Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Back to the Nazareth contest. First competitor to take the field was the Eric Thunderbirds (13 battery, down 2?/13 Brass, down 6/1DM/9FE/11CG with their "reverie" program.

Finally, a DCA Class A corps gets a DCA number.

The program is comprised of music from Cirque D'Soliel's "Quidam" and "La Nouba" shows- and Sean Bartlett really went out of the way to look at this music and do something that's not one of the ubiquitous Arranger's Publishing Cirque shows that one sees frequently in the scholastic arena.

I spent the afternoon ensemble block with them, and they had a lot of retention from last season, and the brass section's still learning and developing what they need to in terms of getting themselves comfortable with playing the Kanstuls and moving well.

The Percussion section's also kept a lot of personnel and grown, and they're keeping a strong rhythmic center for the brass and really keeping the musical end of things exciting and driving. The more they relax, the more enjoyable they are to watch.

Sean also wrote the drill, and it's a pretty smart drill for a young corps. Everything's well staged, nothing out of its everlovin' mind, and coherent- even with the missing personnel.

The balance between percussion and brass was really good. One of the things they do is tune down the snares so they don't overbear, and there'll be some more tweaks on that end to further improve their sound. Even with the missing members in the brass section, things carried well inside the stadium, which was a really good venue for them- not a tall stadium, 19 rows high.

When the corps is confident in what they do, things are pretty good! Sean's also doing some nice feature work here and there which puts the whipped cream on the latte.

Right now, the highlight of the program is the "Urban" section with some good work from several features trading back and forth. I think that segment will only get better as everyone becomes more comfortable with each other.

The "incantation" section has the potential to provide a really solid ending to the program and make a statement when they head to Racine for the big Class A showdown at Horlick Field.

Here's the deal--

They scored a solid 65 which was better than they did last season at this time, even with missing a third of their brass section and 2 people from the battery. Using the patented Big W fudge factor formula to convert the scores from DCI panels the Kilties and Cincinnati Tradition have been getting in the Midwest, they're pretty much in the same window as the Kilties right now.

Class A is anyone's game with Alliance and the Govies moving up to Open. Every A Corps owes it to themselves to really commit, give their very best, and see where things shake out in Rochester. I have a feeling things will be very fluid down to the end in terms of the placements.

As for the patented Big W Fudge Factor...

1: Roll a 4 sided, 8 sided, and 12 sided Dungeons and Dragons dice and divide by Pi.

2: Consult a Magic 8-Ball.

3: Throw special darts that contain L. Ron Hubbard's Fingernail Clippings at a special Ouija Board autographed by 4 Popes.

4: Use every fourth word of one of Jeff's posts on the DCA Scores thread.

It makes about as much sense as anything anymore, especially after CV got the 68 and change....

All I know is the T-Birds have put themselves in a good position for the Racine contest. Now all they need to do is keep working until then to clean and really present as inspired a program as they can.

Work calls. More later.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Indeed a solid start for the T-Birds. Good to see them on the upswing!!!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bush took the field next, and their flying start and "Piano Man" intro was a lot better.

Their battery's beginning to sound and perform with the confidence I've seen for the last several seasons, and that's a real positive.

There are some performance issues that will need to be kept at with the brass in the second segment and "Clair D' Lune". Some of this could be just the challenges with the field placement and performing the challenges while moving.

Dennis Argul's writing usually includes a lot of ending impact statements and color tones for the mid-voices, and they really need to push them and cut a bit. Right now, it's too nice.

The Guard looks to be very squared away at this point.

The one thing I was really appreciative of was how improved the ELP Piano Concerto was in terms of reading the chords, voicings, and compositional intent. I'm beginning to feel that the brass is really beginning to understand the piece beyond the black notes on white paper now.

Now, Bush needs to keep cleaning and putting things together and see how things break. I think once the corps more fully understands all of the show elements, this show will have a lot of solid moments.

Sky's performance was confident and energetic, and I'm excited to see this young corps begin to find their identity and perform with excitement. They're not afraid to let it fly, which is the way it should be with Sky.

The crowd loves Sky. I've seen them well appreciated at every contest, and the corps should take pride in this.

The big trick for Sky will be to clean and tidy up the show. When you push hard like they do, sometimes, things get over the edge. The secret is to find the edge and get right to it without going over. The only way you find that edge is in practice and performance and then make the adjustments and learn from the experience. In my personal case, been there, done it.

Sky will continue to gain energy as the season progresses, and I look forward to seeing them continue to grow and make the strides they're making this season.

Work calls. I'll keep at it guys. There's so much to talk about and I type slow, and so many great performances.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Hurricanes (16Battery/5MG/2DM/10CG/8FE/26 brass) presented their "Freedom" program, in which the Drum major asks everyone what Freedom means to them, and explains what it means to the corps.

In key ways, it's much in the mold of the previous season's effort, even though the music is very different. It takes a simple premise, and uses a very straight-up approach musically and visually to carry out that premise. The program stages and presents well. The show's very accessible as last season's, and will rely on the ability of the corps to clean it to a very high level of quality for them to get into the finals battle as they successfully did last season.

The music book is solid and quite accessible, but it will need to be cleaned, and the brass needs to be able to play it with a higher level of confidence. Tom Yelnick's out there playing well, the section just needs to have that foundation underneath him to make the musical moments work the way they need to.

As always, the Guard presents wonderfully.

"Amazing Grace" is a quiet musical motif that's a thread that ties the program together, listen for it and enjoy when you see them.

We're going to have to be patient and see how the Hurcs can clean and evolve the show in the end game over August to see if they can get into the hunt like last season and make it happen. The situation's too fluid at this point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I said at Lehman the Core could be dangerous. Let's see. Two second places at Ijamsville and Nazareth beating a very, very hot CV, A very good Cabs performance, and stiff-arming what looks to be the best show and corps C2 has put out. Dangerous enough for everyone? The only corps they haven't beaten are the Bucs, but they have taken the Color Guard caption from them.

They also went on in what would be considered bad show slots that put them at a disadvantage at both contests and achieved this. Yeah..... that's dangerous.

Some readers wonder, "How!?!?!?"

Part of it's strong visual design. I alluded to this in the Lehman review in how they've really thought this out this season.

The thing is, you can have a great design and if you don't have the performers to perform the package, it gets nowhere.

I watch this corps, and I get this feeling from the corps, particularly from the battery- they love to compete. The Bass Drums had a really strong run on Saturday. The battery gives their best effort at every contest, take pride in that, and just let the chips fall where they fall.

What more can the staff want from the members? When the Fusion members work like they work, and put out the sincere best effort every time, as a staff member, you feel driven to try to give every bit of your knowledge and abilities to help the team elevate themselves- each feed off the other.

Another secret to Fusion's success appears to be something known as "B.F.O." :satisfied:

I know what I think it is... but some of the ladies in the stands said it was some kind of healthy food additive the baritones mix in with their pre-show Rigatoni dinner. Who knows?

One thing that came to mind at Nazareth was that the brass ensemble's sound seems to be coalescing around a dark, bottom-heavy timbre with a pretty veneer of Trumpet and the always rock-hard mid-voices. They're finding their ensemble's specific and unique voice and really embracing it. It gives them an individual character and sounds great!

The show also has a lot of layers and facets that I'm discovering with every performance, another mark of a really good corps and program.

They're doing what they need to do, and I don't see them deciding to stop. You'll see some great performances with Fusion and those chasing them this season. Get to a show, watch 'em, and enjoy.

Edited by BigW
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was curious to see how Sun (3DM/34 Brass/30CG/16 Battery/10FE) was doing this season with the "House of Cards".

It was obvious from the start that they wanted to make a strong statement at this contest and get separation between themselves and several competitors. They play neatly, big, and with a lot of crispness.

I've noticed this issue in several corps- they have some problems in softer segments with the feet getting into the music and some thinness of timbre. This will need some tweaking and work in fundamentals.

The staging's a lot better this year, they're set up to give a more cohesive and total ensemble sound, and the drill isn't contrived to try and push top box numbers at the expense of performance quality- though at one point they do present a 30-25 yard field spread with the brass that came off rather well and was impressive. They pick their moments and wrote to make sure they were gonna be successful with them.

The brass appears to be young- but they have a lot of presence and poise for their youth, which also holds them in good stead. They keep their cool, and do what they need to do. They're on;y going to get better as they clean up what issues need to be cleaned, and with their maturity- they'll get it done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love the Bucs. The Battleship cruised in and started opening fire again, and they had me tearing up with the transition to the show intro.

Look for the dialogues between the left and right sides of the ensemble, the Flugel soloist in "Gabriel's Oboe", who makes the sound flow like paint off a brush, and the Percussion feature where the performers are laid back, and loving every minute of it.

WAIT!!!! The Bucs have FUN on the field!?!?!?!?!?! :blink: Get out the "Drum Corps is SERIOUS police" and arrest them! Now!!! The Bucs have to be SERIOUS! NO FUN! Other DCA corps are supposed to have fun, but the Bucs aren't allowed! :laugh:

I know some folks are thinking just that. It's scary- they're beyond performing this program as a series of nuts and bolts. They're creating moments, enjoying those moments, and letting things happen beautifully.

Also, watch for the complex meter section near the end and the wonderful show ending. Again, this show has many wonderful facets that reveal only through multiple views. You can get hooked on this show. Right now, I'm hooked on the Bucs, Fusion, CV, and the Cabs for this very reason. C2 is getting there.....

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Cabs (26CG/4DM/13FE/20 Battery/50 brass) finally got in a scoring performance of "Red, White, and Black".

They get to the point. No foolin' with a pre-show segment, BOOM! they cut to the chase.

The Andy Yozviak book''s very engaging. The battery really pushed hard, and the show dripped with a lot of energy.

The music has a darker timbre, which I love, and as the program proceeds, they gradually reveal tastes of some classic Cabs musical phrases.

The feature work in the program is really tight and exciting.

I really appreciate and enjoy this program-it's also a real crowd-pleaser, it was really eaten up by the audience. There are things the Cabs need to do, and they know it, no need to panic.

They need to get the visual issues worked out. I hope the Bari and Tuba that collided at the end are all right. I did wince and got scared. You do this for any length of time as I have, I felt that one. I've noticed one thing over the years, it doesn't matter if it's a competitor, doesn't matter of you're a fan of that corps or not, anyone who's ever taken the field gets upset when they see it. No one wants anyone hurt in a hard collision, ever.

I know the one Tuba player lost control and hit the wall musically at the end. Happens. Been there, done that.

The balance between the Front Ensemble and the brass in the quieter sections needed to be adjusted as well.

Some of these issues make me wonder if the Cabs maybe tried a bit too hard and pressed a bit too much with the performance Saturday, and I can't blame them for that. Now that they have that hurdle cleared, they can take a breath, get mentally frosty, and start to lay back and let this show unfold and start making it happen. I'm looking forward to seeing this show again. :satisfied:

Edited by BigW
Link to comment
Share on other sites

C2 has their Guard equipment and unis now, and they really added a lot of visual punch and dimension to the performance. They looked great!

The front ensemble might also get arrested by the "Drum Corps is not fun" police along with the Bucs. They bring an uplifting vibe to the performance, and I appreciate it. They have a great groove, and set the tone for the charts. Sometimes the Mellos need to match that groove.

The Brass section was lit up on the extended hits, and they show some real bark!

I felt the performance was a real improvement from Ijamsville and that they've elevated their game. They still need to solidify the 200+ Beat per minute kaleidoscopic ending and make it sail, they will. The mellos also need to really lay out that descending line at the end of "Full Circle" and just let it cut and slice a bit.

Mr. Molloy's work adds a bit of sweet icing onto the cake. :satisfied:

The Cabs got out of the pit .3 seconds ahead of C2, so there's even more traffic for them to negotiate in the race now- though they got to about a second behind Fusion.

As in racing, you can catch an opponent, now.. they have to start making some passes. We'll have to see what happens as the season continues.

Stay healthy out there, take care of yourselves. I have enough horror stories about seeing people passing out as a competitor and spectator from the late 70's early 80's when there was a lot of ignorance about the hydration issue. My guess is that's why so many of the folks from my time worry and watch out for the people out there now in that regard. We all have those stories, and they upset us.

I'll be back at Hempfield for the Bucs' Classic. See you then!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another secret to Fusion's success appears to be something known as "B.F.O." :satisfied:

I know what I think it is... but some of the ladies in the stands said it was some kind of healthy food additive the baritones mix in with their pre-show Rigatoni dinner. Who knows?

A Saturday brain puzzle. OK, I'll ask for help ... BFO? Boys from Other Schools? Brazilian Food orgy? Back the F Off? I guess a Baritone thing.

Great reviews as always. Thanks ... BigW has eyes and ears for all aspects of the show and inner drama.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...