Drum Corps

[dashDustin]

I thought we had a thread on this, but the search revealed nada.

This past weekend I went to DCI Southwestern, which was my first time to see a competition since 2000. I pretty much stopped paying attention once electronics were allowed. Nowadays, electronics have become common, as well as amplified vocals, which I'm not a real big fan of. However, despite the electronics and vocals

Drum Corps remains one of the most fascinating events I can watch. It's captivating and mind blowing. The precision and timing, sound quality. It's unreal.

We got there just in time to see the Madison Scouts, and even after all these years, they're still the entertainers they were 15yrs ago. Forget sports, this is where I want my (step)kids to go. Their first hit...the wall of sound...there's nothing like it.

Having never been a drummer, but always wanting to be, that's where my attention was. I've known plenty of good corps drummers...mostly snares. I've watched them practice hours on end. Still, to see the performance, 8 folk is perfect unison, matching stick heights, judge all up on them. Incredible. Even the oft-made fun of pit is beyond comprehension.

Most amazing, despite how awesome I thought the shows were, the scores were still 10pts under where they will be in a month and a half at Finals.

This stuff gives me goosebumps. I'd post a video, but DCI has pulled them all from Youtube. I don't know that there's anything that can take me to my happy place like drum corps.

Surely some of y'all have been a part of some corps somewhere at some point in time.

[spopepro]

Surely some of y'all have been a part of some corps somewhere at some point in time.

[Bob Ross]

Drum Corps remains one of the most fascinating events I can watch. It's captivating and mind blowing. The precision and timing, sound quality. It's unreal.

What really blew me away was how so much of that captivating/unreal precision and sound quality is evident when you don't watch, but just listen.

When I was an undergrad at music school one of my bandmates hailed from Georgia, where Drum Corp and Marching Band were a huge way of life. He once invited me over to his apartment to listen to some recordings of his alma matter high school band.

I thought he was crazy. I'd played in marching band during elementary school and junior high, I'd seen enough halftime shows on TV to know (sic) that without the fancy choreography this was just gonna sound like Stars & Stripes For Fucking Ever.

But Tom usually had some good weed, so I went over anyway. Holy crap was I in for a surprise:

The thing that was so shockingly mind-blowing was how deeply entwined the choreography and the musical arrangements were. You want the sousaphones to get quieter and a little darker? You don't just write "mezzopiano" on their parts, you have them all turn around 180° and march away from the listener! Just brilliant use of space as part of the orchestration. I was supremely impressed.

And that was >30 years ago. Now I'm a complete sucker for any Drum Corp, Marching Band, Fife & Drum etc. Dem crispy snares, HNNNGGG!

[dashDustin]

BD ring

What year?

College roomie freshman was 98 Phantom, 2001 - 2003 Cav snare.

[spopepro]

What year?

College roomie freshman was 98 Phantom, 2001 - 2003 Cav snare.

99-2001. 98 phantom was really good. 2001 cav... not my favorite for probably obvious reasons. Can't help but feel like we lost the whole thing on thursday night.

[deano]

Drum Corps is indeed sweet. I was in a pretty showy high school marching band growing up in Ohio. It erred more toward pops (Sting, Earth, Wind & Fire, etc.), but our director was huge into drum corps and the best of our musicians did a bit of that after high school, or if they could, were in the OSU marching band.

I'd like to think we have high school marching bands, DCI, etc. to thank for providing so many talented multi-instrumentalists to round out the hipster bands/orchestras popping up. Need a tuba for your indie folk outfit? An oboist? They're around... As twee as some of the acts can be, some are really great, and it's nice to see music getting away from the 'only guitars and boot-cut jeans allowed' club. So, yeah, band.

[zetroc]

I grew up rooting for the Blue Devils in my hometown of Concord. Cool stuff.

[dashDustin]

99-2001. 98 phantom was really good. 2001 cav... not my favorite for probably obvious reasons. Can't help but feel like we lost the whole thing on thursday night.

BD 2000 is probably the 2nd most listened to mp3 on my computer/ phone/ iPod. I think that's one of the most ear-pleasing pieces from beginning to end that I've heard/ seen.

[spopepro]

BD 2000 is probably the 2nd most listened to mp3 on my computer/ phone/ iPod. I think that's one of the most ear-pleasing pieces from beginning to end that I've heard/ seen.

Everyone is always partial to their own shit, but 2000 was the best show ever and we couldn't ever play it right. The 3 weeks in europe really messed with our preparation and the show was just too hard. The opening was 170 with tied whole notes. 30 seconds in and you can't even breathe. We couldn't hardly do the show on damp fields because of so much jazz-running. The studio recording sure was nice though.

We had it right for one night. If anyone was at the show in Erie PA, that was the best we ever played it. There were thunderstorms so our warmup was all messed up and we basically did the show cold. It was electric and tight and everything that it needed to be. We thought that we finally got on top of it and the championship was our for the taking. We weren't ever able to do it again.

[chasea]

My junior high and high school band didn't really march. We were orchestral or jazz. I didn't really dig much marching stuff, because I couldn't find a "feel" to it. Technique alone never really did it for me. Jazz was the same. I grew up in Memphis, rock and roll seemed to be in the air/ the water/ whatever.

I had friends in New Orleans, and would road trip down there once a month. There was this beat. It was a march. It was jazz. But it had a feel. It was inescapable.

RRL RRL RL

It was designed for parades/ funerals/ etc. It was designed so you could shake hands/ take a drink/ pass a joint and not drop the beat.

It was this and the clave. 2/3 clave. 3/2 clave. Existed somewhere between straight and swung. That was a new place.

My 17 year old mind was blown wide open. Actually saw this guy doing it, no idea at the time who he was.

[spopepro]

One thing to echo from Dustin: if you haven't ever been, go. There's nothing like it, and it sure as hell ain't marching band. This year is half over, so it might not be true for the remaining 2015 tour, but guaranteed at some point in the summer there will be a show near you. We would hit ~40 states in 6 weeks. It has remained this kind of cult like thing where those who are into it are REALLY INTO IT, but most of the world hasn't ever heard of DCI. And that's a shame because it's an unreal experience.

[dashDustin]

Finals will be shown throughout the US at Cinemark theaters. While it won't have the same effect, it'll still be awesome. Might be better...who knows. At Southwestern, we were midway up the stands...horns were pointed above us, and it was kinda hard to make out the show design, but it was still badass.

Watch Videos Online | DCI Blue Devils 2000 | Veoh.com

Not sure how that works on other computers. I can't hear it on mine.

[spopepro]

Finals will be shown throughout the US at Cinemark theaters. While it won't have the same effect, it'll still be awesome. Might be better...who knows. At Southwestern, we were midway up the stands...horns were pointed above us, and it was kinda hard to make out the show design, but it was still badass.

Watch Videos Online | DCI Blue Devils 2000 | Veoh.com

Not sure how that works on other computers. I can't hear it on mine.

Sound is there for me, but slightly out of sync. The problem with any recording, or simulcast, is that there isn't really a way to record the full dynamic range. You won't ever hear soft stuff and the "wall of sound" moments just kind of sound like pink noise. Watching again reminds me that a) yes, we really were hauling ass the entire damn time and b) oh my god so many errors... so many.

The alamodome is one of my least favorite venues. The audience rake is so shallow that it's hard to reach the top. So you end up with dome echo without any of the fun. Also, it was kind of dark 15 years ago. But those texas band kid crowds were always awesome. So were the places on the riverwalk that didn't card.

The sound sucks (well, so does the video quality... hmmm), but this is probably my favorite memory. It can't come through in the recording, but this was so effing loud people were shuffling back. We ended our parking lot warmups with this in 99. Best warmup ever.

[dashDustin]

I was one of those TX band kids in 2000. I think about 15 of us went. Cadet snare soloist dropped his stick during his solo.

No warm-up will ever touch Ditty being played under...i don't know what the chord progression was called. We called it the BD Progression in high school. It was our on-field warm-up my senior year.



I can't imagine the soprano that's above everyone had full chops after that.

[etcetera]

this is crazy............I loathe the school (and 94% of their fan base) but their marching band performances are on point.

maxresdefault.jpg

[spopepro]

I was one of those TX band kids in 2000. I think about 15 of us went. Cadet snare soloist dropped his stick during his solo.

No warm-up will ever touch Ditty being played under...i don't know what the chord progression was called. We called it the BD Progression in high school. It was our on-field warm-up my senior year.



I can't imagine the soprano that's above everyone had full chops after that.

We call it F-tuning. Everyone has chops for days. Typical rehearsal day is marching block 8-12, music block 1-5, full ensemble 6-10. In 2001 we were a little behind schedule and we did our horn warmup at 9am. 11 hours of brass playing, and while it wasn't fun, it wasn't as bad as the day at herst-euless-bedford stadium (I think that's the name) on the astroturf on a day where people were advised to stay indoors due to excessive heat.

On the slideshow with ditty at ~0:50 I'm 99% sure that's the wedge from the end of the 99 ballad taken at camp randall stadium. If that's true, then the second person from the left is me (taller one).

[evo111]

Back in the mid to late 70's during high school I marched with several southern California A/B Corps and followed the scenes through the 80's and 90's. Now my kids are entering the high school age and are interested in drum corps. Just saw a show in Hattiesburg, MS and the "kids" march and move faster, farther and with more theatricality and musicality than the "old" days. Not a big fan of the electronics and amplifiers but it works. Blue Devils always have been a favorite and I still support them yearly. Tonight they were spot on and Madison Scouts had a great show.

[dashDustin]

We call it F-tuning. Everyone has chops for days. Typical rehearsal day is marching block 8-12, music block 1-5, full ensemble 6-10. In 2001 we were a little behind schedule and we did our horn warmup at 9am. 11 hours of brass playing, and while it wasn't fun, it wasn't as bad as the day at herst-euless-bedford stadium (I think that's the name) on the astroturf on a day where people were advised to stay indoors due to excessive heat.

On the slideshow with ditty at ~0:50 I'm 99% sure that's the wedge from the end of the 99 ballad taken at camp randall stadium. If that's true, then the second person from the left is me (taller one).

I can't believe you'd remember something as minor as Hurst-Euless-Bedford (Pennington Field). Must've been real bad.

[dashDustin]

just came across that. someone has uploaded a lot of the shows. think it'll come down to BD, Cadets, and Carolina...my thinking is BD has more room to improve than the Cadets do. Bluecoats would be good to watch if you're into good use of electronics.

[dashDustin]

Found this video from Saturday. Carolina Crown debuted a new finale, which was pretty damn cool. Right around the 12:15 mark.