Popular Post wonderbread403 Posted June 29, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted June 29, 2014 (edited) This review is for Corps at the Crest Los Angeles held in Glendora, CA on Saturday, June 28, 2014. Citrus College Stadium is a large venue with one-tier of stands that go up to row W, which was where I sat with my wife and her parents. We got nice VIP seats under the press box, which was a nice perk for our financial gifts to the host corps, Pacific Crest. The show started at 5:30am and it was hot! 90 degree start time with the sun blasting in our faces. I kind of missed being in a covered stadium, like the Alamodome and Lucas Oil, but hey, it’s an outdoor activity dang it. It’s meant to be heard outside. By the way, any rumor that this show was not well attended is wrong. Very wrong. You'll notice spectators on the back stands in some of these pictures because the front stands were SOLD OUT! Full house, folks. View from my seats 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 major show attending as purely a fan in quite a long time. 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 design. My wife, Jenn, was in high school color guard and will comment that caption. Lastly, before I start, I have some strong opinions about the activity (which I’ve explicitly expressed in other posts) and my bias will show towards certain design aspects. To give you a sense of this, I’ll list some of my favorite shows in DCI history: 1999 SCV, 1993 Cadets/Star of Indiana/Phantom Regiment/Blue Devils/Madison Scouts, 1992 Velvet Knights, 2008 Phantom Regiment, 2008 Carolina Crown, 1986 Blue Devils, 1987 Cadets, and the list goes on. Open Class - In Performance Order Watchmen, Riverside, CA Show Title: Lost Souls. Placement: 42.5, 4th out of 6 I saw DCI’s newest corps at the SoCal Sneak Preview event three weeks ago and it was nice to see good improvement. The percussion-brass balanced improved with the battery not overpowering the brass as much anymore. It’s a small corps and they did a decent job of writing to their strengths. The color guard work for their last piece of the show was still developing and it was apparent that current choreography from the first half of the show was not being reinforced as much. All in all, good effort and keep on working! Watchmen Golden Empire, Bakersfield, CA Show Title: A Journey Begins. Placement: 49.2, 2nd out of 6 Also one of DCI’s newest corps, but they don’t seem like a first-year corps at all. Their membership was impressive and in a way, it shouldn’t be that surprising. As a Los Angelean (did I get that right?), Bakersfield is considered an isolated city that’s more Central CA than Southern CA. But there are large school programs out there and I’m glad there is an opportunity for those kids to perform in a drum corps. According to the show program book, Golden Empire is an extension of the Bakersfield College Drumline program. Their music repertoire is mainly from Dvorak’s New World Symphony and the show was well designed. Visual design was particularly strong. The sizable color guard was staged effectively and the drill bolstered the music effect well. Musically, drums were sometimes overpowering the brass. Likewise, the front ensemble volume was high during some of the soft brass parts. Despite the balance issues, I was thoroughly impressed by Golden Empire and I hope to see them grow. Golden Empire Incognito, Garden Grove, CA Show Title: <3 - less than love. Placement: 38.2, 6th out of 6 This small corps is back from several years of inactivity. Their membership seems very young and it was very clear they were doing their best. Major props to their effort. However, as an educator, I think their staff has made some highly questionable decisions regarding design and instruction. I’ve performed Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet in an orchestra and the parts require a very strong brass line with highly developed intonation skills, especially in the low brass. Incognito’s top-heavy instrumentation and young experience is not meeting the demand required by the arrangements. In other words, they are in over their heads. Likewise, the corps performed all this additional choreography, but missed step-offs and forgot pathways. They're trying to learn how to walk before they can crawl. Teach them to march their drill first, then add choreo. One last major evidence of mismanagement was the existence of a preshow that had little to no relation to their show. They played and marched for a good minute it seemed. Stopped. Then walked to their opening set of their show. The rehearsal time spent for that preshow could’ve been used more wisely on the actual show. Come on, staff. Very frustrating. Incognito City Sound, Los Angeles, CA Show Title: Big Easy Blues. Placement: 42.4, 5th out of 6. I’ve always been a big supporter of City Sound’s mission, which is to provide an affordable, accessible musical experience to students who lack a quality musical education in the Los Angeles area. They’ve shown some huge strides this year and I’m so glad to see these members getting this FUN musical experience. I think they’re playing better than they ever have and the design is engaging and perfectly fits their talent levels. Similar to 1993 Phantom Regiment, they staged the front ensemble on the left and a few feet behind the front sideline. There’s an elevated stage behind the pit for featured solos and solis. I think it’s a good way to highlight parts of this small corps and their talent. Sometimes, the guard staging could be more effective. I think as a way to increase their presence, the guard is staged more on the outskirts rather than near or behind the musicians. But overall, fun show and it was great seeing the members having a good time performing. City Sound Impulse, Buena Park, CA No show title printed. Placement: 48.8, 3rd out of 6. Good to see a full show from Impulse and they made lots of progress in the three weeks I last saw them. They only had their opener done at the SoCal Sneak Preview event. Their strengths are still there. Good balancing between brass and percussion. I appreciate the fast tempo demands in the music and drill. However, as the show progressed, the tempo demands sometimes overwhelmed a few members. The color guard still has open spots and it doesn’t seem they are temporary (for injuries and such). So the visual effect is not reaching near its potential. The percussion book is fun and they had an impressive drum break in the closer that got the audience cheering. Good stuff for a show with mostly Beethoven music. Impulse Gold, San Diego, CA Show Title: The Journey. Placement: 55.35, 1st out of 6. Gold perennially improves in membership and quality of performance. It’s nice to see another strong San Diego corps after the folding of Esperanza. When I saw them three weeks ago, I had some serious reservations in the visual design, especially in the 2nd part of their show. It was marred by incoherent staging and guard work highlighted by neon PVC props. Some of these issues have been resolved, but the lack of alignment in the music and guard work is still present, especially in the 2nd half of the show. The guard had a huge flag ensemble moment, but the music was soft and decresendoing. Doesn’t make much sense. So in a way, it’s disappointing to see these missed opportunities for all that talent on the field. Gold World Class The Academy, Tempe, AZ Show Title: Vanity Fair. Placement: 63.55, 6th out of 7. They win the award for best preshow. I haven’t seen an effective preshow like this since 2008 Phantom Regiment. A medium size brass ensemble played Rondeau near the front of the field while the rest of the brass members escorted the guard (in very nice Victorian era style costumes) into their opening set. It was simple and set the tone for the show very well. It’s good to see this corps bounce back from a down year and go back to their classical roots. The music was accessible and audience friendly. The pit has a very nice and fun feature where they go down the line playing with one hand. The brass line seems to be rebuilding this year as their warmth and sound quality they’ve had prior years is not as apparent. A major concern is their music ensemble alignment. There were quite a few moments where the brass and percussion were not lining up. But it’s good to see them back in better form than last year. Academy Mandarins, Sacramento, CA Show Title: UnbreakABLE: The Human Spirit is Limitless. Placement: 62.6, 7th out of 7. The Mandarins’ strength is a controlled, balanced sound. Lots of good clarity and well executed show, musically and visually. The show design is noticeably more conservative (“safe”) than other corps. The demand is not as high, so there aren’t many “wow” moments in the show. So I felt their sound quality was better than the Academy, but their effect wasn’t. Their show theme as well was carried more in the narration than anything else on the field. Mandarins Blue Knights, Denver, CA Show Title: That One Second. Placement: 70.35, 3rd out of 7. The Blue Knights have a new look this year. Lots of white and grey, which a light, gradient blue on the top. Their white dots are now on their arm sleeve. I guess I’ve been out of the loop for a while, but when did they ditch their distinctive marching style that I remember from the late 90s to early 2000s? I kind of miss that because it was so unique and different. Anyway, their brass was particularly impressive. Very strong and clear. The first half of their show was good and the visual impact pretty strong. However, the last half of the show was marred by bad prop staging in the near left corner of the field. The props were plastic screens and only of them had designs on them. The others were mainly dark grey. The guard spent a good amount of time there while the rest of the corps was at mid-field. Then as the show reached its final sets, the guard flags were in the back, but they lacked enough movement to make the impact needed for the finale. So some missed opportunities there for a very good corps. Oh yeah, there’s cheesy narration. Blue Knights Crossmen, San Antonio, TX Show Title: Alma Gitana: A Gypsy Soul. Placement: 67.35, 4th out of 7. First of all, thank you so much for coming out to the West Coast. We love visitors! Somebody on this forum said Crossmen is bringing back their groove and that is definitely true. They started out sounding like signature Crossmen. Lots of rhythmic layering and hemiola-like rhythms. This was very much what I love about drum corps. Good visual design and lots of creative staging and drill, especially with the color guard. They even effectively park and blow (parked and blew?) near the end of the show and the drill was fast, ending with the Crossmen logo. The one, big criticism I have is the show theme. The Gypsy theme is a bit of a stretch. I’m not a Gypsy music expect, but it doesn’t sound Gypsy-ish, like Van der Roost’s Puszta. The guard costumes also look more Native American than anything else. Other than the theme, this is groovin’ show. Crossmen Pacific Crest, Diamond Bar, CA Show Title: No Strings Attached. Placement: 63.7, 5th out of 7. I’m very proud of my alma mater and the strides they make every year. At the Sneak Preview, I thought this was one of their best designed show in a while. The percussion and brass parts fit well and the staging better than ever. I was glad they made considerable improvements in executing their ballad, which was flat at three weeks ago. They end their climatic sustain with acapella brass and the release echoed well. It got a good response. The weakest part of the show right now is the middle of the opener at a trumpet/baritone duet and some isolated impacts that follow. The pacing is awkward and it’s unclear how this portion fits with the rest of the show. The guard has kept improving and adding more to support the show’s theme. The guard is dressed as marionettes and using stretchy lengths of fabrics as strings. The show begins quietly as the guard slowly emerges from the front sideline to show their strings. A very intriguing opening as the music slowly builds. As with three weeks ago, the impact is still not quite fully there as the corps has a difficult time sustaining with balance and volume. A rewrite in staging or music arrangements might be in order. The show finishes very joyfully and memorably with Orpheus in the Underworld (better known as the Can-Can). This is when the marionettes are free from their strings. The leadup to the final impact and finale was marred by a musical tear between the drumline and brass. This wasn’t an issue three weeks ago and in fact, performed quite well early in the season. Despite the tear, nearly the rest of the show was executed well. They moved better than Academy and PC’s drumline was very effective in their breaks. Keep it up. Pacific Crest Blue Devils, Concord, CA Show Title: Felliniesque. Placement: 79.5, 1st out of 7. They clearly had the best execution and the most talent on the field. There were some great moments of achievement on the field and these performers performed their butts off. Amazing brass quality, great guard, and the drumline always impresses the crowd. That being said, the show design did little for me. Just like how Michael Jordan got calls to go his way in the ‘90s or the saying about how the Yankees always win because everyone can’t stop looking at their pinstripes, BD gets away with show design flaws simply because they’re claiming to “push the envelope.” If any other corps did what BD did with staging, they would get hammered at the judges critique (and I’ve seen these exact staging comments at judges critique). No other corps can get away with the guard doing work on the other side of field away from the music (or brass playing in the corner of the field with guard in the center). But I suspect Blue Devils have this freedom with they execute it with awesome precision. I came to this show with an open mind, but it was pretty incoherent. I was pretty frustrated by how much talent there was and the lack of connection and engagement for me. As many have said on this forum, if the judges keep rewarding incoherent show designs, other corps will simply be pressured to follow the trend because of the competitiveness. We see this already the prop creep affecting almost every World Class corps. Blue Devils Santa Clara Vanguard, Santa Clara, CA Show Title: Scheherazade. Placement: 76.65, 2nd out of 7. By a large margin, I prefer this version of Scheherazade over the 2004 version. The arrangements and drill design were far more effective and cohesive. They didn’t execute as well as Blue Devils, but the development of tension and climax were far more clear and engaging. The beautiful guard had great presence and the colors were fitting. The brass was full and loud. I appreciate the design staff’s decision to make this show a drum corps fan’s dream (part tres?). This is what made me fall in love with drum corps when I was a high school student. It was loud, exciting, and a spectacle. What didn’t work as much were the trombones (and not just because I was against the rule change). Brass arrange JD Shaw was a clear proponent of the rule change and it felt he needed to add trombones at the opening impact to make a point. Yes, it was loud and the trombone timbre came through. But 15 seconds worth of 20+ trombones seem like a waste of resources and a missed opportunity. I’ve accepted the rule change, so now go big or go home. At least it wasn’t a mic’d solo. Lastly, the 20 or so props that were used to stage section features worked sometimes. Other times, they seemed unnecessary (or not worth it), especially as they were moved out of the way after a section feature was done. But don’t let my criticisms get in the way of my preference for this show. This is what drum corps should be. Vanguard Final Observations I think most designers and staff have their hearts in the right places. Rarely have I met a designer, arranger, administrator, or instructor that didn’t care about performers and doing the best for the corps (remember many who run and teach corps once performed on the field too). However, I do think we are occasionally misguided, primarily due to competitive pressure. Every corps wants to beat the corps ahead of them and the people in charge are willing to find any edge they can get, whether it be props, amps, mics, synths, narration, or trombones. I’m a professional teacher and teach for a living. While I like having computers, tablets, and other resources, in the end, it’s all about the teaching. What are we teaching and how are we teaching it? Things like synthed bass, which every corps had, is frustrating, especially for a tuba player like myself. So rather than staging and teaching tubas effectively, we rely on a single push of a synth key for a subwoofer boost that only about 50% of the audience gets to hear because the front ensemble speakers are only good for the middle of the stands (good luck if you’re in the upper deck at Lucas Oil). Vanguard were the smallest offenders in this area. Mic’d solos are nice for the soloist, but I find it far more effective when a soloist can learn to project his/her sound acoustically and he/she can be staged on the field as part of the drill. Sometimes, we overthink about what audiences want as well. What the audience want is pretty simple. They want creative, loud, fun, colorful, exciting, well-executed shows. But much like most of the entertainment industry, it’s easier said than done. But unlike the entertainment industry, corps have 10 minutes to get the audience to like the show (not an hour or 90 minutes), which is an achievable task. There’s a reason why I list so many 1993 corps as part of my favorite shows. They were exciting back in 1993, exciting in the late ‘90s when I first saw them on video, and still exciting today. The answer to better designed shows is already in front of us. Edited June 29, 2014 by wonderbread403 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 What an excellent review. Thanks for posting it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloryah Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Thank you for a great review. A few comments: I think BK's marching style started its change with Avian, had a MAJOR style change with NoBeginningNoEnd and is continued with That One Second. If you think that narration is cheesy, just wait till you hear what they have for the closer. My son, one of the mellos, said that it makes him cry. He also says that what you see now isn't what we'll see by finals. The show is going to change...a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Outstanding. Thank you for your review, and the photos!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesleyrp Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Thank you for a great review. A few comments: I think BK's marching style started its change with Avian, had a MAJOR style change with NoBeginningNoEnd and is continued with That One Second. If you think that narration is cheesy, just wait till you hear what they have for the closer. My son, one of the mellos, said that it makes him cry. He also says that what you see now isn't what we'll see by finals. The show is going to change...a lot. BKs change to straight leg technique occurred in 2010 when Sully took over the design caption for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suviduvi Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Thanks.....and let's keep drum corps unplugged....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaners Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 thanks david! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillis35 Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 What an excellent and thorough review! WOW!!! Love the pictures and boy do I love BK's new look. Also love SCV back-scape props. looking forward to seeing all those groups soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Thanks for the pictorial review! I always love seeing photos. Regarding Blue Devils - I have to disagree with your thoughts. While I was prepared to be "over" the group this summer, I am blown away by the outstanding effect created with this show. The drill design is brilliant (rotating "reels") and I thought they presented the idea of being on a movie set/lot in very unique ways. I think this is their most concise, accessible program since 2004. I look forward to them winning another title in 2014 and that color guard can go ahead and win their 5th (or is it 6th?) title in a row. Scott Chandler = genius. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 (edited) Regarding Blue Devils ... The drill design is brilliant (rotating "reels") It's quite nice, but not quite brilliant: the drill that opened Spirit of Atlanta's 2011 show was also film reels spinning off a projector. Edited July 3, 2014 by N.E. Brigand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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