Dmlkmen

I find myself watching 85, 86, 88, and 1993 more, then listening to them, ( audio only). The visiual and drill in those shows fascinate me. 91 and 98 are two shows I often listen to in the car or other places where I am not watching the show. The music in those shows, particularly Short Ride in a Fast Machine and the ballad, remind me a lot of when I was first getting into drum corps and marching overall. I’ll throw in 2001 as another show I listen to. Not one of my favorite shows overall, but I can listen to that show all day. The music in that show and how it’s played and mastered by the corps,

I will list my favorite years here in a minute. But first, want to mention something I have admired that may have been overlooked…. In high school, my marching band took a few cues from Cadets in how you approach the field, as well as how to stay disciplined and act at retreat. That said, can I say here about a tradition I always saw of them that I really loved? Coming onto the field in that sharp, disciplined look. The block, for many years, always impressed me. Also, standing at retreat in attention and parade rest. No clapping, yelling, or otherwise….disciplined, crisp, and classy. I also watched them at retreat in amazement of their discipline. But here is the thing- while being so strict and disciplined ….there was this completely ironic thing about them too. They were the most willing to be different and take risks. Let’s start with some of the basic things ….marching with the right foot first. If you also looked at their marching style, you will notice this thing they did with raising their elbows on angles, and marching backward on their heels during slow sections, ( instead of their toes). Then, of course, raising the bar as to how fast they could take their trademarked and owned mantra of music equals movement. Those parts of the the show in 1986 and 1987 where for 3-4 minutes straight the tempo is soaring at 150- 175 bpms, you feel like you are soaring with them. More recently, we saw them taking a risk to innovate voice. So much so, it polarized them for several years. In particular, a year where they would be further west then they had ever been for finals, and you hear how polarizing their show was in the crowd at their Finals performance. All this being said, I think it’s worth mentioning that these things have been influential to a lasting legacy. My favorite shows: 1. 1985 2. 1986 3. 1988 4. 1991 5. 1993 6. 1998

2014 should be in consideration by fans as one of DCI’s most entertaining Top 12’s of all time. It was a great year. 1992 and 1989 are probably in the conversation of being the benchmark years for most entertaining Top 12. 2008 comes close, as the Top 7 that year were on fire at Finals. But 2014 in my opinion is the most entertaining 12th place to 1st of the 21st century. As 2014 relates to the Blue Devils, I think of I where they came from in the two shows prior to Fellinisque, and what was missing. 2012 and 2013, although brilliant in terms of the visual and music along with execution, were not shows that ultimately were embraced by a large audience. Universal love, less likely. You can sense the fresh approach BD took in 2014, and in hindsight, see how their designers must have set out to start of a new era. They seemed to get back to a showmanship approach that could really connect to the audience. They have Gordon Goodwin create a piece for them. They add in more broadway tunes, specifically from Chicago. And ultimately the overall show with its style and story of a film being created from start to finish, brings back a theme that an audience can relate to. And to innovate by building the show organically, piece by piece…. What you may start out with in June, becomes layer upon Iayer of new ideas as tour progresses. This became, I think, the greatest innovation of that show. The same could be said for their competition that year. Carolina Crown, SCV, Phantom, and of course, Bluecoats, equally impressing by adding electronics to their show in a way we had never seen before. 2014 was a year many corps were shifting into a new identity. But doing so in a very entertaining way.

1990’s The Crossmen and Pat Metheny- Specifically the album Still Life Talking. This gets constant play in iTunes for me. I hope at some point we can get a corps show doing a modern take on that album. Side Note: 1991’s drum break in Third Wind and how it was brought back in 98 with a deeper groove- Heaven. Love it to this day. 2015-2023 The Bluecoats and Pat Metheny- Thanks for putting some more great Metheny music into your shows! You have expanded my music library to go out and find the albums with Shaker Loops, Heat of the Day, and Finding and Believing. 1984- Madison Scouts - Waltz of Mushroom Hunters. (Buddy Rich, and that album cover from the Roar of 74!) - I would LOVE to hear that on the field again from Madison or even a take from another corps. Blue Devils - Hank Levy, (various pieces through the years)- There is Pegasus, and then there is the 1993 show music, which was really obscure stuff for me to find. 1990 and 1998 Madison Scouts - Remembrance, Paul Hart.- Hard to find on an album, but thankfully YouTube has it being played by a few ensembles. One of my favorite drum corps pieces ever played by the Scouts. And like others, these 5 are just to name a few. I am with a lot of people saying John Adams was introduced to them by drum corps. But I also want to say Frank Ticheli, John Mackey, and all of the great British Brass Band pieces we have been hearing lately.

I was there for 1990 at 15 years old. And yes, when they turned front field for that first hit in Gloria during the opener…. -It was as loud as your speakers at home or in your car tell you it is. -It was G goodness, and “ loud is good”. -It made me a drum corps fan. And when they went into the Windows drum solo of that show…. - The crowd just ate it up and threw babies - I decided I was going to march corps at some point. - It was, and is still, one the greatest drum solo/ segments in a show I have ever seen. I saw Star of Indiana do the same thing at that show. Man, I was lucky to be able to see those shows, that year, right at the prime time of first being introduced.

The Blue Stars : 2008-2011 - August shows, close to end of season The Blue Stars during these years were visually and musically one of my favorite corps. I will also say they weee inspirational, as they were a corps making a come back. Those two things made seeing them live, something special. In particular 2010 (Houdini) and 2011 (Bourne Supremacy/ Matrix), when first hearing them live, were wow moments. I have always felt 2010 was underrated, with an equally impressive 2011 show that featured music that you likely wouldn’t have expected to hear on the field ( but really cool to see they did it! ) The Blue Knights : 2011 - 2012 : Drums Along the Rockies BK was in a classical throwback mode at the time. Those were shows that I really love. I had a chance to see them evolve as I volunteered over the course of those years at camps and other events preseason. BK 2011 had some of my favorite music from past years in the show. Volunteering, I saw Ralph Hardimon working with the drumline line quite often, and remember the time I first saw them putting the Scottish drumming into the show. By the time BK got to DATR, you could see it becoming a crowd favorite. But as for one of the best drum corps moments I have ever seen, BK’s DATR 2012 performance was something special to see. I had seen parts of that show being put together at practices and camps, as well as other times when I was helping on the food truck. I saw it being put together, so to speak, but not the whole thing early that season. I was hoping to see it live as a volunteer DATR. Unfortunately, rain was causing performances to be standstill that night. However, as the last corps on, BK came out in did their full field show. And it was, if you were there, epic. Phantom Regiment 2008 - First shows of the season on their California Tour - San Diego, Corps at the Crest, Riverside. I got to see Spartacus early season as the corps made their SoCal tour. I remember the San Diego/ Oceanside show the most, as that one was where I did their lot, and heard them in that incredible season for the first time. Their brass warm up at the San Diego show had barely anyone there. They warmed up in a place that was further out from the stadium, so you wouldn’t have known where they were unless you followed them from the busses. In their lot, it was me and two other people. Phantom warmed up in a soccer field, and instead of arcing it up, they formed more of a linear formation as if they were doing basic block. This enabled me to be about 15 feet from the corps as they played various parts of the show, which I was hearing for the first time. They ended their lot with Canon from their 2003 show, and the sustained chords from 2007 Firebird. From that moment on, I think I knew this was going to be a special year. They wowed the crowd that evening with the intensity and drama that the show is known for. True, a lot of what we saw evolve into the show that year was not there at that time. But the intensity of what it could become, was felt in the crowd that night. They lost to Vanguard that evening, But if I remember correctly, they had overcome SCV and were closing their gap on BD before they left Cali.

VK. 1987-1993 I am a big fan of the corps and those shows. I missed them largely because I wasn’t aware of what drum corps was until of being introduced in 1990. I got to see my first show that year, and was only familiar with the corps who were there due to my HS instructors who were in those corps, or taught them, introducing me. That said, I wasn’t familiar with who VK were until one of my instructors in HS showed me 88 Finals in 1991. I was hooked. I fortunately was able to borrow the 87-91 VHS tapes of Finals from that same instructor shortly after that, and got to not only see them in those years, but also discover much more about the activity. I remember as a 16 year old trying to plan out a flight itinerary to Anaheim around late October of 1991. It was the year I considered marching. VK and Madison were the corps I wanted to march, but never could. Thankfully, I have met several people who marched VK in those years who have told me about the their experience- so that kind of makes up for that lost time I suppose. When Star toured California early season, in the late 80s. I often think about what it would have been like to go to those shows. Some of my all time favorite shows, early season, together in one place …Freelancers, Star SCV, VK, Blue Devils, …right there at Riverside, Costa Mesa, etc. Good times. Blue Devils - 1988 My second favorite all time show…Again, if I just would have been lucky enough to have noticed drum corps a few years earlier in life….There is video on YouTube of them early season doing the encore at Riverside. I listen to it often.

This piece would be marvelous as either an opener or ballad. It has everything - soloist, brass build, resolution. The way it’s written just matches perfectly to what you would love to hear on the field. In particular, Phantom Regiment following up on their Band of Brothers opener from 2010, and bringing this piece to the field.

The Bluecoats have a special place for me. Bluecoats were my introduction to drum corps back in 1990. Staff from the Bluecoats assisted my High School band, along with a few visual techs from Star of Indiana. I was entering my freshman year, and was being introduced to marching band at freshman band camp in July that year. I happened to arrive early on my first day, and was greeted by the staff of my band as I walked into the band room. As I walked in, I saw they were watching what I thought was the most amazing thing. The sound, the drill, the execution, etc. of it all, I asked what high school band this was. Of course, I was swiftly corrected that they were called “ corps”, and was advised the corps on the screen was the 1988 Bluecoats from Canton, Ohio. And at that moment, began the 34 years that I have marched, volunteered, and most of all, been a fan of this activity. Later in 1991, I saw my first show live. Bluecoats and Star were at the show, and I was fortunate enough to sit in on their arcs in the lot. Thats a story for another post- but an experience I’ll never forget. Since that time I have not seen a Bluecoats show that wasn’t entertaining or one I didn’t like. Sure, what they are doing now has put them in the hunt for 1st nearly every year since 2014. But I can go back to 1987, 1988, and 1989 and say I love those shows too. I have heard stories about 1987 from various people who saw them that year. It seems like their hype was real at the time. The World War II show from 1995 is a great memory I took a WWII veteran to a local east coast show that year to see that show, along with The Cadets. Bluecoats along with Madison have always been the two corps I look forward to hearing every year. I have always known that whatever they do, they entertain. And while they took a step in wildly different and unique direction in the last 10 years, I look forward to whatever they put on the field every year, as I always have. ,

This is a cover of Tool’s Schism, performed by the eclectic group Elephant Revival. Of note are a few instruments which could translate or are standard to the field. In particular, the snares playing those Danny Carey polyrhythms at the end of the song. As this thread has been going on for years, I believe it was mentioned how Vanguard could cover music from Tool. But I think now with many corps taking a risk on pieces would never expect to hear on the field, this or really any other music from the bands’ Lateralus, 10,000 Days, or Fear Innoculum releases would be fantastic. (Not only that, but any Alex Grey artwork they might want to throw in for visual to go along).

Interesting. I would like to see how Crossmen fit into this category this year. That was a show that tended to be, as Rondinaro said at Prelims, about as drum corps and less prop as drum corps and less prop could be this season. And ironic, Troopers take the top spot this year. In my opinion, their show was a refreshing attempt of theme/ brand/ book and demand. Especially in the opener, which was incredibly well done to the demand of brass book and marching/ playing demand. So using this calculation, (whatever it may be to measure moving and playing), what shows come to mind that clock the highest amount of playing/ moving demand? This list is simply based on my viewing them over the years. I may get around to a stopwatch to time the movement and playing at some point. Especially those Cadet years where they are playing the 1. 1988 Cadets- Symphony #2 / Copland 2. 1992 Cadets - To Tame the Perilous Skies - Holsinger 3. 1991 Cavaliers - The Cavalier Anthems, an Advent Collection 4. 1990 Star of Indiana - Belshazzars Feast 5. 1987 Cadets - Appalachian Spring 6. 1985 Cadets - Jeremiah, Make our Garden Grow, Candide 7. 2009 SCV -Appalachian Spring ( really, any of the Pete Webber years, 2007-2012). 8. 2006 SCV - Moto Perpeto 9. 2003 Cavaliers - Spin Cycle

There are several things I think are key in identifying a Bluecoats show. The obvious are props, body movement, and electronics. But the one thing I really admire and find to be incredibly cool each year is their use of polyrhythms in their brass and percussion arrangements. The piece they play this year, right before the “Bloo” shout from the corps members, is you just pure groove. It reminded me of the ending of 2015’s piece, Shaker Loops. Specifically before the Bloo shout with the trumpet echoes….This is becoming like a trademark for the corps, and I am there for it. This said and being on topic, unique time signatures from “prog” bands like Rush, Tool, or Zappa come to mind as possible material for a show. King Crimson and possibly Mars Volta as well. There could be a mix they try from the jazz, hip hop, or R&B as well.

Yes! Even more, Iets give a shout out to the corps in the Pacific NW and Utah with The Batallion. Growth in these regions is important, and drum corps serving the kids in these areas is great!

I am doing, “Corpsenheimer” . ( Also known as “ a lot of sitting in one day : ) Worked out well as I am finally able to get in on an IMAX matinee screening of Oppenheimer. (IMAX showings for this film have been hard to come by in not being sold out on weekends). So, thought I would take the plunge today. After that, a quick bite to eat and onto Big, Loud, and Live.

Big sound tonight from BK. Might have had some audio issues from the French Horn on the tower in the opener. But that large, open sound is back. And Bocook’s book is showing in the brass runs, 16th runs, and chord structures. BK had been practicing a few miles from my house at a local HS in Commerce City, CO since April. The front range in this area is flat, and sound travels as there are no trees, just homes and some structures. I could hear their drums and brass echos in my backyard this past Spring….from those 3 miles away. Looking forward to seeing this live and stomping my feet in the stands next Saturday in Fort Collins.