An Open Letter to DCI

[jjeffeory]

So I take it you've gone and stood in front of 2012 Crown, or 2009 SCV and Crown, or Phantom recently, and know exactly what they sound like in comparison to a corps from 30 years ago? I'm pretty sure what they "lack" in volume they more than make up for in tone quality and intonation. Or maybe it's just as drum corps fans get older, their hearing isn't what it used to be? All I know is that I'd much rather listen to Crown now than most of the G bugle era hornlines, no offense to anyone that marched back then.

I've heard both types of lines and both a great sounding and DIFFERENT.

I still gotta love Star & Cadet lines of the past. Phantom, SCV, and Blue Devils were great too.

For me, it's about the overtones....

...and I'm thinking about the sounds of ~20 years ago, not 30...

[jjeffeory]

You're right, I wasn't there, I wasn't born yet, but I know what I've heard, and what lines i've been a part of, and I would take a current line over an old one.

If I want to hear a G bugle line, I can go watch a DCA show, and hear people play them, but for now, I'm sticking to DCI and the gorgeous Bb horn lines.

The G bugle lines in DCA do not compare to the top DCI G lines of the past. I totally understand what you've said about the quality issues in the old lines.

I can not address the quality of the lines before around 83. I can tell you that the instruments were not very good.

[Sanitape]

DCI's shows these days are good at drawing in a new audience, but not at keeping them. As new fans become more involved, the entertainment one gets out of the activity becomes less from the shows they watch, and more from the thrill of watching the scores move around. I'm not saying that it shouldn't be that way. I'm saying that the the ratio that it comes to now is higher than it likely was earlier in DCI's history, and that's where we start to see a problem. Perhaps the amount of entertainment we get out of watching shows should never decline.

All of today's flashy show design is sure to catch the eyes of a high school marcher who is unaware of the activity. It's easier because you don't have to get the kid to invest 5-10 minutes of his/her attention to get them interested anymore. Only a moment is required to get them to say "that is cool!"

That's not the kind of "cool" that should be portrayed. The kind of "cool" we should be showing the outsiders is the much more moving kind of "cool." The kind you experience from hearing a hornline PERFECT Blue Shades, or the kind you experience from watching the most seamless transition from drum-break to full ensemble you've ever seen/heard. I believe it is that kind which got me so interested in drum corps.

That's the kind of "cool" we can all watch over and over again. It's that kind of "cool" that grabs the attention of those who we really want in the activity. Those who appreciate the fine art, not just the effect, and who will stick around. If we show the rest of the fans more of that kind of "cool" we can win their appreciation for it.

What's great about that kind of "cool" is that it is a kind of "cool" we can bring back.

[DDFIddle]

Couldn't agree with you more!

Most annoying show - Blue Devils

Most elegant ("Best") show - Carolina Crown

Most entertaining (uh, the one that buys tickets!) - Jersey Surf

Rest= you decide.

Dear DCI,

Over the past 15+ years, I’ve been a faithful fan. I’ve gone to at least one live event every year, save one. I've watched a theatrical presentation at least every other year. I’ve subscribed to the FanNetwork for the past two years. I’ve bought several DVDs and CDs from new releases to legacy collection DVDs. This year, I volunteered to serve as a DCI ambassador and hosted multiple DCI-watching parties at my house early in the season. However, I will be taking some time off from DCI, and I wanted to let you know why.

I fell in love with drum corps because I loved the power of brass and percussion matched with beautiful visual designs. However, performances in recent years no longer highlight the qualities that made me such a rabid DCI fan. I didn’t like vocal elements, especially voice-overs, but I tolerated them (though a very few notable exceptions were well-planned and well-executed, including this year’s performance by Spirit). Even so, I bristled when it seemed that judges failed to reward excellent usage and/or penalize poor usage. I also object to the idea of a non-youth soundboard operator having so much control over what is supposed to be performances of a youth activity. Worse yet, I absolutely hate the idea of using synthesized sounds (how is it fair that a single key-press can overpower and/or cover an entire tuba section, for example?), and in almost every case, I still find them offensive, especially when, again, judges ignore blatantly tasteless applications (for example, the hideous patch that echoed the beautiful solo in the Cadets’ “Do You Hear What I Hear” this year). However, because of my love for brass, percussion, and drill, I’ve tolerated them, too.

As this season wore on, I found myself caring less and less for drum corps. I watched fewer FanNetwork events. Instead of watching tonight’s semi-finals, I watched the Olympics, chatted on Facebook, and wrote this letter. A big part of my disappointment is the DCI judges’ continued approval of the Blue Devils’ show (following on the heels of several confusing, annoying, and critically acclaimed BD shows). Despite the many scatter drills, absurd theme, disjointed music, and general disregard for audience enjoyment, DCI’s judges have consistently rated them as the best show in the competition—this despite at least a few shows that seem equally difficult, clean, and stylistically unified, while presenting greater entertainment value and artistic quality.

If Blue Devils 2012 is DCI’s picture of perfection, then DCI is no longer a place where I can feel at home. It is no longer an organization dedicated to brass, percussion, and drill. It is more concerned with synthesizers, amplification, and dance. When I want to see and hear such things (which is rare), I can find all of them in other places for a whole lot less money. When I want to see and hear brass, percussion, and drill, I no longer have a place to go—there are no DCA competitions in my area. Instead, I’ll go back and enjoy the great shows of the past via the FanNetwork (until my subscription runs out) and the DVDs in my collection.

I will not be going to any DCI shows next season, I will not subscribe to the FanNetwork, and I will not buy any DVDs or CDs. After a year, if I find I’ve missed the activity, perhaps I’ll come back. If rules change, perhaps I’ll come back sooner. In summary, the great moments of Drum Corps have become fewer and farther between, while the tolerated annoyances have become more and more common, and I see no evidence that DCI is willing to do anything to shift the balance in the opposite direction.

As a side note, I have made a point of asking other audience members their opinions, including new and old fans, of a variety of ages, in several different locations. I have found only one who found the Blue Devils’ show interesting (none used the word “entertaining”, and several described it with an expletive), and none who specifically complimented the synths. On the contrary, the most common description of them was something to be “tolerated”. On the other hand, everyone commented on big brass moments, blazing percussion features, and fast drill patterns. My survey is completely non-scientific, and I’m sure it will sound to you like I cherry-picked my respondants. Even I have been surprised by the uniformity of reactions, but I swear that what I’ve reported is exactly what I’ve heard.

I know that this is a letter from a disgruntled former fan—something likely to be ignored—but I sincerely hope that the DCI membership will take it to heart. I am not the only one who shares this opinion, and I don’t think I’m even in a minority. Perhaps others will stick around for a few more years, but in this era of limited financial support for arts organizations, I can’t imagine that losing even a few long-time, dedicated fans is an ideal organizational model. Furthermore, I miss the DCI that lit so many fans on fire for so many years. I long for the day when I will be able to feel that energy and excitement again.

Sincerely,

Julian Bryson

[JamMan]

I've heard both types of lines and both a great sounding and DIFFERENT.

I still gotta love Star & Cadet lines of the past. Phantom, SCV, and Blue Devils were great too.

For me, it's about the overtones....

...and I'm thinking about the sounds of ~20 years ago, not 30...

I love both the overtones and the "personality" of horn books. I love how Cadets are playing at least 2 moving lines all the time. Intertwining melodic lines that sound amazing as they run. I love BD's use of stabs and sforzando to really punch me in the face. That's what I love about drum corps, not "we put an orchestral sound on the field" that a lot of corps are trying nowadays.

[DDFIddle]

Have them go on YouTube and download the Jersey Surf 2012 show. That will get them.

Think of it this way.

If you showed a 6th grader interested in joining band with thoughts of marching, would you make BD 2012 your recruiting pitch?

Shouldn't your World Champion be the first thing you would show somebody to represent your activity?

[84BDsop]

Seems you have a bit of selective memory on this one... When a Man Loves a Woman was initially not all that well received. There was more than a bit of controversy about it... BD doing a super easy Michael Bolton tune... parking... getting down on their knees... sitting on dice... taking the jackets off... taking the shako's off... ripping open the shirts... having guys in the guard.

Oh hell....it goes back farther than that...there was huge controversy when Madison's guard used bar stools as guard equipment in 1986!

Whenever a corps leaves the comfort zone of it's fans....it HITS the fan.

[c mor]

Quote from audience members: "I guess Santa Clara is good, but I don't really get their show. I much prefer the Commodores -- I hope they win today."

South San Francisco California, 1972

[BigW]

Quote from audience members: "I guess Santa Clara is good, but I don't really get their show. I much prefer the Commodores -- I hope they win today."

South San Francisco California, 1972

And with that, off to the Hibachi for me.

[SFZFAN]

I'm not ready to give it up just yet but I really would appreciate FAR less electronics and "body movement".