manoloblahniksabre Posted July 26, 2004 Share Posted July 26, 2004 No, its not "against the grain". How can you be irrespective of uniqueness when you are talking about originality in the larger sense? You simply cannot attempt to pass off a borrowed idea as being "against the grain" (there's that mantra again)just because it has not been used in YOUR particular marching arena. Marching band is marching band because they sing, read poetry, and have woodwinds. Drumcorps is pure enthrallment without all the frills. THIS is why people are upset. THIS is why people are discussing it! Call it singing. Call it narrating. Call it brass band karaoke on crack. DO NOT call it "against the grain". Crown is so "bohemian" they had to use a medium employed by marching bands in the drumcorps community and claim they were doing something "against the grain". just for the sake of doing it. Give me a ####### break, please. It is nothing but staff conceit. They are so desperate for something "new" they can pat themselves on the back for that they decided to pop in the most recent BOA Grand National Championship and glean some more "against the grain" ideas there. One thing is clear: Singing and other amplified voices in drum corps - irrespective of whether they are unique - certainly are "against the grain." If they weren't, we wouldn't be having these discussions. Crown's choice to be different in the drum corps community surely is a "bohemian" one. HH <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted July 26, 2004 Share Posted July 26, 2004 When will we as "fans" stop to recognize how hard the students on that field have worked to present something for us?<{POST_SNAPBACK}> All the time. Since you were on tour, you wouldn't have noticed that nearly every criticism of Crown's vocals has been preceded by comments to the effect of, "wow, what a hornline!", "best Crown ever", and so forth. Fans appreciate the hard work that goes into creating brass sound of that caliber. Many of those fans would love to bask in that sound for another 30 seconds, rather than the vocals. Is that "bashing" (of the vocals), or is it "appreciation" (of the hornline)? Works both ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orpheus Posted July 26, 2004 Share Posted July 26, 2004 (edited) I hope that I can add something of taste and class here. In my time off ( I just left tour for a week) I have had the chance to catch up on what is being talked about in the drum corps activity. What I found (and I was not surprised) is the same old CRAP about how much people hate what other corps are doing in their shows. When will we as "fans" stop to recognize how hard the students on that field have worked to present something for us? How would you feel if something that you spent hours on was constantly bashed? Bashed by some people who have never engaged themselves in something that required work.I am not trying to be rude here, but the members of Carolina Crown, Boston, and any other group who is using anything NEW deserve some respect. Respect for the simple fact that they get out there everyday and perform. It may not be for you, it is however all about those kids. Thank you to the people who have supported those drum corps who are trying some things out this year. More importantly, thank you for supporting those incredible kids who work day in and day out for the development of themselves and the drum corps activity. Oh, puh-leeze! This again? We don't like amplified voice, therefore we don't respect the hard work that the kids are doing? Give me a break. Many, if not most, of the people on DCP are former marching members. And we all know how hard corps members work during the summer. That doesn't mean that we have to like every decision that's made by the design staff of every corps. Practically every review I've read of Crown and BAC has said something like, "the corps is great, perhaps the best they've ever produced, but ..." We all recognize the quality of the young men and women who work their butts off as members of these corps; we don't like the way they're using amplified voice. Is that so hard a distinction to comprehend? And why should we respect them for doing something "new" when it's not "new?" It's been done for years in marching band, winter guard, and indoor drumline. It's not new, it's old hat and most most fans of the various "pageantry" activities don't seem to care for it in any venue. edit: The only corps I've ever really thought went "against the grain" were the Bridgemen, when they first adopted the banana suits and all the identity that went along with them, and the Star of Indiana in '93, who invented a totally new style of doing drum corps. Everything else I've ever seen was a product of gradual evolution and had built upon what had come before. It's easy to take advantage of a new element or to "stand on the shoulders of giants," as it were ... it's hard to actually go against the grain and invent something totally innovative. Edited July 26, 2004 by Orpheus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cage Posted July 26, 2004 Author Share Posted July 26, 2004 Many, if not most, of the people on DCP are former marching members. And we all know how hard corps members work during the summer. That doesn't mean that we have to like every decision that's made by the design staff of every corps. I never did march, but have attended many practices and took people along to show them how hard these kids work. Ok I think we got the point across. And by the way, I think my adult entertainment comment was taken out of context (yeah, right) ^0^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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