baja Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 (edited) I heard this phrase used yesterday. "dead fish go with the flow". Not calling any corps "dead fish" so relax it's just an expression. Which corps this year are just going with the flow? For me it means the sale ole same ole, nothing much new, nothing much special, however you look at it. For me it's the Cavies and the Colts. Good, but nothing new. Glassmen who have brought some interesting shows in the last few years have delivered a go with the flow show, so I put them in this category as well. Edited July 4, 2009 by baja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrnguy500 Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 well someone has to say it so it might as well be me..... Pioneer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acolli17 Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I hate to say this. I really do... But what about Phantom? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louderisbetter Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 The tone of your post seems to indicate that if you aren't reinventing the wheel, you aren't contributing to the activity. Since everyone seems to be marching brass and percussion, there's a whole creek of dead fish going with the flow here. In many cases, I think corps have found a formula that works. Some ridicule the Troopers for the constant western themes, but if you are a fan of western history, it might be a more engaging program than a philosophical examination of the emotional content of a triangle. Personally, I'd like to hear more authentic percussion instruments, and less beating of the dead horse called innovation. That is all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellowbugle Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I have to agree with everyone else so far, I can't call a corps and all those great kids a "dead fish" and I do totally disagree with you on Cavies and Colts. Both these corps are doing something different for them this year. Colts are trying something less broadway and more visual, Cavies are doing their visual thing with a few twists. Glassmen, even though I'm not a big fan, I still think that they, also, are going for something new, something different. It's true that corps find a style that works, helps them create success, every major "team" sports, band, DCI, etc. does this but to call it a dead fish is beyond me. I didn't march but two years, but at that, this still makes me upset. Don't get me wrong, you haven't upset my day or anything but maybe there's a better way to convey the message you wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baja Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 The tone of your post seems to indicate that if you aren't reinventing the wheel, you aren't contributing to the activity. Since everyone seems to be marching brass and percussion, there's a whole creek of dead fish going with the flow here.In many cases, I think corps have found a formula that works. Some ridicule the Troopers for the constant western themes, but if you are a fan of western history, it might be a more engaging program than a philosophical examination of the emotional content of a triangle. Personally, I'd like to hear more authentic percussion instruments, and less beating of the dead horse called innovation. That is all. No, I didn't mean to imply that these corps are not contributing if they are just going along status quo. Which corps this year are pushing the activity and which are not? I like to think that Cadets are once again pushing the activity but Cavies have stayed with what works for them. Innovation doesn't always mean new equipment it means show concepts and design, at least to me. We have enough new equipment to last for awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tez Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 No, I didn't mean to imply that these corps are not contributing if they are just going along status quo. Which corps this year are pushing the activity and which are not? I like to think that Cadets are once again pushing the activity but Cavies have stayed with what works for them. Innovation doesn't always mean new equipment it means show concepts and design, at least to me. We have enough new equipment to last for awhile. Of the corps I have seen this year, the ones that are least status quo in my opinion are: Blue Devils, Vanguard, and Crown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louderisbetter Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 No, I didn't mean to imply that these corps are not contributing if they are just going along status quo. Which corps this year are pushing the activity and which are not? I like to think that Cadets are once again pushing the activity but Cavies have stayed with what works for them. Innovation doesn't always mean new equipment it means show concepts and design, at least to me. We have enough new equipment to last for awhile. Yes... and still, pushing the activity isn't necessarily necessary. Mahler and Bruckner wrote a handful of symphonies that are remarkably similar in dozens of ways, but each conveys something different; do you mean to tell me that classical music stalled for twenty years, and that anyone who has heard Mahler's 5th can skip the rest of the romantic period? You could write a dozen drum corps shows that have remarkably similar characteristics, as indeed most individual corps have if you listen to the same corps year after year. But you haven't heard all of the Blue Devils from listening to any one show, regardless of the year you choose... and even if you've got the same arrangers and choreographers using the same styles, you still come up with a unique and enjoyable program. Any show you write is going to consist of 95 parts conventions, with perhaps 5 parts innovation. This push for constant innovation is depriving us of thousands of potentially AWESOME performances, because anything "similar" or "conventional" is being discarded as being nonviable, with the exception of a few marionettes we parade around as "tradition" (West Side Story, anyone? Wait, didn't I hear about Bernstein writing some other musical? I even heard there were OTHER composers that wrote musicals!). Innovation is great, and it will happen, but when it is consistently forced it is pointless--it isn't being invented because we truly need to adapt and grow, it's being invented because it's easier than becoming the master of an existing trade, easier than having to use true creativity and talent to build a program based on a distinct and detailed set of conventions. In the process, since we roll forward so quickly, we are alienating the older fan base, and setting ourselves up on a course to keep our newly attracted fans for just a few short years, after which time THEY will have lost their connection ("Man, I remember the good old days when just the pit was mic'd. Now, the cellos are covering up the euphoniums!"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meaghatron Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Which corps this year are pushing the activity and which are not? I like to think that Cadets are once again pushing the activity but Cavies have stayed with what works for them. The Cadets? Really? Maybe in the last several years, but not this year. Seems pretty standard drum corps to me (and I really like this show, so that isn't a knock against them). I don't believe The Cavaliers are innovative with their show this year either, for what it's worth. But hey, no one says every show has to be "cutting edge." From the shows I've seen this year (which isn't many), I haven't seen anything that made me think "Wow, I've never seen this before. This is really pushing the activity somewhere new." Which reminds me, I need to take a couple hours to catch up on some shows.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Seems like nearly everybody fits the OP's description. Most corps are simply playing the same music they and their peers have already done in the past, and throwing a layer of electronic crap on top to try and seem fresh and new. Phantom Regiment is one notable exception. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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