uncle z Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 Anyone who talks about himself in the first person is alright with me. Kdaddy thinks Uncle Z is cool... Kdaddy, uncle z hopes you realize that z is old enough to be your Dad!!! That being said, anytime you wanna fire up the 79, 81 or 82 Legacy DVD and image that uncle z is playing JUST FOR YOU (except the SPLOOIE part).............. Kdaddy is welcome to do so!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cop Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 Scouts guard uniforms sound awesome.........!!!!~G~ I AM SO HAPPY THEY GOT IT RIGHT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdaddy Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 Anyone who talks about himself in the first person is alright with me. Kdaddy thinks Uncle Z is cool... Kdaddy, uncle z hopes you realize that z is old enough to be your Dad!!! Well, I consider my dad to be cool also... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyRyder_FMM Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 OMG, uncle z forgot to mention how proud he was of the mass of Blue Stars sitting together in the back stands (ala Kingsmen) and then standing and applauding as Colts took the field.....That was CLASSY!!!! Yes, drum corps still has those moments! This is nothing new for the Blue Stars. At any show I have been to where they performed, I have always seen a large portion of the corps sitting together in the back stands - and always cheering on the other corps. This is one of the reasons I absolutely love this corps. The kids have class with a capital C. Tim Kviz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwrice Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 OMG, uncle z forgot to mention how proud he was of the mass of Blue Stars sitting together in the back stands (ala Kingsmen) and then standing and applauding as Colts took the field.....That was CLASSY!!!! Yes, drum corps still has those moments! This is nothing new for the Blue Stars. At any show I have been to where they performed, I have always seen a large portion of the corps sitting together in the back stands - and always cheering on the other corps. This is one of the reasons I absolutely love this corps. The kids have class with a capital C. Tim Kviz I love hearing this kinda stuff. It's the way it used to be. All the corps in the NWDCA used to sit together on the back side of the field and yes, cheer on the competition. That's how we all met each other and became friends. That's the best post I've read on DCP to date. Thank you Tim Kviz. rwrice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scerpella Posted June 20, 2004 Share Posted June 20, 2004 Dan S., I thought sure I'd see you at this show. Where were you?Well, since anybody can express an opinion, here's mine: Happily, the only person using amplification tonight was the show's announcer. It was good to see the host Americanos on the field. From what the announcer said, they have had more than their fair share of off field troubles. Given all that, it was a gritty performance by both the staff and the kids that they marched a complete show. The show is an exploration of Latin music, a natural for the "Canos." The big challenge Appleton will face will be their sizable percussion line playing soft enough to give their 18 or so horn players a chance to be heard. To their credit, the design staff kept the corps between the 30s, so the corps could hear each other well. Last, kudos to the two person guard. It's tough being "on an island" like that. Biding their time until more members are recruited would be a natural response, so I give these kids a lot of credit for being on the field. Hopefully, they can pick up some additional horn players and guard as the season progresses. Up until I heard Phantom Regiment's score, the night's big surprise had to be the Blue Stars, if only for their sheer size. 47 horns were complimented by a full guard and percussion sections. As some of you probably know, they are playing music from Japanese cartoons. Not familiar to me at all, but very pleasant on the ears. The 2004 Blue Stars could be this year's 2002 Cap Regiment - they're that good. I have always loved the Colt's big horns, and they didn't disappoint tonight. Their opener, American Overture, brought back fond memories of 1975 Phantom Regiment. After that was an extended percussion feature that frankly left me a little flat. The final piece offers some oppportunities for genuine on field comedy. I'm sorry, I can't remember the title of the piece, but I bet some of you band directors out there can help me. The dominant tune is sounds an awful lot like "The Old Grey Mare Just 'Ain't What She Used To Be." I've heard it done as a wind band piece. Can you help me out here?? Many corps tend to stand and play when the licks are tough, and Phantom Regiment is no exception. However, after the opening statement of their show is a fugue with some pretty tough horn licks, and the men and women of Phantom Regiment marched through all of it. Kudos to the staff for having the confidence in the kids to plan that. As I read about their show, I couldn't place the tunes. After having heard the show, NOW I remember - both last year's Minnesota Brass and the 1999 Blue Devils played sections of this music. I haven't seen any recaps, but my perception was that they didn't march quite as well tonight as Madison. These two corps will probably swap victories all summer. I'm glad to see the rivalry is back. Madison was very strong tonight compared to what I saw in Whitewater. some of you know I'm a big fan of theirs, so interpret all that I say with that filter in mind. Even though this is the 'Canos' show, it sure seemed like a Madison crowd. Like a lot of corps, Madison is good at feeding off a receptive crowd and giving it back to them between the eyes. Tonight was one of those nights. Yet, they also seemed to be in control of the technical aspects of the show. While the marching is by no means perfect, I saw more forms click tonight than I saw Thursday in Whitewater. The instrumentalists have a good sense of the impacts and how to build to them. The guard continues to impress, especially when I think back to the "skeletal" presentations by guards in early Madison shows of the not too distant past. It should be a lot of fun to see how this show progresses. I must confess I was pleasantly surprised by the results. While, I felt Madison and Phantom Regiment were close, I honestly thought Regiment would be slightly ahead of Madison. Go figure. So, like the kids on the buses probably did, I grinned on the ride home. It's only one show, but I think it is the first time Madison has beaten Regiment since finals in 1999. Tomorrow? Forget about it - time to get back to work! Jim, I'm marching with Kilties this summer! I decided about 6 weeks ago, went down to their camp and signed up and now I am a member of the world famous Murder of Baritones. (Why we are called that I have no idea. Ive never murdered anyone......that I'll admit to that is) Actually I was looking for you as well last night in Racine. Attendance was a little sparse due to the absence of Scouts and Colts but it was an appreciative crowd. my favorites were RA. they have approximately 260 people on the field it seems! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted June 20, 2004 Share Posted June 20, 2004 I was looking forward to this show all week and I didn't go home disappointed in any of the five performances. From my view on the 50-yard-line and halfway up the stands, this is a very promising season. Actually, I was disappointed in one aspect of the show - the attendance in the stands. Calder Field is a pretty good sized stadium, but it was only 60% or so full. Because there just can't be funds in a corps budget to do much marketing of a show, I really think it's up to fans make an effort to bring just one extra person along. Find someone who hasn't been to a show in years or someone who has never seen anything beyond the PBS broadcasts and bring them to a show, I bet they'll walk away amazed. You might just create a new fan. (I even took my dad to a show two years ago and he enjoyed it so much that we're planning to catch another this summer.) Sorry for the soapbox moment, on to the show review. The Americanos sure had a rough off-season and handled opening day with a lot of class. Watching their drumline, I have to give big ups to the basses musically - they have some good runs and handle it well. It will be nice to see their progress through the season, especially with their spacing. Some troubles are to be expected at first. Their pit, however, is the most improved section of the corps. After watching them over the last three years, this pit section seems to have a lot of potential and should receive considerable attention as the summer goes on. The Blue Stars are impressive to see. It's great to see big numbers on the field and their arrangements have great balance in the middle lines that add a lot of depth to the tunes - not all of which will be familiar to the audience. The Legend of A####aka from "Princess Mononoke" is the ballad and it was already a beautiful piece - you can just see how it is going to evolve into the highlight of their show. I always enjoy their snare line especially some of the writing in the opener and second tune, Tank! I first saw the Colts way back in 1994 and had seats in front of a very dedicated Colts Mom. She was so enthusiastic and fun that I've been a fan ever since. It's always a treat to see a full cymbal line and the Colts are fielding six! Being a drummer myself, I found it hard to take my eyes off of them - their visuals are non-stop and expressive. Hooray! The pit arrangement is very nice and over the course of the summer it's going to be a powerful presence in the show. I think I counted 4 vibes! The arrangement of Old Man River is gorgeous and delivered with excellent balance and a lot of heart. Phantom is phun, period. This year's music is a departure, but it's latin from the classical perspective - so you aren't going to jump up and dance, you're going to nod your head to the infectious beats. The drill is challenging and their drumline t-shirt that says "Rimshots on the Run" isn't kidding. Watching the horns collapse the form into a triangle and blast away will make you stand up and cheer. That drill is only going to get better and the horns will only get stronger. The drumline is delicious and three cheers for the bassline arrangement - continuing to feature tasty bassline solos in opportune sections is becomming a habit. Awesome! And I have to know what kind of castanets the pit is using - their projection is fantastic. (Anyone?) It's an excellent show, congratulations. Madison has very tasty arrangements and a hornline that will part your hair. It's a powerful balance of horns - they feature a baritone and mello besides the sop and all three can bring it! Whew! Again, love the cymbal line and their visual contributions - always nice to hear the cymbals coming from the field as well as the pit. The drumline arrangement is a departure, but works well - Malaga is a juicy arrangement. The tenors are always fun to watch. Madison is making a powerful statement this season, it will be fun to follow their progress. As for the close finish between Phantom and Madison, I think Phantom has the tougher drill and Madison had the bigger sound, so the two should duke it out all summer. It's going to be a fun season. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triple Forte Posted June 20, 2004 Share Posted June 20, 2004 Hello and welcome back for the 2004 drumcorps season everyone! I just got back to my current residing place in lovely Milwaukee to write this review. It is midnight central time and I, like so many show reviewers, am pretty sleepy, but I will try to make this as thorough as possible:First off, the show. WHY IN THE WORLD DO YOU NEED AN INTERMISSION WITH JUST FIVE CORPS?!?!?! After the first two corps, there was a 'brief' (more like 30 minute) intermission. The intermission was longer than the show had been up to that point. Along the same lines, tickets for the show were $12!! I know that may not seem like much, but considering that it was FIVE corps FIRST show, it was a little steep. Attendance was good, almost sold out the concert side of old Calder Stadium (ahhh, such memories). Weather was nice at first, but dropped about 20 degrees during the 'much needed' intermission, so the end of the show was pretty chilly, probably in the 50's. On to the corps: Americanos 42.75 5th Place My first reaction to Canos tonight, unfortunately, was man are they small! I counted 18 horns and a good sized drumline. My second reaction was 'where is the guard?' There was 2 of them. When I marched and competed against them, they always had one of the strongest guards in the midwest, let alone 2/3. Wondering what happened. The show was a Latin Rhythms show and had some good moments in there. The drumline seemed strong and played some notes throughout the whole show. The hornline, though timid and edgy at most points in the show, really had a few moments where there was a strong, unison brass sound that was really pleasing to hear. Overall, musically they sounded better than I was expecting. They will be fine in this category. Visually, it was a lot of fatigue problems right from the beginning. Bad horn angles and marching technique, couple that along with a few 'wanderers' in the drill, and you get a pretty normal first show. They have some work to do/ Blue Stars 55.10 4th Place Wow are they big this year! 46 horns, 22 guard and 26 percussion, and I believe more to be added later. This show is fun, classy, and will be a fan favorite. Unfortunately, it ain't even close yet. HOWEVER, it is the FIRST SHOW, and i can guarantee it will be significantly better by next weekend. The brass line is young, but pretty strong, mainly the high brass. Sometimes there was a struggle to here the low brass, but it sounded overall pretty good. The brass 'punch' isn't quite there that you would expect from a hornline this size, but like Cano's, they had a few WOW moments. The drumline was pretty darn tight, and the guard had a lot of work to learn. This corps, I feel was the sloppiest of the night (I know that is harsh, but I can be =)). However, that being said, they have the most room to grow out of all the corps tonight. And tonights show wasn't anything to sneeze at either. Colts 59.20 3rd Place The Dubuque team has tackled a big risk this year, and it might actually hurt them in the standings.....they are doing a show that is entertaining and simple. I thought these guys had a wonderful brass sound and had a really good control of the drill. Drums were pretty good, and the whole corps handled a lot of fast off-beat stuff and tempo variations quite well. The guard was a little droppy tonight, but...first show. Guard work was nice and fitting to the show. The design of this show was the best of the night. It flowed from beginning to end, with no abrupt endings or short releases. It seems they were the only open class corps of the night with the guts to hold notes for more than 4 counts at a time (minus Scouts last note....more on that later). Kudos on a really nice Heartland show. Phantom Regiment 68.20 2nd Place OK. The last minute of the show was pretty cool. But, show designers.....STOP WITH THE DANCING!!!! I WANNA SEE CORPS!!! It's no doubt that Phantom has one of their more talented corps in recent years, but the design of the show fails to do it for me. The music is really nice in some points, but too choppy in others. Hey, remember the 96 show? Remember how simple, yet effective that show was? PLEASE reference that. There is just too much going on at most points of the show to be able to really enjoy. Lots of things are being done well, but I would rather have one or two things done REALLY well, so I could remember it. As for the sections: Brass was delicious at times. Different section shone at different times, sometimes highs and sometimes lows. Cut-offs were excellent and had some nice rings. Guard was pretty good, but I'm not too sure about the uni's. There were some nice unison weapon tosses that were nailed pretty well tonight. Drumline was pretty good. And the crabstep.........didn't really work. Please play or something while doing it. Madison Scouts 68.95 1st Place Finally, we are starting to get a few more glimpses of the power packed Madison. It ain't quite there yet. I would say there were more Wow moments in this show than any others tonight. The hornline is flat out smokin, and by far the loudest of the night. drumline was also very good, and guard was good (sorry, sleepiness is catching up). Malaga was definately the highlight of the show. Now, it ain't 95, but its close. The arrangement, especially the beginning, is rather choppy, and takes away from good flow to the piece, but once they get back to their 'pinwheel front' ala 95, they start to turn it loose. The SOPRANO trumpet solos were great, they've good one guy who can flat out wail. And the last note was wonderful!! Just when you thought they would cut off, they would add another measure, and another one, and another one. CLASSIC drumcorps ending and I loved every second of it. Well, thats it folks. One more thing, what is up with DCI announcing the scores. Example: "In Division 3, winning the gold medal is..." GEE, I FREAKING WONDER. "In Division 2, winning the gold medal is..." GEE, did they win high brass too? ITS NOT THAT DRAMATIC. PLEASE adopt the DCM way if its a small show and just go "in fifth place." Sorry, that was just so dumb. All-in-all, a lot of good shows. Bed, g'nite! John Fischer THANKS FOR THE GREAT REVIEW :) Triple Forte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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