kickhaltsforlife Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 You obviously have no clue how college marching bands work... You're comparing The Expendables to Argo. I actually have a quite a big clue how college marching band works. I also have quite a clue what my tastes are and what I look for in any marching ensemble. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewSkool Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) I actually have a quite a big clue how college marching band works. I also have quite a clue what my tastes are and what I look for in any marching ensemble. Then you don't seem to demonstrate it very well. "And when the technical problem does happen... my eye was at that hole the entire time.... that's what it looked like, a hole. And it detracted from the whole GE for me... " Not a priority. They care about the crowd reacting, which it did and in a large and positive way. "For how little the winds play... you'd think the drill would be cleaner by now..." These shows get rehearsed a fraction of the time a high school MB program and a trillionth the amount of time a drum corps does. And that's assuming this is the one show they perform all year, not one out of several they play for a couple weeks at a time. Again, not a priority. "Cool stuff though. I don't mind that they are trying new things. Bandos probably love it." Band kids, band parents, football crowds....that's the audience. I would hope they love it. "But bandos also love the other purple and gold team with the same initials... and they are playing Stravinsky... lol " And WCU played Tchaikovsky. But I guess you didn't hear the "subtle" infusion of it into the show. Again, You may have your "opinion," but you're comparing The Expendables to Argo. Edited October 23, 2012 by NewSkool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickhaltsforlife Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Look, Anyone involved with the activity knows that no two college marching bands are the same. When I said it detracts from the whole GE... I mean that. It took away from the entertainment factor of the show for me. Cleaning drill is a priority for any marching band no matter how much entertainment is a factor. If they are going to march the type of drill they are marching and not care about cleaning it... then they should probably do something a little different. Oh and I did notice Tchaikovsky. I actually really enjoyed it. One part of the show that wasn't covered up by the blasting amps... which thankfully they turned down quite a bit from an earlier season video I saw. And I'm pretty sure they do this show all season since a saw a video quite a few weeks ago. And they probably have plenty of rehearsal time. The main point of my post that you first responded to was that I didn't really enjoy the use of lighting. And the technical glitch made it even worse. It's just not my cup of tea. I understand that other people like it... we all like different things. This is a forum where we can post opinons right?? I posted my opinion on their show. And the priority of any marching ensemble should be perform for an audience and entertain them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewSkool Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 Look, Anyone involved with the activity knows that no two college marching bands are the same. When I said it detracts from the whole GE... I mean that. It took away from the entertainment factor of the show for me. Cleaning drill is a priority for any marching band no matter how much entertainment is a factor. If they are going to march the type of drill they are marching and not care about cleaning it... then they should probably do something a little different. Oh and I did notice Tchaikovsky. I actually really enjoyed it. One part of the show that wasn't covered up by the blasting amps... which thankfully they turned down quite a bit from an earlier season video I saw. And I'm pretty sure they do this show all season since a saw a video quite a few weeks ago. And they probably have plenty of rehearsal time. The main point of my post that you first responded to was that I didn't really enjoy the use of lighting. And the technical glitch made it even worse. It's just not my cup of tea. I understand that other people like it... we all like different things. This is a forum where we can post opinons right?? I posted my opinion on their show. And the priority of any marching ensemble should be perform for an audience and entertain them. I see your point better. I still disagree on some of the priorities, but I get what you're saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 If you have limited time, watch the drum feature just after the 9:00. One of the snare's controls stopped working, which presents some technical concerns. Mike, THANK YOU for posting this video! I absolutely LOVED it! You naysayers, I get your point as I am "old skool" drum corps myself. But step back a second and consider: Incredible volume that absolutely covered up the amps (or, at least, they were well-balanced) Visual design that has to incorporate, what, 300 members? Curvilinear, but block-band, at the same time. Reeds allowed to march if they want to (nobody turned away?), but brass volume that would make any drum corps G-fan missing volume absolutely salivate Inner voices that show up and are highlighted throughout. Mellos? Euphs? Baris? They got them all. Clean, crisp drill? No way. But so what!? Do most fans in that stadium care about heel-toe or jazz-running? I don't think so. Listen to that book - especially the drum line. Was it crystal clean? No, but it's clear those kids are learning some difficult riffs as well as real musicality. Visuals? Amazing. The colored lights were very, VERY cool, and drill design utilized the whole field (umm, how could it not? ). Musical variety? Absolutely. And the 1812 variations were top-notch writing. I absolutely LOVED this show, it's creativity, it's variation, it's uniqueness, it's sparkle. There's so much to ENJOY in this show that the sloppiness and lack of precision is buried in the fun. Go look at the bio of the bands director and staff - they've got Spirit roots and Crown experience. It's very clear that this staff is bringing drum corps to the college circuit even if it doesn't match the quality of the summer season. But can anyone say that most of these kids have a GREAT foundation to march in the summer? Can anyone say that the show wasn't entertaining to all but the most harshly critical drum corps fans? I don't think so. Imagine if those stands were full and feeding energy to that band. It would have been hard to stay in your seat. I'm just as hard corps as anyone on this forum, and I've seen my share of marching band shows. I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY with this WCU show, and it opened my eyes to the future possibilities of lighting entertainment in drum corps. Imagine if every MM had a light "plate" on their chest that carried the visuals throughout the corps! Was it clean? Nah, not at all. But, after seeing this show, I'm beginning to believe that technical cleanliness like drum corps is not always needed to sell a show. And, sometimes, we drum corps junkies who are bred on feet, hands, and cutting-edge intelectualism are way too critical for our own good. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashevillemurphy Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 Has anyone seen the Kennesaw Mountain Marching Band this season ... just watched the Atlanta BOA vids and they have uniforms that light up and the lights are different colors, or the same, and change and blink on and off while they are playing, and it doesn't seem to be controlled by the individual members ... they got great audience response when the lights first appeared .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalTones2012 Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 In terms of the lighting, a band that I worked with tried something similar with a prop that was supposed to light up. Instead we ended up covering it in multiple-colored reflective tape (which worked just as well, if not better). The prop was supposed to run on two D batteries and the lights would have been bought from a hardware store. It's not terribly expensive depending on the scale, but there are cheaper alternatives (such as the reflective tape) and would probably never be worth the effort. As for fog, it's been done before. Watch Empire Statesmen (yes, DCA) from last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azul Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 It depends how you use them. A band out here in SoCal is using lights has LED lights on their gauntlets, drums and inside their flag poles. They have a switch that turns them on and off during certain segments of their show. Cost them less to get those than to ride one bus (out of 3 for this group) 15 miles to and from a show so financially it's not too hard. It was a cool concept for that group though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azul Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 Here's that show of the LED light band Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 As for fog, it's been done before. Watch Empire Statesmen (yes, DCA) from last year. Or several other years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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