Any news from Kingston NY?

[pearlsnaredrummer77]

This was a really entertaining show. The stadium was beautiful and set in what appears to be the remains of some glacier age rock remains (corps parking lot). (I actually think I performed there in the 80s, but am not really sure.) It was humid, but not hot, although the stadium's seating chart was overly ambitious, so people were packed in extremely close. I’ve included estimates of instrumentation, but they are only estimates.

In exhibition

Excelsior Drum and Bugle Corps

1 dm, 16 brass, 2 snares, 2 tenors, 3 bass drums, 3 honor guard.

A small group that performed a show that was very similar in format to an Alumni Corps. Excelsior's program is not overly ambitious, but it got the crowd involved. I heard about me, the comments "small but good" repeatedly Their formula is a winner: They play simple brass charts with a high crowd pleasing value. Although they didn't move much, horn flashes at strategic moments really enlivened the show. The blonde drum major was the star of the show, performing with as much energy as any other dm that night. The drum line added a snare drummer and played much better than in Clifton. The tuning of the tenors and bass drums was a bit off to my ear. The tenors seemed a bit low and muddy in pitch, while the bass drums were ringing a bit much. Also, sometimes, the bass drums are standing in parade formation, when they could have easily turned sideways and added more tonal quality to the show. i also wondered if the three honor guard couldn't be used to better effect with simple silk movements to enhance the performance. Overall, Excelsior is a crowd pleaser and was a pleasant start to the show. The crowd approved.

In Competition

Sunrisers

2 dm, 19 Brass, 12cg, 7 pit, 5 snares, 3 tenors, 5bds,

The first thing I noticed about Sun was at the time they were going on the field, their uniforms looked really beautiful. It seemed the perfect time of evening and setting for this corps, and it proved to be a correct instinct. Cirque du Soleil Se Levant was hot! Since the last time I saw Sun (Clifton?) they are a completely different corps. This corps has worked its butt off and it shows. I can't congratulate these folks enough. They added five horns and the show is transformed. It was really, really, good last night. The Percussion section leads the way. Not only are the battery charts well written, but I think that Sun's line played aggressively and well. They reek of confidence and I think that's pretty cool. I think alot of smaller corps and lines have inferiority complexes, but not Sun. They are fierce! The Brass section was soooooo much improved and they marched a clever show quite well. I particularly liked the mellophone solo in the closer that was played with a lot of emotion. There were a few colorguard malfunctions, but that seemed the only "weak" spot. For their size, the Sunrisers are now a force to be reckoned with....

White Sabers

21 Brass, 11cg, 6 pit, 3 snares, 1 tenor, 5 bds, 1 dm

It was a long night for the White Sabers. The audience was intrigued with their neat Roman soldier props that seem to add more performers to the field. It was a cool effect and a highlight to the show. The show concept is based upon the film Gladiator, but the music was unrecognizable because of poor execution and major phasing problems. Too little of the show is written in unison and depends mainly upon individual's hitting solo notes. The charts are far too difficult for the musicians to play coherently and the drill likewise. At some points, it seemed as if the snare drummers were lost musically, and just kind of "hacked" it out. It really wasn't their fault, because it was clear that the show was perhaps overly ambitious. I give the corps a lot of credit for not quitting and they made it through a tough book and night. With a show better suited to the corps' membership, I think the White Sabers could put on a formidable entertainment.

Hurricanes

3dm, 10hg, 28cg, 40 brass, 6 pit, 8snares, 3 tenors, 5 bass drums,

Like Sun, the Hurricanes came to play. They were on fire tonight. When I saw the score I was a bit surprised. I don't know what the judges were seeing, but I can't really agree and the crowd did not either. I think the Hurricanes were MUCH closer in the mix than the scores would indicate. Their Leonard Bernstein show is well received, played and performed. The drill is perfectly competitive with the other higher scoring units. Hurricane's colorguard just plain kicks butt. Their soprano screamer was very much in evidence this evening drawing "ooohs" from the crowd. The Hurricanes high brass is exceptional in my humble opinion. "Make His Garden Grow" and "Candide" were actually giving me goosebumps. The tenors play some mean notes well. I did notice that on some of their exposed sections their attacks were tight and the releases a little less so. Minor fine tuning there. The eight snares continue to improve. I think the Hurricanes served notice to the big boys that they've got the power to move up the ranks.

Empire Statesmen

3 dm, 42 brass, .8 pit, 8 snares, 4 tenors, 5 bds, 29? Colorguard

I thought that Empire had a tough act to follow (and I was right) but darned if they didn't turn up the heat in the kitchen. Playing their Maynard Ferguson show, the Statesmen were the crowd pleasers of the evening. From the big pimp'n DM with mucho charisma to the 2 "Maynard" soloists wearing "leisure suits?" (I'd really love to see Empire in some hats-either top hats or some kind of pimped-out derby.) Empire blew it out loud. They had roughly 42 brass, but it sounded like 65. The soloists reached notes that I can't even imagine how you would notate it on a chart. The colorguard did some neat work, highlighted by the tall blonde woman whipping around a gold flag. She was on the elevated ramp at a strategic moment, and that was just pretty darn cool! Empire came to Kingston win and this was clear. The percussion was tight and aggressive. Empire had the crowd in it's hands and the Cab's dominance seemed to be in jeopardy. Great job, Empire!!!!

Hawthorne Cabelleros

4 dm, 9hg, 42 brass, 9snares, 4 tenors, 5 bd, 10 pit, 4 cymbals, 30cg.

A somewhat subdued performance from Cabs. They like Bush who followed them seemed a little fatigued. But that did not stop either corps from putting on a great show. Cabs' production of "Carmen' showcases the powerful battery to a great degree. These folks play a lot of notes while running, spinning about and gyrating. They play difficult patterns and play them cleanly. To my eyes and ears, they were clearly the best percussion section of the evening. The brass section played very cleanly and marched an expansive drill extremely well. The audience LOVED the big pinwheel. (As popular as running is with show designers it seems the old-fashioned moves are often the crowd favorites) The HUGE colorguard is top quality, handling equipment skillfully, and nicely complementing the music. All-in-all, the Cab's turned in a fine performance-worthy of a victory. They are a solid corps without any real weak areas. Are they knocking on Reading's door?

Bushwackers

2dm, 39 brass, 35? Cg, 6 snares, 3 tenors, 4 bass drums, 2 cymbals 11 pit

I thought tonight Bush's colorguard really took a step to the fore. Wow, they were impressive-their "seductive" dance work really fit the themes pursued in their Leonard Bernstein "Around the Town" show. (Over the past two years, I've noticed that Bush's strength is in total show integration-everything fits neatly together and when it does: sparkles.) I also enjoyed the performance antics of Bush's small cymbal line. The percussion section seems to be shrinking as they have lost a snare? Altogether, the show was polished, cohesive and tight with the brass section leading the way. The seven Contras in the closer were powerful and sounded more like 12. There was also some really nice mellophone work. Drillwise, Bush may have the toughest drill of them all. Constant movement, expansive coverage and stops, turns, and other movements makes me wonder how they ever learned it. Although the battery doesn't play the notes of say the Cabs or Empire, it has been steadily improving this season. Although Bush seemed a bit fatigued, they put on a professional, quality production that drew considerable "oohs and ahs" from the crowd. Another Bush classic!

Overall, the Open class competition corps seemed to be pretty tight in my estimation. I would have had Hurricanes' score a bit closer to Bush, and Bush a bit closer to Empire. Basically, the big corps were all very competitive with each other, and Cabs will have to stay on their toes to keep ahead of the pack. In some ways, though, Sun was the story of the night. Their turnabout was that complete. I think that they will have quite a bit of success in Class A competition in Rochester.

In Exhibition

Bridgemen Alumni Corps

3dm, 50 brass, 3hg, 8 rifles, 8 flags, 7 snares, 3 tenors, 5bds, 4pit

The Bridgemen entered the field to much acclaim and left with much applause. The audience loved it-particularly "Danny Boy." The crowd also ate-up the antics of the brass players on walkers. In fact, the Bridgemen could even add quite a bit more of this kind of stuff (as in the old days) to up the entertainment value. Was this the Bridgemen that dominated the early 80s in percussion and DCI entertainment value? Nope-not by a long shot. But this was a very worthy tribute to that corps of the 80s and before.

Caballeros Alumni

(Rough estimates as I had to get up and stand due to back problems)

50 brass, huge crazy vintage Latin percussion section, 25 cg 4dm

Cab's alumni is just a lot of fun. The crazy vintage percussion section percolates more like a Roland groovebox, while the brass section kicks out some fine and LOUD tunes. They move about quite a bit for an alumni corps and the show is pretty polished. The crowd was appreciative and as I walked to my car, you could hear the brass a great distance from the stadium. It was a great way to leave a show. Cabs Alumni =Class act with high entertainment value.

Edited August 13, 2007 by pearlsnaredrummer77

[leadsop97]

thanks for the review. anyone else? It was nice having a full judging panel again to see how scores really are turning out. Also.......Bridgemen rocked the house!

[SUNSNARE07]

Sunrisers

2 dm, 19 Brass, 12cg, 7 pit, 5 snares, 3 tenors, 5bds,

The first thing I noticed about Sun was at the time they were going on the field, their uniforms looked really beautiful. It seemed the perfect time of evening and setting for this corps, and it proved to be a correct instinct. Cirque du Soleil Se Levant was hot! Since the last time I saw Sun (Clifton?) they are a completely different corps. This corps has worked its butt off and it shows. I can’t congratulate these folks enough. They added five horns and the show is transformed. It was really, really, good last night. The Percussion section leads the way. Not only are the battery charts well written, but I think that Sun’s line played aggressively and well. They reek of confidence and I think that's pretty cool. I think alot of smaller corps and lines have inferiority complexes, but not Sun. They are fierce! The Brass section was soooooo much improved and they marched a clever show quite well. I particularly liked the mellophone solo in the closer that was played with a lot of emotion. There were a few colorguard malfunctions, but that seemed the only “weak” spot. For their size, the Sunrisers are now a force to be reckoned with....

Overall, the Open class competition corps seemed to be pretty tight in my estimation. I would have had Hurricanes' score a bit closer to Bush, and Bush a bit closer to Empire. Basically, the big corps were all very competitive with each other, and Cabs will have to stay on their toes to keep ahead of the pack. In some ways, though, Sun was the story of the night. Their turnabout was that complete. I think that they will have quite a bit of success in Class A competition in Rochester.

WOW!!! Thanks so much for the awesome review, I really apreciate all the positive feedback on my corps' performance last night. I'm glad you enjoyed watching it as we did performing it

[ech2os]

Hurcs with 50 brass ? Have they ever had 50 brass ? Seriously, I can't remember them ever having 50 brass. Even when they won it in the early 80's I don't think they had 50 brass.

[JimF-LowBari]

Hurcs with 50 brass ? Have they ever had 50 brass ? Seriously, I can't remember them ever having 50 brass. Even when they won it in the early 80's I don't think they had 50 brass.

Go a little further back to the '70s. And hearing them go off the retreat field with Hang 'Em High and Mag 7 was a real time warp for me a few weeks ago at Chambersburg.

[OHS_Bucs53]

White Sabers

21 Brass, 11cg, 6 pit, 3 snares, 1 tenor, 5 bds, 1 dm

It was a long night for the White Sabers. The audience was intrigued with their neat Roman soldier props that seem to add more performers to the field. It was a cool effect and a highlight to the show. The show concept is based upon the film Gladiator, but the music was unrecognizable because of poor execution and major phasing problems. Too little of the show is written in unison and depends mainly upon individual's hitting solo notes. The charts are far too difficult for the musicians to play coherently and the drill likewise. At some points, it seemed as if the snare drummers were lost musically, and just kind of "hacked" it out. It really wasn't their fault, because it was clear that the show was perhaps overly ambitious. I give the corps a lot of credit for not quitting and they made it through a tough book and night. With a show better suited to the corps' membership, I think the White Sabers could put on a formidable entertainment.

Because Cru didn't have a show this weekend.....I went down to Kingston with my best friend(who's in Sabers' guard). I met the new drummers and they're doing pretty well for them only being there for like 2-3 weeks. The center snare has been there longer...so he knows the music. The new drummers are learning the music, but also..one of the snare drummers has a problem with his wrist and has to wrap both of them. :sshh:

During the performance I noticed that the tempos started to get a little crazy.....so something had to be wrong! Also, if none of you fans that were @ the show heard....the drum major blacked-out after he got off the field!!! :(

Even though the show wasn't "all that"....you should have seen them rehearse & the run-through was amazing! B)

[ech2os]

Go a little further back to the '70s. And hearing them go off the retreat field with Hang 'Em High and Mag 7 was a real time warp for me a few weeks ago at Chambersburg.

I thought they might have back then, but I was too young. I can't wait to hear them go off the field this year :)

[leadsop97]

just an FYI....we don't have 50 horns. haha. we have 44 as of right now. 15 trumpets, 10 mellos, 6 tubas, 13 baris/euphs. our show is written for 48, and hopefully we will fill those holes. I know of at least one more coming next weekend. so, that's the update on our hornline. it is the biggest hornline the corps has had in a pretty long while from what I remember. although, being 19, that's not very many years. :P

we were also missing a snare and tenor at the show.

[SUNSNARE07]

just an FYI....we don't have 50 horns. haha. we have 44 as of right now. 15 trumpets, 10 mellos, 6 tubas, 13 baris/euphs. our show is written for 48, and hopefully we will fill those holes. I know of at least one more coming next weekend. so, that's the update on our hornline. it is the biggest hornline the corps has had in a pretty long while from what I remember. although, being 19, that's not very many years. :P

we were also missing a snare and tenor at the show.

You guys have 5 tenors? Last time I saw you, you had 4, thats still awesome

[pearlsnaredrummer77]

The Hurricanes' 50 member hornline was actually a typo w/Stp: that I corrected awhile back.

But I do hope y'all get to 48 cause it sounded pretty sweet last night with 42.