Lewisburg 7/18

[rayfallon]

I feel cheated. You promised something objectionable. I was waiting for grit. Something down and dirty. Something mean-spirited. Something really awful.

Last time I'm reading one of your reviews. They're... well ... they're actually about the corps!!!

You just don't get it.

BTW I think that there are folks from Jersey whose paroles don't allow them to travel Internationally so they end up not being able to go to Lewisburg... could account for some of the holes you mentioned...

[Jeff Ream]

well i didnt pull punches...usually that pisses people off. sorry Ray, i'll try harder after Allentown.

oh wait, that's DCI it will #### people off

[JeromeyBush]

ok, thoughts from Lewisburg from my notes for the He Said/She Said review coming soon to DCW ( we're waiting for what she has to say...want to see it, buy Drum Corps World.

the thoughts here came as I watched and are more in depth that what will appear in DCW. While John Donovan is ok with me wasting bandwidth, Steve Vickers has space constraints I have to live with

warning...i try to be positive, but sometimes what I feel is blatant honesty comes out. You may not like it. You may be offended. That's ok. Just expect a smart ### reply back from me.

up first: Mifflinburg High School/Lewisburg High School combined band. I always enjoy seeing these kids perform...when most bands are preparing for their fall seasons, these two school get together to work on tunes for this show. This year, they began with O Canada, then the Star Spangled Banner, and as always, the Armed Forces Salute. I truly enjoy seeing folks who served in every branch stand for their song/hymn. It makes me proud those folks defended my right to abuse the internet. Seriously, vets all, thank you and kids, thank you for performing every year.

Scout House: First off....if you ever want to use a corps as an argument for why amps arent needed, check out Scout House's 3 glocks. Wow. Crowd loved the OTL from the back sideline of Colonel Bogeys Marchy, complete with the famous Scout House leg lift by the DM. Loved the old school stick twirling by the tenors too... man i miss seeing that more often. From there the corps played Brazil really well into concert form....No biz like Show Biz..Music of the Night from Phantom was really pretty...the baris shined here. Loved Oklahoma out of concert and also One from Chrous Line. drum line played their feature well, and loved the O Canada color presentation. Of course..the Waltzing matilda had the fans clapping along, and Scott House, appearing back in Lewisburg for the first time in over 40 years made new fans and recaptured old ones

Sky Alumni: that street beat. that snare sound. You have to love it, and I do, even if the snare line shrank since last year. In fact, the whole corps did or many bodies were missing. yes, as Scott said in APril, the snare line serves up more singles than Wendys. If you want fun in a drum corps show, let Jomba on the podium...in fact, just waiting for him to get up is good, because he'll play to the crowd...he's a ham. Loved hearing Somethings Coming, Give My Regards to broadway was off the albums, Mierlou always athrill, and of course Slaughter into Little Old NY into the Skyliner ending. My only real issues of the night were the smaller hornline being overpowered by the snare line at times. 7 snares overpowering 30 or so brass when standing still is an issue. Also...why bury the tenors in your set up? let em be seen!

Bush:

very nice brass sound as the intro builds to the hit...very bright flags making the impact that much bigger, but as the battery gains steam they tend to overpower the brass...and the heights arent high. I know the hornline is small, and there looks to be a lot of holes, but I think they arent making the highs high enough yet. The guard is staged well, and i liked the quality of the equipment work that I noticed...first viewing is always hard to catch it all. Did lose the backfield brass sound in the 2nd tune under the battery parts. Pit nice, but didnt project well to me. I definitely enjoyed all of the known circus tunes being woven into the show, but my confusion is where the Pyschotic part comes into play. is their role playing to come from the guard? props? I never count Bush out, and I wont now knowing more has to be coming. But...will it be too late? I hope not. the guard is always great, battery picked up where they left off last year. But the holes need filled, and the concept needs fleshed out. I like the idea as I read it all winter, and I expect by finals, it will make a lot more sense, with hopefully more bodies.

Brigs:I'm not an art fan or critic, and even tho Christine told me the artists name many times I cant remember it...but I get the show. I loved the use of the flags and drill sets to mimic the backdrops. Show sarts with brass ensembles playing the Promenade to Pictures at An Exhibition which build to a nice hit. it seemed they had brass holes, so I am hoping to hear that musical moment with more power. The transition into the Saucedo piece seems to take a while to get rolling. I thought the corps best number was this piece, but..sadly...like most Saucedo works, it failed to really reach me emotionally. the first drum break here was really tasty...very flowing musical. very active bass book that at times gets a little too right hand heavy and even when back field can be overpowering. the second break I liked, but felt it was staged way too far out on side 1 to really shine. Really enjoyed how the next tune again started with Promenade...sound really warm sounding 4 mallet work in the keys helped set the tone, but as the piece went on i was able to notice some individual brass played sticking out. The drill set at the hit...you have to look for it. But the corps proper, with the guard integrated in mimics the back drop behind them, with the blue flags adding the final colorful touch. Appreciated the quality from the brass players asthey reclined or sat. Promenade again to Red machine showed some stamina issues at hrase endings. the brass players they have are trying hard, and filling the holes will really help here. the drum break here was well written, but has performance issues, and as the brass re-enters, the battery can overpower them. promenade again with the contras which bled into Young Persons...very cool. the soprano monet needs some work but will be there, and i loved the battery doing the faster tempo in the dueling meters section. But, as the song wore on, you could hear the brass line tiring out.

The show is one any fan get just by looking and listening. the key here is to clean and fill the holes. may not challenge the top 3/4, but hey, it could make the fight for 5th that much more interesting

Corpsvets: holy pink sequins Batman. you see that guard coming from miles away. aircraft could land at night using them as beacons. But...they work against the corps proper uniforms. Show opens with corps in a straight file on the 50...a sop solo leads into the Hit from Tara's theme, and I'm feeling like I could be in Southern Heaven. Guards yelow parasols work will, playing off the pink and red uniforms. I Got Plenty O nuttin starts off with a good swing feel, but some large percussion performance issues hold the swing feel from going where it could. Ballad works well, especially the opening duet, and the green/gold flags stand out at the big impact, tho I think musically the end of the hit has room to grow more. the ending tho, is very pretty. Miss Otis Regrets...Hunter is dead on with his solos ( when isnt he??), but the bass groove under his solo was really choppy. Loved the snippet of Saints Come Marching In. here some large percussion performance issues held the tune back from going where it could. Also noticed some real marching issues from the battery. Gods trying to tell you Something has always been a fave...dead on solists, great southern gospel feel. hoever you couyld feel the corps get gassed building back into Tara's, and stamina was an issue for the ending which should be a cool music recap of the show. Only concern is the transition leading to the big big ending seems to take a while. tempos may be down yet.

the show is, IMO, my fave from them yet in design. the issue is performance, especially the battery. I briefly looked at the recaps, and I have to say they probably held the corps back 2 points overall. get that fixed, keep cleaning the rest, and CV could be looking at their highest placement yet.

Bucs: When your 7 ( soon to be more?) concert bass drums require their own trailer, you know something loud is coming. Are they the best corps in DCA this year? Cunno, havent seen anyone but those here tonight. is this their best total product since the run began in 2005?

yes. oh my God yes.

basses backfield set up the pulse as the concert basses layer in on top of them. the Brass hits with those 7 concert basses in between for the initial statement of Dias Irae is powerful. The corps is flat out moving, and the percussion break was very musically integrated front to back. The build to the end of the piece just keeps growing and growing, and will only get more power as stamina increases. the pit intro in Simple Song was very warm, with great dynamic shaping for July under the mello solo. I am not a fan of ballads where the battery does nothing, and here Bucs make me a fan...their work at the impact is powerful yet musical, and the growth of the brass to the end of the hit will echo in the right stadiums. Fire Dance has sops playing at a register not heard much from Bucs lately and well done. here the percussion really shines with...and i'll go on record saying this....the most stupidly sick tenor solo I have ever seen a DCA corps do....and if there was dirt, I didnt catch it. And...the only guard thing I noticed ( sorry gang) was the rifles doing an exchange overtop of these 5 guys while they wailed!!! As the brass re-enters, the tempo takes off with the battery running behind the brass, and i gave up trying to count how many hand motion changes they had in maybe 24 bars? Also a nice nice and loud park and bark that lets the corps show off that they too can reach the crowd. A hint of Simple Song again leads into the Easter Symphony. loved the appearance of the white guard unis for the angels portion of the show, and the pit is handling the melody on their own many times in here. The rotating cross at the big push will be awesoe when cleaned, and from there the corps just goes nuts running. if there was a noticable drop in performance quality, it was here as the horns gassed out until the big hit at the end of the show. the lower body visual demand placed on the musicians in this show is insane given the DCA schedule...but i think it's achievable come Labor Day

Look folks, this show has what everyone could ask for. Power. Aggression. Musicality. Crazy drill. Screamers. Moments that make you say "awww how pretty". moments that make you say "did I just ####### see that?"

will it win. Dunno. but it will entrtain, even those who may not like this style of show. A friend last night described it as mdaison 95, only classical, with a great drill and clean.

Cabs Alumni: Always the fan favorite in Lewisburg, and from the bull call thru the street beat, the Crowd ate it up.Then the hornline played the Chorale. Um...attention Bb brass fans: G can be played well, in tune, with quality and loud as hell. See this tune as a reference. really cool how the visual ties to the musical tradeoffs side to side to start Pictures of Spain, and the build to the hit was everything I had grown to expect from the piece. Curt nailed his solos. Drums olo following Pictures was very well done. The mellos, an under rated show of their own in this corps kicked off I go to Rio..and man this tune just smokes.

From here, I noticed somethings I dont rarely see with this corps. Some ensemble uneasiness in Malaguena. as a result, the song just never locked in like we all know it can and should. Also felt some ensemble struggles in Perfidia...also noticed that the drill in the middle of the show was little more early 80s. then, in the final drum solo, I noticed some serious marching issues out there...contras way out of forms, some late direction changes. Everyone can have an off night, but I think it's the first time I;ve ever seen this corps have one. fear not tho...the drum line played well, and Flamenco Cha Cha had the corps roaring back into find form, with the crowd up for the color pres. Of course tha famous Rumps into the Cabs ending smoked...and again...when Jimmy cuts the corps for the mellos to hold that note out...wow.

All in all a great night. very surprised when the text with Boston scores came in. Wishing Scranton was a different weekend so I could go.

Sadly, wont see another DCA show til Reading. that should be a fun one

Nice review.

.....but I saw you and your better half (when we were lining up for retreat) and you didnt say hi.boo.

[Jeff Ream]

J...we didn't see you...we apologize!!!

[JeromeyBush]

J...we didn't see you...we apologize!!!

Sokay.That'll be 1 Lablatt's please.

[Jeff Ream]

deal

[Mick Krackin']

J...we didn't see you...we apologize!!!

Jeff,

Don't worry, Jerome will understand. He always blends in with the crowd when he is in PA Amish country.

[JeromeyBush]

Jeff,

Don't worry, Jerome will understand. He always blends in with the crowd when he is in PA Amish country.

[Jeff Ream]

Jeff,

Don't worry, Jerome will understand. He always blends in with the crowd when he is in PA Amish country.

well, i could insert many Chris Garrett jokes here, but we like J.

i mean i saw him on the field, but when they were lined up for retreat, my attention was elsewhere