Jump to content

Reading PA DCA and DCI review.


Recommended Posts

Ah, Albright Municipal stadium, in the city Doug Liuex knows like the back of his hand...Reading PA. Stadium is not too high, not too low, seats are comfortable, food is inexpensive, and except for the light pole on the 50, the view is awesome. Lighting however resembles Allentown before the renovations.

the DCP/RAMD who's who was in effect....first off, CV, I apologize I did not get to meet more of you, but I did get to meet the famous Jeff Pastor(who i hope liked what i said last night and will say in a minute) of course Glen Hazelwood....the hair looks good bro, and...i'll save that for later too. Met the Legendary Bucky Swan in the parking lot.....not only can he still play, but he is funny as h###. Jeromey, sorry...well no...i'm glad I missed the prom dress lol. Saw the Peashey Brothers....gee, no family resemblance there! behind me in the stands...a row of Steel City Alumni, led by my buddy Mike Siglow....and he was in good form last night. and from the Skyliners, Mikey....finally good to meet you and tell jean she cant hang. In fact, after walking down by staff row, i saw so many people i cant remember them all...and i didnt drink much.

the show.....seated 40 yard line, side 2, 3/4 up the stadium. Bucs, Cabs, Bush, Surf and LVK were 2nd views.

Taipei......wow, nice corps! Not sure what the music was, but it was well performed, especially by the brass section. Perc book was kinda easy, and they were some ex issues, but hey...this show will be really fun to watch in August. The only thing i didnt like was that the show was too up and down....I imagine that wil work itself out. during the drum break, the pit goes asian w/the percussion toys....including a nice lil race around the Taiko drums...someone near me called it a chinese fire drill. Visually, a very nice guard and some feet issues, but it's July and they have alot of time to correct them. I truly look forward to seeing these guys again.

LVK.......wow...huge improvement in the 2 weeks since I last saw them. with tempos bumped up, the show flowed a lot better, and the execution of all sections improved. The show still feels a little like as much of Disney's Millenium that could be crammed in was crammed in, but it's a lot better. Still love the fact the you have battery guys playing horns and also playing in the pit at times in the show....I told Frank Nash that too.....it gives the kids a lot of musical exposure. Brass sounded a lot better, and the feet were MUCH improved. I too look forward to seeing these guys.

Spartans..........WOW. I liked em a lot, especially the Samson and Delilah ending...not at all a Phantom knock off. Huge drumline...8 snares, 4 tenors and 6 basses, and they can play.....especially the bass line. excellent field coverage, and some very interesting ideas visually, that when cleaned up, will look great under the lights. This corps should be in the D2 hunt at Madison.

Jersey Surf...HUGE improvment since Lansdale. First they have new unis....looks like the whole corps is outfitted in the latest Blue gear from Hot Topic or Pac Sun. Show is mostly done and now they clean...drums again are the best section, and brass has come along, but still needs some work yet. Another show that is very up and down, and it seems like they tried to get as many tunes in as they could. Humorous moment in "I feel pretty" when the guard up front puts pink tutus on, especially on that guy...he sold it really well. Pit staging has paid off with few ensemble issues (they are scattered on side 2 from the sidleine back) and movement thru the pit is frequent for the battery but not much for the brass. I too wanna see how this show plays out in Madcity.

we took a break....and...lol. CV starts setting up their pit. I know Glen has his phone on him because he calls people so they can hear the show. So, I called...he, Siglow and I had a chat and reception from field level was pretty good. Pastor said he wanted to kill him when he saw him on the phone, so I apologized just to be safe...Glen...have your phone off at DCA or else....lol.

Now.....I may hurt some feelings. rarely do i complain about scoring, but last night, especially after viewing the recaps, I have some issues.

Corpsvets. Jesus H Christ what a show. a few brass attacks could have been better...typical for July. percussion program had a much better book than last year and executed very well. drill is not top 5 DCI level but it was marched pretty well for July. Color guard was well staged and performed well..Kate I knew you from your smile the second you hit the field. Visually, battery has some moments to work on, but the brass and guard looked ok.

So why the h### were these guys 4 points behind Hurcs and Bush?!?!?!?!?!?!? Tank was all we heard it would be , Blues in the Night kicked ###, especially the solo work. Pit is performing very well..I cant remember one front to back issue. and Glen...it shows you like performing...dude, you looked very Sandy Macneil out there...start planning on being a showmanship trophy contender. Ladies and Gentelmen, the scores are deceiving...this corps is good and should be scored near Hurcs and Bush. i cannot wait to see this again in Scranton.

Hurcs.....huge improvement from last year. Drumline is very good, but tends to overhype and it affects cleanliness. Music is Fanfare.....very interesting arrangement.....horns have a tough time w/some of the notier passages when having to move fast and far. Mass was well done, and Ballet Sacra is a little rough...tho i did like the Mag 7 hits in there. Guard unis do not stand out next to the green corps unis....and it was nice seeing the old Hurricane hats back. Biggest issue for the corps right now is the brass is having some problems making some of the sets. Also, the props/incline thingies werent used at all, and seemed to be a distraction. Either that or I dont understand their purpose.

Bush.....won brass tonight, which I can agree with...hornline played much better this week. drums are still an issue...at times, the book just doesnt seem to fit the horn book. Visually looked better than last week and the guard seemed to improve a lot. I love ya Bush and I am holding out hope for you...this show could be top 5. percussion is where you need the most work, and I hope it gets better. and hey Jaybo, I hope the review meets your approval(i call it as i see it).

Sky.....new/old unis werent ready yet. Ok, I can live with that. Percussion is now pitted, and I counted 21 brass...dunno if they had holes. the corps sounds like Sky....very NYish. good solo work from Screech and the other guy. i would reccomend since the percussion is all pitted, that some of the batteryish type book be looked at....it didnt fit at times being up front. You're doing jazz, go more for a jazz band feel up there. Great NY ending, tho the brass was tired. Considering the rumors, one could expect you to be very very bad. if you have holes, fillem up, get a few more guard members, and you will be ok come Scranton. oh, and I am the guy who yelled "Go Westshore" for my fellow Shore people up there, and again, thank you for carrying our flag.

Cabs.....big improvement in a week. Looks like all but 4 of the holes brass wise were filled, and i hear rumors of more drummers to come. tempos and energy was up tonight...brass line looked and sounded better. Pictures of Spain is starting to sound like Muchachos....and so is La Fiesta. That sop soloist has tough shoes to fill playing Kievitt's solos, but he is doing great for mid July. percussion has also improved, tho there are still a few techinque issues to address. Guard...love the flags in Pines of Rome. You too got a lot better in one week. Christine loves the mello book...tons of notes well played. You guys cant be counted out yet.

Bucs.....Jesus, what an improvment. After seeing Cabs Iwas ready to give it to them. All sections improved tremendously in 7 days......and I gotta be honest, your percussion section impressed the h### out of me. Rich, you, your staff and your members should be congratulated....you have a line that could make people scared in August. Flag of Stars sounded a lot like Star, and thats a good thing. App Spring was much improved. Closer also got very close to goosebumps. Kudos for when the American Flag is presented in the begginning and the end for having Al in his Marine dress blues guarding the flag. Excellent guard design and staging, especially the flags that are designed like the US flag. The Bucs are still in the hunt folks, and this will be fun to see in September.

next review...Madison week!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 36
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

behind me in the stands...a row of Steel City Alumni,

Yo Jeff....I heard you met my old man?!!!! First thing he did this morning was call me with scores and the whole account of the evening. Very Funny!

Sorry I couldn't make it. You coming to Clifton next week?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll just folow up with some comments of my own from the show....

Taipei -- cool little corps. Being a brass guy, that's what I spend most of my time paying attention. There were moments when their hornline could really unload and let out some sound, which was great! They seemed to be hiding behind their instruments a lot... possibly a lot of inexperienced musicians. I liked the show though. Quiet moments, medium moments, loud ones, really loud ones. It was a great way to start off the evening.

LVK -- This is the first time I've seen the junior incarnation of my first senior corps. I guess I'll say that they are not bad at all for a 2nd year corps. I don't know how much of an improvement they are from last year, since I didn't see them. But, I question the choice of music... Disney's Millenium Celebration. I think too many people in the stands immediately think of the Cadets show from 2000 and compare. Perhaps this is what the staff actually wants... to have their kids compared to the might Cadets? I dunno. One baritone player was playing the h### out of his horn though. Sounded great. I'll be watching to see what comes out of Allentown in a few years.

Spartans -- By far the most professional of the junior corps of the evening. Individual marching technique was there, and definitely the best drill design too.

Still, I wasn't a fan of their brass book. It seemed meandering and lacked emotion. Not that they didn't play it well, it just didn't have much heart to it. Maybe pushing the tempos, especially on the Baccanale at the end would add some excitement to this otherwise nice show.

Jersey Surf -- I always liked their white uniforms... but I guess it fits more to have them in costumes instead. Lots of acting on the field, the kids are having fun. But it looks like they're having a rough year... maybe that's why they tried the hook up with YEA this year. West Side Story with some really really unusual arrangements. LOVE the guard, as I always do. They have multiple uniform changes... not sure how the last silver and gold ones are supposed to add to the show yet though.

CorpsVets -- The wait is over. It was great after all these junior corps, none of which had really really great support in their hornlines, now CV comes out and pushes back some concrete. In your face arrangements, blasting away at the audience in the best tradition of senior corps. What they did do, they did well. But, in terms of drill and horn book, they didn't do a whole heck of a lot. Not much in the way of technical passages or taxing drill moves. It's a shame. If they could put some harder stuff in that program, they could really start moving up in DCA really really fast. I liked this corps, and so did the rest of the crowd, with the ovation beginning even before they stopped playing.

Hurricanes -- No more white pants? Hurcs have their old hats back, but have gone black. Makes it a lot more difficult to see them on the field. They don't look bad at all, but I liked the white better. Anyway, a much much better show than last year. I was most suprised by how the Holsinger chart came out at the end. I had my doubts after last year how they'd be able to handle Ballet Sacra, but it worked. Drill is beginning to move for the Hurcs, but I don't know if they're Top 5 contenders yet. The horn book has a good degree of difficulty, with some really killer mellophones. These guys could play spoiler to some of the upper echelon corps that think they're guarenteed a spot up top.

Skyliners -- Ok, I'll admit, I don't really pay attention to the politics of the drum corps world, or why corps don't seem to get bigger every year... but I really want to know why this corps is struggling to get members. The drill was unreadable at times because of all the holes. Granted, the horns that are out there can play their ##### off, but, why can't there be more of them? There was a feeling in the crowd where I was seated of general concern over the size of the corps. Otherwise... NY stuff, typical. Screamers the entire show. I'd just like to see the competing corps become the size of their alumni corps of recent years (I haven't been around drum corps that long, so I don't know how long they've been this size).

Bushwackers -- Inferno, Vesuvius, and Firebird. Whatever happened to this corps having magenta and blue as their colors? Horns were clean, but I forsee a definite plateau for them come late in the season. Their horn book is no where near as difficult as last year, and this could hurt them come September. But I did like the show... if it were a junior corps, I'd really did it... but I don't know if it's my cup of tea for DCA.

Caballeros -- This wasn't the same corps that was at Hershey last weekend. The dirt has been cleaned up, and they're marching a lot this year. Not as much park and bark as in recent years. Someone's gotta get me 75 Muchachos so I can hear what they're supposed to be playing and compare. Last week, I had to clean out my ears a few times when I heard Pines of the Appian Way by Respighi. But, it's still in their show, and I'm really not used to the whole classical thing from Cabs. Also, in Pines, check out the guard with the green flags! Best visual moment of the evening. I miss the old ending with the rumps. This one is just too short. Give me my trademark DCA stuff an I'll be happy.

Buccaneers -- Another corps that wasn't the same at Hershey last week. Reading was playing with confidence tonight, which they really were lacking before. The show is still really really dirty, but it is also really really tough. Of all the DCA shows I've seen so far this year, Bucs take it all in demand... drill and brass. But what gave Bucs the win tonight was the fact that the really really hard stuff is slowly getting clean, which adds tons of impact to the show. Bad moments though... HUGE tempo tears which, I'm sure, took a couple minutes off the lives of various staff members. I really was ready for the Cabs to take this show, especially after those tempo tears... but I was more than happy to see my old boys in blue take their home show.

That's it for now. I'll see if I can get to clifton next weekend. That's always a great show.

--Miker

--Miker

Link to comment
Share on other sites

great review! did you march Chieftains?

Thanks. First review for me. As for marching, yes sir, I did. 1999 was my first year in drum corps, and I played Fiddler on the Roof with them. I'm proud to say I learned to play in corps on a two valve bugle with them.

--Miker

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, I might as well do a short review too.

Taipei... Really enjoyed this corps. Having a few execution problems, but I'm not really sure why they were so far below LVK. I personally thought their color guard, brass line and feet put them about 1-2 pts ahead of them, but that's just me.

LVK... They're getting there, not a big fan of their uniforms, they don't read very well from far away. I like the idea of the show... took a different approach than Cadets to this music, but the execution isn't there from any of the sections. I"m sure this show will grow a lot and it'll be good to see it. Keep plugging away!

Spartans... Very solid corps, was impressed with the cleanliness BUT... clean does not necesarrily equal exciting. If they were going for SOME kind of effect or emotion, or something to tie the whole thing together it was lost on me. I didn't think anything during the performance other than "Well, that's pretty clean" Did I miss something??

Surf... Interesting concept, but here's the thing... a good concept show does not have to be explained ahead of time. If I had not been told that this show was about kids doing various activities (sports, etc) I would have had almost no clue that it wasn't a literal West Side Story show and would've been even more lost. Percussion wasn't bad, color guard was GREAT, brass seemed a little excessive in the blaring department. Could stand to tone it back a little bit and not sacrifice the quality of the sound as much. It's WSS, it's still symphonic.

Seniors...

Corpsvets... Liked the brass sound but the volume wore thin on me after their first number. It's ok to be loud, but not all the time. But that would be my only complaint with the show. This show is 100% old-school southern drum corps, loved it when they played Spirit's arrangement or "Georgia" off the field at retreat (or something DARN close to Spirit) Nice show, liked the visual stuff that was going on.

Hurcs... Everyone's right, definitly improved over last year. The only issue they seem to be struggling with is stamina in the horn line, by Ballet Sacra you could tell some peopel were not playing all the time. I'm a big fan of that closer, like I said, just need to do a lap or two around the field at practice to get your energy up :-)

Sky... Gotta admire their spirit. A lot of holes and sub-par color guard staging really hurt this show a lot. Much of the good work is lost and the transitions off the field are painfully obvious in a lot of spots. All I can say is thank goodness the performers are doing a bang-up job of selling this show.

Bush... Definintly deserved horns, best balance and blend of the night. The only thing this corps needs is better feet, especially expanded step technique... it's really hurting the sound especially with a horn line of that size.

Cabs... Wow, this sure isn't the Cabs I remember! But it's still good. Definitly the best drill I've ever seen them perform, lots of very interesting forms an impeccable staging (ala Mark Sylvester!) This should be an absolute (pardon the pun) blast to watch at DCA!!!!!

Bucs... All I have to say is d###!!! I watched Bucs do their afternoon run-through at the end of rehearsal and it was ROUGH. You could tell everyone was exhausted and that it had been a VERY tough day. However that tough day translated into one smoking performance! I was actually kinda surprised to see them overtake Cabs, especially by the margin they did but it was a very pleasant surprise. Percussion caption was well deserved, I didn't see the recaps yet but I wouldn't be surprised if they took GE Vis and Individual Marching as well.

Awesome show tonight, would love to see more junior corps as DCA shows. They seem to do well on their sheets.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jersey Surf...HUGE improvment since Lansdale. First they have new unis....looks like the whole corps is outfitted in the latest Blue gear from Hot Topic or Pac Sun. Show is mostly done and now they clean...drums again are the best section, and brass has come along, but still needs some work yet. Another show that is very up and down, and it seems like they tried to get as many tunes in as they could. Humorous moment in "I feel pretty" when the guard up front puts pink tutus on, especially on that guy...he sold it really well. Pit staging has paid off with few ensemble issues (they are scattered on side 2 from the sidleine back) and movement thru the pit is frequent for the battery but not much for the brass. I too wanna see how this show plays out in Madcity.

Regarding Surf....I saw them in Clifton at the end of June...mostly just seeing the corps do a pre-show warm-up...missed their show, sorry.

Anyway....if you get a chance, check out their cymbal line. These chicks are amazing!!!!! No, I do not mean that in a "Chauvinistic Pig" sense....I mean these ladies looked like they were going to snap at any minute...and I did not want to be the poor man in their way walking down a darkened alley.

I give big props to their intensity....go get 'em ladies.

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...