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Photographer Jim

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  1. No thank you! I'd think DCI would have compiled some stats regarding corps travel over the years. I'd be interested in knowing the numbers .... but then again, I am a tad bit bent!
  2. My comment was directed to the one saying Vanguard appears to travel more than BD. My comment about SCV's 2300 mile, two show trip during the first week just seemed relevant to that. Since you brought up Boston, its interesting to note that the majority of difference in their show schedule comes during the first part of the season when BC is on their West Coast swing. Between the Clovis and Minneapolis shows, Boston will do 15 shows while the Devils will only do 9. This is largely due to Boston going north from the Bay Area into Oregon, Washington, and Idaho where they will do four shows, while BD goes south to do the two southern CA shows. Then, they meet up again in Utah, July 3rd. Boston takes a quick jog up to Casper before both corps arrive in Waukee. Boston then adds two more shows, one in IA and one in WI before Minneapolis. BD chose to go straight to Minneapolis. The remainder of the season is pretty much the same for both corps, with BD doing 15 and BAC doing 17, with 10 of the shows being in common. The only thing this really shows me is that Boston is making good use of a long road trip. By going north, they are able to do a few more shows, thus getting more bang from their travel bucks. BD on the other hand has pretty much traditional obligations to the SoCal shows, so until they head east appear to have fewer show options early on. Interestingly enough, Phantom will also be doing a west coast swing, but they chose to do three shows on their way out to Clovis, also added in the Casper show, but from Minneapolis on have about the same amount of shows as the other two.
  3. I’ve been following this thread with some interest. I will admit to being a big BD fan (hey, they ARE my home town corps, and I have over the years had many students who were corps members), so I have been curious to see the reaction to this year’s show announcement, but my comments here are more a response to the ongoing debate on DCP regarding BD’s show design choices, fan reception, etc. Understand, I’m coming at this from the position of one who is a producer of art (visual, not musical) rather than that of a consumer of art. There are basically three driving forces at play when I create an image; I think these three forces are at play with ANY artist(s), regardless of medium. They are: a goal of executing my work with the highest possible technical proficiency that I can; a desire to express my “creative vision”; and a desire to produce an image that resonates with my viewing audience. Interestingly, (or not) the drive for technical perfection is actually the most important for me as an artist, because regardless of which of the other two is serving as the primary motivational goal, neither can be fully realized if I don’t nail the technical presentation. Presenting anything less than my technical best at the time is a disservice to my viewers. (Side-note: in competitive arenas, this force becomes even more important). The other two forces are the most problematic. Do I produce an image that is primarily motivated by what I wish to express, or do I make an image that comes primarily from what I perceive the viewing audience would prefer (like, appreciate)? I’ve done both. The ultimate goal, of course is to do both at the same time, but that can be a very narrow line to walk, and there are pit-falls to either choice. Following one’s own creative vision can leave some, or a lot, of the viewers dis-satisfied. Aim for perceived viewer response primarily, and one runs the risk of stagnating creatively as an artist. The key, IMO, is not permanently emphasizing one motivational force over the other. As I said, it’s a thin line to walk. In terms of drum corps, the best situation (again, IMO) is when SOME corps are designing their shows with an eye primarily on what do they think the current fans desire (at least from that corps), and when SOME corps are focused primarily on producing a show that best expresses their creative approach to the medium. Having both is ESSENTIAL for the ultimate health of the art form. If EVERY corps plays primarily to what they think the audience wants, not enough risks will be taken, and the art form becomes stale. If EVERY corps focuses primarily on their own personal creative interpretation of the medium, there is the possibility (depending on the direction the creative choices go) of ultimately losing too many fans, and becoming too much of a niche activity. I guess what I am saying is that I TAKE A GREAT DEAL OF COMFORT IN THE CONSTANT DEBATE (currently surrounding BD this time) over show choices and which motivational factors corps SHOULD be considering, because the existence of the debate means that different corps ARE approaching shows from different motivational directions and that is good for the long term health of this activity we all so love.
  4. That is certainly the case for the beginning of the season this year. Vanguard has chosen to travel to New Mexico and Arizona for the two shows there during the first week, for a total of approximately 2,300 miles (an average of 1150 miles per show), before returning home for the string of California shows. Vanguard is somewhat unique in this regard as most of the West Coast corps opt to stay local/regional at the beginning of the season, and we simply have way fewer shows out here in the west during the first week. Many of the eastern and mid-western corps will have had 3-4 shows before our first show in Clovis.
  5. ... and the drum major toting a cigar! (Oh, now I'm ashamed. Very, very ashamed! ......)
  6. OK - I'll try to make it into a link instead ..... BD's image on Facebook
  7. OK - so what did I do wrong? Why did the insert image only display as the URL? Somebody message me and I'll fix it if you can explain to me how!
  8. This just posted on the Blue Devils' Facebook page about 20 minutes ago. Caption: A clue. The game begins - have at it.
  9. Quite possibly true, given that there have only been two players (T. Gwynn & G. Brett) to hit .390 or above since Teddy hit .406 in 1941!
  10. No apology needed, and appreciate your clarification. Boy, this topic seems to have gotten a bit testy since I was here two days ago! Anyway, clarifying my take on things, I really don't think an 80s-90s BD show could do all that well today even assuming that the visual components of the show were in line with the current trends and expectations. (I do, BTW, agree with Brasso on this one - visual is the trump card now-a-days). However, I do think BD and staff have the talent an creativity to take that musical genre, that type of slick, driving jazz, and tweak it in ways that could be fresh and current. It would probably have to be somewhat of a departure from that "old school" (?) sound, but I believe they might be able to do so in a way that would be satisfying to those who so loved that older sound (me amongst them) but still be innovative enough musically to be pushing today's competitive limits. Given the changes in DC since that 80-90s era (instrumentation, electronics, etc), I see no reason why they couldn't spin that style jazz into something both interesting, entertaining and highly competitive. Then again, I'm a visual artist, so what do I know?
  11. Although I somewhat agree with the OP's desire to hear BD belt out some of the signature jazz that so many of us cherish from their past, I was perplexed by the implications that should the Devils choose to go in that direction and revisit their jazz roots, it would have to be at the expense of forfeiting innovation in the show design and would result in a 4th or 5th placement. I guess I'm confused by the concept that the two (jazz music and innovative show design) are somehow mutually exclusive. And given BD's obvious talent in all areas of the activity, I don't see why they could not develop a successful show which includes both jazz and interesting, dynamic design. Is there something I'm missing here? Just asking. [edited for typo]
  12. Good selections. My understanding is that BAC is scheduled to come out here to the West Coast in 2012 and I will get to see this show in Stockton. Definitely works for me!
  13. I actualy discovered drum corps before there was a DCI. I grew up in upstate New Jersey in the 50's. My dad was a volunteer fireman. At the time voluteer departments often hosted parades and firemen's musters during the summer, usually there were a few each month. The departments would compete during the parades ( uniform inspection, equipment insprection, marching in step, etc.). To help a department march better, they would often hire a band or drum corps to march either in front or behind them, and would use the corps cadence to help improve their marching. As a result, I became familiar with corps like Holy Name Cadets, Blessed Sacrament, St. Anne's, Hawthorne Caballeros, etc. at an early age. My parents would also take me into Patterson occasionally to see a drum corps show. One of the first shows I remember was in Atlantic City where Holy Name won a championship (VFW or AL, not sure which). I moved to California in the early 60's and fell out of touch with drum corps for my high school and college years. When I returned to the Bay Area after college in 1973, I found myself living only a mile from the practice field for the Blue Devils. I was excited, and attended their show at the local JC. There, I was introduced to Vanguard, The Freelancers, Commodores, Velvet Knights ..... And have followed drum corps ( now DCI) ever since.
  14. BD Phantom Scouts Oh, oh, and BAC OH, and Academy Uh, ... and BK and, and, ...................
  15. Thanks for the info. And, thanks for all of your hard work and help in making this season "accessible" for us fans!
  16. What time (west coast) will the feed come on? Looking forward to it.
  17. Well, PR has taken a show that at the beginning of the season had me saying, "yeah, it's alright." and now at the end of the season having me completely engrossed in the show's overall beauty. I do enjoy this show.
  18. I'm just glad they didn't decide to go with black British pith helmets.
  19. Just joined in. Feed seems to be coming in well, but am wondering a little about the audio. Volume seemed to jump way up for the Blue Man Group commercial and scores announcement as compared to the volume of the corps themselves. Is it just me or do they have the volume on the field micas dialed down?
  20. I think you have written a very plausible analysis. I hadn't seen a connection to the film (although I knew of it, I have never seen it), but your explanation makes sense to me. You write well. Nice job.
  21. Despite being a BD honk of sorts, I have to agree with your comment about the props this year. I think I posted from the Stockton show, or shortly thereafter, that I felt they had "jumped the shark" this time and over- estimated their visual effect. Unlike the mirrors which the members could interact with ("are there two corps out there? Where did the corps go? Etc.) or the chairs which they continually played hide and seek with, this years props seem too static most of the time, and the corps interaction with them is just less interesting than in their past shows. I mean I understand the artistic connection to the show and why they may have chosen to go this route, but I think they mis-calculated. In the end, this could prove to be their downfall this season, which for me would be a disappointment as they also seem to be returning more to the smooth, sophisticated brass sound that I have always loved and associated with BD. As for the title, I don't see a problem there. Just a twist on the phrase, "my heart skipped a beat", a typical type lyric for songs of the Bacharach era. I don't think it was meant to have any deep meaning, or to be a "steering point" for a theme.
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