Cardman Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 His comments were clearly excessive (in my opinion, at least...) :) Sigh..."Blue Devil" people (I won't say "borg") just don't seem to like the Cavaliers, and it shows up in their posts. Me? I'm perfect. I NEVER show ANY bias at all. And, I LOVE the Cavaliers, they are the BEST corps in DCI. I love their visual AND musical programs in the years 2002,2003,2004 (just to name a few). Boring? You're crazy. (just my opinion, which is correct..ALWAYS.) :) VERY exciting music in 2003...especially that percussion feature and final tune (before the "reversal of the opener")... I will also say that I have preferred the Cavalier's music over the Blue Devil's music the last couple of years (since 2001, excluding last year in which I liked neither...). So those that keep saying "Cavaliers just do the visual, and the music is secondary, blah, blah, blah :blah: (very sensitive of me, no?)...keep on talking. My opinion will not change, and you are all lunatics. This is the final word. No more posts are allowed. I own this board, and I am using my magical powers (an albanian dwarf gave them to me) to stop everyone from posting anymore in this thread.....SHAZAAM!!!! <santa> (I know what you're thinking....why the Santa?....think about it, and you'll get the joke...) (okay, no, you won't get the joke, because it doesn't make any sense...) b**bs CAVIES RULE! OTHERS DROOL!! I'm going back to my cave now to watch more CAVIES! videos... P.S.-I really meant the part about liking Cavalier's music more than BD's the last couple of years. I'm not trying to make fun of Cavies people, but just being light-hearted and silly about the whole thing...(as if you couldn't tell...) ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ Cesario-isms: "It's like taking a bath in chocolate!!" "I've got duck-bumps the size of watermelons!!" "Theheheheerre's that fleur-de-lis!!" (1995, go watch it, you'll see) ...and one Rondinero-ism: "That swashed my buckle!" ...ok, and one Gowdy-ism: "A good show for the Kansas City Star..." (I miss Gowdy...) Late....must......slee..zzzzzz.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MN DCI Fan Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 Okay, that gets my vote for Trippiest DCP Post of 2006... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orpheus Posted June 30, 2006 Share Posted June 30, 2006 I would disagree with this statement, particularly in the world of concert or art music, wherein I think just the opposite approach has come to the fore. Many contemporary composers tend towards an overly intellectualized style of writing that speaks to their erriudition, cerebral edification, skillful craftsmanship, and formal training, but does little to engage the less astute listener by way of a familiar or emotional response. Or, to put it in very simple terms: the music looks great on paper -- it's well-crafted, intellectually stimulating, and satisfies the composer's need to demonstrate his skill -- but just doesn't sound very good. Bingo! And that was DCI's biggest problem in the "Dark Ages" of the late 90s and very early 00s. Thankfully, however, most corps have begun to turn back in the direction of "fan-friendliness" within the past few years. Overall, I think the entertainment level has really been increasing (on average) over the past five or six seasons. We don't see quite as much of what you describe in DCI has we had been, it seems to me. One of these years I would just love to hear the Cavaliers play some straightforward tunes again. I became a huge Cavies fan in the era of "The Planets," "Firebird," "Gloria" and the Cavalier Anthems ... but these days, they're the track I skip over on my CDs. . Okay, that gets my vote for Trippiest DCP Post of 2006... Yeah ... and as a result, Cardman won himself a spot on my "ignored users list." Thanks for playing. <santa> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardman Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Bingo! And that was DCI's biggest problem in the "Dark Ages" of the late 90s and very early 00s. Thankfully, however, most corps have begun to turn back in the direction of "fan-friendliness" within the past few years. Overall, I think the entertainment level has really been increasing (on average) over the past five or six seasons. We don't see quite as much of what you describe in DCI has we had been, it seems to me. One of these years I would just love to hear the Cavaliers play some straightforward tunes again. I became a huge Cavies fan in the era of "The Planets," "Firebird," "Gloria" and the Cavalier Anthems ... but these days, they're the track I skip over on my CDs.. Yeah ... and as a result, Cardman won himself a spot on my "ignored users list." Thanks for playing. <santa> Okay.....I guess there are SOME people on here that just don't have a sense of humor... <**> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studio Tan Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 I posted this in another thread just now. The Cavaliers have had it both ways before. The '92 show, The Planets, Niagara Falls, Four Corners, Frameworks, 007...this was great music that complemented the drill well AND stood alone as brilliant music. The Chicago show and Machine are not like this. It's a great drill, maybe the best I've ever seen, but the music is just such a non-factor. And I'm not saying this as a Cavalier hater; they'd always been my favorite corps, but they're making it really tough on me these last few years by resorting to forgettable soundscapes when I want to hear songs. I like soundscapes elsewhere: Brian Eno's Another Green World is a work of art in how it evokes imagery through sound (maybe this would be a good DCI show!), but when I go to see drum corps, I want songs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadune Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 One possible reason for the 'blandness' (or other subjective adjectives) in the Cavies' music is Saucedo's writing style. He has admitted that when he writies music, he focuses first on the chordal structure of the piece and then works in a melody that fits on top of that. Now, I don't know the first thing about composing, but when he admits he loves the chords more than the melody, I could find that to be distracting for those that listen for a melody. (He conducted an Honor Band I was in last week, and we had a question session with him where people asked him about how his mind rolls when he writes.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studio Tan Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 I think a lot of people, when songwriting or composing, start with a chord progression, which probably makes the most sense. You can still write a great melody to go with the chords that were put down first: a great jazz solo is a shining example. I think where Saucedo is failing is that like many brilliant musical minds, he's getting too caught up in compositional ####-waving to lower himself to something like a memorable hook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 The Cavaliers of 2006 are proving that with a few rings, and a top 2 finish in the last 5 years, it's acceptable to write music that makes no sense. Let's start this journey of poorly styled music in 2002 with everybody's favorite: Frameworks. Obviously this show made sense visually and "rocked everyone's world" but musically, I find myself lost and confused. 2003 saw another visually acceptable show with poor music choices, and I still find myself asking... Why? 2004 will give the "gods of drum corps" a break from criticizm seeing as how it's hard to musically screw up a straight forward concept like James Bond. 2005 saw a dull lifeless show trying desperately to connect with music that makes sense, but doesn't excite the senses. I'm not attacking the Cavaliers visual department, there's no sense in that. What I'm trying to say is that the Cavaliers would be just as good if they just left their horns on the busses. Final Thoughts: Why build a machine if it's not going to do anything new? The Roman Empire fell too. But I wouldn't advise holding our breaths waiting for it. Sure the Cavs (like the Scouts) take heat from time to time for being a single gender corps, but they're still awful good at what they do. If anyone thinks that the Regiment can take the Cavs, show it to me in the recaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeeWee Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 I just caught the Cavaliers video snippet on DCI Season Pass and let me tell you, I'm wetting my pants (again). The drill designer is A FRIGGIN' GENIUS!!! GENIUS!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studio Tan Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 (edited) The Roman Empire fell too. But I wouldn't advise holding our breaths waiting for it. Sure the Cavs (like the Scouts) take heat from time to time for being a single gender corps, but they're still awful good at what they do. Nobody cares about that. I don't care if they're men, women, or hermaphrodites. I want to remember what I heard. EDIT: Oh, and this Cubs loss has made me really cranky. Edited July 1, 2006 by Studio Tan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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