< PreviousIn Open class competition, the Columbians (above, Chris Maher) from Pasco, WA, performed an entertaining show titled “Danzon!” The program is based on the traditional Latin American dance form, but it has been modernized in Danzon No. 2 by Arturo Marques, a contemporary orchestral composition first performed in 1994. The show is filled with Latin sounds, as well as synthesized effects. The ballad features some nice trombone solos and the color guard members finish the piece each twirling two large red and black flags. The final section features a percussion solo on platforms. In addition to the music, the color guard wears lovely dresses based on the traditional dance forms.As a young corps -- in their sixth year after being resurrected from the original corps that ceased operations in the mid-1970s -- there are many challenges the corps faces. Corps Director and Design Lead Dillon Miller explains. “About 60% of our corps is brand-new to drum corps, including one student who was in eighth grade last year who had never been in band.” As a result, the educational mission is a high priority. Another challenge for the Columbians is to consolidate the musical equipment so that having the needed amount is consistent as well as of high quality. At 134 members, the Columbians seem to get a little bit bigger and a little bit better each year.The newest corps to perform, The Battalion (above, Chris Maher) from Ogden, UT, is in just their third year of competition. Their show theme is conveniently similar to their uniform color. In “Seeing Red,” the corps explores different emotions centered around the color red, including bliss, aggression, passion and adrenaline. The music in the program includes Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1 and Symphony No. 7 by Beethoven. The final piece is called Adrenaline. As Battery Caption Head Alex Entin says, “The drum line likes to play aggressively, so we can do that easily.” Cymbal line instructor and percussion visual instructor Shalamar Georgia added, “Visually, the package is fun, it’s exciting, it’s fast-paced, a real innovative approach to how we’re getting into things.”The corps is large enough to easily fill the field and they do just that. Other ideas that evoke redness are sprinkled throughout, such as roses, the tango and a bass drum heartbeat. The show is a roller coaster ride of sound, color and emotion.Both the Columbians and The Battalion have short seasons that will end later this month. For now, these corps will have abbreviated summers until they have the resources to expand their tour. Of course, none of these corps could operate without a large support crew. Brent Morgan works as a volunteer on the food crew of The Academy for this week. His son marches in the corps. This is his son’s fourth year. It’s not glamorous, but the biggest challenge for Morgan and the food crew is “just trying to keep the food truck on schedule and in one piece.”Hapie Denfeld is the assistant business manager of The Academy. Her main job is to track expenses. Her son marched with the corps in 2014, 2015 and 2016. “The kids are really enjoying the break from the warmth.” As a result, they are able to get good rehearsal time and they are better rested.“Drums of Fire” in McKenzie Stadium at Evergreen High School is the Oregon Crusaders’ home show. The National Anthem was performed by “Oregon’s Own” 234th Army Band. The “Seattle Summer Music Games” at Renton Memorial Stadium is the Seattle Cascades’ home show. The Edmonton Sabers (top right, Chris Maher), Blue Thunder (above, Russell Tanakaya) and Sound Wave (right, Chris Maher) provided pre-contest entertainment. Also notable is that Seattle radio personality David Ross announced the Renton show.From top to bottom, it was an exciting weekend of drum corps in perfect Northwest summer weather. n n nJuly 6, 2018 -- Elk Grove, CA . . . The small stadium at Monterey Trail High School was packed with fans who braved soaring temperatures to enjoy a sample of some of the finest drum corps California has to offer. While much of the world focused on the Vanguard's season of upsets or Boston's surprising strength this summer, Friday night's DCI “Capital Classic” provided a preview of talent already showing significant implications on the results of next month’s DCI Finals in both Michigan City and Indianapolis.The events kicked off with a drum line battle between the nine-member Incognito (right, Russell Tanakaya) battery verses the Blue Devils C (below right, Chris Maher) 21-member battery. While Incognito delivered a performance with a hand up on technical ability, BDC came back with some serious dance moves for their rebuttal presentation to tie up the score. It was an enjoyable opportunity for fans and performers alike. Based on the crowd's response, show sponsors should seriously consider keeping this fun event as part of the program.When the Mandarins (below, Russell Tanakaya) took to the field tonight's crowd took to their feet with an energy and ovation that's not often heard outside a championship arena. Sacramento loves the hometown team.At the close of tonight's performance, the corps boards buses and heads East to kick off their summer tour. For decades this summer ritual has been the same for the Sacramento corps, but this season is going to be different. This year their production, “Life Rite After” is on the cutting edge and the corps is on fire for a top 12 slot at the end of the trail.For the 2018 season, the center field is dominated by a large circular stage, providing an atmosphere and look more like a Broadway production than a drum corps show. What makes this work is the three-dimensional look to the visual presentation without the exaggerated heights often incorporated into recent visual designs that distract from the overall presentation. To make its function even more unique, during the fourth movement the Mandarins, SCV Cadets heat up competition in Sacramento area showby Michael Carlson, Drum Corps World staff (michael.carlson@mac.com)stage does a slow spin with the drum line on top.It will be hard to beat the color guard this season. Their choreography has the look and feel of a creative marathon race. This troupe is always in motion, to include high-flying rifles, tumbles and odd angle poses. The group has always consisted of high-quality performers, but this year’s guard is like nothing I’ve ever seen from the Mandarins.The highlight of the evening goes to the battery. The improvements they have undergone in the past two weeks is nothing short of incredible. Their delivery was championship clean and there’s still a month of competition to go.Overall, the brass, color guard and percussion are some of the best performers the Mandarins have ever produced. Combined with a high-quality instructional and design staff, this is a corps that is going to push the edge of the envelope to the final impact of the closing show at Lucas Oil Stadium. They are starving to win. So don't be surprised if this doesn’t turn out to be “The Year of the Mandarins.”Tonight was the first meeting of the Vanguard Cadets and the Blue Devils B since the “Moonlight Classic” in Sacramento on June 24. Anyone who has ever watched these two corps in action knows the outcome at the end of the night is never a sure thing and fans were not disappointed tonight.The Vanguard Cadets (left, Jim Claytor) were ready-set-go tonight as they took the field with brand new uniforms [no photos of new uniforms yet available, these are from early-season], a completed field show and a fired-up attitude.This was the first appearance of the new uniforms. They consist of stylish white jump suits with gray and orange horizontal bands on the arms and legs. They provide an exceptional look against the solid black flats on the field and give off a slight glow about the performers under the lights.After the disappointing opening weekend two weeks ago, they pulled out all the stops to deliver a wonderful blend of old and new musical styles for their production, “Off the Wall.”With a silent count-off from Drum Major Jessica Jackson, the Santa Clara group exploded into the impact and dominating introduction to the opener, Bicycle Race. The delivery is old-school drum corps sound at its finest and provides the perfect medium to demonstrate the power and versatility of this brass line.The show takes a twist with Sounding Board and its slow electronic groove. The self-generating echo from the horns has an almost hypnotic effect, while emphasizing just how musically tight these performers are. And when you add the sweet melody of Nik Rodriguez’s baritone solo over the top of the driving rhythm, you get the Vanguard Cadet’s highlight of the evening.Also of note is Eric Whitacre’s Fly to Paradise that mixes the old and new sounds of drum corps to earn some of the loudest ovations from the stands. An interesting feature to this number is the corps’ use of extended silence, which goes far to enhance the number’s dramatic moments. Flugel horn David Medina’s solo provided a teaser of melody as the movement began to build and left you wanting to hear more from this fine musician.Overall, the Vanguard Cadets are not going to let go of the DCI Open Class Championship title easily. The mixing of old drum corps sound with more contemporary arrangements is the key selling point of this show and will earn them new fans throughout the summer tour.The Blue Devils B (left, Chris Maher) has a new sound with its 2018 production, “The Other Side,” in an effort to take back the DCI Open Class Championship title in Michigan City, IN. The arrangements produce a dark, bold sound that has a symphonic quality and will catch many folks off guard. But their ability to delivery high-quality performances while changing delivery styles and presentations, is part of BDB’s enduring charm for the past 45 years.Carnival of the Animals kicks things off with a brass delivery of triple-tonguing passages that are mesmerizing in their articulation and things just took off from there. Yes, there is a new classical quality to their sound, but there is also a drum corps in-your-face quality to the ensemble delivery that will continue to bring fans to their feet.The color guard is going to set new standards for Open Class this year. For a few years they dominated their division, but their time has come again. The flag work was machine-like in execution and the weapons team is going to be hard to touch. The creative, skeleton-themed uniforms are probably the best looking for 2018.New tonight was the fleshed-out variation arrangement of A Time for Us from the 1968 movie, “Romeo and Juliet.” This closer goes through a couple of rhythmic variations that combine fast-paced, closely-weaved drills to keep fans on the edge of their seats. The final bars return to the song’s classical foundation for one of the dramatic closers of the night.The highlight of the evening was the incredible talent of the 16-member pit. They are featured in a couple of breaks, but you just can'’ get enough of some of the best keyboard work on the West Coast. Come Together is a sing-along, get up and dance percussion feature in the same vain as Spirit of Atlanta’s Devil Went Down to Georgia, only with funky strut to the Beatles’ song.Overall, this is a great evolution of the Blue Devils B, visually and musically. They have put together some of the best musical arrangements in the last couple of years that should make this one of the hottest brass lines of 2018.Blue Devils C (bottom of previous page, Jim Claytor) still bring to the field some of the youngest members in all of drum corps, but don’t let that distract from the competitive spirit of the Concord corps. Their production, “Candyland, Part Blue,” has cleaned up nicely. The brass and percussion were all on top of their game tonight, but it’s the color guard that continues to steal the show. Performing silk, weapons and dance routines from a forest of giant lollipops, this group executes each move with a determination of seasoned performers and their facial expressions for the different scenes are well worth the price of admission.Their highlight of the evening was Sugarland's Stuck Like Glue. The ensemble work between the brass and percussion really shined in this number. The delivery was accented by one of the best trumpet soloists, Rick Sheridan, to come from the group in a long time.Overall, Blue Devils C continues to be a fun group, but also you can see the gems of talent already beginning to shine for the Blue Devils organization. Coming into the evening's performance, the odds seemed stacked against Incognito (left, Russell Tanakaya). They were the smallest corps, 50percent of its members are brand new to the activity and they suffered through a two-hour delay to the show due to maintenance issues with their bus. Against all odds, the Garden Grove, CA, troupe delivered a great performance of their production, “Neverland.”The front ensemble is going to be the group to watch in the future. The seven-member pit rounded out the musical presentation with quality keyboard work that kept the show alive. They owned the closer of Zendaya’s arrangement of Neverland; especially the tender 12/8 pit holdover to close out the number.The evening’s highlight goes to the young color guard. There is a mature smoothness to their performance that is a joy to watch. Though the routines are not overly complex, they are entertaining and well-executed.Overall, Incognito has a delightful show. Although the points may not be where they want, there is a strive for improvement within the members that is a strong asset for any corps. Expect to see great things from this group in the future.This would not be a Mandarins' home show report without mentioning the trademark of this show - -the food booth and the wonderful Chinese cooking of Dan and Diane Chin. The teriyaki beef and chicken, and chicken curry assault the senses in the parking lot.Not just for the cooking, but also a special shout goes to the Mandarin’s support teams and volunteers who work all year to ensure the highest standards of customer service for the entertainers and fans. They keep the show running smoothly with bright smiles and a strong sense of well-deserved pride. n n nJuly 6 -- Rockford, IL . . . The Cavaliers (below, Ron Walloch) once again showed their dominance tonight. Their show, “On Madness and Creativity,” gives a glimpse of Maurice Ravel’s, Bolero and Anne Adams’ artwork, “Unraveling Bolero.” Both ended up with mental illness and both created beautiful works of art. The thread of Ravel’s piece ties together all sections of this show and the colors that eventually are displayed also tie together the two artists. The corps has unleashed a sound that we haven’t heard from them this early in the season during previous seasons. The staff is letting them play and the audience is loving it. Percussion and guard are wonderful support sections, scoring high in both areas all season so far. The addition of the red tarps leading to different points on the field is a metaphor, showing how all areas in life are tied together. The closer is being added soon and we all are anxious to see how this show unfolds in the coming weeks. Mike Schaefer from Indiana stated tonight that he can definitely see the Cavies in the medal hunt this year. Time will tell.Phantom Regiment (right, Ron Walloch) has really come on strong the past few shows, giving the hometown crowd something about which to cheer. “This New World” has taken on a life of its own in the past week. The percussion is a driving force in the show and the low brass is giving us that undeniable Phantom signature sound. The tarps set up as a front stage gives the corps a Regiment’s “Show of Shows” entertains, honors the late Dr. Dan Richardsonby Ron Baysinger, Drum Corps World staff (bnmb@aol.com)perfect vehicle in which to showcase different sections. They utilize it again in their closer to give the audience that loud Phantom blast of sound that sent the audience to their feet.The Crossmen (right, Ron Walloch) are becoming a force with which to reckon through their strong showing of “The In-Between.” Beautiful staging, strong guard presence, nice full sound from horn line and percussion provide all the ingredients for a delicious show. They bring to us a story of death, then resurrection with this concept. An hourglass is prominently displayed, moving around the field and providing the feeling of our time in this lifetime. The guard is exceptional this year. The designers have utilized the entire membership well in the drill. The new uniforms are exquisite and very appealing, as well as an integral part of the theme of the show. The Colts (left, Robb Quinn) have produced one of their more demanding shows of late. “True Believer” is definitely making a believer of most drum corps fans. They have a talented percussion and horn line this year, and their design is unlike many corps this season by keeping the traditional uniform and drum corps feel. This by no means indicates a stale show. Candide is wonderful in the opening section, but my favorite has to be their arrangement of Farandole. Beds moving across the field, occasionally upended to form background screens, are a clever way to utilize props. I see this vying for a top 12 this year, but, once again, there are so many good corps out there this season.Madison Scouts’ (right, Ron Walloch) show is slowly showing some good momentum with “Heart and Soul.” The overall theme is well thought out. Each section explains how the heart is used and abused during our everyday lives. The one section that stands out is the daily turmoil, such as the traffic as we go through life. The horn line has become much more aggressive and that percussion section is improving daily, showing us they have what it takes to score higher. The solo female performer is obviously the “soul” of this show with her beautiful white dress as she moves effortlessly around the field playing the most beautiful notes. The heart, which is the horn line, tries to push her away, but she keeps coming back to show that the soul is so strong. Madison still has a chance to redeem themselves this season from their slow start. It’s not over yet.Pioneer (left, Ron Walloch) has kept with their Irish roots in their presentation called “Celtic Dragons.” It’s always amazing the intensity this corps displays in their playing and marching, given that they are always low in the number of members they put on the field. Percussion is always one of their stronger sections, but this year the horn line seems to have been given a more difficult book and they are handling it well. Taking Flight from “How to Train Your Dragon” is one of the best executed numbers in their show. The dragon prop in the backfield sets the tone for the show.The Open Class corps gave great performance as well this evening. Legends (left, Ron Walloch) and Shadow (below, Ron Walloch) early summer camps have server them well. The Kalamazoo corps’ show is titled, “Along Came A Spider.” The color guard gives us a wonderful perspective of the spider theme, but that horn line is something by which to sit up and take notice. Each year Legends just keeps getting better and better. The design team knows how to grab an audience and not let them go until the last note is played.Shadow is a product of the Oregon, WI, High School music program. The members are all high school-age students. This is unique to the drum corps activity, but they show a maturity that is noteworthy. Their show is “The Body Celestial.” Opening with an arrangement of Rite of Spring, the drill moves well, the members play well and the guard is performing a well-designed book exquisitely. Aurora Awakening by John Mackey, is a perfect ending to their show. Shadow was loved by all in attendance. After the competition part of the show, the Phantom Regiment reunion corps performed for the audience. It’s been 10 years since the corps won the DCI title. They performed with this year’s competitive corps three numbers, Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral, Amazing Grace and Spartacus. The latter was the program they performed when they last won in 2008 at Bloomington, IN. What an amazing encore!The late Dr. Dan Richardson, who passed away in January, was honored and recognized for his decades of contributions to the Phantom Regiment organization in a wide variety of roles at the end of tonight’s event. His impact, not only the Rockford corps, but the entire activity, is immeasurable and this tribute was well-deserved. n n nIn the 1960s and 1970s, the Midwest was a hotbox for drum and bugle corps, boasting upwards of more than 100 between Illinois and Wisconsin alone. These individual corps were made up mostly of neighborhood kids, some of whom learned music only from their drum corps music or drum instructors. Even so, the Midwest hosted some of the top corps in the country. As each corps hosted their own show, the travel distance was usually not more than 50 miles. It was always difficult for the corps to select the shows they should attend because there were so many and they wanted to compete against those corps of their caliber. Attendance in the stands usually consisted of grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and neighbors. The same people would come to all of the shows. From the starting line you could look into the stands and see blocks of colors. Green, where the Cavaliers’ fans sat, blue for the Royal Airs, red for the Vanguard and there were many other blocks of colors for the other attending corps. Thousands of people attended these shows and rooted for their favorite corps, but were also respectful of the other corps and gave them their due accolades and even standing ovations.Unfortunately, those days are long past. The Midwest still has top-caliber corps, but now you can count the number of drum corps on one hand and the drum corps shows now in the Midwest are few and far between. With this in mind SDCA (Small drum Corps Association) has taken it upon itself to rebuild the Midwest with drum corps of a different type -- “concert bugle corps.” These are small groups of brass players that parade on a flatbed truck and perform standstill concerts. They have one set drummer, no color guard and no drill. Because the design of this group is to be around 16 people, the music would be written in six parts. These groups perform similar to a brass band. They use music stands and may or may not be military in nature. The Mad Plaid Brass is the newest of these ensembles. This one is made up mostly of past members from the Racine Kilties. In late 2017, the Racine Kilties’ Board of Directors gave me permission, as president of SDCA,and lifetime member of the Kilties to move forward and organize this new group. The task was relatively simple. The Kilties had a database of members, past and present, made available to me and, using electronic media, I sent messages indicating the purpose and direction of this new concert bugle corps. Through phone calls to communities within the Racine, WI, area an inexpensive rehearsal location was obtained. Next we found a music instructor who would be the one needed for this type project. The set drummer would write in his own style to the songs, with direction from the music instructor.Although the first few rehearsals showed only a modest attendance, subsequent get togethers showed strength in each of the six sections. The members learned six songs and were able to perform their first parade in Kenosha, WI, on July 1, 2018. This was an historic opportunity for the Midwest to have a successful concert bugle Corps in Wisconsin. As this group continues, the goal is to be able to play 20+ songs, giving them a large variety of venues at which to perform.Keep an eye on the Mad Plaid Brass organization as they will be setting the example for many other concert bugle corps to be developed in the Midwest and throughout the country. n n nKilties take to the “truck” as new Mad Plaid Brass parade corpsby Chris FerraraNext >