OrlandoContraAlum

I will take a swipe at this as a non-percussionist... In some ways, it's like porn... you know it when you see (hear) it! :) Seriously, wayyy back in high school we would do singing runthroughs and everyone would sing the drum breaks and fills. If it's cool, you kinda learn to sing it. There have been some really good suggestions already made. I would add/amplify the following: Does the percussion book (not just the battery, but the Front Ensemble as well) add to the music, or does it feel "tacked on", perhaps playing notes for the sake of notes? I enjoy a good funky beat, syncopation with the hornline, stuff like that Clean, crisp bass drum runs and upper bass rolls. To me, this is the easiest thing to look for. Does the bass drum line sound like one dude on a huge set, or does it sound like sneakers in a dryer? Are unison hits truly unison? Clean snare rolls will always impress me more than a ton of ratamacue-flamadiddles-gockSPOCk stuff. That may just be me though... As far as some examples of really tasty drum stuff: All of Cadets 1987. I can't think of a more musically ingrained book than that one. I was walking back to the showers after rehearsal one day in August 87 and got the treat of watching the Cadets drumline doing a full marching runthrough. I could tell exactly what the music was for each section because the battery book was that well written. Specifically check out these time-stamps (if you have Fan Network): 3:12 - 3:23 - good stuff with a great unison hit at the end 4:30-4:50 - good example of nice front to back writing with quieter, nuanced stuff 7:38-7:50 - some incredible bass drum runs here 9:58 - The roll from the snares at the midpoint of the musical phrase is awesome Other great Cadets examples include all of their drum features from the early 00s (specifically 2000 and 2002), and the drumline work in Malaguena in 2003. Check out the transition into Dancer in the Dark in 2005 (5:20). They didn't due the normal gig of the drumline being tacet during the ballad, and instead, starting at about 6:47 they start jamming, in contrast to the ballad stuff in the horns. One of my favorite percussion moments ever. Finally, listed to the open rolls during their show last year, it's the at the really loud climax of the show, and Jeff Prosperie went nuts for them at Finals. Other examples: 2003 BD and SCV - Different styles, but really, really tasty material. 2004 BD probably were the best usage of amps in the first year, by using a bunch of instrumentation for effect that could not have been done before. There have been a lot of other really, really good lines, but this is already TL;DR. Hope it helps somewhat though.

Oh God, the memories.... <shudder> (Maybe because it was never clean?)

Actually, they are not playing on this move. That, however, takes nothing away from how cool the move is. So, are there any moves that we are all raving about this year?

Here you go (Times CST): DCI Southwestern Championship The Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas Saturday, July 19 11:00 AM – Gates Open 12:30 PM – Kick Start Leadership Workshop 2:30 PM – Guardians 2:47 PM – Genesis 3:04 PM – Pioneer 3:21 PM – Cascades 3:38 PM – Jersey Surf 3:55 PM – Mandarins 4:12 PM – Pacific Crest 4:29 PM – The Academy 4:46 PM – Intermission 5:37 PM – Oregon Crusaders 5:54 PM – Colts 6:11 PM – Troopers 6:28 PM – Spirit of Atlanta 6:45 PM – Crossmen 7:02 PM – Blue Stars 7:19 PM – Madison Scouts 7:36 PM – Phantom Regiment 7:53 PM – Intermission 8:10 PM – Boston Crusaders 8:27 PM – Blue Knights 8:44 PM – Santa Clara Vanguard 9:01 PM – Bluecoats 9:18 PM – The Cavaliers 9:35 PM – Carolina Crown 9:52 PM – Blue Devils 10:09 PM – The Cadets 10:26 PM – DrumLine Battle: Crossmen vs. Bluecoats 10:38 PM – Awards Ceremony Read more: http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=fa96d0e7-1e71-4aad-a4fe-0bb7905ebdee#ixzz37wlXrNME

Not only that, but would outright beat Cadets 83 or 84.

Yep, 84 and 87. He was my section leader in 87.

This is true, but don't most corps travel with some sort of trainer now? We were certainly a "rub dirt on it and get back on the field" type of outfit... :)

As to the topic, I agree with what others have said: The members, by and large, are treated FAR better than they were when I marched, in terms of meals, safety, etc. Comparing the product on the field is a fool's errand. There were things that were incredible in just about every era of drum corps, and there were (and still are) things that are not so good. The experience, for the members, has basically remained the same, though, and that is a Good Thing.

Age does not, necessarily, make one "better". However, with age comes experience, and oftentimes experience does make one wiser. Further, age gives one perspective while (usually) mitigating the competitive feelings we may have carried with us in our youth. These feelings, at least for me, made it impossible to enjoy or even sometimes appreciate the efforts of the corps in our "competitive neighborhood". As I have gotten older, I have found that I enjoy the shows far more when I don't care about the competitive aspect; when I don't worry about disliking one group or another because they are beating "my" group.

I'm not sure if this has been posted here or not, but, well, yeah. Vienna Teng explains The Hymn of Axiom (live performance starts at about 2:44)

Great idea! I am not a director so I don't have direct connections, but, because I am an Old, I have many former corps mates who have kids marching this year, so: Go Cassidy! (Spirit Colorguard) Go Matt and Andy! (Crown Hornline) (Pretty sure I am missing more than a few, off to check the Book of Face to find them...) And, GO SURF!

Exactly. Some of the best impacts are all RIDECYMBALCRASHCYMBALHISSSSSSS. It is because of this that I rarely take the time to listen to the shows from 95, and there are so many great shows that year. :(

Dude, I really shouldn't, but another part of maturity is reading comprehension. I never said that the 86 Suncoast brass line was better than the 2013 Crown brass line. I simply agreed that the 86 corps receiving a 9.9 in Field Brass with 5 units left to perform, including 86 BD was perhaps a more impressive feat than Crown's "perfect" score last year. It is fairly obvious that Bill Doyle gave Suncoast a 9.9 with the intention of leaving room, just in case one of the five corps yet to perform did a better job on his sheets. None did, none even tied. Conversely, Crown went on last at finals, so the judges had already ranked and rated everyone else. They did not need to leave room, so if they felt that Crown deserved 10s, they could (and did) grant them. As to your comments about us "old men", you are painting with an awfully wide brush. John (Kamarag) is 2 years older than I am, has marched with and taught some of the best corps in the activity's history, and knows his ####. He is also a very vocal supporter of modern drum corps. Likewise, I feel you may have no idea who George Dixon is. I don't know his age, but I would guess it's in the same ballpark, and, in this thread alone, you will find him positively gushing about shows this year. Many of the other posters of "an advanced age" posting on this and other threads have been similarly very positive, myself included. I am not saying that the people you describe don't exist, of course they do. And when they spout their silliness, it tends to make all of us "legacy" fans look bad. Just like you calling those of us that actively support modern drum corps (see, I am not even calling them "brass bands" or some other foolishness) "old windbags" reflects pretty poorly on your generation of fans. So, read what we are saying. It is entirely possible to have marched in the 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s and still enjoy the programs out there today. I know that I do, else I would not be going to Allentown next month, nor would I have attended at least one live show nearly every year since I aged out, including Finals in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2003 and 2005. I think that you (like many younger fans) are seeing criticism of a corps that you apparently really like and interpreting that as some sort of slam against all modern corps. Personally, I feel that Crown's show last year was at or near the absolute pinnacle of a perfectly designed and executed show, minus a (comparative to the rest of the corps) weak drumline. I felt that from about this point last year up to and through their Finals performance. This year, the corps is also very, very good, but they have not hit that point of greatness, yet. Will they? Perhaps. Are there other shows that I, personally, enjoy more this year? Yep. Guess what, that's ok. /soapbox

Duh! :)

5 groups. I just checked, Suncoast went on 7th (just after Madison and before Spirit)

Why, exactly? Crown was expected to win Brass last year. Suncoast performed in the 6th or 7th place position at finals (they tied for 6th at prelims with Madison, behind Spirit), with the juggernaut that was BD 1986 among those yet to perform. Field Brass was one of only four subcaptions that BD didn't win, and brass was their strong point (they were the "Crown" of brass back then). So I think that there is certainly merit in the question.

Apparently us "olds" may be a bit quicker with the comprehension, because I understood EXACTLY what George meant. I also wasn't too surprised with cali's reaction. George has watched several shows this year, and I am pretty sure he's seen Crown live. More than a few people, both watching FN and actually at the show said that Crown had an off night in the hornline, which is, I assume, why George was surprised that they won brass last night. Cali, on the other hand, perceived George's honest assessment as some sort of biased slight of Crown, so he went on the attack, as honks are wont to do. In the process he kinda looked silly and made an assumption as to George's personal corps preference. Alas, this is a rookie mistake, so we will let it slide. All you have to do is view George's response, wherein, instead of attitude, name calling, or disparaging remarks, he simply clarified his post. This edition of drum corps fan psychoanalysis brought to you by my "old person wheels". Edit because autocorrect added an apostrophe that I absolutely did not want.

I am just excited by the prospect of hearing that show the way it's supposed to sound. The CDs from 95 were a dog's breakfast in the audio department... Fan Network is ok, I wonder what audio source they are working from?

Jumping in with a (small) grenade... Tekk may bleed Maroon, but he was slamming his corps early on. So don't try to paint him with a borg brush, please. Edit: Quoted the wrong post, but you know what I mean. (I was speaking to Hockey Dad)

Bravo.

Agree 100% If they can perform at that level in the daylight, I can't wait to see the finished product under the lights. (I know it shouldn't make a difference, but I also know that BD (and other top corps) specifically program to peak in the late evening.) Funny thing is, this isn't even my favorite show this year, but it's soooo good.

Yes, but he also said it after Cavies. The show is "Tour of Champions" after all. The tin hats can go back on the shelf... for now. :)

Actually, part of the problem is that I am an idiot. While my speakers are at full volume, and the stream is at full volume, I neglected to check my actual PC volume, which was only at 50%. Once we have something else to listen to, I think I will be fine.

Yeah, that may be part of it. Looks like they have just the center mics again, and during Cadets performance they would have been nearly parallel, so that makes sense. I can hear the announcer somewhat well, so it may just be the mic placement.