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The Academy continues to amaze. Probably the most enjoyable show I've seen this season.

I forgot to mention in my post that I arrived at the show after Dream had performed. No disrespect intended to the corps.

I got back a little while ago from the Corps at the Crest show in Walnut. Good turnout for the show; pretty full from 15 to 15. The crowd was responsive and seemed to enjoy the evening. I was close to the 20 on the left side, way up high. This is my first time writing a review, so go easy on me. Corps (In Performance Order) Hawthorne Gold: (47.35) Had a large hornline, but no volume worth speaking of. Their performance was very short, they must have more in the works. I don't remember much of the music, it didn't make much of an impression on me. Lots of issues with marching and technique. Jester: (36.85) 6 or 7 horns, two snares, 1 tenor, NO drum major! I give these kids credit for going out there, but there's only so much you can do with those numbers especially when trying to tackle some fairly ambitious music. There is some individual talent, one mello player in particular had some good solos. Honestly this tiny corps seemed to have almost as much volume as Hawthorne Gold who had far greater numbers. I don't know how Jester keeps making the effort and travelling each year. I just hope the kids are having a good experience. Mystikal: (48.95) "Breaking Free: Deconstructing Utopia" is their concept. The music is what you'd expect from such a title. It just didn't do anything for me. They seemed to "show off" the drumline a lot, although there was a lot of dirt. Gold and Mystikal are blurred together in my mind; neither stood out for me. I wish I could remember more specifics. Yes, they have a lot to work on, but I hope they keep at it, and maybe try some less esoteric shows in the future. Impulse: (60.10) They have a smaller hornline this year. The show is music from the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie. I haven't seen it, so I didn't recognize anything. Impulse seems to have lost everything that made it Impulse. All the goofiness and light-heartedness is gone, and the show sounded dark and serious. They seem to be having an identity crisis. I'd like to see them have fun out there and once again channel some of the spirit of the Velvet Knights. Academy: (75.40) One of the highlights of the evening for me. The corps is big and they have VOLUME and the crowd was digging it. The music is fun and energetic and played well. The drill is nothing spectacular, but it does the job and marching technique was generally good. I was impressed and entertained. I don't think even the Spartans or East Coast jazz will be able to keep the div. 2 title from these guys. I hope they move up to div. 1 soon. Esperanza: (61.75) I was not very impressed by their performance in general, and the music left me flat. They seem smaller than in previous years. I really can't remember much more about them. Mandarins: (64.40) I didn't like the new uniform, they should've stuck to the old one and retained their unique look. Another show I could not get into musically, but they get decent volume out of a less than full size hornline. There were some players who stuck out of the sound in a big way. There was a lot of dirt in the drill, but it's still early in the season. Blue Knights: (69.15) It's good to see them out in California again. Lots of body movement in this show, even more than last year. The music is by Barber, and is aggressive and discordant. My favorite part was an accelerando by the pit while the hornline and guard all run into a swirling whirlpool-like form; very effective and the crowd liked it. They have what it takes to make finals, but competition seems tough in the top 12 this year, so you never know. Pacific Crest: (64.05) They went on after Blue Knights because it was their home show. Their show this year is a complete 180 from last year. Gone is the usual dark theme, and in its place is an upbeat production based on music from the City of Angels. You can tell they are having fun out there. There are some entertaining sections, while some parts are a bit dull. If they can even the pacing out, I think it will be much more effective. I definitely think they should've been above the Mandarins. SCV: (75.90) From the second they start moving, they do not stop until the end of the show. Fast paced and exciting, this was my favorite div. 1 show of the evening. The drill was frantic and intense and the music was interesting and fit the theme. I think the spread between SCV and BD was far too big. Blue Devils: (79.45) I have to say I was disappointed. Sure at the big Godfather hit, I got chills, but that was the only thing I recognized until it recurred in the closer. Most of the show didn't stand out much to me. Sure they march and plaly well, they are BD. It's definitely better than last year, but not what I was expecting based on all the hype. After BD, onto the field came the Kingsman Alumni Corps! I didn't know this was coming until they announced it after intermission. They were a large group and played a warmup chorale, the march from folk song suite, a drum solo and when johnny comes marching home. They are planning on a full marching and playing performance (with 300 members!) at semifinals in 2007 in Pasadena. It was cool to see their first performance, and totally unexpected for me. Well, my hats off to those who write show reviews; it's a lot harder than it looks! I apologize for my bad memory, it was my first show of the season and it was a lot to take in. I know there will be much better reviews coming in from this show soon; hopefully this will tie you over until then.

Pacific Crest also has a cymbal line

I've been out of the drum corps loop for a while. I was wondering when Fever decided to move to div III? I've seen them the past 2 years in div II and I was impressed. I thought they were growing and improving each year. What happened to the membership from previous years?

I saw the show in Santa Maria, California and i was very impressed by the sound of the 70s corps in particular. The clarity was much greater than expected from old recordings. The video of a few of the earlier corps was sketchy, but there's little you can do about that. The volume overall was just right I think; of course I would've liked it cranked up all the way, but I think they got it right. I noticed phantom 96 was EXTREMELY bass heavy, so much so that it covered up other sections of the corps, such as the drumline. I think this is just how the show was recorded orginally though. There was a fair amount of audience response, with phantom getting a lot, and probably the most going to scv. VK had everyone laughing of course. Cadets probably had the least reaction. It was a midsize theater, but it was pretty full. All in all it was a great show, and I think they did a really good job at producing it. I think most of the complaints in this post stem from theater problems rather than problems with the production. The Edwards in Santa Maria is pretty new, so I guess we got lucky that it was up to par technically. I hope they do this again next year, because there are many more shows I would love to see on the big screen.

If you're interested in seeing drumline rehearsal footage from Blue Devils, SCV, Madison Scouts, Cadets, Boston Crusaders, Blue Knights and the Crossmen, check out the Vic Firth website. They have some nice clips.

I was wondering what type of piece would be good for a couple-of-minutes-long solo on baritone, to give a good idea of what you can do on the instrument. Also, should audition pieces be memorized, or is it normal to have the music there with you?