Spring Preview Review

[BigW]

May 5th was a good day. No work, and a chance to get my mind off a lot of things and head to the Drum Corps Planet by attending the Bucs' Spring Preview.

I'd performed at a much earlier incarnation of it about 30 years ago with Westshore at the old Rajah Theater. Large stage, a solid crowd, a good place to get a performance on stage in front of an audience before the season was upon us. Good memories.

The new venue's a Twin Valley High School in Elverson, PA. Where's that, you may ask?

It's right off the PA Turnpike on Exit 298. About an hour east on excellent roads for me, and not a bad drive at all from points East of it. The auditorium's spacious enough, and acoustically very, very, good. I sat a few rows back off to Tony's right, and I wasn't deafened. The balance was excellent and I was able to hear a lot there.

There are drinks and snacks for sale as well if you get there and you're peckish. I ran into quite a few friends and Kappa Kappa Psi brothers, which also made it vwey enjoyable.

The concert started with a Bucs brass ensemble performing a specially arranged version of the National Anthem, and I have to highly compliment it. It was very thoughtful, very originally arranged so it kept me really listening and enjoying it because it wasn't the same-old-same-old, and was also very well performed, seamless, very musical, and flowing. I sat down thinking that if the National Anthem was this good, that it was a very good omen that this was going to be a good concert.

Fran was his usual self, with a rather natty bluish shirt for the occassion and kept things rolling while the different groups set up on stage in spite of a rather iffy mike cord, which had to be a bit frustrating, but he handled it with aplomb.

I'll get back to this but I need to get ready for work. I'll add more when I have time. Doing this takes a bit of time since I'm not a very quick typist and I have to proofread...

[pollorball20000]

Please finish

[BigW]

I will. I promise. Check the time stamp. It gives you a clue on my work hours. I'm pretty beat from sorting packages. ;)

[BigW]

Again, my apologies for being a bit slow on this, but everyone there more than deserves a good write-up, and it takes time.

The Brassmen led off the concert, and I was looking forward to them after seeing them for the first time at the 2010 Shamrock Festival. As always, the fine arrangements, and the talented individuals in this organization lead to an enjoyable experience. I'm always impressed with the level of solo work out of the Brassmen and the small percussion ensemble, which lends a very musical support to the brass. They make more of a difference than one initially realizes.

It seems someone or another in the hornline is missing when I see them, and in such a small group as this, it evidently impacts some of the repertiore choices, but they're always well worth listening to. I still personally enoucrage them to take part in some way, shape or form in the DCA weekend. I know they're out there for the love of the activity, but they're real quality, and would certainly make an appearance that wuold be appreciated and respected.

Next up was Fusion Core. One thing I always liked about Serenade in Brass back in the day was the performances of active corps, including my corps. It was a chance to give fans a taste of the upcoming season in a friendly, low-threat environment and get some performance jitters out of the system. It's one of the reasons I came to Spring Preview because it sets it apart.

From my previous reviews, Fusion Core has always been a very tidy and exact small corps with a very watchable and listenable, well coordinated and thought out program. Now, they're moving into DCA Open Class this season with "The HIT". Are they ready for this? Can they cut it and get it done? I wanted to know, I'm certain others here do as well.

I was told that they were missing some horns, but the 25 individuals present were rather well-prepared and really impressive. there's a lot to talk about that's good for these 25 people.

The Trumpets look to be some seasoned vets, and they play with the kind of poise, savvy, and strength you'd expect from old, cool heads like those individuals. With people like those, numbers aren't necessary except for stamina issues, and I'm sure they have the show mapped out and layered to make sure no one runs out of gas on the field.

The Mellophones were also quite impressive, and not for the usual reasons. The one thing that struck me as I listened carefully to the arrangements was that there are moments where the Mellos are playing in the lower register of the horn, which can result in some, shall we say politely, nasty-sounding stuff coming out of the bell, but they have great tonal focus, are in tune, and have great control over their instruments in that difficult end of the instrument. They also sound great in the typical performing register of their instrument as well, a very mature-sounding section.

The Low Brass is contributing a lot with small numbers, the people there are working hard to do a quality job and it shows. The Euphonium Soloist is worthy of note. I'm a Euphonium Major and play a real one with A Brass Quintet. I can tell you I'd never want to play a marching euphonium- they tend to be slow to respond and difficult to develop a good solid, focused tone that you desire on the field from as compared to the Baritones. This young man can really wrangle the horn and make fine music come out of the bell. I have a great appreciation and respect for him. Well done!

This brass section is worthy of a lot of respect. It may not bring as many guns to the fight, but let me tell you this- the quality of musicianship is comparable or equal to the top DCA Open brass sections. They should take this to heart and keep doing what they're doing in this coming season.

The Percussion Front Ensemble is VERY tight, and extremely professional in how they perform and work within the overall ensemble. I was highly impressed by the musicianship and quality they exude.

The Percussion Battery is young and hard-working, and they face the same challenge that any young battery faces- that of working comfortably with one another and getting musically tighter as an ensemble. I think many don't realize just how important this is at this level for a percussion battery. It's a huge separator when the scores fall out onto the sheets. I'm confident this battery will keep pushing to improve and grow as the season progresses and will acquit themselves well at the end.

The show itself has a good flow and pace, the musical attention to detail is impressive for this point in the season, and is very fan-accessible.

Given previous seasons, I would believe the visual staff will make sure the guard compliments the show theme well, and that the drill will be well cooridinated, and make sure the horn line is well presented and projects well to the audience. I have every reason to believe that Fusion Core will make a strong statement in Open Class and prove to be very competitve at this level. I have no preditions as to where they'd fall into the scheme of things- let's wait until the first shows come out and we can see the drill with this program as well as some numbers.

Time to sit and make dinner before work. Next up, the Selden Cadets, but it's a bad idea to work like I work on an empty stomach.

[BigW]

The last corps before the intermission were the Selden Cadets. I'd heard of them, but this was my first listen to this organization, so I was quite curious. It's a small ensemble of about 20 brass and 4 percussionists, with many of the brass Sunriser Alumni.

They're really enjoyable to listen to, with a very eclectic mix of good charts. I liked the John Sasso period arrangement, and as their conductor said, it holds up well. Good arranging for brass withstands the test of time and is always enjoyable to listen to.

Some of the pieces are familiar, others were unique to the organization like "The Lord's Prayer" from the movie "The Robe", which I found to be a fine arrangement.

Their set drummer really provides a firm groove for the brass. The brass project and have great authority and sound, but never, ever overplay or become crass. The Sunrisers were always playing in that particular way in their heyday, and it always served them very well, and these individuals still uphold that tradition. I think because of the set player, they remind me in many ways of Swing House with that lighter percussion sound and feel, it's just that the repertiore is a more traditional one with the Cadets.

I will tell the readers this- If The Selden Cadets are coming to a concert and you're wondering whether or not to attend the performance, do it. they're worth going to hear and I'd have liked to have heard more from them, but brass players can only play for so long before they run out of gas, and they performed very, very well.

A quick intermission to stretch, and back to the second half of the show, which was kicked off by the Bucs Alumni. I note here that the active Corps quietly came in to line the sides of the stage and listen, which is a very kind and respectful gesture on their part, something I am certain that the alumni truly appreciated and took to heart. Manners are becoming more and more scarce, and it made a deep impression on me. Little gestures like this can go a longer way than many people realize.

"Greybeard" got the crowd ready for the performance, and the Bucs Alumni have added a lot of little touches and ambiance to really enhance the enjoyment of their performance and uphold their traditions. I appreciated the fact they performed "En Sueno" which was a wonderful old chestnut from 1981 and 1995. They brought back the memories of those long blue coats and the high step as they moved forward in the opener.

The one selection I liked the best was a lovely ballad that was arranged and conducted by Tony Yaklich, but I can't seem to find or remember the title of the piece. Wonderful dark harmonies, and beautifully played by the ensemble.

The Reilly Raiders entered the stage next, and were their typical selves- kind of like a big, tough fella that at first might seem intimidating, but once you get to know them, is a really kind-hearted guy that just wants to have a lot of fun and make people happy. The centerpiece of their performance was a wild romp through Drum Corps history with a medley of a lot of rather disparate signature pieces from many DCI corps. How anyone can take Bully, Crown Imperial, Conquest, Picturas d' Espana, and the Reilly trademark "Irish Eyes" and create a medley that made it all work and come out great in the end is beyond me, but it was good to see the corps on stage, playing hard and doing their part as one of the elder statesmen of the activity.

Reilly and Selden serve an important role in our activity- specifically, reminding its fans that Drum Corps existed and was doing well before the existence of DCI and DCA, and that this aspect should be remembered and appreciated.

I'll cover Reading's performance in the next installment. There's a lot to discuss about them and I have a lot on my playe I need to take care of before work....

[Kyle B]

The ballad is "An Affair to Remember" which is also the corps song that we sing after each performance.

[ajlisko]

The ballad is "An Affair to Remember" which is also the corps song that we sing after each performance.

The first I heard this tune was at Canegie Hall in 1962 ... not sure if Reading played in in 61 when they won their 2nd of three VFW National Titles ... it wasn't a true ballad at that time though ... it was a typical "filler" number that started out soft and then finished with a resounding, thunderous sound ... check it out sometime on one of the Fleetwood Historical recordings ...

:-)

Edited May 11, 2012 by ajlisko

[BigW]

Thank you, Kyle and AJ. It's not listed in the program or on the Bucs Alumni Repertoire online, and I didn't take notes, figuring the rather excellent program provided to everyone would cover things. Not easy for me to take notes in a darkened auditorium. My glasses have always been rather thick- ask my old Westshoremen friends from BITD, I need light, and a lot of it to see my best, especially now.

I appreciate knowing how far back the piece goes. I try to learn and study as much as I can about corps of all eras when I have time to sit and listen, or in some cases, watch shows. My knowledge gets weaker pre-1975, most of it has been gleaned from the occassional records friends had BITD, a bootleg cassette tape of the '75 Muchachos now and then back in period, Frank Dorritie's "For the Record" podcasts, and looking at the Cabs' wonderful on-line archives of film and early videos. Frank's recent editorial really sums it up in a nutshell- things are at heart still similar, and to understand what we have now and why, the answers are all there from listening and thinking about the past of the activity.

It's why concerts like these have become important in certain aspects. Kind of like a Military re-enactor group, trying to best explain history through seeing it and hearing it. On with the final corps....

[BigW]

I apologize for not having this up this weekend, but I traveled for Mother's Day and the PC was broken where I was staying, so I had no chance to finish the review.

The last corps on were the show hosts, the Reading Buccanners. I know many people are curious as to hwow they're doing. As a student of DCA history- and someone having taken a direct part of some of DCA's wierder moments as Tony will attest to, we know that sometimes after a corps has had an extended period of success or reaches some goal that membership and staff can turn over to a large extent, that a corps can fall back and end up re-trenching. Some of the questions on DCP have been along those lines. I can answer them, as can anyone who watched this performance.

Yes, the Bucs took some clean shots and took a couple rounds between wind and water from those crazy, bold, and very brave Vikings in their huge Dragon-ship last September. Their ship also took some damage from bad weather.

The Bucs could have stood off this season and licked their wounds from last season's battle. From what I have seen, they returned to their harbor, careened their ship, made sound the hull, sprung strong new masts, carefully refit anything damaged, and are coming out of harbor with a fresh coat of black paint on the hull and a brand new set of black sails unfurled on the masts. Their long guns are run out and double-shotted and the powder's dry. They're ready to fight all comers again, and I mean fight.

The "Black Symphony" musical book is well-paced and engaging. I wasn't feeling any dead time in the program. The horn line's very well-balanced, extrememly nuanced, mature and homogenous-sounding for this point in the season. They played the venure and filled it with a strong, clean sound- no distorted over-blowing here nor careless/frivolous slop coming out of those bells, and I was figuring there to be some at this point in the season- 5 weeks from the first contest. The horn line understands where the details and nuanced elements of the book are, and really presses to make them happen even now. This is the way to teach, period. I have argued this with people in other programs time and time again that these issues should be done immediately and worked out thoroughly like the Bucs have done early instead of trying to cram it into the last 3 weeks of the season, by which time people have learned playing the show in an undetailed fashion and have to re-learn everything mentally. They understand the meaning of the word "ENSEMBLE", to their credit and my deep respect.

Even though the horn line is strong musically, I have to say that the Percussion also was quite eye-opening. The Front Ensemble goes about their work very professionally, like scientists working carefully and exactly on a serious musical experiment. Everything is exact and beautifully supports both the horn line and battery.

In short, the percussion battery was a gas, especially the snares. Stage placement may have masked the Bass Drums, there were moments where they showed they could play and had some solid moments. The tenors were solid, but didn't have that feel of the veteran "old, cool heads" the rest of the battery has, but I'm confident they'll get more relaxed with their hands and as a group- their parts are quite challenging.

The Snares are... incredible. I had a good vantage point since they deployed at an angle on the stage. I looked at the hands, the approach to the instrument. Insanely consistent for this point in the season. I tried very hard to find someone who wasn't down with the others, and couldn't. They're also very aggressive, taking huge bites out of the music and attacking it, rather than just trying to survive their book and not goof up. When I normally see groups that aggressive, I wait for the inevitable failure, someone losing the end of a phrase, blowing an attack into the next phrase, sloppy rolls, A blown accent or emphasis, something is bound to get away from someone- not these individuals. I wished I would have had Swerv, Chris, or Ream there- someone who I know knows field percussion at a high level to tell me if I was missing anything. They have a fantastic groove, and are also extremely musical. For any snare line to grab a crazy Lead Bari like me and make them listen and show such musicianship, is worthy of my deep respect.

There's only one concern I have, and I had to think hard of one. I get worried I'm painting too much of a pretty picture for the readers, but they were QUITE good on stage. Keep in mind I marched against these folks for six seasons, and they were a respected rival of ours in that period. I know what it took to beat them- we did twice, and knew that they also got the better of us more than we got of them. If the corps you're with can do what the Bucs are doing, I'll compliment you just as much- I promise, but the job's gotta be there!

The main worry for me is what wasn't shown on stage, the visual package. It will have to solidly make the mental connection with "Black" and the musical book with the audience. the Bucs' visual staff have been consistent for several seasons at achieving those kinds of coordinating goals, and I'm not one to doubt them at this point. The members I know and talked to are enthused about the drill, saying it's more active drill-wise than the previous season's package, and that they very much like what they view as a heavier challenge for them to achieve. The morale is high, and the attitude is superb.

So in conclusion--

1: If you can, get to this show next year and help sell it out. The performing corps, both alumni and active put on worthy performances worth listening to. People keep yelling on DCP about 'helping the activity', and by buying a ticket and attending, you will do so and also have a good time.

2: Fusion Core can most certainly be very competitive at the Open Level. To underestimate them and sell them short would be incredibly foolish for several Open Class Corps. They're very worthy of respect and should have it.

3: The Bucs are ready to try and contend, not just field a corps. Anyone who was counting on that bad old Pirate Ship heading for Davy Jones' Locker will end up ducking some cannonballs or taking a 32 pound round shot in the lap this summer.

4: If Fusion's and the Bucs' performances are any indication of the coming season, it should be a really good one to get to some DCA shows. Make the effort. Get tickets, get in your car and drive. I'm not saying this because Tom Peashey asked me to. It's fact. I hope to see some of you there at some shows. I'm looking forward to seeing how this seasons unfolds!

[Fran Haring]

W, as usual, a great review from you!

I agree with you about the Bucs' battery percussion. Like you, I was a brass player (Ok... you still are, I have long since given it up...LOL)... but the Bucs' battery on stage at this show was absolutely outstanding.

I'm sure they will find a lot of stuff to work on... but they are in great shape for this early in the season.