My very late Cedarburg review

[madalumni]

Hello everyone. Here is my belated review of the Cedarburg show on Friday, July 2nd.

In attendance with me were my two sets of Aunts and Uncles, my Grand Mother

and my two friends Kristi and Tracy. It had been almost 20 years since my Uncle Ken

had seen a Drum Corps show and he was extremely impressed with all the Corps, but

commented that he was at times distracted by some of the synthesizers. My new friend Tracy

has never seen a Drum Corps at all and was blown away by the performances, especially the

Scouts and The Cadets. Also Joining us in the stands was my fellow Scouts Alum and their current

Promotions Director...not to mention all around nice guy - Jeff Spanos.

After a very nice and lush sounding rendition of the National Anthem by a small group from

the Madison Scouts Brass section, the show was underway.

Last week when I first saw the Racine Scouts, I felt the opening segment seemed a bit awkward due

to the reprise of "Summertime" coming right after the opening statement. This is still an issue, but didn't feel

quite as strange this time around, possibly due to the slight increase in tempo and the improved confidence

of the members. I am pleased to see that the "Chrome Domes" are back and that certainly added to their

visual program. The show has improved in all sections, particularly in the Hornline, where the intonation

and power was noticably better than last week. The Color Guard is starting to project more confidence too.

Tosses and spins really popped and were timed well. The only other negative issue I have with this program,

is during the swing sections. When the members park and blow, their posture and movements seem inconsistant from member to member and to me, this detracts from the effect they are going for. But overall, this show was enjoyable and will continue to get better as the season wears on.

Next up, from nearby Milwaukee, was the Pioneer. There's something that I didn't catch on to last week - their size. They seem to be marching a full Corps this year and it definitely comes across in their larger Brass sound. The "surprise" opening hit still surprised me even though I knew it was coming. My friend Tracy jumped out of her seat a little and was grinning from ear to ear. The Brass put out a very nice ensemble sound all through the show and cleaned up a few timing issues from last week. They did appear to run out of energy toward the very end, but that is a normal problem for this time of year and once they build endurance, they will be fine.

Aside from a few minor glitches, the Drumline played with a nice groove throughout and has

a meaty book to work with. Another aspect of their show I liked is the drill design. It is a step above what

was designed last year and is being performed by the members at a higher level.

The Color Guard is very solid at this point and is well staged and well integrated with the Corps proper. I appreciate their color palette too. Everything enhances and compliments the uniform and nothing clashes. I maintain my opinion that if they keep working hard, the Pioneer will finish a couple places higher this year.

Entering the field next was the Colts. I always anticipate their shows from year to year, but they can be hit or miss from a design standpoint. Tonight the show seemed a bit of a miss, but I attribute that to a clear case of jitters from the members. The pre-show debacle with their mixing board really seemed to throw off the members and the energy of the show suffered as a result. One thing I noticed right away was their white plumes. They looked sharp, but I loved the red ones from the past several years. This is another Corps that has a rich horn sound and I really appreciate the melodic content in their "True Colors" show. I am a sucker for open triad chords and they have plenty of them. I am also a sucker for great Mellophone runs and they have some really nice ones that are articulated very well. I enjoyed the introductory percussive Brass hits in the opener. Usually I am turned off by percussive hits, because they are sometimes used to often, and as filler in place of solid composition, but in the Colts' case, they are phrased well and are very effective in building tension. Jeff Spanos chimed in at this point about how nice the Colts battery was sounding. He mentioned the well tuned, "wet" sound of the snares and how well their parts were written and performed. I really noticed the Tenors and enjoyed how fluid they were during their feature. The Color Guard had a very solid performance and some nice silks that caught my eye - especially the Lime Green/Yellow ones. My only complaint is the Guard costume seems a bit bland and could use a splash of color or contrast against the white. Overall, another great performance from the Colts. Once they get the jitters out of the way, they should do well with this program.

Next in the performance order was the ever popular INT. This was again a very successful program

as evidenced by the seemingly endless line at the concession stand.

Just as the blazing sun was getting out of our eyes and setting below the dark green Pine trees, the dark green Madison Scouts seemingly materialized from among them and began taking the field. A few days ago, I watched a video clip of a pre-show pep-talk with Jim Mason where he spoke to the guys about

having a laser-beam focus, building and channeling their intensity and how as performers, they needed to project maturity. They are doing all those things. In particular, there is an aura of authority that I sensed

even before they played a single note and a sense that these men have taken ownership of who they are.

As they proceeded to peel the paint off the pressbox with their opening hit, those around me were jolted

out of their post intermission carb coma and into a state of extreme alertness...and a high degree

of cheering and clapping enthusiastically. I absolutely love what Jim Prime has done with Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. It's more than just a great melody delivered with phenominal power. It conveys an image of masculinity and almost cockiness. It also supports the 20s/30s Steel Worker theme to a tee. One of my favorite visual moments is when the Horn and Guard members mimic hammering into the ground while the Mello soloist non-challantly stands atop the scaffolding playing his solo. Another thing that I noticed right away is the new colorful opener flags. They add so much to the overall package and and stand out considerably more than the solid gray flags they had last week. Rhapsody in Blue is really starting to gell and become tighter from a rythmic standpoint. Last week there were a few momentary lapses in the pulse between the low brass and percussion and I'm glad to say that those have been addressed. The stereo-phonic split Contra parts are a highlight at the midway point of the piece. When DVD lets those lads loose, hang onto your hats! The percussion also performed very well tonight and their features are very high energy and are getting pretty clean already. I can't get over how this Corps has improved in one year. I know they have a long way to go, but D###, they are really captivating audiences and they had this one in the palms of their collective hands. Bravo gentlemen!

Up next, the Blue Stars. I continue to be amazed at the progress of this Corps. To look back a decade, or even

just a few years, and compare it to where they are now is truly impressive. This Color Guard continues to make strides as well. The daring flag spins while restrained in straight jackets were crisper and done with much more confidence than a week ago. Musically they continue to have that full, ensemble blend that I like to hear from Corps, butI still feel that at least in the opener, that bass synth is too overpowering. It actually drowns out what I'm guessing are some interesting mid-voice parts. I really want to hear them, but at this point I can't and that is frustrating. Both Jeff and I were really digging the Blue Stars' percussion. He felt they were the cleanest of the night and was intrigued by how the parts were written. Most of their drum staff have traditionally been "East Coast" influenced, but this is a very "West Coast" style book, in his opinion. At any rate, they are playing some tasty parts and they are playing them very clean. Back to the horns. There is a very memorable part in the closer that I really like. The Trumpets play an 8 count series of dotted 16th notes followed by the low brass playing 8 counts of 8th notes while the percussion is playing triplets underneath. I don't know why I like it, but it really has a hook. Overall, they really sold the show tonight, and the concept is becoming more clear as we get further into the season.

Up last were The Cadets. Like Madison, they are playing a very melodic book and I love it. They remind me

a little of those mid-nineties editions where they would have hard hitting melodies with insane Mellophone counter-melodies. There are moments like that sprinkled throughout their show. I love the interaction of "Little Jeffrey" and the rest of the Corps or the Toy Soldiers. I love when he winds one of them up to get the Corps moving. There is a great narrative to this show with subtext. I get that he progresses on the journey from playing with the soldiers to admiring the authentic ones, to eventually emulating one himself. This performer is also a great actor. He really projects the varied emotions of his character in a very theatrical way. Even when he drops a rifle, he makes it look like part of the act. Which is kind of a win/win situation, because if he catches it, he celebrates. If he drops it, he does the "oops" routine for the crowd. It's little things like that that draw me in to this show. Their percussion was phenomenal in my opinion, but Jeff disagreed and felt they were a little off on some softer articulations. Still, my favorite part is that crazy extended paradiddle section with the snares where they start to wobble back and forth. I love it and so did the crowd.

It was hard to tell from my low vantage point, but it seems like they are beginning to add in a couple of those

signature Cadet drill moves that dazzle the eye. Right near the end of the closer, there is a left moving horizontal line, with two blocks in front and behind moving the opposite direction while rotating counter-clockwise. It is quite dizzying and dazzling. They should get many General Effect points with that sequence!

I'm feeling they could achieve the Gold with this one, and it seems like there's plenty of room for growth.

This was another great Drum Corps show that nicely capped off my two week vacation back to Wisconsin.

It was nice to see family and friends again, and as always, it was nice to introduce a couple of new people

to our beloved activity. They were much appreciative of that and were blown away by all the Corps.

Both Kristi and Tracy exclaimed "So when's the next show"?

Edited July 8, 2010 by madalumni