Quarterfinals Review!

[gellio]

So anyone who doesn't sing in English so you can unmderstand it is a third-rate singer?

No, actually, I listen to a lot of music in foreign languages - opera, German bands, Swedish, German and French musicals, etc. I guess I made an incorrect assumption that because she was singing a pretty lengthy couple of passages in the ballad that she would be singing audible words, in English. The ballad was gorgeous. I just don't understand why they would bring on a person specifically for this purpose when the hornline is more than capable of playing beautifully.

[StupidLikeAFox]

I didn't notice their pit being louder than anyone else's live, but it sure seemed like the hornline was not as loud as most of the corps on the field last night. I'll pay more attention to the pit levels tonight and see if this really is the case.

It must of been where the SCV pit was relative to the broadcast mics. It was too obvious to miss in the theater.

[bandbuck]

next time you think about writing a review can I yell "No, don't do it!"?

I pretty much disagree with everything you wrote about every corps...

I think that's a new record!

And isn't that the NICE thing about a posting board like this? Everyone can post THEIR opinion! Cool! If you don't like his review, either:

1. Don't read it.

2. Write your own.

And if you disagree with his comments like the word "spectacular" for Carolina Crown, that's too bad. They did have a terrific show last night.

I also wish that the seedings of corps would disappear, remembering all the way back to 1988 (or maybe it was '89?) when they shuffled the complete lineups for prelims and yes, even finals, causing some interesting placements. Why can't a corps like Crown beat a corps like Cadets on a night when they were 'on'?

Just my thoughts.

p.s. I also wish Cadets would ditch the quasi-lounge singer....

[gellio]

And isn't that the NICE thing about a posting board like this? Everyone can post THEIR opinion! Cool! If you don't like his review, either:

1. Don't read it.

2. Write your own.

And if you disagree with his comments like the word "spectacular" for Carolina Crown, that's too bad. They did have a terrific show last night.

I also wish that the seedings of corps would disappear, remembering all the way back to 1988 (or maybe it was '89?) when they shuffled the complete lineups for prelims and yes, even finals, causing some interesting placements. Why can't a corps like Crown beat a corps like Cadets on a night when they were 'on'?

Just my thoughts.

p.s. I also wish Cadets would ditch the quasi-lounge singer....

Thanks, I feel under attack. I do feel really bad for that "third-rate" comment though. It was late, I was tired and very crabby. If you had to spend a hour after a show, that late, in the passanger seat while my mother drove, you'd be in a mood too. I was also mistaken into thinking I was supposed to understand what she was singing. My bad. My review, across the board, would be a lot more gentler if I wrote it now.

Yeah, I mean, aside from the Cadets moving ahead of Bluecoats, no one changed placements since the last big show. That kind of surprised me.

Crown was spectacular. I have never been a huge fan of this corps, but last night made me one. Total package design, IMO. Again, I know nothing about percussion. I just loved this show tho, and thought it was performed so well.

Oh, one thing I missed - the color of Phantom's drums were beautiful. Their whole show was in fact.

Lastly, I know I was harsh about my comments about the vocals, but part of that is the fact that I am afraid we are going to see more and more of this. But, before you attack me for being harsh, think about how harsh you are in your assessment of other artistic forms. Yes, these kids work hard, but so does everyone in the art world. Believe me, these kids can handle anything they read on here. As I said in a review of Vanguard's rehearsal, their brass head even called their performance "terrible" at one point. They were running ensemble, and were doing a passage over and over. During one of the runs, the drum major cut after about 10 seconds and the members started running back to the opening set of the passage, and the brass head said, "Yeah, that was terrible. Thanks for resetting!"

I know I've heard worse on here from our staff, and fellow members, about something I did than anything I've read on here.

The whole point of a forum is discussion.

Edited August 11, 2006 by gellio

[bandbuck]

Thanks, I feel under attack.

Well, don't. George just replied to another post where the writer said Crown was good, and he agreed. Here I thought he hated them since you said they were good too! Hmmm.....

[MikeD]

No, actually, I listen to a lot of music in foreign languages - opera, German bands, Swedish, German and French musicals, etc. I guess I made an incorrect assumption that because she was singing a pretty lengthy couple of passages in the ballad that she would be singing audible words, in English.

It's a new age kind of thing...the same sort of stuff Enya does. Entire albums without a word of English!

The ballad was gorgeous. I just don't understand why they would bring on a person specifically for this purpose when the hornline is more than capable of playing beautifully.

Well...I just don't see a hornline giving this the ethereal quality the vocalist gave it.

The brass could have played it beautifully...but it would have been a different sound than what they wanted.

[gellio]

It's a new age kind of thing...the same sort of stuff Enya does. Entire albums without a word of English!

Well...I just don't see a hornline giving this the ethereal quality the vocalist gave it.

The brass could have played it beautifully...but it would have been a different sound than what they wanted.

Fair enough. I like Enya too. Believe me, I listen to more foreign music than I do music in English, being that I listen to mostly opera and I hate English opera, save Porgy & Bess.

It all boils down to that I miss the Cadets - the Cadets *I* knew and loved. The Cadets that just march so well, play so well, spin so well...just do everything so well. They do march so well now, and play so well now and spin so well now, but it's not the same. At least not to me. When I came into this activity, the first two big corps I saw were Phantom and Madison. They wowed me. I thought they were Gods. Santa Clara and Garfield completely awed me. Since 1984, these four corps have been my favorite corps (through Star in there too). I just don't agree with the direction the Cadets are taking, and it's not even for me to agree or disagree with, but I feel I am losing a corps that I loved a lot. I honestly cannot think of one year from 1984 to 2004 that I did not love their show....1999 was tough, but I liked it. I even liked last years show, which surprised me. But I just don't like this one.

[gellio]

I am waiting until tomorrow morning to write my review of tonight, so my sour mood doesn't cause my mouth to spout off and say things more harshly than I perhaps should. Really, driving with my mother is an experiment in terror. She won't let me drive because she thinks I drive too fast. She drives too darn slow, panics frequently and thinks everyone is going to hit her, and if she goes the speed limit she's going to get a ticket. It's no fun.

[shawn craig]

I liked Gellio's review overall and agreed with a lot of it.

By the way percussion, not my specialty area either, is hurting Corwn.

Vocals as tone color.

Debussy uses the chorus in "Daphnis and Cloe" simply as tone color the way any symphonist would use the alto flute, bass trombone, harp or any instrument; for its sound and timbre and how that contributes to the overall sound of the orchestra. It's all vowel sounds; ah's, oh's and oo's. (I've sung this.)

That I believe is the intent in how the Cadets want to use their vocalist.

***flame retartent suit on***

This is where I personally don't think amps work. IMO, you'll never get a single/small ensemble amped voice to blend with the brass line the way an unamped choral group can blend with an orchestra/band as described above. Comments on the blend in the Cadets ballad has varied to extremes all summer in all parts of their tour. She's too loud, you can't hear her.

The problem is if you amp her so you can hear her over the brass line playing full, then for the soft parts she'll be too loudl. If you turn the amps down so she blends in the quieter sections, she's lost when they play out. An amped voice is simply not going to have the dynamic range of an accoustic horn line, especially when you consider backfield playing etc. Add to that the complication of sitting in front of the amps down lower versus sitting up high or way out to the sides where amps don't always reach in larger stadiums (I know many don't agree that's a problem, but I've noticed it). It's just never really going to work the way the designers want it to.

Edited August 11, 2006 by shawn craig

[gellio]

I liked Gellio's review overall and agreed with a lot of it.

By the way percussion, not my specialty area either, is hurting Corwn.

Vocals as tone color.

Debussy uses the chorus in "Daphnis and Cloe" simply as tone color the way any symphonist would use the alto flute, bass trombone, harp or any instrument; for its sound and timbre and how that contributes to the overall sound of the orchestra. It's all vowel sounds; ah's, oh's and oo's. (I've sung this.)

That I believe is the intent in how the Cadets want to use their vocalist.

***flame retartent suit on***

This is where I personally don't think amps work. IMO, you'll never get a single/small ensemble amped voice to blend with the brass line the way an unamped choral group can blend with an orchestra/band as described above. Comments on the blend in the Cadets ballad has varied to extremes all summer in all parts of their tour. She's too loud, you can't hear her.

The problem is if you amp her so you can hear her over the brass line playing full, then for the soft parts she'll be too loudl. If you turn the amps down so she blends in the quieter sections, she's lost when they play out. An amped voice is simply not going to have the dynamic range of an accoustic horn line, especially when you consider backfield playing etc. Add to that the complication of sitting in front of the amps down lower versus sitting up high or way out to the sides where amps don'talways reach in larger stadiums (I know many don't agree that's a problem, but I've noticed it). It's just never really going to work the way the designers want it to.

Thanks and good points across the board. If you're going to use vocals, I guess their intent makes perfect sense, but I think you're right about the blending comments. It was honestly like the brass wasn't there, everyone (well everyone I presume) was so focused on her. I for one, was trying to see if I could understand anything she was singing. On season pass, I thought it was just the recording quality. I didn't know, or pay attention enough while reading about this show, to know what she was really doing.