Glendale Grove

[geluf]

Recap is up.

SCV took guard.

[renthead09]

SCV taking guard is a suprise to me. I thought it was all about BD guard tonight.

Great show all around! Academy has come SOOO far in the last week. Can't wait to see where they end up.

[BariEuph]

yeah, score delay wasn't just on the website -- first to perform was academy youth guard, so the first step off of a corps wasn't until 7:45, then after 2 corps they had a 15 minute, aka 25 minute, intermission just like come on.... 5 corps and a performance at the beginning doesn't warrant an intermission! LOTS of dead time between shows also... oh well.

scv and academy were pretty dirty. saw a couple collisions of members in SCV's show... when you are 4 feet wide wearing tenors you can't do a narrow backwards around the corner type pass through move... it just doesn't work that well. as witnessed when the trumpet player got thwapped on the hip.

anyway, it's 1 am and i have to be at work at 7, so more details later. looking forward to seeing 2 weeks improvement of scv and bd in allentown :)

[Whiskey]

Some quick thoughts.

Impulse – Based on that they were scoring in the low 60’s at this time last year, Impulse may be in a fight to keep their Div. III crown in Pasadena. Their show is not complete as they only played up to the ballad (7-8 min). Besides a very large and competent drumline, there is not much to remember from their Final Fantasy show. I can definitely see other corps like Raiders, Revolution, Gold and other corps getting a chance to make some noise this year.

Pacific Crest – Not too bad a show PC has here. Is it enough to propel them into semis? Probably not, but they have a nice show to be proud of. The music is recognizable and fun to listen to. I like their rendition of Love For Sale. There is some narration and sound effects like card shuffling and coins falling from the slot machine (all mic’ed). BTW, their guard instructor Danielle B. (a former Blue Devil) is looking mighty fine (sorry just had to throw that in)! Viva Pacific Crest!

The Academy – Much to write here. Their brass program is definitely Top 12 material. Their drumline, guard and visual are not quite, but isn’t too far off either. Their show has seven distinct parts which feel quite short and segmented at times. I especially liked their first two movements. The second one has a great contra walking line that is very catchy. I also really liked their ballad which is already stuck in my head. Those seven movements though make the show feel choppy at times. Their show is also not as melodic as last year, but more aggressive. I like it though. Their brass arranging is very Jim Prime-esque in that you can hear the distinct voices in the line. It’s quite refreshing. Compared to other reviewers, I feel the visual is pretty clean, but technique is not consistent from performer to performer. I also feel it plays it too safe at times. The ending though is pretty hauling much like last year, but this time it’s with a swirl.

Like everyone else has written, everything has taken a step up. Drumline plays well, but isn’t going to do well compared to the normal finalists. Guard has a nice book, but is very inconsistent. I also don’t understand the costuming of their guard. To me the bright yellow and blue don’t fit the theme well unless they’re going for that Dick Tracy feel, but the music doesn’t have that vibe. What also disturbs me is their staging. I know they have some guard members portraying characters in the show, but I never noticed or focused on them. My eyes stayed focused on the players and drummers the entire time. I always respect corps like BD, Cavs, and Regiment (Faust last year), where they make your eyes focus on what they want you to see, even though you may want to look somewhere else. That’s the mark of a good visual show.

To me this show has a Seattle Cascades 2002 vibe to it, where it came out strong and held on just enough to make finals. The thing is you know they are only going to get better in the years to come. I also love the feel to this corps. They are very confident, like they expect to be good. Some may not like that type of swagger, but it is a trademark that most of the consistent finalists have. When they practice, they do it with great professionalism. Staff doesn’t have to yell to get their point across and members are constantly running back to their sets. It’s been a pleasure to see this corps grow in the last eight years. And this crowd loved their hometown corps.

Santa Clara Vanguard – Very nice show. I always knew Daphnis and Chloe would make a great piece for drum corps. They didn’t arrange it how I envisioned, but they did a great job with it nonetheless. This show has a very emotional pull to it which is going to work well for them in August. I’m probably going to be in the minority here, but I’m not a big fan of the playful section of the second movement after the drum break. To me it doesn’t match the other parts of the show. But since this is my first read, I’m quite sure that will change. The closer that everyone is thinking will shoot those scores back up and push them over the top is also not living up to the hype for me. Can’t put my finger on it, but again this was my first read. I do love the push from the “Vanguard Yell” to the end. It is powerful and strong. Don’t worry you’ll be able to easily figure out when to yell.

The guard brings so much to the show. Dave Meikle has done wonders for them. Percussion doesn’t always stand out, but brings great layers to the show. You can tell this is going to be an emotional and crowd favorite show in Pasadena.

Blue Devils – A tale of two shows. The first half is very energetic and exciting. The second half just does not go anywhere. It is pretty melodic, but doesn’t have much peaks and valleys. It just takes too long at times for things to develop and then there is no big payoff so it just leaves you hoping for what might have been. Some of the guard work also doesn’t seem finished yet towards the end. I’m also a little disappointed in their costuming. It’s a conservative navy blue outfit, but for a show from darkness into light, should they have not had a change somewhere? That’s why I feel, the guard has yet to reveal all its cards.

I would say the percussion would contend, but after watching Regiment, I don’t think it will match up, but they are still very good. The guard switched to all black wings for the opener, compared to videos I saw earlier in the year. It makes it a little clearer to see what they are trying to do visually.

I see this show competing well in the performance captions, but taking a beating in the GE caption when it faces the other corps. You never know though with this corps and they could have something up their sleeve.

I hate to say it, but I don’t think either California corps has a shot this year. Based off seeing the very bad quality videos of most of the corps, I like what Regiment and Cadets are doing this year. Take it for what it’s worth. Dan Acheson was also in town tonight and I got a chance to talk with him briefly.

Edited June 25, 2007 by Whiskey

[Jason Harrison]

Blue Devils – A tale of two shows. The first half is very energetic and exciting. The second half just does not go anywhere.

I have it from a reliable source, within BD's membership (who would know), that in 2-3 weeks or so from the ballad on is getting redone. Same source also gave me interesting info that that average age of BD is 18 this year and that they have 5 or so 15 year olds and a lot of 16 year olds. This corps is going to be a monster in a few years if they stay.