Drums (and synths) on Parade

[Galen]

Tonight wraps up the 3rd of my 3 shows this weekend (or 4 if you count Stanford). Thankfully there was NO rain at tonight's show!

Venue: Breitenbach HS stadium. The stadium's been renovated recently and has the look of a real good "small" venue. Unfortunately there's a wide track to contend with which makes the corps feel further away. My seat was about halfway up the bleachers and on the 30 yard line DM right. Should have been a good view but my sight lines weren't that good for a lot of the corps, which my pictures will unfortunately reflect. I was late getting to the show so I had to park a block away but from the looks of things there's certainly plenty of parking. But do come early if you attend this show because the lot was full and so were most of the stands.

On to the corps. Pioneer is sounding a lot stronger at this point in the season than they have the last couple years. Their "Celtic Trinity" show certainly feels a little different than last year's offering- there's much more demand (and tempo!) in the brass book (written well as always by Donny Allen). The ballad is a real tender one, and one of the DM's gets to shine with a couple of short mello solos. Best guard moment of the show came when one girl did a cartwheel and her dress came up over her head and we all got a nice look at her midriff :woot: The drumline seemed well-balanced with the brass this year, which is good because that balance has been an issue for them the last few seasons. I honestly can't remember the last time Pioneer broke 60 this early in the season (they got a 61 tonight), so they're clearly on the right track with this show.

I had seen Colts in Toledo and were impressed with their show. Up close it was just as nice the second time around, but it didn't feel like it had changed that much since Toledo. One issue this corps has had the last couple of seasons is writing shows that are easy to get clean early in the season but don't have a lot of potential for growth and development, and this show has that feeling going for it.

Spirit was the only corps I've seen so far this year that has vocals in their show. Seems like synths are the big fad this year and vocals (and Air Blades) have been put back on the shelf. Their "Live in Concert" show has all the hype and promise of a rock concert- but it just doesn't deliver musically. The hornline is mostly reduced to being a backup band for the pit and the drumline. Pit gets most of the interesting stuff of the musical book, from the first Wayward Son riffs to a steel drum riff of Dust in the Wind. They also break my rule about random synth noise- lots of random "space age" stuff all over the show. I was hoping for much more with this one.

INT did not perform due to their drum major being eaten alive by a giant mosquito. It's a real tragedy. I hope they'll recover and get back on the field soon.

Blue Stars came out after the break and brought a truckload of props onto the field with them, from tables to what looked like hat racks, and proceeded to park it all on the left third of the field. I thought- "Great- there goes a third of their marching space. And they were so good with their field coverage last season". Boy was I wrong! Rest assured that they manage to march across practically every inch of the turf at some point in their "Factory" show, which felt an awful lot like a retelling of Bluecoats' show from 1995. The "Taps" ballad was a very poignant piece and could be the highlight of their show this year. I felt like there could even be room in this show for an old-style flag presentation. Horns had a very good night sound-wise. I really love how this corps gets a right mix of bright high brass sound with strong low brass sound. Only part that seemed out of place was the closer.

Phantom Regiment- the champs are here! And it looks like prom night as they take the field, with corps members escorting guard members who are wearing tuxes and gowns. I have to be brutally honest here- this show really let me down after last year. Sure, the excellent musicianship is there, they'll contend for drums again, but that's all I can really say. The show did not captivate me in the least, and the "violin story" didn't come through at all. They also dropped the prop violin on a big toss near the end of the show. They're lucky it's not a real Strad The shout chorus section had me wondering if Cadets had moved to Rockford, to be honest, because that's what it seemed like. I don't see this show winning- or even being top 5 I'm afraid. They were the only corps I saw not to use synths tonight.

Last corps of the night were the hometown heroes, the Madison Scouts. Guard took the field in full-length hooded red robes, concealing the luchador outfits underneath. I did not care for their brass sound at all- much too dark for my taste and the low bass sounds coming from their synths just did not leave me with a good feel, both during the show and when they played JCS at their standstill. The show has some potential if they can figure out what they want the guard characters to do. Right now it's just "guys in superhero costumes dancing around and spinning stuff while the brass plays loud music". Guard also had several weapon drops during the show. The ending was a real let-down and will certainly be rewritten.

Overall, I'm kinda having a meh feeling about this season, and am pretty much considering staying home for the next couple weeks and skipping the local shows and going to Murfreesboro instead. Right now there are very few corps that have a product on the field that appears significantly thought out. Lots of corps have 1/2 or maybe 3/4's of a show that's well planned out and the pieces seem to fit together (Cadets, Troopers, Cavaliers, who are at least going somewhere, Blue Stars- except for their closer), but lots of others feel like they're just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. Normally I'd say "It's early", but really, it isn't. It's July, and it's kinda disappointing to see so many programs that appear to just be flailing around for something they can grab ahold of.

[troon8]

...Right now it's just "guys in superhero costumes dancing around and spinning stuff while the brass plays loud music"...

I think that's one of the most accurate definitions of all male color guards I've ever heard... Thanks for the great review!

Edited June 29, 2009 by troon8

[Galen]

I think that's one of the most accurate definitions of all male color guards I've ever heard... Thanks for the great review!

Well that's basically what it is right now. It's a really unique choice of character (Mexican superhero) and if/when properly developed could work out really well.

Key words being if and when, of course.

[Scerpella]

Tonight wraps up the 3rd of my 3 shows this weekend (or 4 if you count Stanford). Thankfully there was NO rain at tonight's show!

Venue: Breitenbach HS stadium. The stadium's been renovated recently and has the look of a real good "small" venue. Unfortunately there's a wide track to contend with which makes the corps feel further away. My seat was about halfway up the bleachers and on the 30 yard line DM right. Should have been a good view but my sight lines weren't that good for a lot of the corps, which my pictures will unfortunately reflect. I was late getting to the show so I had to park a block away but from the looks of things there's certainly plenty of parking. But do come early if you attend this show because the lot was full and so were most of the stands.

On to the corps. Pioneer is sounding a lot stronger at this point in the season than they have the last couple years. Their "Celtic Trinity" show certainly feels a little different than last year's offering- there's much more demand (and tempo!) in the brass book (written well as always by Donny Allen). The ballad is a real tender one, and one of the DM's gets to shine with a couple of short mello solos. Best guard moment of the show came when one girl did a cartwheel and her dress came up over her head and we all got a nice look at her midriff :woot: The drumline seemed well-balanced with the brass this year, which is good because that balance has been an issue for them the last few seasons. I honestly can't remember the last time Pioneer broke 60 this early in the season (they got a 61 tonight), so they're clearly on the right track with this show.

I had seen Colts in Toledo and were impressed with their show. Up close it was just as nice the second time around, but it didn't feel like it had changed that much since Toledo. One issue this corps has had the last couple of seasons is writing shows that are easy to get clean early in the season but don't have a lot of potential for growth and development, and this show has that feeling going for it.

Spirit was the only corps I've seen so far this year that has vocals in their show. Seems like synths are the big fad this year and vocals (and Air Blades) have been put back on the shelf. Their "Live in Concert" show has all the hype and promise of a rock concert- but it just doesn't deliver musically. The hornline is mostly reduced to being a backup band for the pit and the drumline. Pit gets most of the interesting stuff of the musical book, from the first Wayward Son riffs to a steel drum riff of Dust in the Wind. They also break my rule about random synth noise- lots of random "space age" stuff all over the show. I was hoping for much more with this one.

INT did not perform due to their drum major being eaten alive by a giant mosquito. It's a real tragedy. I hope they'll recover and get back on the field soon.

Blue Stars came out after the break and brought a truckload of props onto the field with them, from tables to what looked like hat racks, and proceeded to park it all on the left third of the field. I thought- "Great- there goes a third of their marching space. And they were so good with their field coverage last season". Boy was I wrong! Rest assured that they manage to march across practically every inch of the turf at some point in their "Factory" show, which felt an awful lot like a retelling of Bluecoats' show from 1995. The "Taps" ballad was a very poignant piece and could be the highlight of their show this year. I felt like there could even be room in this show for an old-style flag presentation. Horns had a very good night sound-wise. I really love how this corps gets a right mix of bright high brass sound with strong low brass sound. Only part that seemed out of place was the closer.

Phantom Regiment- the champs are here! And it looks like prom night as they take the field, with corps members escorting guard members who are wearing tuxes and gowns. I have to be brutally honest here- this show really let me down after last year. Sure, the excellent musicianship is there, they'll contend for drums again, but that's all I can really say. The show did not captivate me in the least, and the "violin story" didn't come through at all. They also dropped the prop violin on a big toss near the end of the show. They're lucky it's not a real Strad The shout chorus section had me wondering if Cadets had moved to Rockford, to be honest, because that's what it seemed like. I don't see this show winning- or even being top 5 I'm afraid. They were the only corps I saw not to use synths tonight.

Last corps of the night were the hometown heroes, the Madison Scouts. Guard took the field in full-length hooded red robes, concealing the luchador outfits underneath. I did not care for their brass sound at all- much too dark for my taste and the low bass sounds coming from their synths just did not leave me with a good feel, both during the show and when they played JCS at their standstill. The show has some potential if they can figure out what they want the guard characters to do. Right now it's just "guys in superhero costumes dancing around and spinning stuff while the brass plays loud music". Guard also had several weapon drops during the show. The ending was a real let-down and will certainly be rewritten.

Overall, I'm kinda having a meh feeling about this season, and am pretty much considering staying home for the next couple weeks and skipping the local shows and going to Murfreesboro instead. Right now there are very few corps that have a product on the field that appears significantly thought out. Lots of corps have 1/2 or maybe 3/4's of a show that's well planned out and the pieces seem to fit together (Cadets, Troopers, Cavaliers, who are at least going somewhere, Blue Stars- except for their closer), but lots of others feel like they're just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. Normally I'd say "It's early", but really, it isn't. It's July, and it's kinda disappointing to see so many programs that appear to just be flailing around for something they can grab ahold of.

I truly cannot understand how this reviewer can completely ignore the Kilties being there. My understanding is that they expected to be scored on DCA sheets Sunday. So at this point there is no report on a score and apparently no comments on whether their performance was enjoyable or not.

[milestogo]

I truly cannot understand how this reviewer can completely ignore the Kilties being there. My understanding is that they expected to be scored on DCA sheets Sunday. So at this point there is no report on a score and apparently no comments on whether their performance was enjoyable or not.

Nothing on the Colt Cadets either. Perhaps the reviewer left early. Maybe looking to get in a 5th show somewhere.

[blue9195]

And people wonder why lurkers and casual posters don't want to post reviews.........

If anyone had bothered to truly read Galen's review, they might have noticed the line where he stated he got to the show late.

Thank you Galen for taking your time to write what you did.

[manlybandman]

Thanks for the review. I discovered how spoiled I am after watching ALL of the shows I attended last summer from high-level (Madison - Camp Randall, Lincoln - Memorial Stadium, Hutchinson, and Bloomington). Even though I was only 2 rows from the top, it was hard to get a read on formations.

Still a great show. On to Dubuque tomorrow night.

[dmfootworks]

And people wonder why lurkers and casual posters don't want to post reviews.........

If anyone had bothered to truly read Galen's review, they might have noticed the line where he stated he got to the show late.

Thank you Galen for taking your time to write what you did.

HaHaHa . . . Especially when the entire review is posted in the reply as well!

Thanks indeed to Galen. Everyone's time is valuable, and it's wonderful when people take the time to share their experiences.

[Galen]

PM's sent. I'm not going to apologize for leaving out a "review" of a group that I didn't get a chance to see because I was late getting to the show. The rest of you- thanks for reading the review and your feedback. Glad you enjoyed it.

If it clears things up for you, the reason I was late was because I was in the Chicago suburbs until around 2:30 local time looking at apartments for when I move to that area in August, struggled driving from Chicago to Madison and didn't get to my sister-in-law's house until a few minutes AFTER six, only to log on to DCI and find out the show started AT 6 and having to jump right back in my car and book it over from Monona to Middleton after already driving for about 3.5 hours. Hopefully I can catch everybody's favorite corps at the next show I go to.

And DanS- you've known me a long time on this forum. The least you can do is call me by my name or DCP handle instead of referring to me so off-handedly as "this reviewer". I'm not TO and you're not Bill Parcells.

[bigbluekiltie]

Well that's basically what it is right now. It's a really unique choice of character (Mexican superhero) and if/when properly developed could work out really well.

Key words being if and when, of course.

Just a few quick comments and a brief Kiltie review.

I loved the corps in this show. There seems to be a renewed attempt to please the crowd with big, powerful impact points. Blue Stars...what a great sound...but why the need for all the props? 42 sewing tables plus a bunch of other stuff that added little to the show. Spirit...seems like the hornline was only used to play backup to the synthesizer...and all the theatre announcements were really irritating. Madison was terrific to watch and to hear...probably the most dynamic Scouts show since the "new era" began. Colts...always beautiful; show is always well-written. Phantom...whew...like listening to an orchestra and watching ballet....just terrific. Pioneer, like the reviewer said, is stronger at this time of year than the last couple...a very enjoyable show.

Colt Cadets...really enjoyed them...that staff knows how to get the best out of the kids and knows how to provide a show that is within their means yet is a crowd-pleaser.

Question with tongue-in-cheek:"since the person running the synthesizer is, in fact, playing an instrument, should he not be in uniform and be evaluated as any other player on the field?" (and should his age be within DCI limits?) I must admit, I did not mind the synthesizer as much as I thought I would. Other than Spirit, the other corps' synthesizer (ohwere not instrusive.

Kilts: a packed house watched the kilts take the field with a moving visual warmup featuring slow Syne....a great start. Kilts fielded 18 guard, 38 brass,

eleven percussion, 10 pit and two drum majors..no American squad.

This year's Renaissance music is wonderful.....much better chart choices than last year...far more impact points; more power; more excitement. Small ensembles were outstanding. Sop soloist at the beginning of the show MUST play that solo more precisely if it is to have the impact which is intended.

Bari solos were great. I loved the choral work toward the end of the show...but it could be a bit stronger and performed closer to the audience.

The visual package was a delightful mix of the old and the new....counter marches and box formations balanced nicely with the more modern visual styles. I am concerned about the slow pace of the show...although that picked up beautifully toward the end...I am guessing the show ranged from 98 bpm to about 140 bpm...not sure. I am also concerned about the lack of transitions from one chart to the next...a lot of long pauses in the show will not impress DCA judges.

The percussion session had only one quad and four bass....that will pose a problem when it comes to DCA...but the line was clean. The brass session is clean for this time of year...but the sops seemed a bit harsh and missed quite a few notes early in the show....lower voices were clean but lacked the numbers needed to provide a good balance.

These charts are tough...they would be a challenge to any DCA corps...and the Kilts pull it off pretty well.

The guard is fun to watch and could be the best guard in recent Kiltie history.

A lot is made of "Kiltie feet"....heavy and plodding with different styles among the members. Though better than last year at this time, it is still troublesome...the spats hurt. I do think the age of the corps members make this problem inevitable, so I believe it is time for the Kilts to come up with a uniform change that will eliminate the spats...perhaps a more "Scottish peasant look" rather than the military look. Other DCA corps have heaby feet as well, but they have hiddent that with uniform colors and styles. I must also say that, with the exception of Phantom, ALL the corps had problems with feet...tempo issues, being out-of-step, etc.

Are the Kilties ready to break into DCA's top ten? Probably not....the visual package, though attractive, is just too slow and the Kilts do not employ, under contract, a collegiate drum line like so many of the Eastern DCA corps do.

Having said all of this....the crowd loved the Kilts and were on their feet before the show even concluded. Did they score in the 70's? Perhaps on a DCA sheet they did. I do know that this was one of the cleanest June performances I have seen from the Kilts...plug the two brass holes and fill in the percussion section and who knows what they might score?