brichtimp

So, I just downloaded from iTunes the Scouts Honor documentary. Wow! The first minute of this movie provides more of the essence of DCI performance than the entire Clash of the Corps 'reality' show. If anyone here has not checked out Scouts Honor, I highly recommend it....sound quality, visuals and the narrative showcase the Madison Scouts and the DCI activity in a bright positive light!

Peaky Blinders is awesome sauce.

Six episodes, and we still don't hear the actual Cadets ensemble, even at Annapolis, although we do hear a few seconds of Blue Devils. A casual viewer would think the Cadets sound like canned bravo sierra....it's a fail for me.

Just watched episode 5....very disappointed at this point. In my view, too much time spent on sickness and injury, too much canned sound, too little focus on the BD and Cadets brass and percussion sections in terms of how they develop their performance levels...after all, they are the engines that make the corps run. Too many insipid comments by Hopkins and his CG lady. I think this series could be so much more compelling without diving into the weeds of too much inside stuff. Only 3 episodes left, and a viewer, not into DCI, still would not have a feel for how awesome these groups sound......a real missed opportunity so far, IMHO.

That's one of the greatest brass recordings ever made, and those monsters basically came into town, took their horns out, recorded in one or two takes and then reportedly went out for drinks.

Yes, that is correct. My son was a snare tech for C2, and I don't think a corps or section could bond any stronger than those kids did that last weekend!

Not knowing Rich, what were the core strengths he brought to the C2 party to get those performance improvements? It seems clear that the tech staff was highly effective in coaching brass, guard and percussion, and the kids really bought into it over the final few weekends.

C2 drill demand was relentless!

Who wrote the C2 drill this year? I do think that the last section, especially, works better than the end of Awakening worked.

Having had the opportunity, especially in 2014, to observe, during rehearsals, the teaching substance delivered by McNutt and reinforced by Gall, I was highly impressed with what the kids were given from a musical perspective.....excellent communication skills, and didn't Colin write the battery book these past several years? The Cadets percussion has been a veritable beast for years on end.

Note that the 84 Cadets did not hold the last chord for 20 seconds to maximize the final impact...what a concept :-)

Hope the situation can get resolved with mnimum damage to the kids who deserve the best. 2014 (my son's Rook-out season) was a tremendous experience for him and us; but now looks more and more like the final season of "old school" Cadets: the maroon unis; the podium placement; the electric nights in Indy......sigh....

I'm ok with tasty synth and electronics, but I'm not a fan of the idea that a corps can win high brass and percussion and finish 4th unless their visual execution is pretty mediocre....this may speak to an overemphasis on GE in the sheets.

Yes....some transitions still need improvement to make this show cohesive, but the quality of playing is jaw dropping; and the potential is there for Cadets to finish with a rush in Indy.

Ironically, that show with all the cheese added was, except for one night, the silver medal corps of that tour.

Usually, Rubato shows up in ballads where the battery is silent and front ensemble mallets are performing more akin to a concert section. Seems to me that the challenge for DCI percussion writing is to construct a balanced book that can check the technical achievement boxes while fitting with the brass arrangements. When Colin McNutt teaches his guys to perform as world class athletes below the waist and as world class musicians above the waist, I don't read that as max chops 'because we can.' Of course, acoustically poor arenas defeat (to an extent) the ability of anyone to discern and enjoy the technically subtle super chops on display at the sharp end of the DCI percussion spear.

It looked like the field percussion judge almost got hurt last night...and several close calls too.

I just viewed Dekalb on Periscope. The last minutes of the Mackey are an aural assault of FFF dynamics. I would like to see a more effective build to the close.....maybe less frenetic. The brass and percussion talent is formidable for sure.

One thing I noticed this weekend, viewing the Cadets and C2 via Periscope, I really like C2 wearing the traditional Cadets uniform plus the blue plumes (and blue snares).....colors really pop.

I love how the muscle memory has really locked in.......drum line zen!

How about: DCI=Marching Band on steroids

Whether we call it scatter or chaos, a little of that goes a long way for this fan....ymmv.

Following the epic Sanford winning 2013 percussion, the current Cadets percussion continues to evolve....great writing by McNutt and Moyer; the battery seems to have improved from 2014-2016; pit last year was killer, so a lot to live up to there......blown away by the creativity on display so far.

Great drum corps...no lack of musical chops and the potential to blow down the stadium walls this summer.....but......my first look at this show, and I see maybe an overload of scatter drill; quickly gets old for me.

Agreed on the cheese, and I think the Simple Gifts staging at the end made it impossible for the brass and percussion to maximize impact...some kids playing from different zip codes on that field; especially compared to Cadets' 1987 staging of that same piece with the entire corps within 15 yards of the front sideline. This actually increased the 2014 show's demand, I think. Going back now and viewing both 2014 and 2015 BD via the BluRay high cam videos, I am blown away with their integration of design and superb execution. Their soloists sound like first call studio cats.