Hail, Columbia! (Tri Cities show tonight)

[DcFr3aK]

Sad day that OC's score went down. I heard that their Viola had an A string issue... Not sure if it got resolved in time for the performance. Not having that Viola I would imagine would hurt their GE a lot

Solo's aren't judged THAT intensely, so I doubt an A string issue (can't believe I'm actually typing this) would cause any type of dip in their GE score.

[OC Euph]

Solo's aren't judged THAT intensely, so I doubt an A string issue (can't believe I'm actually typing this) would cause any type of dip in their GE score.

The Viola has a LOT of voice in select sections, that would sound extremely bizarre without.

And do what I do in cases like what you are feeling. Understand that the activity is always evolving, and there is nothing we can do about it. So accept it and move on. My 2 cents are I would take ALL of the changes in the last 15 years, if we could send back Trombones lol.

[luv4corps]

I saw the plea on facebook for the A string and it was so close to step off... that was likely an issue. I'm not going to worry too much. Sounds like it was just an off night. They will shake it off. I'm hearing many raves about the show.

I can see the lack of the viola as affecting the GE score. The viola sets the whole tone (so to speak) and dark mood of the show.

Update 1: I looked at scores between Richland and Renton and GE scores indeed went down. I also saw a photo of the opener and the viola player was in the show... this is all off hand as I don't know for sure what happened, or if she played minus an A string or what.

Update 2: No A string and the violist did her best. Admirable.

Edited July 7, 2014 by luv4corps

[N.E. Brigand]

And do what I do in cases like what you are feeling. Understand that the activity is always evolving, and there is nothing we can do about it. So accept it and move on. My two cents are I would take ALL of the changes in the last fifteen years, if we could send back trombones, lol.

There may be nothing we can do about change, unless of course, enough of us feel strongly about it and stop going to shows. But don't pretend that the change just happens: somebody is in fact doing something about the change: they're causing it. It doesn't "evolve" at all. And some change is in fact bad change. Repeat that enough, and it might sink in with people.

(And trombones make much more sense in a brass and percussion ensemble than strings do.)

[N.E. Brigand]

1 Santa Clara Vanguard 82.200

2 Blue Knights 78.800

3 Crossmen 72.900

4 Oregon Crusaders 68.000

5 Cascades 58.000

1 Columbians 55.400

2 Eruption

Eruption was in fact scored. They got a 43.70 to close out their very short season.

[mr.mello]

So what are the Cascades playing? What's the theme?

[kbbandman]

My wife and I attended the Drums Along the Columbia last night. Background: I am a band director of 30 years, and my wife has extensive experience in color guard. Disclaimer: It was a long, hot day, so this may be a lot of gibberish. Also: I miss Thunder, and I hope that they will be able to return in some fashion next year.

The Venue - Fran Rish Stadium (Richland HS). Stands faced West - directly at the sun, so we were feeling like baked potatoes on the aluminum stands.

Weather - The temp was about 100º at start time, with a light breeze from the North. The 1st 3 corps were hard to see, because they went on before the sunset happened.

We thought that all of the corps suffered somewhat from the heat, particularly after a few days of cool weather on the "coast" (that is what we "inlanders" call everything west of the Cascade Mountain Range). This was especially noticable with the younger, less conditioned groups.

Eruption - Bonney Lake, WA. This was their third and final show of their first season. (It is good to see newer corps in the Northwest - I sure hope they will continue to grow). 12 Brass/Full Battery/4 Guard. Their show was "Burdens of Brilliance: Inside the Minds of Mozart". The drill was mostly sensible for a starter group, but the music seemed to be too difficult to pull off, especially with 12 brass. The small guard appeared to be self-choreographed, and did not do much to enhance the show. Also, unless you are familiar with the movie "Amadeus", I think you would be pretty lost trying to follow the theme. That said, I think that the audience appreciated the fact that they are brand new, and gave them a nice ovation. Score = 43.70

Columbians - Tri-Cities, WA. This was also their third and final show, and their home show. Their were quite a few alumni from the "old" Columbians. (The original Columbians existed from 1955-75). This is their second year out, and they have shown a lot of growth in size and maturity from last year. 34 Brass/Full Percussion/15 Guard. Hope to see continued groqth next year. Score = 55.40.

Cascades - Seattle, WA. They have had a change of management (again). The show is called "Turn". About 30 brass/Full Percussion/16 Guard. Doubling the size of their guard from last year helps visually. The design is stronger than last year, but it is obvious that there are quite a few members that were recently added, because there are a lot of "chokes" on most drill moves. Musically, they just lack confidence and endurance, and this will hopefully be fixed by Indy, as this show could take them a bit farther than last year's. Score = 58.00

Intermission - too long, but at least the sun was down for...

Oregon Crusaders - Portland, OR. The show is called "Nevermore" and is inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe poem "The Raven". Parts of the poem are recited (sounds like James Earl Jones) during the performance. I was really looking forward to this show, based on clips I had seen, and the fact that they are fielding a full 150 members. For my taste, I thought that the electronics were overdone to the point where it got in the way of enjoying the corps. This show seems to have a lot more meat to it than last year's. Their marching is pretty horrendous right now, which also had an effect on the sound. Overall, visual is not a strength for them right now. As is typical of NW corps, they are getting a very late start - largely due to the fact that High Schools don't get out until mid-June. If they can fix their feet, I do see this show climbing quickly. I thought the score might have been a bit high tonight. Oh, and the guard outfits - um, not so flattering for the heavier gals).Score = 68.00

Crossmen - San Antonio, TX. When I first saw this show on Fan Network, I was concerned that "Alma Gitana" wasn't going to work for them, because 1) not all of the music seemed to really fit the theme, and 2) the drill seemed pretty congested. Those problems still exist, but the visual is becoming more effective, and the show is starting to grow on me a bit. Possible shot at 12th slot at finals, but probably not higher.

Score = 72.90

Santa Clara Vanguard - "Scheherazade: Words 2 Live By". (Full Disclosure: I have been a fan of SCV since 1975, and our god-daughter is aging out with them, so my objectivity may be somewhat compromised). To my eyes/ears, this show is a big step up in complexity in the horn book, and the drill as well. The first hit, with the much-discussed 24 trombones, is creating the desired effect. What a sound! We watched them rehearse earlier the day of show, and it was apparent that they have already made a lot of adjustments/additions to the show in the last week. It will be interesting to see what they do as far as adding more time to the show, as it currently comes in at just over 10 minutes. Based on what I have seen from the 4 corps that are currently scoring ahead of them (in seperate shows of course, and based solely on Fan Network), I think this show has the potential to medal in Indy. My request: Please turn down the "thunderous goo" - you have a great tuba section, so don't drown them out with the bass patch on the synth.

Score = 82.20

Really looking forward to Indy - this is the 1st time I can remember that all of the top 6 seem like shows I can enjoy. Great competition - it looks like a lot of close placements.

Blue Knights - Denver, CO. "That One Second". Tough for them to go on after SCV. I thought their score was a bit high (too close to SCV), especially in the visual captions. I really like their music a lot, and they seem to be performing at a higher level than last year at this point. My wife pointed out that their new uniforms kind of wash out, and there is not enough color to provide contrast. On Fan Network, I was impressed with how clean their drill looked a couple of weeks, ago, but in person, there is plenty yet to be done. I think this show could be done very effectively without any of the narration or props (flats), and it would be just a really good drum corps show.

Score = 78.80

Edited July 8, 2014 by kbbandman

[N.E. Brigand]

Oregon Crusaders - Portland, OR. The show is called "Nevermore" and is inspired by the Edgar Poe poem "The Raven". Parts of the poem are recited (sounds like James Earl Jones) during the performance. I was really looking forward to this show, based on clips I had seen, and the fact that they are fielding a full 150 members.

Interesting. Raiders' show last year also featured sampled (a lot of) narration of "The Raven", voiced by John de Lancie (Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation.)

[OC Euph]

Thanks for the awesome reviews! I agree with the OC one, except the score part. Their Marching really needs some work, but the show concept, music, and sound coming out of them is awesome!

[WAstateXMEN]

So glad to see Crossmen up here, i wish they could make their way up here more often. Love the show this year.

Edited July 8, 2014 by WAstateXMEN