THUNDER in the DESERT Monday, July 23, 2007 Midland, TX

Comment now » // July 23rd, 2007

 <Recap Not Available>

 Place               Corps                                      Score 

Div. I 

1                      Blue Devils                               91.70

2                      Carolina Crown                        87.800

3                      Blue Knights                             83.200

4                      Glassmen                                  81.250

5                      Crossmen                                 77.65

Div. III 

1                      Revolution                                69.850

Music in Motion - Monday, July 23, 2007 Madison, WI

Comment now » // July 23rd, 2007

Place               Corps                                      Score 

Div. II 

1                      Colt Cadets                              64.100

Div. III 

2                      Dutch Boy                                75.150

3                      Capital Sound                           72.500

4                      H.Y.P.E.                                  61.950

5                      Racine Scouts                       59.150

6                      Les Stentors                             59.150

Red River Thunder - Sunday, July 22, 2007 Denton, TX

Comment now » // July 22nd, 2007

RECAP - 7/22/07

PLACE           CORPS                                   SCORE 

Div. I 

1                      Cavaliers                                  91.3

2                      Bluecoats                                 90.05

3                      Santa Clara Vanguard              87.4

4                      The Academy                          79.25

5                      Crossmen                                78.45

6                      Madison Scouts                       77.25

7                      Troopers                                 73.8

8                      Pioneer                                    68.9

Div. III 

1                      Revolution                                70.5

All Age 

1                      Frontier                                    49.4

DCI San Antonio, The Southwestern Championship, Saturday 21, 2007 San Antonio TX

Comment now » // July 21st, 2007

Recap - DCI San Antonio

PLACE           CORPS                                   SCORE 

Div. I 

1                      Blue Devils                               91.350

2                      Cavaliers                                  90.925

3                      The Cadets                               90.250

4                      Bluecoats                                 89.075

5                      Carolina Crown                        87.925

6                      Phantom Regiment                    86.250

8                      Boston Crusaders                     84.500

9                      Blue Knights                             81.300

10                    The Academy                           78.975

11                    Colts                                        78.825

12                    Glassmen                                  77.900

On The Road: Hotlanta, GA ’07

Comment now » // July 17th, 2007

OK. So my flight was late getting into Atlanta and by the time I made it to the dome, Boston was already halfway through its show. More on them later since my main motivation for forking up the cash to make this show was the opportunity to see Cadets, Devils and Cavaliers in the same show. I hadn’t seen Cavaliers or Devils since Kalamazoo, so I was excited to see how they had progressed as well as how they would do head to head against Cadets.

Much has been written on the DC chat boards about The Cadets regarding their hot horn line and their continuing use of speech performance. I must say that the horn line definitely lived up to the hype. It has been a while since I’ve heard a book with that kind of demand and exposure to error handled that brilliantly. In an era where most arrangers seem content to let the horns ride on the backs of the percussion sections, it was thrilling to here a group of young players with chops to burn. Hearing that horn line play was so exciting, I needed to towel off during their exit.

Now, on to the show’s voice over. To say I hated it would be an understatement. Unlike many others who have voiced their opposition to this performance practice, I don’t have a problem with the concept nor do I have a deep rooted sense that adding voice to a show makes it any less “real” drum corps. No, my problem stems from the quality and content of the vocal performance. Anytime electronic amplification is added, no matter how good the sound system, it comes across as thin and inorganic (I also have the same problem with the sideline percussion). It was this thin, whiny timbre that I found distracting. As for the content, I really enjoyed the interplay of the voices with the music book in the middle of the show but found the introduction and closing to be very heavy handed. For a while, I wasn’t sure if I was taking in a drum corps show or viewing another inane presidential campaign ad. Dear Cadets, please decide if you are going to tout broad Mom and apple pie values or the cheeky drum corps only references.

I thought The Cavaliers gave another strong performance in Atlanta but I have to admit that their music book seemed simplistic after hearing the Cadets. They are, however, extremely clean and execute at a very high level. As I mentioned after Kalamazoo, their show is geared right at the audience and I would expect their GE scores to keep them in the mix to the end.

Alas, the Blue Devils. To make sure I could be fair to this corps after the last review I offered, I wanted to get a higher vantage point much closer to center stage. I was able to pull a few strings and access the press box level so I had a great vista of the entire field. I wish I could say it changed my mind. I did find the drill design to make a bit more sense but the guard and percussion staging kept getting in the way for me. The Blue Devils performance was at an aggressive and extremely polished. I just wish the horns could be involved more in the visual presentation (and I still abhor the black “wings”). I’m sure I’ll wear out the audio recording of Dev’s finals show as the year progresses as it is my favorite show to watch with my eyes closed.
OK . . . back to where I started.

Boston Crusaders: To be fair, I missed the first half of Boston’s performance so I did not get a complete read of this show. A few points jumped out at me as I settled in to watch though. The horns and perc line are well staged and the eye is brought to the important musical lines through movement or guard interplay. My regret with the drill is that, with the exception of the last 30 seconds, it moved very slowly and lacked the energy displayed my the music book. I would liken it to an NBA game. Nothing exciting really happens until that last minute so tune in then.

Carolina Crown: WOW! What a well designed and performed show. These guys get better every year and I love this show. The design team has done an excellent job of taking the Triple Crown theme and pulling all of the elements together into one cohesive and well choreographed package. The opening of the show features beautiful layering of bodies (both horns and the horse clad guard) and builds to a very ballsy impact of brass and percussion. From there, “their off” and the opener features clever interplay of the guard with various brass voices. Speaking of the guard, Crown’s guard is pushing the boundaries this year with unique movement and the exploration of plans I’ve never seen before. Other great moments include the Red Pony steeple chase and the slow motion heartbeat that sets up the final push. Bravo Caroline Crown. I can’t wait to see it again.

Blue Knights: It was hard for me to get into the Blue Knight’s show. The introduction featured a musical and visual development that was painfully slow and though the opener was well played and marched, it lacked any clearly defined impact points. This corps began to pull me into the ballad with the sculpturing and unison horn line dance sequence but the closer lacked focus and velocity.

Santa Clara Vanguard: Vanguard begins its show in a very strong opening set that immediately commands the attention of the audience. The development to the first hit is slow but it is worth the wait when the horns and drums unleash their sound. This corps has a history of excellent marching and that is again on display in 2007. Their drill features many wide open, linear patterns that would give most cleaners and ulcer but SCVG handles it with their patented aggressive but always in control movement. If there is an Achilles heel for this show, I believe it is in the final moments. The drill displays high velocity but the music book doesn’t seem to support it. The result leaves the audience and bit unsettled.

Blue Coats: I must say that a higher vantage point paid huge dividends for me as I watched this show again. From the press box, I could see more of the focus of the drill and actually enjoyed the brief case segments. Also, another item lost on me at Kalamazoo, was the clever introduction of major show moments with the bullhorn. My lower vantage point of the previous show caused me to miss most of what was happening upstage. The Blue Coats appear to have ratcheted it up a notch and they look to not be satisfied with just another solid top five finish.

Phantom Regiment: This was my first experience with Phantom this year and I must say that overall, I really enjoyed the show. The introduction to On Air seemed very amorphous (which is likely the intent) and repeated line in the pit seemed to hold back the development somewhat as it held no musical direction . . . Philip Glass? What PR definitely brings to the table this year is a POWERFUL horn line and they really let it fly. Coupled with a well designed drill featuring clear and well staged impacts, Phantom should place high again this year. My biggest beef with PR has been the lack of upper body control in their marching style and 2007 is no exception. I always feel that if they could tone down all of the upper body slop, that horn line would be that much better due to breath and their drill would look that much crisper.

On The Road: K-Zoo, MI ‘07

1 Comment » // June 30th, 2007

After taking in the show tonight in Kalamazoo, I have one question to ask. Is anyone going to step-up and beat the Cavaliers this season? I mean the level of their design and performance is so far superior to . . . . What is that you say? The Blue Devils won in Kalamazoo!

I have to admit that I was a part of the early exit crowd after tonight’s show. Having seen and heard all of the contestants perform, I firmly believed that the boys from Rosemont were superior to both the Blue Coats and Devs in both G.E. (music and visual) and visual performance. I was shocked to learn when I checked the scores later that they had fallen short in the eyes of the judges.

Please don’t get me wrong. All of the corps this year are spectacular and though I am FAR from a Cavalier apologist (I have often considered selling my soul to “Mr. Applegate” just so my beloved Madison Scouts could break out of their cycle of mediocrity and once again beat those “Damn Cavaliers”), I couldn’t understand how they did not come away with the highest score at this show.

Again this year, The Cavaliers have fielded an extremely entertaining and crowd oriented show that combines clever arrangements of Billy Joel standards (especially Pressure) with another simple, high velocity and exciting drill design. Per usual, The Cavaliers have a very strong guard that is tastefully staged and provides an excellent interpreter for the corps’ concepts (though the running “straighten the tie with the bell” gag got a bit tiresome). The guard book is extremely well written and when Bruno and company get their body movement to match the skill with which they handle their equipment work, The Cavaliers have an excellent chance of taking the top guard award this year.

The Bluecoats came off the line with the expected power and energy and their Criminal show plays well into their strength as a wide open, aggressive corps. I don’t doubt that the Bluecoats are solidly entrenched in the top 5 again this year with a well rounded corps that has few weaknesses. Perhaps it was my vantage point that made their visual performance appear pedestrian. I also couldn’t quite grasp why a silly little briefcase was continually upstaging a very good color guard or the horn line seemed to be running for what appeared to be only the sake of running.

It must also have been my vantage point that made the opening impact of Blue Devils’ show (a solo set of black wings center stage) actually cause my blood pressure to drop. Yes, I “get it”. I am not so dense as to not be beat over the head with symbolic appointments of black evolving into white and I fully appreciate the concept of a condensed focal point. However, nothing says hot horn line and drum line like a girl dressed in blue lifting a pair of black wings. Perhaps the staff should change the name of the show from “Winged Victory” to “Bruised Victory”. Getting back to the horn and perc lines, WOW can they play and I thought the infusion of the old standard Pegasus was clever. My biggest regret for this show is they get few opportunities to really take center stage with the clumsy guard and battery staging always eating up the focus.

Thoughts on the other corps attending the show in Kalamazoo:

The Kilties: I don’t remember much from their show but I really enjoy and appreciate a corps that keeps alive the roots of our activity. The degree of passion these men and women display in holding true to drum corps history (right down to the American Squad) is commendable and entertaining in its own right.

Memphis Sound: This corps should do well in their division again this year. They appear to be well instructed in all areas of the program. It did appear that they were marching several holes tonight, especially in the guard but when they are full, I’m sure will do quite well.

Colt Cadets: What a fun show. The Colt Cadets and big and not very clean but their staff has put together a highly energetic show that the audience found enjoyable.

Troopers: It was good to see the Troopers fielding a strong corps again after several years of anonymity and a very good corps and show they have. It would be easy to slip into a nostalgia trip with regard to this corps but this corps will not allow such travel. Though they still don the traditional Trooper uniforms and stick to American music, this presentation is anything but stale. The horn line plays crisply and with excellent balance. Look for them to make a push later in the season.

Cascades: It seems that every year the Cascades get stronger and this year is no exception. Each section of the corps contributes well to the performance and it is just a matter of time until this corps breaks through into finals.

The Glassmen: I have to admit that I was confused by Glassmen. This confusion began during their pre-show interaction. I was interested to see how the Afro-Cuban drumming and dancing by a guard dressed as Spanish Gypsies would work into their show concept. When the corps came off the line with Rimsky-Korsakov, I was lost. I thought the show had great design elements and was performed well. However, I found myself looking up the show concept online just so I would have a clue as to what was tying all of that together. I regret that even that did not help much.