KissMyBrass

plus next year is 75th anniversary!

supersaderfan I thank you for that honest and OMG story of BAC history. thank you. My son and I are probably going to be with the Crusaders for all five years. I love all of the corps, but Boston is the one that's brave enough to say something about their own DCI and entire situation. They are truly Giants.

no it surely didn't. it seems the mid-season change in scoring on GE is really flawed. Most of the time such changes are considered over time. This seems to have been a unilateral, quick, deliberate attempt from the DCI admin to put way too much emphasis on entertainment value instead of education and art. If it's only for entertainment, then it's lowest common denominator, which demands a fairly dumb show with lots of references to nationalism, American songs, flags, God, Simple drills that make people go Woo, and stuff that looks cool but is not particularly difficult, and plenty of feel-good salary-raiser music, as they are called by many ensemble directors. If DCI wants to appeal the mass audience, then they will have to abandon any innovation at all. The mass audience is your average person in Walmart. or Big Lots. I mean, really, the best way to appeal to the mass audience is to really push the drum line battles. Do it at halftime during major football games. Be innovative in marketing, not changing this critical educational tool, unique in the world. It doesn't help to change what they're asking of the corps. That is not marketing. That is misguided management at the very top of DCI.

It's more than merely interesting that no one had seen the Animal Farm and the worker analogies for what they are: DCI itself. The members on the line, of any DCI --what some on these forums call "kids" -- are the workers, disguised within the book's symbols and motifs. In regard to DCI, BAC is doing more than just the G7 in this show. Like from start to end. Just start at the beginning and try it on that way. --- I'm at Indy. Saw vandy and Atlanta shows, plus everything on TFN... and here in the Oil Can, BAC clearly, and in one big improvement, marched their best show so far all season, even if a couple of things didn't go right, so it will be better better better in semis and finals.

It's more than merely interesting that no one had seen the Animal Farm and the worker analogies for what they are: DCI itself. The members on the line, of any DCI --what some on these forums call "kids" -- are the workers, disguised within the book's symbols and motifs. In regard to DCI, BAC is doing more than just the G7 in this show. Like from start to end. Just start at the beginning and try it on that way.

boston at 87.x the last 5 shows. what happened to the 0.5 per show increase, Ghost asks. me thinks: doesn't look like it's making sense for the judges. they have reached, scratch that, revealed their intellectual limit. the judges have plateaued, not the BAC.

George Dixon's sig block says Amplification in drum corps is like trampolines in the high jump. but after the talk about Crown's Trampolines, i thought it might become Trampolines in drum corps is like amplification in the high jump.

true true. true spatial music, impeccably timed. too bad we can't get actual surround sound. the flanking mics are too close to the pit and i don't think the audio people have considered having a distant pair of shotguns using Blumlein shuffling to achieve stereo from a further perspective, in order to balance some of the pit. overall the video/audio people and live switchers are doing a very good job, considering all points. but surround *is* the experience missing here. their employers are letting them down by not hiring competent streaming services (or not spending enough money to get it). it ain't rocket surgery.

i thought of Francis McBeth when i heard BC tonight. the pyramid voicing. he was one of my teachers and i never forgot the first demo he did with a clinic band. the corps is really hungry and they're not from the city of Charles Ives for nothing. this show has stuff Zappa would envy, Ives would embrace, Mahler would dig, and Hollywood could use. no wonder so many people don't get the show.

i've got ridiculous pipe here and it was freezing up on multicam HD. that's a server issue. SD was only thing reliable until they got HD2 up.

it w as was waswas kin d of ba d

boxingfred, you rock. made my night.

i was SO HAPPY to see this show live (uh, via FN) and really see how much BAC has moved in the past 9 days or so. they have started to have the top 10 execution i was somewhat worried about until now. it's such a difficult and different show, some people will NEVER like this show simply because they want a flag-draped, heart-throbbing, "enjoyable" show. but BAC has made a huge step forward (in design, raising the bar) and is now getting the execution together. i'm a rookie dad; my son is so pumped about the entire experience, and of course, just one corps' member's benefit is much more valuable than all the forum member's opinions. that is, any corps member, not only my son... they will keep pushing, for sure, and they have plenty to work on. they broke 80 and seem to have a very firm 9th place tonight, except for one guard judge who is being discussed readily on the San Antonio thread...

general theory with success is do something similar, so they tried. i'd heard pieces of the show way back in, uh, January, and it seemed to be a great idea. space. Amin Bhatia music. but the whole thing together was not as scintillating as 2013. super impressive execution in the music, but the GE is not anything like the phil glass adaptation...

quantifying this astonishing work by these 2000 corps members is a frightening undertaking. not surprising there's discrepancies, just as long as it doesn't wind up a Bush-Gore finish.

lol. actual. yeah, tomorrow morning, i'll let people know i slept like a baby. woke up every 2 hours, crying.

stunning. crown at 5th. but the snare line was mentioned a few times, and brass too. it was not their strongest performance. needed a pinch of cayenne, or lime zest. i.e, zing.

nah. this was the Kickoff Night, not preseason. all i can say is when i saw that video, it struck me odd that the narrator didn't have good talking points, like the music themes, the incredible opportunity he had, etc. it was a bit too proud, just not the right spin. i will defend your right to disagree with me and post your replies. how's that? John Locke in 2014, omg. look, i'm unworthy to be here. i'm just a dad of a rookie in BAC. that's it. my parents didn't live to see their grandson do this stuff, so i carry their support and interest in my heart... and i'm just voicing a few opinions to see what echoes back. i've done VO for decades, and when you're at the front of the stage, you talk about everyone behind you, not yourself.... to his credit, the cadet VO guy has done a very steady job and has gotten better the entire season. as a last note: i'd rather have 'bones than ever have a pre-recorded voice, or a live announcer... voices just take the abstract aspect out of the music completely....

go find the video and watch it. graciousness involves acknowledging the OTHERS in your group. he talked about himself.

i'm actually outside your house right now. but really, chaddy, i think you must have altruistic devotion to playing live music, yes? that's why we're all here? we love seeing these corps doing what they do, with hundreds of thousands of person-hours in practice. or maybe we're here for our children in the corps. if you'd really like to defend using a MIDI soundtrack on a promotional advertisement for playing live instruments, that's ok. that doesn't change that i do know what i'm talking of, and doesn't change that you think i'm a jerk, because i am. to you.

11620 is awesome. i guess about 4000 were always in the bathroom or the food lines.

the video of him at the kickoff of the season had him giving himself props for what he was doing for the corps. immediate turnoff. someone should have coached him. they interviewed the narrator instead of a musician!

anyone estimate how many are in the Dome tonight? looks kinda spotty in attendance for such a big city... i dunno, just asking.

yeah. i really like that show much more than cadets (which has excellent execution)...

we actually agreed that the idea is brilliant.