Scranton

[BigW]

Back on the road for a run up Die-81 to Scranton, PA to the Drum Corps Planet.

Disc 2 of Don Ellis' "Tears of Joy" got me up the highway and in a good mood. I recommend 3 of the 4 cuts on it- cut 2, the original "Strawberry Soup", is a masterpiece.

Good parking, and a great seat on the 48 yard line side 1, almost up to the top row. A great vantage point for watching and listening. Perhaps a better view than the best seats at Rochester.

I'll be relatively brief for most corps I've seen, you can check the Bucknell review and other reviews posted for more juicy details for everyone but the Cabs, whom I hadn't seen this season.

Fusion Core represented themselves very well, and I think impressed that part of the crowd that prefers things big 'n loud, which is an achievement for a Class A corps.

I can see why there was some grousing about certain aspects of the show with another reviewer- but after thinking about it, I guess I personally look at the show and worry about what's there and not what could-shoulda-woulda about Fusion Core. I know I'm pretty darned sensitive to offending anyone myself with a show when I'm involved with the creative staff, and I don't really sense that happening on an onerous level. I see the point where there could have been more "authenticty" to the genre written into the musical program, and it could have squeezed more of a score out of the program, but what's there seems to be working well enough. My guess is that trying to do hard-core multi-layered meters and some of the melodic and rhythmic aspects of African music more 'authentically' might have been a bit too much of a risk musically with limited rehearsal time. That's just my thoughts on that subject.

The issue this week for Fusion Core was a consistency of musical quality throughout the performance. Most of the time, their brass was dead-on, knock 'em flat. They read as a much larger brass section when they're locked in. The problem is when you're that good, when something goes a bit awry with a person or two, it can appear to be a really glaring mistake and problem. It's like if you walked by an otherwise pristine 1967 Corvette and then noticed a scratch on the door.

It's tough to be in a 20 person horn line. Everyone relies on everyone else to be spot on the whole time. I was personally lucky not to have ever felt that type of pressure to perform. I was in a section of Lead Baris the size of Fusion's entire Bari section, so if I was having a rough go, I could pull my punches to avoid wrecking the ensemble- and also avoid getting killed afterwards in the parking lot... .

Their hornline may have had one of those moments where the horn line just flushes all of the bad out of their system all at once, and then gets back to business as usual, knowing that won't happen again. As good as they are- I think that's what went down. It happens to every hornline at one time or another, and to do it now was a good thing for them. I think they'll be more focused and energized as a result at Reading.

I felt a lot better about Bush then when I'd seen them at Bucknell. Still 15ish horns, but the battery plays their everlivin' guts out and rhythmically drives their corps like Ben-Hur on his chariot. I don't mean that they loud, either. They're very skilled and musical, and they work hard to work with and not against the brass.

The brass are beginning to make musical sense of the book throughout the program as well. The pieces were in place and could be heard and understood far better than at Bucknell. I think sone changes were made to the harmonic densities which helped, and there may still need to be more tweaking of that sort for the end of the program, because some of the dissonances aren't locking in well and sound like errors.

I was left with a feeling that they have nothing to lose, and given the strength of their battery and the fact that things are beginning to work for the corps, that they have a shot at a top ten if one of the current 6-10 groups slide or think the check is in the mail when they arrive at Rochester. If I were on staff or performing, I'd run as hard as I could to the end with this show. They owe it to themselves to see if they can pull that off, or if not, still put on a strong performance at the end for personal satisfaction and pride. If they can take a top ten, it'd be the stuff of legend.

Next up- the Bucs. The review on the previous week by someone else indicated things weren't "perfect", some thought the week off before may have affected things. Not so for this week. All I know is that the hornline is very nuanced, they're so musical that they make the bar lines go away at moments, which in the Dr.Beat age is a nearly impossible task, and that they continue to reach out to the audience in different directions and emotions. Another strength of the corps is how nicely interwoven the percussion battery is with the brass. It really struck me tonight just how well-tailored the overall ensemble is in that aspect. The ending was fantastic, the big front with the battery flying in on the lateral and playing hard and musically, it's a fine, fine moment.

Of course... I heard grousing. It leaves me thinking that the Bucs just can't please some people. They come out this year and rip people's faces off after years of griping they didn't do enough of that before, and they still gripe. They loosen up and cut loose in "Mambo" and some people still gripe. People griped they did stuff that no one knew unless you were some incredibly geeky mad-genius Music Major like me, and they do "Swan Lake" and "Mambo", which are "known" pieces of music to "Drum Corps Fans"- I'd think... and they're still grousing! Somebody- Tony-- lend me your rubber chicken so I can bonk these people upside the head next time I hear them? My conclusion is that some people will never be happy with the Bucs, and if that's the case, I feel bad for them. And no, it's not sheer weight of numbers doing it, either. I've heard some ratty 65 member horn lines and 30 member batteries that sounded like someone dropped empty beer cans and maracas on their drum heads for 12 minutes. Heck, I've beaten 60-65 member horn lines as a member of a 48-52 man hornline, so that's not the sole reason the Bucs win, either. You still have to perform with quality, period! Grumble all you want, you crazy grumblers, the Bucs are getting it done.

One complaint- in a word, "FEET". Just so I don't come off as saying they're perfect- they have some noticeable feet issues in the hornline- they know it. They know they need to fix them. The thing is, EVERY corps tonight had that issue at one point or another. It's not someting that anyone has an advantage over them with.

Next up, the Cabs. The Ferrari of DCA. Legendary. Passionate. A legion of fans who adore them, and if they could do it by will alone, will them to the championship. The Bucs are like Ferrari's nemesis in Formula 1- McLaren- also legendary, also passionate, but more calculating and technical in outward appearance, which drives the Ferrari fans up the wall! Both are very different, but respected as champs and for their successes.

I did a bit of homework and got a look at some online videos of this season of the Cabs. Knowing the sound on a camcorder is awful as well as the speakers on most computers, I took that look and listen with a huge grain of salt, trust me.

The scores were indicating the Cabs were gaining traction. They are. This year's DCI buzzword was "high-energy", and that term can be applied to the Cabs show. It's upbeat, exciting, very enjoyable, unmistakably the Cabs, and it has what I feel is the best visual package the Cabs have had in at least 5 years. The show has a lot of risk and tough moments to play and perform in it, and I think they're beginning to get their arms really around it in the brass and visual areas. They still have a lot of opportunity for growth, even in the next 2 weeks. I think they're in a stage where every run-through will feel better and give the corps members more confidence with the package. This is good for them, but it will be a challenge to catch people. It's a worthy challenge, and they'll be up for it. When have the Cabs ever flinched!? That's not in their vocabulary.

The battery has been working hard- they just lack the impression that they're comfortable playing together, and there's a lack of an obvious percussion to brass integration that the Hurcs and Bucs have in their performances right now. If percussion can make things happen, and they can keep getting more and more out of the program that is potentially in it, I think they might cause some ulcers for some of the people currently ahead of them.

A shout out to the horn line- It's obvious they've been working this season to get a confident and aggressive, full sound out of their 48 members, and that takes quality musicianship to achieve.

The Hurcs came out and I think gave a sincere best flat-out effort, one they should be proud of. A call out to Baris and Tubas, especially Tubas. Front Ensemble is still playing very well in their features, and the battery has some really strong and physically aggressive moments near the end of the show.

I'm really thinking in the back of my mind that they may have the most thoughtful and aesthetically pleasing drill design in DCA this season. It's something I don't always take notice of, but they make you take notice by how well-crafted and well-performed it is.

I also want to shout out to their guard. They perform wonderfully- and whomever created the equipment work and also cleans it for them deserves a nice dinner out from the guard members. Their guard is very, very musical and really enhances the music as it's performed as if they're also playing a musical instrument. That's very difficult to achieve, and they deserved the best guard award. Also, the costuming is quite pleasant. Some of the people who dress some of the DCI guards like they've come off the set of a Mad Max movie driving dune buggies with machine guns and shooting bazookas at Oil Tankers driven by midgets should take a look at the Hurcs guard and learn something about good costuming.

It was good to see Park City outside for the first time. I've seem them several times at Serenade indoors, and The Forum is a huge reverb chamber, and not easy to play in and get a good read. they have a really solid sound outdoors! It was nice to see they do a bit of drill, and their rifle/cymbal ladies really add a lot to their program. As Fran said, they play a lot of good, familiar stuff that people enjoy and they play it well in the old-schooler style. A shout out to the snares, whom I thought had an excellent night, especially on their feature. I could tell they knew it as they performed. They bore down and played with everything they had. All due respect!

The Cabs Alumni know the Scranton crowd is wild for them, and they cranked things up a notch for them. The drill seemed tighter tonight, and it was good that they moved the bari soloist in Brazil to a better location- he plays well and strong, and it's good stuff well worth hearing! Percussion seemed to have a great zen again, loose when they needed to be loose, and crankin' when they needed to crank in their solo.

I went down from the stands as they came off, and the looks of satisfaction and excitement from their corps members said it all. They knew they'd nailed a good run for the crowd- Jimmy was understandably into it and fired up, it was all it should have been- and more.

So the bullet points for next week at Reading, and I will be there--

-Scores stagnated a bit. Maybe a stingier panel in general trying to keep numbers under control. I'm thinking that's the case.

-Hopefully, Fusion got the croodles out of their horn line before they go head to head with Carolina Gold. It shuld be an exciting match-up, with both of them bringing their A-Games the week before championships.

-The Cabs are starting to gel, and have a lot of growth remaining in their show. Can they crank it up another notch or three and get a good upward bounce in their number next week? Why not!? They can, if they make it happen in rehearsals!

-Can the Bucs work the feet a bit and get the last bits and issues buffed out in front of their home audience? And if so, where will the number lie? Same Bat-Time, same Bat-channel at Big Sounds on the 27th!

Hmm... 415 AM, been about 2 hours typing away. I apologize for any typos and bad sentences. I'll fix them later. I need to sleep and I pray the daggone dogs in the upstairs apartment don't start howling again before noon.

[Fran Haring]

Terrific review as usual, W! Sorry I didn't get to the Glider to hang out after the show... I was very tired. Hit Sonic for a quick bite and then back to the hotel.

[Jeff Ream]

good stuff Dub!

[CorpsBuff]

Excellent review. Thanks for taking all the time to write one!

[amysnook]

Please say hello at Big Sounds. I've enjoyed reading your reviews and would like to put a face to the man behind the words. I'll be the one constantly searching the sky for you know what.

[jkmummer]

Please say hello at Big Sounds. I've enjoyed reading your reviews and would like to put a face to the man behind the words. I'll be the one constantly searching the sky for you know what.

Let's hope we're not singing "Goodnight Irene"

Thanks for the tix, they're fine.

JK

[BigW]

Please say hello at Big Sounds. I've enjoyed reading your reviews and would like to put a face to the man behind the words. I'll be the one constantly searching the sky for you know what.

Got tickets from you by mail when Tom sent out the shout to get the good seats before the families and alumni get the huge blocks tied up. When I saw the seating chart last year when I got tickets at the show, I was amazed- and impressed- at the serious backing you get for the show in pre-contest sales.

I'll try and look you up.

Let me put it this way- I stick up for those who need stuck up for, regardless of corps here on DCP.

[GUARDLING]

Back on the road for a run up Die-81 to Scranton, PA to the Drum Corps Planet.

Disc 2 of Don Ellis' "Tears of Joy" got me up the highway and in a good mood. I recommend 3 of the 4 cuts on it- cut 2, the original "Strawberry Soup", is a masterpiece.

Good parking, and a great seat on the 48 yard line side 1, almost up to the top row. A great vantage point for watching and listening. Perhaps a better view than the best seats at Rochester.

I'll be relatively brief for most corps I've seen, you can check the Bucknell review and other reviews posted for more juicy details for everyone but the Cabs, whom I hadn't seen this season.

Fusion Core represented themselves very well, and I think impressed that part of the crowd that prefers things big 'n loud, which is an achievement for a Class A corps.

I can see why there was some grousing about certain aspects of the show with another reviewer- but after thinking about it, I guess I personally look at the show and worry about what's there and not what could-shoulda-woulda about Fusion Core. I know I'm pretty darned sensitive to offending anyone myself with a show when I'm involved with the creative staff, and I don't really sense that happening on an onerous level. I see the point where there could have been more "authenticty" to the genre written into the musical program, and it could have squeezed more of a score out of the program, but what's there seems to be working well enough. My guess is that trying to do hard-core multi-layered meters and some of the melodic and rhythmic aspects of African music more 'authentically' might have been a bit too much of a risk musically with limited rehearsal time. That's just my thoughts on that subject.

The issue this week for Fusion Core was a consistency of musical quality throughout the performance. Most of the time, their brass was dead-on, knock 'em flat. They read as a much larger brass section when they're locked in. The problem is when you're that good, when something goes a bit awry with a person or two, it can appear to be a really glaring mistake and problem. It's like if you walked by an otherwise pristine 1967 Corvette and then noticed a scratch on the door.

It's tough to be in a 20 person horn line. Everyone relies on everyone else to be spot on the whole time. I was personally lucky not to have ever felt that type of pressure to perform. I was in a section of Lead Baris the size of Fusion's entire Bari section, so if I was having a rough go, I could pull my punches to avoid wrecking the ensemble- and also avoid getting killed afterwards in the parking lot... .

Their hornline may have had one of those moments where the horn line just flushes all of the bad out of their system all at once, and then gets back to business as usual, knowing that won't happen again. As good as they are- I think that's what went down. It happens to every hornline at one time or another, and to do it now was a good thing for them. I think they'll be more focused and energized as a result at Reading.

I felt a lot better about Bush then when I'd seen them at Bucknell. Still 15ish horns, but the battery plays their everlivin' guts out and rhythmically drives their corps like Ben-Hur on his chariot. I don't mean that they loud, either. They're very skilled and musical, and they work hard to work with and not against the brass.

The brass are beginning to make musical sense of the book throughout the program as well. The pieces were in place and could be heard and understood far better than at Bucknell. I think sone changes were made to the harmonic densities which helped, and there may still need to be more tweaking of that sort for the end of the program, because some of the dissonances aren't locking in well and sound like errors.

I was left with a feeling that they have nothing to lose, and given the strength of their battery and the fact that things are beginning to work for the corps, that they have a shot at a top ten if one of the current 6-10 groups slide or think the check is in the mail when they arrive at Rochester. If I were on staff or performing, I'd run as hard as I could to the end with this show. They owe it to themselves to see if they can pull that off, or if not, still put on a strong performance at the end for personal satisfaction and pride. If they can take a top ten, it'd be the stuff of legend.

Next up- the Bucs. The review on the previous week by someone else indicated things weren't "perfect", some thought the week off before may have affected things. Not so for this week. All I know is that the hornline is very nuanced, they're so musical that they make the bar lines go away at moments, which in the Dr.Beat age is a nearly impossible task, and that they continue to reach out to the audience in different directions and emotions. Another strength of the corps is how nicely interwoven the percussion battery is with the brass. It really struck me tonight just how well-tailored the overall ensemble is in that aspect. The ending was fantastic, the big front with the battery flying in on the lateral and playing hard and musically, it's a fine, fine moment.

Of course... I heard grousing. It leaves me thinking that the Bucs just can't please some people. They come out this year and rip people's faces off after years of griping they didn't do enough of that before, and they still gripe. They loosen up and cut loose in "Mambo" and some people still gripe. People griped they did stuff that no one knew unless you were some incredibly geeky mad-genius Music Major like me, and they do "Swan Lake" and "Mambo", which are "known" pieces of music to "Drum Corps Fans"- I'd think... and they're still grousing! Somebody- Tony-- lend me your rubber chicken so I can bonk these people upside the head next time I hear them? My conclusion is that some people will never be happy with the Bucs, and if that's the case, I feel bad for them. And no, it's not sheer weight of numbers doing it, either. I've heard some ratty 65 member horn lines and 30 member batteries that sounded like someone dropped empty beer cans and maracas on their drum heads for 12 minutes. Heck, I've beaten 60-65 member horn lines as a member of a 48-52 man hornline, so that's not the sole reason the Bucs win, either. You still have to perform with quality, period! Grumble all you want, you crazy grumblers, the Bucs are getting it done.

One complaint- in a word, "FEET". Just so I don't come off as saying they're perfect- they have some noticeable feet issues in the hornline- they know it. They know they need to fix them. The thing is, EVERY corps tonight had that issue at one point or another. It's not someting that anyone has an advantage over them with.

Next up, the Cabs. The Ferrari of DCA. Legendary. Passionate. A legion of fans who adore them, and if they could do it by will alone, will them to the championship. The Bucs are like Ferrari's nemesis in Formula 1- McLaren- also legendary, also passionate, but more calculating and technical in outward appearance, which drives the Ferrari fans up the wall! Both are very different, but respected as champs and for their successes.

I did a bit of homework and got a look at some online videos of this season of the Cabs. Knowing the sound on a camcorder is awful as well as the speakers on most computers, I took that look and listen with a huge grain of salt, trust me.

The scores were indicating the Cabs were gaining traction. They are. This year's DCI buzzword was "high-energy", and that term can be applied to the Cabs show. It's upbeat, exciting, very enjoyable, unmistakably the Cabs, and it has what I feel is the best visual package the Cabs have had in at least 5 years. The show has a lot of risk and tough moments to play and perform in it, and I think they're beginning to get their arms really around it in the brass and visual areas. They still have a lot of opportunity for growth, even in the next 2 weeks. I think they're in a stage where every run-through will feel better and give the corps members more confidence with the package. This is good for them, but it will be a challenge to catch people. It's a worthy challenge, and they'll be up for it. When have the Cabs ever flinched!? That's not in their vocabulary.

The battery has been working hard- they just lack the impression that they're comfortable playing together, and there's a lack of an obvious percussion to brass integration that the Hurcs and Bucs have in their performances right now. If percussion can make things happen, and they can keep getting more and more out of the program that is potentially in it, I think they might cause some ulcers for some of the people currently ahead of them.

A shout out to the horn line- It's obvious they've been working this season to get a confident and aggressive, full sound out of their 48 members, and that takes quality musicianship to achieve.

The Hurcs came out and I think gave a sincere best flat-out effort, one they should be proud of. A call out to Baris and Tubas, especially Tubas. Front Ensemble is still playing very well in their features, and the battery has some really strong and physically aggressive moments near the end of the show.

I'm really thinking in the back of my mind that they may have the most thoughtful and aesthetically pleasing drill design in DCA this season. It's something I don't always take notice of, but they make you take notice by how well-crafted and well-performed it is.

I also want to shout out to their guard. They perform wonderfully- and whomever created the equipment work and also cleans it for them deserves a nice dinner out from the guard members. Their guard is very, very musical and really enhances the music as it's performed as if they're also playing a musical instrument. That's very difficult to achieve, and they deserved the best guard award. Also, the costuming is quite pleasant. Some of the people who dress some of the DCI guards like they've come off the set of a Mad Max movie driving dune buggies with machine guns and shooting bazookas at Oil Tankers driven by midgets should take a look at the Hurcs guard and learn something about good costuming.

It was good to see Park City outside for the first time. I've seem them several times at Serenade indoors, and The Forum is a huge reverb chamber, and not easy to play in and get a good read. they have a really solid sound outdoors! It was nice to see they do a bit of drill, and their rifle/cymbal ladies really add a lot to their program. As Fran said, they play a lot of good, familiar stuff that people enjoy and they play it well in the old-schooler style. A shout out to the snares, whom I thought had an excellent night, especially on their feature. I could tell they knew it as they performed. They bore down and played with everything they had. All due respect!

The Cabs Alumni know the Scranton crowd is wild for them, and they cranked things up a notch for them. The drill seemed tighter tonight, and it was good that they moved the bari soloist in Brazil to a better location- he plays well and strong, and it's good stuff well worth hearing! Percussion seemed to have a great zen again, loose when they needed to be loose, and crankin' when they needed to crank in their solo.

I went down from the stands as they came off, and the looks of satisfaction and excitement from their corps members said it all. They knew they'd nailed a good run for the crowd- Jimmy was understandably into it and fired up, it was all it should have been- and more.

So the bullet points for next week at Reading, and I will be there--

-Scores stagnated a bit. Maybe a stingier panel in general trying to keep numbers under control. I'm thinking that's the case.

-Hopefully, Fusion got the croodles out of their horn line before they go head to head with Carolina Gold. It shuld be an exciting match-up, with both of them bringing their A-Games the week before championships.

-The Cabs are starting to gel, and have a lot of growth remaining in their show. Can they crank it up another notch or three and get a good upward bounce in their number next week? Why not!? They can, if they make it happen in rehearsals!

-Can the Bucs work the feet a bit and get the last bits and issues buffed out in front of their home audience? And if so, where will the number lie? Same Bat-Time, same Bat-channel at Big Sounds on the 27th!

Hmm... 415 AM, been about 2 hours typing away. I apologize for any typos and bad sentences. I'll fix them later. I need to sleep and I pray the daggone dogs in the upstairs apartment don't start howling again before noon.

Park city was so fun nd Cabs alumni..were ..well classic and a wonderful presentation by all sections..........not much else i would agree with but thats what makes this activity special i guess