. *If you want to be heard, play louder. A microphone? Wimp-###. *Spandex is a privilege, not a right. *They need to come up with a way to announce corps that insist on implementing that inane 5 minute free time crap.

Sent Mine! Blue Devils - 96.5 Carolina Crown Cavaliers Bluecoats Cadets Santa Clara Vanguard Phantom Regiment Madison Scouts Boston Crusaders Blue Stars Blue Knights Glassmen - 89.1

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS - Eddy Lyons, Director of the debut fantasy drum and bugle corps Cacaphony, issued an apology for the unfortunate incident that occured during a non-competitive exhibition at a local high school prior to the day of the Little Rock, Arkansas, show. "It really was a matter of choice. Do we entertain the crowd? Or do we disappoint the crowd? In the spirit of "The Show Must Go On" we chose to field our show in the absence of the entirety of our necessary equipment. It almost worked, but due to unforeseen electrical requirements, such a backup plan ultimately failed." The incident came about due to several of the equipment trucks becoming lost in the Ozarks on their way to the venue. All musical equipment, including brass and field percussion, were wandering in the mountains as showtime approached. All that did arrive were pit instrumentation. Corps personnel quickly met in conference and persuaded corps member Pete Moss to play all the instrumental parts on the electronic keyboards. Moss valiantly made it through most of the show, but the crowd became aware something was amiss when all of the lights in the stadium, as well as in most buildings in a four block radius of the stadium, went out along with all electrical power. Being an afternoon show, the audience could still see the corps silently marching their drill on the field. Once the ruse was discovered, keyboardist Moss, obviously due to stress and exhaustion, collapsed on the sideline and was rushed to the high school first aid station. He is reported to be recovering nicely. Disappointed fans have started demanding a refund although it was a free show. Reaction from Drum Corps afficianados about the incident, now infamously known as the Millivaneuver, was mixed. Not being an official DCPi event, no disqualification or sanctions were made. The missing equipment trucks showed up later that night and the Little Rock show went on without a hitch. A leading director of one of the so-called G7 corps however did provide comment. "How innovative! Why didn't I think of that?"

SALEM, OREGON - Eddy Lyons, Director of the debut fantasy drum and bugle corps Cacaphony, issued an apology for the unfortunate mishap the crowd witnessed at the June 29 Salem, Oregon, show. "What was meant to be a nod toward one of the local Oregon universities and their mascot, unfortunately turned into a comedy of errors. This was due in part to several members of the corps being absent from the show that night, due to unforeseen intestinal problems brought on by bad shellfish consumed at the Airport Howard Johnson's, in addition to one member's unfortunate misalignment on the field which had a cascading effect on those members who marched in line subsequently behind him. I don't believe there was any way to avoid what happened and can assure fans at future shows that it won't happen again and is certainly not a permanent fixture in the show's design." Lyons further elaborated that the corps drill would have formed the words "Go Ducks!" in honor of the University of Oregon, which many of the members of the corps call home. Due to the member absences and the drill mistake, the "o" on Go and the "D" in ducks were misformed. The resulting formation was an unfortunate descriptive phrase concerning the G7. Cacaphony regrets the error. Mostly.

Go Cacaphony! 40th Rocks!

SANDUSKY OH - Eddy Lyons, Director of the debut fantasy drum and bugle corps Cacaphony, issued an apology for the unfortunate mishap the crowd witnessed at the June 18 Sandusky OH show. "It is most unfortunate Mr. Watkins, the field judge, found himself in the middle of the colorguard's "squeezing diamond" routine at the precise moment the flag and rifle executed a perfectly timed exchange across the every shrinking formation. I apologize for any discomfort Mr. Watkins may have endured, but we all knew this would happen one of these days. I have to tell you, though, I'm awful proud of the kids for not breaking ranks and for continuing the show, even after the judge managed to stagger his way out of the formation and onto the side line before collapsing. It is especially heartening that one of my colorguard members persevered after a pretty nasty cut received from stepping on one of Mr. Watkin's dislodged teeth. I'm still trying to squeeze a courtesy point out of his reckless disregard for the safety of the kids on the field." Clovis Watkins apparently had been testing a new head camera for the judging team which covered one eye, before becoming disoriented, and seemed to be unsure of exactly where he was going. Footage retreived from his final transmission clearly showed closing ranks of colorguard and spinning equipment prior to the sound of a thud, a groan and several expletives, as well as what seemed to be several high pitched squeals as flagpoles repeatedly rained blows across Mr. Watkins body. Mr. Watkins was not available for comment.

A little bit about the show: High NRG: The Music of Stock Aitken Waterman "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" as made popular by Dead or Alive "Venus" as made popular in a cover by Bananarama "Never Gonna Give You Up/Together Forever" as made popular by Rick Astley "This Time I Know It's for Real" as made popular by Donna Summer "I Should Be So Lucky" as made popular by Kylie Minogue Stock Aitken Waterman had great success during the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s. This production team is considered to be one of the most successful songwriting and producing partnerships of all time, scoring more than 100 top 40 hits worldwide and selling over 40 million records. Most instantly recognizable in the hit song "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)", the "S-A-W sound", with it's heavy use of drum machines, sequencers and synthesizer, is at once danceable and fun, making it a much sought-after style by the era's artists. Cacaphony Drum and Bugle Corps will help the audience relive the fun in all it's driving drumbeat glory, kicking it all off with "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" as made popular by the group Dead or Alive, diving into "Venus" as made popular in a cover by Bananarama, then "Never Gonna Give You Up/Together Forever" as made popular by Rick Astley, and "This Time I Know It's for Real" as made popular by Donna Summer, finally closing the show with "I Should Be So Lucky" as made popular by Kylie Minogue. The drill design for the show will be in constant motion and at the same tempo with no breaks between numbers, in keeping with the discoteque philosophy of the "High NRG" style. Obviously, such a show leaves no room for a ballad. Don't worry. You'll be allowed to catch your breath when the corps finally leaves the field.

Cacaphony Drum And Bugle Corps Season XIV Repertoire High NRG: The Music of Stock Aitken Waterman "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" as made popular by Dead or Alive "Venus" as made popular in a cover by Bananarama "Never Gonna Give You Up/Together Forever" as made popular by Rick Astley "This Time I Know It's for Real" as made popular by Donna Summer "I Should Be So Lucky" as made popular by Kylie Minogue

DCP-I Username: eddylyons Corps Name: Cacaphony Corps Division: World Class Corps Hometown: Portland OR

My fervent wish, regardless of the music, or the drill, is that they have a guard uniform this year I can wrap my head around.

The theater broadcast was horrible in Portland. The screen was too dark and the sound wasn't turned up enough. All the bass notes from the synthesizers (groan) were VERY evident. As for the broadcasting itself, I thought the camera director had no clue what to focus on during a show. No one wants to see a lone colorguard person from the waist up during the show's climax. I mean seriously. Get someone who knows drum corps to direct. It was obvious the person calling the shots had absolutely no clue. Most of the folks in our crowd had no idea when shows were over, whereas last year we were on our feet before the top three corps were done.

1. Blue Devils 97.850 2. Carolina Crown 3. Cavaliers 4. Holy Name Cadets 5. Santa Clara Vanguard 6. Phantom 7. Bluecoats 8. Blue Stars 9. Blue Knights 10. Boston Crusaders 11. Glassmen 12. Troopers 90.125

My feeling is that general effect and entertainment value kind of go out the window by the time you get to finals week. Those qualities tend to get established and set in stone about halfway, as there is little that can be done to change the perception from that point. Afterward, scores tend to hinge on precision and performance, which will make or break the top 3 going into finals. Is that a pretty fair assessment? Am I way off base? That said, it becomes a little more clear that the "buckets" of 1st through 4th or 5th place are going to stay pretty much the same and the buckets for, say 18th or 19th through 22nd is probably full as well. How the contents pour out of the buckets at the end is a crapshoot. 1st or 2nd - BDs or Cavs (I'm pulling for BDs) 3-5 - Cadets or SCV or Crown (Crown) 6-10 - Bloo or PR or BK or Boston or Stars (PR) 11-13 - Glassmen or Colts or Troopers (Gmen) 14-16 - Spirit or Scouts or Academy (Scouts) 17-20 Surf or Crest or Mandarins or Xmen (Xmen) 21-22 - Cascades or Pioneer (Pioneer) How's that for non-commital?

cool. i shall adjust me spreadsheet!

Well, no. That was really the secondary question. I'm really wanting to know how do the three finals work this year. I know all 22 perform in the quarters and the top 12 in the finals, but how many will be in Semi's?

How does finals work this year with 22 active corps? Quarter =22, Semi = 17-18?, Final = 12? We're close to the halfway point. Any early predictions?

Yeah, a contradiction, sorry. Should've 'splained myself better. I meant to say that it was a very entertaining concept. I love Appalachian Spring.

Nice show. I feel sorry for the kids who thought marching in the Northwest would be a cool affair. It was in the 90's here today. I left before the scores, but just saw them on DCI.org. Pretty much as expected. OPEN CLASS Oregon Crusaders - 65.5 Nice show, good sound for only their 2nd show, I think? Their color guard is in desperate need of some practice. Dont' do dance moves if you can't dance. And geez, learn the routine! WORLD CLASS Cascades - 62.5 Welcome back, Cascades. Your hornline blending needs a lot of work. Not to start a discussion about the dreaded use of electronic keyboards, but your use demonstrates all the badness associated with it. If your hornline isn't up to par, the synthesized sound is quite prevelent. It was also very NOT subtle. Troopers - 73.1 The Troopers are my new favorite corps when it comes to putting on an entertaining show. Great use of the corps legendary frontier motif, "Western Side Story" was a marvelous blend of West Side Story and Cowboys and Indians. Take THAT Cadets! Incredible sound for a relatively small hornline. They were spot on. And hey, not a synthesizer in sight. How refreshing. Blue Knights - 76.2 The good side of electronic sounds in a drum corps show, it was mostly used for sound effects and an occasional emphasis in a piece. Subtlety is the key word. Thanks for demonsrtrating it. Great use of the material and theme. The ski poles were a great touch. Vanguard - 81.7 Very entertaining show, beautifully played, very well marched... but not entertaining, in my book. LOUD yes, precise yes. But still left me a little flat. Here the use of synthesizer was used to round out the sound of the corps on the lower end, but it kind of went overboard and was very present rather than blending.

You jest, but so far, you're the closest to the real point. Congrats. The point is not about technologic advancement, but specifically electronic enhancement. Your analogy of an electronic puck, or a bat, football, etc, for that matter, is an apt one. Those sports would not be what they are with electronic enhancement and any suggestion to that end goes no where. Case in point: the aluminum bat issue that MLB fortunately felt would change the sport such too fundamentally. (Racing is not an appropriate analogy because it has ALWAYS been about using technology to go faster). I fail to see the "progress" in allowing any other means than talent and skill to produce a sound from a horn, or from many horns. Electronic enhancement fundamentally changes the nature of the activity. Something other than direct involvement from the player is influencing his/her ability to perform. And yes, I think miking the pit was a bad idea from the get go. Just as much as narration on the field.

PIONEER -- Thank you. We're done with the funny hats. Try a new look for 2009 -- You've got a lot of newish material to work from: Celtic Women, Gaelic Storm -- How about staging Gangs of New York? There was an Irish element to that. SCV and SPIRIT -- No m0re pl4ying by the numb3rs. We obviously didn't get it.

Eloquently put, I must say. Sounds like how my previous relationship ended. But seriously, it's a shame. Magic had a very entertaining edge about them that's sorely missed. You wonder how a Corps from Disney Territory can get the Mouse to back them, especially with all the brouhaha around the Spirit of Disney award.

Truly entertaining shows DO winn every once in a while. And without narration snicker snicker snicker!

Umm. Where can I look for scores?? Have any been announced or posted yet?

Okay, I missed something. Last night the top 3 had equal scores in GE. Now the Cavies have an extra .05. Seems the scores have been adjusted in other ways. What gives?