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June 26 Lima, OH
DCM
Score Placement
Phantom Regiment
 74.25
1st
Glassmen
 73.70
2nd
Bluecoats
 72.60
3rd
Southwind
 59.15
4th
Capital Regiment
 51.10
5th
Troopers
 48.30
6th
Glory Cadets
 39.85
7th
Bandettes
 34.75
8th
Captions
Phantom Regiment: Guard, Total Visual, Brass, Percussion, Total Music

Glassmen: GE Visual, Total GE, Visual Performance, Ensemble Visual

Bluecoats: GE Music, Ensemble Music
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June 26 Review: Lima, OH
DCM
Thanks to Dwight Closson on rec.arts.marching.drumcorps for this review!
E-mail your review directly to reviews@scorpsboard.com!

This will be relatively short. It's late and I am tired.


First of all, this show was awesome! I've been going to shows for over 20 years (don't worry I am only 32), and this show was one of the best as far as regional shows are concerned. I was very pleased with ALL corps performances tonight!
Bandettes - Very small corps, but much improved since the last time I saw them. These kids manage to pull off a pretty good show with small numbers and very young participants. Good Job.


Glory Cadets - Again small (not as small as Bandettes), but still small. Once again they surprised me with their show. A little sloppy, but good design, sound, and GE. Not too bad!


Capital - HOLLY COW! The surprise of the evening. I have not been keeping up with the post apparently on this corps. The last time I saw them, they were Div. 3. Wow, what a change. This corps has a HUGE sound, very loud. The show design is very respectable, and it's relatively clean. Again, this corps is very young, but they manage to pull off one heck of a show. They are already beginning to knock off some Div. 1 corps. My guess is this trend will continue. Trust me, you won't believe the sound these kids generate.


Troopers - Good show. Much updated from previous years. Cleaner and more refined then last year. Still not good enough to keep up the big guys, which now includes Capital, but still an entertaining show.


Southwind - I remember reading some earlier posts that suggested these guys were not as strong as last year. Also suggested that the brass was weak. Not any more!!!! This corps surprised me based on the reviews I have read previously. I spoke to their guard instructor. He said they have been working with the brass aggressively over the last few weeks, IT SHOWS! The corps had a very powerful brass line, hot colorguard, and good overall design. Very entertaining show. Good corps to kick off the big guys.


Bluecoats - Watch out! This corps is on the move. Their score has rapidly improved. Ended up tonight with a 72.????. Well deserved. This corps really knows how to play. They too are EXTREMELY loud and more refined than Capital or Southwind. Their drill was much better than the past few years. It is faster, more energetic, cleaner, mature, etc.... And again, that classic Bluecoats brass, better than ever! Watch out for these guys, they are going to knock off a few surprises this year. Corps in jeopardy include: Madison, Crossmen, Boston????, and even Glassmen.


Glassmen - Well, I have to say that this is a corps that I always hope for the best. I remember them from the early days when they were a small corps struggling to survive. It is always nice to see one of the small guys make it to the big time, and these guys have. Unfortunately, my annual wish that these guys would eventually make it into the upper elite (top 3 or 4) will most likely not come true again this year. This show is much advanced over last year. The musical score is more technical, the drill is more complex, the ensemble is very well balanced, the drill is cleaner than others at this early stage in the game, and they are also much faster than years past. However, it's still just not quite enough. I think the show is cool, but there are some problems. There are too many starts and stops in the drill and in the music. This keeps them from competing with the top 4 and it tends to bore the crowd. I want these guys to do great, but it will require some rewrites on the music and the drill in order to continue competing with Phantom and even the Bluecoats if they are not careful. A little creativity from the staff will do wonders for this corps. By the way, the drum line kicks ass again this year. The brass is very balanced, but doesn't have the volume of Bluecoats or Phantom. Overall, an improvement over last year and a great show to watch. Good job.


Phantom - WOW! Earlier posts have underestimated these guys. This brass line is out of this WORLD! It reminds me of last years Cavaliers with a twist, a more technical score! I can't say enough about this brass line. They have it all, volume, balance, and technical difficulty. The stand still was awesome. The Drill, well, again earlier posts have underestimated these guys. They have rewritten a significant portion of their drill and it is pretty darn good. It's not a Cadets, Cavaliers, or Santa Clara drill, but it is definitely in the same league as Blue Devils, Glassmen (almost) etc.. It will be hard for the Glassmen to continue keeping pace with this corps. I expect them to begin pulling away, but anything’s possible and I am not writing off the Glassmen or any other corps for that matter. Phantom could really go places with this show. The good news is that, worst case they don't make the top 5. Well, that is saying a lot for DCI this year. Because, I am telling you, this Phantom, this show, this year would have definitely beat last years Boston. I think the top 12 could be better than ever this year!


Well, that’s it. By the way, they screwed up our seats at the show tonight, but were very accommodating. They put us in the press box, which was perfect view and perfect sound. Awesome seats!


Dwight Closson

dclosson@bright.net




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Editorial notes:




June 26 Review: Lima, OH
DCM
Thanks to kmckea@aol.com on rec.arts.marching.drumcorps for this review!
E-mail your review directly to reviews@scorpsboard.com!

OK...it's been awhile since I've done one of these, but here goes. I have now seen 4 June shows with many of the same corps in attendance. I will try to note progress and impressions after my (many times) fourth viewings of these programs.

Bandettes--Early season Division III corps...there very small brass line does an admirable job with a fairly demanding book. They achieve a nice balance and blend in the opening minutes of their production. As the show progresses, we lose endurance and projection (and struggle with notes). I think the theme (A highway journey...tunes are "Onramp, Offramp", etc.) will work for them. Just not a lot of highs and lows written in yet. The guard is doing some nice body, equipment combo stuff and handles all three pieces of equipment during the show. Some very nice sabre stuff. A lot of room for growth.


Marion Glory Cadets--OK, these guys definitely get most improved in 1 1/2 weeks on tour. It's obvious they have a staff that will continue to advance them. Horns are MUCH improved over last week (and I already thought that from their first show to Springboro). Visually they are extremely strong individually, but so many holes must be killing them in ensemble. I heard rumblings of the visual problems being addressed with the addition of some serious staff members, so watch out by DCM and DCI!! Keep up the fine musical improvements, drastic reduction in musical ensemble tears tonight.


Capital Regiment--Another major, major improvement. Show silks are now in and wow those Ballad flags are gorgeous. The reviews are true...A major step forward in quality of programming and a GIANT LEAP in terms of pacing of effects. The brass line is huge and produces a quality sound, which will only improve as the young members figure out how to move and play with the same effectiveness as when they park and bark. The percussion line is strong again, they obviously have some strong players and instructors. The guard is a major improvement as well. The book is EXTREMELY well-written and the small guard is very effectively staged so that you don't notice their small numbers. Next to Phantom, I think they had the most musical silk book of the evening. The next giant leap for this corps will be to figure out how to work as one unit. There are still MAJOR sections of the show where it feels like the percussion and brass are battling instead of working cohesively. These guys will be a force to be reckoned with in August.


Troopers--I really want to like the Troopers every year, but they never seem to get it together until the last minute. IT IS GREAT to see them out in the Midwest this early, and it will pay MAJOR dividends in August. The book is more Copland variations, and is a step forward in terms of arrangements. The drill is nice, inoffensive and unobtrusive. The guard moves pretty well, but the work seems pretty dated. The reason Capital Regiment is ahead right now and will probably stay ahead for the foreseeable future is the pacing and variety of effects they offer. The CR staff understands how to make people react, and to play off of their surprise at the quality of the corps. When Troopers play up the on the sentimental crowd favorite card, they'll continue to improve. People want to see THE TROOPERS, which is hard standard to live up to decades later and still remain competitive.


Southwind--When I first saw Southwind in Jackson, MI, I was pretty disappointed. Whereas the year before they seemed primed and confident and ready to move through the DCI ranks (evidenced by a strong 13th place finish), this year's edition seemed apprehensive and to not believe in their program. Last night was a big improvement in confidence, especially from the brass line. They put out some serious sound and seem to have a stronger understanding of their musical book. It is a nice package, and is growing on me. The highs need to be higher and the lows lower to sustain our interest, but they seem to be on the right track. Another corps that has made great strides in a week or so. Will continue to watch their progress.


Phantom Regiment--OMG they were on FIRE tonight. The tempos seemed stepped up a bit, the drill had some major additions and re-writes (the last minute or so of the show) to continue to develop what is going to be one of my favorite programs of the year. The brass line is incredible, technically sound and powerful. When they re-enter after the interlude of "Festive Overture" no matter how hard I try to remember that the impact is coming, it is GOOSEBUMP city!!! They catch you off guard with a strong guard/percussion feature that you're drawn into and then BAM!!! Impact beyond belief. I have not seen mention of their incredible guard, which is a shame. This guard easily out spun the Cadets a week ago in Columbus, and distanced themselves from the competition tonight with the addition of some GORGEOUS show silks. The lllloooooooonnnnnnngggggg phrase they spin at the beginning of Festive Overture brought ooohs and aahhhs from even those percussion guys sitting around me. Pay attention to what they're doing, it is the best written book I've seen this year so far. The naysayers that are counting Phantom out this early are gonna be surprised come August.


Bluecoats--A big improvement over last year. The Michael Daugherty based musical book is a big departure for them, but they are already selling it well. The brass line is BACK...they haven't sounded this strong in a few years. The drill is much more challenging, however there are some really, really bad guard transitions that will need to be addressed soon if they wanna hang with the big guys. Speaking of the guard, they move so well this year. It's almost like watching a ballroom dance competition for Latin styles. These kids are selling these sections unbelievable well. When they pick up equipment...well they've got some room to grow. They seem a little behind, with less filled in work than a lot of the other corps in the leaders pack. The ending is now on the field, and works well for them. Right now, one of my favorite moments comes when the hornline does a simple staccato foot movement in a blocked triangle picking up the underlying rhythm of the piece. Their future growth is going to be dependent upon them continuing to translate the Latin feel with moves like this throughout the corps and not just counting on the guard to bring that mood and feel across. Nice job, can't wait to see how this grows.


Glassmen--Again, strong improvement over last year. The darker musical book is reflected visually with a black mirrored triangle in the uniform as opposed to the gold that was there. Also the guard plays a lot of deeper families of colors against each other to give the darkness an extremely rich look (i.e. related reds, purple, burnt oranges in opening silk, blacks, silvers, and coppers in another, and the ending with muted yellows, oranges, and greens that still has a strong impact against the beige and black of the corps proper). The drill is a big step forward, probably the most demanding tonight, and they're pulling it off amazingly well for early season. But the fast motion is taking a brutal beating on the brass scores, I'd imagine. The sound is darker, but at this point still coming across blatty and raspy in spots. This will undoubtedly improve drastically in the next two weeks. Right now, they don't have the effects built to the level of Phantom where people know when and where they are supposed to respond. It won't take them long to refine this to be the case. I would be remiss not to mention a strong and musical percussion book with some wonderful undulating world rhythm undercurrents throughout, and the fine alto/mellophone soloist in the ballad. He has a beautiful sound! It's gonna be tight at the top this year! This is one of those shows with infinite growth potential, and will be fun to watch develop this season.


The crowd was phenomenal tonight, giving all corps well deserved recognition both after their shows and as they trooped the stands. Unlike the crowd at Crew Stadium in Columbus, these people gave it up for the young performers.

kmckea4207@aol.com



Email your review to reviews@scorpsboard.com!
Editorial notes:



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