brasstax Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 (edited) This was a Drum Corps evening with ideal conditions ... the weather, the venue and a packed stadium with a knowledgeable crowd. We also witnessed Empire Statesmen' 25th year anniversary celebration ... a tribute to Mr "B". No one could of predicted or expected the surprise outcome. Empire Cadets It was a short demonstration of their talents. As is often the case in similar situations, many members of the Statesmen increased their ranks. Two young individuals (guard & drummer) had the opportunity to impress us in their respective fields. Kids that age certainly need the exposure to gain experience. Good job! White Sabers They will do well in class A. They are a very young and inexperienced corps still in the building process. Within the brass line , the mellophones seem to be the stronger of all the sections. Their show gives many different individuals the opportunity to do solo work. The use of cone shaped props add to the overall visual effect but guard members spend too much time handling them to the detriment of musical support. The Drum Major seemed experienced and had everything under control. The corps, including soloists, need to convey more confidence & emotion. Good effort! Crusaders The uniforms are very stylish. IMO, classical music is probably the most difficult genre to adapt to a Drum Corps show concept. Intensity has to be maintained in the highs and lows ... the Buccs are masters of this domain in DCA. Your performance seemed like a "Johnny One Note". You had some fans in the stands and frankly, they were the only ones reacting. I could not get a handle on what you wanted to convey. The drum line was the section that demonstrated the most determination. After reading pre-season comments on DCP, I was expecting more. Caballeros They came onto the field with their usual unflinching demeanour. Although rough around the edges, the overall performance was high in intensity. The concept of the show was evidently well planned and every section was given the opportunity to show off their respective abilities through performance and visual demand. I noticed some breaks in tempo between brass & percussion but they were quickly resolved. The only tune I wasn't sure about is the ballad which falls short on melodic content. The mellophones have interesting and fast moving parts which were very well highlighted (staging). I counted ten (10) but is everyone playing? Sopranos also have a demanding book but leads need to sustain the intensity especially in the endings. Low brass compliment the line with a rich sound. Soloists need to exhibit more confidence. The drum line including the pit is probably the Cabs' forte as they execute with so much determination. The guard is obviously a great asset and the contrasting uniform colours add to the visual effect. I thoroughly enjoyed this show. Without a doubt, Cabs are definite contenders if they play their cards right. Time will tell! Brigadiers The initial visual set makes them look small in numbers. This was their first competition of the season and you could sense the nervousness. The show got off to a very fast paced drum intro but never materialized into a hair raising climax. Quality over quantity might have been the pre-show directive and I got the impression they just wanted to go through the motions without taking any risks. The brass line seemed much smaller than previous years but still managed a decent performance level. The mellophones seem to carry most of the musical responsibilities and do it well. The ballad is very sombre ... low brass does a good job in this selection ... especially liked the fugue part ... the fortissimo climax needs more intensity to be effective possibly in a compressed visual form. "Ride" was very entertaining. Even though visual problems were evident, you can tell there's a whole lot of content in that selection as it pertains to all elements. Also enjoyed the body movements of the drum line during their feature ... really cool! It's still early and Brigs always get their act together. No predictions on my part .. aim for the top 5! Empire Statesmen Last but not least, the Statesmen seemed like the cleanest corps out there. Visually, I've never seen them so spread out ... on a regular basis. I actually saw individuals running (not jazz running) to their spots ... possibly the most difficult visual show of the evening. The initial musical impact was very effective. The drum feature is very exciting because of the constant moving ... well done! The brass line is well balanced and solid in all sections. They still have Joey Pero on the front sideline whaling out those high notes here and there usually at the ends of selections while other soloists are included in the visual design. I don't think his role is as prominent as years past. Possibly in the ballad (not sure), I noticed he was conducting tempo for a minute or so but everyone was facing backfield. What's up with that? I might be mistaken but most musical selections did not seem to have been re-arranged ... same old ... same old. In general, the guard seemed a much improved team over last year ... not sure about the light blue tops. Never ever count them out! The judges had it right ... Caballeros by a hair. Edited July 9, 2008 by brasstax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cone256 Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Thanks for the review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbionNY Drum Line Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 good stuff! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaberTimeZildjian Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 Thanks for the nice review! I feel much, much, much better this year than last year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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