A Stillwater Review

[ffffingloud]

Well, what an honor it was to see the public unveiling of some of these shows... and overall I think it was a great start.

It was a good night for drum corps-- warm and a tad humid, but with very little wind. Hot air balloons even drifted overhead for a birds-eye view of the proceedings.

And now for the review (in performance order):

THE GOVENAIRES (63.75): For a small group, they actually put out a decent bit of sound. They have a fun show full of rock tune arrangements and a drum major who does the announcing for them. And heck, how can you not give props to a corps that salutes the teachers in the audience by playing an arrangement of "Hot for Teacher"??

MINNESOTA BRASS, INC. (73.125): Ok, I must come clean and admit something. I have always been one to scurv a bit on Senior corps. I pretty much always thought of them as sort of... meh. Even without really ever seeing them in person. I guess I had this concept of them as full of aging bandos trying to relive their glory days and sorta failing at it. Fail?? What was I THINKING! The Minnesota Brass are totally legit!!! They play and play LOUD. They march! They have a great guard and their percussion rocks! VERY entertaining an jazzy show-- and overall very well designed. Much better than some of the world class corps actually. I am sorry I ever was a snarky ######## about them-- in fact next year I just may try out!

THE COLT CADETS (57.6): The show is called "Lullaby and Good Nightmare". The musical selections are somewhat fun (Pee Wees Playhouse, Hall of the Mountain King) and they do an okay job at presenting the show. The child's bed on the field is very underutilized at this point. And they use big exercise balls at one point humerously (but balls on a field are a recipe for disaster). But I do seem to recall them having a solid percussion section (for some reason I do remember their snares). I think the show will grow throughout the season.

THE RACINE SCOUTS (49.1): Oh my. Their show is a salute to the Big Apple and Broadway. They are definitely a small corps and I do give them mad props for coming out and trying, I really do. But their position in the show lineup didn't do them any favours. For being small, they do put out a decent and in tune sound- and I can tell their show isn't quite finished yet. The ending sort of came out of nowhere, and the whole crowd didn't seem to know that the show was over. Oh, and I hope they fix the tempo on Harlem Nocturne... it really shouldn't be played like a dirge. It honestly made my heart hurt just a little bit.

INTERMISSION-- free Old Dutch potato chips and some Famous Dave's BBQ later, and it was time for the World Class corps.

SPIRIT OF JSU (63.7): Their show "Live... In Concert" has potential. They do use voice in their amplification, but it is like you are hearing the cues from backstage "Cue lights.... curtain... " stuff like that. And while I'm not wild about some of their rock tune musical selections, they do play well and they are marching a good show design. They also seem to have a good percussion section which they feature a couple times-- including right off the top. This show definitely has room to grow.

MADISON SCOUTS (63.7): "Relampago" is a show in which Madison is going to have a bit of fun. They throw in some comedy along with the jazzy sound that Madison does well. (The crowd was appreciative of the comedic turns). Malaga even makes a return, but not in the traditional Scouts way- its much more subtle. I'm not going to ruin the guard costumes here, but they are definitely... different. Now, I love me some Scouts and I desperately want to see them back in the top 5... but I'm not sure this is the vehicle. The show just seems to lack a bit of that old Scouts pizazz. And honestly a bit of the volume too. But I also recognize that the show is a bit unfinished at this point. C'mon Scouts-- lets ramp this thing UP!

PHANTOM REGIMENT (72.7): "The Red Violin" is their show. Lots and lots of Pagannini selections/variations (with some Benny Goodman thrown in). Now, I will say as much as I am a fan of the Cavaliers (FMM here), I was waiting with baited breath to see Phantom. I haven't seen them live for several years, and I really wanted to experience them. The good things? YES that hornline can PLAY! Lots of fast runs, riffs, and great volume. 16 bloody contras! Their ballad was my favorite of the evening-- so lush and with a cutoff that I'm sure is still echoing around Stillwater. And their percussion seems quite good again this year, but perhaps not quite as strong as in the previous couple. The not so good things? I don't know if I like the overall show. The jazzy section sort of really cleaves it and sort of destroys the flow. I also didn't feel the story of the Red Violin and the love, fame, loss, etc. But I know this is early in the season, and Phantom will bring it by the end as always.

THE CAVALIERS (75.1): "The Great Divide". What can I say? I am a FMM, so of course I'll be a tad biased. Its another really well designed visual program. The corps even starts "divided" on the field. The color guard is in mountaineering outfits with rope even. And the best part?? THE MUSIC! Thank the FSM that they aren't doing original music this year!! Returning to known music has been my biggest desire for the Cavies for several years now (I'm not counting the Billy Joel). Their music is really cool this year and their hornline sounds great. Less power (and technicality) than Phantom, but maybe they'll turn it up a notch later. Some very cool visuals done with the ropes and with constructing "mountains" out of the hornline, etc. And the Cavaliers color guard is really spot on. Again, its obvious the show isn't quite finished and needs more 'ending'... but it's a strong show and will be in the thick of things at the top I think.

THE BLUE STARS (66.2): Blue Stars finished off the evening with their "Factory" show. They have tables and sewing machines covering nearly 1/2 of the field... and in the back corner are some laundry lines. I'm not sure why the laundry was there, and I can only imagine that the tables will be used more at a later date. That being said-- Boy can the Blue Stars PLAY! They got some VOLUME on them! I don't think their hornline is as big as either Phantom or the Cavaliers, but I think they might have been the loudest of the night. BIG hits. BIG Volume! YAY!!!! The music is good and the show design overall has a lot of potential. This corps has top 8 written all over it. But I think they do need to fix the table thing. Right now they really clutter the field visually and are a bit of a detraction. Go Blue Stars!!

As far as the scoring goes, it was pretty much exactly as I predicted. I know Phantom phans will feel a bit ripped off, but remember Phantom is in all white (SUPER all white this year) which makes any drill flaw just stand out. I was perhaps a bit surprised by the tie between Madison and Spirit... but I'm not sure who I would have given the nod to at this point. Maybe that was the judges problem as well.

I can't wait to see the Cavaliers and Phantom clash with the Devils, SCV, and the Cadets!! Boy howdy!!! Its going to be a good season!

[Eric Molho]

MINNESOTA BRASS, INC. (73.125): Ok, I must come clean and admit something. I have always been one to scurv a bit on Senior corps. I pretty much always thought of them as sort of... meh. Even without really ever seeing them in person. I guess I had this concept of them as full of aging bandos trying to relive their glory days and sorta failing at it. Fail?? What was I THINKING! The Minnesota Brass are totally legit!!! They play and play LOUD. They march! They have a great guard and their percussion rocks! VERY entertaining an jazzy show-- and overall very well designed. Much better than some of the world class corps actually. I am sorry I ever was a snarky ######## about them-- in fact next year I just may try out!

So glad you enjoyed MBI's show--and now feel DCA corps are legit

When should we add you to our recruiting list?

[Dr.Mickey]

Good review. I, like you, am glad to see the Cavies turning a bit more lyrical this year. The visual design sounds pretty cool (big surprise) as well.

Not sure about Blue Stars. When I think "Factory", I don't think textiles. Maybe it's an Upton Sinclair "Jungle" theme. Didn't know that book had been turned into a musical. Anybody lose any body parts?