Bucknell

[BigW]

Send Lawyers, Guns, and Money, BigW has managed to escape the Planet Earth and finally get back to the Drum Corps Planet for 2011!

I tried to make an escape earlier through a visit to the Reading Friends and Family Day, but I needed to learn the difference between Saturday and Sunday.

This time, I got it right, and had a 50 Yard Line Seat for the Cavalcade of Champions contest in Lewisburg, PA.

A beautiful drive up the West Shore listening to Warren Zevon and the Mike Vax Big Band got me to the Drum Corps Planet in style.

It was good to run into Buddy Palko, an old corps-mate, and I also got to say hi to Fran and Jeff Ream, as well as a few other old Drum Corps friends. Seeing people you like and respect who share your passion for the activity that you've worked with in one way or another made the trip well worth it.

I had a fantastic seat, well up on the 50 and only a few rows under the press box, so I had a near-perfect vantage point.

The show started with a scorching temperature like last year, and began again with Scout House. The best way to perhaps describe Scout House is that it's like seeing a 1961 Aston-Martin DB4 at a vintage race. You see a piece of history that's delightful that's also beyond pictures or recordings, or hearing someone describe it to you.

The band (they do refer to themselves as a 'bugle band', so don't get irate) members have an average age of 60, and they overcame the heat as if they were less than half that age.

Scout House is at their best when they perform the selections that have the big long tones and bright, full harmonies, like "Wayward Wind", or "Waltzing Matilda". They have a very live, bright sound and they bring a sense of shared enjoyment with the audience as they perform.

They also have many unique aspects, such as the Glockenspiels, the Guidons, and the pistol-packin' Honor Guard that uses the British high-step and arm swing, which give them a very distinct flavor and really provide a living history lesson to the fans. It's well worth getting to the contest early to see them, and I was quite pleased to see them again at Bucknell.

I was also pleasantly suprised to see "The Commandant's Own" again at a DCA contest. The Marine Drum and Bugle Corps was quite polished and was everything that one expects from the organization. In many aspects, they're quite sublime, and I like the new arrangements their arrangers have been using over the past couple of seasons. They take advantage of a fantastic Low Brass section, that really gives the hornline a very robust and powerful sound. They're well-written for the G Bugle and are well thought out and well-performed. The soloists are spot on, and the corps plays in a lot of different styles in their performance and does them all quite well. There's something for everyone in their program. Swing, Copland, you name it.

If I'm fortunate enough, I'll see them again later this season.

Now, on to the competitive portion of the contest.

First up was the defending DCA Class A Champion, Fusion Core. The program is based on "Africa" and uses some of the material from the Robert W. Smith wind band composition to provide some of the underpinnings and motifs.

The show has an musically edgier feel than last years, and the 21 horns are showcased very well, and visually staged so they have a solid and strong presence on the field when they play. They phrase very well, which can make for a messy situation for a smaller horn line.

I liked the Bari/Mello/pit feature in the ballad. Fine performers, and a very nice interaction between all the elements.

They do have some balance issues they do need to address as well as some musical croodles, especially near the end of the program. I'm certain the problems will be cleaned up, and they perform with a feeling of confidence and authority in their program, and they definitely come off as bigger than they actually are.

Do they have the ability to defend their title? I certainly think so. Considering that Carolina Gold nicked them early in the season and post roughly comprable scores, it looks like August 13th should be an exciting Class A showdown between both corps.

I'll see both of these corps on the 27th at Reading and I look forward to seeing them head-to-head. As I said last year, the Class A corps are well worth watching and bring a lot to the table.

It's almost 4AM, so I'll continue this review with the Open Class competitors later today. See you later!

Edited July 31, 2011 by BigW

[BigW]

The Bushwhacker corps members and staff have obviously scrambled hard to get their corps on the field, which given the available information, was in and of itself a real achievement.

There are a lot of issues the corps is battling on-field. From the looks of it, they're all very young, but they're pushing hard to perform with only 15 horns. Fans counted 37 corps members, so they've exceeded the minimum, which I know was a serious issue of discussion.

The percussion is by far the strongest element of the corps. They appear to be well-settled in comparison to the rest of the unit. The six guard members are well-staged and I think they're getting a lot out of them. Their Drum Major is quite capable, confident, and very deserving of respect.

However, and I have to be frank- there are real problems with their show vehicle for several reasons.

It appears the horn book was chosen for a larger horn section. There's a lot of deep harmonic structure that's really stretching 15 people to cover all of the implied color tones with any sense of balance and full sound. To make matters worse, the drill appears to have several holes, and is staged so that it's really pushing the musicians to achieve anything when they're called on to perform.

It really appeared to me that the design team had as its main priority to try and max the technical/demand areas of the sheets as their first and foremost priority, which is a very dangerous thing to do regardless of the circuit. With the way the new DCA sheets emphasize comunication and engaement with the viewers, this show isn't addressing the sheets like it really needs to be. The musical ending needs to be heavily restructured harmonically to allow the horn line to make sense to the audience.

I have more empathy with Bush then some readers may realize. My last year with the Westshoremen was one in which we literally threw together a show in 6 weeks and appeared at the 1984 DCA Prelims- and even beat some people, but missed finals by a long shot. This is a situation this year for Bush in which keeping the corps together as an entity for the future might be the true priority here. I can say that without the 1984 Westshoremen keeping the corps alive- there would have been no 1996 championship. We bought the corps 16 more years of existence. The true measure of success for Bush may be keeping the tradition alive for the future. I sincerely hope this years Bushwacker corps effort will pay off for their organization. It may take years for the eventual payoff to come in.

Next on was a real treat for the DCA fans in this neck of the woods- an appearance from Minnesota Brass. This show's been on everyone's calendar ever since the slate was made public.

This year's "Valhalla" program is rather enjoyable and quite entertaining. The opening Viking Longship sequence will really work well once the drill gets cleaned.

As has been the M.O. for MBI, the arrangements are crafted beautifully, and the horn line plays incredibly hard-kudos to their mid-range and Bari sections- and quite musically to boot. The corps pushed very hard, at times maybe too hard at the end. I can sympathize with the cat that got a bit over-enthusiastic on Bari. MBI's horn line is a definite contender for the Brass trophy and provides some seriously good face-rippin' moments. The Viking with his real-deal cattle horn is simply fantastic and adds to that swagger that a top end corps needs. A Danish friend of mine has one of those horns, and they're not quite as easy to get a good sound out of as you'd think. They're a lot of fun to play, though.

The issue with MBI is that the drill design, while solid, just seems to lack that certain refinement and subtlety to put the entire package together at this point. The color guard is close, but just not quite there to match the top guards in DCA.

Their battery is hellish aggressive, but they need to clean their feature. When I hear things fat, and I'm not a percussion guy- you know there needs to be some cleaning.

So, MBI threw down a solid, confident performance and drew out the crowd, though there were some issues that the judging panel would have taken note of. The question now was whether the Bucs could and would respond to the Viking incursion on their beaches.

I felt the need to do my homework several weeks ago with the Reading program, since I had planned on taking a look at Friends and Family day out of curiosity. Swan Lake and Mambo are pretty familiar fare to most corps fans, but the John Adams opener and the Marquez Danzon were unknown to me. I sourced the originals and understood that the material was certainly there to make things happen if utilized well.

I know this has been a source of philosophical debate on DCP, but as a fan, I like to hear and explore music that I'm not familiar with as well as hear selections that are in my comfort zone. There's nothing wrong with discovering new, good music and growing on knowledge.

I can tell you this, and I won't mince words about what happened when the Bucs started their run.

It was obvious to me after the first thirty seconds, that barring a serious melt-down or the corps being swallowed whole by a crack in the Earth, that Reading had MBI's number and that it was all over. I can't immediately recall a situation where a corps that needed to make a statement on the field made one with such authority over their opponents.

Reading's percussion battery seems stronger than last year's. The new drum covers resemble some of Kandinsky's paintings, but they actually work very well.

The various elements of the horn book are very different in flavor, but they relate well to one another. The transitions from movement to movement are seamless and they're extremely well-executed. It's also obvious the design team really thought about the new judging sheets and made a lot of sincere efforts to draw the audience in, and the corps itself also reaches out well to the crowd.

As for the opener, the front ensemble drives the piece wonderfully when it needs to, and they really took the right parts of a 12 minute composition and made it work quite well.

Tne Danzona is lovely, the solo work is excellent, the Bass Drums even did some notable and lovely work, and the arrangement is really lovely. There's some tempo bending that's rather elegant. Definitely no Doctor Beat at work there.

Can the Bucs rip your face off? In Swan Lake, they certainly can and do. I'd personally like a bit more middle voice in the impact segment, though.

The closing segment of the program is also well done. I appreciate the character changes the corps moves through in that segment, and the crowd also reacted and appreciated it.

The corps understands the new "Communication" sub-caption well and makes a successful effort to break that fourth wall and reach out.

Visually, the use of the Barre, the color guard costume changes, and such are very fluid and don't impose upon the program, but are well integrated to the total package.

Right now, the Bucs are ready to defend. I will take a lot of effort from the chasers to catch them at this point. Yes, there are some musical tweaks and some drill issues that definitely need cleaned, but the total package is strong and they're making it work.

The last competitor were the Hurricanes and their Gershwin program. The Drum major was stoked, and the "Mariah" warm-up was tight.

They're marching about 38 horns, and they play well, but they seem to lack a consistent subtlety and musicality that the MBI and Reading hornlines have. Their Front Ensemble put forth an excellent effort tonight, deserving of respect. The Battery has to worry a bit in the opening statements about covering the horns a bit, but they're driving the corps well and perform with a high level of authority. Special call-out to their Tenor section for a fine effort.

The Hurcs feature players are noteworthy and do fine work. The drill design and color guard are quite, quite good. The horns need to work on their movement techniques to max this advantage out, though. Personally, I felt their drill design is a lot stronger than MBI's, and is more readable at this point. I thought the Hurcs might have been closer to MBI than they were based on how opposed both corps strengths are, but MBI's musical package held them at arm's length. The Hurcs continue to showcase their talents and strengths well, and it holds them in good stead.

The Cabs Alumni wrappd up the show, and I've seen them a lot over the last few years, the last time at Serenade.

I could tell from the warm-up that the hornline was in a real comfort zone and that they had a good zen for the show, and indeed they did. Their Baris and mellos had an exceptional night and should take a lot of pride in it.

The horline just laid into a real groove and in-tune zone and really got things done without having to kill the horns. It seemed to me the percussion fed off that as well, and it was just a great performance.

I think there have been some nice changes in "Rio" that really work well. Don't think that we don't notice the details.

In "Brazil" the alto work was excellent, but I think you need to move your Bari soloist over to Jimmy's left and more towards the front sideline. He's playing his brains out, but he got covered up a bit tonight.

Overall, an exceptional effort from the Cabs and very much appreciated by not only myself, but the fans.

In conclusion-

Another good turnout. No competitor or exhibition unit suffered from a lack of effort, and it was appreciated from the crowd. The vast majority of DCA units are working hard to relate well to the audience, and it nets positive results.

Now, the question is whether the madding crowd can make the necessary adjustments to catch a very, very good Buccaneer corps, and whether Reading will run out of steam. That will remain to be seen, I assume nothing, and neither should any of the competitors. I look forward to Scranton and taking a good look at the Cabs, and I hope to see you there!

Edited August 1, 2011 by BigW

[JimF-LowBari]

LOL, I liked it W but then I got almost all the references.....

What's this 1984 deal as I just don't remember that summer at all. Sometime after seeing Frank Filipelli at the Hershey show it all goes blank and then I wake up coming home from a bus at J Birney Crum night before Labor Day.

Edited July 31, 2011 by JimF-LowBari

[Fran Haring]

Great review, W... and, as usual, it was nice to chat with you, however briefly. Perhaps we'll have a bit more time in Scranton.

And thank you for the kind words about Barbara and me... very much appreciated.

[BigW]

Thanks- And yes, Jim you were there- remember the practice in Frank's pool where I nearly killed myself on his mini-bike?

Edited August 1, 2011 by BigW

[Morphy00]

Thanks for the review and for attending the show!

We had about 10 horn players who were unable to make the trip for this show unfortunately. So look for some (hopefully) more readable forms and louder sound in Rochester!

[JoeDz]

Fantastic review writing. I feel as if I were there.

Thanks,

Joe in NJ

[BigW]

Thanks for the review and for attending the show!

We had about 10 horn players who were unable to make the trip for this show unfortunately. So look for some (hopefully) more readable forms and louder sound in Rochester!

Yow! You guys have TEN more horns in your pocket? That's like having a hidden nitrous bottle.

[Fran Haring]

Thanks for the review and for attending the show!

We had about 10 horn players who were unable to make the trip for this show unfortunately. So look for some (hopefully) more readable forms and louder sound in Rochester!

I had a feeling you guys were missing some brass players... and understandably so. Tough for everyone to make that long of a trip more than once a year.

MBI, to me, puts a very creative, unique and refreshing product on the field every year... the corps has a style all its own... and no exception this year. There is some really wild stuff going on!!

[Jeff Ream]

good review Dub