MJH Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 The only thing consistent is change. Chances are, when you think of The CorpsVets you think of swinging, jazzy tunes played in a southern style. That ain't how it started. When I went to my first open house, the video of the previous year featured mostly patriotic music. Things change. I arrived at Alexander HS about 2PM. I'm already in a good mood if for no other reason than it's about 45 minutes closer to my house than Rockmart. As I drive up the hill and see the stadium for the first time, I can't help but think, "What a great place this is going to be to have a drum corps show!" Let me stop right here and say something. If you are an alumni (or friend) (or family) of a corps, go support your corps. If you can't go see 'em or help 'em, at least throw money at 'em. Buy some suvies or make a donation. See old friends. Make new ones. Be proud that you were a part (no matter how small) of what got your corps to where it is today. After saying "Hi" to the guys rebuilding the trailer and the cute girl at the suvie stand, I take my lawn chair to the top of the stands at about the 45 and settle in to watch some rehearsal. The first thing I notice is how freaking hot it is. And it's only June! How did I do this? From where I'm sitting, I see a June drum corps that is moving and playing better than some of the July and even August corps I've been in. Rehearsal is running at a different tempo than I remember for this time of season. The corps is less in a learning mode and more in a cleaning mode. They were focused and working hard. I see a few people on the field who I can tell have just stepped in to fill holes and are learning drill (and a couple still learning music), but it seems to me like this corps is about a month farther along than I remember being the last couple of full seasons I marched. There were a few lines (upper brass in the little block around the 35) and intervals (bass line) that still need work, but there's no doubt in my mind those things will come. I really like the sound of the new drums. I don't know if it's the new set of Yamahas or a different approach to the tuning, but (of course) they blend better coming off the field than the wedge snares and board tenors and have a warmer tone than the Pearls they had before that. Speaking of drums, this is a great snare line. They're already tighter than a gnat's butt. As a drummer, I think some of this is technique. Every left hand looked the same. Elbows were in the same place. Postures matched. Wrists were in the same place. I can tell this is something an instructor paid attention to. Give this same attention to basses, tenors and pit and this whole drum line will move to the next level. About 4 o'clock they started to show up. Family, friends and former members rolled into the Alexander HS parking lot. I'd say well over a hundred (maybe over 150) people came for BBQ and drum corps. Bill Wear and I agreed the crowd was bigger than the first time CV hosted a DCA show. Rehearsal ended and we all made our way to the school's cafeteria for some delicious BBQ chicken and pork and sweet tea. The BBQ sauce had a delicious North Carolina flavor to it and the pulled pork was smoky and tender. The fellowship at these events is worth the price of admission alone. Some announcements were made and the corps went to get ready for the evening's performance. I watched the drum line warm up. Again, I can't get over how tight the snares are. Listening to them run the music for the show, I was impressed by the range of emotion in both the writing and performance of the entire drum line. I look forward to seeing how these guys (and girl) develop as the season progresses. Soon it was show time. The corps arced up on the 50 near the front sideline. (BTW, T.J. Maunder can sell some 50/50 tickets!) Program coordinator, brass arranger, brass caption head, cook, chef and bottle washer, David Henry, stood up and talked a little about the show. I hope Dave forgives me for paraphrasing... The show is in three movements. The first movement is about hope and excitement as the first immigrants came to the south, leaving behind oppression, famine and a host of other difficulties in their homelands. The corps stayed in their arc and played Appalachian Morning. The arrangement was warm and lush. The guard stood in place behind the horn arc and did their work in place. I couldn't help but notice their beautiful flags. The bold colors really pop against the neutrals and metallic fabrics. I'm no guard expert but this first set of flags seemed to have a springtime color combo but with the tones of winter still in them. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it seemed like they represent leaving the dark and grey of winter and oppression behind and moving into a fresh start. Some of the members had mentioned t me this first movement was the most difficult of the three. I can believe it. The corps really pulled it off. The blend within the brass line and the blend of the brass to the drums was magical. The only thing lacking was a little more sound out of the pit, especially on the vibes end. Dave Henry stood up and talked about the second movement. Again, please forgive my paraphrasing. The second movement shows the southern Appalachian immigrants as the pressures of the depression begin to weigh on them. The misery that was the coal mines and the difficult farming and the hard work that was early life in the southern United States is reflected in Inferno; far and away the darkest piece CV has ever put on the field, and I like it. From these difficulties, the corps moves into hope through a gospel tune, Down to the River to Pray. The performance in the arc is good, but I'll talk more about these pieces in a minute. The third movement celebrates the beauty of the Appalachians and the south. Shenandoah begins by featuring the best mellophone line in DCA. As this song begins to transform into Simple Gifts and the two are juxtaposed on top of one another to create a palate of colors matched only by the guard’s silks. The end of the piece and the closing of the show is power-filled and put an exclamation point at the end of the story. Next the corps put on the rest of their uniforms, took their places for the opening set and performed the show in a full field run through. One or two minutes into the show, I'm beginning to be impressed by how well the position of the corps on the field compliments the arrangements and the blend of the different sections. There were some dirty feet and some dirty lines, it's June for Pete's sake, but the forms look great and I couldn't tell if the music was highlighting the guard or if the guard was highlighting the music. What a wonderful blend between sight and sound. As the corps went into the second movement I was again impressed by how dark Inferno is. (I assume the guard hasn't gotten their unis yet, mostly because there was what looked like a guard uni hanging up by the suvie booth.) The horns played this section mostly backfield, the dark side of their uniforms facing the audience. The guard, dressed all in black (looking so cool in this part) left their equipment on the ground and concentrated on body work. The pit added more to this section than anywhere else in the show, using both traditional and non-traditional instruments to enhance the mood. Right when the corps is at its darkest, the brass quartet begins a beautiful gospel melody. The spirit grows, color returns, more sections join in. Mid-brass and tenors make a statement, low-brass and basses answer, high brass and snares add their two cents and next thing you know, there's that wonderful southern-jazzy sound CV is known for. The guard brought in a new set of color and featured the weapon & flag work that consistently keep them at the top of DCA. The third movement began with a great mellophone solo and built and drove to the end. When the corps hit the company front at the end and brought it across the field it reminded me why I got so excited at my first drum corps show. The layering of the 2 songs, Shenandoah and Simple Gifts, was not at all what I expected. Despite having heard it just minutes before in the arc, I liked how the drill complimented the arrangement. This year's show takes CorpsVets to a new level. The staff and designers have done a great job and I can't wait to see what this group looks like come August. Yeah, I'm biased. Sue me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ CVmellophone Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Joe- Thank you so much for your warm review. We've been working hard to craft this show for our fans. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. On a side note- it was great to see so many familiar faces at the event. So many new faces too. The whole experience was wonderful for me. After the night came to a close I asked one of our newest mellophone players how she enjoyed her first drum corps event and to be honest, I don't even remember her words- the biggest and brightest smile that immediately showed up across her face will be etched in my memories of this show for a long, long time. Rochester in T-4 days. GET ON THE BUS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigken Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Joe-Thank you so much for your warm review. We've been working hard to craft this show for our fans. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. On a side note- it was great to see so many familiar faces at the event. So many new faces too. The whole experience was wonderful for me. After the night came to a close I asked one of our newest mellophone players how she enjoyed her first drum corps event and to be honest, I don't even remember her words- the biggest and brightest smile that immediately showed up across her face will be etched in my memories of this show for a long, long time. Rochester in T-4 days. GET ON THE BUS! Rob, we go to Bridgeport in 4 days, 66 days untill Rochester. Don't get on the wrong bus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davhen Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 (edited) Hey Joe! Wow, man, what a write-up! I love the positive vibe, and you're pretty good with the pen. . . or keyboard, I guess I should say. And very astute observations for one read. Now . . . how do you feel about judging GE? Edited June 23, 2008 by davhen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammiB Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 It was really a great day for the corps. The turnout was far better than we had hoped for. It was so good to see so many alumni there. The corps looked wonderful. It's hard to believe that they had rehearsed all day before putting on a show for us. This is definitely a hard year to not march!!!! Congrats to the staff for putting together such an amazing show and many thanks to Vic Kulinski for organizing a very successful "Friends and Family Day" party!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldsoprano Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Bravo, CorpsVets. Nicely done, Saturday night! Here's the link to some pictures I took during the standstill portion of the performance (switched to video camera for the full run): http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563886255ykJsOM?start=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
00Sop Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 GREAT review, Joe. Thanks. Good luck up Nawth CV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpt43 Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Bravo, CorpsVets. Nicely done, Saturday night! Here's the link to some pictures I took during the standstill portion of the performance (switched to video camera for the full run): http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563886255ykJsOM?start=0 Nice pics! You always do a great job. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbionNY Drum Line Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Bravo, CorpsVets. Nicely done, Saturday night! Here's the link to some pictures I took during the standstill portion of the performance (switched to video camera for the full run): http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563886255ykJsOM?start=0 feel free to share that video :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurcwave Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 EXCELLANT REVIEW Joe!! Thank you. It was a great night of drum corps and BBQ. This was the first time CV did it this way and it was a great success. It will definitly become an annual event ! Thanks to all the CV ALUMNI and members families that came out to support, it was awesome to see you .... . also THANKS to a few of the CV ALUMNI that helped serve and clean up. And Joe, you'll have to wait for Saturday in Bpt for the LIVE performance !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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