How will announced changes effect the corps?

[actucker]

When it all comes down to it, I guess this is the statement that I disagree with. To me, their paths to phantom are rather similar in regards to their experience (minus the UNT thing - which is huge) and relative success along the way.

As far as Gwaltney being an unknown, I agree and I don't. I mean I have known about him for years even though I am (or was) a tuba player and I have never been associated with any group he has worked with. I knew him because people said he was great. However, compared to Paul Rennick he IS an unknown. Anybody with the exception of Jim Cassella, Raplh Hardiman, Colin McNutt, Tom Hannum, and Mike Jackson would be considered an unknown when you compare them to Paul Rennick.

Your final statement is true. I do imagine that most vets in the percussion section at PR will follow him to SCV which I think will place a big question mark i some horn and guard players minds about what their future might hold. In the end, I think PR will be fine in the percussion caption. What worries me is their visual caption. It almost always has.

I can see your point, and again, I'm not trying to take anything away from Gwaltney. His is a name I've heard before, and from what I can tell, he's well respected, but even at the time when Rennick left Crown, people outside of just the percussion realm were talking about him. I'm sure that's partially due to his success with UNT, but it was also partially due to the strength of Crown's percussion program. At the time when Rennick left, the general vibe in the percussion world was that it was a major step up for Phantom, and that Rennick was going to do great things there. There just aren't the same rumblings about Gwaltney right now. Maybe he will go there and do great things. I love Phantom, so I hope that is the case, but I think the chances that he matches what Rennick was doing are slim, and without the strong percussion program, and with their weakness in other captions, I just don't have a lot of optimism for the corps right now.

[jmdigmon]

Before 2003, Crown never finished higher than 7th in drums. Does anyone remember Rennick's short time at BD in the early 90s? I do, and it wasn't good. Was it Rennick's fault? Nope. Just the way things worked out in 1991 at BD, which ended the year pretty clean but without many notes at all. Then what happened? Rennick did other things and made his way back up and produced some killer lines at Phantom. (While continuing UNT's dominance.)

Shane has proven himself at multiple levels over the last decade, and I think he can do great things at Phantom. What he brought to Spirit was quite incredible. If that corps had been a legitimate finalist contender, he could have done greater things there. I hope some vets come back to PR and give him a chance and that others make the trip. It will be a great experience.

[JamMan]

the Cadets have been stale for a few ( besides WSS )

Toy soldier ,Pusuit of happiness , This I believe ,looking glass II , The Zone , Tull , Favorite things .

Are you saying these shows are stale? Really? You should actually listen to them, especially 2003, 2005 and 2007.

Of course, you did say "few". There are always nuts who only like things done one way, so why even bother making lists?

[Rocketman]

well, at Regiment he'll have Dan Farrell tell him what he has to do, so you can just point the finger at the "Director of Programs" if anything goes wrong.

and thus the proverbial "kiss of death."

[Jerseyboy]

Are you saying these shows are stale? Really? You should actually listen to them, especially 2003, 2005 and 2007.

2001-Young Persons Guide

2002-Boogie Woogie Bugle boy

2003-Malaguena , come on...

2004 -Jethro tull

2005 -Quite Innovative but fans were cursing them and throwing things at them because of Hopkins.

2006-That BIG BUNNY !!!

2007-Good corps - But Again Hopkins and HASHGATE.

2008 the radio show with stage . good corps bad show.

2009-WSS III

2010-Jeffrey - when the CADETS want you to look at the character instead of the corps they have run out of idea's.

I just want the CADETS BACK.

Edited September 27, 2010 by FanofNight

[seinphan]

Rennick did a short stint at Sky Ryders and then went to VK and had some killer lines there with Float. He took 96-97 off and was at Crown starting in 98.

[actucker]

Are you saying these shows are stale? Really? You should actually listen to them, especially 2003, 2005 and 2007.

Of course, you did say "few". There are always nuts who only like things done one way, so why even bother making lists?

Actually, yeah. I can honestly say I haven't liked a Cadets show top to bottom since Stonehenge in 98. They've gotten very gimmicky, and, under the guise of innovation, have stopped playing music. The design has become all about the visual and the theme, and not about the music. The music should be strong enough to stand on its own. Now, don't get me wrong, The Cadets are certainly not the only ones who are guilty of this. They just seem to be the ones who have pushed it in that direction. It is possible to walk the line between having a strong theme and a great visual package, and still insisting that the music being at the forefront. Phantom proved this in 2008 with Spartacus. In many ways, drum corps has a lot to do with music education all over the country. High school kids look at drum corps as the pinnacle of the marching activity, and many of the future band directors are marching or have marched drum corps at some point. I think with that comes a certain amount of responsibility to be about the music more than anything else. There's enough entertainment out there that ignores musical talent for a product that is a quick sell. Drum corps doesn't have to buy into that.

[Drillwatcher]

After seeing the new championship format, I predict based on the changes announced so far that Likely Pioneer, Cascades maybe as far up as Crossmen will mot perform in the Friday show as several of the open class will likely advance beyond them.