Spin Cycle

Take a wild guess :) When they added that ending and reversed both the music and drill I FREAKED OUT

Thanks for the input, everyone. I think it was 2010 or 2011 that I went to Big Loud and Live with an old high school buddy and specifically said "wow either the mics are great or these kids are CRUSHING the low end" and the buddy (who has been following closely all along) told me about the new trend with the "goo". I was very disappointed.

Is there an official (or unofficial) term for when a corps has a synth player, and for all of the long whole notes then just lay on the lowest tonic they have on the keys to "artificially boost" the low end? I noticed this A LOT in the past 2-3 years, after spending a few years not following DCI as closely. I'm not calling out individual corps, just wondering if there is a term for this and whether it's typical for all corps. It stood out so much to me in one show (can't remember which) because I naively thought "oh wow those tubas sound great!" only to see that none of them were even playing!

It was different with The Cavaliers though ... I don't think very many fans deny the genius designs of Michael Gaines, so I think people were enjoying seeing such complicated shows really push the limits of marching/drill. The biggest difference with BD is like others have said ... the shows just don't connect with the audience. The kids execute very well but it's a lot of dissonance and running around with props.

lol, typical DCP apologists ... my OP was about THIS YEAR first and foremost. I was reacting to this awful show, and saying they were NOT the same corps they've been for the last 15 years. Sure enough, they had their worst finish in 19 years. Naturally, everyone comes out of the woodwork and says "YEAH BUT NEXT YEAR" The burden of proof is on you guys now. The Cavs lost key people and had a TERRIBLE (by their standards) finish. Why think it will be different next year? You can HOPE that it will (as I definitely do, since I love the Cavs), but I don't see how people can be that optimistic right now. The show clearly needs to change it's approach and identity since they aren't getting Fiedler or Gaines back.

Time to eat crow, several DCPers. 8th place with 88.850 makes this the Cavaliers' worst finish since 1983, when they were 9th place with 88.550. For a corps that had five 1st place finishes last decade, and was 2nd just two years ago, this is CLEARLY a problem. They lost Fiedler 3ish years ago and Gaines this year, and (FOR NOW) the replacements are not working. From here, do they search for a new identity, or keep trying to emulate their success in the 00s? How do you rebound from something like this??

I'm putting this right up front: I'm biased against BD in general Tonight's show (this year's show in general I mean) sort of felt like a big middle finger from the director aimed at the judges/audience. It came across as very haughty ... like "we'll do whatever we want but make sure to meet your checklist and win". I just can't understand how this show is doing so well. "It's supposed to be weird and different" is an excuse. If a corps had a show called "SIMPLE gifts" and literally played a 10-minute vamp of Simple Gifts with a very normal marching block, would people say "oh, it's SUPPOSED to be simple, it takes us back to the core of the activity"? NO, they'd say "it's boring, unchallenging, and has no effect on the audience". The thing is, I think those things about BD this year. The kids are doing great, doing everything asked of them. The problem for me (and many others, apparently) is that they are being asked to hop, roll, lunge, and jump instead of march. They play one note in a repeated "cut up" riff and then put their instruments down and dance. The gimmick of gradually "putting on" their uniforms was INSANE to me ... they literally rolled out clothing racks and got dressed lazily during the show! I "get" the whole concept, but why does that concept take such high weight? Isn't that rewarding the designers instead of the performers??

So, who's ready to eat crow? I know there's a week left, but the Cavs are currently in 7th place with an 86.5 The Cavs got 8th place in 1984. Since then they have only been out of the Top 5 ONCE, with a 7th place finish (92.8) in 1997. I'm not claiming I knew "for a fact" that this would happen, but all of the people saying "it's only June blah blah blah" clearly did not see the negative developments/changes that happens with the Cavs this year. ... or, do some people out there honestly think they will jump 8-10 points starting tonight in Allentown? lol

Everyone's pointing out my remarks about BD and Cadets being sloppy marchers. That's cool if you disagree, but saying "you lost all credibility" is hilarious. Almost as hilarious as pointing to judges' scores to say they're good marchers. I can specifically remember BD's Godfather show being the sloppiest "top corps" show I had seen in a LONG time. I don't care what 2 or 3 field judges said, it was just not good. They have great players, but haven't figured out how to play while marching IMO. My complaints about the Cadets might be design-related, but their transitions seem to be all over the place, and the only time I see their shapes look good is when they inevitably do 2-3 company fronts each year. Anyway, sorry if my opinions grate you guys, but there's no need to get crazy about it.

Hey everyone, I am the OP. First off, a mod changed the title, not me. Anyway though, my meaning is that the Cavies seem to be on the decline and leaving the "glory years" IN MY OPINION. The last 10 years, the Cavs have wowed with their innovation and originality. Even when they didn't win, they were always doing interesting things and pushing levels of athleticism in the competition. Where is that this year? This show could be copy-pasted to any other corps and be exactly the same. My personal taste is very much against corps like the Blue Devils and Cadets ... sloppy marchers who "park and bark", over-reliance on concepts (Cadets 2011, BD 2010 for example), electronic crap, etc. When BD brought out those #### white poles so much last year I almost screamed. THIS is why I'm upset with the Cavs. They seemed mostly resistant to the pro-electronic, pro-concept movements in the sport. During XtraordinarY, I hated the pre-taped playing and Jungle Boy intro ... but luckily most of the other stuff was typical Cavs attitude even if it was a bit over-the-top. I was hoping this year would go back to 2010 levels ... but instead, they kept what I hated and removed what I loved. I know Gaines was never going to write for the Cavies forever, but it seems sad to already see such a drastic shift in style from them. Finally, as many have said, the problem isn't that the kids are bad this year ... the design is just befuddling. I love DCI, love the Cavs, love every kid who puts their whole summer into entertaining us. I just can't foresee the Cavies being the "wow" corp with this type of attitude, which saddens me because Crown/BD/Cadets stuff that makes the casual fan clap a few times will be all the more in the spotlight. Back about 10 years ago we used to call that style "WGI shows" ... and it seems like everyone keeps going that way, even (sadly) the Cavs this year.

I will admit that some beers are fueling my sensationalism right now, also I'm a non-frequent poster here so I don't know the atmosphere/posting style. BUT It seems like the most common counter to my feelings is "wait and see". That's fine, but again, there is (so far) no hint that this is CLOSE to the Cavies we've come to know. As the announcer said ... "much more literal and less geometric than we're used to". I miss one triangle becoming two as the first triangle marches backwards while the second one crabwalks sideways. This show felt like "DCI 101" in a bad way. Like I said before ... you'd think there was an assistant somewhere who learned from Fielder and Gaines and knew what Cavs fans expected/like/wanted. Instead, them and SCV have switched ... SCV are doing dissonant shows with original music and challenging drill, while the Cavs are without an identity and playing a beefed-up high school book. I VERY MUCH HOPE that I am eating crow in August, and you can all hold me to it.

Did you watch the show from Saturday? This is clearly a VERY different corps, and the show just screams "how do I fill these shoes" via all the new staff. I certainly hope they do well and will always cheer them on, but this was the biggest shock I've had since the first year of amplification. EDIT: Not trolling, I promise. You can merge this thread with the Cavaliers 2012 thread if you want. Just voicing my (extremely disappointed) thoughts. For 15 years the Cavs (in my mid) pushed the art of drum corps to new and exciting places. Last year, with the extended recordings and re-hashes of old moves (notably the "jump over other guys" move at the end) I got a little worried ... and now I'm just dumbfounded.

PR is gonna take it this year, calling it now. They have to add that last piece of music + some visual flourishes (maybe add some technicality to the drill in a few spots) but WOW ... they looked to be in August form already!!

Sorry to be sensationalist, but WOW ... what in the world did the new staff do to this corps? Even the corporate-friendly hosts of DCI At The Movies were baffled by their show. I know it was "incomplete", but there was nothing I saw that had ANYTHING to do with the Cavies of the past 15 years. I know that all the geniuses of the early 2000s Cavies are with SCV right now (and I hope their show is good), but how could they not find people halfway decent to replace them? YIKES. I'm a big DCI fan and am not trying to insult anyone here, but I just can't believe the product I saw put on the field tonight. I had to come home and watch Frameworks, Spin Cycle, and 007 to cleanse my palate.

I'll give you a hint .... the Cavs marched it in 2003, and it's my screen name