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DCA Finals Thoughts


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A great night of Drum Corps in Annapolis. I was seated 11 rows up on the 40, to the left of the 50.This won't be a full blown review, but I thought I'd comment on the performances I witnessed last night.... I'm a brass player, so that's of course where I tend to focus when watching a show...

Marines- Very enjoyable, and of course technically proficient... The brass line handled many difficult articulation passages ( re; American Salute) with ease. Great soloists... Really enjoyed the percussion section as well... Loved the tuning of the bass drums. a great way to start the show.

White Sabers- A show whose design fit the size and talent level of the corps. Very smart programming. Some talented soloists throughout the show. My favorites were Love Potion #9, and Moon Dance. You can tell the corps enjoyed performing the show...

Windsor Regiment- Nice field coverage. Contras really fill out the brass line sound. I'm not a big fan of mixing sections in the brass line, especially with a smaller horn line, I think that affected the brass sound, as it caused individuals to stick out of the ensemble. Definitely a step up from their inaugural season though, they're on the right track.

Govenaires- Always the entertainers, this year was no exception. I'm sitting there watching, and with only 12 brass (11 in the opener), they are really exposed....if you have an off night it can ruin the corps show, well no one had an off night! Particulary impressed with the playing of the 3/4 sops, and 2 contras. Fun show with all "Fire' related tunes, including disco and Rock songs. Held my interest from beginning to end.

Carolina Gold- Great guard, and impressive field coverage. Percussion was notable, and their pit had some really tasty stuff going on. Brass also projected very well. A well deserved championship.

Fusion Core- Holy Cow! one of my favorite shows of the night. What major strides they made since last year. They belong with the big boys... Where'd they get that killer lead trumpet line? Very exciting high -energy show. Great soloists ( this will be a theme throughout the night) seem to tire a bit at the end, but very impressive performance...

Renegades- Have been a fan of these guys since they first came east years ago. Very powerful brass and energetic percussion throughout the show. Nice contrast with the guard in white , and corps in black, made the guard work standout. Like the use of the stage for the soloists, and solo sections, but maybe a little too much of that during the show. The sop soloist in the red/cranbury shirt was incredible. I expected to see a pack of dogs charging toward the 50 and any moment due to the amazing range this guy displayed. One thing missing to me though was a recognizable tune that I could get into. Anyhow great to have these guys back east again! The face that they finished 10th is a testimony to the quality of finalists this year. I can recall finals in the 90's where after the top 4, you had nothing but "Hot Dog' corps...

Atlanta CV- Very powerful brass, excellent guard, and a talented pit were the highlights for me in this British-themed show. Thought in portions of the performance there were some uncharacteristic ( based on my viewings of CV in the past, individual brass players sticking out of the ensemble. Nice job with Bohemian Rhapsody! Placement and score were right on.

Kidsgrove Scouts- My favorite show of the evening... In your face brass... lots of movement drill-wise... some excellent screaming trumpet work as well. This show held my interest from start to finish, and had me bopping along throughout. Loved the Miserlou arrangement. Thanks for coming to the states!

Empire Statesmen- Well you can tell these guys play in "G" . As always very entertaining. Thought the integration of the guard in the show was very good. Percussion seemed very aggressive. A show full of tunes you can hum, played quite well. My favorite was Luck Be a Lady. Any other year this show would probably be in the top three...

Cadets2- For a first year corps, very impressive... The standout section for me was percussion.. excellent battery, and a very confident , and talented pit. They moved more than anybody drill-wise, and for what they were attempting did quite well. Brass was a little too controlled for my liking, and to me the brass book really didn't any "wow" moments, but well performed none-the-less. Welcome to DCA, looking forward to seeing how they progress next year.

Hurcs- OK, very enjoyable brass book.. but to me also probably one of the least challenging, and therwfore I guess I expected it to be performed a t a higher level ensemble-wise. The guard as many have said was excellent,and percussion was kickin' it. To me though although an enjoyable program, I think it wa scored two places too high.

Cabs- The best product they've put out in years, and a very different one at that...Outstanding solo work, impressive guard, and groovin' percussion contribute to this fine show. This is the best balanced Cabs hornline I've heard in quite a while.. they played extremely well as an ensemble. My favorite was the closer, got me movin', and groovin. Well done Hawthorne!

MBI- These guys remind me of an all-age version of the 70's and 80's of the Blue Devils...Very assertive playing, wailing Trumpets (ok they were sops BITD), and playing tunes you can hum, and tap your toes to! Loved the "bullet hole effect to the "Bonnie and Clyde Mobile"

Did I hear a little Big Phat Band stuff in this show? Great Performance, might have been another winner in a different year...

Bucs- This crew has the whole package. Every section compliments each other. I'd put that percussion section up against the top DCI lines ( and the rest of the corps isn't far behind either). They have raised the bar once again. Congrats Champs, there was no doubt who the winners were going to be!

Star United Mini Corps- Excellent Ensemble sound.... Complete with drill!! What talent!! Congratulations on defending your title again. Very impressive!!

As I said earlier, the corps have raised the bar once again. Looking forward to next year!

RCC

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Great review... thanks!!!

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Thanks for the thoughts. Glad you enjoyed the show.

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