Cadets of Bergen County..88.0 Blue Devils..............87.9 Santa Clara Vanguard.....84.1 Cavaliers................81.6 Blue Knights.............75.4 Pioneer..................65.0 Troopers.................59.4 Div II/III SC Cadets Vanguard.......Exhibition Thanks to Colby Springer for emailing us these scores!
Here's my review of the Drums Along the Rockies.
Ah... what a night. I had the fortune of sitting front row center this evening, so I had an excellent view of all the visuals and music, but couldn't see the drill. It was worth the sacrifice, though.
Santa Clara Cadets - These guys weren't even mentioned in the program, but they were up first in exhibition. The first thing I noticed was their colorguard uniforms... or as my friend put it, "nice pants." White dress shirts and khaki slacks to not go well with music based on Evita. Nice percussion, but nothing really stuck out that made the music worth humming. Nice way to warm up the crowd, however.
High Point: Uhm....
Low Point: Announcer said "are you ready?" just as the corps got onto the field. Duh.
Chien Kuo High School Marching Band (Taipei, Taiwan) - First, I must mention that this is an all male school of comprised of the top 10,000 students in Taiwan, and even more importantly, all the band members must be at least juniors, and 95% of them have not been playing for more than a year. To avoid using more colorful expressions, well shucks. They played an all American type show, featuring selections from Far and Away, as well as a very grooving version of Sing Sing Sing. Their colorguard was noticeably clean, and their dance during Sing Sing Sing was almost comical. (Which is good). This band would rival a lot of marching bands, and only 95 went on the trip. Pretty good for a bunch of beginners, and by now the crowd was really warmed up.
High Point: Drum Major, as well as the entire band, moving-and-a-grooving during Sing Sing Sing.
Low Point: Drum break during Blowing Off Steam sounded like a bad take off on the 1995 Cadets drum break. Ick.
Pioneer - And now for the competing corps. I had already heard negative things about their colorguard, and I agree with all of them. You can't do Riverdance without lots of dancing, which requires a monster guard, which they do not have. Axe the dancing, please. On the brighter side, though, their brass line was good, esp. the Mellophones, which got my vote for best section. The music is there, but the visual just isn't; I think that will definitely keep them out of the top 12, but they're taking a step in the right direction.
High Point: Mellophone section solos kicked butt.
Low Point: Guard.
Troopers - Well they get my vote for most spirited performance. They played a very "Trooper-like" show, featuring the Magnificent Seven and The Way West. They are tiny this year, but it's nice to see them sticking it out in and off year. They sounded more like a Div II or III corps, though. Pit problems were everywhere, intonation was, well, not. They got a good crowd response due to their close proximity to Casper, but no one else seemed to be cheering. A very "safe" show, to say the least.
High Point: Sunburst looked half-way decent, at least from the ground.
Low Point: Pit looked like they learned their music yesterday.
Blue Knights - The local corps was up. I had heard their show before, and was expecting something better than what I saw last year. They are definitely better than last year, although I am still apprehensive to say they are a shoe-in for the top 12, with a month left in the season and many corps fighting to make it in. They played selections from Ben Hur, as well as some Samuel Barber. The brass line is much more impressive this year, and seems to be the highlight of their show, along with the artwork. Snares on plastic took a few moments to get used to. The Cymbal line used these marching 2-tom racks with cymbals attached for a very short portion of the show, and their part on them was quite sparse, considering their talent on the cymbals. It would have been nice to see more of a tough book from them there. The guard member/drum major was a nice touch. Good performance by them, I can't wait to hear them once the brass is clean.
High Point: Mellophone player with only one hand. What a stud.
Low Point: Percussion isn't as "in your face" as in the past...
Santa Clara Vanguard - Ok, so I admit I have somewhat of a bias as I was born down the block from these guys. They have been down in recent years, but they are back. There are so many different body movements and poses it's hard to remember or see them all. This makes up for the lack of props that could go with this show. They got the biggest crowd response of the night. Their brass was very tight and clean and I am curious to see recaps. Much better than they have been, and I wouldn't be surprised if they came up 3rd in Orlando... but I haven't seen the Madison Scouts, either. The unis are nice, and I only say that because I love red and green... the green bottoms blend in well with the grass.
High Point: So much stuff! I highly recommend a camera for this show.
Low Point: The guard seemed invisible... not that I mind that much, but they just seemed to be missing. Maybe I should pay more attention.
Cavaliers - There wasn't much snickering for their opening move, which I had an excellent view of. It was the highlight of their show, including the rest of their opener. I have heard Firebird oodles of times, and in the beginning they stuck close to the original music. Their guard had a lot of talent, but their uniforms made them look like extras in a Michael Jackson Video. After the opener, the music fell very flat, and I couldn't even recognize it from the ballet. The crowd wasn't into it, they didn't get it, and that was reflected in the corps performance. Their closer was good, but poorly arranged. In all the whole show could have been put together a lot better. If they don't shape up, they might get stuck in 6th or maybe even 7th... we'll see in Orlando.
High Point: Silent Drill... ominous.
Low Point: Opening baritone solo is a mirror of the opening bassoon solo in Rite of Spring. It doesn't mix well, and it masks the backfield low brass. And where is the Firebird?
Blue Devils - Hmm. I saw these guys the previous night at a stage show. Their brass line is as good as last years, maybe better. They sound great. Night in Tunisia is by far the best musical portion of their show. All the things that have been said about the percussion seem to be true... they might be clean, but who can tell? There's a lot of talent in that line but their parts seem to run together. I was much more impressed with last years line; more of a part-your-hair book. The show is coming along quite well, except for the end... there just isn't any resolution. If they want to catch up to the Cadets, they're really going to have to pull this off. As my friend noted "that's the way the movie ended" but as a drum corps show it doesn't seem to work. The end left the crowd quiet as the Cadets were up next.
High Point: Brass. I need aspirin.
Low Point: The end? Huh?
Cadets - Well, I was expecting a lot from the reviews that I read, and the Cadets barely delivered in some parts, and were truly frightening in others. They definitely have the most difficult show in DCI, and their percussion line cooks. If they clean this show up they'll steamroll over the Blue Devils. I wish I could have seen the drill from up high; fortunately I was right in front for their opening, which wasn't quite as frantic as I expected, but is still lotsandlotsandlotsandlots of notes. The cutoff in the ballad was sharp as a ginsu knife. The portion of the show where the guard wear the shakos was... strange... but good.
High Point: Percussion was smoking. Ouch.
Low Point: Ending Z-pull almost became a train wreck in the center. I trust this was only a one time mistake, for their sake. I heard that they added drill recently.
Drum Majors stood up front to accept awards. The Chien Kuo Drum Majors bowed and clapped for every award presented. The female Drum Major Retreat, sort of: Some of the members filtered into the stands as the for the Blue Knights almost broke down into giggles as fans yelled "Hooooold it in Amyyyyyy." Well the Cadets won to a very unsurprised audience, (someone behind me turned to one of his friends, a soprano in SCV and said, "so, gonna stick around for the Cadets victory performance?" before the scores were announced) but no one expected it would be by .1 of a point. SCV being 3.8 behind BD was a surprise to me, though. The Cadets did their humorous warm up as usual, (very nice). They played portions from their show, and after one song, the Drum Major said twice, very clearly, "Interlude. Play to the turn around, 4th bar, at 58." He looked up and down the line and nodded, and the brass line slowly nodded back, trying to restrain their laughter as the Contra line bobbled their heads up and down like they were being shaken... the crowd laughed, it was a very lighthearted moment. This is definitely worth sticking around for. There are definitely some good corps this year and I cant wait for finals. Good show from everyone! Go VK!
GregPhantom Regiment.........85.9 Madison Scouts...........85.3 Crossmen.................81.7 Glassmen.................80.4 Magic of Orlando.........79.1 Carolina Crown...........74.5 Kiwanis Kavaliers........74.5 Colts....................73.0 Southwind................63.6 Delta Brigade............53.2 Lone Star................51.2 Bayou City Blues.........Exhibition Thanks to Justin Newberry for emailing us these scores!
My day started at 6:00 AM. I and a group of friends from school took a bus from New Iberia, LA, to Houston, a four hour drive. We hit the road around 7:30. First, the bus's air conditioner broke, and, if you've ever been to Louisiana in the summer, you know what we went through. Next, there was a huge traffic jam on I-10, causing a big delay. Our bus driver decided that he could get around this traffic by going through a ditch and getting on a service road. I guess thoughts just weren't flowing through his head. Needless to say, we got stuck in the ditch, almost flipped over, and bottomed out the bus. When we finally arrived in Houston, it was 2:30 ... a 7 hour drive (not the 4 that we had expected) But, it was all worth it.
I spent the day watching Magic of Orlando rehearse. They are a great corps, and the staff treats them very well (at least in front of a crowd :D). I will review their show later.
Lone Star - 51.2
I wasn't expecting for these guys to be that great, but the drumline really surprised me. They were the forte of the corps. The had a small hornline, and the sound was not that good (balance and tone). But, the drumline and pit pulled them through the show with a lot of percussion features.
Delta Brigade - 53.2
The props for this show were very professional and classy. The highlight of this show for me was the guard. Their uniforms are long, conservative dresses. They are very classy. The guard was small ... only around 4-5 members, but good. Both the horn and drum lines were not very strong.
Southwind - 63.6
After hearing the first two corps, I wasn't expecting a lot from Southwind. I had talked to a few people on IRC from Southwind, and they had told me that this year would be a good one. Well, they were right. Southwind's opening statement got me to my feet. It was loud and balanced. The show kept my attention the whole time, and I really enjoyed it. Congrats goes out to Southwind for this show...it was great.
Colts - 73.0
I think the Colts got gypped by the judges. Their show was good and entertaining. I've read many things about their "edgy" sound. Well, I didn't notice it. They were loud. And good. I wish more corps would put their necks on the line and do a show like this. It was in your face the whole time. I would say that they were the 3rd loudest corps tonight (Phantom and Madison).
"Biker Chicks from Hell?" If they're from hell, I can't wait for heaven! The uniforms are very appropriate. I don't see why they aren't. The show is B, S and Tears, so it fits the theme.
Carolina Crown - 74.5
This show started off slow, with an entrance of the entire corps through a royal gate. That set the scene very well, but the show didn't get very exciting until the middle of the show. I liked it, but it just wasn't exciting to me. The end was very good. The strength of this corps was its hornline. The british style was kept throughout the show. I know this can be very difficult, so congrats to Crown.
Kiwanis Kavaliers - 74.5
I had heard little about this corps on RAMD, and wasn't expecting much. But, WOW!!!!!!!! They are great! I can see how they are the Canadian champions. The uniforms (all black) were nice. It fit the Evita theme well. The ballad (closer) was the best part of the show. This corps has POWER, both emotionally and volume-wise. I was pleasantly surprised by these guys.
Magic of Orlando - 79.1
This is a fun show. The corps does a lot of dancing and parading around and BLOWING the heck out of their horns. This show was exciting. I love the drum majors. This guy has b*lls. He stopped conducing and turned to the crowd and made a cool little smirk during one of their many 'park and bark' sections. It was great. But, in the words of Mrs. Spears, "Fun doesn't win." I don't think they'll make top 6 this year.
Glassmen - 80.4
I knew they were going to be good by the scores that they had been getting, but not that good. They were good. The drumline was clean and the hornline was powerful. The Bizet show was enjoyable. The Glassmen have a chance for the 6th spot this year.
Crossmen - 81.7
They do jazz very well. They kicked butt tonight. The drumline was clean. The horns were tight. The guard was good. This show was on tonight. In fact, some of the people I was with thought they would beat Phantom. I didn't, though.
Madison Scouts - 85.3
The most entertaining corps of the night. Period. The theme is played out very well, and climaxes with the sword fight on the drum rack. This show smoked the field.
Phantom Regiment - 85.9
This is one of my favorite corps. I was expecting a lot and they gave it to me. As the corps exited the tunnel onto the field, they crowd gave them a standing ovation. I guess I'm not the only Phantom Phan out there. The show starts out slow, but it gets to its point soon enough. The Phantom hornline is THE BEST I've heard EVER. But, what surprised me was the drumline. When I say clean, I mean 409 clean. Spotless. I heard one dirty roll the whole show. They deserved to win.
Kristy Spears....WOW! My group even yelled "Go Kristy" as she got on the podium. She looked even better up close at the victory concert.
After Madison performed, we were treated to the Bayou City Blues Senior corps. The were awesome. I didn't think that they had notes that high. They had about 10 different soloists, all great. Then, to close, they played Happy Trails.
The bad bus ride was defiantly worth it. And, I found out that I'M GOING TO FINALS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got a ride and I'M GOING TO FINALS!!!
Well, the scores have already been posted, but I'll reiterate them here anyway with each corps review. I am proud to announce that my 14 (going on 20!) year-old niece saw drum corps for the first time Saturday in Houston and she was WOWED! (as was I.) She's starting freshman band camp in a couple of weeks, so this was really her first experience seeing so much music pageantry. By the way, she plays clarinet, and I told her about the possibilities of adding woodwinds to drum corps (and I didn't even give her a hint as to my thoughts on the matter). Know what she said? "That would be stupid! It's good like it is!" (I asked her if I could quote her.)
I won't say much about individual tunes since this was my first and only show for the year. (WAHHH! I wanna go to Disneyworld!!!)
So, on to reviews! (in performance order)
Bayou City Blues:
I missed the opening by BCB. :( I was showing my niece the warm-up areas, trying to give her an overview of the work involved in the activity. Anyway, we got into our seats right before 7:00. But I did see BCB at the end of the show, and they ROCKED. Although, I must say that they do remind me a lot of Skyryders and Nighthawks. (there's probably good reason for that, since I suspect many marched or taught with one or both corps)
Lone Star: 51.2
(note: I was disappointed with the lack of home-state support. The
announcer could have helped here a little more.) The show is a good
concept for them, and they should stick with the Latin-jazz idea. Even
the four guard members did a remarkable job portraying the show concept
throughout. Unlike last year, the corps seems to have gotten that "corps"
attitude - no worried looks on their faces, and they seemed to be having a
lot of fun. Horns have improved greatly, even if the numbers are less
than desired. Drums are still strong and their book was tasteful and
well-written. Go LONE STAR!!!
Delta Brigade: 53.2
The spread between Lone Star and Delta was about right, IMO. The screens
helped keep the corps staging area small, if not too one sided (they are
all on the right). They have a strong program, and I think they will make
strides in the years to come. Overall, horns are nicely blended, drums
are fairly strong, and the guard handled equipment with grace and style. I
particularly liked the different colors for the guard uniforms - bold
reds, yellows, purples, blues.
Southwind: 63.6
The score here seems adequate as well. I love this show concept! (Scenes
from Childhood). The guard is having a blast out there, and the corps is
really enjoying themselves a lot with the music and motion. Even with
seemingly diminished numbers (not too diminished, but less than last
year?), their sound and performance technique has improved overall.
Dynamic control was excellent, and the selections were fun and still
challenging.
Kiwanis Kavaliers: 74.5
Kiwanis came out over Colts, but it could have gone either way, IMO. The
Evita show is excellent! I've seen/heard this musical dozens of times,
and Kiwanis did a great job through and through portraying the general
dramatic concept, although the Don't Cry for Me... could have been a bit
longer. The guard is quite strong, horn line is creating beautiful sounds
with musical finesse above and beyond my expectations. Drums were good,
but not outstanding - pit was especially tasty.
Glassmen: 80.4
Gotta say it ---- LADDERS??????? So, with that out of the way, here's
what I thought. Music selections were wonderful, individual section
exposure was very crafty, tunes were recognizable, drill was well written
and will be very clean by finals, guard was scaring me to death on those
ladders. So, if I ignored the ladders, I loved this show. With the
ladders, I still liked it a whole lot.
Colts: 73.0
First, I'd like to tell Chuck Naffier to ignore any complaints about the
hornline's tone - they rock, and the crowd LOVES IT. Keep it up. Second,
I'd like to say to those who don't like the biker-chick guard that I
thought the guard looked GREAT! They have the attitude, and they pull it
off. Third, I really liked the BS&T music - give us more!!! I think the
score suffers here because of low demand in a few places, and the show
doesn't have the flow of KK's Evita or Glassmen's Bizet show. But that may
get fixed by August.
(INTERMISSION)
Carolina Crown: Tied with Kiwanis with 74.5
Honestly, I wanted to love this show. I really did. I liked parts of it.
I had heard all but one of the selections on many occasions before seeing
the show. But at some point my devil's advocate voice in my head chimed
in and said, "Well, come on. Wow me. Please? Just a little?" I continued
to attempt to squelch the devil's voice, but it persisted, until we hit
Nimrod. Then I loved the show... for a while. So, with much regret I
analyzed what I thought was bugging me about this show, and I soon
realized that it bugs me that the design staff seems to be trying to make
this corps look like Cadets of BC. That's not inherently a bad thing, but
until they can pull off that kind of WOW power, it's not working for me.
However, it is working for the kids - they have a good, moderately
challenging book and they play and move very well with what they've been
given.
Magic of Orlando: 79.1
Like last year, the corps I never liked before the 1996 season made me
like them again. I mean, MADE me. They reached up into the stands, took
my brain, sliced it open, and poured their souls into it. From beginning
to end this show works. Even though I didn't like the guard outfits at
first, I soon came to feel that they fit in nicely. They didn't
outperform Glassmen from a technique/timing standpoint on Saturday in
Houston, but who cares! They rocked, and I loved it! Musically and
visually speaking, the staff has done a great job challenging these kids,
and the kids are giving it every ounce they have.
Crossmen: 81.7
Okay, okay. I know I've been terribly positive throughout this review.
But it's only going to continue as I talk about the Crossmen, so get over
it. (VBG) By the time Crossmen left the field, I was begging for more.
The musical quality of the Crossmen took the competition up a good notch,
and the sheer wall of sound made me want to jump out of my seat over and
over again. I love the park-n-blow, even if it does diminish the "demand"
caption for a little while. Birdland is a great opener, and the rest of
the show just flows from that energy. Horn sound is fantastic, drum seemed
a little weaker than in years past (can't explain that one), guard is
strong. By the time Niner-Two was over, I really wanted the Crossmen to
stay on the field for another show!
Phantom Regiment: 85.9
Well, Regiment beat Scouts, but the crowd definitely disagreed with that.
There was a guy sitting next to us that was chatting with me off and on
during the evening, and when he saw the DM he said "THAT's the Drum
Major?!?! Where's she gonna pull out the baton from?" Well, she didn't do
the baton trick, much to his disappointment. (grin) Oh, about the show.
I was bored. Sorry, but Wagner is not my favorite composer (even though
I've heard a good bit of his music), and this show didn't sell Wagner to
me like I had hoped. Yes, they played extremely well. Yes, the book is
very challenging and beautifully written. Yes, the guard is elegant
beyond compare. I appreciate all the hard work everyone is putting into
this show, but I didn't feel the electricity that usually feel with PR. (I
loved last year's show, by the way.)
Madison Scouts: 85.3
The Pirates of Lake Mendota is a very, very fun show to watch and hear! I
can't say much here that will make a difference to anyone out there, you
either love this show or you don't. I loved it! If you are looking for
"art" it's all there - proving that art and entertainment are not
necessarily exclusive of each other. (That goes for Magic and Glassmen
and Kiwanis, too!) The Scouts are playing and moving very well, their
show is difficult, but maybe not as high in musical demand as PR (visual
demand is just as hard or harder, IMO). The opening is a great eye/ear
catcher. The story line portrayed in the guardwork and music makes this
show work from start to finish. When it comes down to finals week, PR and
Madison will still be battling it out.
Now, if only I could have seen BD and SCV tonight. Time to go read the Denver reviews!!!
Terri Gailey EverettBrigadiers...............80.9 - (GE, Marching, Guard) Caballeros...............80.3 - (Brass, DM) Bushwackers..............76.1 Hurricains...............68.4 Skyliners................65.5 - (H. Guard) Chieftains...............53.4 Yankee-Rebels............Exhibition Caballero Alumni Corps...Exhibition Thanks to Ed Medina for emailing us these scores! Thanks to Michael T. Siglow on r.a.m.d for these scores!
Brigadiers have a very pleasing show. Powerful horn line, good size guard that works well. Mike DeMaio really knows how to help sell their show. He's one of the primier soloists in drum corps today.
Cabs did a fine job this evening. It was MUCH closer then the scores would have you believe. Even though Cabs took drums, all captions and supposedly Brigs took everything that wasn't nailed down ('scuse me, Sky took best Honor Guard), the caption that hurt Cabs the most was Visual Presentation. They were down to the Brigs by a point. Personally, I thought Brigs were the winners this evening but not .6 better.
Bush was better this evening then they were at Bayonne. I think their score should have been much closer to the top then it was. Mid 78 to mid 79 would have been more like it. They have a good show. It seemed like they were trying to put a little more life into it.
Hurcs have shown more improvement. I think all scores should have been higher then what was given. These guys are really projecting well. Considering they are only marching 28 horns this evening, they sounded like 40.
Sky played with emotion for most of their show. They seem to be more comfortable with the music. Next they need to do a lot of cleaning. Still can't guarantee finals.
Chieftains have shown soon improvement. The new uniforms help their visual presentation. They look more like a drum corps. They still need a lot of work though.
Sunrisers weren't here tonight. Loved 'em.
The Yankee-Rebels put on a fine field show in exhibition to get things started. Drum corps like it used to be. The Caballero Alumni Corps put on a field exhibition as well. The way these guys rehearse, some of them might as well march with the competing corps. A really great job and a tribute to this fine organization.
Michael T. Siglow
After a week of talk, speculation and wonder, three of DCA's top corps squared off on a cool July evening in Fair Lawn, NJ. The Syracuse Brigadiers occupied the winner's circle after a three-way battle for the top, edging out the home-town Hawthorne Caballeros by six tenths of a point, and shutting down the week-ago "in the hunt" Bushwackers by more than four points. Much talk circulated the stands prior to the start of the show about who everyone thought was going to pull out a victory. "Did you hear what happened last week?" and "they're out for blood tonight" were heard more than once, as well as "have you seen them yet?... they're a heck of a corps," as the sun set and the portable lights illuminated. But the favorite had to be the Caballeros, as alumni and die-hard fans came in droves to show their support for the host corps. By show time the stands were packed, with support for other corps as well. In short, this show was to be a battle, and what a battle it was.
Going onto this show, I was familiar with the hype and accolade surrounding the Syracuse Brigadiers and took it with a grain of salt. To put it bluntly, I saw the corps last year on several occasions and wasn't too impressed. This year, however, the fact is that Brigs are a solid, well coordinated drum corps performing consistently all the way across the board. In contrast to other senior corps, Brigs aren't doing one thing well and "just getting by" on other aspects. They're doing everything well, particularly the color guard who are performing at a very high level. The question is, can they improve? Even though they're performing very well right now there remains much room for improvement in the overall package such as phasing, missed sets in the drill and some sound holes and bad intonation in some spots. Not to take away from their good performance remember, at this point it's the little things that need addressed-- not a bad place to be for the third week of July. Their hornline is balanced and can generate some healthy volume at times. The drumline is tight, but I would like to have seen a solo in there somewhere rather than snapshots scattered throughout the show. The backdrops help the overall mood of the show, and their strategic placement (they're placed right behind the back hash) aids in making the corps look as though they cover more field. If they concentrate on fixing "the little things" rather than "we're winning right now" they have a shot at coming out on top in August.
After seeing Hawthorne duke it out with Bush last week I was prepared for a similar battle between the two corps, however the Caballeros seemed to stride right passed their neighbors to the South. Cabs somehow found an extra notch and let it out tonight. Perhaps it was due to the packed house of alumni in the stands yelling "go Cabs!!" or perhaps they wanted to make Syracuse earn their rewards. Judging from their improvement over last week, Cabs looked as though they were out to avenge their last meeting with Brigs a month ago. Cabs took Brass GE and Percussion this evening but fell short in Visual and overall GE. For some reason Cabs just don't have the visual impact that Brigs have right now. Brigs are simply cleaner. This can work to Cabs advantage if they can show vast improvement over the next few weeks leading into Allentown, remember they're only down a few tenths of a point. Cabs show is much more demanding than Brigs, with individual sections seeing exposure throughout. I think the show has more potential to go somewhere if Cabs can clean, clean, clean. Judging from past years, Cabs are clutch performers and certainly not new to a championship caliber work ethic. We have an exciting battle on our hands here folks-- experience of a perennial senior corps champion vs. the talent and energy of a rising star.
Factor in the Harrison Bushwackers. Bush had a bad night. They were off to a great start in the opener and through most of the show. I think emotion got the best of them because they seemed to loose steam by the end of their run-through. I remember seeing them last week "just getting warmed up" for the end of the show, bringing the house down with a more than dramatic ending complete with the lead soprano line on the front sideline having its say. Technically speaking they were fine, they just didn't have the punch or pizzaz they had the week before. Like I said, an off evening that happens a lot in this game of drum corps. The brass book is probably the toughest on the field this season, and they are handling it wonderfully. Awesome soprano and mellophone lines, more than supportive low brass, great soloists. What Bush will have to consider is their percussion problems-- they just don't gel. Its even leading to more ensemble snafus with respect to timing between horns and drums. One, two, three weeks ago, this would be forgivable, but not toward the end of July. I hope they can clean it up because this is too good a show and too good a brass section not to place high at Championships.
Hurricanes are proving that they are also a force to be reckoned with. I don't think I've ever seen a corps this size (about 24 horns) pack such punch. I'm surprised every time I see them. They are no nonsense, straight ahead drum corps. Good colorguard, although a few drops in the wind this evening, and an outstanding drumline.
Skyliners need to clean!! They're loud, but D-I-R-T-Y!! You can tell that the members are experienced and are into selling their show. These folks love what they do, it's evident. But, they're in danger of not making finals because they're so over-hyped about what they do that the cleanliness of the show suffers.
Chieftains are looking good in their red and white uniforms reminiscent of '80's Crossmen. I'm having a hard time understanding their show and how it fits together. My question is how does Halleluja Chorus fit with the opener Birdland? And then, how does this all fit with the closer from Les Miserables? It's nice music but why did they choose to put these tunes together? It's apparent in their performance and show construction that this corps lacks guidance. They need to find someone with drum corps experience who can show them the way. Like I said last week, they're getting better and there appears to be some talent and desire out there, but they need to learn how to do drum corps.
In addition to the competing units the fans were treated to some fine samplings of alumni organizations. The first was the Yankee Rebels from Baltimore, MD. I have to admit they were great. They performed a complete show Sixty's style-- no props, no equipment changes, and company fronts galore. They are history in a bottle.
Also performing were the Hawthorne Caballeros Alumni performing old Cabs music. They even marched in to the "call of the bull," which had the audience erupting. In fact, the audience didn't stop cheering the whole time they were on the field. After their performance, the competition corps joined them on the field and redefined the term "loud." I stopped counting at more than 70 horns (12 contras).
In all, as fans we are blessed this season to have such competitive corps on the field. It's going to be a very interesting August. Get to a senior corps show, it's worth it. Can't wait 'til next week!
Division III St. John's...............73.1 Emerald Knights..........66.1 Conqueror II.............59.6 Ridge Raiders............46.3 Division IV (short show) Dutch Boy................52.3 Squires..................44.9 Blue Saints..............41.2 Judges: Music Effect - John Phillips Visual Effect - Sandra Renaud Ensemble Music - Jeff MacKay Ensemble Visual - Dan Niebauer Brass Performance - Bill Thomas Percussion Performance - Bill Renaud Visual Performance - Karen Murphy Color Guard - Ron Bunyan Thanks to Ontario Drum Corps Association for emailing us these scores!
Division I Itoiles de Dorion..................80,2 3E Regiment de St. Eustache........65,2 Senateurs de Joliette..............58,6 Division II L'Impact de Dolbeau................50,8 Stentors de Fleurimont.............48,1 Division III Milomanes de Trois-Rivihres Ouest..68,7 Arcs-en-ciel de Pointe-du-Lac.....61,7 Sentinelles de Varennes............53,8 Thanks to Andre Theriault of Friends of Drum Corps Quebec for emailing us these scores!
Empire Statesmen.........83.7 - (all captions) Sunrisers................77.7 Westshoremen.............76.5 Rochester Crusaders......71.0 Mighty St. Joes..........Exhibition. Reading Buccaneers.......Absent due to bus accident Thanks to Christina Cardinal for emailing us these scores!
Division I Jersey Surf..............84.6 Division II Raiders..................76.5 Spectrum.................69.5 Mirage...................69.0 Spirit of Newark.........64.0 Marion Cadets............(no show) Division III Quest....................70.7 Illusion.................64.6 Phoenix..................63.1 First Defenders..........53.1 Bracken Cavaliers........47.1 Thanks to Bob Fields on r.a.m.d for these scores!
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