Whiskey Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 Yeah - my first post on DCP! Wanted to post this last night but I guess there were bandwidth problems. Just got back from having a great time in California. I was able to attend the San Diego, Riverside and Bakersfield shows. Weather was not quite what I expected with it being overcast and chilly during the nights. Here are thoughts on how this years California corps and BK are shaping up. So. Cal Dream I am very happy and pleased with the progress this senior corps has made in a short two years. Numbers are solid and show selection is very entertaining that it will attract more members to their group in the coming years. Someone has to give the Renegades a run for their money and this might be the corps to do it! The show includes the old drum corps standard of Malaga which kept this reviewer entertained. Some very nice, loud brass moments and some screaming sopranos kept the audience engaged. The guard seems to be working hard and added some flavor to the program. It's probably hard to pick up a rifle or flag after so many years and move like you were 21 all over again! I give props to these guys and it'll be interesting to see if So Cal can raise its membership and performance level next year. San Diego Alliance Six horns, count them "six" kept this reviewer thoroughly entertained and impressed by this corps! When I read in the program book that they were doing a Phillip Glass piece, I thought 'here is corps that is biting off more than they can chew'. Well they proved me wrong. The show is complex yet not written over the heads of the performers. Kudos to the design team. The show based on the Amazon reflects what the corps wants to get across. The guard costumes although funky, fit the program well. Some nice ethnic beats by the drumline keep this show moving. As you probably read somewhere else, the drumline drops their drums at the mid-way point and picks up these boxes that to me looked like bird houses when I first saw them. They put these boxes right onto their snare and quad carriers and march around with them beating on them with their hands to make a cool hollow sound effect. Almost like beating a hollow box or plastic trash can. Percussion kept this show moving, but the hornline played pretty darn well considering that everyone was a soloist for the entire show. You could tell this corps was proud of what they had to show. My attention waned here and there, but that can be expected from a small corps and show music I never heard before. Nice job SDA! Impulse When I first saw Impulse I though here is corps that will go places and become the next VK, but something happened. This corps just seemed to be in a rut as of late staying behind groups like SCV Cadets, BDB and being passed up by Esperanza. Well I am happy to say that Impulse impressed the heck out of me this weekend. Maybe because my expectations weren't as high going in, but this corps just entertained me more than in the last 2 years combined. Great music from Willy Wonka including I've Got a Golden Ticket which was great to hear played on the field. The Candy Man was also very enjoyable to listen to as well. Of course the Oompa-Loompa Song is included, but it just seems like the corps felt it had to throw it in because it's so popular. Although they jazz it up a little, I really can't stand the song. That's as far as they got. They still have two more pieces they need to add. I would really like to hear I Want it Now which is sung by that naughty Veruca Salt in the movie. I think that's a great song. Sadly I probably won't see Impulse again. :( It sounds like Impulse is trying to stabalize their guard program and to an extent it shows. The kids seem to be enjoying the show and I sure hope Impulse will continue to attract more kids. Drum corps needs some humor to keep it from getting to serious. Blue Devils B For a couple years BDB was starting to play wind ensemble pieces that were not very entertaining nor the right choice for this feeder corps. It also felt like they were stuck in that "middle child" syndrome of not getting the respect and attention from the Blue Devil Organization. Membership seemed to drop over the years compared to the likes of SCV Cadets and Esperanza. Since Blue Devils A corps seems to be getting back to their jazz roots, BDB has also switched back to jazz with a solid offering of Pat Metheny music and an original piece by John Meehan. Although dirt galore was evident, this show at least kept me entertained with music we all know. Even the high school kids were excited because some of their schools played these pieces. Too bad they probably never heard X-Men's or '85 BD's version. The members seem to be enjoying their program and the drumline is starting to be taught the technique/style that the A corps drumline has. They looked very confident out on the field and had that BD swagger. I don't know much about color guard, but even they seemed to improve from previous years. Hopefully this show makes some kids want to join BDB next year. SCV Cadets Unlike BDB, SCV Cadets seem to get a lot of love from their organization. Their members are always strong and the staff designs shows very similar to their big brother. Movement, drumline and horns all have that SCV feel to it. The Vanguard organization in my opinion is the best at getting their members ready for the type of show they'll be marching once they make it to the big guys. This years corps doesn't seem as prepared or looks dirtier than in the recent past, but this could be because they're not going to DCI Championships this year. Either way the show is put together well. Their first piece Overture to a New Era sounds and feels very similar to the style SCV played in the early 80's. The SCV Cadets have a ballad this year which is completely played by the front ensemble. Excellent technique and sounds come from the pit. The guard uses this serene moment to fix their puzzle piece props together. Take a look at Soundmachine and you'll see pictures of what these props look like. The corps closes with some very solid drum corps. I always say you can have all these wonderful innovative ideas, music and movement, but nothing beats solid drum corps. SCV Cadets seem to prove that as long as musicanship is strong, movement is solid and the drumline throws down solid beats you'll always get great applause from the audience. I know I was appluading like crazy. Esperanza Last year I kept missing Esperanza at shows for one reason or another. I even missed them at Div. II/III Finals in Madison last year. The last time I saw them was in 2001 and I was very impressed back then. Well this corps has made some great stides. As some of you may know Esperanza has a fantastic winter guard and this corps seems to have kept most of its members because they are a pretty big guard unit. Their guard looked very confident out their both on rifles/sabres and flags. A giant opening statement in bright silver flags really woke up the audience at the two shows they were at. The show selectin ranges from minimalist composers like Glass and Gorecki to jazzier stuff by Wynton Marsalis, but it just all seems to flow together nicely. This corps looked very confident out on the field. This show was written not only to challenge for the Div. II title, but to start envoking the feel of a Div. I corps. It still moves slow compared to Div. I corps. but all the elements are there to take the next step. This show will probably be in the top 3 at Div. II finals and may very well take it. It will depend on how strong the Spartans, Patriots and Revolution are. If you get a chance to see Esperanza this year you won't be disappointed. Pacific Crest It's been great to see PC grow in maturity over the years. Like everyone else has said, if you've never seen PC before you're in for a treat. Back in 2001 I already thought these guys could have beaten Southwind and achieved semifinalist status. This year the staff has designed a show in a very modern way to compete with the Division I corps. In my opinion they tried too hard to be modern and this was probably the least entertaining PC corps I've seen in the last couple of years. Don't get me wrong, these guys entertained me, but I just felt they were trying too hard to act like a finalist. I was impressed when I first saw them in San Diego, but as soon as the Mandarins came on PC seemed to be stuck in a slow mode compared to the rest. After that I had a hard time comparing PC to the other Div. I corps. PC is nice, loud and playing pretty well for the early season. Excellent visual effect by the guard using those silver boxes to spin and create a strobe effect throughout the show. This reviewer wonders though how it will look when they have to perform this show probably in the afternoon in Orlando without no stadium lights . I think some of the effect will be loss. Some of the girls also spin their boxes great, while others seem to not spin theirs as well and they almost come to a halt. Hopefully practice will clear up this issue. Feet were pretty inconsistent throughout the show, but that should be cleared up in time. It felt like the jam session was thrown in just to capitalize on the current trend corps like the Cavaliers have been doing. The crowd seemed to dig it though. Overall it was a solid effort and kept the audience entertained. Is this a Div. I semifinalist? In the beginning I would have said yes, but now I'm not too sure especially with Mandarins showing a much more energetic show. I wish them the best of luck and hopefully I'll have a different impression by Orlando. Mandarins This is a corps not afraid to play or move. I kind of laughed when another reviewer thought they were playing it safe visually. This corps moves well and some of the flag statements really made an impact on the audience. When is it since you've seen a corps make the audience cheer for the flags (it's like corps depend on rifles/sabres to get the applause). The Mandarins gaurd are also solid on this effort as well. The girls in the guard are wearing costumes based on the Han Dynasty and fit the program pretty well. They look like they're wearing some funky furry boots like eskimos wear in the cold. The last minute of the show has a lot of speed and got mice ovations from the crowd. Muscially they are playing stuff by Borodin (G-Men '98). Nice intricate brass passages throughout. Mandarins continue to have that top heavy sound in the brass. I would really like to hear more low brass power from them. The strain of stangers ballad is put together nicely, but doesn't generate much effect like G-Men did with snippets in '98. They may not have the sound or numbers of a Div. I corps, but these guys can definitely compete with them. I laugh at the arguments that people are writing that they should not be a Div. I corps. The truth is, this corps will probably beat quite a few corps in quarterfinals and may even make semifinals which I thought they had no chance of making at the beginning of the season. Right now they have a show that is definitely more difficult than Pacific Crest in terms of brass. And the play Bacchanale at the end, which actually created some goosebumps. How can you not like this classy organization this year? Blue Knights Now that is the BK I know! It's sort of funny because BK has always been criticized for program selection and considered the "restroom" corps. This year you could just tell the audience was happy to see a BK corps that was not only contemporary, but looked like past BK finalists corps. It was like welcoming back an old friend and although many people never liked this corps in the past, it was like something was missing in the activity. It's kind of hard to describe and put down in words, but you might get the same impression when you see them this summer. I myself have always liked their shows. The last two years although modern just didn't seem like BK. Once again traditionalists will hate this corps, the casual fan wil find them boring and the fan open to change like myself will be kept entertained. The middle horns face backfield and play a haunting melody while the rest of the corps sings/hums throughout. It sounds very sweet. In fact BK's whole production is filled with great melodies and haunting chords. Their hornline sounds very good and the marching is extremely complex. They move with a passion out there, but it is very dirty. People also complain about their knee lift step off. I think it's unique and if the corps can get all their members to do it uniformly it will look great. BK continues to add dynography to their program, but doesn't use it as much except for the ballad and parts of the opener. The guard is dressed in a skin tight outfit with shades of sky blue around the waist area, yellow in the mid section and a rose/light reddish color around the shoulder area. I like them and they fit the program theme well and fit the contemporary image they're trying to portray. The girls though are feeling self conscious about them though. I was in the parking lot at both the Riverside and Bakersfield show which were jam packed with guys watching the drumlines and I heard one of their staff members tell them "you better get use to it". I looked over and some of the girls were trying their best to cover themselves. It was chilly and nippy outside if you can catch my drift. So although the costuming works well in the program, a corps should never pick a guard uniform that their members will feel uncomfortable in. The gaurd is very inconsistent, but has been given an ambitious program to work with. Many mental errors and drops at the Riverside show. It will take all season to clean this show up and that might be a good or bad thing as the season progresses. I'm hoping like mad BK makes finals because I want this show on the DVD's. One more thing, the drumline was pretty tight. I thought what killed the corps was when they lost Hardimon and Mike Stevens, but they are working their magic again without them. They along with BD are the corps whose music I'm catching myself humming lately. This summer stay in your seat to watch BK! SCV I don't quite know what to think about this show yet. Right now it just isn't clicking with me. It sounds like the audience feels the same was as well. They're going ga-ga over BD and clapping politely for SCV. That's not to say that SCV improved dramatically over the 3 shows I saw them. By Bakersfield they were looking and sounding much better. Once again the Vanguard is putting on an innovative, fast, and complex show to dazzle the audience. Now I'm in a minority when it comes to SCV groups. I immediately was hooked on the '97-'99 and the 2001-02 SCV corps. I was liking their shows from their early season shows all the way through finals. Surprisingly it was their 2000 show that left me not feeling either way about their show. I know the 2000 show seems to be a favorite with many on here, but after hearing a real orchestra play Adagio in person, nothing else quite compares. Anyway this corps is leaving the same impression on me as the 2000 group. I hope SCV makes me eat my words, because I'm a big fan of theirs. The call and response opener of Orawa is pretty cool, but you can hear the phrasing. The whole first half of the show including One Man Show just seems a little flat to me and judging by the audience as a whole they weren't feeling it either. That or they were just so amazed they couldn't even bring themselves to yell. The last half is where the show really cooks! Just some flat out ballsy arranging! The snares really stood out in my mind and they sounded great throughout the show. The quads seemed to get lost and never really stood out to me in the show. The guard uniforms are nice and they have a nice book to work with. Right now they're dealing with mental errors and timing issues just like pretty much all the corps. I think this show will grow on me, but it won't be one of my favorite SCV corps. Check out their souvies. They got some great merchandise this year including blankets to sit on when you're at a show. The souvie ladies are always some of the nicest poeple in the activitiy. Blue Devils First I need to get off that BD always puts out a difficult show even though many think otherwise. Their whole motto is they want the audience to think it looks easy and effortless even though it really isn't. They have some of the best feet in the activity. Every member knows the marching technique well. They have moves that are very exposed and easy to pick out from a judging standpoint. You can criticize all you want, but I think the judges know the level of difficulty in BD's design and usually award it justly every year much to the audiences dismay. Well enough of that and on to the show. This is a very confident and professional corps this year. I was able to attend a practice of theirs and these kids have musical skills beyond anything I ever had. They were putting together a new part of their show where they wind up in an arc formation and create a great chord effect from side to side. While the Cavaliers last year did something similar in their ballad with lush chords, BD's is like it's on steroids! BD's chord moves at warp speed from one side of the arc to the other, then back, then into a final resolve of the chord. Very cool effect. They worked on this a lot during practice and Wayne Downey kept changing notes on the corps until he was satisfied. These kids got their instruction of changes from Van Matthews and performed the changes superbly during the next run just like the staff wanted! This happened 3-4 times that Wayne wanted changes in notes or changes in dynamics. Man that was professional to see! These kids know their notes inside and out. The show starts off with the percussionists showing off their goods either individually, in pairs or small ensemble groups. This leads to the Brubeck piece that we've all been listening to since the corps put it online. All this is played backfield as the asymmetrical form starts getting built into what the corps calls the tower. All this comes to a great high point when the corps turns around and does the brass run and their first big hit! After that the show takes off! Solid drill moves and great playing. The opener is generating a great response from the audience. The Miles Davis ballad of Sketches is very tasty! The guard just oozes sensuality in this piece. This corps along with the Cadets just puts other corps to shame based on their dancing ability. I always find it funny that a corps thinks they need to drop their equipment and dance. Sometimes it just looks silly. BD on the other hand makes you wish you took dance lessons. They really know how to communicate with the audience. Once again getting off track, the ballad BD has is a highlight for me. Wayne really knows how to write great ballads with just the perfect sounding chords. Perhaps that's boring to others, but this is the subtle stuff I love listening to. The corps then works it way into some scat calling which once again highlights the percussion. This leads into snippets from West Side Story. The closer starts with Take 5 from Brubeck and leads into mixtures of Cool from WSS. There are pauses here and there to allow for showcasing the guard. It's nice, but the last two pieces starting with the scat calling seem to be more disjointed than the first part of the show. This could be what hurts BD later on in the year if they can't sell it more to the audience. It seems like they're still in the middle of their closer when you start hearing the closing reprise from the opener and then it's over. It kind of left the San Diego and Bakersfield audiences flat. At Riverside they sold it well. It might be like this throughout the the season for them. As you can tell I really am enjoying their program this year. BUT...something tells me this could be a show that loses steam by the end if they can't change some things in the last half of their show. Right now I can't see it winning DCI, but it's in contention for the Spirit of Disney Award. It's really going to come down to the staff and performers, because this corps definitely has all the talent. On a side note the guard is in all black, but will have their uniforms ready by this weekend. So BD could actually see a boost in their GE and guard scores. At times the black got lost in the drill forms especially when they were intergrated in. The rack and pedal tones are back. If you're a fan of these, you're be clapping away. I for one think a corps should be innovative every year. Last year I was cheering like mad over these moves, this year it's more like, heh. Thanks BD for being ready like it's July even though it's only June. This is a show that is going to please just about everybody this year. Some final thoughts: Buying All Div. II/III corps. You impressed me by your performance level for June. Keep it up - you're the future of the activity. Selling High school kids. Some were pretty obnoxious putting down shows. One even put in a negative note which the Riverside announcer read anyway about failure. Grow up. Undecided Color guard uniforms. I liked BK's costuming, but when its members feel uncomfortable to wear it, well it makes you think. Buying Souvenirs - I bought way too many! Spent over $250 this weekend! I love drum corps. Selling Surprisingly Pacific Crest. I was expecting so much more and was a little disappointed. Undecided SCV. I hope this show turns into something special. Buying BD, Bk and Mandarins. BK and Mandarins were great surprises this week. BD will be very entertaining this year. May not win, but will get fans out of their seats. Selling Restrooms at the Riverside show. Went to the mens' locker room, but after they closed the gym, I had to wait in line for the port-o-johns. Undecided The parking lot. It's great to check out the drumlines, hornlines and catch up with old friends. It's getting more insane though. Many corps at Riverside had a heck of a time trying to get their semis and busses parked. I probably won't get to another show until Orlando, unless I can get to Alburquerque. Those who go to a show this year, write a review for us. I enjoy reading them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaLisaMoMeesa Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 One of the best reviews I've read in a long time. I didn't agree w/ all your opinions, but very well thought out and gives the reader an "I felt like I was there" impression. Good writing. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentFlamDrag Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 Okay, To clear up what our members are playing on. The name of the drum is called a "cajon". (KA-hon). It is a latin percussion instrument. Refer to the link http://www.fatcongas.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhiatt Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 Well written! B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCVAlumniGuard Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 Very nice. Feels like I was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 Okay,To clear up what our members are playing on. The name of the drum is called a "cajon". (KA-hon). It is a latin percussion instrument. Refer to the link http://www.fatcongas.com Like "El Cajon"? Heh...I'm from La Mesa, BTW. Monte Vista HS, Class of '81. . . . . . Yeah...I'm old! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentFlamDrag Posted June 27, 2003 Share Posted June 27, 2003 Yes like "El Cajon" I'm from Los Angeles, but I teach in San Diego. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welloverpar Posted June 27, 2003 Share Posted June 27, 2003 Once again traditionalists will hate this corps, the casual fan wil find them boring and the fan open to change like myself will be kept entertained. The middle horns face backfield and play a haunting melody while the rest of the corps sings/hums throughout. It sounds very sweet. In fact BK's whole production is filled with great melodies and haunting chords. Their opener is called "Kaval Sviri (The Flute)". If you can find a way to hear this, do. I won't be able to hear BK's version unless they make finals and/or some kind person makes it available for download. The Bulgarian women's choir version I have is amazingly spooky. One more thing, the drumline was pretty tight. I thought what killed the corps was when they lost Hardimon and Mike Stevens, but they are working their magic again without them. They along with BD are the corps whose music I'm catching myself humming lately. This summer stay in your seat to watch BK! This is good to hear. Pat Amann (caption head), Mike Nevin and staff will be able to clean this line without watering parts no problem. I wanted badly to get to Riverside and watch these guys (and girl) in the parking lot and hear that show but work prevailed once again....d@mmit. By the way, excellent review. I hope you can get to ABQ show. late, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSGreen Posted June 27, 2003 Share Posted June 27, 2003 Nominee for best review of the season so far! Great review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriDitt57 Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 Great review! I'm really bummed that I'm not going to see SCV live this year. Would to have heard the Key Poulan show live. Oh well......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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