Triple Forte

I think Madison did an "awesome" job in 2007........and feel they are not fully back to the caliber (Yet) of what they use to be. I have seen Madison in person for some of the greats (1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999.....). There one of the corps I am most eager (As always) to see next season.....

What I would like to see in 2008 is...... The board of directors and staff present three solid reasons why Bb is better than G horns The board of directors and staff present three solid reasons why amp'ed equipment is better than non-amped The board of directors and staff present three positive advanatages to amped vocals More points for the technical, less for GE and design A DC fan, corps staff and board of directors conference to discuss the status of the activity (During DCI week) A motion to make all amplification illegal (Narration, pit....) A motion to lock in that only brass and percussion instrumentation are allowed A move away from a majority of the corps approaching shows with a symphonic style (Rock, Pop, Jazz, blues, Gosphel, country, asian, spanish.....so many to choose from folks) Seeing the Madison Scouts win with a show titled "Madison; Were Back and Were Loud" with an INTENSE jazzy show..... I am not against change......I just don't see to many great results with some of the more recent changes to DCI.......

I agree as well regarding Crown. I would also put Phantom Regiment higher on the list.

I cringe when I think of Carolina Crown's finals placement (Thought they should have been one higher)

A corps jacket with approx 5 patches and 10 pins Approx 20 T shirts Approx 15 photos Approx 12 CD's Three records One cassette VHS: DCI: 1985, 86, 87 1993, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 ,99, 00, 01, 02, 03 DCA: 1991, 1992, 93, 94, 95, 96, 98, 99, 00, 01 DVD: DCI: 1978, 79, 80 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, Ordered 2007 DCA (Alumni included) : 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, Ordered 2007 Misc. Wayne Downey Dynasty Brass, Cadets tour DVD 2002, 1991 and 1994 All-Star Macy Corps, Cadets 1996 Olympic performance..........on and on......my head is starting to hurt a bit...

So the question I am posing is pretty straight forward. What should the Blue Devils look and sound like from season 51 and beyond? To start things off I think BD needs to come out next season totally different to what they have been doing for a while now. I would love to see them pick 3 (4 max) pieces of music and max them out. I don't know about anyone else but I am pretty tired of them (And others) picking 6 or 8 pieces of music to draw from. All you really get is a measure here and a measure there of a tune. Also, these chromatic chord builds have kind of run its course as well. So, I would like to see big changes in song selection and arranging. Blue Devils presenting BLUES.......that would be cool. And with their hornlines ability to express....I cant even imagine how good it would sound. Discuss........... Sorry for any typos........

Well this is kind of an interesting one. My father and I went over to watch a corps practice all day and a local show. It was a tad strange but we did not plan to stay and watch the show that night. Anyway......getting closer to showtime we got talking to a really nice tenor player in the Garfield Cadets. He was getting ready for the show and we followed him around chatting the whole time. He finally left us and said he had to go to warmup. My father and I stood there puzzled for a moment and realized...."We are inside the gate" So.....with this we decided to stay. And good thing we did because I got to see the 1986 Blue Devils that night......which to this day is my favorite single DCI show of all time... :) PS It was a big night for BD as well.......they broke 90 for the firstime that season

I agree that some people like narration. Its not foreign at all. Something I think pro-narration folks dont understand is that there is a group of fans who don't like amplified narration at all.....not one peep. The minute voice (Or breathing) is heard through a mic/amp......many don't like it. Do more people like narration than not? Not really sure. The last thing I want is for "everyone" to share my likes/dislikes (i.e. opinions)

Narration has been around since 2004 (4 seasons of it). I saw the Cadets at their first 2007 public appearance Memorial Day weekend and did not like their narration. Not one corps (Or marching band for that matter) has presented narration that I have liked. I think it is totally uneccessary and distracting. It just doesn't fit IMO. PS Why are people prasing the Bluecoats so much in regards to their use of narration in 2007? Corps have used narration in a comical way (Crossmen 2006) before so there is nothing new about that. Just curious why so much praise? By the way...I liked the Bluecoats 2007 show.....minus the narration. PSS Bluecoats using narration is a bit two-faced IMO. The Bluecoats gave me a free anti-amp and narration t-shirt back in 2004. Now they have a track record of using narration for a couple of seasons..... <**> I mean you can certainly change you mind about things but going from an organization so strongly against narration to using it? Thats a big leap....

Tom Aungst (Cadets).........Period........

Hi all, I was just in the process of looking at hotels in the Indianapolis area when it occurred to me that I do not have the exact location of the new Lucas Oil Stadium. The Lucas Oil web page says, The stadium is being built on a downtown site bounded on the north by South Street, on the east by Capitol Avenue, on the south by McCarty Street and on the west by Missouri Street. Can anyone out here in the local area confirm the roads (i.e. intersection) the stadium is at? Thanks

Not attacking you but people are WAY to uptight about salaries and what they earn for a living. Someone is always going to be making more or less.....whats the big deal. The only time I think it should be kept private is in the company you work for. If you knew what all your co-workers made...it would probably not be to good.

I agree.....way too many to list. I will list two of my favorites, Tom Aungst (Cadets perc arranger for a zillion seasons). Jim Prime Jr. (Many corps......)

I would say that within 5 years you will see some form of woodwinds being used by DCI corps. So....because of this I am attending as many shows as I can now, before the whole thing goes off the rails. I will not attend a DC show with corps playing woodwinds. Its where I (And I believe a whole host of others) draws the line. Moderation is the key to life. Why can't we maintain the differences between DC and MB ??

I don't think DCI's big show is ever going to leave Indy........

I voted 15 - 24. I don't think they would do as well as a lot of people think. The activities are very different. Especially recruitment and practice schedules. I always wondered how well some of the DCI corps staffs in Div 1 would do if they had a corps with ....... 18 guard 4 pit 4 snare, 5 bass, 3 tenor 14 sops, 7 mellos, 16 baritone, 5 contra

I had to vote for 1986.......its my favorite junior corps show to date....... :)

I disagree with your opinions. Lets start with an easy one. * Note when I say fans I am talking about the majority 1. Would fans enjoy a drum corps show more if it had dynamics from very soft to very loud or would they like a show more if it was all soft? I think it is fair to say that fans like powerful drum corps music 2. Do fans like impacts or musical "hits" or do they prefer no musical hits? I think they like musical hits I can go on and on but it would be more of the same. The point I am trying to make is that drum corps fans have certain interests that they will respond to just about everytime. I think corps staffs are smart enough to know what these types of effects are. Wether its a FFFF note or a super fast drill move or a really high rifle toss. So the real question is......are the fans idiots or are the staffs/arrangers idoits? I will say the staffs and arrangers are more at fault becase as EXPERTS....they should know what elements will generate a crowd reponse. That ofcoarse is if they actually care what the crowd likes/thinks.........

Well let me clerify my position. I don't come away from todays DCI shows and feel that nothing at all connects with me. Some years are definatley better than others. For instance.....for the most 2005 seemed to be a good year and corps seemed to be presenting more crowd-oriented shows. In 2006.....I felt that a lot of corps took a step in the opposite direction....so I was a bit dissappointed. Some items I remember most about what I consider to be my favorite DCI years is the following, * More overall showmanship. (These days how many high-fi's do we see between brass soloists. The DM has little personia. Might as well put a dr. beat up there for most corps. I am not saying that the DM needs to run and jump around...but they do seem quite stiff.) * More crowd reaction/interaction during each song (More of a rock concert feel....which I prefer). At DCI in 2005 I clapped a little during the middle of SCVs' opener and some lady in front of me turned around and motioned shhhh!!! * You never heard...."If I have Two or three more viewings of this show I am going to like it". Shows did not have to grow on you as much. * Corps identitites (On the field) were stronger Kind of hard to pick one corps. I will say 2005 Phantom Regiment. Great music, very musical and arranged in the Phantom style. Crowds all summer connected to this show quite well......especially during finals week.

Have you taken a look at today's DCA corps? Do you know what the average age is of the members? Its pretty young....... One of the main reasons DCA corps don't go in to more complex shows is that it is a weekend only activity. A handful of DCA corps could handle a good deal of the difficulty in a DCI show if they had more time. Actually....quite a few corps played the same exact musical charts as the DCI corps.......

I agree. I saw Crown's brass staff in action back in Allentown pa......great group of folks.

Hi All, Was there ever a formal announcement from DCI explaining the obvious new format of announcing a corps before they are about to perform? At champs this year....corps barely stuck their heads out of the tunnel and Brandt chimed in with Now....from Tempe Arizona...The Academy. I know there was at LEAST one instance where the drum major counted off, the corps played 3 or so counts of music and Brandt was still annoucing them. What gives? What are the ++'s from this new format?

I respectfully disagree with your assessment regarding Legacy Fans (Would like to know the sources you got your numbers from). I know the term Legacy Fan is not really clearly defined. My definition would be, folks who have been following the activity for a number of years( Since 1970's 80's 90's). I have attended the Qrt, Semis and Finals for the past 5 years straight. Most of the folks sitting around me in the Super 3 "premo" seats are usually 26 and older. If most of the folks sitting in the best seats at DCI champs don't follow the activity anymore who is going to fill the seats? The youngins? I see where a lot of the younger folks sit.....and its not in the premo sections. My opinion is that DCI needs to find a way to keep the Legacy fans and keep growing its fanbase. If DCI wants mass appeal.......they are going in the wrong direction with the recent changes they have made and planning to make....IMO. I think appealing just to the marching band crowd is dangerous territory.

I loved the Phantom Regiment this past season. They were one of my favorite corps this summer. I will say what someone said sitting next to me at semi-finals....."No matter what theme they choose....they always make it work" Good job PR....... :)

I agree........