GmenBari78
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Posts posted by GmenBari78
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We do seem to get a lot of crossover between the current and the past, however. I am still worried that this will occur and then I am back to reading multiple forums to catch up on discussions. I think you will have to make some tough calls about where a post belongs when people start posting "greatest corps of all time" polls, and "best version of such-and-such corps ever" discussions. My vote would be to keep all comparison-type discussions in the main forum, and make this forum strictly about history.
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Oops, I posted too fast, I wanted to say a few things about the venue -
Better run and better organized that last year, kudos to the show organizers.
Last year we had the one guy in the ultralight/parasail thingie, this year we had two, buzzing the stands. Mostly affected the small corps - was a significant distraction for me.
Thankfully the rain held off. I was worried with the flooding we had here last weekend that the field would be a soggy mess, but thankfully we had a day to dry out.
Retreat was majors only - I was disappointed, wanted to see PR do an encore. I didn't stick around, did I miss anything?
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Here's a quick few-lines-per-corps review of the show. My first show this year, so based on first impressions, no show history embedded here. In order of appearance:
Scenic City - great start for this small group. You can tell they are giving it there all out there. Looks like they have more work to finish on the drill. I think once they learn the drill fully and get comfortable with it and the music together, they will look and sound nice!
Dimensions - I really liked this small corps from Michigan. They are executing well and have a great show. I hope they grow and do well, we need corps in Michigan!
Capital Regiment - the first div I corps of the night, they put on a nice show that centers around Dvorak's New World Symphony. Lots of cleaning to do in the show, but once done they will be in the running for semi-finalist again.
Madison Scouts - I was all nervous hoping everybody so far was right about the Scouts being back. Guess what, everybody's right! They are back! I was hoping also that they would be moving up in score tonight, but I have no doubt they will soon. (can you tell I'm a Scouts fan?)
Bluecoats - for first night out these folks did an awesome job. They looked very polished for early season, not to say they did not have some ticks, but looking good for early. The show did not have a big impact on me, but it was enjoyable and it was good solid drum corps!
Phantom Regiment - all I can say is WOW. Those horns! I mean, were those really Bb horns? My prejudice just got blown away on that item. Not to take away from PR horn line, they used them to great affect. This is an awesome show, definitely a top 3 or 4 as far as I am concerned.
Glassmen - they continue in the realm of nice, easy listening type of shows, subtle sophistication. Not to my liking however, not in your face enough. They have a lot of cleaning to do, and need to crank the volume up. Enjoyable show, certainly a difficult show to execute, but done well.
Marion Glory Cadets - I had a hard time getting into their show last year, but this year's is more accessible. A great start for this small corps. They had a difficult act to follow, going on after Glassmen, but they did a great job.
Good luck to all these corps, have a great season!
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My first review of a show, probably one of two I will do this year - wish I could go to more, but unfortunately I cannot make a living at it :(
First, a few rants. Either DCI and DCM screwed up and did not update web sites, or the show organizers did a poor job of communicating the venue change. Show was in Harrison, Ohio, not Springboro as shown elsewhere. I was all set to run out the door to Springboro, and fortunately I read RAMD yesterday and saw the change. I guess a lot of
other people did not - the stands probably could hold over a thousand, but they were less than half full, with lots of corps members filling the stands after their shows were over. Good for them, but not so good for revenues for the sponsors. I wonder how many showed up in Springboro and got ticked about this. Second, the stadium was facing the sun, a hot, bright, sultry night - not a very good corps venue for the crowd.
We also had a distraction from a local yokel flying around in an ultralight (one of those parasail/big fan deals).
He kept flying over during shows and it was annoying/distracting. Reminded me of the Melissa plane...
Final rant - I've not been to a show in June since I marched (1978), because I usually have not had a chance, only in July or August do I get a break from my schedule. Turns out the opposite was true for me this year. So I had forgotten how dirty most performances are early in the season. So unfortunately I left feeling disappointed by the performance. I tried really hard to like all of the shows but I was too focused on the dirt. But afterward I find I am glad I went - I got a chance to see some drum corps. What else could I ask for? I guess I'm hooked!
Anyway, on to the show....
The announcer was the local junior high band director, and he did a fairly decent job, but seemed more intent on reading the script than interacting with what was going on for the crowd. This was most noticable when he was reading Madison's script and got interrupted right in the middle by the Scouts warmup. He kept reading while they were doing the company front, but had to obviously stop when they faced the crowd and hit the punch chords. It was kind a funny... The other gaff was he held the mic up to a boom box for the national anthem, and the speakers kept cutting out, so we got bits and pieces of it, like really loud at times, and then distant down on the field you could softly hear it when the speakers went out. It was comical.
Here's the corps, in order of appearance:
Scenic City, Chatanooga, TN, score 41.0
This is the first time I've seen this fairly new, small corps. They started us off and did a decent job of their show based on music from the group Chicago. Made me nostalgic for older corps. A particular part in the middle
sounded just like Blue Stars from 75. They had a good, wide open drill and I really enjoyed them, and I can see they try hard. I hope they keep growing and getting better!
Glory Cadets, Marion, OH, score 38.35
I don't know who is picking the music/show concept here (composer is Hindemith), but they have got to be not in touch or something. This show did nothing for me, and I think it was not because of the music per se but because this corps is just too small and inexperienced to be trying to sell this complex and deep of a program. Execution wise I thought they were a few points ahead of Scenic City, but the GE and Visual pieces were lacking. Looking at the recaps, the judges thought they were down in execution, so perhaps they saw more that I did not (don't ask me, I was too hot still to be attentive - why would you ever have a stadium face the sun? - sorry, still on this rant.)
Capital Regiment, Columbus, OH, score 54.25
This fairly new, mid-sized corps (my first time seeing them) is doing extremely well for only being out of the gate a few years. Over 40 horns, comparable sized guard and drumline, and a very audience-accessible show based on music about climbing Mount Everest. I enjoyed the music, enjoyed the visual presentation. I don't know their history, but if they grow from here their may be a new Ohio division I corps in a year or two!
Madison Scouts, Madison, WI, score 65.15 (NOT 61.15 as DCI website is reporting!!!!)
Madison was the main reason I came to this show. I was hoping to see and hear some power. Perhaps it was an off night for them, but I did not get what I wanted. Maybe it goes back to my original rant about June being dirty. All of the corps, Madison included, seemed to lose steam by the end of their shows (maybe the heat? not been this hot yet for all of them? I'm not sure). Madison did give some decent chord punches at points, but when I most expected them (end of opener, end of show), they were not as powerful as other points. Overall, I think they have the show to take them into to finals - but the key is going to be if they can clean it up. I am worried about the competition for them this year, and I agree with other assessments that the bottom of the top 12 this year is going to be a major fight. I have been a Madison fan since 75, and I would hate to see them out of finals for the first time since then. I believe they can do it, but at the same time, I worry. Anyway, their show concept and design is better than last years, so that plus cleaning and consistency in performance from show to show should be good enough to get there. Fingers are crossed!
Colts, Dubuque, Iowa, score 63.95
I really like the Colts this year - the show concept and music was enjoyable, and I thought their visual and guard performances were better than Madison's. With only a point and a half behind Madison, they are in reach of passing them. They need to improve volume and keep cleaning.
Glassmen, Toledo, OH, score 70.5
I found myself liking Glassmen this year, for the first time in a few years. I'm not sure what has changed, because its the same esoteric stuff they have gotten into. Perhaps this old pharte has caught up to the times, I don't know... Anyway, I enjoyed the show, not as much as I enjoyed Madison, but still enjoyed it. Drums, guard, and visual program are their strong points. They had a major train wreck in the contra line, three piled up on top of each other... I'm sure they came off with some dented horns from that one. I saw another mid horn do a misstep later on and almost fall but recovered from it.
Southwind, Lexington, KY, score 55.7
Unfortunate show order put them after Glassmen, but Southwind did a good job of entertaining me. I like the first half of their show, but did not care for the closing number as much. They seemed to be aiming for recognizable tunes to start (Bach's Fugue and Tchaikovsky's Marche Slav), and then went into less recognizable, less accessible things to end. I think they have stepped up from last year, and I hope they at least hold position or move up again this year. Execution was not bad but still needs lots of cleaning. They seemed to lose steam at the end.
It took a long time for them to get the tabulation done, what was up with that? The corps were on the field after a full olympic style pass which takes some time, and they still were waiting for at least 5 minutes.
Overall, an enjoyable show (for June! jeez! clean, clean, clean!). I look forward to the Fairfield show in July.
Jim Forsythe
Baritone in Guardsmen 1978
Fan since 1975
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Wow, somthing I know!
Piston is the same as first valve, rotor is same as second valve. And of course, no third valve. If you know your fingerings for first and second valve from playing a three valve horn, you know the rest!
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[snip]
Tim Salzman - all the way. Best overall music teacher I have ever seen in Drum Corps. If you think about what he did in his stints with Cavies and SCV and think about the fact that it was pretty much part time work...
AMAZING!
I just remembered another fact about Tim - he used to talk to us about Sandra Opey and Argonne as an example of a great instructor and great hornline. Another example of greatness following in the same footsteps...
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OK, I goofed and answered this question in the percussion forum, when I was talking brass, but I thought perhaps I should get this going over here in the brass forum also.
So the question is, who had the most influence on you as a brass player?
Here is what I wrote in the thread in the percussion forum:
In my limited experience (one year in the late 70s), it was our brass instructor/arranger - Tim Salzman. Also the arranger of Greensleeves and our other brass instructor, Scott Wagner. These two guys were dedicated, hard working, and focused. They helped us to grow into a focused unit. Tim's pre-show "meditation sessions" with the horn line helped all of us to keep focus and get out on the field with our best. Tim went on to SCV and Cavaliers, and helped them to become championship horn lines in the 80s and 90s. I feel privileged to have been a part of his early years.
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In my limited experience (one year in the late 70s), it was our brass instructor/arranger - Tim Salzman. Also the arranger of Greensleeves and our other brass instructor, Scott Wagner. These two guys were dedicated, hard working, and focused. They helped us to grow into a focused unit. Tim's pre-show "meditation sessions" with the horn line helped all of us to keep focus and get out on the field with our best. Tim went on to SCV and Cavaliers, and helped them to become championship horn lines in the 80s and 90s. I feel privileged to have been a part of his early years.
Edit: sorry about posting this on the percussion forum! I realized after posting that I'm off topic!
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auditions? ..... ;)^ .....
Yeah, what's that? Auditions? Can someone define please? ;)^
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I was a clarinet and sax player in elementary thru high school, then switched to baritone when I joined corps (Guardsmen). I agree with others, made a mistake when I first chose woodwinds! Wish I had been a brass player.
Jim Forsythe
GmenBari78
Guardsmen baritone 1978
I Say... The Greatest Closer Ever Is...
in Historical Junior Corps Discussions
Posted
Greensleeves, Guardsmen, 1978 plus some following years