noblegaijin

Very well thought out, indeed. Thanks all for having an intelligent, respectful discussion about these issues. I am, frankly, surprised by the number of people (at least those who come to DCP) who expressed support and interest in BK through this post. BK has some wonderful fans to whom they can do no wrong. Even if I disagree with some of your opinions, it`s very encouraging. Thanks.

So, which is it? In your 2nd paragraph you share how souvie sales are up big this year and the wonderful commentary from fans. In your last paragraph you admit that there are problems with widespread appeal. Look. Talk is cheap. It`s easy to say that BK could be top 3 while giving himself an out like "if you can clean it". Plus, I would imagine that comments like these are the exception rather than the rule, otherwide they would be placing higher. If you want to cut through all of the fluffy BS and get right to the cold hard truth of the matter, look no further than the reactions BK gets from the crowd and how they score year in and year out. I will save you some suspense. They haven`t changed. BK is still just as misunderstook as they were in 2000 when I marched with them. Just as a side note, if you take a good listen to the crowd during, say, a Cavie, BD, or Phantom show, you will notice almost immediately how much more engaged they seem. There is a healthy electricity in the air-a buzz throughout. The fans seem to cheer out of excitement rather than feeling compelled to out of politeness. Finally, I never called into question the talents of our musicians. They rock. This is precisely why they should be a FEATURE of the show...not a footnote.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Except for the part about being negative....I would like to think that we got people talking....this is a good thing.

With all due respect to he pit and basses, this is an ensemble effort. Too much time allocated to any one group is not the way to go IMO. I believe this show crosses that line.

Well said, Kevin.

Exactly. This issues in another problem I see- there is far too much lip service to those who are "in the club" for my tastes. Jared has a point...very few people in the audience know of, or even care about, the historial inner wars waged being BK and DCI. People want to see an entertaining show. That is all. Throw in some history in the pamphlets being handed out in the stands if that is a message we want to convey, but leave it out of the show. Trittico and the pop step are very clear symbols of history which don`t detract from the entire 11 minute production.

Keep in mind that my opinion about BK has been years in the making. I have seen their shows online, live, and on field level from behind a horn. The arguments of "you just don`t get it" and "if you just take time to understand" are not new ones with respect to BK. I even used some of those same phrases when talking to some friends who came to see our shows. The big point I was missing back then is that a show should speak for itself. When it is all said and done, if I we can`t get the audience engaged within that 11 minute window, than the onus is on us. What we say before and after the show are completely superfulous. I believe that this "artsy", and dare I say "stubborn", attitude is precisely the mindset which has limited BKs progress over the last decade. And I hope it changes soon.

No one here is "picking on BK", least of all me. And I would like to be clear that no where did I say that BK should be forumulaic. In fact, I am saying the opposite...that they should be different. My point is that they have stumbled onto to a style that tends to land them in the same placing range year after year. My hope is that they continue to try some new things, like engaging the audience more, until they find the perfect meld of personality and results. That is all. Also, let`s not confuse "dark" with "vague"...a show can very well be dark (Phantom 96) and be entertaining as well.

I appreciate that. And thank you for rallying to BK`s defense. I realize that your reaction comes from the same place as my post-a genuine desire to see the corps` success in the future.

I am sorry you feel that I have warped the truth and littered the forums with lies and showers of vitriol. Let me clarity once and for all that everything I have said, and am saying to you now, is merely my opinion. The "insane" bit is a play on words. Of course no one is insane. Come on, now.

Thanks for the kind words of support. I never would call the quality of the performers into question. In fact, I praised them within my post. They only play what is put in front of them, and they are indeed a very talented bunch. Andy Smart appears to have worked wonders in this area. In my very very humble opinion, the concept of a show shouldn`t be so hard to "get" that it takes another viewing to digest. Each corps has 11 minutes to entertain, not educate, the audience. Far be it for a corps to tell its audiene what it should and should not appreciate. Let`s give people the benefit of the doubt by saying that they can make up their own minds about whether something was fun to listen to and watch.

I really would like to keep this discussion about the matter at hand and leave the personal attacks for another, less adult-like discussion. Maybe we can agree on this much.

Well, from one old man to another, I am all for being positive. I would suggest that, if your fellow corps mates wanted to throw hate your way for speaking up and being honest, the problem lies with them-not you.

The title made some noise. Got you fine folks to click on it and stroll on in here and have a nice sit-down with me about this-here-matter. Thanks for your time and support of BK guys. I suppose you have your opinions about BK and I am not about to argue with you abou tthem. I am glad you enjoy our shows.

No...no need for serious cat. That would be going a bit too "fur".

I can see why one could think that, but the thing is we are not in a transitionary period. Transition implies change, and that is something the corps has not seen in years.

My title wasn`t a question. It was a statement. A pun...a play on words. Not meant to be taken literally. I`ll get to the pith of what you`re saying here. Yes. I learned some valuable lessons and I grew as an individual the year I marched with BK. Setting that issue asside from the issue I raised in my post, I think there are some serious problems with the decision making that is going into their shows. I`ve heard, and participated in, the same rhetoric. The thing is, it`s OK to be different. It`s wonderful to be different, but I don`t think it has to come at the sacrifice of losing your audience and constantly placing among the tier 2 corps year in and year out.

Thank you for marginalizing what I have to say. I suppose, in the end, all we do on forums like these is express our opinions, so no love lost there. BK is a corps stuck perpetually in the 10th to 7th range of corps, year end and year out. Unless Mark Arnold and his staff ENJOYS getting the same results each year, with no prospects of improvement, I suppose there truly is no problem. If I may be so bold, I imagine the countless hours, blood, sweet, tears, and money the staff pours into the ensemble every year isn`t for another run at 9th place. Competitors play to win. I can tell you that if my car stalls on the side of the road, I am going to pop the hood and take a good look at what`s going on inside the engine.

I think alot of people misunderstand "constructive criticism" for plain "criticism", so I like the fact that you ended your statement with whole-hearted wishes for the best. My sentiments exactly.

Wouldn`t it show a general lack of caring if I sat back silently and pretended I don`t see a problem? I suppose "trashing" is one way to look at what I did. "Trying to speak up and affect some change" might be another.

I think he might be refering to the fact that even though I am an alum I can still speak to some of the problems I see with the orginization rather than always singing its praises. And to be clear, I never said anything about replacing the creative staff.

For nearly the last 12 months I have been in Osaka, Japan furthering my language studies in Japanese. Needless to say, I have lost touch with some of those nice things that remind me of home- big steaks, Colorado micro brews, and DRUM CORPS. Before turning in for the evening last night, I quenched my thirst with a taste of "Knight Reign"-BK`s 2008 program and I must say, "That`s it. I have seen and heard enough." BK-Where is the excitement? Where is the pop? Where is the evidence that BK deserves to be among the top tier corps? I marched with BK in 2000 during which we placed the highest at any point in the corps` history. Even during that hallmark season for the corps, I had this brooding sense that we were missing the boat. I even coined a term that captures this sensation...I call it the "applause curve". As one might expect, the applause curve simply tracks the level of engagement among the audience throughout a given show. My startling discovery? Without exception, each year the applause curve is EXACTLY THE SAME. Typically we field an "in your face" opener that gets the crowd engaged. Yet, in the following 8 minutes, we never cease to flat line our audience with utter boredom and bewilderment only to briefly engage them once again in the last few moments of our show. When I take a glance at the top tier corps, the applause curve tells a radically different story. Usually, it’s rapid peaks and troughs and, in rare cases, long suspended highs with brief dips interspersed throughout. The message is simple: the crème de la crème corps (i.e. the guys who are winning) keep their audience engaged. Please, BK alumni and staff alike, spare me the lectures on corps identity and paying a price for taking a "different approach" to drum corps. Our message is lost in translation. It isn’t getting through to the people who matter most- OUR FANS. We aren’t performing for ourselves out there under those bright stadium lights. We don’t soak our uniforms with sweat night after night, day after day only to bore to tears the people who make our activity possible. You want innovation? Do something risky that ROCKS the crowd with surprise. A bunch of horn players pulling their instruments away from their lips and doing degage, arabesque, and plie on the 50 yard line just isn’t drawing anyone’s interest. This year looks to be especially bad....a HUGE chunk of downtime is allotted for our wonderful musicians to prance around the field, forming whimsical pods and shapes whilst not playing a single lick of music. Perhaps it is time to REALLY try something different. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting a different result. Let’s live up to our aspirations to be "different" and try something new, guys. The crowd, judges, and fans just aren’t feeling the love. And with that, the prosecution rests.