Another Brief Review of Hornell, NY

[pearlsnaredrummer77]

Brigadiers Guard

Nice job by a full-size (around 25) guard. They performed some nice equipment work, with folding chairs used as a prop. The music was piped in and made you wish the Brigs corps was there. However, this is a good way to keep their name out there. The guard looked ready for competition.

Mighty Saint Joe's

A show of crowd pleasing favorites by a corps with an average age of 61 years young! These folks actually captured the audience's attention with their 30 brass leading the way. Nice soprano solo work. I think the single tenor drums are cool (they were gone by when I was marching in the 80s, so always enjoy seeing traditional lines), but you couldn't hear them very well in the mix.The audience clapped along on "Georgia." Some of the brass got a little winded and nothing was exactly clean, but it was great entertainment.

Spartans

Crisp M & M style. The show is well-suited to the corp's size. The five snares occasionally overplay, but are generally impressive and clean in some exposed sections. Brass and guard both seemed pretty tight for this time of the year. Overall, a very competent and engaging performance. Welcome back!

White Sabers

Continue to improve each year-especially in the guard, pit and brass sections. That said, they are not in the thick of things yet. The battery struggles to play the charts, with mental breaks, overplaying by some members, timid playing by others. Also, the snares could use some time to sort out flams/ double stops-I saw on two occasions some snares playing double stops and others flams on the same note. I think the charts are not that difficult-they just need a good deal of cleaning. The pit however, sets some nice moods and plays very musically-nice job pit. The small brass section struggles with the charts, but hey-with 13 brass it was a very valient attempt. I would love to see the White Sabers play a show more suited to their small size, with some easier charts and drill. Nevertheless, the overall effect was far more impressive than say three years ago.

Grenadiers

Small corps that looks and sounds big. It seems like they are covering a lot of field for a small group-but I think it's mainly the drill design coupled with marching skill. A fierce little percussion section that defintely needs that tenor who only marched part of the show-the voicing was a bit skewed without him/her. The small brass section manages to sound big and the audience approved their skilled show. This will be another good summer for the Grenadiers.

Corps Vets

This is a much more sophisticated version of CV than I've seen before. The new uniforms are a little Santa Clara-ish & a little classic Scouts maybe-whatever! They looked really, really good. With about 40 brass, they sold the Disney show. The percussion section seems to have increased demand this year and they are tackling it well-although there were some gritty sections. I think a major difference is that the drill also has greatly increased demand over previous years-CV is hauling A during a good bit of the show and executing pretty well. The guard work was nice-perhaps a little understated compared to Hurcs, but effective. My overall impression is that this is a corps on the move and should defintely place higher in September-the crowd enjoyed and seemed impressed.

Empire

When I saw ES towing two large props on field I kind of giggled. I am not a big fan of props, but ES does a good job with them. A little girl was sitting in front of me, and she was spell bound. You can't argue with Empire's brass--big, bad and maybe a little dirty at times they killed the crowd. The drill has demand and was marched well. On the other times, some of the sets seem a bit cluttered-like in the percussion feature, when the tenors are pretty far back field and there is a lot of stuff going on around them. I think these sections-where the battery shows good exposure to error could be improved a bit. The guard is good and does a good job of keeping the storyline going-love the witch and so did the little girl in front of me. All told Empire won this show by overwhelming the fans as much as the judges. Great show Empire! BTW: The always excellent battery nearly created a riot when they trooped the stands-they were into it and the crowd was too.

Huricanes

No other guard has the high degree of equipment work/flawless execution. Well, defintely not at this show... Besides the guard work, the Hurcs also have a powerful battery lead by FIVE TENORS who play some tastey licks with aplomb. The snares also are very good-but a little muddier than the tenors. Altogether, the Hurcs have an amazing guard and top flight percussion section (the pit is also quality). The brass seems to lag a bit behind and the drill doesn't seem to have the same crispness as Bucs, Empire, Minnesota. The Heaven Sent show is a bit subtle-maybe too subtle for them to follow Empire. The Bernstein sections seem a little tired in pace and execution. After several successful seasons with the 'western' theme, the Hurcs seem to be hunting for a style. Nevertheless, the Hurcs can be back in the thick of things with just some GE modifications to this show.

Jersey Surf

At this point, my back had given out and it was time to walk back to the car, so I mainly didn't see Surf. They did have large props on field and an impressive sound. Hope to catch them at another DCA show this summer!!!

Having been at Bridgeport and now Hornell, my overall impressions are that Bucs will likely continue a few points out front. Empire has a strong show, but so do the Cabs this year. OF course Minnesota is an unknown quantity for me so far this season. Hurcs are bit off pace from where they were last season-Corps Vets are looking to move up maybe at the expense of Bush. Grenadiers may be looking to grab the A title.

[deepfriedmailbox]

Much appreciate the review!

[dcfan1982]

Really looking forward to seeing Hurricanes guard and Empires whole show (but especially that brass line).

[GUARDLING]

Championships will be interesting for sure