usmc5577 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 WARNING!!! OLD GUY REVIEW!!! I will not try to critique the shows but will give only my general impressions of them. It's only my opinions and I have no axes to grind. Please leave your flame-throwers on 'safe.' Weather: Rain let up right at show-time but remained hot and humid until well after sun-down. Stadium: The side-line was about 30 yards from the stands due to a large track around the field. This really cut down on the impact of the corps. Not a very intimate venue as one felt such distance from the performers. Freedom: Caught only a bit of the show due to the line to get into the stadium. This is a new corps in the northern Virginia area. They are small and young but displayed talent and potential. They didn't let their size stop them from playing some challenging music. Hope to see big things from them in a few years. Nice job and good luck. The Commandant's Own, USMC Drum & Bugle Corps: Freedom of Information Act in action - I spent twenty years of my life as a member of this fine organization and count myself privileged to have done so. G-Bugles! Yay! There are definitely some nice moments in this show. The fanfare parts in the push at the end of the first half of the show was one of them. Nicely done! The drum-line is great as usual. The soprano line was one of the busiest of the evening. They fire off alot of notes down-range. They played the piccalo solo from 'Stars & Stripes Forever' while high-stepping in a front going from right to left. (It's amazing what you can play with only two-valves) Again, nicely done! The show is about twenty minutes long and there was no drop-off in intensity from the horn-line. Monster chops. Strong start to finish. It's amazing what these Marines can do given the minimal amount of rehearsal time that they get. Well done, Marines. Semper Fi Spirit: The show seemed awful 'bandish' to me. A lot of jumping up and down and waving arms about just seemed awkward to me. Starting a trend that I saw throughout the evening were amplification issues. A baritone-section feature was covered up by the pit section and I'm not sure why a corps would march tubas when they are covered up by an electric bass that doubles their parts half of the show. You just can't hear the tubas when that happens. HOWEVER: let me say that this is a case of a very good drum corps being better than the show they are given to perform. Strong horns and drums. Love the corps, just not the show concept. Sorry. But hey, you can't win 'em all. That's just me. Plenty of fans like the show very much. Colts: I liked this show. Nice opening statement! The ripple down the horn-line was a nice effect. The wind/surf sounds piped in through the amps sounded a bit thin and un-natural to me. Had the effect of 'whats that noise' moment during the show.The guard did a nice job in conveying the beach/sea theme with the different nautical type props they used and actually did work with. Especially appreciated seeing drum corps in semaphore! Hopefully it spelled out 'see you at finals.' As a friend of mine once said of music 'it's not good unless it's good and loud'. These guys play loud goodly. (What?) Well done, Colts. Glassmen: Definitely a contrast from the Colts. Whereas the Colts were aggresive musically the Glassmen had a very controlled sound. Not a bad thing, just different. Enjoyed the drum-line. The ballad was the high point of their show to me. Beautiful and at times lush. The impact point of the ballad was one of my favorite moments of the night. This was an enjoyable show from the Glassmen. Smooth and controlled this is a fine drum corps. Boston Crusaders: Wow! These guys are good! They have a busy drill that features quick, sharp and crisp movements executed extremely well. The horn book is challenging but was performed, as a whole, very well. There was an occasional mis-fire here and there through-out the show. I'm sure that come finals night it will be sounding pretty tight. I found the guard to just be distracting for some reason. Maybe it was because the horns and drums were so fun to watch. An excellent drum corps top to bottom. Madison Scouts: Gotta be honest. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from these guys judging from the reviews I've been reading in these forums. In a way they reminded me of female mud-wrestling. Exciting but dirty. No, they may not be the best executing drum corps out there but there is a lot of fun and entertainment in this show. Q: How many guys in spandex does it take to beat up Madisons horn-line? A: Apparently, just one. Too much amp in this show for this old-timer. I thought it was distracting. (ir)Regardless, this show was a blast to watch. Holy Name: (Freedom of Information Act in action again. I am an alumni of the Garfield Cadets.) I have NEVER seen a corps march as much as these guys. It would've been interesting if they had weighed the members at the begining of the season and compared it to what they will weigh at the end. This show is not for the faint-of-heart. The amazing part is how well and controlled they play while marching. The voices integrated from the movie didn't bother me but thought that they were guilty of covering up the tubas by doubling up their parts with electronics. If I were a tuba for Holy Name I would be fighting mad to march and play my butt off out there and not be heard. Even so, wow, what a show! They will continue to clean and improve all the way to finals night whereas some 'contending' corps will plateau. Well done, Holy Name! Some of you will notice that I didn't have much to say about the guards. As I stated earlier I spent twenty years in a drum corps that didn't have a guard so I tend not to notice them much. Sorry. I'm old and set in my ways. Electronics and the pit - I understand that corps want the pit sound integrated into the overall sound of the corps. However, I have a few issues on what I heard tonight. Balance, while not always a problem was enough of a problem so as to be distracting. The sound coming from the speakers do not capture the full, rich sound of the instruments. It sounds like something being played on 'mono' instead of 'stereo.' (From time to time horns are picked up on the mikes.) The doubling of bass parts drowns out the tubas and gives the corps an artificial, non-drum corps sound. Either don't march tubas and give other sections more bodies (you would still get that artificial sound) or let the tubas do their own talking. I would think that the best pit sound is the one that you don't notice is amped. Anyways, thats my story and I'm sticking to it. 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chris ncsu Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecoats88 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Good review, And from your sig it looks like you picked the three right years to march Garfield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guizeppe Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 they reminded me of female mud-wrestling. Exciting but dirty. Frickin' hillarious. Very good review. I get the feeling you marched tuba. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadetsMom Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I, as a Mother of a Cadet Contra, can verify that there has been atleast ONE major weightloss in the tuba line! In January when my son went to the first camp he was wearing "XL's" in just about everything and was close to 240lbs! He has dropped one size since their performances in Bristol where he was re-clothed by his sister into larges! As of this past weekend in Atlanta, he has lost and toned to "mediums" and is now a buff 182lbs! I would LOVE to know how many calories they burn daily during rehearsals and shows. Thank God for the volunteers that keep these kids nourished and healthy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadetsMom Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 WARNING!!! OLD GUY REVIEW!!!I will not try to critique the shows but will give only my general impressions of them. It's only my opinions and I have no axes to grind. Please leave your flame-throwers on 'safe.' Weather: Rain let up right at show-time but remained hot and humid until well after sun-down. Stadium: The side-line was about 30 yards from the stands due to a large track around the field. This really cut down on the impact of the corps. Not a very intimate venue as one felt such distance from the performers. Freedom: Caught only a bit of the show due to the line to get into the stadium. This is a new corps in the northern Virginia area. They are small and young but displayed talent and potential. They didn't let their size stop them from playing some challenging music. Hope to see big things from them in a few years. Nice job and good luck. The Commandant's Own, USMC Drum & Bugle Corps: Freedom of Information Act in action - I spent twenty years of my life as a member of this fine organization and count myself privileged to have done so. G-Bugles! Yay! There are definitely some nice moments in this show. The fanfare parts in the push at the end of the first half of the show was one of them. Nicely done! The drum-line is great as usual. The soprano line was one of the busiest of the evening. They fire off alot of notes down-range. They played the piccalo solo from 'Stars & Stripes Forever' while high-stepping in a front going from right to left. (It's amazing what you can play with only two-valves) Again, nicely done! The show is about twenty minutes long and there was no drop-off in intensity from the horn-line. Monster chops. Strong start to finish. It's amazing what these Marines can do given the minimal amount of rehearsal time that they get. Well done, Marines. Semper Fi Spirit: The show seemed awful 'bandish' to me. A lot of jumping up and down and waving arms about just seemed awkward to me. Starting a trend that I saw throughout the evening were amplification issues. A baritone-section feature was covered up by the pit section and I'm not sure why a corps would march tubas when they are covered up by an electric bass that doubles their parts half of the show. You just can't hear the tubas when that happens. HOWEVER: let me say that this is a case of a very good drum corps being better than the show they are given to perform. Strong horns and drums. Love the corps, just not the show concept. Sorry. But hey, you can't win 'em all. That's just me. Plenty of fans like the show very much. Colts: I liked this show. Nice opening statement! The ripple down the horn-line was a nice effect. The wind/surf sounds piped in through the amps sounded a bit thin and un-natural to me. Had the effect of 'whats that noise' moment during the show.The guard did a nice job in conveying the beach/sea theme with the different nautical type props they used and actually did work with. Especially appreciated seeing drum corps in semaphore! Hopefully it spelled out 'see you at finals.' As a friend of mine once said of music 'it's not good unless it's good and loud'. These guys play loud goodly. (What?) Well done, Colts. Glassmen: Definitely a contrast from the Colts. Whereas the Colts were aggresive musically the Glassmen had a very controlled sound. Not a bad thing, just different. Enjoyed the drum-line. The ballad was the high point of their show to me. Beautiful and at times lush. The impact point of the ballad was one of my favorite moments of the night. This was an enjoyable show from the Glassmen. Smooth and controlled this is a fine drum corps. Boston Crusaders: Wow! These guys are good! They have a busy drill that features quick, sharp and crisp movements executed extremely well. The horn book is challenging but was performed, as a whole, very well. There was an occasional mis-fire here and there through-out the show. I'm sure that come finals night it will be sounding pretty tight. I found the guard to just be distracting for some reason. Maybe it was because the horns and drums were so fun to watch. An excellent drum corps top to bottom. Madison Scouts: Gotta be honest. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from these guys judging from the reviews I've been reading in these forums. In a way they reminded me of female mud-wrestling. Exciting but dirty. No, they may not be the best executing drum corps out there but there is a lot of fun and entertainment in this show. Q: How many guys in spandex does it take to beat up Madisons horn-line? A: Apparently, just one. Too much amp in this show for this old-timer. I thought it was distracting. (ir)Regardless, this show was a blast to watch. Holy Name: (Freedom of Information Act in action again. I am an alumni of the Garfield Cadets.) I have NEVER seen a corps march as much as these guys. It would've been interesting if they had weighed the members at the begining of the season and compared it to what they will weigh at the end. This show is not for the faint-of-heart. The amazing part is how well and controlled they play while marching. The voices integrated from the movie didn't bother me but thought that they were guilty of covering up the tubas by doubling up their parts with electronics. If I were a tuba for Holy Name I would be fighting mad to march and play my butt off out there and not be heard. Even so, wow, what a show! They will continue to clean and improve all the way to finals night whereas some 'contending' corps will plateau. Well done, Holy Name! Some of you will notice that I didn't have much to say about the guards. As I stated earlier I spent twenty years in a drum corps that didn't have a guard so I tend not to notice them much. Sorry. I'm old and set in my ways. Electronics and the pit - I understand that corps want the pit sound integrated into the overall sound of the corps. However, I have a few issues on what I heard tonight. Balance, while not always a problem was enough of a problem so as to be distracting. The sound coming from the speakers do not capture the full, rich sound of the instruments. It sounds like something being played on 'mono' instead of 'stereo.' (From time to time horns are picked up on the mikes.) The doubling of bass parts drowns out the tubas and gives the corps an artificial, non-drum corps sound. Either don't march tubas and give other sections more bodies (you would still get that artificial sound) or let the tubas do their own talking. I would think that the best pit sound is the one that you don't notice is amped. Anyways, thats my story and I'm sticking to it. I Love the old guy review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancerlady Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 I LOVE this review!! I saw Glassmen in Sevierville, Tn. Totally agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmc5577 Posted August 1, 2009 Author Share Posted August 1, 2009 Good review,And from your sig it looks like you picked the three right years to march Garfield I wish I could say that they couldn't have done it without me but the fact of the matter is that I was just extremely fortunate. It was like voting for Pedro. All my wildest came true. BTW, I remember competing against the Bluecoats in the late '70s. Of course, they beat the snot out of us (Cambria Cadets) by double digits as they were scoring in the 50s and 60s. We broke 40 a couple of times and even beat the Mello-dears. High point of our season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmc5577 Posted August 1, 2009 Author Share Posted August 1, 2009 I, as a Mother of a Cadet Contra, can verify that there has been atleast ONE major weightloss in the tuba line!In January when my son went to the first camp he was wearing "XL's" in just about everything and was close to 240lbs! He has dropped one size since their performances in Bristol where he was re-clothed by his sister into larges! As of this past weekend in Atlanta, he has lost and toned to "mediums" and is now a buff 182lbs! I would LOVE to know how many calories they burn daily during rehearsals and shows. Thank God for the volunteers that keep these kids nourished and healthy! The HNC are losing weight because of their crazy drill. Back when I was marching Garfield we lost weight because our food truck was always breaking down and was 3 states away. Be proud of your son. Win, lose or draw this show is destined to be a classic. BTW, I was the only contra to march all three years (83-85) FHNSAB Semper Fi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmc5577 Posted August 1, 2009 Author Share Posted August 1, 2009 Frickin' hillarious.Very good review. I get the feeling you marched tuba. Tuba? Kinda sorta. Back in the day it was a contra-bass. What they have in common is that they are both heavy. I am actually a back-slidden soprano player and have marched bari as well. Perhaps I am more sensitive to the lower brass sound when listening and therefore notice when the amps/pit interferes but really I am listening to the overall brass ensemble sound. Its a shame when the raw power and emotion of the brass and percussion can be changed (compromised? cheated?) with a simple push of a button. But that's just my opinion. Semper Fi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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