sacrificialclown Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Hey l4c no big deal. There were more than a few pics on facebook, so I got to see the face I was looking for. Just saw preview vid... 1.) Nerves coming through brass sound in huge way tonight. Thin at times, unbalanced at others. This might entirely be attributed to recording device. Strong line all the same. 2.) Closer rewrite is MUCH better than before. 3.) Lot of visual dirt, but they've spent a lot of the last week rewriting drill 4.) Some choreography missing n the waltz section. I'd probably attribute this to br########s 5.) Design-wise this is the strongest I've ever seen out of OC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splooie99 Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 (edited) After watching the nerves last night in the preview and not having the best vantage point, here is what another light review. I like the direction the new design team is taking. Integration of the drums and guard appears better (first time seeing or hearing the show and a low vantage point) Brass: The brass need to listen to each other more and blend the sound. They have plenty of volume and improved dynamic range, but playing with good tone and not over blowing is critical for this group. I think they will be improved over the last few years. Some of that is the style of music and the staff changes in this area. Time will tell on their progress over the summer (and filling a couple of holes) Percussion: I am a brass guy so I don't know much here. It appears that the book is written to the level of this section. They appear younger then years past, but, I still think Mike Stevens and crew will have them playing well by finals. Guard: Here lies the biggest weakness of OC. They appeared to be a little younger and had a lot of jitters last night, as well as a fair amount of missing guard work. They are behind the rest of the corpsand will need to work very hard over the next 6 weeks. This section will determine the future of OC this summer. The main thing for them is work hard together. Make sure the book is at a level they can execute it and add to the overall effect of the show. They will not win medals for difficulty in the design. They only need to add to the visual impact of the show. The guard will determine the placement of this corps in my opinion. Other overall impressions: This corps has an entertaining show that is fun. Visually, there is a lot of dirt and hopefully, once the drill in memorized and the thought process goes to space and technique, they visual design will come through. Musically, I think there is a lot more cleaning and emphases on technique required to stop the forcing of sound and let overtones do the work. Listening and understanding of the show will help here too. GE is lacking still, but it is a bit early and other then the guard, I think they are a bit farther ahead then the last few years. The main thing I see missing is confidence. This will improve as the summer progresses. This year can be a great growing year for OC. A lot of the kids who marched 4-5 years have aged out and now their appears to be a fair amount of new kids. The key this year (like every year) is to make it as fun as possible and aim to be competitive with the groups in the 19-17 range at semifinals. That kind of placement will bring back members to build for the future. This design staff needs a few more years of working together to really get familiar with this fairly new team. I wish them luck and hope they continue to improve all summer. I think they can surprise a few people if the complete visual package lives up to the potential. Good Luck OC. Work hard and have fun. That is really what it is all about anyway. To be fair, this is not to be critical of OC, I like the show concept and the potential it has. The first performance in public is always difficult and I believe by the time they get back to Portland on Thursday, the jitters will be significantly less. Edited June 29, 2015 by Splooie99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumManTx Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 (edited) Giving this OCVIP thing a go, was easy to sign up and I'm digging it. Some overall thoughts: Show looks almost finished, with some obvious spots for choreography/visuals/guard work to be added. No costuming and no show flags it would appear, not an issue at all, just mentioning. The music is great, lots of variety, complexity, and power. Drill seems a lot stronger than last year, a lot more attainable with some tough moments that give it some difficulty. Thematically I'll wait til I see it in competition done. If you wouldn't have told me that they had some major design changes I might not have noticed, and I mean that in they don't sound and look like a completely different corps because of it. Some major improvements, but they still sound and look like the OC I've loved since 2010. Same OC, but upgraded is how I'd put it. IMO has the bones to be their best design. Last years seemed a little more complete at this time, but this years seems like they took more time to clean as they learned, a lot more polish overall. Visually cleaning is needed, but technique wise I like what I'm seeing. Some great moments in the drill itself, especially in the impact segments, they REALLY pop with the visual build into them. Great job there, not boring between either. It's always going places. Hornline come August is going to give a lot of corps a run for their money in the 10 - 20 bracket, they sound really solid right now. With some polish, they'll be absolutely killer. The impact moments are just full on cranked to 11 intense. Copy and paste that about the drumline, one part of the corps that I thought was given total credit where it was due last year were the drums with their top 15 finishes. Don't see them slowing down, absolutely fantastic writing and that attitude I fell in love with last year is still there. They're a serious presence without being overpowering. Color Guard seems solid, not too sure yet. Will want to see how the clean. Bones are there, they're integrated very well. Overall, a very good place to be. They seem cleaner at this point in the horns/drums/drill. Guard will get there. Theme wise some finishing touches will probably really bring it to life. Really like what I'm seeing, the impact moments visually and musically are done extremely well. I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops, 10 - 17 isn't getting any less crowded. I see this being right there again. Edited June 29, 2015 by DrumManTx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv4corps Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 (edited) Yes there is some overblowing in the brass right now - I hear it more from video than I remember it in person - but I believe that will all get worked out. The brass sounds more focused than last year - to my ear - especially at this stage. Considering all the rookies, I am amazed at the sound they're putting out already. There are a number of really cool brass features throughout this show. Edited June 29, 2015 by luv4corps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumManTx Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Also that bass line has some serious licks throughout the whole show, particularly one in the closer....as a bass player loving all the exposed bass stuff. Nothing like some good runs to make you feel good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv4corps Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 (edited) Giving this OCVIP thing a go, was easy to sign up and I'm digging it. If you wouldn't have told me that they had some major design changes I might not have noticed, and I mean that in they don't sound and look like a completely different corps because of it. Some major improvements, but they still sound and look like the OC I've loved since 2010. Same OC, but upgraded is how I'd put it. IMO has the bones to be their best design. Last years seemed a little more complete at this time, but this years seems like they took more time to clean as they learned, a lot more polish overall. Visually cleaning is needed, but technique wise I like what I'm seeing. Some great moments in the drill itself, especially in the impact segments, they REALLY pop with the visual build into them. Great job there, not boring between either. It's always going places. Hornline come August is going to give a lot of corps a run for their money in the 10 - 20 bracket, they sound really solid right now. With some polish, they'll be absolutely killer. The impact moments are just full on cranked to 11 intense. Overall, a very good place to be. They seem cleaner at this point in the horns/drums/drill. Guard will get there. Theme wise some finishing touches will probably really bring it to life. Really like what I'm seeing, the impact moments visually and musically are done extremely well. I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops, 10 - 17 isn't getting any less crowded. I see this being right there again. Great comments. It's funny you don't see a different look. I guess because the corps had the same designers for several years until this year, I see differences. In a nutshell, a less abstract overall look would be a good way of describing what I'm seeing - which is accessible and I like it as a member of the audience. Also, it seemed to me the more difficult marching sets are reserved for the most opportune times. Especially seeing it live - I liked the spacing and use of the field. I agree, best design yet and this could be OC's year to move. I agree, the marching technique is coming along. I see growth here. And oh yes, this hornline will melt some faces come August. I sat in the blast zone last night and I had some melty moments. Of course there were some nerves in there but they'll get a handle on those. As for the drumline - I just expect they're going to kill it every year and they do! Edited June 30, 2015 by luv4corps 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumManTx Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Great comments. It's funny you don't see a different look. I guess because the corps had the same designers for several years until this year, I see differences. In a nutshell, a less abstract overall look would be a good way of describing what I'm seeing - which is accessible and I like it as a member of the audience. Also, it seemed to me the more difficult marching sets are reserved for the most opportune times. Especially seeing it live - I liked the spacing and use of the field. I agree, best design yet and this could be OC's year to move. I agree, the marching technique is coming along. I see growth here. And oh yes, this hornline will melt some faces come August. I sat in the blast zone last night and I had some melty moments. Of course there were some nerves in there but that will work itself out. I see improvements for sure! Like I said, still looks and sounds like the OC I've come to love but with some sick upgrades. Wasn't one of those staff changes where I wonder where the corps I loved went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herk Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I'm watching and listening to the Periscope of OC in the park in Portland today. Oh, yeah...I am REALLY looking forward to seeing them in Denver. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv4corps Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 (edited) Still a few hours to see the periscope of last night's concert in the park. https://www.periscope.tv/w/aGMzTTYwNjE4OTR8MzE2ODI5MDZymxRGiYgkTUUMLdhky44ZU-0bSBeYI_Ks_nmC4rXiTw== There is a lot of 'in the lot' stuff and then some concert pieces, but be sure to watch all the way through for the awesome show music! Edited July 1, 2015 by luv4corps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortAndFast Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Does anyone know where OC is rehearsing for the McMinnville show? I couldn't find the info on their website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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