Crown needs to find its own identity

[general_tsos_chicken2]

First want to congratulate all corps on a fanatstic year!!!!!

BD, Cavies, Cadets, SCV and Phantom all have their own identities.

BD, well, their BD. Cavies have their innovative visual programs and performance, Phantom has their sound and storytelling, etc with SCV n Cadets...... you can agree with these styles or not, but one can tell who these corps are without a uniform or name.

My point is: Crown needs to establish their own niche. This year they received the silver by playing music other corps are known for (over the rainbow/somewhere) and many on this board say how similar they look and sound to Star. But when is Crown goin be to known for being Crown and not be compared to another corps? When are we going to be able to say Crown is a leader in pushing drum corps to new heights. They had a great show this year, but to have longterm success they need to figure who they are.

I understand they've been changing to improve and move up in the placements, but where do they go from here? Lookin at 2007/2008 I thought they may have started to develop that somethin, but this year even though successful I thought they lost it in translation.

PS: This is not meant to take anything away from Crown, but talkin to many who are just drum corps fans they seemed to enjoy the Crown of 07/08 better. But can appreciate the demand of this years program.

I didn't read through the pages of comments so I apologize if I'm not saying anything new

I think that crown HAS established their identity very well!

the fact that they have played pieces other corps have played is kind of a lame reason to say they haven't established their identity i think.

I mean.. were your cavaliers trying to be the glassmen for playing the Ginastera piece this year?? Or were they trying to be phantom regiment when they played bits of amazing grace in 2005??

NO

corps will choose the best repertoire to fit their programs, and should not worry about other corps having had played it, if it fits, it fits!

[k1001001]

I like it that Crown doesn't pigeon-hole themselves into one specific style or genre. It would only limit creativity and stifle innovation if they did. While you may come to expect some corps' to give similar performances year after year, with Crown, I always wonder, "what are they playing THIS year?"

[Boybugle63]

I like it that Crown doesn't pigeon-hole themselves into one specific style or genre. It would only limit creativity and stifle innovation if they did. While you may come to expect some corps' to give similar performances year after year, with Crown, I always wonder, "what are they playing THIS year?"

Wasn’t there a corps back in the mid 80’s and early 90’s that didn’t like to pigeon-hole their style?

They were known has the “Chameleon Corps.”

What was their name?

Something of Indiana, I think …

[soccerguy315]

Not any code at all.......just an opinion.

With respect to the east coat, where I'm from......my idea of the hotbed of drum corps activity was not the Baltimore area where I grew up, all our drum corps, both Jr, and Sr. were on the southern fringe of the bigger action farther north.

Central PA had maybe 45 corps active then , with the Philly / South Jersey area another lage group of corps, both Sr. and Jr. including the premier All Girls Corps in the country. Then in northern NJ and NYC, all boroughs, there was another 45 to 50 corps of various levels of activity.

Connecticut and RI had about 25 corps, both Sr. and Jrs. The Boston area is known nationwide as a hotbed of drum corps activity going back to WW I times. If you open up the net around each of the areas you will have lots of activity in New England going all the way over to Western MA and then on to Albany, Binghamton and the entire eastern part of NY State, not including the greater Pittsburgh area.

Many parts of the country are or were very active, CA north and south, and Wisconsin, as well as the greater Chicago area. just read the old Drum Corps World

Or Bobby Bella Rosa's mag.

There were not, however, that many in the east below the Mason Dixon Line. Especially in the earlier days. There were a few sucesses. Did you know that a Miami Corps won a national championship many years ago?

"cookie"

hey, thanks for responding. I didn't mean to come off as mean / angry, so if I did, apologies. I was wondering if you meant "hotbed" as in "this is where the 'big' corps are today". But from your explanation I see that you were talking in terms of quantity of corps from back in the day, and not the few power players that exist now.

I new there were a lot of corps in the Northeast and Midwest... I didn't know that there weren't very many in the South. Thanks!

[JamMan]

I think Crown has their own STYLE and not IDENTITY. Which is fine.

People are reminded of Star, but I don't see it. Crown has their own thing. They took a bunch of experienced staff members and blended them together to form their own thing.

I still don't like their pit sound, though. Seems to be the only place that needs to mature to the corps' musical performance level. They can visually perform, yes. Musically, no.

[dcsnare93]

I think intelligent went out the door with the sour grapes "green blue" woke up with today, and then started a flame thread. I bet it eats at greenblue that his beloved OTR has been used then again in the same post he states " /Mask of Zorro was 2000 but he really meant 2003 it's ok I've corrected you, but don't contradict yourself in the argument , finals are over and history has been written like it or not. IT IS WHAT IT IS....

Flaming, and presenting a differing opinion are two very different things. When people actually realize that, then most of the threads on here wont go down hill so quick. For a change it would be nice if we all attacked subjects with arguments, not insults towards the poster.

And, for what its worth, I think Crown has their own identity.

Edited August 11, 2009 by dcsnare93