billj
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Posts posted by billj
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Let's go Regiment! Bring the Fire! SUTA!!!!!
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5 hours ago, xandandl said:
PR definitely wins the "most improved from first performance of 2019 season until LOS."
It seems right to say this, and many people on this forum seem to agree including me, but the score progressions and gaps don't paint that picture. Last I checked, most improved scorewise were... Bluecoats a Blue Devils. Surprise! And if you look at the scoring progressions and comparisons with other corps, I'm going have to say there was some slotting after day 1.
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By the way, if this is real, then one could look for the group with a bunch of earplugs and mics on their horns.
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Saw SCV, Cavies and Bloo Live. They all seemed amplified in some way but Bloo had a trumpet feature farther back on the field and they were louder coming out of the speakers than from the field. That seemed odd.
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But still, go Vanguard!
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Just now, Cappybara said:
In a way yes, but I personally think the visual design team for SCV had it coming. Not sure what they were thinking to be honest. It's unfortunate because I truly believe that this corps is the most talented this year
It almost seems like the visual design is bringing down the brass numbers somehow. 4th in brass?
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22 minutes ago, Cappybara said:
Yup! This show has really grown on me, I hope they can hold onto 3rd
Isn't that a sad thing to have to say based on the talent level they have?
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44 minutes ago, ShortAndFast said:
If you do, then finals becomes mostly meaningless.
The caption awards are almost always decided by Friday night. In just 5 short days, you'll be reading something like "Unless BD can beat SCV by 0.4 in drums on Saturday night, SCV has won another Sanford".
Saturday night would be a lot less exciting if the same were true of 10 of 12 finalists.
I guess it depends on one's definition of "fair". Should only the mostly subjective opinions of the finals night judges decide the outcome or should separate full panels all have an influence?
This could also make penalties or a bad run on Thursday or Friday impact the final standings.
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20 minutes ago, MikeRapp said:
I believe BD will win. In the end, the third through sixth place corps are pulling too many points away from BC to win with just GE. It’s going to be very close for sure, but technical execution will win out.
I get the idea of ordinals and slotting and "leaving space" based on performance order, but the idea of corps "pulling away" points from other makes zero sense to me.
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8 minutes ago, dcikon2 said:
The Scouts currently have a fundraiser going on. to help with this issue. It is listed on their Facebook page.
Unless I misunderstand, it was planned that they not have the food truck for August? If so, this sound like a "planned" issue/emergency.
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4 hours ago, WarriorHal said:
What I took issue with is your statement that there is no difference between 150+ guys and one girl guest performer and a fully coed corps. That is ridiculous.
Beyond that, you actually believe that fundamentally changing the makeup of the corps and tossing aside 80+ years of history and tradition is no big deal? You "don't understand the uproar" over the decision and "this is the way of world," so anybody who has a different opinion needs to just "get over this." Got it.🙄
"Traditions" (there are other words that could be used) regarding exclusion based on gender are a dying breed, and for good reason. So, I'm saying that this isn't a new or surprising thing to happen.
Everyone is free to feel how they want, but there's no amount of outrage that's going to undo this, so it seems like misplaced energy. I have only so much free time and energy and I spend it only on things I can control.
Would anyone like to look the Scout's female members from past in the eye and tell them that they weren't really members?
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36 minutes ago, WarriorHal said:
Director Bill Howard's young daughter skipping around the field as Alice in Wonderland in pre-DCI 1971; a trained dancer featured in the Carmen show in 2005; and a featured flugelhorn soloist in the 2018 disaster. A single female guest performer three times in 80+ years is no different than a fully co-ed corps with girls in every section? Not saying the change will be bad, but it's no different than 150+ guys and one guest female performer? That's ridiculous.
Not really. The sooner people get over this, the better because I seriously doubt this decision will be undone.
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Given this day and age, I don't understand the uproar about Scouts officially declaring going co-ed. Sorry, no offense, but people need to get over it. This is the way of world, people. And news flash: Boy Scouts allow female members, gasp!
They've had female members in, what, 3 or 4 past years? Did people pull their financial support, mock corps leadership, and express their outrage each of those years? Or maybe it was ok for the years they made finals, but not ok last year?
And I didn't don't want to hear "it was different". It wasn't.
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On 8/1/2019 at 1:18 AM, FTNK said:
I hate all these hyper-literal shows. 2007 wasn’t a contender but something like that which is progressive and non-literal would be a breath of fresh On Air
I see what you did there. I truly don't understand why there's a need for corps to declare, or people to want corps to declare if a show is "literal" or "non-literal". Is this so important and does it really matter?
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1 hour ago, NewToPosting said:
That's quite the expectation to have for an average drum corps fan. Could be a part of why people consider this year's show a "miss" in some regards. Great corps, but wish the concept was clearer (especially since done by others).
Yeah, I really wish SCV didn't do Les Mis. </Sarcasm>
What is so unclear about the concept? It's pretty darn clear to me and I've just watched a few videos. There are shows placing higher that are unclear, IMHO.
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1 hour ago, kdaddy said:
...My first feedback to PR would naively be "GO HIRE ONE OF THOSE."
My guess is that it's easier said than done.
And while that may appear to some to be an obvious quick-fix way to address what some perceive to be problems needing addressing, there's something to be said for keeping a staff together, and growing together. Consistency across the key staff positions is pretty important.
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1 hour ago, kdaddy said:
1. If you think there aren't people who know how to produce effect, then you aren't watching drum corps. Call them "GE specialist" or "Michael Townsend" or "Michael Gaines" or whatever you want to call them.
2. It's clear that they aren't in the employ of the Phantom Regiment.
I agree that "hiring a team of designers to produce more effective shows" isn't easy. But what is easy is seeing that such a team is not currently in place. And that when an opportunity presented itself to make changes after a widely poorly regarded show last year, few changes were made (and the change that was made was a drill designer who was apparently let go during the season this year!).
For what it's worth, I'm really not into suggesting that people in this industry be fired, so long as everyone understands that if the current set of designers stays in place, a similar product (and results) will occur. And my original comments were in the context of providing feedback... what kind of feedback is "GE sucks" or "hire a different designer"?
I don't think it's so easy (seeing ...)
The feedback seems to boil down down to: bring in one of a handful of people/staff.
To be honest, as much as I love Gaine's drills from the past, and as much as I'm glad SCV won a title and has been at the top the last few years, I'm not so excited about the visual direction he's taking things (less drill, more props).
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5 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:
All I know is for the last time ever this coming weekend, I will see an all male Madison Scouts for the last time. I'm for inclusiveness, but I truly wonder if this decision would have happened if the corps was placing better. I am hoping people in the crowd aren't idiots about it....but man I am really tired of seeing so many "lasts" in drum corps
We see and hear "lasts" each year, but they're just not announced. "Last year without props", "last year of most corps marching fast, cool drill", "last year without thunderous goo", 'last year of traditional uniforms', etc.
They are a result of evolution, and they are all sad, but we all survive and move on.
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17 minutes ago, PRomoter said:
This is in no way meant as disrespectful to you. Do you think perhaps your response is exactly the kind of attitude you are accusing the leadership of having? I have learned over the years that my successes have been directly linked to my ability and interest in building relationships with my team. Those of us who volunteer and financially support the corps are an integral part of the team, and our voices should be sought out in a healthy relationship. Let’s not assume they are disinterested. Maybe they just want answers and good suggestions rather than a list of complaints and gripes.
posted from the DrumScorps app
Fair question. My response didn't intend to portray a "we don't need any help or input from anyone' 'attitude' as you call it. I was mostly referring to during the season, that most corps probably have plenty of input from the people they need input from. BUT if a qualified (emphasis: qualified) person offers input or assistance, then it should be considered, when possible.
In the off-season, if QUALIFIED individuals offer input on other things, like fund raising and other operational aspects, great. I'm not so sure on the design side as much only because people are hired to do that.
In the end, though, I doubt any corps has a 24x7x365 direct hotline to the leadership, design staff, or instructional staff, nor should there be. Too many cooks spoil the... show.
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1 hour ago, kdaddy said:
How is it not fair? The post was about providing feedback regarding complaints by alums, donors, and fans, and I would largely say that the complaints can be summed up as "the shows have been lacking GE for several years," whether it comes from music, visual, storyline, props, instruction, or any other source.
And in what ways is it oversimplified? I don't argue that it is, but in what ways?
As for fire X and hire Y getting old, that's kind of my point. I don't see what kind of feedback most folks can really provide other than that.
Saying "go get some GE" is an oversimplification. As if you can hire a GE specialist.
Does anyone really know what GE is (and no, I don't need a link to scoring rubric)? It's subjective at best, and political at worst. I've never figured out how GE has been scored over many years. All know is, the 'rules' are always changing.
And, thus, I don't care much about the scores or placements. Many times the placement order isn't what I think it should be. I haven't stayed for the score announcements at a show in many years. I go for the performances, and not the figure skating style scoring.
For what it's worth, I think Regiment should be scoring higher in GE this year.
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1 hour ago, kdaddy said:
I'd be surprised if leadership would be open to this. Or beyond a "thanks for that suggestion" kind of canned response.
I'd also be surprised if leadership didn't know that a problem exists. Rick Valenzuela (assuming he's the leader in question) marched and had boots on the ground roles at SCV prior to being a corps director. I'm sure he understands GE and how Regiment is lacking in it right now, both musically and visually. I'm sure he knows the root causes of why the corps is placing where it is and why it's lagging behind the corps that it has historically been competitive with.
Now, does he know what to do about it? That might be the problem. Or does he have the resources to fix it? That might be the ultimate problem. Can he take a step back and move on from a popular alum that he's mistakenly put in charge of both coordinating *and* arranging? That's another concern that he might not be prepared to address.
So to me, unless the ideas and suggestions specifically address these topics, I'm not sure it'll be useful.
But if he wants my hot takes on how he should hire Pete Webber, Frank Sullivan, Scott Boerma, and a few others, I can always email him. 😀
This isn't a fair assessment, and it's also an oversimplification.
And on any corps' thread, the "fire person x" and "hire person y" gets old.
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I know of a few times over the years that corps publically solicited ideas for music or themes, but is it realistic to expect any world class corps to accept feedback from a group of people not on staff? The staff is watching and hearing things every day, in addition to getting judge's feedback several times a week. What additional, useful information could they possibly get from others?
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22 hours ago, N.E. Brigand said:
... Do any corps have any unmiced solos any more? Are members even still capable of playing them?
On a related note, I have the same concerns about musicians being able to "march drill" in the future. Will they eventually look like this?
2019 Phantom Regiment
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
I knew the risks of mentioning the S word, but I really like Regiment's show and I dont think they are getting a fair shake. I hope they perform with a chip on their shoulders today, tomorrow and Saturday.