Velvet Knights

[2CoolVK]

I just downloaded the VK APD from Walnut. Yikes. Was it that rough live? Haven't seen many reviews after all the "hype" from the VK PR Machine. What exactly were they hyping all this time? Someone help me understand this.

[PeeWee]

They're a very new, very young Div. III corps. Give them time. :)

[noduttingoutloud]

They should have given themselves time. Too late now, the cat is out of the bag.

They're a very new, very young Div. III corps. Give them time. :)

[neholgate]

I just downloaded the VK APD from Walnut. Yikes. Was it that rough live? Haven't seen many reviews after all the "hype" from the VK PR Machine. What exactly were they hyping all this time? Someone help me understand this.

Where is this download? I heard them from behind the stands in Riverside, didn't get to see the show. They sounded, IMO, better than Mystikal so I figured they REALLY must've marched very dirty. That's why I was thinking/saying that they needed all the help (and some hype) from the VK community. Don't want the kids to get down and give up.

Nancy

[festive]

Ahhh...I was waiting for this. I knew I could count on you guys to fire up the criticism as soon as any recording of this group came out. I hope you didn't burn yourselves on the matches.

I listened to this recording two ways. My first hearing of any drum corps is always the same. Informed by twenty years of listening to/watching drum corps, and three years of marching in corps of varying quality.

My initial response? This is rough. This is a young group, with some significant work ahead of it. Difficulty getting through the material put before it. Problems listening to each other. Promising stuff from the drum line, but needs work. Oh, June. How I hate you. It's tough to be a young corps in June. It's tougher to have the whole drum corps planet expecting so much from you. And yeah, they'll improve. But I expect so much from every drum corps I hear thanks to how many drum corps I've heard. And that means I'm a jaded listener on some level I guess. I never wanted to be a judge but I feel like I act like one and that prevents me from enjoying anything. I want perfection. All the time. And this isn't perfect. It doesn't pretend to be.

My second hearing. And This is love talking. :)

This corps is nothing short of a miracle. I feel lucky to even be downloading this. And these kids are doing this show and playing their hearts out. They are doing the best they can at this point. It's rough but who cares. They care about this corps and this show and about making fans happy. And who cares if it's rough? Last place sounded incredibly fun. It's like witnessing a birth and expecting it to be shiny and perfect? It isn't! There's blood everywhere! It's messy and human and (I mean this) UTTERLY GLORIOUS. I don't think I've been this moved by a show in a long time. Yikes? OK. And I'm following these members down this road and this season and next season and wherever they go after that. And they will improve and depend on each other and grow together as a drum corps and learn everything about life that I learned when I marched.

I downloaded Regiment at the same time. Regiment is stunning, of course. I love my corps and they never fail to impress me; I'm so proud of them. VK is, well, a big ball of emotion. It's a big emotional thing waiting to become what these kids will make it. I'm no less proud of VK. In fact, I listened to VK first...I couldn't wait.

If you aren't the least bit moved by this recording...that there's no give up in these kids....then your heart is a cold, dead place. Drum corps aren't perfect; small, new ones with young members are seldom ever perfect. No, it's not OK to knock this corps because it isn't VK 92 when they're brand new and very young. They have a job to do and they'll do it. And I believe in them. To heck with anyone who doesn't. Have a great day.

Edited June 28, 2007 by festive

[ravedodger]

Ahhh...I was waiting for this. I knew I could count on you guys to fire up the criticism as soon as any recording of this group came out. I hope you didn't burn yourselves on the matches.

I listened to this recording two ways. My first hearing of any drum corps is always the same. Informed by twenty years of listening to/watching drum corps, and three years of marching in corps of varying quality.

My initial response? This is rough. This is a young group, with some significant work ahead of it. Difficulty getting through the material put before it. Problems listening to each other. Promising stuff from the drum line, but needs work. Oh, June. How I hate you. It's tough to be a young corps in June. It's tougher to have the whole drum corps planet expecting so much from you. And yeah, they'll improve. But I expect so much from every drum corps I hear thanks to how many drum corps I've heard. And that means I'm a jaded listener on some level I guess. I never wanted to be a judge but I feel like I act like one and that prevents me from enjoying anything. I want perfection. All the time. And this isn't perfect. It doesn't pretend to be.

My second hearing. And This is love talking. :)

This corps is nothing short of a miracle. I feel lucky to even be downloading this. And these kids are doing this show and playing their hearts out. They are doing the best they can at this point. It's rough but who cares. They care about this corps and this show and about making fans happy. And who cares if it's rough? Last place sounded incredibly fun. It's like witnessing a birth and expecting it to be shiny and perfect? It isn't! There's blood everywhere! It's messy and human and (I mean this) UTTERLY GLORIOUS. I don't think I've been this moved by a show in a long time. Yikes? OK. And I'm following these members down this road and this season and next season and wherever they go after that. And they will improve and depend on each other and grow together as a drum corps and learn everything about life that I learned when I marched.

I downloaded Regiment at the same time. Regiment is stunning, of course. I love my corps and they never fail to impress me; I'm so proud of them. VK is, well, a big ball of emotion. It's a big emotional thing waiting to become what these kids will make it. I'm no less proud of VK. In fact, I listened to VK first...I couldn't wait.

If you aren't the least bit moved by this recording...that there's no give up in these kids....then your heart is a cold, dead place. Drum corps aren't perfect; small, new ones with young members are seldom ever perfect. No, it's not OK to knock this corps because it isn't VK 92 when they're brand new and very young. They have a job to do and they'll do it. And I believe in them. To heck with anyone who doesn't. Have a great day.

Thank you!

I was at Walnut and shared my opinions with some staff and a board member. It was rougher than I had expected, but yes, they are a very young corps and almost all rookies. The miracle is that they are on the field at all.

One thing that most everyone should like about the VK show this year is the ballad Hide and Seek. I don't know who wrote in the silent spots, but they were so effective they gave me goosebumps and I rarely get goosebumps these days.

[neholgate]

Where can I find the music download?

Nancy

[ravedodger]

http://www.dci.org/membership/apd_schedule.cfm

[radiosteele]

Ahhh...I was waiting for this. I knew I could count on you guys to fire up the criticism as soon as any recording of this group came out. I hope you didn't burn yourselves on the matches.

I listened to this recording two ways. My first hearing of any drum corps is always the same. Informed by twenty years of listening to/watching drum corps, and three years of marching in corps of varying quality.

My initial response? This is rough. This is a young group, with some significant work ahead of it. Difficulty getting through the material put before it. Problems listening to each other. Promising stuff from the drum line, but needs work. Oh, June. How I hate you. It's tough to be a young corps in June. It's tougher to have the whole drum corps planet expecting so much from you. And yeah, they'll improve. But I expect so much from every drum corps I hear thanks to how many drum corps I've heard. And that means I'm a jaded listener on some level I guess. I never wanted to be a judge but I feel like I act like one and that prevents me from enjoying anything. I want perfection. All the time. And this isn't perfect. It doesn't pretend to be.

My second hearing. And This is love talking. :)

This corps is nothing short of a miracle. I feel lucky to even be downloading this. And these kids are doing this show and playing their hearts out. They are doing the best they can at this point. It's rough but who cares. They care about this corps and this show and about making fans happy. And who cares if it's rough? Last place sounded incredibly fun. It's like witnessing a birth and expecting it to be shiny and perfect? It isn't! There's blood everywhere! It's messy and human and (I mean this) UTTERLY GLORIOUS. I don't think I've been this moved by a show in a long time. Yikes? OK. And I'm following these members down this road and this season and next season and wherever they go after that. And they will improve and depend on each other and grow together as a drum corps and learn everything about life that I learned when I marched.

I downloaded Regiment at the same time. Regiment is stunning, of course. I love my corps and they never fail to impress me; I'm so proud of them. VK is, well, a big ball of emotion. It's a big emotional thing waiting to become what these kids will make it. I'm no less proud of VK. In fact, I listened to VK first...I couldn't wait.

If you aren't the least bit moved by this recording...that there's no give up in these kids....then your heart is a cold, dead place. Drum corps aren't perfect; small, new ones with young members are seldom ever perfect. No, it's not OK to knock this corps because it isn't VK 92 when they're brand new and very young. They have a job to do and they'll do it. And I believe in them. To heck with anyone who doesn't. Have a great day.

My friend, you just won the internet today....

[2CoolVK]

I guess I wouldn't be so disappointed if they didn't hype it up as much as they did. They set expectations high and didn't deliver. Not the kids fault.