SoCal Drum Corps Sneak Preview

[wonderbread403]

This review is for the SoCal Drum Corps Sneak Preview that took place on June 14, 2014 at Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights, CA. If you’ve never heard of this show before, it’s an exhibition show for Southern California drum corps and usually the first public performances for these corps before the competitive season. This night's lineup included the Watchmen, Impulse, Gold, and Pacific Crest.

Introduction

I’ve been a drum corps fan since my high school days in the late ‘90s. Then I performed with Pacific Crest starting in 2002, aged out in 2005, and been a marching instructor/tour director/corps manager since 2008. I’m taking a break this summer from any direct involvement with drum corps and this was my first show attending as purely a fan in quite a long time.

It’s a pretty fun event with gourmet food trucks parked in front of the stadium as your dinner option. It was nice catching up with friends, alumni, and current members and feeling the new season vibe from fans. My wife and I sat near the top of the stand by the pressbox. I’ve taught marching technique at high schools and still play tuba in a community concert band, so I’ll be commenting on visual, music, and some design. My wife, Jenn, was in high school color guard and will comment that caption. Having performed at this event in the past and it’s the FIRST public performance for all these corps, I know nerves play a part in the performances, so I won’t be too critical on individual issues. I hope you enjoy.

Open Class

Watchmen Drum and Bugle Corps, Riverside, CA

Congrats to DCI’s newest competitive corps. It’s good to see more opportunities for performers in Southern California. I’ve seen several corps come and gone in my home state since the ‘90s. It’s tough to run and sustain the competitive organizations, like drum corps. I hope all the best for the Watchmen.

They came onto the field under the lights in black and white uniforms. The tops were the classic band jacket and tuxedo shirt combo, similar to the 1980s Blue Devils. I didn’t count exact instrumentation for any of the corps, but I remember a full drumline and a very large front ensemble. The brass and color guard were smaller captions. I forgot their show theme and it’s not published on Corpsreps.com, but they performed a lot of their show, including a ballad based on the John Cale cover of “Hallelujah.” The drumline was the strongest and most developed section. The parts were interesting and garnered much of the audience engagement. However, the cost was ensemble balance issues. The percussion consistently overpowered the brass, unfortunately. The color guard technique is still emerging and will continue to develop. Marching technique was decent for a young, inexperienced corps. Good effort for the Watchmen’s first public performance as an Open Class corps and I look forward to seeing progress this season.

Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps, Buena Park, CA

Impulse is Southern California’s oldest running Open Class corps. They’ve had the same uniform design since their first years: black bottoms, yellow/black tops, and a black baseball cap with their ! logo on their tops and caps. Their show is based on Beethoven themes and their first musical impact was impressive in terms of balance and control. Like the Watchmen, the drumline and front ensemble were the more developed sections of the corps, but the brassline held their own. I was told by one of their instructors that a few low brass members went down, so their low end is a priority area for improvement. The color guard was small and seemed to missing members. So in this area, the visual impact of the show was more emerging than developed. Marching execution was satisfactory at this point in the season. They only performed one part of their show, but I liked how the music parts were written. I look forward to seeing more later in the season.

Gold Drum and Bugle Corps, Oceanside, CA

It’s been a pleasure seeing Gold develop over the years. They’re performing original music by Scott Director and the show is entitled The Journey. Their uniforms this year are similar to their 2013 uniforms: all black with red trim with black plastic armor on their torsos (similar to football pads). It’s a nice, unique look that helps develop their identity. First impression made is the size and presence of their color guard. They made a good visual impact for their show. The drumline and brass were appropriately balanced and the drill was challenging at some points, which I really, really appreciate. The marching technique was clearly at an emerging level and there were many signs of inexperience or lack of proper training (note: many Southern California schools get out in mid-to-late June, so June “all-days” are tough to attend).

Their performance started well, while the second part of The Journey may need a major redesign. The color guard utilized varying props in neon colors, such as long PVC tubes, sticks shaped as Xs, and rifles inside plastic hoops. However, the staging of these different elements lacked cohesion and alignment with the musical staging. There was guard work in different parts of the field while the music was performed on opposites parts of the field. In effect, it felt like an unorganized, incoherent product. I’m looking forward to see what they have for us this season.

World Class

Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps, Diamond Bar, CA (Host Corps)

This year’s production is No Strings Attached. They came on the field in their standard white, teal, gold, and black tops. This looked like a full 150 member corps and they performed their entire show (impressive!). On the field, there were several pods of varying ramps as props. The brass started the show on the props in varying “marionette” poses, tying in with the No Strings Attached theme. The show began as a slow, growing build up with the brass playing backfield until their turn to the front for their first impact. The impact was clear and it crescendoed to the release, but it could have used more volume and “oomph.” For the size of the corps, there were high expectations for musical impact and volume and it didn’t reach near its perceived potential that night. The visual staging was particularly impressive and well-designed for their first part of the show. The brassline had plenty of choreography already under their belt and helped with the Strings theme.

The color guard had a developed level of presence and performance energy even when they were tacit. After the first part of the show, the Strings theme didn’t seem as developed, but Jenn said the guard carries a major part of the theme throughout the show. Like many of the guards tonight, PC’s guard was not in their costumes and I’m certain their costumes will increase their presence and communication of the theme to the audience.

The percussion parts were particularly impressive (fun). The integration of the percussion parts with the brass parts have improved and as result, the musical impact has improved. It’s a more coherent and cohesive product. There’s a lot of fun and cuteness in the music (like a slidewhistle solo...unamped!) that can be expressed more in the visual program, especially in the closer, which is from Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld.

The corps seems younger in experience than last year, so they still have plenty of work ahead for them (especially in the endurance area), but a full show under the belt and a well-designed show is great foundation for them. This show was entertaining and well-paced and it can only improve from here on out. I’m excited to see what they add to this show and what impact they can make on the audience.

Edited June 16, 2014 by wonderbread403

[TRacer]

Great writeup. I attended the sneak preview as well and was surprised at how low PC's snares were tuned.

Edited June 16, 2014 by TRacer