phan771

I just saw the pending announcement of their 2015 staff line up. Interesting.

Saw pending list of Spirit of Atlanta's staff for 2015. Interesting.

To insert my own thoughts: 1. The quality of corps did not progress predictably in 2014, it jumped several notches forward, a treat for the fan (I think 1981 and perhaps 2000 were the last two times the activity surged forward this much in one single season) 2. Bluecoats 2014, when was the last time a show had such a large percentage of the community in awe? 3. Blue Devils, 2014. Stealing westcoastblue's line : "Redefining unbeatable." 4. Spirit of Atlanta, we simply want to know "why?" 5. New GE sheets, what will this do for the activity 6. As open class corps show they can compete on the world class sheets, how does this effect the future

oldsoprano, on 05 Aug 2014 - 10:00 AM, said: Oh, my.

Yep. Clean or edit. Time for changes in this grouping has passed. My 2 cents. Crossmen: 12th place Agree it is "A LOCK" Lots of growth at the right time, however, think Colts has potential to make some moves if the staff is on top of their game and Crossmen stop looking over their shoulder. Troopers: 13th place May be "A LOCK" or slip to Colts depending on what they do. Still think regardless of 13th or 14th, they will be a crowd favorite and their placement booed if they drop Colts: 14th place See above Agree that they could be 12th if all falls into place Spirit: 15th place I am thinking this is probably not going to hold up much longer. The shows below them are more entertaining and rewardable by the sheets. This will be the biggest drop this summer and I know that is tough on everyone at SOA and those who support them, including myself. The Academy: 16th place Good chance to move up if they clean well and communicate well. OC: 17th place May jump two spots. Not sure they have the maturity to do that yet. Pacific Crest: 18th place Has a shot moving up as well. Maybe two spots. Fear some judges may see their show as too shallow. I do not. Easy to get and followable throughout is sometimes extremely effective. Best to all.

What I think, but maybe not what will happen. 1. BD 2. Cadets 3. Bluecoats 4. Crown 5. SCV 6. Cavies 7. Blue Knights 8. Phantom 9. Blue Stars 10. Boston 11. Madison 12. Crossmen 13. Colts 14. Troopers 15. Oregon Crusaders 16. SOA 17. Pacific Crest 18. Academy 19. Mandarins 20. Jersey Surf 21. Cascades 22. Pioneer

So what is the constructive criticism of this show? Can cleaning and a few additions get it into finals?

You are correct with your information regarding the music culture and birthing of much American music south of the Mason-Dixon line. I do think that when people want Spirit to be "southern", it is how SOA defined it in the past. If the corps did all music written by a wide array of famous southern composers, I am not sure we would hear or see it as "southern". I think they were on the right track the past three or so years with including some Spirit-esque things, but incorporated into show themes that allowed for a broad range of source music and imagery. I found the corps to be regaining their old brand of swagger but with a new twist that allowed them to be more creative and competitive. I am sure their designers set out to create the next best show for themselves. But that is never easy nor successful. Yes, Troopers and Pioneer have similar struggles. I would not want the responsibility of making any of those groups climb in ranking. I would suggest we look to Madison and that despite their recent mild climb and successful rebranding of themselves, are finding it tough to move much, if any.

Wow, westcoastblue, you have thought about this for a while. Bravo! Well said and not petty or brash. If I can add to this just a bit . . . There are a few other things to consider when working with a 10-17 place corps hoping to be "in" every year. You have much shorter rehearsal days than most corps above you. You have little wiggle room for big changes (half a tune, 40 pages of drill, restaging many guard sets, etc.). You do not get the creative benefit of the doubt when things don't read well. You are not allowed to innovate. Five or six years of climbing guarantees nothing; Blue Stars, for example, who are now working back up again. Spirit will not take them this year. It takes more time to clean all dots because as the summer progresses, the wider range of talent in corps 10-17 really starts to show up. I wish SOA and all those hoping to get in to the final show all the best . I equally hope the members have a great summer. I hope boards and alumni think about the current members much much more than themselves.

I must say I am quite taken back. This is several steps backwards from the most recent look. The last uni was so strong and modern enough without being too over the top. I fear this says we want to be as much old SOA as possible without digging in the closet for the 1980 suits. It looks very bando to me and doesn't look like it will fit well. Those deltas are going to be all over the place in regards to angles, heights, etc. Could be a cleaning nightmare. Seems the uniform image no longer says moving forward. Opportunity greatly missed.

I want to say that as each year's slate of drum corps seems to get stronger and stronger, the top gets more and more amazing. That said, I think you have to now do the unbelievable to win. Though I am not sure Crown was 11 minutes of unbelievable, they had more of that on the field than anyone. Yes, what is unbelievable can be defined, interpreted differently by different people. There used to be a time where numerous corps would have one, two, or more "unbelievable" moments in their show. It think such happens way less frequently now regarding variety. Though some of the excellence we see is nearly if not literally unbelievable, it has become the norm so to speak. What is the next break through, the next "OMG I can't believe it" offering? 1. BD. Perhaps after years of controlling the judges and the sheets, but not always winning or being a crowd favorite, they finally figure out that more crowd appeal and individual demand is an important component to putting you back on top. (Skip the "but BD has soooo much more demand than meets the eye, blah, blah, blah. I"m not buying it.) 2. Crown. Close battle all year 3. Bluecoats. Keep last year's art and add more visceral "gotcha" moments that are undeniable 4. Cadets. Amazing drums again. Creativity not there yet 5. SCV. Again a crowd favorite 6. Regiment. Show design still not what will move them up 7. Boston. Like where this seems to be going 8. Cavies. Good, but still working to create something their own. Brass improving 9. Madison. Visual still a problem and music continues to lack sophistication 10. Blue Knights. Good again, not quite last year's offering due to program design changes 11. Troopers. Building on last year and deserve to be in this time, allowing them a better chance to stay in 12. Crossmen. Show design matures over last year 13. Blue Stars. Great percussion, rest of corps just not quite up to it 14. Colts. Also building on last year 15. Spirit. Too many staff changes and very young corps

From the "staff merrigoround" thread: Though all should wait for official announcements for some information, seems very accurate that several key staff have resigned from Spirit as per those person's facebook accounts. Includes corps director, program coordinator, guard caption head, and drill writer. So the term overhaul implies getting rid of people and replacing them.These folks have been there for a while and have turned Spirit around. They are leaving for whatever reasons. Replacing seems a more accurate term than overhaul, though I understand that implying firings makes some people feel more excited and in the know. From a few friends on staff there, I understand that Dr. Snead, the guard caption head, drill designer, and program coordinator all resigned finals week or soon after, and NOT in reaction from pressure to leave. So as the poster in the other thread states, I too think overhaul implies something different than perhaps what is really happening. I am curious as to why that many important people all leave at the same time. It is usually for personal reasons.

To steal Wes' format and motivation: Scoring 1) Crown 2) Cadets 3) SCV 4) Bluecoats 5) BD 6) Phantom 7) Cavies 8) Boston 9) Madison 10) Spirit 11) BK 12) Troopers 13) Crossmen 14) Blue Stars For entertainment's sake: 1) Crown 2) SCV 3) Cadets 4) Bluecoats 5) Phantom 6) BD 7) Spirit 8) Boston 9) Cavies 10) Madison 11) Troopers 12) Crossmen 13) BK 14) Blue Stars Music is always more important to me than visual, though visual definitely plays into what affects me.

1. 98.7 Crown 2. 98.6 BD 3. 97.2 Cadets 4. 96.9 Santa Clara Vanguard 5. 94.8 Bluecoats 6. 94.0 Phantom Regiment 7. 91.9 Boston Crusaders 8. 91.1 Cavaliers 9. 90.1 Madison Scouts 10. 88.3 Blue Knights 11. 87.1 Spirit 12. 86.4 Bluestars

Feel pretty strongly about this order: Cadets. They are just really strong in all captions including effect. SCV. Passionate and very SCV in so many ways. Love the fact it is a drum corps show. Spirit. Also love their dedication to a complex, but also super entertaining show. Crown. The brass are so #### good and the show has a brilliant feel to it. Bluecoats. Love that it challenges me but I also find it super clever. Troopers. Classic and classy. Mandarins. Great show, really great. Crossmen. Simple but effective.

I gotta say how much I dislike the TOC shows. Yes, I am trying to be open minded and get out my comfort zone with the format of show I am used to after all of these years, but. . . I will not go to another one. I am lucky enough to have the means to go to shows that are not near me, so I can check out everyone before finals week. Here is my jaded take on things: The G8/7 are still trying to find a format that pulls in the most people so they can figure out how to make more money and leave DCI. And yes, DCI is aiding them because the backbone of DCI belongs to Dave Gibbs and George Hopkins and everyone just rolls over because of how highly we value winning/winners over everything. Michael Cesario and Dan Atcheson ask the wrong people about what is entertainment in this activity because they themselves have lost touch with what most ticket buyers want and certainly what would bring in more ticket buyers. Though I like most drum corps shows, my intelligent, musically trained, open-minded wife and our friends have stopped going to shows with me because though they appreciate the hard work of the members, they find most shows to be self-serving. John Phillips and Michael Cesario have either not tried or do not have enough control over the judges or top corps' admin teams to allow many different types of shows, styles, etc. to be competitive. Though you can say there are different corps identities, take the uniform off and many are doing the same types of things because the judges have deemed those things, despite their true content, as being most rewardable. What is entertaining and accessible to most viewers is still less rewarded as more allusive shows. . . translated into not intelligently designed enough to be competitive. So , despite what extra tunes, or ensembles, etc. DCI asks the corps to prepare, the competitive drive to win will trump all else and these "extra" TOC offerings will forever be a let down. Anyone else remember when "America-O'Canada" sounded great by the mass hornlines? Different time with a different overall focus.

I have seen them live this year and was blown away. They have improved so much the past three years and seem to be doing it the right way. They are being themselves and not turning to the dark side of heady and allusive shows. Though they should have been up a spot both of the last two years. We'll see where they end up this year but it seems the should be on that top end of the non-top eight groups. Think it will come down to how much they clean and work out all of their small details. I don't think they stand and play any more than anyone else. Would be interesting to watch all top 12 and time how often groups do stand and play. Think we would all be surprised. And their rep. Love it. A ton of variety, a ton of melody, a ton of inventive and appropriate arranging.

I LOVE that Blue Devils go on 2nd! If it is like last year, they will complain the sun was too high, and they were not judged fairly, and blah blah bah. Welcome to reality BD. Oh, and this TOC/G7/G8 thing is soooooo interesting to me. What if these were the only corps still in existence? I think they would eat each other. Despite the small number, someone would have to be last. Would everyone start to view the last pace corps as many have viewed Pioneer in recent years? Would most still put winning above entertaining? Would the general audience never be considered and they then only cater to the deep dedicated modern drum corps fan? Interesting. Oh so interesting.

What? Is this the first full review of the summer? I will give it my best go. We were a bit late, so I didn't see Tradition. Sorry. I do think the smaller corps go un-reviewed too often. Hate I am part of that stat. Troopers: They are pretty darned clean for this time of year. The brass play with a beautiful round sound and were well balanced and blended for so early in the summer. The unis look better to me on the field than in photos. The guard costume is a bit busy and doesn't seem to reflect the show theme at all. The show is definitely a classic Trooper's show, chock full of Americana and nods to their storied past. The volume was good and attention to marching and playing detail is evident throughout the show. The percussion projected well and are clean in spots, however, the book is a bit light for my taste. Though I have no informed insight as to their summer agenda, it seems that the designers and administration wanted to make detailed quality the top of their agenda, with clarity of a simple design theme. Flags were beautiful. The corps seemed extremely confident and in complete control. I believe we saw a complete show. I enjoyed it and look forward to seeing them again. Crossmen: I enjoyed Bones tonight, but was expecting more. Though their show was more challenging than Troops and it was clear Crossmen have some more talent, I enjoyed Troopers show more. That said, as with Troopers, there is already a lot of attention to cleanliness in the music and marching. Several guard phrases were quite clean. They come on the field gesturing as if in protest which helped set the mood. The guard is carrying protest posters that also help sell the theme well. The uniform looked great on the field tonight. The guard uniform, in varying rich shades of red, were great against the green turf too. I think the flag designs reflect the art style of the 1960s peace and protest movements but they were hard see. Could have been the setting sun that was behind all the corps. These may only be practice flags. My favorite parts include some jazz influenced licks passed around the brass (not really jazz style but cool none the less), and the down ending. Brass, percussion, and guard all seem equally talented. The show is very tidy in regards it appearing finished. The brass and percussion drill did not always match the guard staging. Of course body and such will be added. The volume was a little bigger than Troop's brass, but not by much. I will be curious to see how this show fares over time. Spirit of Atlanta: I was predicting Crossmen and Spirit to be somewhat close last night based on last year. Not even close. From the first few seconds of their show I was reminded that their are various levels of world class drum corps and this was a completely different league than the previous two corps by far. I am still reeling from how good they were. After the opening minute, which is perhaps as perfect an opening for a show called Speakeasy as you can get, everyone's jaw was literally on the ground. I kept thinking that despite the great shows of the previous two seasons, I was seeing Spirit of Atlanta's return as the elite drum corps they once were several decades ago. The Speakeasy show choice makes perfect sense for them and I love that it comes across as fun and accessible, but also super complex, top eight material, and so full of great effects and coordination. As each moment, tune, effect rolled around, you kept thinking "of course this should be in a 1920s show," but each catches you by surprise in a great way. Costumes are so 1920s and playful. They seemed to use some show flags and some practice flags. The ballad is simply wonderful and the guard in blue dresses and huge blue flags matched the brass's strength and rich sound so well. There is fantastic drinking at the Speakeasy bar section, a KILLER drum feature, a pit that will rival many, and a brass section that nearly hung with Bluecoats' brass at every count. I have not been this blown away by a drum corps since Phantom in finals 2008. Cavaliers: They certainly get your attention as they come on the field, everyone in secret society monk-like robes, covered head to toe in black. There are standing props in the corner of the field that help develop a mood. They look to be inspired by iconic Mason symbology. Over the course of the show, the robes come off and the musicians and guard are then in their "regular" uniforms. There does not seem to be a reason why they change. I guess some story line will be developed to explain why. The corps eventually goes to the back right corner. A black tarp later comes out in the same corner and then some of the guard change underneath it. The show is extremely dark and angry. The vast majority of the brass book is dissonant and non melodic. There is a lot of angular rhythmic jabs and fortissimo playing throughout. The percussion seem talented, but perhaps less than years past. There was a lot of drums to pit to brass phasing tonight. The guard seemed to be using some practice flags and show flags. The silks that seemed like show flags were striking. There is a cool moment where the guard builds a pyramid, like a cheerleader tower with the brass around them (forgive the analogy). They use the full field well. It will be interesting to see this develop over time. Though appreciating the effort to be different, I can't say I really enjoyed the show beyond the extremely talented color guard. The brass were the most disappointing part of the corps. Their brass playing has declined noticeably over the past few years. Last night seemed to be a pretty big drop off from last year. There was a lot of edge and stick outs constantly. When playing unisons, open intervals, or chords, pitch was shaky. Though edge may be appropriate at time for their music choice, it was the constant sound at various dynamics levels. There is a repeated double tonguing trumpet moment that was nice. The tubas seem talented and produced some good moments. I do not think they should have scored above Spirit, though I am not surprised. Bluecoats: Clearly the winner tonight because of how prepared they are from a design and cleanliness standpoint. Lots of quality in each section. Best guard, best percussion, best marching, and best brass (brass not by much over Spirit). The bleachers they set up on the field certainly keep you asking what will happen on them and what will they eventually add with the bleachers as the summer progresses. The corp uniform works much better live than I assumed it would, though the musicians do look short because of the long tunic. Each guard member is dressed differently, looking like various parade onlookers from any Main Street parade. The balloons add a interesting whimsy to the overall look and feel of the show. Biodegradable I am sure. There are many well staged and coordinated moments. Nothing that was over the top good however. The show does currently read like a well structured shell waiting for more depth and detail. Some of the brass, guard, and drum drill seems detached, unrelated at times. The show music is bit more melodic than last year which is a welcomed addition. They seem very confident, controlled, and professional. I am eager to see this develop. They seem to have the talent to do whatever they want. This was a great show. I wish I could be in attendance in Akron tonight. Seems like a interesting start to another great season. Thanks for reading. Hope this helps relieve some drum corps hunger pangs.

John Brazale for one end of the spectrum and Mark Waymire for the other. Both amazing people that still speak to me everyday in many areas of my life.

This is all kinds of wrong for me. If someone else has responded similarly, I apologize for the redundancy. Please tell me why the top-pacing corps should have the biggest voice? It seems very autocratic. If this were to happen, drum corps will go away. My biggest issue with this post it that is so flippant, "SIMPLY get better." Simply? Really? The famous quote "Let them eat cake" come to mind. Though there is not proof that Marie Antoinette first spoke these words, they were certainly used commonly by those oblivious to the details of the condition of all people. It is not simple to be a good drum corps, much less a great one. What do you suggest the non-top corps do exactly that they are not already doing? care more? practice harder? Being a top placing corps is much more complicated and extensive an endeavor than that.

What a great weekend I had in the big ATL. I have visited before, but never had time to really explore much. First, if you are a foody and can save a few pennies (OK, dollars), you have to make reservations at Empire State South. Wow! Now one the best meals I have ever had. The owner is Hugh Achenson, the unibrow guy you often see on the food network or cooking shows on Bravo. Second, we went to Stone Mountain because the weather was like late spring, 74 or so degrees everyday. What an amazing place. A hugh granite rock placed in the middle of greater Atlanta. Beautiful. However, besides great times with great friends, the highlight of my weekend was getting to go to Spirit of Atlanta's open house on Sunday. Thanks oldsoprano on the location tips. We got there at about 11:20 so I got to hear final ensemble preparations on some show music. I later learned it was their show opening. I have seen and heard early performances of some corps and have heard PR the past few seasons in the winter, so that is my point of reference. When we opened the double glass doors of the school I could hear the brass and drums and I instantly thought, OMG, this sounds amazing. I was almost embarrassed in that I expected them to sound good, but not like this. I got to hear the opening and ballad. Their show coordinator said that the ballad was not to follow the opening in the show, so I am not sure why they didn't play all the show music up to and through the ballad. I loved both pieces. As the show coordinator stated, the opening music is a perfect for putting the audience in 1920. The piece is probably just over a minute long, but oh my, what they cram in that amount of time is off the hook crazy exciting if you ask me. Oh, and to say the old Spirit sound was beginning to emerge last year, I would say it is back but with2013 quality. Holy trumpets Batman! Holy Pit Robin! not to down play any other sections. I make no preseason predictions based on this. I just say that I was blown away as were my non-corps friends. Yes it was inside and there was lots of reverb, but all considered, they performed like they were having the time of their lives, you could see and feel it while they practiced and during the concert. Hearing Georgia was equally great. Thanks Spirit of Atlanta for the wintertime corps fix. Have a great winter and great summer.

Thanks, oldsoprano. I hope they play some show music, though hearing Georgia live will be worth the drive down.

I am excited about this show and in particular because they are staying on course with a style and personality that is working. For anyone who is critical of them being their own brand and borrowing from themselves, have you seen Phantom, SCV, Cadets, Crown, BD, Cavies? If you look at new comers to the top 12, most never get in and stay in. Many make it in and change too much too soon, forgetting what got them there. I will be in Atlanta this weekend visiting fiends who are not drum corps peeps, but trying to get them to go the corps' show and tell on Sunday. Anyone know what time that would be?

This seems very cool, and very new Spirit! I am so excited they haven't decided to totally change directions as so many up and coming drum corps wrongfully do. SMART! Yes, it seems somewhat connected to the past two years. Again I say, SMART! I applaud them for creating a new niche for themselves in 2011 and 2012 and not trying to be Cavies, or BD, or Phantom. We all complain on here that we want more variety and less generic copy cat drum corps. Seems the crowd has liked the direction they have gone and I for one think they have been super clever and calculating with their choices, and they have harkened back enough to their past that I feel the are old/new Spirit in the best of both ways. BD looks and sounds like BD and uses similar devices every year, as does PR, Crown, Cavies, SCV, etc. I hope to see and hear what they have lead me to expect from them. That opener and Luck be a Lady were definite winners last year. My brain is of course thinking through all the possibilities for a show called Speakeasy. I for one think there is a lot they could do and with this concept. We all have also seen what can happen to recruiting once a new comer gets in finals and stays in. Best of luck Spirit. I look forward to what this concept will bring.