In the end, I wrote this more for myself and anyone who is quite familiar with drum and bugle corps. It's difficult to describe this activity in just words. I'd advise to search YouTube for drum corps footage. You can also visit www.dci.org, which is the official website for drum corps international. Each of the corps discussed in this post has their own website as well. It's way too bothersome to link them all. At this moment, I'm just too lazy.
Glassmen and Blue Knights
I feel a bit obligated to write about these shows, but the truth is, I've just never got into their programs. I will say that the standards for being in a top 12 corps are incredibly higher than when I was even marching four years ago. Another thing: I've only seen their show once this entire season. Multiple viewings of drum corps shows do create stronger responses.
Madison Scouts
I saw this show early in the season, and it was full of energy. By then I could tell it was a great program--even in June. While not the cleanest or most difficult program in the lineup, there is something truly spectacular about it all. It helps when you've got a crowd willing to go bonkers for you. I do worry that this activity will become so insular that it kind of self-destructs. I'm all for tradition, and I think the Scouts did a good job of melding the modern with the past, but I fear that corps can get a little too concerned with the "inside jokes" for a common audience member. The tuba features weren't as amazing as I would have hoped (and Phantom handled those passages more deftly in 2005) - and they had 20 of 'em. All in all, it was a strong showing, and this had one of the most cohesive guards in setting the scene and tone.
Boston Crusaders
I’ve only had one viewing of this show. It’s a kingdom/throne show. There was an oversized throne on the field, and I have to say that it was a bit lame. I really liked the music they were playing, but that’s about all I can remember. The idea of the show seems to be about winning over a kingdom and holding your ground. It’s a bit medieval, but this idea can be applied metaphorically.
DIGRESSION – STORYTELLING ON THE FIELD
This brings about something that has bothered me about drum corps. You only have ten minutes to tell a story. This doesn’t allow for supreme depth of intricate story-telling, but it also means that you can only go about two inches below the surface of telling a story.
If you’re not going to tell a story there are ways to present the ideas in a more abstracted way. I think some corps have figured out a way to showcase themes and concepts so deftly, it’s not even funny (I think Phantom, Blue Devils, and Cavaliers are the winners this year). Others do a rather poor showing (Cadets). If you’re going to tell a story, tell one. I want to see characters struggle over their strongest needs/desires. In the end, they have to achieve it, or not. This requires extreme care and planning at the earliest stages of design and can’t be cut and paste into the show in July. I’ll probably say more about this later.
Blue Stars
This corps is a lovable one. They’ve broken into the top 12 and have a lot of momentum/fan support. They had a Houdini program this year—fully of Philip Glass music. I appreciated it, but the whole concept left me flat. Most of the magic was executed in the beginning of the show (like guard members spinning with no hands). I may have to revisit this show later on, but too many other programs held my attention.
Santa Clara Vanguard
This is the vote for most surprising corps of the year. I’ve seen this show on the fan network and it was supremely disappointing. There was no pop! I didn’t see any possibility for sizzle or power on the screen. And this presents the case/need for seeing drum corps live. Not everyone has that luxury, I know.
Vanguard presented Bartok (a composer) in a unique and bizarre way that I couldn’t help being totally transfixed on the field the whole time. No, this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I was very familiar with the music (but I don’t know enough about Bartok’s actual biography, which may allow for greater understanding) so it was fun to see how they chose to use soloists, incorporate the pit, have the full hornline play, etc. After seeing this show live a couple times, I remember how glued to the field I was. The corps weaved silence on the field beautifully. Generally, so many other corps used the pit to provide so much “atmosphere”—but that’s not the case for SCV. It was oddly whimsical and very mature. Yes, it’s obscure, but I couldn’t stop watching. Quotes from the show are in my head as I type. It made such a great turnaround impression on me.
I’ve always liked Santa Clara Vanguard. Now that I have the Fan Network for the rest of the fall/winter/spring, I think I’ll have to dive into their history and explore their archives more. It’s been rewarding so far.
Phantom Regiment
Oh boy. There is NOTHING like watching this corps live. Every time I catch them for the first time in a season, I get chills. This corps exudes authority whenever they take the field. You have to take my words with a grain of salt since, you know, I marched with this corps and everything. I have an extreme emotional attachment, and I’m sure that colors everything I have said and will continue to say about the corps.
Phantom has done away with “storytelling” this year. In the past, they’ve had solo characters weaving in and out of the corps with stories. Some of them have been told well, some of them not-too-well (but awesome nonetheless).
This year, a spirit guide (characterized by a solo flugelhorn player in an orange uniform) plays to the corps from the top right extremities of the field. The corps enters from the tunnel (bottom left side). Regiment moves along from the left to the right throughout the show and exits running off the field—as if they’ve been in transit the whole time. I just imagine the corps continuing on this journey. Their program and time on the field extends beyond the 11-minute field show, ya know?
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| Finale big "hit" in Phantom Regiment's 2010 program "Into the Light" |
“Into the Light” can be interpreted in many different ways. Someone said it’s a bit “new agey,” and I wouldn’t put that connotation on it. It’s about life cycles, spirituality, beauty, a journey. The show manages to sit in a kind of physical and ephemeral space at the same time. Okay, I’m getting way abstract, but this show is a kind of an abstracted riff on beauty (many other corps have chosen to riff on chaos, technology, self-interest this year). There’s redemption. I haven’t seen anything quite like this program before. The music was stunning (and I have to admit that I wasn’t completely sure about it when I heard the source music the first time, but it quickly grew on me).
The drill is wickedly fast. Someone mentioned that it’s extremely dense, and I agree. I do hope that the drill writer sticks with Regiment. This was a good courtship year, and I’m eager to see what will happen when the two get to know each other more.
And the guard: there’s been criticism of Regiment’s guard. I wish they would have been more on display. My eye never was rarely drawn to them (save for big hits with the flags). Not sure what else to say but I hope the guard can get the necessary jolt of swagger in ‘em.
Actually, I think that’s what Regiment needs right now: a complete, cohesive mindset that they are a contending corps. The best corps have swagger. Everyone has to buy-in to the program they are doing, believe in it, love it, and own it. The best corps know they have an excellent program and perform it. I wonder, since this year’s show was A) difficult and B) dealing with intangible ideas, that the corps perhaps had a harder time understanding what exactly they were presenting on the field. I do get the sense they were getting closer toward the end of the season. They certainly delivered on finals night.
I’m proud to have marched with Phantom Regiment. I am honored to have seen “Into the Light” (only twice live). Heck, my little bro was on the best percussion line (again).
The Cadets
Their trumpet line is sick. The hornline has some power. I liked their music, their drill. I ignored Little Jeffrey (a solo guard character as a small boy who stumbles upon a bunch of toy soldiers). This is a show where a story was weakly implemented. It didn’t have a clear enough arc and was anti-climactic. But if you look away from that content, this is entertaining drum corps.
Carolina Crown
Here’s another show where the story is sort of critical, but it’s supremely difficult to discern with the poor staging. That said, I liked this show. The hornline steals it. The music was great. In reading the show, it wasn’t until I viewed it from up high that I kind of understood what story it was trying to say. This was an exploration on second chances. What if you could go back in time and choose another lover? I’m no big fan of this—ESPECIALLY when you add this bizarro re-wind ending that calls back from last year’s show.
Full disclosure: I had no engagement with last year’s drum corps season. I can’t tell you much about what any given corps did. So when you put this kind of inside joke into the last minute of your show, I feel completely alienated as an audience member. This show, from an intellectual level, failed. On an aesthetic/design focus, I savored it. But I believe you gotta have both to contend.
Bluecoats
They had this concrete jungle kind of theme. Lots of synthesizers and effects from the pit. There was a ton of buzz online about these guys. I have to think it’s because they’re not one of the dynastic corps (like Blue Devils, Cavaliers, or Cadets) and they have a chance at winning a medal—if not the gold.
All that said, this is probably the one top six shows that was most disappointing to me. They had some intriguing visual moments. The last half of their show was most notable. But I will say the opening hit with the triangle guard flags in the center was powerful. It was a full sound with dazzling colors from the guard for a cohesive, powerful effect.
Here’s a show that wasn’t trying to tell any kind of specific story. It had more of a feeling and tone about the near future (or present). It was urban and modern. I’m not exactly sure what all the fuss was about.
Cavaliers
I saw this show in the early part of the season. It was a bit of a train wreck. I saw some ridiculous mistakes and visual missteps that I thought I would NEVER see from this corps. That said, they made one of the greatest “comebacks” and cleaned up the show.
“It’s A Mad World,” from what I can tell, explores the concept of madness and post-traumatic stress disorder? There are quotes from Full Metal Jacket, a film I have never seen (alienation again, but this time, I kind of felt like the onus was on me rather than on the corps). This kind of pop-culture reference doesn’t quite bother me. It’s also presented at the very beginning of the show; I’m contracted into how the “world” of the field works.
This show grew on me a bit. It’s quite disturbing and abrasive, and yet, the Cavaliers manage to place a little grin or whimsical stamp on what they do. It’d hard to describe.
Everything about this show seems to be designed around excellent rifle toss/catch moments. The eye is drawn to impressive catches that coincide perfectly with a brass or drums punch. It creates a lot of tension and release once it’s caught. This corps has found its niche and knows what kind of product delivers each year.
The inclusion of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” was a bit creepy, but it has stuck with me, so kudos to the Cavies, I guess.
The Blue Devils
Drum Corps Planet is completely up in arms about this show. It won. It’s a strange, strange show, and one I admittedly kind of like. It’s quite unlike anything else on the field this year (which is odd given the Bluecoats and Cavaliers shows—they explore similar thematic territories).
This is one of the more divisive programs: “Through a Glass, Darkly.” The source music is from Bob Graettinger, who composed the City of Glass Suite in the late 40s. It was controversial then. It’s orchestral jazz that is extremely chaotic.
The Blue Devils embrace chaotic orchestration. Much of their programs are known as “cut and paste” arrangements that have blips and bops from a variety of sources. Some people hate it. It’s not my favorite. I’m not totally familiar with a lot of jazz music (particularly the instrumental jazz “canon”). In any case, I was quite fascinated with the precision and difficulty of this show.
The field has a line of mirror panels that create some pretty cool effects. The hornline hides behind the panels at the beginning of the show. The field can become full of activity and instantly bare in a manner of seconds.
Some of the members see themselves in the mirrors and become fixated on the image. It’s another abstract/futuristic show that thrives on asymmetry and chaos. This isn’t toe-tapping hum-this-the-next-day kind of show. But whether you appreciate, like it, or not, I can’t help but acknowledge the swagger the Blue Devils held this year. And I think that’s what you need to contend in this activity. Some people really resent a show like this won and is favored by the judges. Some are haranguing that drum corps need to be more entertaining and cater to the fans, not the judges.
I really challenge someone to be able to find what exactly an audience wants. I heard/saw people going bananas for both the Blue Devils AND Phantom or any other given corps throughout finals. How can one know what the audience wants?
I, for one, am kind of tired of the same formula of:
• Exciting Opener
• Lush Ballad
• Crazy Drum Solo
• Epic Finale
(This is grossly over-generalized)
The “story” seems to be the same too:
Girl meets boy
Girl loses boy
Girl gets boy back (usually with the couple running at each other to meet at the 50 yard line)
You can have this, but I want more innovation. And putting props on the field is going great if you can utilize them to the greatest ability. The Blue Devils used the mirrors quite effectively, I think.
EVERYTHING that happens on that field has to serve a purpose.
It’s quite possible that I may be over-intellectualizing things. You can only do so much with ten minutes on the field. Many of my qualms are with design and planning rather than execution (which makes sense since I only saw the corps in their top form for the finals).
Much more could be said, explained, discussed. I decided that since it's been OVER A WEEK since finals, I've wanted to just get something published up here. I have a terrible habit of committing to something in writing and then not following through. I've got ideas, but they need to be spit out. So here it is.
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