oldbandguy

Thanks for the review. I agree with your comments on Madison. I think this show has the potential to move them up a spot or two from last year.

Just got back from 5 hour drive to Port Huron. Brief review: Show was delayed for almost an hour due to storm the came through with two heavy downpours. Field was wet for remainder of the night and did seem to effect some of the marching and guard work. There was a large crowd on hand, capacity on home side and about 150 sitting on visitors side. Crowd was very appreciative of all the corps. Lake Erie Regiment - storm came through just as their preshow warm up period was ending. They had to stand around (maybe under visitors stadium) for at least 45 minutes. The group did a very nice job on the first half of their show, but still need much work and building of endurance for 2nd half. Nice use of color guard with some effective equipment changes and lots of color. Drum line had some nice moments, just need more time to clean. Pioneer - a very fan friendly show, with some very enjoyable music. Always a treat to hear "River Dance". A good performance by their drum line tonight, unfortunately one of their snares went down (wet field) and lost his drum, stick bag, hat, sound projector, which kept judge JJ Pepitone busy for a few moments trying to clear the field...had to retrieve a tuba's hat a few minutes later. I really like this corps' uniform, but it would be sooo much better if they would replace the "police/bus driver" hats. K. Kavaliers- I really wasn't looking forward to hearing "West Side Story" again (from anyone), but they do a nice job with it. I especially like some of the "humorous" interaction they put in between guard and hornline. They too kept drum judge Pipitone busy as he tried to recover a collapsed gong stand that fell onto the field. Southwind- had some nice moments, but the show is still very "dirty" both from playing and drill aspects. The corps is big and can really put out some sound, but they must work to refine in terms of tone quality, dynamic contrasts, and balance. The music selections (from "The Mummy") didn't really grab me on first listening, but I get to hear them a few more times and maybe when the show is cleaner I will enjoy it more. I think their guard as a lot of potential. Some very nice things in the drum book, but again just played very dirty at this point. Capital Regiment- WOW! This may be the surprise corps of '04, at least on the east side of the U.S. I was very impressed with both the raised technical demands in the horn book and with the way they played it. The visual program is certainly a step or two above what they've done in the past. The music of Holsinger works very well for CR and I would not be at all surprised to see them performing in semi finals. The way this corps is coming along, we may soon see a DCI finals with 1/4 of the field from Ohio! Glassmen may need to start looking over their shoulder. Bluecoats- The thing that grabs you right off the bat is the ATTITUDE displayed by the color guard. They're "sassy" and let you know they're going to have a good time. The drum line comes on strong with their opening statement that leads into that classic Bluecoats sound to the melody of "In The Mood". I personally wish they would do more with this selection, or possibly bring it back at the end of the show. I really like their opening production "Ride". There's some great pit work in this piece. As stated earlier, the guard grabs your attention and that's true all through the show. I wasn't totally sold on their closer "Hunting Wabbits". The shout chorus just didn't seem to have the fire and energy that I've heard from this corps in previous years. The ending seemed a bit abrupt. Maybe they have more to do yet. I really liked the overall visual package. I think it will be very interesting to see what additions or changes may yet be in store for this show. Madison Scouts- It was obvious to me that this crowd had been waiting for Madison. A number of people sitting around me (locals) were talking throughout the night about THE SCOUTS. One guy in front of me even displayed a Scout shirt he had bought at the Port Huron show 25 years ago! The Scouts did not disappoint! Their opening production "Soundpiece For Jazz Orchestra" reminds me very much of some of the Wayne Downey charts for the Blue Devils some 20-25 years ago. It certainly has a Stan Kenton Orchestra sound and sophistication to it. It did not take long for the audience to know that the Madison brass was ready to play. What impressed me most about the Madison opener was the drum line. Some terrific writing in both pit and battery and very well played. The Madison guard is especially great in the opener and be sure to watch for the BIG rifle toss (a 7 or 8) near the end... although they had one drop and one non-attempt tonight. The ballad, which is also from "Soundpiece" was beautiful. There were a couple of slight intonation problems in the horn section tonight, but overall the blend and balance was really nice. There is one typical Madison chord with a big crescendo and dramatic release that will take your breath away. The ballad was followed by a short (maybe too short) percussion feature that had what I thought was the finest snare drum lick of the evening. The way the mallets do the transition into the closer "Malaga" is yet another demonstration of the drum book at Madison being taken to another level. Be sure to check out how "Malaga" actually begins before the short percussion feature ends. It's cool! "Malaga" gave the crowd what they had been waiting to hear. The corps seemed to sense the excitement in the crowd and really got pumped by it. There were numerous cheers and applause throught, especially for the HOT solos, duets, and trio! When the corps finally did a "park and blow" you knew there was no danger of the rain coming back because Madison and blown the clouds away. The crowd was on their feet well before the corps played the final release of the power chord that seems to go on forever. The battle between the Scouts and Bluecoats could be a fun one to follow this season. Add to it the Scouts and Phantom Regiment trading victories last week and 2004 could really be a dog fight for corps in the 4-8 positions. I can't wait for Louisville. Too bad PR won't be there!

Thank you! It sure is nice to have this "instant" review when your son is marching and you're 600 miles away. Great job!

Dress Rehearsal is tonight (Thursday) in the stadium at Whitewater. I've had the pleasure of watching the corps all week. Drum corps fans are going to love this show! The opener "Sound Piece For Jazz Orchestra" reminds me very much of "classic" Blue Devils jazz. Watch for some terrific guard work in this production. It doesn't take long for you to know this is another great Madison horn line, but what knocks me out is what Colin McNutt has done with the drum line. Extremely musical at ALL times, lots of notes and power when needed. The ballad is very nice and again displays that rich Madison sound we've come to know. From the ballad, the drum line goes into a McNutt original they call "Wave" and, although short, is cranking out at well over m.m. = 200 near the end. Be sure to check out the pit transition into the closer "Malaga"...very cool. I predict "Malaga" will be THE CLOSER of 2004. It's powerful, exciting, and hold on to you seat for the final chords! And yes, there is a rotating company front! Soloists are fantastic. This is a MADISON signature piece! This is one show you will not want to miss.

I remember attending a clinic where it was stated (can't remember by who) that many more muscles are used in matched grip than in traditional. The point being that the more muscles involved, the better control and the better the endurance. Assuming that fact to be true, I too find it hard to understand why drum corps, which often plays for hours on end, would not prefer matched grip. I might make an interesting study to see if traditional grip snare players suffer any more damage to their wrists and hands as compared to tenor players using matched grip?

Traditional grip is still very popular in drum corps, maybe due more to tradition than anything else. Matched grip is being used more and more in school band programs. In doing some research on this topic, I found that the great majority of beginning percussionists are now taught to use matched grip.

Anyone heard what the line at Madison will be like? I'm curious to see what the new drum staff has in mind.

This has always been my favorite cadence...even in this dayand age of 1,000,000 notes per minute, there's something very special about hearing those basses kicking in when the Cavs exit the field. Would anyone know if a printed version of the cadence is available anywhere?

I've heard the same thing. Yamaha keeps Madison! Does anyone know the last year Madison did NOT play Yamaha? What brand did they use? I think they've been with Yamaha at least 15 years.

I have been watching the 2003 DVDs with the percussion judge audio and percussion camera angle and I've got to say my reaction has been just how much of the show does this judge miss due to concentrating on "getting out of the way". Try putting a stop watch on it. You might be shocked at just how much of the 11+ minutes is really not being judged. I also made me wonder how much of his score can be influenced by what he may not have seen while trying to move out of the way?? The safety factor and interfering with the show's visual are two more reasons I would say...put him on the sideline.

Add my vote for a GREAT job with the 2003 DVD. The MANY options available are so much better than possible on VHS. By chance I had to go out and buy a new TV tonight. I broke it in by watching the DVD. I noticed an improvement in the sound, which was obviously due to the better (stereo) speakers in the new set. Keep up the good work DCI!

I too had the opportunity to stand in the middle of the Spirit arc during a standstill of Let It Be Me. It was a "musical" experience I've not encountered again. It's hard to explain. To put it in "non-musical" words... It made me realize why my dog always had a smile on his face whenever he would stick his head out of the car window and beg me to DRIVE FASTER. b**bs