BRASSO

If the talent is better, the instruction is better, and the shows are more complex and better, why is it that more people from May - Sept. across America went to a Drum Corps show in 1968 and 1978 than they did in 2008 ? No one would be foolish enough to try and make a futile claim that more fans across America went to a Drum Corps show in 2008 than in either 1968 or 1978. So we can agree that the product MIGHT be better, but whether it is more entertaining is a specious argument at best. If we judge the shows appeal by the number of fannies in a seat, then we have the answer to this question of entertainment value irrespective of what some might consider " better ".

they're competing in Open Class at present.

I'm hoping for a 4 way tie for 12th place at the Semi's in Indianapolis. We get that, and you'll never hear a peep out of me again about ties being the ultimate in suckiness.

Comedy in Drum Corps is not lost. You just have to look a little harder for it, that's all. Although not everyone agrees, some think INT is funny and makes people smile.

I do think it would be great to have a Corps again that has comedic relief as it's theme. The problem is that it seems impossable for such a Corps to win it all. DCI wants to be taken seriously. It would not want it's standard bearer to have a full blown comedic relief theme in my opinion. Question......how often do we see the Motion Picture Industry Academy or national movie critics name a Comedy as it's " Movie of the Year " ? Jersey Surf once provided a comedic relief style. I really enjoyed it too, as a real departure from all the other Corps. Then they decided to move up from Open Class to World Class, and they got " serious ". Literally, and figuratively. SCV one year tried a comedic theme " Not the Nutcracker ". I don't think SCV will be revisiting comedic themed shows again anytine soon. That said, I do miss the Velvet Knights and the Bridgemen.

What part of the Carolina Crown green colored guard costumes won't the Disney folks " understand " ? Disney is all about whimsical characters.... unpredictable characters.... childlike characters...... with fun and imagination........etc You get a free weekly pass to The Magic Kingdom for you and the Family if the Cavaliers or Santa Clara Vanguard win "The Spirit of Disney Award " and not Carolina Crown. If Carolina Crown wins this, I get a pair of men's size 11W new hiking boots. Deal ?

If this the sentiment, couldn't one make the case that Phantom Regiment getting shocking scores this year is because..... what ?........the judges gave them a gift last year ? I don't either of these scenarios is happening. I don't think the judges are conspiratorial at all. But to each his own.

.... noticed that and changed the year to 2015...... typing can be such a" beach " sometimes ( haha!)

I see it as follows : 1940's- 1960's : Drum Corps are musical groups emphasizing Patriotism, Americana, etc utilizing it's heritage of military units, via bugle, American Flag, etc 1970's-1990's: Drum Corps move away from military aspects to focus on entertainment, emphasizing music acompanied by visual explorations. 1990's-2000 : Drum Corps moves into the Visual Age. Corps write visuals first, then music to follow. Copyrite laws make Corps think twice about use of royalty payments for use of songs by popular artists. Guards no longer auxilary units, but fully integrated into shows with more prominance. With visual age, comes less melody, but more visual patterns, more color in shows. 2010- 2020 : ( prediction ) Drum Corps Visual Age comes to end. Corps move into Music Age, Phase 2. Corps no longer scurry to visual patterns. Corps a bit more stationary. Use synths, guitars, woodwinds, etc to augment the musical sound, some with success, some with failure. DCI and BOA, WGI merge in 2015. Marching Bands now become Bands heavily influenced by the Drum and Bugle Corps movements of post WW2.

Hasn't a song been made about this long ago experience, Cainan ? " The Legend of the One Eyed Sailor " ?

Applause at the end of a show however IS highly subjective. For instance, if a show ends in quiet mode, the applause will mirror that quietness, but it means no less of an enjoyment of the show. As an example, the Cadets end their show in a rousing, fast, finish. The applause reflects that. By contrast, SCV ends their show in a very quiet way, on the back field. The theme is a contemplative one that requires such an ending. They get a rousing standing O, BEFORE the finish... but at the end the applause is not as rousing as that of The Cadets. I think it entirely possible that PERHAPS more fans at shows like the show of the Cadets more than SCV. But it would be folly to assign which Corps was enjoyed more simply by the highly subjective evaluation of the loudness of the applause at the very end of the show. SCV gets a great rousing applause BEFORE the end of their show that mirrors the end of one of their songs and visuals. Few Corps receive this. But at the end of the show, SCV 's applause is more muted compared with other Corps because of the quiet nature of the end of the show. Just thought I'd mention this for consideration when we assign the energy of the " applause " to what shows are most liked when we scan an audience at the end of their respective shows.

Here is the scoring increase/ decrease in scores from Atlanta Regional 2008 and 2009 and an accompanying comment based upon the difference in scores from last year at this time. 1) Blue Devils...............+ .725 2) Cavaliers..................-.325 3) Cadets.....................+2.125 4) Crown......................+.375 5) SC Vanguard.............+3.900 6) Bluecoats...................+.825 7) Phantom Regiment......-5.025 8) Boston Crusaders.......+5.275 9) Blue Stars..................+4.375 10)Blue Knights...............-.300 11) Glassmen..................+3.500 12) Troopers....................+4.75 13) Colts..........................+1.77 14) Academy....................+5.15 15) Madison......................-1.88 16) Spirit...........................-.830 17) Crossmen....................-1.350 Some observations from last year to this year :.......... Corps like Phantom Regiment are falling even further this year than one might expect because Corps like Boston Crusaders and Blue Stars, SCV, Bluecoats are better at this time of year than last year at this time..........the reason Madison is so concerned about their dwindling chances of making finals is that despite being less than 2 points off of last year's scoring pace, other Corps around them have gotten much better than last year. For instance, the Troopers and The Academy are both scoring approx. 5 points better than they were at this time last year. Interestingly, the Colts are scoring 1.77 points better than they were at this time last year, but are ranked a placement lower than last year, and just outside the top 12 principally because a Corps like the Troopers are a lot better than last year..........at the top, the Blue Devils have benefitted by being better than last year, while the others, like the Cavs, Crown are about the same, and Phantom falling a bit off, and the Cadets having to move up from last year's uncharacteristically lower scoring position ( which they have by 2.125 points ) but not quite enough at this late stage.

While the scores seem a tad high this year, they don't mean much as it's impossible to gauge these with prior years. The judges just started at a higher number to begin the scoring, and that starts with the LOWER placing Corps in competition usually. This is where there has been the biggest improvement over previous years in my opinion. That might account for this. But who knows. That said, it's the SPREAD between Corps that really matters as we get into the last 2 weeks, and that's where the focus should be as we try to look at what may or may not occur from show to show down the stretch here.

1) Boston Crusaders 2) Blue Devils 3) SC Vanguard 4) HN Cadets 5) Phantom Regiment 6) Cavaliers

I'm hating that we want to bring back an " official Troopers Hate Thread " !

" Clean' is good. Very good. In the end, it will be execution that will bring home the bacon, as most of the top 3-5 Corps have the vehicle ( the show and demand ) to win it all. Right now, it looks like we have 5 Corps in position to win it all. I expect that after Allentown, we'll have 2, maybe 3 Corps, and by the end of Quarterfinals, we'll have just 2 Corps with a legitimate shot to win it all. I would not be surprised at all for the Cavs and Blue Devils to be the two Corps after the quarters in Indy to be fighting it out for the Title. Both these Corps seem to be on a level of cleanliness right now that will propel them into the top 2 spots, as I'm not that convinced that the other 3-4 Corps will be clean enough execution wise in the short time that we have remaining. But we'll see.

Something tells me that if ( say ) Crown won, suddenly this season would no longer be considered " dull" . Would that be correct ?

My guess, you're an auditory person first and foremost, rather than a visual person first and foremost. If so, you most likely approach these shows from a musical standpoint first. And from that standpoint, I can totally understand where you're coming from. On the other hand, I'm a visual person first and foremost. As such, what the Corps are doing this year, ie Cadets, Cavs, SCV, Boston, Bluecoats, Blue Stars, in particular is very rewarding for me over previous years shows. I am somewhat displeased with the execution errors, ie spacing, alighnment, feet, etc but visually the shows are stunning collectively. While I'm not a Guard person at all, Corps like Cavs, BD have OUTSTANDING guards, and these guards are doing MORE equipment work and less prancing on the frield than in other years. I also think BD's creative use of the chairs to be terrific and their utilization to be well done. Since I'm not an auditory person, I'm thrilled that there is little narration, nor singing, this year compared to other years. And the use of synths for the most part has not been anywhere near as ingratiating as the singing, narration we used to get with these Corps not that long ago. I'm really enjoying BD, Cavs, Cadets, Boston, SCV and other Corps this year, more so than some of their more recent years shows. But to each his own.

Ready then for the 2010 " Top 12 " prediction thread ? Where do you have Carolina Crown finishing in 2010 ?

Lets cancel the season as DCI hatched out the 2009 BD Title at the DCI judges Convention in Indianapolis last Fall because the judges " screwed them " in 2008. I see. Got it.

The sence stuff is such a stinky stench too!

If The Cadets are " done " and " we can safely stick a fork in them ", then Crown after tonite needs to at least stay away from the sharp knives in the drawer, no ?

Bitter wine, green cheese to be served. Chair for One in the corner. Take a seat whenever you're ready.

Seems like that " 1930 mess ", and " The Great Divide " is making somebody very, very green in the gills this summer.