ereese Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 (edited) Oh and I forgot to add: the big brassy sound. Empires 40 some brass sounded like 60.[/qThey've carried more than 40 all year. BTW, they are G horns and they play cleanly. Edited August 23, 2010 by ereese Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereese Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 This is what I was getting at...if i like Empire or not has nothing to do with it BUT many fans like them and thats great BUT what they love about them they hate in Cadets or BD..just didnt get that double standard. hmmmmm maybe its a thing if its your styck yeAR after year its ok and is accepted as entertainment but if you vary year to year its only a distraction and not excepted. Some people do like consistancy of same thing year after year Empire's show for DECADES has been (as Vince B would say) to entertain the crowd, and let the judging chips fall where they may. Next, every show, through the DECADES, has been crowd accessable. IOW, you get the storyline immediately, you understand and can enjoy the music, you see a show take place in front, you leave the show with the music in your head. No libretto, no pretense, nobody explaining the meaning of what color means, or the angst of young people, blah, blah, blah. It's what drum corps should be all about, entertaining the audience. Some people call it's cheesey, I say pass the crackers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom D'Bomb Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 on the subject of "showboating" drum majors and for THAT matter, certain pit percussion players in some 80's and 90's DCA corps:It's called "working the room". Nobody understood this concept better than Vince Bruni. While I was not privy to the inner workings of Empire Statesmen in their formative years, I am POSITIVE that every member recieved instruction in basic showmanship and making a "connection" with the audience. It is exactly the same concept used by stage bands playing clubs every weekend. I will do so, this coming weekend at a local club with my band, just as I did in the 80's and 90's in DCA. That's how you get people in the seats. You make a visual "connection" with the audience and entertain them. You can do this in the Statesmen style, or you can do it as Bushwackers have done in the past. Who among us remembers that crush roll from Bush's bassline that distinctly announced their entrance to the field? Or you can do as the Bucs are doing this year and put a majestic show on the field with superior musicianship and visuals. There are as many examples of entertainment within DCA as there are DCA corps. As for showboating drum majors, they are the FIRST performer in the line of sight and as such are the FIRST corps member to make the connection with the audience. I prefer that they not be "human metronomes" rather that they bring their personality to the podium. But thats me. Others will have a different opinion, just as valid as mine. One particular example stood out for me in 1996 when Westshoremen performed at Disneyworld in Orlando. We were going about the business of setting up the pit instruments and had a Disney staffer pushing us to hurry up and reminding us that "this is show business" and we have a sceduled performance time. It dawned on me that we were in what was referred to as the "backstage" of Disney. It was a "lightbulb" moment when I realized that this was INDEED "show business". In short order we condensed the pit to a more compact set up and rolled it out to the performance location! DCA in my opinion, is also "show business" and as such, the corps members have a responsibility to entertain the audience in the manner perscribed by their creative and design staff. But again, thats just me. The beauty of DCA (and DCI) is that there is something for everyone. "If you only play for the 9 judges, then pretty soon that's all you'll have in the stands." Vince Bruni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCC Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 "If you only play for the 9 judges, then pretty soon that's all you'll have in the stands."Vince Bruni Well, they do stand right in the center, so it's hard to completely avoid playing to them. Having been at the Scranton show myself, I can't imagine you are making this comment about any of the corps I saw in the show. Were you in attendance? All 6 corps gave the audience their money's worth and were very engaging and fun to watch. Should be a great year for DCA in Rochester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom D'Bomb Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Well, they do stand right in the center, so it's hard to completely avoid playing to them. Having been at the Scranton show myself, I can't imagine you are making this comment about any of the corps I saw in the show. Were you in attendance? All 6 corps gave the audience their money's worth and were very engaging and fun to watch. Should be a great year for DCA in Rochester. Did you notice I was replying to HairBear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Matczak Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 They've carried more than 40 all year. BTW, they are G horns and they play cleanly. noy only that, the couple times I've heard them, the tuning and blend has been pretty ###### good, while using a miss-matched set of G bugles,................kudos to whomever is on top of that,............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melligene Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Did you notice I was replying to HairBear? Methinks he may have missed the point you were trying to make. Just sayin......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairbear Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 (edited) Methinks he may have missed the point you were trying to make. Just sayin......... He may have, but I got it! Go Tom!! (See ya soon, my friend!) Edited August 23, 2010 by hairbear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elphaba01 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I loved the old "showboats" who would twirl a big ol' Mace and stick it in the ground. "Showboats": Miss them DEARLY: "Winky", "Jumpin' Joe", "Butchie Anderson", "Alan Smythe", "Wild Bill" Hooten, and "Go Get Em' Ralph" Silverbrand. GREAT to see Bruni Junior and Jimmy Russo still on the podiums rockin' da house!!!!!! Elphaba WWW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fecontra Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 They've carried more than 40 all year. BTW, they are G horns and they play cleanly. This sounds like a silly technicality - but a highlight for me Saturday night was comparing crescendos between Statesmen and Caballeros - and it seems to me the whole purported superior sound of a B vs a G might be exaggeration ( IMHO ) The ensemble sound of these two brasslines to me was so melodic , well balanced and finely tuned they gave me chills! I am not a prop fan , Statesmen did not go overboard - and they were SO effective - the wicked witch melting down was such a spectacular moment ( complete with smoke! ). The prop issue is irrelevant when backed up by a spectacular corps. The banter between the DM's and the crowd IMHO adds so much to the experience , otherwise just get a Japanese Robot and turn it on for 11 minutes when you are ready to start your show ( complete with a Dr Beat installation ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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