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Hostrauser's Incredibly Unpopular DCI Quarterfinals Opinions


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I wouldn't call it VERY common, but it certainly happens.

Yeah, maybe not every corps does it, but it happens. Smart move on a corps' part, if someone can't hang; then they shouldn't get a spot just because they're a vet. It's taking a spot from someone who could have more talent to help the corps do better in the long term.

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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. closedeyes.gif

icon_4.gif

I'm not sure if it's appropriate to throw babies at a post, but it just seems right.

This is perhaps the best written description of several corps this season; not long winded and painfully accurate. Your BD summary is simply remarkable..and I would guess that if their design team read it (and they might) they'd say....."Yeah"....then nod their heads in communicative acknowledgement...ever so slightly. See.....you're not just another pretty number cruncher.

After thought: The one thing that most BD 2013 critiques leave off is the inherent danger of having all those poles stationery on the field....they are once again (as in 2009) obstacles that add to the difficulty and drill maneuver.

Edited by Plan9
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Though I respect the difficulty and inguenity of the Blue Devils show, I just can't seem to like it. In fact, this is probably the first Blue Devils show that I can't even appreciate. At least it does bring out emotions - disguest that this show is currently in the #1 position. The Blue Devils are filled with talent in every section. I am just tired of hearing dissonant chords and chopped up music. Perhaps all corps should take this route so DCI can have a quick death. I realize this is severe talk, but it really bothers me that the Blue Devils seem to continually attempt to turn off a certain group of fans. Perhaps I am too old to for this show.

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Though I respect the difficulty and inguenity of the Blue Devils show, I just can't seem to like it. In fact, this is probably the first Blue Devils show that I can't even appreciate. At least it does bring out emotions - disguest that this show is currently in the #1 position. The Blue Devils are filled with talent in every section. I am just tired of hearing dissonant chords and chopped up music. Perhaps all corps should take this route so DCI can have a quick death. I realize this is severe talk, but it really bothers me that the Blue Devils seem to continually attempt to turn off a certain group of fans. Perhaps I am too old to for this show.

Or you could just appreciate that there's variety.

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Though I respect the difficulty and inguenity of the Blue Devils show, I just can't seem to like it. In fact, this is probably the first Blue Devils show that I can't even appreciate. At least it does bring out emotions - disguest that this show is currently in the #1 position. The Blue Devils are filled with talent in every section. I am just tired of hearing dissonant chords and chopped up music. Perhaps all corps should take this route so DCI can have a quick death. I realize this is severe talk, but it really bothers me that the Blue Devils seem to continually attempt to turn off a certain group of fans. Perhaps I am too old to for this show.

So you're ready to give up on all of DCI because of the Blue Devils this year? You found NOTHING of value from those other corps? blink.gif

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(respectful SNIP!)

?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.

I can't remember the last time I heard anyone put that in a sentence! w00t.gif

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:

What??? Are you nuts??? blink.gif/> Perhaps you missed the parts where they are doing multiple off-axis line rotation, but when I saw them, they were PERFECT and in my book, pretty gosh darn hard to do perfectly.

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.

Nice recovery by you, and something we can agree on. cool.gif I know it must look easy that they are using marching intervals that are 10 yards apart, and playing horn attacks that spread 50+ yards which can split logs, but to me, that's pretty much the definition of a hard drill!

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

[/quote

Conversely, I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong. rolleyes.gif

Edit: I almost forgot to tell you; nice post. thumbup.gif

Edited by wvu80
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You made reference to the golem legend, so I know you must be real smart.

Not to mention Dr Strangelove (subtitle) and Dr Funkenstein Goerge Clinton (funkadelic)....

But what is E-SARN????

Edit: Never mind I googled.... :thumbup:/>

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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