BRASSO

I will acknowlege this. But this is the Blue Devils musical style of late. If ( say ) Crown came out next year with the use of more stationary props useage ( and less high velocity drill ), I could see them doing so with less choppiness in their brass chart arangements. If the Blue Devils win this year, I doubt very much that we'll see the Cadets not come out with props that they'll use prominently, and in a stationary position, on the field next year. Same with SC Vanguard. Guess we'll have to see if these Corps still believe the high velocity drills can still win a title when those with the MOST high velocity moves in their shows have not won a title for awhile now with this stylistic visual approach.

Even though you don't march Blue Devils, I'll cut you some slack and " let you blow your own horn " re. the Blue Devils success on my thread. I recall the Blue Devils doing those high velocity BACKWARD marching moves and thought, man, if one of those marchers slips and falls down, all the ones marching backward and playing at the same time are going to all go down in a very nasty heap of humanity ( haha). I have no dog in this hunt anymore. So I'll grant you as an observer that the Blue Devils on DCP seem to get little hype, nor much acknlowledgement for their many successes. the Duke Blue Devils and the Concord Blue Devils are joined at the hip in this regard, Calistar.

I disagree. Here's why : If the Blue Devils, Cavs, Cadets, Crown, SCV lose this year to the Blue Devils, I think you'll find at least one of the these Corps come out next year with a very noticeable less demanding, less high velocity visually designed show. You'll see MORE props used in position next year by at least 2 of these 4 Corps, maybe all 4. I'm not automatically opposed to such a stylistic change either. Not on the face of it anyway. Not to pick on any 2 Corps here, but just for illustration purposes, the Cadets and the Blue Devils 2009 visual productions could not be more different. ( notice, I said different, not better ). The 2009 Cadets visual show calling card is a high velicity, demanding drill show. The 2009 Blue Devils visual show by contrast is stationary visual moves that are just as demanding, but in a different " demanding " manner and fashion required by it's marching members. If ( just say ) the Cavs, Cadets, ( or Crown ) win this year, I think there would be much less of a chance that we'd see a diminishment in the high velocity drill we've come to know the last few years. But if the Blue Devils win, in my opinion, we'll see a lot more Corps rethinking the high velocity drill moves and with several Corps coming out next year with more props used in creative and demanding ways and used in more stationary positions.

I got to thinking about the Blue Devils 2009 show this weekend. It seems to be a polarizing show this year. There is no question that Corps around them are doing more velocity in their drill, and a lot more drill movements just in general. The 2009 Blue Devils are the antithesis of this notorious high velocity movements in drill we have come to expect the last decade. Might the Blue Devils use of chairs be symbolic that it's time now to perhaps slow down the drill velocity and all the fast moving to formations, etc and to simply pause and ( pardon the pun ) and just " take a seat " for a bit ? Think about this for a moment. Might the Blue Devils unique show this year be perhaps the start of a new trend...... perhaps a new era ? The 70's and 80's were the years of the music first, and the visual 2nd. Those who liked this era point to the melody, the music, the extended songs. Those who were a bit unsatisfied with this era point to to the " park and bark " and the overly simplistic drill in some ( but not all ) of the Corps in this era. The 90's and today represented the birth of the Visual Age in the Drum Corps era. Those who prefer this era point to the more intricate visual patterns being created on the field over previous eras, and the better integration of the guards and so forth. Those who find this era less satisfying oftentimes point to the choppiness of the music to fit the predominance in the shows which now in this era are the visual components. This era is symbolized by more complex music and high velocity drill move requirements. I have often said that the high velocity Visual Age would not go on indefinately. I said a few years ago, that Drum Corps would at some point begin to slow down the high velocity movements and that there would be a new age ushered in where the instuments ( or props ) used on the field would signal in the birth of the new era. I also told friends that the beginnings of the new era would, as they always do, come from the design of the show from the winning Corps at Championshiips some year. I also said that this Corps would NOT win with a demanding drill, but they would do so with a unique style that would be highly controversial because it will be seen as " not as demanding " as the other Corps. But I said that this Corps will slow things down with a decidedly slower pace of marching, and with creative visual moves done in place with precision and with unparalleled uniformity and precision. Little did I know that the 2009 edition of the Blue Devils may be issuing in a new era so soon. But it just might have all the hallmarks of a new era : The Corps starts their show with a highly unusual slow cadence. They use stationary props ( chairs ) in a manner that the marchers use ( I know I'm going to catch hell with this, but it is how I view it ) in a brilliant... yes... brilliant manner. The marchers movements on and off these stationary chairs is by no means easy. If not done in unison, the effect misses it's intended goal. The Corps has the talent in brass and percusssion and particularly the guard to pull off the difficult and make it all seem so easy. Making something difficult look easy is exactly what the Blue Devils are doing this year ( my opinion ). And they execute the hell out of their show. If the Blue Devils win the Title this year, this controversial show we may look back years from now and acknowledge that 2009 was the year that Drum Corps began to slow down their high velocity marching shows just a bit and began a new era where balance was struck between the Visual and the Musical, and where many of the most creative visual moves were done in place, not in high velocity field movements. Thoughts ?

Using the phrase" marching band" would be like leaning down and touching the third rail in an underground subway station. You'd be zapped quick and that would be that. I would NEVER use the phrase " marching band ", unless I wanted the person unfamiliar with the activity to think that I had completely gone over to the geeky, nerdy side. Look,... you and I know that it's unfair to call marching band participants geeks and nerds. But you've got to understand it doesn't matter here what you and I know. If you use the phrase " marching band " to try and describe " Drum Corps " to the total novice, you are dead in your tracks in terms of trying to conjure up in their mind some activity that is not royally geeky right from the getgo with that person.

This thread reminds me of a non music reporter that was meeting with Dizzie Gillespie and asked him " Mr. Gillespie, I wonder if you might be able to help our readers understand" Jazz. " What exactly is " Jazz " ? Dizzy Gillespie looked at the reporter and replied without hesitation.... " Man, if you have to ASK ME, what " Jazz " is, I don't think you'll ever get to know what " jazz " is. You have to HEAR " jazz", you know ? ' Won't need no further explainin' " That's pretty much the way I feel when trying to describe Drum Corps to one who might be unfamiliar with the activity. You pretty much have to show 'em a tape or take them to a show. Trying to explain Drum Corps in a compelling way to someone unfamiliar with it is pretty much a non starter....... No can Do, in my opinion.

This is true. The only 2 Corps that scheduled over 30 competitions this summer prior to getting to Indianapolis for Finals week were the Boston Crusaders ( 32 ) and the Blue Stars ( 31 ) For what it's worth, here are the other Corps projected Top 12 number of competitions scheduled this summer before Indy : Blue Devils.......24 Cadets.............29 Cavs................25 Crown..............27 SC Vanguard....27 Bluecoats.........27 Phantom Reg....27 Blue Knights.....25 Glassmen.........26 Colts................28 I was surprised that the Blue Devils and The Cavaliers scheduled no more than 25 shows. It does give them more time to practice and clean though I'd imagine.

By the time all the Corps pull into Indianapolis this week, no Corps will have competed in more competitions this summer than the Boston Crusaders. They scheduled more, and even with the rain outs, they will have competed in more shows by Thursday : Boston Crusaders..... 30 HN Cadets...............27 Blue Stars...............26 Carolina Crown........26 SC Vanguard...........25 Bluecoats................24 Phantom Regiment...23 Blue Devils..............23

This is a quick review of Lawrence Ma. Show on July 31st. My apologies to Defenders ( exhibition), Surf, Spirit. The weather looked in the late afternoon like the show would have little chance of going all as it rained heavily most of the day, and with a 70% chance of rain predicted for the hours during the show. But at the last minute, I changed my mind decided to go, but arrived late. Stadium.....Lawrence Memorial High School, Lawrence. Mass........... great stadium to see a show. This school had a newly built school with a large ( for a High School ) stadium. Since the stands were large, there was plenty of high up vantage points to see the visuals........ parking spaces around the stadium was plentiful and roads in and out were easy. Nice, safe area, and with 2 Dunkin Donuts coffee shops nearby the stadium, what more do you need ( haha)....... others must have felt the same way, as this was a very sizeable crowd in attendance on what looked to be possiblly a standstill show......... but it wasn't, as all the Corps got to perform and compete and it only drizzled a bit here and there during the show. CROSSMEN......they are doing a dark thremed show this year with the use of black capes......the music and percussion and guard worked well for me...... I liked the show. It was different and unique...... brass charts had some unusual chords that fit the theme perfectly I thought....... the problem with the Crossmen this year is simple to see. It's their Visual program. It's VERY dirty. Crossmen either a) started late and didn't have sufficient time to clean or B) the visual drill was simply too difficult for the Corps to manage. My hunch, it's the latter. Perhaps it's inexperience level of the marchers. In any event, despite unique and interesting show, the Corps is held back placement because there is all sorts of spacing, interval, cover, feet, problems throughout the drill. COLTS...... nautical theme, and I liked the music on the whole. Ballad done well...... nice soprano solo in the ballad...... some standing around in the drill here and there, but the Corps at it's level has no major weaknesses that should keep it out of making Finals.......good sound in the lower brasss...... nice finish to show as well....... solid guard, but lots of rifle drops tonite from them MADISON SCOUTS....... wished the Corps would enter the field in the company front which use to be their signature...... not a fan of their new uniforms...... Corps has a good brass line, and I like the music....... first half of the show, better than the 2nd half......there is little flow to this show however. It seems chopped.........some nice visual moves in the show..... percussion line a bit muddled....... bass drummer out of step first 20 seconds of show, which is a no no........ lots of dirt in the drill...... and despite some good music here and there, the Corps live and die by execution....... I hope that Madison comes out with a more easily understood theme next year. That said, I think Madison's scores were a little lower than what I would have given them...... crowd gave them a good hand..... people in Mass. like the Madison Scouts.... hope they come back again soon. BOSTON CRUSADERS.......just a well crafted show this year from Boston..... nice flow to the show from start to finish as well..... theme of " Temptation " easily understood by one and all..... this is one of Boston best production in years...... no major weaknesses in any section.... percussion, brass, guard all very sold......mostly straight ahead, no nonsense Drum Corps done with flair and done quite well...... Massachusetts based crowd obviously loved them, as did I..... they appeared to have a few marching issues tonite at the start.... ie feet, cover, etc early in the show that probably cost them a little bit scoring wise....... Boston finished their show strong however, and" Baccanale ", the finish, got everybody up and on their feet cheering. PHANTOM REGIMENT.........wow...... they still can play folks. Great sound in the brass and percussion still. " Red Violin " is not as bad as I've been led to believe. I thought their guard had some issues, but it did not seem to me to be as bad as we've been led to believe.....the show has some choppiness regarding the flow, but the music is stiill very appealing to this fan's ears..... Phantom usually has a nice ballad and this year is no exception..... Phantom still had a very good percussion line, by the way..... Boston Crowd really enjoyed Phantom Regiment tonite. They won by a little less than a point over Boston tonight, and I don't think many people disagreed with Phantom Regiment's placement on this night. Boston Crusaders Sr Corps...... larger brass, percussion from them this year. They put on nice exhibition playing some of the classics from yesteryear and when they finished with " Conquest " that got the crowd up and cheering at the end..........Boston Crusaders. Sr's passed by the Boston Crusaders, Jr Corps lining up to do their encore, and a few of the Crusaders Jr's were seen applauding the Seniors as they went by. That was a nice touch I thought, and the Crusaders Sr DM marching past went over to them to acknowledge that classy gesture by the younger Crusaders.......Crusaders Jr's did the encore..... it was wonderful......they played " time to say goodbye"......" Conquest "...... and a nice feature solo by the front pit ensemble..... and a couple of other songs...... I like most of these encores that Corps do, and Boston's this year is no exception. I really enjoyed it. Summary...... wished I saw the others..... but all in all a good night, good venue, good size crowd...... if some folks need a criticism, then mine would be that some Corps might consider scaling back their visual demand in shows, as there were lots of sub par execution in the drill formations with only a week to go in the season. Every Corps..... EVERY Corps had members out of step during portions of the show. That seems unusual to see. Visual design coordinators might want to consider this when designing future shows. That's because at the end of the day, Drum Corps is still about execution..... that aside, I enjoyed myself tonight and look forward to next year's show here in Lawrence, Mass. ,God willing.

Thanks for posting this. Some timeless words of wisdom here from a young women back then that today is between 42-46 years old. She did an outstanding job in all her mellophone solos in 1984 with the Cadets.

There's been 6 phases of weather this summer in the northeast : A) clouds and drizzle b) intermittent rain and clouds c) heavy rain, clouds, then drizzle d) rain all day........... until tomorrow... when it will rain again e) sunshine expected for 3 days..... 80% chance of rain for Labor Day weekend f) Winter

It's refreshing to know that people who may not have been born in 1984, or never saw this ' 84 production live, can still appreciate what a classic, all time great Corps production this was. Today, most of us agree that seeing and hearing a Drum Corps live is so much better than seeing it on a video tape. And this is true also for the Cadets 1984 West Side Story production. It was absolutely awesome live. Seeing on tape, especially on the older audio and visual tapes from the 80's doesn't really do it justice either. I'll put in a plug for Holy Name Cadets drill and visual this year though. What the Cadets are doing this year in their drill is incredibly demanding of it's members and they pull it off spectacularly, in my opinion. ' 94 is a good blend of both visual and music. But the word " classic " is reserved for just the few. ' Cadets 84 fits the bill, it seems to me.

I learn something every day on DCP I thought a shofar was where my wife tells me I'll probably find the remote for the TV when it's missing,.... ie " look over there, under the shofar Hun "

Well, there is at least one poster here that has some hyperbole. You said ( quote ) " there were a bunch of folks last year who said it was impossible to win finals without winning the semi- finals ". I was here last year and don't remember anyone using the word " impossible " re. the chances of winning the title unless one won the semi-finals. I DO recall a poster or two stating that history shows that 90 % of the time the Corps that wins the semi finals goes on to win the Title the next night. In fact, I made that comment on here. And of course, that comment is an accurate one. The fact that Phantom Regiment came back from the Semi finals to beat the Blue Devils by the smallest of margins is a testimony to the fact that 90 % is by no means 100%. As for your comment here that " plenty of folks will surprised come Finals Night ", this could very well be the case, but I'll go out on a limb and say that whoever wins the semi finals this year will go on and win the title the next night this year. Even with the different judging panel, AND with the expanded judging panel. But who knows. Time will tell.

[ I know it's stupid to post something this reflective here. I have just wondered over the past few weeks what PR will learn from this year? Maybe they make changes accordingly, like Cadets did so well this year? Well, it seems pretty clear to me that the message is this: have a theme that people can readily understand. Corps that have themes that are clear and concise motivate the Corps members to do their best, and these shows connect with judges and fans alike. Phantom Regiment is exhibit A..... 2008 " Spartacus "........ 2009 ? " something to do with a Red Violin and Women who fight over it " Santa Clara Vanguard, Boston Crusaders, Holy Name Cadets, Cavaliers, Blue Devils, etc all have easily identifiable themes. The Madison Scouts have " POW ".......and got lost in the fog of a confused theme as well, and thus their season's aspirations also got " POW'ed "

2008 : Phantom Regiment Cavaliers Carolina Crown Glassmen Spirit Madison Scouts Blue Stars 2009 : Blue Devils SC Vanguard Boston Crusaders Holy Name Cadets Blue Knights Troopers Bluecoats Academy Mandarins Crossmen Colts

Congratulations to SC Vanguard tonite. They have a great vehicle this year and are really beginning to get traction with it. They could beat Crown and Cadets at Finals.

Much of the music played by Drum Corps in the 70's was a " first listen" by those in the audience. One simple look at the list of music pieces played by the DCI Titleists from it's inception through the 80's one will find that it was indeed a " first listen " for most Drum Corps fans. I do agree with you that it is not appopriate to show contempt to those that study music. That said, many of these recalcitrants who say these things no doubt still attend theatre and musical productions that they enjoy where the show producers and music composers " studied music " and yet these recalcitrants don't have the same antipathy toward these learned musicians and composers. Perhaps it's because these music composers don't show the same degree of contempt or worse.... indifference...... to the audience and as a result their productiions are received with better receptivity and more acceptance...... but who knows. As for each generation preferring the music of it's own generation, this is not entirely true ( just somewhat true ). The most " popular " radio music stations are the radio stations that play.... no surprise...... the older R & R classics. It doesn't matter what section of the country one goes to either. The music stations that play the music of earlier decades are the rage..... even with the younger demographic age group. Songs that people have heard a hundred times before are still songs many people would like to hear 110 times. Some of us can still appreciate the Alternative Rock Music radio stations despite our advancing years. But this does not mean that this music has more appeal among both young and old alike. It doesn't. Even among the young. The R & R Classics still carry the day with the young and old alike. And the biggest musical acts out there, with the biggest draw of both young and old alike are still the Rock and Roll Bands from the 60's, 70's., 80's playing the same songs over and over again for 35 or more years now.

Here's the central point though : Had Star's staff gone with " the electronics ", but did a show that DID NOT incorporate the melodic songs and the accessible music and visual, the show would have bombed. How do we know this ? Because " BLAST " was followed up by Star's staff with an esoteric and " out there " themed show called " Future Shock" ( or some such ) that was creative, innovative, had electronics and stage effects FAR MORE advanced that what they had in " Blast ", and with lots of talented musicians and so forth. How did it do ? It was a collossal bomb. The tour ended abruptly and was scrapped, everybody sent home. Why was it a failure ? Because the staff forgot what it was that made" Blast " such a hit in the first place. ............ and" Blast " is still on tour as we speak...... " electronics " has little to do with the " Blast " success, nor " future shocks " quick failure.

" Blast " was essentially a wonderful recreation by the Star staff of mostly trraditional music and visuals. Not all.... but certainly MOST. " Blast " had ( and STILL has ) " Melaquena "........ " Simple Gifts " ( which coincidentally has once again catapulted SC Vanguard ahead both in placement and appeal with audiences )...... " Bolero"......." Land of Make Believe "....... and " Medea "..... and other audience accessible pieces. It incorporated the Phantom Regiment 70's cross over leg move...... and the Bridgemen blindfold percussion playing..... and on and on....... it was essentially a theatre brass, guard, and percussion show that was Drum Corps 70's and 80's Drum Corps and a show steeped in that TRADITION. and it's STILL on tour and wooing audiences .Amazing huh ?

Some things HAVE changed. On a positive note, for instance, when the Star of Indiana called it quits with DCI, they decided to go in a different direction and took a Drum Corps style show indoors to theatres around the world. It was a " BLAST " and won all kinds of awards, and is still in circulation world wide today. It was a huge popular and profitable success. Of particular note is that the Star of Indiana show staff abandoned the DCI "esoteric" shows and went with all the traditional visual and musical genre that were used to great success by the Drum Corps of the 70's and 80's. Later, after " BLAST " the staff tried to go more experimental and esoteric with a DCI like show entitled " Future Shock ' or something to that effect that but the show closed within weeks as nobody wanted to see that insidious excursion into the realm of the absurd and themes that were convoluted and which caused a quick discconect with most audiences. So sometimes things do change. And they change for the better..... as it did for the Star of Indiana staff and show coordinators when they quit DCI and went on to create a show that people all over the world would love to go see and hear.

The problem with these arguments is the miconceptions some people have. There were never any " Joe- Bobs " that went to Drum Corps shows. This pjorative makes one think that the earllier attendees at Drum Corps shows were stupid hayseeds devoid of intellect. That's an unfortunate caricature, and an ignorant one, frankly. Secondly, few people are demanding that all corps play ' disco " or the same songs over and over again. Corps in earlier eras. like today, offered a lot of diversity. Most people recognize that Drum Corps are technically better today, but that earlier decade shows had more popular appeal. Today, it just " different ". And those still following the activity can just say viva La Difference !" and not be overly concerned with what others think. Don't sweat this stuff. Most of those who followed the activity in earlier decades have left and they are not coming back, so the activity now is what it is. Which is not all that bad if you ask me.

One of the reasons there were more people attending more shows, is that there were more local shows...... just more shows period. Also, if we use 1980 as the benchmark, AFTER the malaise of the late 70's , we STILL had more fans attending Drum Corps shows across the Country. ( we also had the 27th Lancers promiently displayed to millions of people on TV world wide at both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. ) In the 60's and 70's there were several weekly radio broadcast shows broadcasting Drum Corps music... on COMMERCIAL radio.... which meant funds were raised thru advertisers that recognized a popular appeal. Until recently, PBS and or ESPN viewers got to watch the Finals of DCI on TV. But here in 2009, TV and commercial radio are no longer outlets for the Drum Corps activity.

good question to explore.... well, in 1978, we had double digit interest rates ( compared to 5% today ), national unemployment rate ( currently at approx. 9.5% ) was higher, gas prices were much higher, taxes were higher, national consumer confidence index was lower, etc. The phrase used to describe this period of time economically was '"a national malaise " by the President at the time...... so, in a nutshell, potential fans in 1978 were more strapped for cash to attend shows........ as for 1968, the country was in turmoil culturally with a sea change taking place and the country was embroiled in war protests, city racial strife, and a war that was extremely divisive. So, the simple answer is that there were lots of reasons in both 1968 and in 1978 to expect few fans to be attending Drum Corps shows compared with 2008. But yet, more fans came out in both 1968 and 1978, than in 2008.

Yes.