chesapeak music review

[irishinyourface]

Rained today. Did not rain during the show. The field was dubbed 'unsafe'

Although this is wasn't the ideal situation, I got to hear the music w/o drill. At this early stage in the season it gives us a chance to hear the music as played without visual responsibility.

when i put a score on things it doenst matter at all, its just fun to do. and I base it purely on music effect and performance

TEAL SOUND

good things:

this corps has a very strong drumline. I compliment the tenors for a very clear articulations and good balance with the rest of the battery. The hornline is strong, putting out quite suprisingly high volumes. During warm up I heard them work on a fast 16th note lick and they sounded like a bottom 6 div 1 corps. Drum major is a good time-keeper. Interesting timbre variations with congas on snares. They must be a little awkward to march. At some points, half the snare line was playing ie. every other. This technique helped balance very well.

could be improved:

Music ensemble in certain places could be tighter. The mellophones don't quite have a clear tone yet and that is partly to blame on certain intonation issues. That 16th note lick I was talking about,...didn't happen in the performance. The drum major could be more clearer on entrances-releases-dynamics. I think that would make the ensemble tighter. There is a certain lack of dynamic contrast, its almost there...but not quite yet. Because of the staging on the track the battery was overpowering.

the show: Entertaining and Uplifting. Powerful young group. Well written book.

my score: 57.9 d2

THE MAGIC

good things: The first big release in the ballad was worth the price of admission. The uniforms look sharp. Why is it that the low brass always look older than everyone else? Girl in the contra line is a plus. Thh e unison note held by the mellos towards the beginning of the opener...very very very in tune. The pit seems to be very much into this show. The show features mellophone soloists. The way the corps sections are featured in the 3rd chart is a postive.

could be improved: on a track show, have the trumpet soloist come all the way down front, the hornline was overpowering. Mellophone soloists need to put more air through their horns especially in the low register. Very exposed solos ...good music...make it more musical. The 'chaos' section of the show sounds exactly like the title. By far the weakest and most difficult part of the show. It will be interesting to hear them when they clean it up some more.

the show: My biased is that it is a little on the 'really good marching band' end on the show design pendulum, but that is just me. The theme works well and my personal old school piston valve conservatism up hill in the snow barefoot opinion should not matter at all.

my score: 58.0

CAROLINA CROWN

good things: musical ensemble is very clearn. During the 'pep band' section of the show, the mellos sound very tight and are in the grove. The contras feature starting the second tune. The trumpet soloist's first attack and tone quality. The mello/trumpet duet is balanced very well. Again it was very tight and clean enemble wise.

could be improved: musical ensemble is very safe. THE THNG THAT BOTHERED ME THE MOST ABOUT THE ENTIRE SHOW IN VIRGINIA was the fact the the timpani amp was very fuzzy and needs to be fixed immediatly, in my opinion get rid of all amps but that for another place. The kids marching their have no control over weather they are amped or not. I felt bad for the timpanist who sound very good only to be ruined by the less than steallar sound equipment.

the show: the show? I don't remember I was in 'a trance' I over heard the guy sitting next to me telling his wife that 'last year they were a little more spicy. I hate to be negative, but musically, the show is lacking impact, it is somewhat choppy. But remember that is subjective...something everyone on here is very good at being.

my score: 72ish

BOSTON

good things: Honestly, I have never really liked this corps. I was not expecting much. I was wrong. They are loud, there is no way that they will finish lower than crown. the warm up was much louder than the end of crown's show. loudness is not what its all about i know, but all I can say is that my face was ripped off. Never thought I would ever say that about the BAC. but tonight they WERE the BAC. I will never forgive them for 2003, but we must move on. They are better than they have been in quite some time. I like the 'conquest' theme strung out througout the production. soloists were all very good. The lady sitting next to me said "man they are sharp" she wasn't refering to the pitch.

things that could be improved: dynamic contrast, still shaky in some places. Could use a touch more melody. They seem to have 3 dynamics, loud, a touch louder, and half the corps playing. There is a certain refinement that must happen if they are ever to be considered for getting back into the upper 6. A certain euph/bari 'boo boos' toward the end of the show. Very obvious missed releases, pushups necessary.

the show: the opener was very loud, but the loud sections only lasted a few measures. When we get to the end, they play loud for a long time then get louder. Although this corps is not really one of my favorite corps, this show fits very well with the established identity of the corps. I

think they could squeak into 6th place. Mind you I haven't seen the visual program yet.

my score: 74ish

CROSSMEN ie the new VK?

goodthings--they sound like the crossmen, that distinct crossmen brass timbre. This is good. I hope the judges will recognize corps dont all go for the exact same sound. They kept their hats on. The colorguard came out in uniform to support the musicians. More facial hair this year, possibly older corps? The first encore tune was great.

things to be improved: They need to be like all the other corps if they want to get into finals, they are non-conformists this year and that will hurt them. That was sarcasm, I hate to see corps all do the same thing. This was refreshing. If they clean it up, they should be in good shape. There show went in a different direction than all the corps who went on previously. Not quite as loud as often as Boston. There were some definite phasing that needs to be worked out. Remember this is without drill.

the show: I couldn't believe what i saw in the 'radio frequency section" is this the cleverly disguised rebirth of VK? It was.....entertaining. The closer was VERY 'crossmen' sounding. The members were having fun with the show. A postive corps.

my score: 69

the second encore.....malaguena...............if you dont have anything nice to say don't say............

Phantom

good things- I saw a drum corps. up until now, besides crossmen, I saw themed shows that all took place in the mind....in a trance ...in a dream....that's all fine and well, but when regiment came out I heard a tough book played well, clear cutting sound......forgot to shave this morning, so I just stuck my face in the middle of their arc. Had a good seat too, right behind the DM, all horns were pointed my direction. Drums were very tight esp. snares. They are loud. The sops are on fire. did I mention they were loud.

things sans good- alot of the book is covered up right now and a little raw, the delicacies, finger techniques ect are buried in a midst of raw razor edge loudness. Refinement is necessary, obviously....its early. I h append to catch a glimse of basics block....people missing direction changes....ect....phantom has a different pace at visual technique in my opinion only having seen they do some basic excercises, they are behind at this point in the season.

The show: they are playing A DRUM CORPS show. If there is any artsy stuff, it is in the visual. The music chosen is very emotional, great contrast, they could win horns this year. not as much double tonguing as usual. sounded to be like really fast single tonguing.

my score: 77.5

so here's the deal, i am not a huge fan of phantom, i marched with a rival corps, but tonight for the encorps, they played the closer from 1989, and elsa. I don't care who it is , when a corps playes their corps song, there is a certain amount of emotion in the air. It was magnificent. Obviously I would love to see my alumni corps beat phantom this year, because they would be placing ahead of a very talented, entertaining, and phenomenal group of musicians.

I haven't seen a show live in 4 years, I was busy marching. One thing I have to say is that audiences have changed, its not like a football screaming enthusiastic crowd, its more like Tiger just shot an eagle. another thing I have to say is that I was impressed by how loud it is. Teal sound blew me away....... The last time I saw a show about half corps were using G bugles. I miss those. Now about have the corps are using......art/imagery...shows you could write a thesis on. These are topics all so heavily debated, but you know what........I got my face ripped off tonight....and when it comes down to it...thats all that matters.

[IllianaLancerContra]

Rained today. Did not rain during the show. The field was dubbed 'unsafe'

Although this is wasn't the ideal situation, I got to hear the music w/o drill. At this early stage in the season it gives us a chance to hear the music as played without visual responsibility.

when i put a score on things it doenst matter at all, its just fun to do. and I base it purely on music effect and performance

TEAL SOUND

good things:

this corps has a very strong drumline. I compliment the tenors for a very clear articulations and good balance with the rest of the battery. The hornline is strong, putting out quite suprisingly high volumes. During warm up I heard them work on a fast 16th note lick and they sounded like a bottom 6 div 1 corps. Drum major is a good time-keeper. Interesting timbre variations with congas on snares. They must be a little awkward to march. At some points, half the snare line was playing ie. every other. This technique helped balance very well.

could be improved:

Music ensemble in certain places could be tighter. The mellophones don't quite have a clear tone yet and that is partly to blame on certain intonation issues. That 16th note lick I was talking about,...didn't happen in the performance. The drum major could be more clearer on entrances-releases-dynamics. I think that would make the ensemble tighter. There is a certain lack of dynamic contrast, its almost there...but not quite yet. Because of the staging on the track the battery was overpowering.

the show: Entertaining and Uplifting. Powerful young group. Well written book.

my score: 57.9 d2

THE MAGIC

good things: The first big release in the ballad was worth the price of admission. The uniforms look sharp. Why is it that the low brass always look older than everyone else? Girl in the contra line is a plus. Thh e unison note held by the mellos towards the beginning of the opener...very very very in tune. The pit seems to be very much into this show. The show features mellophone soloists. The way the corps sections are featured in the 3rd chart is a postive.

could be improved: on a track show, have the trumpet soloist come all the way down front, the hornline was overpowering. Mellophone soloists need to put more air through their horns especially in the low register. Very exposed solos ...good music...make it more musical. The 'chaos' section of the show sounds exactly like the title. By far the weakest and most difficult part of the show. It will be interesting to hear them when they clean it up some more.

the show: My biased is that it is a little on the 'really good marching band' end on the show design pendulum, but that is just me. The theme works well and my personal old school piston valve conservatism up hill in the snow barefoot opinion should not matter at all.

my score: 58.0

CAROLINA CROWN

good things: musical ensemble is very clearn. During the 'pep band' section of the show, the mellos sound very tight and are in the grove. The contras feature starting the second tune. The trumpet soloist's first attack and tone quality. The mello/trumpet duet is balanced very well. Again it was very tight and clean enemble wise.

could be improved: musical ensemble is very safe. THE THNG THAT BOTHERED ME THE MOST ABOUT THE ENTIRE SHOW IN VIRGINIA was the fact the the timpani amp was very fuzzy and needs to be fixed immediatly, in my opinion get rid of all amps but that for another place. The kids marching their have no control over weather they are amped or not. I felt bad for the timpanist who sound very good only to be ruined by the less than steallar sound equipment.

the show: the show? I don't remember I was in 'a trance' I over heard the guy sitting next to me telling his wife that 'last year they were a little more spicy. I hate to be negative, but musically, the show is lacking impact, it is somewhat choppy. But remember that is subjective...something everyone on here is very good at being.

my score: 72ish

BOSTON

good things: Honestly, I have never really liked this corps. I was not expecting much. I was wrong. They are loud, there is no way that they will finish lower than crown. the warm up was much louder than the end of crown's show. loudness is not what its all about i know, but all I can say is that my face was ripped off. Never thought I would ever say that about the BAC. but tonight they WERE the BAC. I will never forgive them for 2003, but we must move on. They are better than they have been in quite some time. I like the 'conquest' theme strung out througout the production. soloists were all very good. The lady sitting next to me said "man they are sharp" she wasn't refering to the pitch.

things that could be improved: dynamic contrast, still shaky in some places. Could use a touch more melody. They seem to have 3 dynamics, loud, a touch louder, and half the corps playing. There is a certain refinement that must happen if they are ever to be considered for getting back into the upper 6. A certain euph/bari 'boo boos' toward the end of the show. Very obvious missed releases, pushups necessary.

the show: the opener was very loud, but the loud sections only lasted a few measures. When we get to the end, they play loud for a long time then get louder. Although this corps is not really one of my favorite corps, this show fits very well with the established identity of the corps. I

think they could squeak into 6th place. Mind you I haven't seen the visual program yet.

my score: 74ish

CROSSMEN ie the new VK?

goodthings--they sound like the crossmen, that distinct crossmen brass timbre. This is good. I hope the judges will recognize corps dont all go for the exact same sound. They kept their hats on. The colorguard came out in uniform to support the musicians. More facial hair this year, possibly older corps? The first encore tune was great.

things to be improved: They need to be like all the other corps if they want to get into finals, they are non-conformists this year and that will hurt them. That was sarcasm, I hate to see corps all do the same thing. This was refreshing. If they clean it up, they should be in good shape. There show went in a different direction than all the corps who went on previously. Not quite as loud as often as Boston. There were some definite phasing that needs to be worked out. Remember this is without drill.

the show: I couldn't believe what i saw in the 'radio frequency section" is this the cleverly disguised rebirth of VK? It was.....entertaining. The closer was VERY 'crossmen' sounding. The members were having fun with the show. A postive corps.

my score: 69

the second encore.....malaguena...............if you dont have anything nice to say don't say............

Phantom

good things- I saw a drum corps. up until now, besides crossmen, I saw themed shows that all took place in the mind....in a trance ...in a dream....that's all fine and well, but when regiment came out I heard a tough book played well, clear cutting sound......forgot to shave this morning, so I just stuck my face in the middle of their arc. Had a good seat too, right behind the DM, all horns were pointed my direction. Drums were very tight esp. snares. They are loud. The sops are on fire. did I mention they were loud.

things sans good- alot of the book is covered up right now and a little raw, the delicacies, finger techniques ect are buried in a midst of raw razor edge loudness. Refinement is necessary, obviously....its early. I h append to catch a glimse of basics block....people missing direction changes....ect....phantom has a different pace at visual technique in my opinion only having seen they do some basic excercises, they are behind at this point in the season.

The show: they are playing A DRUM CORPS show. If there is any artsy stuff, it is in the visual. The music chosen is very emotional, great contrast, they could win horns this year. not as much double tonguing as usual. sounded to be like really fast single tonguing.

my score: 77.5

so here's the deal, i am not a huge fan of phantom, i marched with a rival corps, but tonight for the encorps, they played the closer from 1989, and elsa. I don't care who it is , when a corps playes their corps song, there is a certain amount of emotion in the air. It was magnificent. Obviously I would love to see my alumni corps beat phantom this year, because they would be placing ahead of a very talented, entertaining, and phenomenal group of musicians.

I haven't seen a show live in 4 years, I was busy marching. One thing I have to say is that audiences have changed, its not like a football screaming enthusiastic crowd, its more like Tiger just shot an eagle. another thing I have to say is that I was impressed by how loud it is. Teal sound blew me away....... The last time I saw a show about half corps were using G bugles. I miss those. Now about have the corps are using......art/imagery...shows you could write a thesis on. These are topics all so heavily debated, but you know what........I got my face ripped off tonight....and when it comes down to it...thats all that matters.

I was there too - agree w/ what was said above, but a few more thoughts

Teal - much better than I expected. They remind me of Crown about 10-12 years ago when they were starting to make their move up

Crossmen - a lot of real young members in the horn line (or maybe just small-boned?). They were the second-loudest to Phantom, but that came at some price w/ intonation issues. Amps had some major feedback & voice dropping out problems

Phantom - Absolutely ripped my face off. Good thing lady 2-rows below had left w/ her infant daughter earlier - folks were looking for babies to throw...

[Matt_S]

forgot to shave this morning, so I just stuck my face in the middle of their arc.

Great review. I just wanted to say I loved that line! Probably because I'm always "forgetting" to shave.

[kdaddy]

Teal Sound

I agree with the original poster. I think this organization is heading in the right direction.

Magic

It was disappointing to see such a large corps so dirty. They look so young - here's hoping that the young kids stay in the corps. They have an all-star design team. Percussion was definitely a strong suit.

Crown

They make me interested in listening to more Danielpour, but I have the feeling that this show won't be as memorable as the last three. Of course, perhaps visual really takes over in this show - not sure.

Boston

I enjoyed them. Nothing terribly memorable.

Crossmen

I have to disagree with the original poster on the Crossmen "radio" section. I thought it was terrible. Very amp-focused, which is a downside when the amps aren't on (like in Chesapeake) or aren't working (like we know amps tend to do). I couldn't hear the narration, but I assume the pit folks were doing some radio announcing or something.

Everything else about the Crossmen show was great - Pat Metheny and Crossmen go together nicely. The Eder tune was well done, a la early 00s. And the closer was great too. I just wish they'd throw another jazzy tune in to replace the Radio.

I also don't see how they aren't "conforming." I mean, they're using narration. They're playing, for the most part, a straightforward Crossmen repertoire.

Phantom

I enjoyed them immensely. I like the ballad, though the trumpets-to-baritones didn't quite have the effect I was expecting. The closer is fantastic. Very emotional. I'd love to see the drill and guard work added for this.

[Matt_S]

I also don't see how they aren't "conforming." I mean, they're using narration.

I've heard that Cascades are also using narration, which would bump the number up to a whopping three corps. I know the mentality is that the big, bad DCI is forcing amplified voice upon you, but it remains a scarce phenomenon.

[rut-roh]

And the Crossmen aren't really "narrating" anything, per se. They're recreating the effect of flipping through the stations on the radio. Entirely appropriate considering the theme of their show, and (IMO) very effective, fresh, creative and (gasp) entertaining. There is no other voice used in the show before that point, or after the ballad begins to the end.

[Halcyon122]

Teal Sound - Like everyone else said, they have a nice drumline, a well written and well programmed show, and seem to be going nowhere but up.

The Magic - Nice show, nothing too memorable. Good drumline, but still very dirty all around. However, I think they are better than last year, and if they keep improving, they have a decent shot at semifinals this year.

Carolina Crown - For all the success they've had the last few years and how great they sounded last year, I was a bit disappointed. They weren't bad, but they didn't stand out in any way. A good show, and probably top 7 or 8, just nothing that made me say WOW. Except for that mello player who looked like he was 12...

Boston Crusaders - I don't particularly like them as corps, so I wasn't expecting to enjoy their show much, but it actually became my second favorite of the night. The first really loud corps of the night. I was digging the silver drums, and the music, while not terribly memorable, was well-programmed and made for an extremely entertaining performance. Hats off to them.

Crossmen - By far my favortie show of the night. This was their first performance, but you couldn't tell by how they sounded out there. Boston was loud, but Bones took it up another level. The music selections were very Crossmen, with that driving jazz feel they do so well. I thought the Radio section of the show was awesome. I don't like amped voice in general, but they used it in a way that added immensely to the show and was extremely entertaining. I loved the violin visual in the snares during the "Marriage of Figaro" portion of radio. The ballad was great, it will probably be one of my favorite pieces for this year in DCI. Closer rocked too. Of course, there's still a lot of work to be done, but with some cleaning and a good visual program, they could be in the hunt for the top 10 IMO. And they get extra props for being the only corps to wear their hats. Very cool.

Phantom Regiment - Loudest hornline of the night, though not that much louder than Crossmen from where I was sitting. Their drumline was smokin', and they played very well all around. That being said, I don't particularly care for Phantom Regiment, and this show isn't gonna convert me. The hornline, while very good, is still too bottom heavy for my tastes, and I'm not much of a fan of straight classical PR style in drum corps. Very well performed (best of the night), and a great show for PR, probably top 5, but just not really my thing.

All in all, about as good a show as we were gonna get given all the rain earlier in the day. It would have been awesome to have a full show, but a standstill is still a million times better than nothing at all. Can't wait to see all of these shows in Allentown in August...

[kdaddy]

I've heard that Cascades are also using narration, which would bump the number up to a whopping three corps. I know the mentality is that the big, bad DCI is forcing amplified voice upon you, but it remains a scarce phenomenon.

Hmm. Your response to my statement is a bit over-the-top.

Please recall that Crown, Crusaders, Blue Devils, and Bluecoats have used amped voices in the past. Considering only this season does not fully capture the "amp movement."

And I'm really not interested in an amp debate. I only had an issue with relief that the Crossmen weren't "conforming."

[shawn craig]

I've heard that Cascades are also using narration, which would bump the number up to a whopping three corps. I know the mentality is that the big, bad DCI is forcing amplified voice upon you, but it remains a scarce phenomenon.

Thank God!!! ^0^

[Matt_S]

And I'm really not interested in an amp debate. I only had an issue with relief that the Crossmen weren't "conforming."

I'm not looking to start that debate either. I just wanted to illustrate that using amped vocals shouldn't be considered conforming when no more than four corps have used them in any given year. It remains the exception, rather than the rule, and the decision to use narration strikes me as more risky than conforming.