Kyle B

Unless corps are getting money to do the parade, DCA can't really force anyone to do a parade. I know that traditionally Bucs leave for the Finals housing Friday night and arrive Saturday at night. That would mean they would have to leave a day early, and since they stay at a local high school, this would probably conflict with schools just starting.

Music judge commented on it. This was like "Get it Gorgeous' 'You're the best' 'WOOHOO' 'AWESOME' 'GET IT GUARD.' First off, I've always hated color guard vocals. They aren't apart of the designed show, so personally I don't believe they belong. BUT, I can tolerate it to some extent as a member, as long as its not distracting and it doesn't get to the audience. This show, EVERY quiet moment was completely ruined by the color guard hooting, hollering, shouting, and counting.

I was going to write a review of the show, but with school coming up I'm pressed for time. So here are my thoughts. (I missed the first 2 corps.) Fusion - I like the show. I was down pretty low so I'm sure a lot of things were literally going over my head from the last time I saw them, but they had an off night. Lot of the hornline licks were dirty, a few small ensemble tears and the guard thought they were the star of the show since you could hear them all the time. Super distracting. Cabs - It was a tale of 2 shows. The first half of the show was off. Lots of individual issues, solo issues. I like the beginning electronic intro, though it seems a tad long. They did seem to have a very short tear between the battery, but they fixed it immediately. Second half of the show was noticeably better, though I feel they didn't really communicate well. I've seen the Reading crowd go nuts for Empire, so I can't really say that it was completely biased. I like that they got rid of the soft ending. C2 - I like the show. Would have been nice for it to keep to the original Cadets theme where they took favorites from some DCI corps and did it there own style. Still, enjoyed it none the less. They still have some holes and are plugging them in. Lots of feet and spacing issues. Really enjoyed the Z-pull at the end of Rocky Point. Had better communication to the audience. Was the first corps that I saw that I felt had a good show. Reading - Really liked this show. Not a complete fan of some of the arrangements and the Heat of the Day section seemed to go in and out of a groove (I'm biased however after 2002.) Was down low so I couldn't see a lot of the drill, but feet were a lot better. They move about 100 times more than there competitor and at times feet came through the sound, so it's really about pulling off what you have. The mello feature where they are moving across the field didn't seem as clean as the rest of the show. Lots of communication to the audience, however I think there were some more individual issues then usual for this time of year. Loved when the corps finally passed the pit and they just let everything rip. I thought that the contest would be close, and really felt that it would go in Bucs favor. Only because the Cabs did not have a good show, but I wasn't sure if Bucs individual issues would hurt them. I enjoyed the final encore and the send off of Commodore Gruber. He's put in a lot of work and has never been the type of person to demand the spotlight. A lot of people owe a lot to him and whoever comes in next has huge shoes to fill.

I understand. No ill will towards them, things come up. I just meant that they were scheduled to come but didn't make it.

They were no shows. I never said they didn't have a valid reason, they didn't have enough members to perform.

Thanks, though I would put BigW and Jeff about 10 notches above me. If I take notes, I miss a lot of the design and if I don't take notes, I can comment more on the overall show but not remember a lot. Was the reason I decided not to continue judging marching bands.

Sorry for my stream-of-conscious style of reviews. While I've stated most of comments after each corps, there is one thing that really bothered me about the show. Hurcs had no business beating Bush. Bush was in a completely different league. Bush only beat them in brass by a tenth, and beat them in music effect. But they lost overall music to a group that you could never hear the hornline due to the size of the drumline. I understand the Hurcs guard is something else, but I really don't see how all those judges could have possibly got that. You may take this as me just being a homer, since I marched their for 3 years, but I didn't become very popular when I moved to Bucs and had my sister still at Bush. A lot of people I talked to agreed with Bush being a different level drum corps. Yes, I was watching an entire show and not just one section or focus like a judge would, but that was not a good call IMO.

Continued... Fusion Core They have a pre-show that I really liked, though was hoping for a little bit more sound when the HL let it go after they were introduced. REALLY great guard opening! I think the hornline can be louder in the opening statements. Fusions guard is one of the only guards that really performed their show, which considering last year they only know 2 minutes of work, is a big step. Some really nice flag to weapon moments, and while it works, so far their work does seem to be on the easier side then the upper corps. The hornline comes in loud and they are pretty good, but when they start playing below mf, they get very sloppy. Good double tongue sections, but when they move the feet are all out of phase from one performer to the next with no technique on the carpet. They have a lot of visuals in the show already, but move like robots. In Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I lose the mello sound. When the hornline is moving at a carry, some members are swinging their horns and it pulls from what they are doing. I wrote that it's hard to tell what the forms are because they are another corps that has a very large guard for their size. They have a nice drum feature towards the end, but when the HL is marching at fast tempos, their technique goes out the window. Towards the end, the trumpets got very tired. The only time I was really clear on the theme of the show was actually in the pre-show for the Brahms lullaby and the beginning. Otherwise it just seemed to have a random bed on the field with people dancing in front of it or quads playing on top of it. Anyway, this hornline may cause a bit of a stir for some groups and their guard knows how to perform at a very high level of achievement. Bushwackers First corps that I've seen with amps. Starts off with a marching machine. Baritone entrance was not together. They play 3 against 4 to start with, but the notes are too low for the horns to sound good. They need to consider moving it up an octave because it will never be clean. The brass line have good feet throughout opening statement and they know how to play with dynamics. While everyone loves a good crescendo in drum corps, they love to play terraced dynamics, and I'm telling you, it reminds me of 2006 Bush. Drumline playing well and the hornline has a really nice blend. Trumpets then start to sound a little strident, but the mellos have a great sound. The half-time goose-step isn't together, some aren't going as high as the others. Other sections are starting to shuffle on the carpet. They then start to have more terraced dynamics that makes you think the corps has about 50 horns. Afterwards, during the jam section, hard to hear the hornline over the drums and the music doesn't fit what you were just listening too. During the slowdown section, small mini-tears happen with the horns to drums, but not enough to cause major damage. The amped Cajon's are a bit over powering for the vocals that are happening on the field. The small-ensemble sound really fantastic. In Blowin in the Wind, the trumpets play each others valves, though I didn't notice that at first. Either because I wasn't expecting it to happen or my eyes were focused elsewhere. When the drums cut out, again, you think they have 50 horns. Great blend and balance. After that, was let down by bad sectional attacks. The fp aren't as clean as the rest of their dynamics. Also, I'm not a fan of the 4 count pause before the last note of Blowing in the Wind. Afterwards, the hornline has this knack for getting loud very suddenly. Baritones are starting to stick out in the 3rd number. During the pit feature, the pit is too loud. I'm not sure if someone works the controls during the show, but have the pit play softer or lower the master. Good marching technique being displayed backing up. The mutes in the mellos and trumpets really cover their sound altogether, whatever they are trying to communicate, isn't being expressed to the audience. Was my least favorite part of the show. When the fences are being moved through the corps, at first I thought everything was being done randomly with no real set drill (at least my opinion,) but when they lock in the drumline with the hornline playing around them (or attempt too, 2nd week in a row for a fence malfunction, the same one too) it was one of those 'that is awesome' moments. Easily my favorite part of the evening. Going into the closer - Symphonic Met, they state the melody briefly, and before they bring the song in fully, there is a weird musical transition that again doesn't match what you've been hearing or what you are about to hear. End of the show, diagonal rotations aren't clean and form maintenance is starting to suffer. This is easily the best corps Bush has fielded since 2008. Lots of excellent things happening, and while there are some programmatic parts that don't make sense, I really enjoy this show. I was hesitant when I heard the show announced in the early Fall and feared it would be hokey, but they have put a lot of work into fitting things in and the members are committed to being the best they can and as an alumni, I'm proud of where they are headed. Cabelleros Straight lines before the show begins need to be clean. Tubas sound good, but hard to hear over the amped pit during their sustained notes. They start marching fast and there were lots of phasing going on. Really nice moment with the guard on white flags and gave a great impact visually while the hornline is playing really well. Afterwards, some form and interval issues occurring, and the visuals aren't together. The uniform change doesn't seem natural IMO and it's very early in the show, would have done it later on, but I guess it makes sense with them starting from 1 tuba, to the section, to the hornline, and then finally the drumline. The hornline is one of the better blending horn lines they've had recently but during all the fast licks, it's extremely muddy. They have a jazz running section with a lot of people with great technique all together, and then the other half where the technique isn't as well defined, need better control. The baritone section needs to clean their feature up, very muddy. During the solo, the low brass are playing hairpin dynamics, but they sound very growly, ruins what is coming out of the excellent soloist. During the park-and-bark, lots of excellent sounds with nice blending, but as soon as they step off, the blend is lost and the step offs weren't together. Cabs was the cleanest when it comes to drill but still need to clean like others do. They have a lot of licks that go from low brass to high brass and while you really want to say "WOW, that was awesome" the entire thing is muddy. Fusions licks were much cleaner throughout their show. I don't know if its because of where they lie on the horn or they are just cleaner, but thats how it is. During the diagonal company front, tons of bad feet, especially right in front of the 50. While there really isn't a lot of fatigue coming through the bells, it is coming through the feet and horn carriage. They end with a really full sound. As I've stated to a few people I talked to, I really like what the Cabs are doing both musically and visually, the theme is not being expressed to the audience and I don't get the uniform change. As a knit-picker, having the black shirts not match the pants drove me a little insane. As a person who really does not like side-line soloists, I've got to say, Cabs have done an excellent job not drawing attention to this fact, and the entire thing looks very natural. While I'm sure Frank would say he didn't have his best show, he definitely threw down in the victory concert. Cabs are going to be a very strong contender this year and I like this show much better than last year already. Comments and opinions are still on the horizon...

Hey everyone, This will be one of my only shows I get to this year. I'll be going on a cruise during the Grand Prix (tried to convince my fiancé to move it a week later when I found out, no luck.) I'm pretty sure I'm going to get to Bucs Reading show. Last year I got lambasted because of not commenting on the alumni/exhibition corps. Doesn't really stop me from writing my reviews, and had I seen more corps, I would comment, but this year I only saw Saints Brigade so I will start with them. My perspective is from a fan who just wants to see something good on the field. Long time brass player, so don't shoot me if I don't give a lot of guard or drumline comments. I sat on the 50 YL about 4 rows from the press box. Saints Brigade I've marched in several parades with them over the last few years, so I know how they sound. Very young group with tons of $$$. I don't know what their long range goal is, but they really should start to march. They have a talented drumline and nice uniforms. Their brass is WAY to top heavy. 17 trumpets, 7 mellos to 6 baris and 4 tubas. I understand they probably just take what they can from the area, but start moving people over. The low brass they have sound great, but they are fighting a losing fight. Had a few trumpet solos, all by the same person. Would have been nice to spread it through out the other trumpets. Had some pretty nice full moments from the corps, but their drumline is where they excel. They did a note-for-note arrangement of 1990 Crossmen's opener. Just because I know that tune so well, that was the only down moment I had from them. Otherwise what they did play, they played really well. Not a lot fatigue issues or stick outs. I really do hope they put on a field show some day. They would surprise a lot of people. Skyliners Starts out with a trumpet solo. Then a big moment with the brass, but they are too far spread out with their numbers they have. Good sound on the move but feet issues in many places. Young hornline means horn carriage suffers, upper body issues, and the horn moves aren't together. Looks like it was written for 10 more horns. Then onto a really nice jam session with a full tuba sound. I'm not sure what instruments they are playing on, but they sound like they are playing on bugles. I wrote down in my notes that they have that old drum corps sound, which I do like. Their body visuals aren't together and they don't seam to know on what counts they need to be in what position. As the show progressed, they did experience fatigue issues. During the pit break, the pit had a tear and while they recovered, they weren't together for the remainder. Afterwards, the Bari and Mellos need to play out more. When the hornline faces backfield, the pit is way to loud and swallows the nice sound they produce. The drill really seemed to suffer as the show went along. Towards the end, they take straight lines and rotate them and that wasn't together. Guard work is very incomplete. The trumpets are the strongest section of HL, but when they get fatigued, the entire corps suffers. The end of the show is a quick park and bark and while most of the crowd was expecting NY NY, they still didn't disappoint. Good comeback from Sky. It's good to have more corps in DCA, but its even better when the Skyliners are on the field. I enjoyed the show, they just need to get a lot more bodies on the field and clean clean clean. Hurricanes They start off having a great tuba section, the strongest section of the HL. Like last year, the drumline is ridiculously too loud. 13 in the battery compared to 26 brass players, with 7 of them on snares. For a group that looks young, they seem to move well with decent horn carriage, but bad posture kills them in any slides. The HL is very Low Brass heavy. They have a company front section that the HL is too spread out, so some side-to-side issues as well as balance/blend issues. The guard is what you want to watch, however due to their extreme size of 24, they got in the way of any drill the hornline did. Start of the second tune, very loud dutting coming from the field. The pit plays very well. Some tuba interval issues going on and is physically impossible to hear the brass on any soft moments because of the drums. They have some really nice visuals going on with the flags and weapons. Fatigue is starting to really weigh in on the brass line just over 1/2 through the show. Then the trumpets that they have disappear. Baritone's have a wonderful sound to start Make Our Garden Grow, but as soon as they start to move, its a different story. Due to issues with not enough people, there is way to big of spacing going on in the trumpets which doesn't help them project their sound to the crowd. Some visual issues at the end of the show that were not together. Show is not complete, and with how it ended musically, I would have preferred them to keep playing at a stand still. The comparison from this show last year to this year is night and day. Stronger corps, but small. They've seemed to put all their eggs in the guard basket and while their guard deserves much praise, I really do think they need to throw some horns at the percussion and guard to help the HL out. More to come....

Hmm, going to be a difficult decision to make. Write a DCW like review where everyone was wonderful, just review what I saw/heard, or speak my mind as well. Heh.

Hurcs are practically all guard ...

Scores Cabs 81.3 Fusion 79.30 Hurcs 72.6 (1.2) Bush 72.55 Sky 68.15

Predictions: Cabs 79.5 Fusion 78.6 Bush 74.8 Hurcs 68.3 Sky 62.5

Love this show, both as a performer and as a spectator, and while not having Bucs here IMO is a bad mistake for everyone else, I doubt they were drawing a large crowd from the area. It's still Cabs country here. If it wasn't for the area and the parking situation, I would say it should be as big as Scranton.

I am here, won't report after this until scores. Will attempt to write a review. My only drum corps show until Bucs Homeshow in August. Great night so far, had Saints Brigade and Connecticut Alumni as exhibition. Westchester Brassmen were no shows due to member issues, so we have intermission until 7:50. So bizarre not hearing Fran announce this

Bucs are WAY too high, most spreads are correct, tho I see Windsor being about 7 points away from Fusion, not the 12 listed.

I like the guard uniforms. Reminds me of the guard uniform from 2008 Bush when we put on a Gypsy show.

Doubtful, since the worst thing you can give to Bucs is more rehearsal time.

Not sure how many of you have studied the schedule, but Bucs have practically a month off after Wildwood from competitions, resuming at the Grand Prix. While I hated having so few shows in 2009, it resulted in a pretty decent show and finals outcome. Good luck to all at Wildwood, stinks that I am not going to be able to go or even to the Grand Prix. May end up going to the Bridgeport show.

Bucs - 77.15 Cabs - 72.55 Fusion - 70.85 Windsor - 65.60

I think he looked into the fire and this was his vision. <$1 to Game of Thrones>

I'm still wishing they would go back to the pre-2006 kick-pleats, the kind the alumni wear. I'm not a fan of the permanently open style that they've worn recently, tho I'm sure for costs and ease of ordering, that's why they went to the new style. Just my .02.

I agree completely! $18 for 4 corps is waaaay to much $, considering the travel down there and lodging.

Bucs have also been dropped from the program.

Also, if it was $10, it would be much cheaper than some other corps charge for their tickets. $18 for cramped stands and a lousy view, compared to $10 for a great view and more corps, that would totally be worth it.