Todd Tanji Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 It's interesting to me that unpredictability in scores this year also seems to mean some corps getting an uncharacteristic amount of hate on DCP this year. Why throw SCV under the bus? It's awesome to see them kicking a again (or, more accurately, continuing the trend they started a couple years ago). Meanwhile there's all this affection for bd('s music, at least). DCP is so fickle. It's like some people are relying on the scores to tell them what they should feel. Good point. People were really dissing SCV and Bluecoats here then when I saw them live they weren't nearly as bad as they were made out to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsBusDriver Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Why throw SCV under the bus? I'm really really starting to resent that phrase. Anyway, nice to know that SCV has been improving day by day. Keep up the good work guys!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Directorofbands Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Whereas I respect your opinion, as well as your loyalty and enthusiasm for your daughter's corps, I don't get why you find the need to be so cynical and rude in your reference to the other competing corps. Why can't you support your corps, and give respectful criticism of others? Here's an example: Keep up the hard work Santa Clara! It'll take everything you've got to work through "The Devil's Staircase." Keep working it one day at a time. IMO, the musical and visual demand in your show is beyond compare, and the challenge is completely characteristic of what we've come to expect from the Vanguard. Go SCV! Your commentary approach really challenges some people to not wish bad things for the corps you support, if only for the purpose of ruining your day by making you eat those words. Why not just support all of the corps by cheering your favorite and at least not tearing down the hard work of others. Think about it. First, cynical and rude? No, I can be cynical and rude. If you'd like, I can give you an example, but I won't right now. My comments about the other corps' music were MY OPINION. SCV is one of my personal favorite corps! Do I like the music.....no. Do I think the music is memorable.....sorry. BD is probably the best drum corps year in and year out as far as talent level. I believe they are the best marchers in the activity. Do I enjoy this year's music? No. Frog in a blender. I apologize if it came across as bashing a corps. Nope, just dislike their musical selections, personally. Let me put my music opinion in a more PC way: DCI 2003 - Phantom did Canon....Opener and closer. The next two years I see, hear and judge a ton of bands doing "lifts" of those two, note for note in some cases. Imitation is the highest form of flattery>>>>>>> Methinks so. Good luck to ALL of the corps out there. Stay safe, continue improving and have a great summer. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 (edited) Call me old school. Don't care. Can I appreciate the difficulty of some of the products and the execution? Of course I can. I can appreciate the effort and the artistry of hockey, but I don't have to like it. When I show my students corps shows, I'm always very selective. Why? Because it can be the most technically and physically demanding show in the world, but if it's not going to get their attention without a 3 hour discourse on all of the subtle aspects of the show, there will be no interest. You utilized a good analogy between Drum Corps and Hockey here, imo. If someone does not understand how good teams play the puck while on defense in the neutral zone, or when a" dump the puck and run offense " utilization is most effective against which defenses, etc and other nuances of the game of Hockey, they will probably not like the game of hockey as well as those that understand the many nuances of the game of hockey better. To those with limited knowlege of the game, to them its just helter skelter activity with no rhyme or reason to the puck movement. Likewise, those that have a deeper understanding of the nuances of music might enjoy a music show that others with less musical knowledge might not like at all. Edited July 3, 2011 by BRASSO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxfreq1128 Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 If someone does not understand how good teams play the puck while on defense in the neutral zone, or when a" dump the puck and run offense " utilization is most effective against which defenses, etc and other nuances of the game of Hockey, they will probably not like the game of hockey as well as those that understand the many nuances of the game of hockey better. To those with limited knowlege of the game, to them its just helter skelter activity with no rhyme or reason to the puck movement. Likewise, those that have a deeper understanding of the nuances of music might enjoy a music show that others with less musical knowledge might not like at all. The difficulty, though, is that professional sports like Hockey do often enough boil down to pretty readily taught/learned rules -- that's what makes a game, a game. Adjudicated sports, on the other hand, are decidedly less systematic. The better analogy might be to something like ice skating. Most people couldn't tell a triple axle from a quadruple-whatever, and this is something that many people simply will not learn. But everyone knows what it means when someone busts their a. And either way, no one needs to know all the technicalities in order to find it exciting, nor will knowing the rules make a dull sport more interesting. You only need to know the rules to understand what determined the winner. I don't think knowing the rules or bringing a lot of background knowledge to the table is what makes the difference, in terms of enjoyment. It's art. Either you respond to a certain performance, or you don't. Either you like Bob Graettinger, Shostakovich, or Lady Gaga, or you don't. You wouldn't need to explain to students what makes a certain show interesting, because whether or not they find it interesting isn't really your domain, and all the intellectualizing in the world is not going to change that (as the constant debates over BD's show last year taught us). Appreciation, enjoyment, understanding -- these are not the same thing. Convincing people what makes a show worthy of their respect is one thing. But people who try to force other people to enjoy things are idiots. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxfreq1128 Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Let me put my music opinion in a more PC way: DCI 2003 - Phantom did Canon....Opener and closer. The next two years I see, hear and judge a ton of bands doing "lifts" of those two, note for note in some cases. Imitation is the highest form of flattery>>>>>>> Methinks so. Well. And also because canon was already one of the most famous songs ever... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRacer Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 (edited) Here is my "quick & dirty" review of Walnut from Section D, Row 21, Seat 1: Academy: This is a great show until they get to the progressive jazz section with body movement at about the 5:00 mark. The show seemed to lose steam & direction at this point, and the kids sounded tired after that. Note: it WAS hot yesterday in the Orange County/Inland Empire area during rehearsal for everyone, but I would think Academy would be used to heat. PC: Where was the dress center command to fix the two diagonals before step off as the corps stood at attention for nearly three minutes?? This show was dirty even before the PA announcer's introduction; were the drum majors called away to help out with the concession stand which was an utter disaster? Phantom: I know the recap reflects differently from upstairs, but it was an off night: low brass stickouts on the ends of forms (gasps from around me)...tear in the ballad...TOO MUCH SYNTH...a number of individuals out of step. SCV: Despite their high guard score, I find the guard feature (where the demons "overwhelm" the main character (portrayed by a horn player who places his horn and Aussie on the 50), then string him out in a pull away from the 50) a bit muddy and confusing versus the slow ballad from the hornline. HOWEVER, the horn player featured in this section goes way beyond body movement and actually dances in accompaniment to the guard. He is quite good; for you guard folks, check out his form when he leaps to the side & mirrors the guard choreography. I heard a spectator behind me say, "Man, that guy can really dance!"; there was a smattering of applause for him at the conclusion of this feature. The drumline marched a few holes (there were only three tenors and 4 plates) but still sounded amazing, which elicited more gasps from the high school kids seated in the section to my left. The new Vanguard yell occurs at a good place in the show and will get better as the season wears on. BD: The soloists were off last night, and at one point the synth & amps drowned out the nifty tenor feature taking place on the 50. The snares had a tough time with their "strut & play" feature which was dirty, and I am not a fan the University of Monkey Drumming technique. BD plays loud, but then again so does BK who unfortunately was not on this leg of the tour. General comment for all corps: turn down the synths!! Edited July 3, 2011 by TRacer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crfrey71 Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Is scv's guard really better than BD and PR's? At this point, I would say yes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GABA Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Phantom had an off night, but SCV had a great night. Why slam SCV? SCV's show is more difficult, drill and music then Phantom's and this is the 1st week in July. From Stanford to Walnut, SCV has been improving more so then PR maybe because they were further behind. On a performance note concerning Color Guard's, SCV's Guard went into character right when their foot touched the grass and did not stop until they were off the field, just like Phantom 07 and SCV was intense. PR guards had a major problem last night, no biggy, finals is a long ways off. BD's guard needs cleaning and I know they will take a few shows before finals. But there is no need to slam another Corps for having a great performance. UnCool. Both Corps, ALL the Corps did what they were supposed to do last night and that is to entertain, which they did immensely. Great to see completed shows at Walnut. Hats off to all the Corps, I had a wonderful time watching over 5 hours of excitement, emotion, precision etc....... But, I would love to hear the Corps without all that amplification. -G 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wackywords Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Let the climb begin!!!! GO Vanguard!!!!! Can't wait til Minneapolis!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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