rayfallon Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 this thread just seems like a weird place for your post, that is all other people are saying, I think. obviously Crossmen's stock is "up" since they had a huge audition turnout. If people didn't think they were getting their money's worth then they wouldn't go. Amen! Kids played their butts off last night at South Lake standstill... I know this activity is all about movement, but I love a nice standstill once in a while. The show is starting to make more sense to me, although I think the "Protest" element is still going to take deft massaging to optimize the message. The thing right now is that they seem to have no weaknesses, no glaring section that distracts you. Baritones in particular really play. And the drum line sounds for all the world like one of those great Mark Thurston lines, like someone did their homework on what Crossmen are supposed to sound like. Just to show what great shape they're in - here's my tiny misplaced beef: Russian Christmas Music - for us dinosaurs - the key to Russian Christmas was that great, highly rudimental, Kaufman-Landis percussion part - listening to the brass line play it is fun, but man if you're going to play Russian Christmas, and you have a line like these kids, call Billy or Eric and get the perc chart. 1978 with Russian Christmas and Tico Tico, if you didn't like the way those kids played you were at the wrong venue, i.e. you needed to be in a library or a Modern Art Museum. I know it's a needy, self-centered nostalgia trip for me, but if you're going to tease me with this chart, please bring it home. It's like listening to BAC play Conquest without percussion, I mean, really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barigirl78 Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 (edited) Anyway... on the show. Really digging the arrangements. Flow isn't really there yet... but it will come. Every corps struggles with flow this early on. Horns sound REALLY good. I think they will be one of the best sounding lines yet again. Can't wait to see the whole concept come together on the field! Gotta wonder how much the visuals and staging will help with the flow. I just watched a Youtube video from the 6/16 standstill and there was additional audio material between the end of the Michael Jackson drum solo and "Some Nights". That had been sort of a "black hole" in Austin. Ray Fallon wrote: The thing right now is that they seem to have no weaknesses, no glaring section that distracts you. Baritones in particular really play. I gotta agree with the thing about no weaknesses. Even last year's show kinda had a lull after the opener where the music in the second song(s) was kinda forgettable. But, this year, "She's Too Good For Me" is a standout. The ballad is fantastic. Many corps can do a good opener and closer, but it's what they do with the middle of the show that makes the difference, IMO. Edited June 17, 2013 by barigirl78 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
withstiximakefire Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 the build-up leading into the beginning of 'some nights' is going to create some serious crowd reaction, some nice goosebumps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 (edited) Gotta wonder how much the visuals and staging will help with the flow. I just watched a Youtube video from the 6/16 standstill and there was additional audio material between the end of the Michael Jackson drum solo and "Some Nights". That had been sort of a "black hole" in Austin. That is my only question too. Going to run to ensemble rehearsal after work to see if I can get any more insight. I think it's going to take time with a show like this though. I won't be worried if it takes a week or two on tour to make the show tie up. It's too complex to be a finished product out of the box, and I give them a lot of credit for that. They could do a simple jazz show (for instance) and finesse it to finals the way they're playing. But they're willing to take chances on something deeper and long term that's better for the kids and for the activity. Edited June 17, 2013 by rayfallon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbones7480 Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 Saw pics from Southlake. People in audience were holding up protest signs. What a great idea. I'm making mine for the Ohio show on Sunday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Saw pics from Southlake. People in audience were holding up protest signs. What a great idea. I'm making mine for the Ohio show on Sunday I wanted to hold up one that said "Will Work for Food" ... OK this is probably my last Crossmen 2013 post til Denton at least. Caught the last rehearsal tonight in South Lake. I'm not going to go deep as it was like a lot of last rehearsals as a corps leaves on tour - lot of brushing up here and there, and some understandable focus lapses (minor) from kids who were ready to get on 4 buses and hit the road. I had serious questions about this show when it was announced. I still have some questions, but purely emotionally, I haven't wanted a show to succeed as much as I want this one in a long long time. I've heard "We Shall Overcome" now I don't know, maybe 6 or 7 times this season, not once without at least leaking some tears. Tonight they poured. Is it because that song is simultaneously the anthem of my generation and an indictment of America's fallibility by the mid 20th Century? At least in part. That's what is making me lean toward an opinion that this show is going to work, and possibly work on a grand level. I don't know what that means in terms of score or placement. I just think that they are trying something bold, and maybe artistic as well. Plus, to the degree that they can educate these kids about what this show means to the writers, they'll have accomplished something much deeper in the lives of these young people. OK, I'm off the soap box. I'm old... I'm jealous of the staff that gets to take these kids (including my 19 year old synth playing daughter) out there on tour to make this show work... I'm grateful that corps still take chances... I'm proud of kids that make a commitment to dedicate themselves to a show that is not going to give them a single easy day of rehearsal... I'm happy my youngest kid decided to take a shot at this. I'm looking forward to seeing how this version of Bones fares on the road. Prediction? It's going to be a summer of challenges, joys, and tears. I think it's going to be one to remember. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barigirl78 Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 (edited) FYI-- Someone in the Mesa, AZ show thread said DCI is holding back all the scores of all the shows until the theater event on Monday. I hope it's not true, but, if it is, the Crossmen will have done three competitions before we know what the scores are. Edited to add: I went to DCI and they say now that only the Akron show's scores will be held back. Edited June 18, 2013 by barigirl78 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 The Crossmen have had at least one girl on the cymbal line every year since the move to Texas, to my knowledge. and many females before then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Perish the thought that a corps would receive criticism or need accountability for how monies are collected and spent. Mismanagement of funds is a problem in DCI. This is why DCP is now so disappointing, namely no one can critique, even in a constructive manner without someone taking it personally. I, frankly, am tired of the lavish spending that has gone on in some corps and seeing dues sky-rocket. Why do corps need new uniforms every year? Why do they need new instruments every year? It seems that if someone wants to march in an upper elite corps, they have to put out a second mortgage on a house. Too many people on the forum, especially during the season, spend a lot of time ignoring some major issues (e.g., the (mis)use of funds) that have led to the demise of many, many corps. Nuff said. In terms of spending, Crossmen are one of those out there that keep things under control. In fact the 990's show that they do not try to live beyond their means, unlike other corps around them competitively. If anything, due to geography, their biggest issue is travel costs. Even getting some shows in Texas every year doesn't mean everything's a short drive away given the size of the state. I'vebeen critical of the on field product in the past ( and rightly so), but this is a corps that tries to do the right thing financially, especially since they were sold away from the majorityof their alumni base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 This is one of the best responses to anything I have written on DCP to date. Thank you, Mr. Fallon, for the thoughtful response and not be dismissive of what is an important topic of discussion. Often, some on the forum believe that I am negative just to be so and this is simply NOT the case. As a business, where a lot of money is not changing hands, people (e.g., parents and members) need to hold corps more accountable for how and where the money is spent. To give an example, when I first marched 23 years ago, it cost $500 dues and that was it. Think about how the activity has changed in the last two decades. With the amounts of money that corps are now taking in and pouring out, people need to take a significant interest in what is going on in the activity. DCI and its various corps are now businesses that metaphorically sell stocks (e.g., the opportunity to be selected to march or be declined) and the gamble to audition or not is like the rise and fall of the market and a lot must be considered when applying to most corps now. The more corps act like businesses and want people to invest their money, the more serious the activity and the experience of marching becomes. Again thank you taking the time to respond graciously. Corbin, It's in your best interests to do a search for threads with "990's" in the title. That will shed a ton of financial info for you on every corps in DCI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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