July 26, 2019 Volume 48, Number 8From the publisher The next issue Photo credits The August 2019 edition will be uploaded to the Internet on or before Friday, August 2. The front cover composite was created by Tery LeFebvere, exclusively for Drum Corps World. (Back cover, Juliana, Middelburg, The Netherlands by Arjen Scholl. July 26 contents 4 n July 13 -- Clifton, NJ, by Larry Eckert 6 n July 18 -- Denton, TX, photo spread 8 n July 18 -- Riverside, CA, by Jeremy van Cleave 12 n July 19 -- Katy, TX, photo spread 14 n July 19 -- Bellflower, CA, photo spread 16 n July 20 -- Vista, CA, photo spread 18 n July 19 -- Lafayette, LA, photo spread 20 n July 20 -- Goffstown, NH, by Tim Kearney 24 n July 20 -- San Antonio, TX, by Landry Kendrick 30 n July 20 -- Patackala, OH, by Kevin Gamin 32 n July 20 -- Long Island, NY, by Chris Maher 36 n July 22 -- Mesquite, TX, by Landry Kendrick 40 n July 22 -- Salt Lake City, UT, by Michael Carlson 44 n July 24 -- Denver, CO, photo spread 46 n July 24 -- Little Rock, AR, photo spread 48 n July 24 -- Hattiesburg, MS, photo spread 50 n Troopers kick off alumni corps project Drum Corps W orld As the DCI Championships come closer on the schedule, the rankings have potentially been set, there are still small groupings that appear to be linked and some minor movement may still take place. Attendance has reportedly been higher at many shows and fans are supporting their favorite corps with applause and by purchasing souvenirs Our teams of writers and photographers have done an incredible job that keeps these pages full of timely reviews and full of wonderful images. As each week goes by, I’m pleased that each issue has also been released on Friday each time, right on schedule. The number of people who access the on-line magazine through the Drum Corps World Facebook page has also increased this summer, so the reach for most issues is approaching 100,000 fans viewing it worldwide. I would like to call attention to the significant increase in the number of photos I’m showcasing by doing two-page spreads for shows where we didn’t have a staff writer available. I trust the majority of you have seen a show live already, been to the season-opening movie theater presentation or viewed one of the FloMarching telecasts. Keep watching! The next edition will be the full August monthly issue! Steve Vickers Copyright 2019 by Sights & Sounds, Inc. in the United States and Canada. The logo for Drum Corps World is a registered trademark and is protected by all applicable laws. Material originally published in Drum Corps World (in print or on-line) may not be reproduced in any other publication or in any electronic medium -- in whole or in part -- without the written permission of the publisher, in advance. Drum Corps World is published on-line monthly, for a total of 12 issues, plus five weekly e-mail blasts during June, July and August, with additional show reviews and photography. 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Mailing/shipping address: 4926 North Sherman Avenue Unit H Madison, WI 53704-8443 Madison office phone: 608-249-2590 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central time, Monday - Friday 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central time, Saturday/Sunday Product order line: 608-249-2590 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central time, Monday - Friday 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central time, Saturday/Sunday Web site: www.drumcorpsworld.com Madison staff: Steve Vickers Publisher / Editor / Graphic Design E-mail: publisher@drumcorpsworld.com Advertising sales: Jeff Collins 916-200-8151 (cell, California) E-mail: jcdrumman1@yahoo.com or Steve Vickers 608-249-2590 (office, Wisconsin) E-mail: publisher@drumcorpsworld.com or 608-249-2590 (Steve’s cell, Wisconsin) 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central time, Monday - Friday, 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central time, Saturday/SundayFACT #1 – The best marching performance is impossible in uncomfortable band shoes. FACT #2 – The more comfortable your students are, the better they will perform. FACT #3 – The Blue Devils designed the Most Comfortable marching shoe in the Universe! “Designed from the Ground Up” by the 18-time, DCI World Champion, Blue Devils. MAY 20 FACTS 1,2,3.indd 15/20/19 11:41 AMJuly 13, 2019 -- Clifton, NJ . . . Tonight was a special night for merican Legion Post #199 based in Hawthorne, NJ. This was the 55th annual “Grand Prix,” America’s second longest-running drum corps competition -- Madison Scouts’ “Drums On Parade” is the oldest), the 75th anniversary of the Hawthorne Caballeros, the Hawthorne Muchachos’ 60th anniversary, and the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Hawthorne Caballeros Alumni Corps! First corps tonight was the Saints Brigade (right, Raymond Fudge) from Portchester, NY. They marched to the field wearing new uniforms and gladiator helmets in red, white and blue. The brass line is much larger this year and shows a lot of talent. After their performance, they marched onto the track and played directly to the crowd. The next corps tonight were the New York Skyliners Alumni (below, Raymond Maher) . Tonight they elected to wear polo shirts and a ball cap due to the extreme heat. They played tunes from past Skyliners music. At this show the drum line was lost out in the middle of the field. The first corps in competition tonight was the Skyliners (below right, Raymond Fudge) . Some of the alumni corps stayed up front and the rest of the corps went to the sidelines to give the competition corps their support, and they also serenaded the field corps with Gabarina. Overall, a very nice show. Next up was the Connecticut Hurricanes (top of next page, Chris Maher) . It was a nice surprise to see “Big” Al, cymbal player with the huge plates, back with the corps. The guard was dressed in black, as their costumes were not ready. Sunrisers (next page, middle left, Chris Maher) competed next. The show is nautical themed and I would like to see more emphasis on the whaling ship and snare drummer. I see potential in this show. Bushwackers (next page, right, Raymond Fudge) took the field next. I enjoyed this show immensely. There is no loss of continuity with the new management. They have a bright future with this show. Reading Buccaneers’ (next page, third from top, Raymond Fudge) show included what I thought was Liberace at a grand piano. This show is definitely a crowd-pleaser, as they play recognizable music. Ha wthorne celebr at es 55th anni versary of “G rand P rix” by Larry Eckert, Drum Corps World staff (mrcymbals@aol.com)Dressed in desert camo uniforms and, the guard in jungle green camo, Fusion Core (fourth from top, Chris Maher) was next. Their show there is the Purple Heart. I am looking forward to seeing their progress during the season. Tonight's hosts, the Hawthorne Caballeros (bottom left, Chris Maher) , marched onto the field with new uniforms. This was the first time I have seen this year. They played traditional Caballeros music with a show is titled “Out of the Box.” 2x4 lumber painted white represents the box. Last, but not least, the Hawthorne Caballeros Alumni, (bottom right, Chris Maher) a fan favorite performed last and tonight was no different. This show almost makes me want to go back out and march again. It was nice to see DM Chuck Bishop out in front again. Tonight's corps was one of the largest that the alumni has had in recent years. A special thank-you to John Carr, DCA Treasurer, for his help this evening. n n nJuly 18, 2019 • Denton, TX(This page, top to bottom, left to right): Crossmen (Chris Maher); Troopers (Donny Helvey); Santa Clara Vanguard (Rich Jones); The Cadets (Raymond Fudge); Mandarins (Russell Tanakaya); The Academy (Tanakaya); (next page): Pacific Crest (Tanakaya); Colts (Maher); Lone Star (John Matter); Boston Crusaders (Fudge); Blue Knights (Tanakaya); Phantom Regiment (Ron Wyatt); The Cavaliers (Tanakaya); Carolina Crown (Tery LeFebvere).These photos were not necessarily taken at this DCI event.Ten Open Class and one SoundSport team mar ch in SoCal by Jeremy van Cleave, Drum Corps World staff (jeremykvc@gmail.com) July 18, 2019 -- Riverside CA. . . At Wheelock Stadium on the campus of Riverside City College, it was late afternoon and the sun was still blazing over the top of Mt Rubidoux. I stepped onto the field to say hi to a friend, at which point it occurred to me that the last time I was on this field was in 1993, the same year I marched with the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets. That turned out to be one of the best summers of my life, so I brought my 14-year-old son with me to share the experience of his first Open Class drum corps show. I was hoping he would be inspired as he started freshman band camp in a few days. We grabbed a couple of dogs, some sodas and sat down just off the 50, side 1, in front of the box. Impulse (above right, Jim Claytor) kicked things off with a bang with their show titled “The Greatest Hero.” Weaving seamlessly from Michael Giacchino’s “Incredibles” theme to the Spider-Man “Homecoming Suite” and back again, the corps featured a balanced low brass, tasty bass licks, marimba runs and a powerfully-confident rifle line, all the while, marching between some tricky time signature changes. The redesign of their uniforms fit the superhero theme perfectly and their storytelling of a hero’s human journey was impressively emotional. Dark and ominous sounds from the front ensemble, combined with a dance feature center field, marked the beginning of Incognito’s (above, Jim Claytor) show called “The Muse.” This program featured wondererful euphonium solos and stark mallet playing escalating into impact moments that gave the audience plenty to cheer for. The interplay between the horns and the front ensemble was impressive given the wide staging and the white silks during Starlight complimented their sound perfectly. Subtle mallet runs, intricate tenor beats, a dance feature and beautiful horn melodies facing backfield. That’s how Vessel (top of next page, Russell Tanakaya) began their show titled “Here, There, Everywhere.” The corps had a very big sound and at its heart reminded me of a World Class-level show. Whether it was the unique staging weaving between ramps, the tight flag features, the sky-high rifle tosses or that amazing snare line, I was thoroughly impressed and it was toward the end when my son asked, “Where are they from?” When I answered Murrieta, I could see the wheels turning in his head. Watchmen’s (below left, Donny Helvey) “Gods of the Nile” is an incredibly ambitious show and the confidence of the performers is striking. The saber solos at the beginning during the soft mallet intro blew me away and the corps gives a lesson on how to march in three-quarter time and look good doing it. I was especially impressed with the boldness of the drum line, in particular the snare line as they executed some very exposed rolls. The color guard used some white, blue and yellow silks which tied the theme together nicely. The Battalion (bottom right, Donny Helvey) began their show with the soft melodies of Shenandoah played backfield while the keyboards and solo dancers built to an impact moment that left us awestruck. This was followed by an intricate drum feature filled with body movement and straight-up sick beats. Super clean horn runs, an amazing rifle line and strong bass solos combined with more back field playing from the horns during Symphony No. 4, Mvt IV made this an incredibly exciting show. It was easily another look at a World Class corps in-the- making Next was Golden Empire (top of next page, Russell Tanakaya) performing their show named “Icarus.” The intro featured subtle keyboard runs with exquisite four-mallet technique highlighting a mournful euphonium solo which the performer executed beautifully while hanging off a ladder- type prop at center field leading to a huge impact moment. Very challenging. This show was at times aggressive, in your face and definitely took no prisoners. 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