alto92

Well...I don't remember one. But then again, I only saw it once.

Definitely no trumpet solos in their show this year, and I really only remember one for sure. It was indeed a contra solo. Pretty cool, too! The rest of the show...ehhhh.

1997 SCV. You can see people crying and trying to play in the vid. Good shtuff..

96 was 10 years ago. Thats a really long time. Is there anything that resembles a pattern, rather than one show from one year? To me this is kind of like college basketball's East Coast/West Coast bias crap. Everyone likes to be a victim, apparently.

With all the talk about the West Coast's scores being inflated, has anyone provided actualy information to back this up? Certainly, its plausible, but I've yet to see any real evidence. Anyone care to compile a comparative list of scores that can back this up? And can anyone prove that the East Coast/Midwest scores have been, in the past "inflated" as well? I'd really like to see it!

The recording quality is good, but the performance is rough around the edges. LOTS of intonation issues in the high brass. Still, it's worth 10 bucks. They have samples at SCV's webstore.

I don't know...I love the show, but I don't see it winning a championship. They're going to have to make a lot of changes, and I think that'll hinder the cleaning process. The hornline, while they sound GREAT standing still and while they have reasonable drill, is quite young and inexperienced by top 3 standards; lots of bad tone and stickouts when the individual demand steps up. Still, I'm hoping they can prove me wrong. I'll be rooting for them come Nats week!

Yeah, it's classy, but what a-hole corps would say no?

edit: mods please delete...sorry

Are you talking about BD or SCV here?

scvspirit The scores aren't really that close. .7 - 1.0 on a 20 point scale is like a 3-5 point spread on a 100 point scale, which is big between two top corps. On the field, at least this past weekend, I think the spread should have been a bit bigger, too. BD's guard is AMAZING. SCV made a lot of changes over the past few days, especially in the ballad. The staging and choreography changed a bit and there are some NICE moments. Somehow after spending the last two days almost solely on the ballad, the rest of the show cleaned up a bit, too.

I disagree. I've been at both days of rehearsal in Downey and one day last week - the writing is there, both in the battery and pit. For SOME reason, though, it's not coming across in the shows. I don't know what it is. Poor ensemble balance? Poor mixing? Poor balance from back to front? Who knows? Jackson/Mason will figure it out though, and the show will burn when it absolutely needs to. P.S. THANKS for the review! edit: just got back from the rehearsal again...the pit has a bunch of new stuff and they spent like 2 hours tinkering wtih the amps. they're getting a much much bigger (fuller) sound now... :)

I'm an educator, and have so far found this to be true. You can almost never blame kids for things of certain natures, participation being one of them. I'm in full agreement that a corps based in talent and money-laden San Diego in its 7th year should have full membership. Where are those kids? They're in Santa Clara, Concord, Diamond Bar, Sacramento, and other corps across the country. I don't personally know the people running the corps, but this problem should be addressed by them and only them. Personally, I think they're failing to address the needs of the kids. Pacific Crest thrives on its weekend schedule, SCV and BD stand on their tradition and excellence, Mandarins have pride and loyalty built from years of success in div. 3. Esperanza has to compete with all of this while not really offering anything unique of it's own, other than as a training ground for the said corps. That's just my opinon, though!

forgive my ignorance, but how in the world are you coming to those scores?

I'm pretty sure the Clowns recording is from this year's PP encore concert.

Of the corps I've seen, SCV's horn book is the fattest. Plenty of technical demand, huge dynamic range, plenty of defined articulated passages...the problem is that they try to do it all while running around like chickens with their heads cut off. In time, I think they'll clean it and be back in the top 4. Yes, the top 4....this year. BD sounds great, but the book just isn't that demanding, from my first read. Also, when they march tough drill, the sound drops down a few notches. Blue Knights have a REALLY interesting show, and probably the hardest, conceptually, to pull off given all of the individual responsibility in the show. While I'm entertained by SCV and BK, the Devs just aren't doing it for me this year. The horns are playing, the guard is probably the best BD guard I've seen since I started watching drum corps back in '97, and the drumline is throwing down (go Jorge!), but the show seems so barebones right now. I'm hoping they can make the show entertaining before they win DCI this year.

Hey Brad!

The Blue Devils are wearing blue, Cadets are maroon and gold, the Cavies are returning to their green uniforms after years of...oh wait, nvm. The Vanguard wears red. /that's about as good as you're gonna get bro :P

Black pants this year, but same everything else.

no prob!

Hey all, I spent the day in Valley Center, CA with the Vanguard yesterday, and I thought I might share a few thoughts. I visited all sections of the corps for about half an hour each, then watched them ensemble for about an hour and a half. Here are my first impressions: First up was the percussion. I was a noob to corps in '97 and right off the bat fell in love with Cassella's writing and how his lines played. As I walked to the edge of the field they were rehearsing on, it was clear the percussion section was drastically different, both in the way they approached their drums and pit equipment as well as the resulting sound. Rehearsal was a bit more loose than I'm used to seeing, but the staff and kids are doing a great job. It seems as though they're all still getting used to each other, and though they don't have the swagger of recent past SCV lines, they are strong and will be near the top when it's all said and done. I made my way over to the gock block sound coming from another field and found the guard. Though quite dirty in most places, their show is FULL, and that's way more than can be said for last year; I think they didn't finish til almost San Antonio or something. April Gilligan was running the reherasal from up top. I'd seen her only at show warm-ups with the Cadets and first thought of her as tough and unrelenting. She is tough, unrelenting, and drives them hard, though unlike many who teach in that style, never becomes impersonal or condescending. They have a whole lot of cleaning to do, but given who's at the helm and the way the kids were responding, that entertaining and deep guard book is definitely within reach. The horns were on the main field and were nearing the end of their music block. Nick Williams was on staff when I marched, but only as a tech. I think I saw him once or twice in 2003. Man, is he doing something right. The low brass sounds lush and full, the trumpets have a top to bottom sound - if you don't have stong 3rds, you don't have a strong section - and the whole hornline together sounds fierce, graceful, nimble - however they WANT to sound. Granted, there is work to be done, especially in the mellos, but I haven't heard an SCV hornline this strong, this early since....2001? 1999? They were good in '04, but I feel like they lacked dynamic range and sensitivity. Not this line. After speaking to staff and members, I found that the whole corps is quite young. Its oldest member marched 2001 (DM Dan McLaughlin) and there are a ton of rookies. After a few years slight friction between the corps (esp. the hornline) and the vis. staff, that seems to no longer be an issue. Yes, their feet are all over the place, and timing is an issue, but the staff does know how to teach their style, and with everybody buying in, they'll definitely be able to clean this fantastic drill. All in all, the corps seems headed in a very positive direction. I found myself shaking my head after attending a number of rehearsals last year (mind you, I loved the show itself), but there is a very different feel this year. Its wonderful to see rock solid '03 rooks like Dan Adams, Amy Frost, Fatt, Jesse and others anchor the hornline, with all they've seen and been though. As for the show itself, wonderful, melodic lines, technically challenging licks, tasteful percussion writing, varied guard writing, and burnin' drill characterize this show, but that's all I'll say. Can they achieve it? I have faith. GO SCV!

There are other ways to motivate...

Like I said, it's easy to make an argument that it's no big deal, especially when such treatment is so rampant in the activity. Nonetheless, it's still unprofessional and immature.

Maybe I'm not being clear. It's not about hurting someone physically. I doubt it would hurt at all to get hit by that - given the context of the toll their bodies take day to day. It's an educational thing. You don't teach someone by disrespecting them. Period. On a case by case basis, I'm sure you can make a convincing argument that the recipient of the stick didn't feel disrespected, but he WAS disrespected. It's not a matter of perception, it's a matter of fact. When we're little kids, we throw things at people when we want to get something across to that person. Not when we're adults in a position of influence.

Perhaps he didn't want the yell in 2003 - the silence is cool - but there's no way he wouldn't have known that was going to develop into the show. The yell that year was LOUD, and the audience had been doing it (at different levels of intensity) since at least '97.