wallace Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 A better argument for 2014 as the gamechanger could be made. Far better show... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cixelsyd Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 After a great deal of reflection - I have to say... We had a show this past summer that will define and influence shows for at least a decade to come The design was like a Drum Corps Mona Lisa. The more you stare at it - the better it gets I honestly believe it was severely underscored in GE by the DCI judging community And as evidence I offer an indoor run of the 2015 Bluecoats just prior to finals night https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQtuAyiPI98 An amazing and layered program, fresh and creative in so many ways So well done and original - Bravo! George. Even if what you say here pans out, that will not "replace" or properly compare to the Star 1993 phenomenon. 1993 Star of Indiana provoked strong reactions from everyone who witnessed them. Some loved them, others hated them, but no one was on the fence about them. For fans who objected to the increasing use of musical dissonance and the body movement trend creeping into the activity at that time, 93 Star became the lightning rod for their fury. Should Bluecoats be the trend setter for some form of electronics usage, maybe their innovation will be looked upon with the same fervor as the pit ride cymbal. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Name Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 A better argument for 2014 as the gamechanger could be made. Far better show... 2014 was a gamechanger for the Bluecoats, not really drum corps as a whole. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war eagle Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I thought what Bluecoats did this year was interesting, but it was also a gimmick, and gimmick's don't stand the test of time in my opinion. The music, drill, body movement, etc. in Star 1993 all shaped the direction many corps went, or tried to go, or are still trying to go creatively, which is why we still talk about it today. Bluecoats 2015, yes performed well, yes trying new things, but a gimmick, IMO yes, and I find gimmick's forgettable. Even now, the only thing I remember from them this year is the whole electronic to brass back and forth stuff, otherwise, I've all but forgotten about that show. Such a short sighted comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snare_guy_83 Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I thought what Bluecoats did this year was interesting, but it was also a gimmick, and gimmick's don't stand the test of time in my opinion. The music, drill, body movement, etc. in Star 1993 all shaped the direction many corps went, or tried to go, or are still trying to go creatively, which is why we still talk about it today. Bluecoats 2015, yes performed well, yes trying new things, but a gimmick, IMO yes, and I find gimmick's forgettable. Even now, the only thing I remember from them this year is the whole electronic to brass back and forth stuff, otherwise, I've all but forgotten about that show. So syncing rhythmically and melodically with pre-recorded notes by their own brassline from speakers spread out around the field while playing syncopated phrases is "gimmicky"??? The level of musical technicality of Kinetic Noise gets overlooked too easily, especially "Electric Counterpoint". "Dense" is a whole bunch of mixed meter. Does that not matter? The Bluecoats weren't doing any of this to deceive/trick/cheat the audience or judges, but rather to push the boundaries of what is possible. Michael Boo's Blog from Prelims... "The sound engineering in this show has redefined what can be done." "This doesn't rewrite the book on sound engineering. It takes the book, throws it page-by-page in a paper shredder, takes the shreds and beats them into pulp, takes the pulp and spreads it across a metal plate to dry, gently spreads the pulp into new paper, lets it cure, and then prints a new book by hand, keeping the book just for the corps and leaving everyone else to figure out how the heck they just did what they did." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tesmusic Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 So syncing rhythmically and melodically with pre-recorded notes by their own brassline from speakers spread out around the field while playing syncopated phrases is "gimmicky"??? The level of musical technicality of Kinetic Noise gets overlooked too easily, especially "Electric Counterpoint". "Dense" is a whole bunch of mixed meter. Does that not matter? The Bluecoats weren't doing any of this to deceive/trick/cheat the audience or judges, but rather to push the boundaries of what is possible. Michael Boo's Blog from Prelims... "The sound engineering in this show has redefined what can be done." "This doesn't rewrite the book on sound engineering. It takes the book, throws it page-by-page in a paper shredder, takes the shreds and beats them into pulp, takes the pulp and spreads it across a metal plate to dry, gently spreads the pulp into new paper, lets it cure, and then prints a new book by hand, keeping the book just for the corps and leaving everyone else to figure out how the heck they just did what they did." Yes. It's a gimmick. Kudos to them for figuring out how to record and place speakers, I guess that's Earth-shattering. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xandandl Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 If i were king of the forest ($1 to Burt Lahr), I would move into more modern costuming of the corps proper so they look as innovative as they sound. Your pension plan must be heavily invested in Cesario-wear or Stan Berry's stock with your frequent assertions that various corps switch to "contemporary costuming." The off-kilter bloo wear is rather modern compared to their history of Canton clothes. Of course, what is "modern" is quite subjective, like most DCI (and DCP) judging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tesmusic Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Such a short sighted comment. How so? Pre-recorded music played through speakers, timed out to fit a performance, it's a gimmick. Unless people start using those techniques on a consistent basis and make them regular parts of their show, it's a gimmick. If Bluecoats decide to start doing things like that every year, I, and I am sure others, will get very bored with it. Narration isn't innovative, it's a gimmick, and people have used it, and some have used it so much that it detracts from the show, IMO (Cadets 2014), and it has done nothing to move DCI forward. Last I checked, BD is still pretty much the clear favorite each year, yet they're for the most part leaving these gimmicks off the field. But congrats to the Bluecoats for figuring out surround sound on a football field and learning to sync their sounds that are live with pre-recorded music. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snare_guy_83 Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Yes. It's a gimmick. Kudos to them for figuring out how to record and place speakers, I guess that's Earth-shattering. I'm now curious, what else have corps done that you find to be a gimmick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snare_guy_83 Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Last I checked, BD is still pretty much the clear favorite each year, yet they're for the most part leaving these gimmicks off the field. K-Pop wasn't a gimmick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.