palmettomello

Cadets announce 2018 Brass Staff https://yea.org/news/1818-meet-the-2018-brass-staff

University of South Carolina's "Mighty Sound of the Southeast" surprised me Saturday. College marching bands usually make me cringe. Saw this live this past weekend and it was pretty good, which was a lot better than our football team's performance. Arranger JD Shaw supplied some very accessible music from ZZ Top to Rihanna to Queen for a show themed for around "the history of automobile racing." Toe lead marching was something else too.

<This is purely a guess, I have no inside info> I would not be surprised if Crown adds something big visually come prelims. I felt like by the last week of 2015 and 2016, the show's became a little stale that prevented them from surging in GE. Like the huge banners in 2015 that kind of lost their sparkle after a while. I could see them adding a new tarp or make something of those percussion islands. Could be wrong and they are just polishing. I saw the Massillon show and more of the guard work popped for the weapon line. Idk if it was new or just more clean, too lazy to go back and look.

Phantom Regiment 2010 was so refreshing. Saw it throughout the season marching another corps and it definetly clicked, musically, when they made it to LOS. Just watched it again for the first time in a while and remembered how much I love this show. Definetly made an emotional connection viewing in person. They got a lot of flack for the show not falling in the 'classical repertoire' from alumni. Also believe that it's the last year PR included males in their color guard. The program was so simple but so brillant, kudos 2010 PR.

I, personally, feel that one of the reasons that the guard isn't scoring as high as some other units is that their weapons do not have as many large ensemble tosses/moments that are really exposed. A lot of the 6's and 7's are rippled, like in the opener. They really need more WOW moments. The ballad lacking equipment entirely doesn't really help either. I remember the 2016 show during Hallelujah there were some huge tosses that were really exposed and integrated in the kneeling brass form. That opener during Madea paired with the closing reprise having the entire guard on the rifle feature was also quite impressive. I understand it's the caption head's first year with the program but it is unfortunate that the rest of the corps is scoring so well on the sheets. Like others, the green uniforms blending into the field doesn't help highlight the section and work either. Other things aren't always reading that well from far away, like work using pieces of the broken rifles. It isn't always about if there were drops, but the content of the work and difficultly in executing it within the ensemble. Really hope in the years to come that Sacktig and the guard staff work together more with the staging of the guard as well.

Hoping a kind person out there will periscope Crown tonight. Really wanting to know what they have up their sleeves.

So I've watched the show online a few times and not sure if this has been brought up in the past pages. It seems that side 1 gets more raised and scattered sidelines than side 2. I think the drill kind of alludes to side 1 being the more 'deconstructionist' theme, i.e. the straight company front that turns into the wave form on side 1 a few times. And then they finish the show with more percussion 'islands' on side 1 with the drill centered on side 2 during the fugue reprise. Has anyone else commented on this or heard the viewpoint from the drill/design team? Sorry if I'm stating the obvious.

I am an east coast-er that hasn't seen the cadet's production this year. Also a grad school student that's too poor to buy the streaming and shows won't be near me until towards the end of July. Wouldn't mind if someone just might happen to inbox me a present that would make my day. Really want to see what they've fielded this year. I've seen nearly everyone else via periscope, youtube, social media, etc. Cadets have been a tough cookie to find for me!

Is the fugue going to be pushed into a pre-show to fit the rest of the closer in the allotted time? Will there be more "deconstruction" to the field in that break near the very end where the percussion islands come out? I could see them moving the yard lines.

I could honestly see them trying to move the entire field lines over to try and change the intervals between some. Use something like the tarps cadets had for the field numbers. Or change the field a little more than when coats "tilted" it with a tarp. Just a guess.

What is it titled? I couldn't find it.

I thought everyone debuts their final product in June..... </sarcasm> What I was alluding to is that almost everyone else tonight had shows that saturate the field with their key concepts/ideas. Religious references, a huge jagged runway, space props, love, etc. Crown's concept will take infinitely more work to covey on the field as they polish their show and add in layers. Their show is smart and will take some time to sink in like 2013 and many of BD's recent productions. I know this isn't all that GE takes into accounts but I just hope this caption doesn't hold their score back as August rolls around.

I think it's going to be interesting to follow Crown's GE score for the rest of the season as their show develops more.

Interesting, if you search Lucas Oil Stadium on snapchat stories you can see their props on the field and a small clip of their ballad.

Who was rehearsing in LOS today before the show?

Glad to see that Stars are using "Kissing You" from the movie Romeo + Juliet as the opener. I've always thought that was a great song and would translate well to the field. Needs more ooompfh. The intro to the ballad with the type writer is a piece from the move 'Atonement' called Birony's Note. Love the original. Guess it's referencing typing a love letter? That voice intro to the closer featuring the opnening lines of "Lady Marmalade" made me cringe. Felt really forced. Could use a better quote from the movie. Very accessible theme and show music for Blue Stars this year!

Watching on a newer Samsung Smart TV by using the Samsung Streaming App on my phone. Took a little while to figure it out but the quality is great! I haven't looked at the packages offered by flomarching but is there an opportunity to buy single events? Too lazy to search for it myself, thanks!

Any rotating prisms this year?

Cesario's description of the visual program in this week's Field Pass is quite interesting. Looking forward to something fresh, visually, from Crown.

Nice arrangement of Scythian Suite. Phantom 06 will always have a place in my heart though!

Would love to get a ST review for SOA. Has anyone been out there to take a look at the corps? Definitely a new and more modern show design for baby blue.

The corps' social media admins periscoped a different sectional each week last year in ST, really wishing they were doing that this year. But seeing how tight lipped its been, assuming that's not going to happen. Guessing we won't get a real look from them and a full show title/explanation until their preview show. They turned out a solid crowd last year at Nation Ford HS. Any details about when and where the preview show will be this season?

So I'm assuming that we don't actually know the program title? With the two posts "It is eccentric...." and "It is dynamic...." I think the larger concept is still be revealed?

What will last year's top 12 look like this year? Just wanted to imagine how this year's upper echelon will look. This is pure speculation sprinkled with what I've personally seen.... Coats- Full Costume again, no headgear Blue Devils- Retain the more traditional uniform? Crown- Mix of costume/ structured uniform jacket continued from the last few years and headgear SCV- no idea, I think transitioning more to costume-esque from the rumor mill? Cavies- Traditional uni layered with a unique undershirt again Cadets- radical departure form West Point uni. Skirts, headgear, who knows!?! BK- The lighter unis are a few years old now, right? Could see them moving over to complete wgi-style costume a la coats last year. Phantom- mix of uni/costume. Their social media was teasing whether or not there will be helmets. Stars- New unis last year, keep those with new fabric/patterned designs. Xmen- No idea, could see going either way. Academy- Already revealed. Crusaders- Would prefer to see them keep an iconic crusader's uniform. New staff would maybe want to push the envelope? I completed their questionnaire this past off season and was really intrigued. Definitely a corps I am excited to see revealed. Lower corps: SOA uni leaked, full costume. Scouts- radical departure? Colts uni's remind me very much of Round Rock in TX, a step up from previous years. A few things I'm really interested in watching unfold: Top 12 vs lower corps, ratio of complete costume to traditional uni. How many corps will have the MM's do a uniform change during the show? How far the change in modern uniform design will trickle down to BOA and other HS band programs? If I were to walk through the lot of an early show without stalking this thread and forum, who would I easily be able to identify and who would give me a double take? Thoughts: I marched 6 years ago and loved putting on the full uniform and shako. That year, Crown and Scouts debuted short sleeves and I was shocked because not much else was out there in uniform design. Personally, I am not a huge fan of this wgi-based trend for DCI. I like to be able to identify corps based upon their history and not necessarily what they are putting on the field that season. Following the activity since 2006, this is the first "progressive" DCI trend I have not been really enthused about. I understand the financial, movement, and GE reasons behind it but I have always appreciated a division between the winter and summer programs. The activity overall is about kids having the opportunity to do something amazing and putting on an entertaining 11 minute production. Therefore, I will not bash a corps based on what they wear this season (even if it is a skirt on the corps proper!). Man, this post made me feel like an old timer complaining about switching from bugles, adding electronics, and voice! Just another perspective from someone that aged-out not that long ago.

Too much to hope for a full show announcement today? They wouldn't hand that recording over without the reveal right around the corner, right?