BanditKir Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Long day today but I wanted to get my thoughts down while they're all fresh in my mind. Probably leaving lots of spelling/grammar issues in this which I'll fix tomorrow. I'm an instructor for one of the earlier corps so I didn't get to really watch any of the shows until Spirit so I'll start there. Spirit of Atlanta I'm really disappointed in you, DCP. How has this hornline not been hyped? Really, really great sound. Not only that, but the writing gives you a sense that you're hearing something completely original. The dissonances and resolutions are worked in beautifully amongst the voices, particularly I think I remember the mellos getting some really cool moments. Oh yeah, I think there might have been some kind of story element? Seriously, the story feels like it almost just gets in the way of the brass writing. Anybody who might have been worried about the percussion section with the loss of Shane should not be. They are right at the level they should be. On a different night, I definitely could see them beating Boston, but we'll get there. My one issue with Spirit was their pit was a little over-amplified and I'd question the set up of having vibes integrated with the marimbas. I'm not saying the pit was too loud (especially when compared with that hornline) but the sound was about 95% coming from the speakers, and 5% from the pit which lends to very unblended and often thin sound. Crossmen Even after an excessive 25 minute intermission when Crossmen took started playing you couldn't help but feel disappointed by the hornline's sound after Spirit's. I'd heard so many things about how loud they were but they must have left that sound back in Texas. In essence, compared to Spirit the hornline was a sizeable step down. The percussion on the other hand... holy crap. These guys can play. I only hope they can keep the forward momentum up. They were easily the cleanest line tonight so I worry that they may plateau a bit as the summer goes on but if they don't... well, it's going to be quite a shame that a line playing on a level similar to blue stars of last year is in a corps that making finals would be quite a reach. I don't ever remember seeing such a dichotomy between the achievement levels of a percussion section and the rest of the corps. Best bass line of the night. My one complaint (and yet again, I return to the pit) was that this time the pit was probably under-amplified. I appreciate the more minimalist approach to amping but at the same time you can't expect things like 4 mallet arpeggios to project during big ensemble hits without some help. I could see lots of great technique going on in the pit that wasn't making it to the top of the stadium I was in and if that's true at the middle school the show was in tonight, there's no way it'll make it up however many levels in Indianapolis. Madison Scouts I don't cry. And I mean ever. In the last 12 years or so I've cried only once, and that was when my father died. The Madison Scouts left me choked up from the beginning of their closer to about 3 minutes into Boston's show. Probably the most emotional show I have ever seen on the field. For those who have been living in a box their show is about New York and they do an extended section about 9/11. Now, I've heard people say how it's very subtle and if you're not looking for it then you can choose to ignore but I didn't really think that was true. I won't spoil it but I will say it was still beautifully done. Now to gush about some random things about this show. Robert W. Smith is awesome. His experience was very evident in the writing and pacing of the music. One place he definitely shines is in his transitions. It feels like there's not a wasted note. Nothing is filler. Everything builds to something. There's a part that sounded really familiar and then I realized it was a transplant of a technique Robert W. Smith used in Twelve Seconds to the Moon that worked really well on the field (the solo tonguing that speeds up and slows down). 20 tubas! And these guys can play. There was one point where they stage the tubas with the euphoniums and I swear it looked like they had a full size 50 person hornline of tubas. Awesome! Drumline is producing an amazing sound. When they're on, they're on. The only probably downside is the middle movement where two of the snares switch to tenor drums is very clearly the weak point right now. Very dirty. And I feel it didn't set the drumline up very well going into the percussion feature which was also very dirty. That being said, they are attempting by far much more than and other percussion section there and they definitely deserve the credit for it. If they manage to clean that (which at this point is looking more like some fixes are in order) then it will be a killer section. The pit doesn't play mallets in the closer. And it works so amazingly well it's scary. How do you ask an entire drum corps to picture what it feels like to witness 9/11 in person and then reenact that every night? I have no idea but it's chilling. My gripe for Madison is why can't they wear white pants??? The corps really moves during this show but a lot of time it just looks like a wall of green. When I saw Boston coming I couldn't help but think that there was no way they could top that performance. Boston Crusaders And I was right. I'll start with a positive. The key words for Boston's show is "field coverage." However, halfway through the show I couldn't help but wonder if they spent more time covering the field than playing notes. This corps looks and sounds young. The drumline's book isn't nearly as bold as Crossmen's or Madison's and not as clean as Spirit's. Granted they had three snares fall during the closer, the percussion in general sounded like they have a ways to go. The amount of familiar tunes in the show was a bit of a treat and kept me entertained throughout. I will say this was probably the best show in terms of visual design. Alright, that's it. Time for me to get some sleep! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockEuph Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Great Review, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodchuck Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Iwould agree with everything you wrote, except Crossmen's hornline. Maybe not as loud as you were expecting, but I thought the sound was excellent, best words I can come upwith smooth, balanced,lush. Bigget surprise of the night to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardman Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 I guess I'm one of the people who are missing the subtle 9/11 references because I just find the Scouts show so far to be ho-hum. I like the opening okay, but that closer just has me kind of er, well...bored. Sorry scouts! I want to like it, and it will likely grow on me, but right now, I just don't get what all the fuss is about. I don't care for the "mood" of the closer, and I'm not sure how to overcome that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanditKir Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 Iwould agree with everything you wrote, except Crossmen's hornline. Maybe not as loud as you were expecting, but I thought the sound was excellent, best words I can come upwith smooth, balanced,lush. Bigget surprise of the night to me. I would definitely agree with all of those words... I just wouldn't add loud. I love the fact that the flugelhorns are back but it left me worried they had to sacrifice volume for them. Though it's certainly possible my expectations were too high. I'd been waiting to hear the Crossmen hornline since I heard the staff announcements and most of my expectations came from youtube comments... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanditKir Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 I guess I'm one of the people who are missing the subtle 9/11 references because I just find the Scouts show so far to be ho-hum. I like the opening okay, but that closer just has me kind of er, well...bored. Sorry scouts! I want to like it, and it will likely grow on me, but right now, I just don't get what all the fuss is about. I don't care for the "mood" of the closer, and I'm not sure how to overcome that... *SPOILERS* Well as I said, I didn't think the 9/11 references were subtle at all. The drum break begins with the horns playing "oh what a beautiful morning" with quite a bit of dissonance (9/11 happened during morning rush hour) and then the drill is a bunch of straight lines that then break down and chaotically merge ending with a siren and the entire corps looking at the sky shocked. And then the next section begins with the trumpets echoing taps back field woven with a melody that I assume is 'Requiem' going by the repertoire list. The only way I think they could have made it less subtle is if they had spoken dialogue. The rest of the closer is a reminder of all the reasons not only why we love New York, but why it's important to persevere through such tragedies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcc Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Ok, I know how much I anxiously awaited reviews of when I've performed, so I thought I'd add another one..... Great night for drum corps. I was really impressed with how well prepared the corps were... Bridgemen- Probably their best opening performance since re-forming as an alumni corps. Pretty impressive what they can do on such a limited rehearsal schedule. What I liked.... -Lead sops really nailing the upper register stuff throughout the show - The "Traffic Cop" being seduced by the box of donuts - The way the ending drill to Lombero was tightened up from last year - really helps brass projection What can be tweaked... - In the drum feature have those young bass drummers rotate running around to play on one other's drums,to heighten the intensity - Pick up the tempo on the end of the closer to add excitement -Maybe add some movement too Raiders- Pleasantly surprised to see the Raiders with the largest corps I've ever seen them with- 30 plus brass, and a big battery-Seven snares? What I liked... - Musical selections- the blue theme works well - Intensity of the battery - Nice brass solo work What can be tweaked... -Percussion at times overpowered the brass -Mellos can use some help in their feature- only four I believe and it was pretty exposed - Battery seemed to have some tempo battles going on amongst themselves, I believe in the closer Jersey Surf- Having not heard much from them over the winter , I was fearing the worst. My fears were not realized. I think they're in better shape tonight than a year ago, and I like the potential of the program. What I liked.... Guard uniforms and performance- looked like Vegas Show costumes- a bright green really added to the program looked very well prepared, and enhanced the visuals Battery- Appeared aggressive and confident Lady Gaga and Carmen music in the same show... it fits. Horn line seems to enjoy playing it. What can be tweaked..... Trumpets- You have good players just need more of them Contras- ditto Drill- when the holes are filled it'll be more readable , kind of muddy right now. Spirit- Holy Hornline, best Spirit brass has had since their glory days in my opinion. Extremely powerful. Really enjoyed their entire program. What I liked.... -Stereo effects in the brass line - Great original arrangement of Harlem Nocturne - The In-your-face, but controlled ( I know sounds like a contradiction) brass What can can be tweaked... Narration setting the scene at the beginning- too long Pit volume- tone it down a bit it's covering up some great music Drill- seems a bit cluttered at times Crossmen- I'm gonna sound like I'm repeating myself ( but it's a good thing), best Crossmen corps in a long time! Aggressive Percussion, lots of fast-paced movement in the drill, and a much more confident hornline than recent years What I liked.... Spinning Wheel- What an awesome arrangement-unlike you've ever heard before! with outstanding bari solos Screaming Trumpets- Yea! the Crossmen have people that can nail the high stuff!... and the beautiful voicings in the ballad The Battery- Reminds me of the groovin X-Men of old What can be tweaked- -Add some more RED to the uni's - Get the brass more intense in the opener - Get those bari solos out front more so you can hear them better! Madison- If this show doesn't finish in the upper half of the finals, I'll be really disappointed. They were on fire, and had the crowd eating out of their hands....from an entertainment standpoint it's top three ( I saw the elite 8 in the movies). What I liked.... The Brass book- all kinds of great stuff going on Contras- Best Contra line I have ever heard- plus they were spread all across the field at times and still blended great The Guard- I'm a brass player who seldom notices the guard, but the rifle toss precision-wow! What can be tweaked- Drill- Thought there was a little too much "follow the leader" going on Color - need more color! Didn't really notice much at all.. too much green and white, and no noticable flag color ( or maybe I got caught up in the brass sound and intensity) Battery- It seemed to me like the battery wasn't as clean Crossmen or Boston Boston Crusaders- Very nice accessible program, with great field coverage. Boston incorporated the most body movement of the night, and very effectively What I liked... -The musical arrangements- loved the mixing of Les Mis and 1812 Overture in the closer, and bari soloist I think in the opener -The quality of the brass line playing -Guard uniforms- enhanced the visual package What can be tweaked.... More brass intensity to sell the book Work in a few more impact points musically All in all a very enjoyable show. Each corps kept me interested in theirhaven't been able to say that in a while. looks like a good year! Rcc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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