SCVTeerav

Santa Clara 2000 the finish of Adagio for Strings.

I was there last night and I have to agree with the scoring assessment. There is alot of "dead space" in the cadets drill where the demand is not there. I think alot of the execution isn't anything they haven't done before, only with the two different uniforms it looks more dynamic then in the past. There are time where one half is marching in 2's 8 to 5 for a looooooong time. This happens in several sections, there's your vocabulary scores. I think other judges might be confusing this score with the GE score which is different. You can do simple and make it very effective which in my opinion is what they do often throughout the show. my $0.02.

Little background. Marched 4 years, aged-out of Santa Clara. First time review. All opinions are mine and I think fair. I am in the design trade in real life so I think I can speak coherently on through lines etc.. Comments should be taken as comments on the shows within themselves as in a vacuum and not in comparison to others except where specifically noted. Forte - First viewing of this corps. A pretty good showing. Obviously more reps and a couple years they could produce some more consistency performance wise. The drumline was good, hornline needs reps, reps, reps. The show overall was cool in concept but I think lost some key points with the bedtime theme that if brought out more frequently or made more identifiable would strengthen their through line. Nice product though, I just think a little over designed at times. Clarity is key. Pioneer - Definately a difference in that you could tell they had more shows under their belt. I haven't seen Pioneer in a long time since marching back in the DCM days. I like the nod to their roots but I also like that the show didn't seem as campy as years past. Also, staging was good in usage of props, they obviously can't fill a whole football field and this was a smart choice. Drumline was dirty, 10 snares is hard to clean at this level. Mandarins - Another step up in performance level. I have always enjoyed their shows and think they are doing nice things. Nothing in particular stood out in my mind but entertaining. Crossmen - Bones. As a former member, I'm glad to see them on a road to success after a few dismal years. It looks like they are becoming crossmen again and not a BOA group playing at drum corps. Hornline sounded good and percussion was vastly improved. This show was definately one of the more hummable this year. I think the drill was so-so. all the impact points were in the right place. If you're going to have screamers I think they should project more. I remember you could hear crossmen 01 screamers very well. It seems to me these guys need more lungs. The show concept was definately a renewal of what made crossmen great, think 97. Remember in 97 in Birdland that colorguard moment with the silk flags? I wish there were more of those these days. Academy - Best Academy show I've seen. Musical book wasn't over designed as in years past. There was a consistent line and recapitulation and I was whistling it on the way home. These uniforms are great and could be a significant step in giving the Academy an identifying trademark image. Drumline was good, though I think the choreography gets in the way of clean hands many times. It's a drumline not so you think you can dance. Glassmen - Cool opening, reminded me of BD 1995 as far as setting up the mood. Just didn't deliver. Story line turned predictable and campy, though there were some cool moments. It seems that the shows that focus on two guard characters being the whole story of the show grow weary as things progress. It reminds me of Southpark the Movie and the song "what would brian boytano do?" You have this animated figure doing all this "stuff" and it's just kind of there and the show moves round it, but separately. Blue Stars - Hornline. SCV needs to jack move their staff or something cause these guys sounded great. I think the scaffolding can be a copout at times. Look we fill the whole space, except for the majority of the field behind the back hash mark. Remember BD 1999 in the floating cube behind the hash mark filling up the stadium with sound? you can't do that with this set up, and what BD did was hard. They have the horses to accomplish this, I just wasn't buying what they were selling in that department. Santa Clara Vanguard - I am biased towards SCV, aged out there and favorite corps. They are like drinking a fine glass of wine. Anyway on to the show. Remember that cliched old movie scene where there is a hallway and endless doors and a character runs out of a door across the hall into another then comes out another doorway way up and so on and so forth? That's what I kept seeing when Hornline members were running and then falling into the drill, and I think it works wonderfully. Hornline definately is stepping up but they got a ways to go. Drumline is great, mucho demand, not sure why they are scoring so far below Cadets. Sometimes I feel as though the corps does things because they are difficult for no real support. I get doing things not the easy way, but to what end? If it's hard because it supports the show then ya, go for it, if not, swallow your pride and do what is best for the show and everything should fall in place. I think that at times they get caught up in this mentality. The ballad is nice, I'm not buying the motivation in the choreography during this portion. I get it, but it's like steve martin playing Hamlet, sure someone is on stage saying the lines, but meh. If you're really trying to get out of hell, I hope you put up more of a fight. I also think that maybe some of the staging is too condensed and you get alot of noise instead of a good identifiable definition of positive vs. negative space thus increasing the ability to identify focal points. Colorguard needs some color. They become vacuous out on the field which can be on purpose, evil demons and all but personally i think it was a wrong direction. You can do dark with color, the eye just isn't trained to pick up on shades of greys and black coupled with movement. IF anything it would be cool if the horns and drums were a grey shade of the uniform and the color guard with deep reds and blues, colors of fire etc... Cadets - This is the first time since 1999 that a Cadets show didn't make me throw up in my mouth a little bit, I actually enjoyed it. The idea was great and well executed. I think they might be getting more credit demand wise though then is due. Many of the drill formations and set ups take a loooooooooong time to finish, long visual phrases, and while conducive to the show is a nice way to take up space and time with not alot of difficulty. Also, the split drumline is cool, but lets not forget, 7 guys playing clean at this level of performer is way easier then 14-16 or how many total are in their line. The corps with the glitter sticks, or whatever they are called, are excellent. Nice moment and super hard to clean, but done very well. They had the best music ge of the night with the enharmonic doxology coupled with the amazing grace. great concept, well executed, I wish more of the show had this clarity and motivation. they were "keepin it real" with this portion of the show. Clear winner tonight. Bluecoats - Not sure why they didn't beat SCV tonight. Clarity of design was there, drumline can play, hornline sounds fantastic. I do think though they start off very strong with the Radiohead and then it peter's out. They set up this mood that is great and it just doesn't follow through. The mood reminds me of the movie Sin City and the song Mad World playing in the background, dark, gritty. Doesn't stay that way and I thought it a shame. Still, were second in my book. Very cool show.

Mahler: Resurrection Symphony No. 2 - Wieder Sehr Breit - Opener Reich: Music for 18 musicians or Electric Counterpoint or Desert Music Glass: The Dam from Itaipu Rennick's choice on drum feature. The theme of the show "Bad Ace... What?" or "The Mayans Were Right... Run!"

Phantom 1996.

Cool. sometimes i'm not good at explaining myself.

Yes 92! talking about knowing that even though the show didn't place high, it was still vanguard out there doing it. I was trying to illustrate the idea that even though placement may not be consistent, the vibe can still exist. this would be an example to people who think only a top 3 corps exudes that je nes sa qouis. all i was saying....

I rarely post or reply but this conversation has intrigued me. Seems that there is alot of A and B mentality with no discussion/debate towards the position of the other. No offense and with all due respect as a fellow alumn, but this seams like a lot of sunshine pumping to me. When I marched there (not too long ago), it seemed that it wasn't about the people, or whatever and connecting with them and then getting together and singing khum-bay-yah afterwards. You can't connect with everyone so worry about the things you can control, your actions and how you perform your show. Theoretically, if that occurs, then things will take care of themselves. I can see what SCV Biker is talking about. That the way in which executing the show, the approach, the intensity of intent of each member to execute the show in both practice and performance may be lacking from what the culture was when he marched. Hell, I saw it last year in Allentown when I went and watched a rehearsal. I was apalled at some sections and their approach. What makes scv is its tradition, not its ability to connect. Correlation does not imply causation. Going out trying to connect doesn't mean you will, going out an executing with intensity (the right intensity) will cause connection, because people take you that more seriously and are generally attracted to things performed at a high level. You could always tell it was SCV from watching a rehearsal and the way in which they went about themselves during that process. Somehow its been lost on me that intensity/killer instinct is to the degree at which it had been ever since '67. It is about the Star and the Class and sometimes thats not necessarily a feel good process but a growing process. Voluntarily getting your butt handed to you in order to create something great. Becoming tempered. Living up to the expectations of your predecessors that sweat their butt off, slept in the same crappy gym, road on the same sweaty buses with no TV, did 'shups everytime they didn't meet the standard that was impossible to achieve and still produced shows like '87, '89, '98, '92. IMHO that is were the class comes from, the work. That is what the Star has become to symbolize, not vice versa. Just adding to the discussion.

Really? I don't think there's been any drumline in this millenium that could be considered "Best all time" not even by a mile. 93 Star? 87 Cadets? 94 Devs? Vanguard many years (hence the name of the trophy? 03 Cadets? mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm a lot of people thought vanguard that year. sorry but i saw this had to say something.

probably the wrong role if i had to guess. only caption to make top 12 and it gets the axe. hmmm. alot of can't see the forest from the trees action taking place.

nah he's (guidry) usually too busy feeding dcp forum fodder and acting snarky - you know - being a good representative of the corps. but hey 1st amendment and all. agree though with other sentiments, gettin some east flavor back at teh bones wouldn't be a bad thing. and im not talking parradiddle paradiddle kick east I'm talkin' in your face and will punch your mom for a nickel east. nothin but love for the bones

ya, you would think that making positive changes in percussion would be great. especialy after their 14th place in GE Music, 15th in Brass and 14th in Drums. But apparently they opted for not that option. word on the street it's new player to the field first timer caption head, good guy, but can he produce top 6 in drums? hmmmm. Time will tell. one things for certain, the consistency of some choices seems questionable at best. go team.

I'm surprised there's been no 92' Vanguard love yet. The who's who of drumming pretty much. That tenorline alone ..... yeesh.

it seems that scv has become stagnant. Earlier they were beating dev's and since then, nothing. I account alot of this to the age of Vanguard this year. I watched them rehearse in allentown and saw the show. Alot of young faces. Hopefully the staff can start putting a foot in the right places and getting more out of them. They've been through this before back in 97 I think had a ton of young kids. Nut for all the reasons and excuses bottom line...They need to represent.

I think what the narration issue is going to bring up is how to properly adjudicate it. I don't believe that it is being treated with the same level as a hornlines sound quality, nor is the sound being amplified. If you go to a concert and the sound is badly mixed, you want you money back, now if you go to a show and its badly mixed, it is somehow ok. If we were opera corps international you bet that the oration would be judged critically. I just don't think that narration is properly adjudicated with respect to its relation to what else is going on.