Hostrauser's Incredibly Unpopular DCI Quarterfinals Opinions

[hostrauser]

There's no real structure to this, I'm just commenting on the stuff I feel like commenting on after watching the theater event.

E-SARN: Loved it. Fantastic addition to the end of the show. Would love to see them do another exhibition at Finals before awards, in front of a full house.

TROUBLING TREND: There were many DCI corps this year that had HALF of a great show. It seems like the show designers came up with this really awesome idea, and front-loaded the show so that the first 5-6 minutes were just incredible and amazing. But then we got to the point of development and resolution and the inspiration fairy fluttered away while giving them a two-fisted "rigid digit" salute. Too many corps followed up an impressive first half of a show with a fairly uninspired, drum corps-by-the-numbers second half, as if they either (a) didn't know how to wrap the show up, or (b) were just going down the Standard DCI Checklist for What Scores Well and checking off boxes. The G7 corps were not immune from this plague, either. I don't want to name names, but if you think of the University of Virginia, West Point, and old Leroy Anderson pops pieces you might figure it out.

YAY: Troopers. Chalk one up for "wasn't expecting to like, but did." As a drum corps fan I'm pretty much late-80s and beyond: I hold little to no nostalgia for much that is "old school." Westerns aren't my thing. Which is why I was quite shocked at how effective Troop's "Sunburst" was to me this year. Good job implementing old school homages into a modern drum corps show. I really liked how this corps performed and am surprised they aren't scoring closer to Blue Stars and Spirit.

MEH: Blue Knights. Really interesting show concept and excellent visual design. But the musical design never hooked me like last year's show did. Also, what's with that new ending? It's an ending. In a show called "NoBeginningNoEnd". Didn't care for it.

YAY: Madison Scouts. I'd actually been dreading seeing this show for the first time. I just didn't see a way for a G.I. Bro show to not be schmaltzy and manipulative, going for the easy, obvious tugs at the heartstrings instead of adding depth and meaning (see also: 2002 Cadets). But it wasn't that bad. I liked the way the Mussorgsky was woven in, often present but rarely out in front. Parts of the show were a little cheesy, but just because it's cheesy doesn't mean it's NOT effective.

MEH: Cavaliers. I wanted to like them, and for five minutes or so I really did. But then I got bored, and the show did nothing to pull me back in. It tried, with the great Michael Giaccino music, but as soon as they quoted it they would wander off and do something else. The visual design is much better this year but, and this has been glaringly apparent the past two years, this corps has had a real problem with musical cohesiveness and development since Saucedo left.

YAY and MEH: Phantom Regiment. My favorite corps disappointed me a little. Great concept, great source music, great beginning, but then... meh. The last half of the show just seemed rote, to me, it lacked the emotional pull of Spartacus, Juliet, or Turandot. I mean, of course the evil queen was going to be vanquished, but there's just didn't seem to be any REAL threat or draw towards conflict for the viewer. The Shostakovich piece seemed an ill match to the show and the "tag-on" ending felt very forced, like "Awp, time to wrap this up in a neat little bow."

YAY and MEH: Santa Clara Vanguard. Okay, I don't care for the source music, but I did like the arrangements (even if the tempos were taken all the way up to "ludicrous speed"). But come on, folks, this is a cotton candy show, with just about as much substance. It reminds me of 1991 Phantom, actually: it's fun, enjoyable... and it's also already maxed out, and nowhere near deserving of 1st place.

YAY and MEH: The Cadets. Loved, loved, loved Symphony No. 1, how much they used of it, and how it was worked into the show. Fantastic. On the other hand, Medea was a mess. Just a few chop-n-bop segments and quotations, never allowed to develop or contribute like the Symphony and Adagio did. The soft ending didn't bother me, but the lead into it did. The six note pattern at the end of Medea that builds into a furious climax they neutered, turning it from a crescendo into a decrescendo, and hammering that square peg into that round hole until they reached the Adagio again. Sorry Mr. Bocook, DCI Hall of Famer or no, that Medea-to-Adagio progression at the end of the show is just plain bad writing.

YAY: Carolina Crown. DAT BRASS. I sure wish Michael Klesch was more harmonically adventurous, though. Crown does one thing far better than any other DCI corps (fast runs, brass articulation technique)... but that's all they do, over and over and over. It's fun to listen to, though. I think this is the best designed show on the field this summer, and SHOULD win the DCI title, but you know how those judges are. Crown's percussion started the season rough, and the judges are still penalizing them for it. IMO, they've caught up and passed the drumlines from Scouts, Cavaliers, and MAYBE even Bluecoats. Vanguard, Cadets, and Devils are still clearly better, but this Crown drumline should probably be 4th, maybe 5th at worst right now.

?6MfWz2#Q!?: Blue Devils. People talk about comparing apples and oranges, but that's not quite right. It's more like comparing a bowl of assorted fruit (the rest of DCI) and a talking octopus throwing bricks at the fine china (Blue Devils). The Blue Devils are fundamentally different from every other DCI corps (for better AND for worse). Every other corps treats the visual book as drill and guard for the skeleton, then body movement, dance, and other flourishes as the meat and skin that's added to the skeleton to make it look real. The Blue Devils toss all of the elements in a blender, then make a funkadelic visual golem out of the resulting putty. They both LOOK and ACT like visual programs, but they are fundamentally different to their very cores. Sure, the Blue Devils' drill is once again the easiest of the Top 3 or 4: lots of follow the leader, block forms, and scatter. But while the DRILL demands on the performers might be less, the overall VISUAL demand is not. The scope and variety of different elements going on simultaneously but working together to form a cohesive visual program in the Blue Devils' show is staggering. The field coverage and utilization of space is incredible. Musically, the drumline has been the strength of this corps for most of the past five years. But there's significant brass difficulty here, too. The harmonics of Stravinsky have not been watered down, placing tremendous demand on the performers to have a unified concept and execution of tone and intonation. It can be very difficult to make dissonance sound correct and not like a mistake and, far from just dipping their toes in this pool, the Blue Devils' horn book stays in this challenging area for pretty much the entirety. In terms of chord structures and ensemble harmonics, BD has the toughest show on the field. And, while they might not have the audacious runs of Crown, there were more than a few complex jazz syncopations that require an almost hive-mind like approach to articulation. So, yeah, Blue Devils. I'm not sure they should win, but there's no way they're not one of the Top 2 corps this year. Again. I like it, I'm not sure I like it, I don't want to like it, I don't like it, and I really, really respect it. All of these are true, all at the same time.

You are free to disagree with anything I've said here and be wrong.

[84chief]

I agree with quite a bit (not all) of what you wrote. That said, I think this is one of the most well-thought out, incisive and, yes, enlightening posts I've ever read on DCP. Kudos and thanks.

[GREENBLUE]

Thanks for the posts.

Crowns drumline is right where they belong.

They should feel lucky phantom isn't in front of them.

Groupings:

Cadets

BD

SCV

Cavies

Bluecoats

Phantom

Crown

Madison

[ShortAndFast]

We have pretty similar takes on the year...

YAY and MEH: The Cadets. Loved, loved, loved Symphony No. 1, how much they used of it, and how it was worked into the show. Fantastic. On the other hand, Medea was a mess. Just a few chop-n-bop segments and quotations, never allowed to develop or contribute like the Symphony and Adagio did. The soft ending didn't bother me, but the lead into it did. The six note pattern at the end of Medea that builds into a furious climax they neutered, turning it from a crescendo into a decrescendo, and hammering that square peg into that round hole until they reached the Adagio again. Sorry Mr. Bocook, DCI Hall of Famer or no, that Medea-to-Adagio progression at the end of the show is just plain bad writing.

Especially this. Symphony #1 is the most musical thing on the field this summer, period. It's also just a beautiful use of the visual to support/interpret the music rather than the other way around. But then I just sort of pretend that the Cadets play some angry music for a while that has nothing whatsoever to do with Samuel Barber's Medea - it's easier to swallow that way.

If only they had resisted the temptation to shoehorn Medea into the show...

[JKT90]

I know a few corps that could use your input when it comes to design. Good write up.

[chaos001]

Thanks for the posts.

Crowns drumline is right where they belong.

They should feel lucky phantom isn't in front of them.

Groupings:

Cadets

BD

SCV

Cavies

Bluecoats

Phantom

Crown

Madison

Interesting coincidence: a guy who marched Regiment last year but got cut from the line this year...is marching Crown.

[Kamarag]

?6MfWz2#Q!?: Blue Devils. People talk about comparing apples and oranges, but that's not quite right. It's more like comparing a bowl of assorted fruit (the rest of DCI) and a talking octopus throwing bricks at the fine china (Blue Devils). The Blue Devils are fundamentally different from every other DCI corps (for better AND for worse). Every other corps treats the visual book as drill and guard for the skeleton, then body movement, dance, and other flourishes as the meat and skin that's added to the skeleton to make it look real. The Blue Devils toss all of the elements in a blender, then make a funkadelic visual golem out of the resulting putty. They both LOOK and ACT like visual programs, but they are fundamentally different to their very cores. Sure, the Blue Devils' drill is once again the easiest of the Top 3 or 4: lots of follow the leader, block forms, and scatter. But while the DRILL demands on the performers might be less, the overall VISUAL demand is not. The scope and variety of different elements going on simultaneously but working together to form a cohesive visual program in the Blue Devils' show is staggering. The field coverage and utilization of space is incredible. Musically, the drumline has been the strength of this corps for most of the past five years. But there's significant brass difficulty here, too. The harmonics of Stravinsky have not been watered down, placing tremendous demand on the performers to have a unified concept and execution of tone and intonation. It can be very difficult to make dissonance sound correct and not like a mistake and, far from just dipping their toes in this pool, the Blue Devils' horn book stays in this challenging area for pretty much the entirety. In terms of chord structures and ensemble harmonics, BD has the toughest show on the field. And, while they might not have the audacious runs of Crown, there were more than a few complex jazz syncopations that require an almost hive-mind like approach to articulation. So, yeah, Blue Devils. I'm not sure they should win, but there's no way they're not one of the Top 2 corps this year. Again. I like it, I'm not sure I like it, I don't want to like it, I don't like it, and I really, really respect it. All of these are true, all at the same time.

This may be the most accurate description of what the Blue Devils are doing that I've read all summer. You are spot on, especially regarding the visual demand and brass book.

[MikeN]

Very astute review. Thanks! (Of course, I agree with most everything you posted, too. :) )

Mike

[fecontra]

Are you becoming like the groundhog coming out to predict the end of winter?

It's about time you popped out with your clever outlook!

I miss your notorious rankings - you were always " spot on " !

Glad you enjoyed " The Sunburst " - to me it is really exciting that when the form develops you know exactly what is coming!

I agree with mostly all you said - especially how Phantom just seems to come to a halt -

for myself - I enjoyed the Blue Devils - Rite of Spring grew on me over the years

please bring back your rankings

frankiE

[Tupac]

Interesting coincidence: a guy who marched Regiment last year but got cut from the line this year...is marching Crown.

So you can pour your heart and soul into a corps one year and get cut the following year?

Is this a common practice in corps? This is the first I have ever heard of this.

Edited August 9, 2013 by Tupac