June 22E-mail blast

June 18, 2011 -- Round Rock, TX . . .The initial show of the 2011 drumcorps season began in an unfamiliar location-- Texas! The DCI Fort Worth event kickedoff the season with a bang as the previousyear’s top eight corps stepped off in reverseorder of placement at last year’s finals. Toadd further intrigue to the evening, noofficial scores were released, as they werepackaged with the following evening’s eventin Round Rock, TX and announced at theDCI Cinema event on Monday evening theJune 20.

However, for the first time in DCI history,fans at the event were given the opportunity to text invotes on their smartphones.

The day was uncharacteristically hot for early June,with temperatures in the 100s and windy conditions. Thecolor guards would quickly find a battle on their hands aswind gusts increased throughout the evening, with athreat of rain. Rain drops did fall on a few corps, but onlya 20-minute wind delay prior to the Blue Devils‘performance marred the evening.

Given that no official scores were released, the fanvoting was presented at the end of the evening duringthe drum majors-only retreat.

The Cavaliers won the fan vote. The corps presentedtheir 2011 production, “XtraordinarY” that was litteredwith X and Y symbolism as well as extraordinary featsincluding stilt-walking for part of the color guard, rifletosses caught after running under the stilts and theevening’s big eye-opener, a tenor solo played by

alternating members held upside down! The corps came with a full show (minus about a

minute of drill) and a loud and confident brass line, likelythe loudest of the evening. The show drew a lot of oohsand ahhs from the audience. While many were not quitesure what to make of the produyction, it’s clear from thebeginning that this will be a show audiences will enjoytrying to decipher.

Second place in the fan’s hearts was The Cadets. Theshow this year is called “Angels and Demons.” TheAngels of the corps look like a bunch of Cadet drummajors in all cream, while the Demons are decked out onmaroon from head to toe. The color guard is also dividedevenly in cream and maroon body suits.

The show is well-designed, with the Angels playing themajor chords and angelic melodies, while the Demonsare constantly adding dissonance to the mix. Often thesections did combine, but the visual clarity of thesegregated uniforms was quite striking in battles of goodversus evil. The visual and musical book was verychallenging, with the Angels in the Architecture piecedemanding much from the membership. This, too, will bea show that evolves through the summer and clearly willcapture the attention of audiences across the country.

Third place was awarded to Phantom Regiment. Theirshow, titled “Juliet” followed the story arc of

Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Theall-female guard elegantly played the role ofmultiple Juliets with striking burgundy-coloreddresses that worked wonderfully against thewhite with black accent uniforms of thecorps proper.

The low brass the corps is known for isback with a passion this season. The hornline sounds glorious when they let loose withsome of the most intensee music seen on thefield this evening. For big low brass fans, thebeginning of Elsa’s Processional placed thetubas right down front-and-center across thefront sideline and the deep, rich sound bathedthe audience with some incredible fullness.

DCI kicks off 2011 seasonwith top 8 ‘showdown’in hot and windy Texastext by Scott Wolfe, DCW staff (srwolfe@Corelogic.com)photos by Lauren Vogel Weiss, DCW staff (perc@ont.com)

The Cavaliers

Blue Stars

the start to enter, leaving a long, extended period of lushbrass playing. The strong tuba section is on displayduring the Mackey Trombone Concerto in the closer.The group certainly knows how to find and utilize bottomend and the whole show was quite clean for an openingnight indicating that they should score well throughoutthe summer as they improve.

In seventh, the Blue Stars presented their “Bourne”show with movie music as the inspiration. The corpsbegan and utilized elevated drill in the form ofscaffolding. Features of brass, percussion and guard

were staged about six feet or so inthe air. The base of thescaffolding was covered infabric, thus doubling as astaging location for colorchanges and equipment.This provided a clean frontsideline.

The spy storyline is notquite clear at this point, butthe music certainly createsthe agitation of chase, andcloak and dagger. It shouldgrow as the seasonprogresses to a guiltypleasure for sure.

In eighth, the Santa Clara Vanguard presented theirproduction of “The Devil’s Staircase.” The percussion

section is clearly a favoriteto take high drums allseason. They aresmooth, musical andextremely well-prepared.The guard and brasshave some work to do tocomplete the show, butthe framework is of avery involved show.

Watch for themadness-inspiredrandom running ofmembers throughout.Initially it appeared aslost members onopening night, but as

the show deveops it becomes clear madnessis inspired in this dark show.

The evening was a definite challenge for theperformers because of the weather. Also it was clearly aunique beginning to the season with the top eight fromthe previous year meeting on night one. This pushedcorps to be ready early. And in that the audience won.Some were more prepared, but it was evident effort hadbeen made to be ready. If this show is any indication ofthe entertainment level of DCI in 2011, audiences shouldbe in for a fun ride! �

The new percussion section (reportedly none of lastyear’s line returned) is quite capable as they played withan aggression that fits the show nicely. This too is ashow that will be a crowdpleaser all season.

Fourth place was the “Rach Stars” of Carolina Crown.The corps’ juxtaposition of music from Rachmaninov androck stars of recent vintage worked well. The productionfully embraces the rock concert theme and works thecrowd well. The guard was in rocker costuming, with wildhair and attitude to spare.

The pre-show was mostly settingthe stage with percussion andelectronic recording, but once thecorps entered they were in full drumcorps mode. Sporting uniforms withthe traditional cream coat, but thisyear sleeveless with a black shortsleeve undershirt that helps sell therock star vibe (as well as makingthem look like geniuses marchingin Texas heat!).

There was a prominent role for apiano player throughout. He didbody surf from the field to hisperch on the sideline where hewas a big part of the rock show. Tofurther sell the theme, pay attention to the rifle toss frommidfield to the back sideline (a la thrown guitars) and aguard member stage-diving from a light post! This, too,will be a crowdpleasing show (there seems to be a themehere with which Michael Cesariomust be thoroughly pleased).

Fifth place was awarded to DCI’sreigning champion Blue Devils.The corps was riding an unbeatenstreak into this show and somesuspense remains whether thatstreak remains intact since thescores weren’t to be announced untilTuesday evening. The corpsentered the field with a terrific sound.The brass and percussion werecertainly not going to take a backseatto any corps without a fight. The BurtBachrach musical vehicle was veryfan-friendly and echoed back to BD ofan earlier era. Jazz is back!

The color guard works among PVC house and poleprops for added effect. The long side coats of the corpswere flapping in the wind following the wind delay, butthey were fighting heavy gusts throughout, which clearlyaltered the flag work, but the show went on and it’s clearthe Blue Devils will be competitive this year.

Sixth was achieved by the Bluecoats. The corpsutilized a lot of body movement during the pre-show toforeshadow motion that was well-choreographed andperformed throughout. The battery took a long time from

Carolina Crown

Bluecoats

June 19, 2011 -- Round Rock, TX . . . Hot Texassummer days usually lead to hot Texas summernights. Arriving at the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex inAustin Sunday night, the temperature was a toasty 102.Fortunately, the heat the rest of the evening would becreated by the corps on the field.

By the time the first corps took the field, shadows fromthe stands and press box had covered 75% of the field.A brisk “Texas Breeze” made holding on to programs inthe stands -- and equipment on the field -- quite difficult,but did help cool things down.

I've been in and around drum corps for almost 40years and saw something this night I don't rememberever having witnessed before. Because the corps weregoing off in reverse order, the Blue Devils wentFIRST while the sun was still high in the sky.Sporting a 2011 repertoire of Burt Bacharachtunes and a title of “The Beat My HeartSkipped”, the corps started with a subduedkeyboard intro and excellent field coverage.

The horns and drums sounded very cleanfor a show so early in the summer. At the endof the opening set was a very tasty trumpetsolo that had the soloist turned and playing offthe back stands. Concord used what Iconsidered a minimal amount of props, withsome white posts in various configurations,including some interesting geometry lessons.Overall this is the kind of show we expect fromthe Blue Devils.

I want to take a moment here and make

note of something I noticed tonight that I would considersignificant. I don't know if it was because it is still VERYearly in the season or if there is -- oh how I hope -- atrend on the field of reduced props. Only a couple of thecorps used any at all and those that did used reasonableamounts in a very restrained and appropriate way. Wayto go, corps!

The Cavaliers were next with their “XtraordinarY”production. The Illinois corps has a strong horn line thatat one point played while in a squatting position that onlya young person could accomplish! That was followed bythe upside down tenor players, something to watch forwhen you see the show.

A short, whimsical set by the tubas was well-receivedby the crowd and the innovative and interesting use ofstilts by some of the color guard was not overdone andwas visually interesting. The guard overall was verygood and contributed to the show significanbtly.Throughout there was creative use of vocals andsound effects, and the crowd enjoyed the show from startto finish.

Bluuuuuuuuuu . . . that can only mean one thing, theBluecoats. This year it's a “Brave New World,” startingwith an interesting opening set where the horn and drummusicians line the perimeter of the field. The seteventually morphs into a very compact one, all of thiswhile playing a wide range of music from Creep byRadiohead to the finale of Harvest: Concerto forTrombone. Overall, the Bluecoats have a fine hornsound and were one of many corps of the night toperform sans props.

Then there's Carolina Crown, a corps whose 2011show is titled “Rach Star.” No concept I saw thisnight had a more appropriate name. This theme isbest described as drum and bugle corps meets rockand roll, baby!

The presentation begins with the familiar beat ofQueens We Will Rock You and features in-your-facedrum and horn lines. A fine version of Iron Man movesinto a drum line tour de force through Paint it Black.

Second DCI Texas debutshows different results,generally-prepared starttext by Craig Coldren, DCW staff (ccoldren@satx.rr.com)photos by Lauren Vogel Weiss, DCW staff (perc@ont.com)

The Cadets

Blue Devils

A technically difficult horn book takes thisrock and roll show, and adds in someRachmaninoff -- a combination that, whilesounding strange, actually worked quite well.

This is the point where I personally mustcome public with my own personal problems.The past few years I have NOT been a fan ofThe Cadets. From weird talk show stages tomicrophones on just about everyone, I feltthey had strayed from what made them great.

This year’s show, “Between Angels andDemons,” for me, seemed to highlight thefight between the good and evil Cadets. Theshow begins with the “good” Cadets dressed-- except for their gold cummerbund and sash-- in Cadet cream from head to toe. The “bad” Cadetsalso sport the same gold accent, but otherwise aredressed in Cadet burgundy from head to toe, includingtheir shoes.

The “good” Cadets are kneeling, facing an angelicfigure dressed all in white, while the “bad” Cadets are offin the far corner growling and moaning, and just being“BAD” where several loud growls brought a reaction fromthe crowd. The “good versus evil” theme carriesthroughout, leading to a battle with silver and gold polesthat, under the lights, had a very cool strobe effect. Afterthe battle, the good Cadets put their poles down neatly,while the bad Cadets threw theirs away haphazardly, onealmost beaning a judge. A fun show beginning to end.

With all the changes in drum corps over the years,there was one thing you could always count on, theclassical music of Phantom Regiment. “Juliet,” the storyof Romeo and Juliet from Juliet's perspective, is classicRockford classical. Another fine show top to bottom,with a very good horn line and a strong drum line ,thiscorps entertains.

The guard was dressed tastefully in a way that

contributed to the Shakespeare theme. Some of myfavorite drill from the evening highlights this show wheregroups in circles spread across the field doing a nice jobhighlighting the music. The finale is also a classic tunefrom Phantom’s past. Elsa's Procession to the Cathedralthat stirs the heart and fills the soul.

I watch below as a scruffy, mean andrough-looking bunch begins to take the field. That can’tbe the Santa Clara Vanguard I say to myself. It is,but it’s the guard and they look exactly as you wouldthink when your show is called “The Devil’s Staircase.”Once again, a strong drum line takes the field and, forthis old tenor player, my favorite tenor line. The story ofgoing to hell and back is pulled off nicely by the corps.I also want to thank Santa Clara for choosing tocontinue to march a cymbal line. They do it and they doit right!

Last up for the night, well kids, this certainly ISN'Tyour father’s First Federal Blue Stars! Using RobertLudlum’s Jason Bourne as inspiration, the Wisconsincorps brings “ReBourne” to the field. I have to admit,I was a little leary at first when the corps rolled out a

Santa Clara Vanguard

Overall a VERYgood night fromthe first note tothe last. Van-guard playedthe encore. Istayed and gotto hear what Iwanted to hear,Send in theClowns . I leftthe stadiumhappilysatisfied withwhat I hadtaken in.Somehow Ithink drumcorps is

going to be just fine. �

This is the first of a series of e-mail blasts in betweenour regular summer monthly issues.

massive steelramp/catwalk. Over on theright side of the field andtoward the back it is alarge structure. To theircredit, they used istastefully and with re-straint.

The show starts with thecorps either on or behindthe catwalk and they comethrough it with a bang. Abig, rich sound comes fromthe horns throughout. Theguard begins the show allcarrying rifles, a really nicetouch for this old timer.Eventually the entire drumline ends up on thecatwalk. To see the drum judge standing on the groundand looking UP at the drums was almost worth the priceof admission.

The night seemed to be a mix of the old and the new.

Phantom Regiment