skywhopper

Ranking these shows is a good idea... Let's see... 2006 Cavies 2010 Blue Devils, first 4:30 2004 Cavies 2013 Crown 2008 Phantom 2007 Blue Devils 2011 Cadets 2012 Blue Devils 2009 Blue Devils 2005 Cadets 2010 Blue Devils, last 8:00

No bubble attached. No wonder I thought it was so great! Thanks for the tip.

In addition to buying the DCI DVD/Blu-ray product or subscribing to Fan Network, SCV will undoubtedly release a 2013 tour DVD on their web store. Given the popularity of the source material, it's probably extra-critical that SCV keep videos containing the Les Mis music off of YouTube, as it will draw attention from the corporate owners much sooner than other stuff might.

That could be pretty awesome. Given amplification and the trend with movable props, why not roll some pit members around the field during the show? I guess the flip side of the amplification thing is that it wouldn't sound any different as the players moved around (unless they had speakers on the platforms with them...). Still, if it opened up the front sideline it could be pretty cool. If you have Fan Network, be sure to check out Pioneer's show this year. They moved the pit, including speakers, onto the field and the brass actually uses the pit area to march in during features. Pretty slick.

No. I said they have zero responsibility for the ultimate balance and blend. They can't control what's coming out of the PAs. I'm absolutely certain they are striving for this, and yet, the current method of amplification means that ultimately they aren't in control of their balance with the rest of the ensemble. If the pit players were in control of their own volume, or if there was a sound check followed by a fixed mix, then my argument would be wrong, sure. But the mix is constantly adjusted during the show, and staff can (and do) turn things up or down to adjust the balance. I stand by what I think is an obvious statement that the volume of the sound coming out of the PAs is entirely out of the individual player's control. That's not a comment on the performers, and I'm certain they are being taught and are performing in all the correct ways. I never mentioned phrasing. I don't believe and never meant to imply that the pit is just playing things without any musicality and that is all being controlled by the staff. The pit players are awesome musicians and they're playing amazing and beautiful music. But, they are no longer responsible for their blend with the rest of the ensemble.

Well, they only held it for 7 seconds this year.

Assuming you mean 2006 Cavies, I agree. That's by far my fave of their custom-written music. Truly a great show top to bottom.

I found their 2012 990 at Guidestar. Compared to 2011, I compared page 2, line 4a on both. In 2011, they spent $987,318 on "Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps", and in 2012 they spent $1,292,086. I joked that their cube props must've been expensive. I didn't speculate on whether the extra money was required to win. And as you say, we have no idea what they spent this year.

Not sure about that. The 2008 and 2012 endings stand out to me as the best visually. 2009 was the best musically. 2013 is pretty decent but not up to par, IMO.

Madison Scouts will return to their scouting roots with Jamboree. The guard will enact such classic scouting activities as camping, being prepared, and tying knots. The rousing finale will involve an oversized Pinewood Derby race. Boston Crusaders will follow up their 2013 show "Rise" with Bake, depicting the next step in the process of creating tasty, delicious bread. Already planned are 2015 show "Cool" and for 2016, "Slice". Boston staff are currently in negotiations with DCI's top judge to determine the legality of pumping the odor of fresh-baked bread into LOS during finals week. Blue Stars will present the other side of recent magic-themed shows with Salem, the first time in DCI history the Salem Witch Trials will have been represented on the field. Featuring The Eagles' "Witchy Woman", Queens of the Stone Age's "Burn the Witch", and culminating in a glorious rendition of "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead", fans will surely get into the music of this show.

I've lived/went to school/have close relatives in Arkansas, Missouri, Georgia, Virginia, Texas, and Illinois. So South and Midwest. Sounds like it's the Northeast primarily with the Labor Day start.

I'll just go ahead and speak up here, that I've never gone to, had a child go to, had relatives' children go to, or known about any schools that actually start after Labor Day. It's so far removed from my experience that I always wonder WTF is up with the TV news making a big deal out of the day after labor day as the first day of school, because by then me or my kids have generally been in school for two to three weeks. I also consider getting out the last week of May to be pretty early. Maybe schools in these mysterious other places I haven't lived don't run for 36 weeks? College is a different story in terms of the end of the school year, but still, most universities on the semester system start classes in late August, a week or two before Labor Day, otherwise you can't get in 16 weeks of a semester before Christmas. I'm not sure why we're having this argument, but I figured I might as well join in.

I definitely feared this year's ending situation would be a rerun of 2010 when they changed the ending at least once, then just redid 2009. 2009 was a great ending, but didn't work so great in 2010. I thought the original ending *felt* like a placeholder, and the Crown form is a requirement, so I think the final ending was fine, but it wasn't great. That said, BD's was even less great, so I don't think having a blah ending hurt Crown all that much. SCV had the best ending in Finals, I think.

I'm surprised we haven't seen this kind of poll circulating yet this year. Now that the season has had some time to settle into your brain, what's your favorite championship-winning show of the past 10 years?

B-b-but that's unpossible!

It was the G12's idea, obvs.

Obviously that's not my argument, CB. Seriously, why would you respond this way?

The argument I'm hearing from some folks (don't remember if you've made the argument in this manner) is that the pit couldn't be heard prior to amplification, that marimbas and vibes in particular are too soft to be heard. But why were they used for 20+ years in the pit if they couldn't be heard? All I was doing in that statement was pointing out that, clearly they could be heard and had some value, so the folks saying that amplification was necessary because the poor marimba players were never being heard are wrong.

I didn't say it removes the individual players' ability to play dynamically. But the sound that comes out of the PAs that the audience hears is not in the individual player's control. So, regardless of their abilities, they no longer ultimately have responsibility for the balance with the rest of the ensemble. In other words, a big part of the Music Analysis score is judging the performance of staff members, not marching members. That's two descriptions of the same argument. I guess I'm confused about what you think is contradictory in that. The sound person/people on the mixer controls the volume and mix, and adjusts it during the performance. If the performers are failing to achieve the dynamics appropriately, the sound person can alter the player's performance. I've literally seen and heard this happen.

Fair enough.

Maybe Michael Cesario is spending too much time playing "How Close Can You Get the Laser Pointer To Your Retina Without Blinking?"

I'm thinking: Cavaliers - Lumberjack City, keeping with the masculine show themes, and featuring the music of and Ice-T.Blue Devils - a sequel to re:Rite of Spring, Wet Hot American Summer, based on the 2001 film. They act out the entire movie in overlapping segments with as many as eight scenes going on on the field at one time. The funniest parts are performed backfield from the side 1 end zone with no amplification. Blue Knights - WeSaidNoEndDidntWe - The corps comes on the field and continues playing First Circle for 12 and a half minutes. Carolina Crown - Easy as Pi ($1 to MikeD in the Pioneer thread) - In a repeat of 2010's embarrassingly revealing show title choice, Crown's staff thinks they have the winning formula all figured out, but turns out reading the digits of pi throughout the show was not as catchy as counting to eight. And the rotating sphere drill just doesn't pop off the field like they hoped. Cadets - From Shiloh to Gettysburg - Attempting to tie into their Pennsylvania home base with a local theme while repairing relationships with their Southern fanbase, the Cadets build a show around the much-requested soundtrack to Glory. But the judges are confused when the corps, having decided to eschew the "implements of war" in their guard equipment choices, re-enact Pickett's Charge using giant commas and lightning bolts. And the Southern appeal strategy fails spectacularly at the Southeastern Regional when the finale, depicting the burning of Atlanta, starts a riot in the Georgia Dome, and the rampaging crowd spreads into the staging tunnel and all of BD's props for the year (bunk beds on wheels, one for each pair of MMs) are destroyed.

So where would you place Crown and Blue Knights then?

I agree. Marimbas and vibes were used for decades, presumably with some perceived value for the corps and the judges. They could certainly be heard. Check out Cadets 91 opener and see if you can hear the pit amid the FFF brass. Why yes, you can... Related to this point is that the front ensemble members no longer have any responsibility for their volume, balance, or blend. That's entirely in the hands of the staffer running the mixer. The players can change their tone, and can impact the volume, assuming the mix is not being touched by the sound guys, but in reality, the sound guys are tweaking the mix constantly throughout the show, and can "correct" individual players or sections who are failing to achieve the right volume levels. (They could also theoretically mute performers who are not cutting it in terms of hitting the right notes.)

Since you're interested but new here, have you seen garfield's 990s thread that he did last off-season? Links there to the original thread and the spreadsheet of comparisons for all WC corps in 2011.