Field and Floor

The top 25 drum corps of the second half of the decade

At the end of the 2005 season, I crystal-balled the first half of the decade to find the 25 shows that defined 2000-2005 drum corps for me. End of the decade now; here's the 25 that closed out the ten years in great style! (The reviews are excerpts from the full season-ending pieces here.)

SIGNATURE SHOWS
Blue Knights, 2006, “Dark Knights”
Blue Stars, 2008, “Le Tour”
Boston Crusaders, 2009, “The Core of Temptation”
Carolina Crown, 2006, “In.Trance.It”
Colts, 2007, “Equinox”
Holy Name Cadets, 2009, “West Side Story”
Madison Scouts, 2008, “La Noche de la Iguana”
Mandarins, 2006, “Rhythm Nation”
Phantom Regiment, 2006, “Faust”
Santa Clara Vanguard, 2006, “Moto Perpetuo”
The Academy, 2009, “The Ascent”
The Cavaliers, 2006, “Machine”
Troopers, 2009, “Western Side Story”

LEADING EDGE
Bluecoats, 2009, “Imagine”
“ … marvelously droll, inventive, “Imagine” just might be the most engaging, crowd-friendly Canton ever!"

Blue Devils, 2008, “Constantly Risking Absurdity”
“ … its high-wire balancing act conceit was a howling success,; the Devils' reinvented much of what has become expected of the unit to grand achievement."

Carolina Crown, 2008, “Finis”
" … a nod to the drum corps' catalogue of endings-to-end-all, so in performance this wholly true-to-the-idiom, tongue-in-cheek program was musical/visual nirvana.”

Phantom Regiment, 2007, “On Air”
“ … showcase raw emotion and unbridled power. Heady, potent stuff; something was in the air.”

Santa Clara Vanguard, 2007, “!”
“Now that was a drum corps show! Gail saw that one. Eureka!"

The Cadets, 2007, “This I Believe”
"It was to be marching music's "A Chorus Line,” "our" back story, the defining connection between performer, audience, and the future. It became the penultimate bridge from DCI to Marching Music's Major League."

SETTING INDUSTRY STANDARDS

Blue Devils, 2007, “Winged Victory”
“ … encapsulated, almost documentary style, the three and a half decades, the activity, and where we go from this moment forward. For years, the Blue Devils have been called drum corps' deadliest performers in the clutch; this overwhelming achievement reinforced it. Head-shaking disbelief at the performed excellence notwithstanding, by season's end, this was the head-nodding victor."

Carolina Crown, 2009, “The Grass is Always Greener”
“ … where this newest, greenest star in the activity excelled was in the intelligence with which the audience was treated. The best fantasy rests in our minds, not in explication. By offering a world of capricious characters in the glorious rainbow of monochrome, I was able to write the story I needed every time the show was performed. Now that’s some more confidence."

Santa Clara Vanguard, 2009, “Ballet for Martha”
"Decadent in its design gall, pristine in its nuanced performance, for all of the words used to describe “Ballet for Martha” -- restraint, control, class, vintage Vanguard -- this decisive decision was the balls-iest of the decade!”

The Cavaliers, 2008, “Samurai”
“ … brought to the field what got 'em here: detailed design and pixelated precision, nuanced arrangements and symphonic sound. And it was all wrapped in an exquisite Japanese veneer. The recherche rumblings from the percussion that evoked the eastern nation and its customs hushed stadiums nationwide; drum corps ears perked at the invention. There is no escaping the visual depth and pleasure from this machine each season.”

Runner-Up: Phantom Regiment, 2008, “Spartacus”
“ … only Rockford's crew had the vision to turn a scored performance into activity-wide acclaim, with lethal timing for the rest of the competitive field. With music and percussion well in hand, Phantom had found the heart-pounding essence of the colossal tale, and then became subservient to its power. The effects overwhelmed; the scores soared. "I ... AM ... SPARTACUS" became the narrative message of the year. Slavish fan adoration became lightning-rod exhilaration at every turn. Regiment responded. The drum and bugle corps activity prevailed!”

WINNER: Blue Devils, 2009, “1930”
"The freshest ideas on the field this season were the oldest, 79 years old in fact; the Blue Devils’ lavish vaudevillian variety card of tunes from 1930 melded the traditional drum corps idiom and the corps’ own history of performance with an extravagant use of electronics. In addition to putting on simply a great show of talent, songs, and pure entertainment; the inclusion of the piano, especially in the final movement, came as close to “breaking the fourth wall” between performers and spectators as this activity has ever experienced. It was bold, brash, and brass (show) business. It was also inventive beyond measure. The marvel of doubling the corps’ size, and visual opportunities, with stark white chairs was a godsend. The eye-popping and freakishly talented color guard amazed and delighted at every turn, in each act, whether as period character or at its base equipment handling best. Fresh, new, ground-breaking -- “old”; “1930” was the dance derby of the decade!"

Page 6: Drum corps in the NYPost

"Why do I love drum & bugle so much? For the same reason I love the Rockettes and marching bands: precision and discipline combined with very loud brassy and percussive arrangements."

New York Post blogger Elisabeth Vincentelli was "corpsgasmic" about her experience in the Meadowlands. She thinks that bigger is better! And there is no bigger entertainment than drum corps. 

FIELD GRID '09

A highly personal graphic representation of the season just completed.

DCI’09: Read all about it (while you can)

Every time the 2009 World Champion Blue Devils readjusted the block of chairs from its opening dance band block to form -- $ -- I smiled. I now realize that the drill formation is the elliptical representation of the just-completed season, indeed the industry, Drum Corps International: “Marching Music’s Major League.” All the corps needed to finish the image was to have a newspaper thrown on the field with the heralding headline: DRUM CORPS RIP?

Our beloved activity is at a similar crossroads as the beleaguered newspaper industry. (Probably radio, too; but I follow the newspaper industry, so I’ll use it for comparison.) Print newspapers are thinner than ever due to fewer advertisers, they have been physically reconstructed to cost less to produce, and subscriber numbers are plummeting with the effect of the Internet cited. So in city after city, the daily newspaper has been left as a relic of its former self, if left at all. Business models of long-standing have failed, but no one has yet found a successful replacement that will sustain the industry into the future.

If readers have moved online for their news, we’ll charge them, say most. But the short history of online subscribers has failed to produce enough revenue to replace the print business.

Similarly, the number of sustaining units to participate in the DCI tour continues to dwindle; the economy affected attendance throughout the shortened season; and that natural, but always prickly contention between drum and bugle corps as an idiom and “Marching Music’s Major League” as an into-the-future tagline bristles the faithful, even as the industry quickly moves to reposition itself.

And unlike the print newspaper industry that is cutting costs everywhere it can, this season’s changes add $ -- real ones -- to each unit’s bottom line costs. Nonetheless, in some ways, we’re better off than newspapers. Between Fan Network online and quarterfinals in movie theaters, a revenue stream independent of attendance has been developed, largely successfully. And instead of perseverating over consequences of possible action, thus rendering movement of any kind impossible to even temporarily stop the leak, no one around here stops long enough to worry about the consequences of their decisions; ground-breaking rules are passed and acted on. Where we stop, nobody knows.

In a piece I wrote for Drum Corps World following the Southeastern Championships in Atlanta, I noted that “this is a game-changing year for marching music in this venue. Unlike other dialectic introductions to the drum and bugle corps arena over the years that were often rolled out timidly, slowly, unit by unit; the use of electronics is virtually universal in year one. Ambient sound, bass guitars, electric pianos, sampled voice, electric violins, recorded history, and the ubiquitous keyboard are all featured elements that add a depth of sound and place to the acoustic nature of brass and percussion instrumentation. Its groundbreaking, it’s thrilling, it’s shilling; it’s all in the purview of the viewer and listener, whether fan or judge.”

With a tenuous organizational financial foundation and a potentially polarizing idiomatic change, what’s the industry to do?

Headline: STRADDLE THE FENCE BETWEEN DRUM CORPS AND MARCHING MUSIC

Like the newspaper industry, the economic and future viability of this action flows and continues; outcome to be determined. Unlike the lack of creative inertia in newspapers, the artistic fence-straddling among units benefitted everyone this season: fans of historic standing (no matter where your personal history with the activity began), and followers of the current “marching music” model that references marching bands, save a “major league” version of them. The headlines have been written, the stories are already archived for historical reference, so here are some notions about the artistic high-wire balancing acts that units attempted to the varying degrees of popular and judged success.

DCI Southeastern Championship in the WORLD

Drum and bugle corps' independent publication of longest standing, Drum Corps World, remains, for a generation of fans and followers, "The Story Behind the Scores."

Gladly covered the Atlanta event for DCI Hall of Famer, and editor, Steve Vickers.

If the 12,000 fans inside Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, the 4,000 more watching live on Drum Corps International’s Fan Network, and the legends likely scouring the Internet for information of any kind (dci.org., Drum Corps Planet, Facebook, Twitter) were looking for season-ending information from the outcome of Saturday’s DCI Southeastern Championship, they received two succinct messages: the competition is still fierce, and “1930” was a very good year.

There are so many competitions yet to be determined; two more weeks on the field just might not hold them all. Let’s see: Is the Blue Devils’ marvelous musical stage show-pastiche, “1930,” a juggernaut; or could there be a titanic sinking yet? Have The Cavaliers reached their ultimate summit? Might a “crown” be making its way to Carolina? Are there more 75th anniversary memories in store from Holy Name’s Cadets? Just maybe, could the idiomatic pleasure of Santa Clara Vanguard’s “old-fashioned” music and drill prevail? And that’s among Atlanta’s top five finishers, alone.

As scores and placements were announced, competitive groupings and “what-if’s” surfaced; faces registered their impact like the elimination segment of competition television. It was high performance and outcome drama; just the ticket for the final all-in competition before World Championship Quarterfinals in Indianapolis.

Top to bottom, there was major league performance and artistry on display, whether live, strummed, or sampled for transmission. This is a game-changing year for marching music in this venue. Unlike other dialectic introductions to the drum and bugle corps arena over the years that were often rolled out timidly, slowly, unit by unit; the use of electronics is virtually universal in year one. Ambient sound, bass guitars, electric pianos, sampled voice, electric violins, recorded history, and the ubiquitous keyboard are all featured elements that add a depth of sound and place to the acoustic nature of brass and percussion instrumentation.

Its groundbreaking, it’s thrilling, it’s shilling; it’s all in the purview of the viewer and listener, whether fan or judge.

Halftime *takes* the field

The money quotes from the just-released July-August issue of HALFTIME Magazine:

"You're always at some level changing the intentions of music."

"The audience will dictate. If the audience doesn't like it -- if they don't enjoy it -- we're doing it wrong or using the wrong tools, and we'll stop doing it."

"We wanted to make sure it was a really great experience for the kids playing those instruments."

If we DO anything, it's going to be very minimal. And would take place during the corps warm-up. Some corps are going to use it well; some corps will use it horribly. That's how amplification went ... It's going to take awhile to figure out."

From DCI corps directors, on the issue's biggest topic: electronics in marching pageantry!

You should SUBSCRIBE.

Up to date:

GETTING POSITIONED FOR MY OWN PERSONAL
2009 "FIELD" SEASON

By rehashing what got me here:

-- The 10 stories that I followed most closely last season
-- The 2008 Campaign, in review
-- LIVE BLOGGING: DCI Open Class Semi Finals

And then by outlining the live season, to come:
-- July 24: DCI Gadsden
-- July 25: DCI Atlanta Southeastern Championships
-- July 31, August 1: DCI Eastern Classic (ALLENTOWN!)
-- August 4-8: INDY'09, INCLUDING LIVE BLOGGING of Open Class Semi Finals.

Say "hello" down the road!

The 2010 DCI Champion: in production

Salute: The Daily Dish

Vintage drum and bugle corps, for every "vintage"

"Vintage," for you, might be 2003, or 1990; but for drum and bugle corps fans of longest standing, vintage has just recently become readily available for purchase, for review, and for remembering.

Drum Corps World has vintage CDs and DVDs, the new site Drum Corps Videos offers DVDs, and then Drum Corps International offers vintage of its every year!

I'll take the 1971 Danny Thomas Invitational!

On the road, throwing down, this summer

Nice new blog; just discovered!

What is "Throw It Down" about? We're still learning.

It's about that one Bluecoat, that smallest unit of intent. One aching step to one precise dot Then another and another.

A unity of purpose in a family of 135 Zen Masters.

What it takes to put yourself out on the line. To throw it down for 80 days of pain and glory.

In that one glorious summer of your life.

Surf on this turf

Can flat, artificial turf, cause less stress? Or put the Glassmen in the "single digits" this year?

"Whoo hoo: I never expected it!"

Old acquaintances will never be forgotten with the Kilties. And this year, it will be recognized when Mr. Pavlik is inducted into Drum Corps International's Hall of Fame.

Why I'm proud to be an American ...

... drum and bugle corps fan!

Near and very dear to my heart: the "Battle" of them all.
Everyone who was there: won!
Happy July Fourth!

5 questions for:

George Hopkins|A FIELD&FLOOR CONVERSATION

Tenths of a point matter, at least when they do. What matters all the time to the leaders of both field and floor is what “5 questions for:” is intended to discuss.

First up: the leader of the oldest, and one of the most prolific, drum and bugle corps in the activity.
______________________________
1. Seventy-five years in the making; to what do you attribute the enduring nature of The Cadets’ (YEA!) organization?

The Cadets continuance, at times, has been due to personal intensity and tenacity. Many times, as with most long lasting organizations, folks have stayed the course when all else looked bleak. From investing their money; to taking off for a summer; to teaching, cooking and driving, whatever was needed.

And of course there is the matter of inertia! After so many years, "IT" just needs to keep on moving! Oh.... and a lot of luck!
______________________________
2. What financial development (fund-raising) approaches are bedrocks for the organization?

We have an annual fund drive that generates $200K per year. The drive runs from March to June and includes the phone, mail and the web. We have other direct mail campaigns that total $50K.

We also have the USSBA, a band cooperative, and we now manage 150 events per year. This program contributes significantly to the $5 million budget that is YEA! Indeed, the USSBA is far larger than the Cadets in terms of impact.

Merchandise sales total $1 million gross, including the bands. We also do golf outings, wine tastings, and run four drum corps shows, to name a few.
______________________________
3. How do you prioritize the organization’s annual budget to keep up with rising costs and activity expectations (technology, etc.)?

This is tough! To be honest, we are most negligent in investing in capital investments. We just do not have the cash.

Have to start with the half million dollar equipment and support from our sponsors. Led by YAMAHA, we have great relationships with Remo, Zildjian, Vic Firth, The Band Hall, Dance Sophisticates, and Up Front Footwear.

From a technology standpoint we have been able to get many -- many! -- things for free. We are great beggars and we have had some great board members. We recently picked up 12 laptops for no charge, a server for half price; installation is always "blood and guts."

Vehicles: we’re playing with fire! We have two vans with 200K miles, we have a box truck with 200K and we had an Expedition that had 325K.

We control expenses as much as we can. Folks work long hours, we use many volunteers, and we work to generate every nickel we can.

Historically we are up $100K or down $100K most years. It is a challenge, one we hope to turn around over time.
______________________________
4. What role do Cadet alumni play in the life of the organization?

Alumni serve on the board, as teachers, as administrators, and on the YEA! Staff. We also have alumni as donors and who support members at all levels of the organization.

Admittedly, the tie from the corps to the alumni has not always been strong. I have ruffled some feathers along the way. The move out of Garfield and now to Allentown was most upsetting, many alumni did not care too much about high school bands and when we were running the Crossmen through YEA! that was a time of great concern.

But now, folks are beginning to see why we did what we did. We have a 30 year lease on 25,000 sq feet for $800 per month in a great facility, we have stability, we have connections to the local community, and the Cadets exist not in spite of YEA! but because of it!

I love the alumni connection! Indeed, we just relearned the 1957 version of the corps song ... and it is the best.
______________________________
5. How do you evolve the corps over the years (past and future) to allow for growth and diversity, and yet honor the roots and tradition of the activity?

What the corps plays and does is a year-to-year decision, I think. How much innovation can the community take? Indeed, after 05-08 it seemed clear we needed to bring it back to square one. Too much talk, too much different … too much.

So ... here we are! “West Side Story” like you never heard or saw it, but great music, great effect, and great response.

For 2010? Undiscovered “West Side Story” ... Philip Glass revisited :-)
Who knows?

Award-winning season

“Throw It Down”, the feature length movie about drum corps -- BLUUUUUUU! -- is playing the film Festival circuit this summer; including the Connecticut Film Festival and the New York Independent Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Music Documentary.

It also won the Silver Remi Award at Worldfest Houston.

The film will next be shown at the Indianapolis Film Festival on July 17, 1 p.m. at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

On July 26 it will screen at the Oxford (OH) Film Festival, 5 p.m., at the Savannah Center in West Chester, Ohio.

The DVD is available every day right here!

Crookston Girls Drum and Bugle Corps

Calling all members, for a reunion. Were you one?

Corps 2.0

"The future is already here, it's just unevenly distributed."

Contemporary author William Gibson may offer the best reading of today's DCI; really, calling "Marching Music's Major League" drum and bugle corps, is just like holding on to the "glory days" of DOS computing systems. After the weekend's opening events, it's clear: this is high-end stuff, Corps 2.0 is on the field!

For the DOS crowd, this season is going to be a bumpy, electronic ride.

Which inevitably brings at least some people to a conversation, or rant, about just whose input has the most relevance?

A framework for the question came over the weekend, in a review of Mark Helprin's new book, "Digital Barbarism."

"Helprin acknowledges the peculiarity of arguing with anonymous commenters rather than training his fire on more intellectually serious targets. 'Why talk to the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room?' he wonders, quoting Churchill; the answer, he explains, is that in this case only the monkeys really matter. 'The philosophical basis of the war on copyright is crackpot and stillborn,' and 'apart from unavoidable forays, it is best to stay out of such thickets.' Instead, the battle should be waged 'wherever the gnats in their millions crudely make real the musings of the Mad Hatters.'”

But, but ... aren't these folks the REAL drum corps fans; aren't they the ones who bleed green, blue, red, teal, et al on behalf of their favorite unit? Aren't these folks (who Halperin later refers to as "a million geeks in airless basements") the ones whose butts are in the stands, no matter what? Aren't they the audience that matters most?

So, aren't their voices, and opinons, the ones that should be most carefully weighed, and considered? Yes, but: that uneven distribution and the future is precarious. Our first love of drum and bugle corps is uneven. My first live love was for the spit and polish that was the Kingsmen, 1972. Love for Blue Devils' 80's jazz, for Cadets' 05 "Zone," indeed for the Troopers' "circle," 27th Lancers' "cutting edge" color guard, and Argonne Rebels' 1969 "Barnum and Bailey's Favorite" are among the fields of dreams. Fields whose numbers match precisely the number of people who profess love of the idiom.

From my view of opening weekend, via DCI Channel "Fan Network," this season is going to be as technically proficient as anyone can remember, and as idiomatic as ever. Plus some.

Level your personal playing field, the future is here already. Plus some.

Drum corps gets no bigger than this

 
Nor more collectible.

Who is more excited ...

... about tomorrow's season-opening weekend of drum corps?

Corps members?

Or us fans?

YOU DECIDE -- FREE!

One Singular Sensation

... rolls from Toledo to D.C. today!

"It's an awesome way to kick off the 2009 Season! Taking the time out of rehearsal before the first show to do a gig in our Nations capital in support of music education on ALL levels across the United States is a great way for the GLASSMEN to continue our commitment to education", says executive director Brian Hickman.