Listed are the dates and the show site, the reviews will be filled in, if and when they are available or submitted.  The following reviews are solely the opinion of the reviewers.  If you disagree with any comments, feel free to email the author, all reviews are signed with an email address.  If you want to add your review to this page, send any reviews, comments or questions to: soundmachine@soundmachine.org

Thursday June 25

Grand Rapids, MI (DCM) As always, my review is made up of my opinions, and you may find them completely wrong. So be it. First off: the stadium tonight, Housemann Field, was almost barren. I'd say around 250 people tops, and maybe that's even a little generous. Not a good turnout for something that's supposed to be a fundraiser for a corps. The Coachmen hosted tonight's show. Grand Rapids is a BIG town, much bigger than Port Huron, MI or even Michigan City, IN, that hosts TWO shows. ADVERTISE ADVERTISE ADVERTISE your shows, coordinators -- people don't fill the stands if they don't know there's a show. *sigh* I felt almost embarassed for the corps coming all this way to perform for such a paltry audience. But those of us that WERE there were all hardened Drum Corps vets. We knew what was going on, and we made PLENTY of noise. A good time was had by all :) Anyways. On to the show. In reverse order of finish: Bandettes: 20.1 Well, what can I say. I give these young women my full respect for a wonderful effort. The Bandettes are fielding 10 brass, 9 perc, 8 colorguard, and a DM. OK, so they're not the Blue Devils. But I will say, they have a VERY good sop soloist whose solo rang through the stadium and gave me goosebumps -- and the colorguard is actually quite advanced and are very well together. And the entire corps is so darn cute -- there's just something neat about an all girl bass line in kilts. Bravo for a gutsy performance tonight, ladies. Coachmen: 35.9 The Coachmen are smaller than the Bandettes -- 9 brass, 7 perc, 3 colorguard, 1 DM -- but those 9 horns play very nicely together. They have an ensemble quality to them that is very impressive for such a small group. There's definetly talent in that Brassline just screaming to cut loose. The 3 colorguard are also very good for their size. They did very well with their flag and rifle work during the show. Odd musical moment of the night: the guard pounding black boxes with metal chains. The significance of this moment escaped me -- anyone else care to help me on this? Cincinnati Glory: 49.4 FUN FUN FUN FUN. This corps is a hoot to listen to. Kudos to the soloist at the beginning of the show -- you set the tone for the entire 11 minutes. The opening number has a melody that is absolutely infectious -- you catch yourself humming along with the music. FUN FUN FUN. This was the first corps I had to stand and cheer for in the middle of the show. And that drumline! Zowie! I'm not a drummer, but they were doing SOMETHING right because the audience erupted in applause after the end of their Drum Solo. I dunno what kind of score they got, but in my humble opinion they were right up there. DON'T miss this corps -- this is NOT a bathroom or hot dog break time when they hit the field. This group is going places. Kiwanis Kavaliers: 56.4 Someone get this corps some COLOR! The entire corps -- brass, perc, and guard, are dressed in black with silver highlights. It's OK when the guard is twirling flags, but when they dont -- and there's a section towards the end where they don't spin a flag for a couple of minutes -- the corps suddenly becomes a bore to watch. There's nothing to focus on, just a lot of black. I dunno why that is, just perhaps a psychological thing. The last push towards the end is lovely with the multicolored flags, and the corps looks as if they enjoy the music they are playing, which is important. "An American in Paris" is very accessible for an audience, and they responded nicely. Pioneer: 60.1 I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I think this corps' scores are low for some reason unbeknownest to myself and the audience. What am I not seeing that drags their score down a bit? The brassline is MUCH better than they were two weeks ago -- not nearly as crass - , the percussion seems very sharp and together, and the colorguard girls are steadily progressing and bringing the Visual scores up. Everything seems to be clicking for Pioneer. The corps got a well-deserved ovation from the crowd after the end of their first number -- they were quite hot tonight. A couple of screaming sops ups the excitement notch a factor or two, and the kevlar/mylar mix on the percussion is very interesting to listen to. No new unis yet-- when do they arrive? Blue Knights 72.1 A well deserved score, IMHO. Some of you will probably look at the score and think "inflatomatic." Normally, if I was sitting in your position, I would definetly think the same thing. But I very much believe that BK earned this score tonight. I may be wrong. I probably am. :/ We'll see what they get tomorrow with Phantom around. Anyways, the show. The opening Shostakovich is an absolute thrill to watch and listen to -- it was even better when we got to hear it up close during the victory concert. The pit is FLYING during this song -- keep an eye on them. The brassline is very rich and lush and up to the task, and the percussion is classic BK. I'm an owner of Shostakovich's Sym. 10, Mvt. 2 on CD, and I listened to it on the way to the show tonight. It is by no means an easy piece to play yet BK NAILED it to the wall. I want a recording of them playing it -- it was sweet. The flags look like someone took a bunch of paintings off the wall of a museum, took the canvas out of their frames, and stuck them on flagpoles. They're beautiful. And the butterfly apparatuses (?) during the second ballad were also very lovely. A nice, solid job from the colorguard. And the level of the drill looks as if it has been taken up a notch from last year, as well. Beethoven's 9th is an excellent end to a very well crafted show. This is a show with its own flavor this year, and you're not too likely to forget it in the shuffle like some other BK years. Fun sidenote: When the BK Drum Major (don't know a name) came up to conduct the finale for the corps, a bunch of the little local kids ran up to him and wanted to shake his hand, play with his hat, etc. The DM was a class act, greeting the kids with a smile and letting them touch his uniform, hold his hat, play with the plume, etc. And when he was conducting the encore, they all stood in front of him and mimicked conducting along with him -- it was HILARIOUS. The corps members down on the track were having a hard time keeping a straight face. BK this year is a very classy corps with a decent shot at making some noise and causing a few earthquakes along the way this year. Congrats on their win this evening, and good luck to them tomorrow night and the rest of the season. Jeremiah Peterson -- wondering if he should bite the bullet and drive to LaPorte tomorrow

Wednesday June 24

Spartanburg, SC (DCI Atlantic) Mind you, these are all my OPINION...please don't send me hate mail if you disagree.... Spirit of Atlanta (61.4)- great show! Great guard and horn line. The show itself was probably the most entertaining of the night. I even found myself getting a few goosebumps as I watched their performance...great job this year guys.Also, the drumline was great! I had a drummer sitting beside me and she was in awe the whole time... I honestly don't think they received what they deserved tonight. I was definitely thinking higher up in places, but I'm not the judges.... Crown (66.0) Well Crown started with a cool opening. They have improved a lot since Columbia. THey did a really good job of keeping together which is pretty hard with Russian Christmas. They had a really neat opening move that I don't really know how to explain, but just trust me. One thing that bothered me was the two totally different styles of music..granted they are supposed to be different but this was a little too much of a change for me. Also, they tended to be a little top heavy except for one obnoxious contra bass who kept announcing his arrival.... It kind of lost the mood. Other than that, Crown seems to be progressing nicely. Magic of Orlando (66.3)- pretty good show..not as entertaining as Spirit in my opinion, but a little cleaner. They also get my award tonight for the best cymbal visuals :)~ I wasn't too thrilled with the guard uniforms but I never am by nakedness and spandex. However, the corps was loud and special applause goes to the mellophone section especially the guy with all the solos. You were incredibly awesome! I don't think I've heard range like that in a while. Crossmen (69.9)- I was pretty disappointed with this year's show. Still an old pet peeve, the black jackets on white pants really bugs me...but on to the show. Their drill was a lot cleaner than the two previous corps. They did a good job with softer sections and played pretty well in balance when they were louder...but the show just lacked the umph it needed to keep the crowd interested. I found myself studying other people in the stands..and the cadets who were setting up off to the side.... Cadets (77.2) Wow! These guys are great! I am really surprised at how clean they are this early in the season..of course, it is the cadets! The guard was, as usual, just fantastic. They manage to do their own thing without taking over the whole show. I really liked the double silks they used during one part of the show..really beautiful... This year's show is unlike the previous years in that it is more dark and mysterious. Not at all the peppy cadets I'm used to. Of course, they still have their jaw dropping forms and unreal mellophone runs. The drum line also was very good :)~ Something I found humorous...tonight during their show, the cadets lost one snare stick, one shoe, and one trumpet. I guess it just got knocked out of the poor guy's hands. But a judge recovered it and gave it back to him. I'm surprised no one lost anything else in those complicated swirls they manage to pull off and end up in one piece! Overall, a great show with a lot of potential..should do just fine in August. That's all for now..thanks for reading my comments.... - Shealy To start things off I will have to admit that I thought that the show started at 7:30 and I missed the first 2 corps. So I won't be able to comment on the Volunteers or the Spirit of Atlanta. I will say that everyone around me seemed to all say that Spirit was very loud and entertaining. Division 1 5th Place-Spirit of Atlanta...61.4 Missed this corps... 4th Place-Carolina Crown...66.0 The 1998 edition of the Carolina Crown is presented with the corps in purple uniforms and the color guard in sky blue flowing outfits. I could do without the yelling and beating of sticks from the drumline at the beginning...oh well, at least they were excited. The corps currently has 56 brass, 31 percussion, 34 guard, and 1 drum major. The corps starts with a spinning drill move which puts the corps into a large block spread across the field. The colorguard is on center stage and performs well for so early in the season. The brass section has a few control problems as the show starts, however I noticed that the brass seemed to improve as the show went along. I believe the hornline will clean up nicely and add alot to this great show. It seemed that the music was written for alot of exposure in the various brass sections, therefore all of the performers will have to be on their best to make the show work. The drum line was pretty clean for most of the show and will place well this year. I must note that the "pit" had some nice keyboard work. All in all this is one of the most enjoyable shows I have seen from the Carolina Crown and should provide them with a challenge to clean and perform. I do believe it can take them to the top 12 if they work hard. 3rd Place-Magic of Orlando...66.3 I saw a thread about them needing new uniforms and I have to say that they look pretty good from the stands...just don't look at them up close. The corps is dressed in Purple uniforms with black pants. The guard is in red outfits which really stand out on the field. The corps currently has 61 brass, 31 percussion, 28 guard, and 2 drum majors. The corps sound is really good. The marching seemed to have a few phasing problems and stood out mostly during the drum solo where the corps is marching all over the field and is pretty dirty. I do have to say that this corps has a lot of energy and conveyed it well to the audience. All in all a fun show which should make them competitive this year. 2nd place-Crossmen...69.9 The corps is marching in black uniforms with the red Crossmen cross on their chest. The guard is in black pants with turquoise tops which match the turquoise drums. They really stand out well against the black corps unis. They currently have on the field 51 brass, 31 percussion, 36 guard, and 2 drum majors. Their opening statement is a loud "park and blow" which was in your face. The guard had some nice flag work which looked pretty clean and well executed. During the show the corps had 3 cymbal players pick up toms which gave them 7 tenors on the field. at this time the drum line is split up and plays some parts together. I must make note that this drum line played the least out of anyone tonight. Too much down time. I would guess that their was at least a period of 2-3 minutes in which the drums didn't play a note. It's hard to make a mistake when they aren't playing. On the other side when the drums are down the brass section is making beautiful music using different dynamics and performing well. Their are a few screamers in this group who can really play the soprano well. I found myself tapping my toe to this show unconsciously and really enjoyed the jazz. The horn line still appears to have some holes to fill and anyone who joined this corps should really enjoy performing this show. I must send kudos to the pit once again, as they seemed to get the award for the most energetic group of the night. I must end by saying that I like the Crossmen LOUD and this show, although performed well, is just too soft for me. 1st place-Cadets of Bergen County...77.2 The cadets are dressed in their traditional uniforms with the guard dressed in a striking red outfit. They currently have on the field 64 brass, 25 percussion, 34 guard, and 2 drum majors. I did notice one tenor hole in the drum line. The corps enters the field in a regimented block which breaks into a free form to their spots in which the members practice horn angles, marching style, etc. There is no warm-up and the corps is off to the races... The show is a typical fast paced moving drill with many pass throughs. The brass section seems to be having some control problems with the hard drill moves which I'm sure will be worked out in due time. The drum line appeared to play very well. they were balanced and seemed to lend well to the music. Nice bass drum line! During one part of the show the corps plays the scales they have become known for, at a fast pace with stops of silent drill in between. This is very hard and seemed to be performed pretty well. Close to the end the drum line spreads itself from 10 to 10 across the back hash and the corps forms an arc and simply sounds beautiful. From here it is all brought back in for a typical fast paced suspenseful ending with multiple pass throughs in the drill and ending in a huge X across the field. All in all a great show which definitely has the possibility of being a winner. Clean it up and they are a contender! Tonight they were definitely the crowd favorite. As I walked to the car it began to sprinkle...Tonight the drum corps gods smiled upon us. A great show with lots of talent. I saw the Oswego IL DCM show last week and can tell you all that drum corps 1998 is going to be a treat for you all. Get to a show soon! Thanks for the read...comments welcome!  Jamison E.

Tuesday June 23

Columbus, OH (DCM) Okay, I don't remember the exact scores, sorry, but it was something like Marion Cadets 6th, Vagabonds 5th, Glory 4th, Kiwanis 55-something - 3rd Bluecoats 64.9 I think - 2nd Blue Knights 66.4 or so - 1st Someone else will have the exact thing and DCI will have the recaps soon. I'll give you a review though of the top 3 since I arrived after intermission. It was a really nice night for a show about 20 miles west of Columbus in West Jefferson. The stadium was small and not real high and filled almost capacity with maybe 800 people. The track was cinder and the grass looked thick and a little tall for marching (it showed). Blue Knights were the first of the last 3 on. They were in a close formation to start which made them look a little small. 4 quads, 4 basses, 7 snares, 55 or so horns. Didn't get a count on the guard which was outfitted in dark blue outfits. A book of symphonic stuff, this show struck me as rather accessible for a Blue Knights show (in relation to the "average' fan). The horns were strong to start and at the end of the 2nd piece they did this sustained chord thing that was really rather pretty (much in the vein that STAR has done in the past). The drum solo in there was good, but I don't know drums, but some of it sounded rough. A side note: there's a mello guy, that either has a broken arm or just has one arm (I couldn't focus too well to figure it out), but I have to tell you this mello kicked butt. Think of how hard it would be to play and hold a mello with just one arm. This mello was dead-on fantastic in posture, playing angle and marching. All I can say is that I was floored and inspired by the person. Wow, no double wow!! The guard appeared as though they were still learning things (as were all guards), and there was some rough visual spots. Again the grass looked like it slowed a lot of people down and made technique suffer a great deal. For the Dvorak "Going Home" section the guard picked up butterfly wing flags that looked like they were hand colored. The look was nice and I understand where they're going with the butterfly wings in conjunction with the music, but it just took me a while to get used to it - I don't know why. Plus, at the end of the piece some of the guard only had one wing which struck me as kind of morbid (thinking of a next-door neighbor kid pulling a wing off of a fly and watching it flail around). I think this might grow on me, but I figure there's more to be put in there. The Beethoven finale is interesting, since I think it's hard to pull "Ode to Joy" off without sounding square and cheesy. BK's horns at times have a really nice sound, but being early the quality level goes up and down at times. I think this line will be able to sound extremely full by August and I look forward to hearing that. Still there were parts in the closer that lacked oomph and seemed kind of listless. But being early, that doesn't mean a whole lot at all. Overall, I think this show has a lot of potential, it's hard to say if it could go Top 6 since there was no Top 6 corps there to compare to and I haven't seen any other shows yet. Kiwanis was next and looked small too. I was told they've been together less than a week. The American in Paris concept fits these guys well. I think most of the guard uniforms were not in or something, otherwise they tended to get lost in all the black out there. Kiwanis had a lot of rough spots that appear to be mostly due to learning this ambitious show, but the thing Kiwanis did this evening that was very impressive was their performing. These guys came out and did an excellent job at performing. And it looks like they enjoy the show which makes it that much more convincing. Yeah, they had their problems, many of which show up when they spread out and you see a number of holes, but they didn't let that dampen their performance. They went out and tried to sell the show and they did a darn good job of it. Once they pick up more people, get more road time under their belts, these guys will make a strong run up the ladder. I believe I saw 7 snares, 5 basses, 3 tenors and horns numbering in the 40s or so. Again, didn't get a guard count. The only major hassles I saw with the show was how ambitiously it is written, there are some parts in there that look extremely difficult for any level of drum corps (visually speaking) and honestly, I don't think some of it fit into the package all that well. Being early, that kind of stuff can be overlooked and hopefully the staff will make the necessary adjustments. Kiwanis has always impressed me the last few years with their programming and understanding of performing and entertaining. I see no change in that this year and by August they will be another great corps to sit and watch in Orlando. Last on was the "home" favorites, the Bluecoats. Starting in a big spread formation, the corps started with a contracting move with the pit only playing. This led into an opening fanfare and some nifty color guard "tricks" with lots of nice color. Firstly, the guard will really catch the eye as they get lots of features and make good use of color. The fanfare seemed like maybe it was recently learned and wasn't as impactful as it could've been. The striking thing about the first half of this show was how well they moved compared to the other corps. Another side note: The thing that both Blue Knights and Bluecoats are doing very well is programming impact points. There are many moments in both shows that will make a fan sit there and think "wow," or "neat," or "cool," and so on. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of the Summertime selection because I think it's been nearly beaten to death, but Canton tries hard to make it different and mostly succeeds in making it a sultry type piece. The horn line is loud, has some really good sop soloists, but also has some holes. I counted 6 or 7 snares, 5 quads, 5 basses, 53 or so horns and a lot of guard people. The drum solo is interesting, but maybe the battery was a little overexcited or something? I don't know my percussion that well, but it didn't seem to quite click like one would've hoped. Still it was good and the quad line looks like it might just be something real special. Summertime melds into a vocal thing which melds into the ballad solo for Autumn Leaves. Those who can remember the '87 and '88 Bluecoats and Autumn Leaves from there will have no problem relating. There is a lot of (intentional) similarity. Again, there's a strong soprano section here and the impacts are well paced and generate good crowd response (albeit a somewhat biased crowd - not that there's anything wrong with that). Still they are learning the show and so some of this stuff doesn't quite click in just yet, but there's a lot of strong components here that could make the summer a lot of fun, not only for the members, but for fans too. The biggest thing at this point is that I can't say enough about the guard, I was highly impressed by them over and over again. So, are the Blue Knights Top 6 material? Are Kiwanis Top 12? Will Bluecoats improve over last year's drop? It's hard to say after one measly show in the middle of June, but I think BK and Bluecoats equal out in a lot of areas at this point. Meaning it will be a matter of performance and strength of adjustments that will separate them. Kiwanis has the show to move themselves up, they need to get some more people and keep working hard. And that covers the 2nd of 3 Columbus shows this summer (next one is July 12th in Cooper Stadium). The Bluecoats were on their way to an 11-hour bus trip for a show in Durham, NC on Thursday. I heard BK and Kiwanis were on their way to Lima (NW Ohio) for a show tomorrow. Jeff Wise

Warner Robbins, GA (DCI Atlantic) Finally, my first show of the season. I've been waiting all year to see how Spirit of Atlanta has come along since I had to leave in January. And, boy, was I happy with what I saw. However, I was unhappy with what the judges saw. I and the two people I was with and some others around us all agreed that the judges must have been smoking crack when they were supposed to be watching the corps. If you were there, you'll know what I mean. Let's just say that Spirit, Cadets, and Magic were the only corps that got standing ovations after their shows. Why? Crown was boring as hell and didn't perform that well. Crossmen started off strong but "First Circle" needs some major work if they want to get the crowd into the show. I love the Crossmen, but I was very disappointed at the end of their show. I expected more. Lone Star: Their drum line is too big for the corps. They have 18 percussion and 13 horns and 4 guard. The drum line is really good, but I think they need to do some major recruiting outside. I don't know the pieces they played because they weren't originally on the schedule so they weren't in the program I got. Volunteers: My personal opinion is that the music is too hard for the kids. They're a relatively new corps trying to play Bernstein. Not too many top 12 corps could pull this show off very well, much less a Division III corps. Nothing against Div III, but it's generally a good idea to play easier shows at that level. Spirit of Atlanta: As I said, I was very happy with the way things have turned out. They've nearly got a full corps although a few were missing tonight due to illness or injury, causing holes in the drill. The brass line is better by leaps and bounds over last year as well is the drum line. Next to Magic, they were the loudest corps there and they weren't afraid to let you know that. As opposed to a few years past, the loudness is not without quality tone and sound. I don't know what show the judges were watching when Spirit was on, maybe Jerry Springer, but they certainly didn't see what I saw and that is a corps that's going places this year. Tthey sure as hell were not over 4 points behind Crown and in many opinions around me, not behind Crown at all. Carolina Crown: snore... wake me up when it's over. I'm sure they're going to get a lot of this this year, but when you compare their opener to SCV '87, it's not even close. I felt like Crown missed all the big impacts in Russian Christmas Music. The drumline was OK. Certainly not better than BD (as mentioned a few months ago) and not much better than Spirit, if at all (we'll find out tomorrow when DCI posts the recaps). They had a very large guard, but I don't remember them doing anything special. Their score was too high above Spirit and too close to Crossmen and Magic. Cadets of Bergen County: Another snoozer. Well, not really; but when they face the big boys, there's going to be a lot of restlessness in the crowds waiting for something to happen. It's a typical Cadets show. Fast drill, great tenor solo, lots of paradiddlediddles in the snare line, a few people fell, great guard, lots of horn runs. What can say but it's been done before. Crossmen: They started out great with Third Wind but fell apart after that. All three pieces were true to the originals by Pat Metheny, which is OK except that, in drum corps, you need to have more impacts to keep the crowd involved. Third Wind had them. The last two pieces didn't. I believe they were too close to Magic. Magic of Orlando: Great show. It was the best show by Magic in a long time. The only thing that bothered me was the drum line. The snares sounded awful. If they were clean, you couldn't tell. The tenor solo fell apart. If they beat any division I corps there in drums, I'll eat a shoe. The brass line more than made up for it. As mentioned, they were the loudest corps there followed closely by Spirit. The music was very well written and they played it very well. I think they should have done better. I honestly believe that they could have given the Cadets a close call for first. Maybe in brass, for sure. Well, that's all for me. Keep me posted here with some good reviews. Sean Taylor Due to difficulty getting a rental car, roadway accidents and other obstacles, I arrived to Warner Robbins late. I did get to see Carolina Crown, Cadets of Bergen County, Crossmen, and Magic of Orlando. I don't know scores... though I do know Magic of Orlando beat Crossmen, and Cadets won the show. I had really good seats.. around the 40-50. If you don't like my review,sorry, you don't have to read it. Carolina Crown - Their drumline is pretty decent for June. Visual was a bit rough but if cleaned will do well with the show. Their Russian Christmas Music part of the show did remind me of SCV 87... even the snareline parts sounded a little similiar. They had some hornline phasing problems tonight but it is only June, when cleaned it will be a pretty decent show. Drumline sounds good for June, though. Cadets of Bergen County - For June, they are smoking. Visual is unbelievable... inverted z pull into the rotating block... awesome. Very nice drill moves, and clean for being this early in the season. The music was very nicely played, it fit together REALLY well in terms of hornline fitting together. Drumline had some VERY nice parts. They had a missing tenor tonight, but the tenorline COOKS. Their solo was awesome. Drumline had some repetitive parts but in some parts of the show sounded really good. Bassline is awesome as always. Overall a great show, and definitely a contender for the title in August if they keep it up. Crossmen - Drumline cooks, very nicely developed parts. Had some phasing in between sections tonight with horns and drums, and some visual problems. Looks like some of the members had some trouble dealing with the heat as well, but that's expected. A good show, the crowd started to lose interest after the opener but I have a feeling after a little cleaning and rearranging that this show will cook. Magic of Orlando - One word. DAMN. Loudest corps and cleanest hornline on the field from my standpoint. The hornline is VERY awesome. I love the show. Clean up the visual and the percussion and you've got a definite top 6. They beat Crossmen tonight, but by 0.2? I disagree, but that's just me. I think Magic was the crowd favorite tonight, they definitely rocked the house down tonight. That hornline is just unbelievable... especially the contras, sop and mellos. Wow! Congrats to all the corps for good performances, and I look forward to seeing them later this summer. Regards, Jason Lowe

Saturday June 20

Concord, CA (DCI Pacific) I'm not going into the Div II Corps in details, but I will say that I think the quality of these corps are far superior to what I remember in the late 80s. The Mandarins are small, but they were tight for this early in the season, and have a lot of complexity in their show. Blue Devil B, Pacific Crest and SCV Cadets were also improved and entertaining. I admit that in the past I just counted down the minutes until the "big" corps hit the field. This year, the Div II corps had me watching and listening. Madison Scouts - 72 I have to say that the show didn't quite meet my expectations, based on what I read in the early reviews. The horns are loud, but they lack good balance and tone. Very top-heavy. Opener is a great piece, with the guard wearing the traditional horn/drumline uniforms. Visually, the drill is nice, but nothing stands out. What this corps does best is play loud, in-your-face music. I can't say I remember a lot of contrasts in the show. The closer is exciting, if not an awful lot like the rest of the show. Drumline was solid. All-in-all, a very entertaining show when you watch it, but I really can't say there were any memorable moments. Color guard was great as usual, although I'd have to say they were a little "over the top". I think there's definetely a point with guards where too much emotional expression takes away from the show. SCV - 74 Just like last year, I think SCV has a show that won't peak until finals. The difference is that they are starting the season much closer to BD. SCV's strength is its outstanding drill. It was hands down the best visual package of the night. The Copland music is very different and entertaining. At one point, SCV kicked into a very jazzy piece and played the heck out of it. I thought I was watching the Blue Devils (80s version). Drumline was solid, and the tightest of the evening. They deserved high percussion. The music selections are nice, but they don't quite flow together yet. The show doesn't come across as a complete package yet. Biggest areas for improvement? There are two: Hornline can play loud, but they are top-heavy. Of course, this was the second show of the season, but the hornline needs a lot of work, and their brass performance score (7.0) showed it compared to Madison's 7.6 and BDs 8.0. I'm not just saying that because the scores said it. It was obvious to me during the show. Second areas for improvement: Color Guard. They are close to completing the show, and it was actually pretty tight. Compared to Madison and BD though, they just don't seem to have the talent, especially in terms of dancing ability. Something is missing here, and they don't add a lot to the show. They definitely are doing a lot of appealing and difficult things, but nothing that makes you say "wow!" BD - 76 While there was booing when Madison was placed third, I really don't think it was because the crowd thought that Madison should have beat both SCV and BD. It was pretty darn obvious to me, and others around me (who weren't BD parents/fans) who won the show. BDs West Side Story/Romeo and Juliet show is a real nice package. You can certainly tell a Wayne Downey arrangement when you hear it, and it was excellent. The program seemed to have more West Side music than "Romeo", but it all worked together. BD strengths? No suprise here -- the hornline was hands down superior. Excellent balance, rich sound, clean licks. At one point, the low brass was jamming away on the running base line to the song "Cool" while the altos and sopranos were playing and marching at a completely different tempo playing beautiful "Romeo" chords. Both sections were playing to the backfield, and it all worked extremely well. Great GE! The other major strength was the guard. They were by far the best guard of the night. The men are dressed like sharks, and the women like Juliet. The rifle and saber work was unbelievable, although there were a few drops. The men in the guard were incredible dancers. My wife, who's a big Broadway fan, was blown away by the talent in the BD guard. Most of the show is done, and it was clean, and very difficult. So where do they need the most improvement? This isn't a BD show (like 95) that started out incredibly clean and peaked too early. Drill was nice, but not truly remarkable like SCVs. BD drumline doesn't get a lot of play in this show. I'm not a percussion expert, but the drumline didn't have a lot of exposed spots where everyone listens and then goes nuts. Well, all-in-all, I think the scoring was right on. Madison was great and crown-pleasing (so what's new?) but a bit one-dimensional. SCV has loads of potential, but the talent level in the hornline and guard isn't quite to the level of BD. BD deserved to win, but will need to work on its visual and percussion. BD's show concept, hornline and guard blew me, and those around me, away. I think both SCV and BD have stronger shows, potentially, than last years Fog City and Casablanca shows. All in my humble opinion, of course. Ben Gibson All Division II/III corps had better shows tonight than last night in Santa Clara, except West Coast Sound, who was not in Santa Clara. West Coast Sounds show in Stan Kenton's Adventures in Time. The show is far too ambitious for this corps. The staff should have chosen a program more suitable to the talent level of the members. Both Madison and SCV had better shows than last night, and SCV was much improved. Blue Devils deserved to win. Blue Devils - BD was typical BD - an execution machine. Their horn line is amazing, and their guard is fantastic. Their drill is less than spectacular, and their drum line is ok. Overall show design is seriously flawed. Their show switches back and forth from West Side Story and Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet. Their show is basically loud brass licks with percussion pounding, then a pause with a guard toss, then more loud brass licks when the guard catches the toss. Their show is choppy and disjointed. When the horn line really opens up on the Tchaikovsky late in the show, it sounds so sweet. I'd love to hear a BD line play an all Tchaikovsky show. The drum line is the weakest part of the corps, and the snare tuning is too wet for my tastes. Madison got better crowd response than the home town corps. As I mentioned earlier, the execution is excellent, but this BD show is very beatable. SCV - This show is very well designed, and the corps is performing it very well. The show is very risky, exposed, and demanding. The show could be problematic though, because it is so dissonant and obscure. You do not walk away from this show humming any of the tunes. If you are not familiar with the pieces they are performing, you might be scratching your head after watching it once. This is bound to be one of those shows that grows on you after multiple viewings and listening. Good for drum corps? Remains to be seen. I like the show, but I do not think the average drum corps fan will appreciate it all that much after only 1 viewing. Madison - Pure entertainment. Power, excitement, strong writing musically and visually - a crowd pleaser. Madison got the best response all night. When they were announced in third, the Concord crowd gave them a standing ovation. Madison alone was worth the trip out to California. I do not understand why BD was not at the SCV show last night. Santa Clara is only 45 minutes from Concord. With their being so few corps out west and so few shows, I do not understand why they would forego an opportunity to perform. Attendance at both shows was nothing to write home about either. Both shows were rather small venues, and there were plenty of seats available. I bought tickets at the gate the night of each show, and on both night I was able to get very good seats. To all of those west coasters that whine and complain about a west cost finals, I say simply this - FORGET IT! If the west coast can't pony up to the bar and sell out small venues, how can the west coast possibly support a championship? Sorry, but a west coast finals would be a huge mistake! I'll step down from my soap box now. Tim Kviz Sky Ryders 85-88 Various Others 78-84

Dubuque, IA (DCM) Well I went to the Dubuque show, and saw a rainy and thundery conclusion. Colts and Cavies did a stand still at the end and there were not any scores given. The line up consisted of the following corps: Colt Cadets: Cute show, just a little to hard for them on the marching side. Coachmen: Has potential, but they have too much equipment to haul on the field. Need to narrow the intervals for better a better hornline sound. 10 horns over a 25 yd interval is a little much. Decorah Kilties: They are making good progress, but the horn book is too hard for them. Several youngsters are wore out by the end of opener. Phantom Legion: They really have some good potential. Music and Drum Book are within their capabilities, Visual Techs need to eliminate Orange flags, they clash really bad musically and visually. Americanos: They are getting better year by year. I hope the dirt I saw tonight was just a down show, I wish them the best with their Spanish jazz. Capitol Sound: I was very impressed by this corps, They are doing all the right things to give these kids a positive experience. Music and Visual program is designed for the high school player, and it's entertaining. Blue Knights: Wonderful corps interpretations of the classics. Thanks for carrying the phrases for the most part. New drill needed for Beethoven to take advantage of the emotion. Cavies: Standstill only-Sopranos need to darken their sound. They play too stridently. The rest of the hornline has made great improvement. Drum book is decent, but I feel like we have a cadence going on through a lot of the show. There visual program will help overcome these problems. Colts: They have two new buses and another on the way, so good job guys on the fundraising. Horn book is nice. They are playing accapalla vocal charts, and they have a young lady doin a solo in a ballad section that is very nice. It has potenetial to get them back in top 12 if visual program is good. Unfortunately we were rained on, but it was a successful show. I wish everybody the best of luck. This year has potential. MARK W BRESSLER

Columbia, SC (DCI Atlantic) Here's my two cents on the Columbia Show.....(A Drummer's perspective) Cadets..... Intense show: Fast, slow, loud, soft; Traditional Cadets sound and feel. Frankly, I'm getting tired of paradiddlediddle-paradiddlediddle-three-three-three-three-rooooooooollllllll llllllllllllll. Granted, they're extremely clean for June, but come on, let's try something new. Overall, potentially a top two or three show (I haven't seen any other corps yet). VERY enjoyable. Not the most attractive guard uniforms to date. Crossmen..... Incredible Pit, best of the night. I loved the first tune and thought it was my favorite of Xmen to date. Battery was not as clean as cadets but played a much more low end book, often with a lot of beats in the three inch range. Keep an eye on these guys...particularly was impreesed with the complex grouping of rhythms throughout the corps without much phasing. Go basses. Crown.... Look fabulous (possible better than crossmen), drums cranked great, very pretty and clean, but where's the beef? Seems the most difficult rudiment was in the drum solo and was a couple of inverts and a few flam fives (and one triplelet roll at 120 which is in the show 500 times). In general I was disappointed. Show was a little dry too, but has much potential. Horns are weaker than the other 3 corps. Again, it's just June. Laughed a little at the announcer at the clinic (drums) who said something like "lots of beats...let it HANG OUT"???? Never saw any beats other than 8-ON-A and triplet accent. Magic..... Opposite of Crown....look a little sloppy, need new snares (next week I think), and is still pretty dirty. However, Magic has more notes right now than most of the other corps. They're playing real balls-y due to the new phantom snare tech. (A little different look for Magic snares) Tenors are going to be Incredible, are already playing tons of clean beats. Horns and Guard are both better than before. Still, they really need to get new uniforms. (Although they are wearing black shirts this year). Again, just my two cents. I'm really looking forward to seeing these corps three times next week, espcially cadets and crossmen. It will also be interesting to see Magic clean up some of their notes. Andrew T. Godfrey

Waukesha, WI (DCM) Finally got back to my computer so I can post some comments on the show: Got there late and missed both the Cadets of Brooklyn and the Bandettes. Governaires- very entertaining show, like the interaction from the drum major. The first two numbers seemed better prepared than the closer (Night in Tunisia). Had a great sop soloist during the first number, Shaft was good as always. Don'tknow if it will be good enough to make DCM finals, but definately a crowd pleaser. Bluegrass Brass- I had never seen this group before and was very impressed by them. They can sure make a lot of noise with a small group. Music from the Doors as a good choice for this group, had some problems with Light My Fire which they should be able to clean up as the year goes on. The percussion seemed to dominate the sound of the group, but then again half the corps was part pf the percussion. Could use a few more horns, but overall a good show. Kilties- I loved this show last year and I like it again this year. Their opener still seems a little choppy in the high brass, but definately sounded better than at Sun Prairie. Nice to see them field a color guard tonight- still needs a lot of work, but I'm sure it will look grat at DCM. Hey Pachuco seems to have gotten even louder and crazier than last year, and brought the crowd to its feet. That's still my favorite part of the show. They brought back singing again this year, with "Hey Baby" instead of "Minnie the Moocher"- not quite as much crowd participation but still entertaining. The ending is Auld Lang Syne, which struggles a little bit when they are playing to the backfield but sounds great when pushing the stands at the end. Overall a great show, one of the two most entertaining of the night. Minnesota Brass- I was very impressed with them- watched part of their rehearsal Saturday afternoon and they looked 100 times better in the evening. New unis take a little time to get used to, bright blue spangles, quite a change from the white and blue. Tower of Power show is in your face drumcorps....loud, loud, loud! Roger was great on the sop as usual! Drumline shows a lot of versatility this year, playing chimes in the closer. Overall great show, good guard, great berassline. Should reclaim the DCM title this year. Phantom Regiment- beautiful show, but lacking in emotion. Hopefully that will come along as the group becomes more familiar with the music. The herald trumpets in the middle of the show are a nice touch, and sound wonderful. The guard still needs some work- a lot of drops out there tonight. The hornline sounds great as usual, but seems to be lacking some of the deepness of years past. I liked parts of the show, and look forward to see what they do with it at DCM. Pioneer- Irish in your Face was much improved from when I saw it in Sun Prairie. The opener sounds 100 times better, horns have a much more brassy and articulate sound. Danny Boy still has some phasing problems- the corps seems to have a little problem with the tempo. Slowing it down a bit may make it more natural- felt like they were rushing. Irish Rhapsody has also improved tremendously from Sun Prairie, but the percussion feature still needs a little work. It seemed really dirty on Saturday. I like the fact that they went back to the classic green dresses on the guard- they look really classy. Overall an entertaining show that got the crowd going. Glassmen- I had no idea what to expect going into the show, and boy was I impressed. Their percussion is just amazing, quite an improvement from a few years ago. Clearly the best line all night. The brass also sounded tremendous, especially during the opener- only time I got chills all night. Good enough in my opinion to give Phantom a run for the brass title at DCM. The guard was alos strong for this early in the year. Overall the best prepared and most impressive group of the night! (and man was I relieved to see no ladders!) It was a great night of drum corps, and I can't wait until DCM to see how everything pans out! Jenni

Friday June 19

Santa Clara, CA (DCI Pacific) Reviews in order of performance: Blue Devils C perc - S-6, T-4, B-5, P-6 brass - sops-10, baris - 2 Guard 12 DM-1 Mascots - 2 Very nice job from a very young group. Several extremely young kids in the corps, and a few whose pants were to big and looked like they would fall off at a moments notice. Blue Devils B Perc - S-8, T-4, B-5, C-3, P-7 Brass - sop-9, mid-range-4, bari-11, contra-3 Guard 16 DM-1 Music arrangemetns were very good, and the percussion section was strong. The guard was good, and overall the program was very entertaining. The horn line got tired about half way through the show, and some members started sticking out of the ensemble and getting a little blatty. The drill needs some work from a design perspective - it's not layered very well, making it difficult to read. Overall - very good job for a first show from this young corps. Earthquake Perc - S-3, T-3, B-5, C-3, P-5 Brass - Sop-6, Mid-range-3, Bari-5, Contra-2 Guard 4 DM 1 Their performance was pretty shaky, and it seemed to me that their show might be incomplete. They had a down ending that seemed to come pretty quick. Either the show is a little short, or perhaps the final tune was not on the field. There appear to be a large number of holes, which caused drill problems. The 3 snares were pretty good. The snare feature was tight. The show is comprised of selections by Stevie Wonder, and it worked OK - not great though. Overall, they have a lot of work to do. Pacific Crest Perc - S-6, T-4, B-5, C-5, P-10 Brass - Sop-12, Mid-range-9, Bari-10, Contra-4 Guard 20 DM 2 The show uses the music from the movie Hamlet, by ParticK Doyle. Overall show concept and design is excellent. They do use a skull at one point (ala BD 95) to symbolize the Yourick scene from Hamlet, but unless you knew in advance that the show was the music from Hamlet, the skull did not make much sense. The drill is well written and has some very good moments. I really wish I could see this show in August when it was clean. I really liked this show. Mandarins Perc - S-5, T-2, B-5, P-13 Brass - Sops-6, Mid-range-4, Bari-4, Contra-1 Guard 8 DM 1 Their show includes several tunes celebrating Chinese music. They use props on the field - large sunflowers on the back left corner of the field which are not really used for anything (purpose of prop unknown), and long bamboo shoots on stands on teh front sidelines that are used in the show (the corps marches through, around, and weaving through them). Their show was the cleanest of the Division II/III corps. Their drum ine was strong and exciting - again used the taiko drums. They had a few ensemble problems, but overall, they had a very good performance. Show design is quite good too. Vanguard Cadets Perc - S-6, T-3, B-5, C-5, P-8 Brass - Sop-12, Mid-range-6, Bari-10, Contra-6 Guard 17 DM 2 Their show includes music from the musical Titanic. The design of this show is terriffic - classic SCV style. Excellent drill, exciting music, nice moments. Another show I'd love to see in August. Madison Scouts I didn't get a count on them. Madison warmed up to Rhapsody in Blue. Their show name says it all - Power, Pizazz and All that Jazz. Classic Madison! Hot jazz, strong horn line, good soloists, athletic guard, great visual, thundering percussion, and little gimics. Just in your face drum corps. During the opener, the guard is wearing the same tops and hats as the rest of the corps, the entire guard is using rifles, and there are 12 snares and no tenors. After the opener, the guard takes off their tops and hats and finish the show in all white. The drum line continues to change instrumentation - 9 tenors at one point, and later 8 snares and 5 tenors. The next tune, Swingin' Pete ... Sweet - a jazz version of Peer Gynt Suite #1, absolutely cooks. Nice arrangement - very exciting. The closer, Rembmerance, is a great end to their program. This tune needs the most work - the horn line was playing it a bit choppy. The drill is great - nice impacts that fit the musical impacts, and there is some demand there as well. Soloists are strong and hot as usual. The horn line really cooks. Another great program from Madison. SCV I did not get a count on SCV either. This show has classic SCV aspects to it, but the music is not classic SCV by any means - very dissonant and modern. Not something you leave the stadium humming or even remembering, unless you are familiar with the works. There are some frightening pass thru's and meshes between the horn line and drum line, and Myron Rosander's drill is absolutely amazing. The overall design to the show is fantastic. The show is awesome, just not lyrical. Once the show cleans up and the members become a bit more confident performing it, the show will really cook! I thought SCV had narrowly edged out Madison becasue their drill was cleaner and more demanding, but since the scores were so close, I don't think it was out of line. Can't wait to see BD tomorrow night! Tim Kviz Sky Ryders 85-88 Various Others 78-84

Oswego, IL (DCM) Extremely well-attended show Friday night. I'm guessing maybe 3,500-3,800? on concert side. Anyone from the show committee know the numbers? Blue Grass Brass -- missed the show. They were very small. Coachmen -- saw the show from the side. They were very small and really struggled. Show's not done. Phantom Legion -- I saw them do a couple run-throughs at practice last week. Wow! What an improvement. Their drum line is the key for them at this point. But as the horn players get more comfortable with their challenging music and drill, they should fare pretty well. Show's not quite done. Capital Sound -- I told my wife right after they were done that it would be a toss up between them and Legion. I was right. They tied. Legion has the better drum line, CS has the better-sounding horn line right now. And CS marching a little better. But Legion's show has much more demand. CS is entertaining. The non-diehard drum corps fan will enjoy this show. Guard is using the Ventures' dancing with the dummies thing. It's not nearly as funny as when Ventures did it. Oh well. It's not bad, though. Show's not done. Blue Stars -- About Aug. 10 or so this show should be pretty good. Holy cow is it tough (Spartacus stuff, but not the Spartacus that drum corps fans know). This seems to have become a trademark of the Blue Stars: "Let's pick something really, really hard so that it takes all summer to make it work." I see some good stuff in there, but the crowd generally just stared into space during this performance. Show's not done. Colts -- I liked this more than most on ramd seem to. It bogs down at times, yes, but generally it's an entertaining show. The drill isn't up to the speed of the past several years and I think that will be their biggest problem. The sound of the horn line is better than it was last year at this time. Much more balanced and less harsh. They didn't have their guard work done. Glassmen -- The drum line is terrific. But after that I just don't get the hype. The corps is good, but certainly not spectacular. I can't believe this person on ramd saying they got a standing O in the middle of the show at Toledo. They barely got any applause during the show last night. I liked parts of the show, but I thought it was real choppy. I predict this drum line will place in Top 7, but the corps won't. Cavaliers -- They say honesty is the best policy, so here goes. I did not like this show at all. The drum line had a few interesting moments, but the drill is just a mishmash of drill moves from the past (the snake, many of the geometric reshapes). The music is definitely different, though. Machine, the closer, is unusual. The horn line was very spotty with lots of individuals sticking out. The opening horn impact is visually neat, but the music statement is weak. I'm guessing this will be changed to give the horns more chance to stun the crowd. They didn't have the guard work done. Phantom Regiment -- They had their guard work done! Horn line has a good sound, though lacking in emotion as many on ramd have noted. Music is challenging (tough to hold together) and I think that is zapping some of the energy. Drum line is still missing a 5th bass (he's with the corps, just not on the field yet). Drill is real sloppy and some of it is just kind of lame (the closer mainly). Highlight visually is the percussion feature to Villa Borghese. The drum stuff is pretty good and some of the guard work is very cool. Lots of good silk work in the show, both in Borghese and Appian Way. Rifles had tons of drops. Show moves slow at times, but I don't think most of it is boring as many have suggested on ramd. I'm undecided on the red cape thing. It needs more to it. It makes the corps look short, and that I don't like. It will be interesting to see how things shape up over the next couple weeks. I hope as the members get more comfortable with the shows and as the staff makes the appropriate changes that the performances get more excited. The crowd at Oswego only gave polite applause to the corps (with a little bit extra at the end for Glassmen, Colts, Regiment and Cavaliers). Very little applause during the shows. I apologize for being so negative, but I was just kind of shocked at how weak most performances were after a week on tour. Greg Newell

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