Here's a recap of the DCI Southeastern Championship on July 29!

The Rocketeers - Huntsville, AL

The Rocketeers are hitting the ground running with some energetic jazz to get this crowd pumped up in Powder Springs! Hitting us with Eleanor Rigby, can't go wrong with a little bit of The Beatles. Closing out their performance with a nice full-out power chord with a mellophone suspended, Rocketeers let the crowd hear it today!

Impact - Orlando, FL

What a trumpet sound coming from that soloist! Beautiful style and scene set by the trumpet soloist, the castanets, and the dance soloist each! Impact came out to impress and have fun today! Even coming out with a company front and putting that latin music right in our face, this is so entertaining. AND Malagueña! Is this even allowed!? Impact is showing off some of their moves as well! What a performance.

Sonus Brass Theater - Prince William County, VA

How about that 1-person front ensemble, killing it! Sonus doesn't stop moving for very long at all, they've clearly been putting quite a bit of time into this drill. There seems to be a popular theme in Latin jazz in Soundsport this year, and who can complain about that?

Atlanta CV - Acworth, GA

Coming from Drum Corps Associates (DCA), Atlanta CV takes the field to the cheers from what is obviously a home crowd! That first hit definitely gets the crowd primed. This opener has some pretty difficult moments when it comes to the brass and percussion positioning on the field. Really enjoying this battery/pit feature. After some high velocity drill movements, the brass take us into their version of "Hymn of Acxiom." From the final brass hit and out, the ballad set a great atmosphere between the guard's stained glass silks, the front ensemble's writing and the brass diminuendo facing backfield. Really cool effect with the color guard in solid color uniforms, using the drill to create a full spectrum of the colors of a rainbow!

64.55 Pioneer - Milwaukee, WI

Now moving on to World Class! For all of you die-hard Les Mis fans, this is the show for you! Pioneer takes us to Broadway with their show "Irish On Broadway." Pretty impressive stuff coming from the color guard - one soloist even juggled two rifles at once, directly following the trombone soloist. The soloist singing "On My Own" certainly knows how to take a spotlight! Pretty cool moment for the battery during their drum break that leads into the "liberté" shout. Great solo from the flugelhorn! Overall, one of my favorite Pioneer shows of the past few seasons.

68.10 Jersey Surf - Camden County, NJ

All aboard the Jersey Surf train! Awesome first hit, playing "Shofukan!" Great sustain and followed by a very stylistic brass trio. Surf has definitely got a great vibe going - very funky. Interesting duet there with the tubas and snare drums... only to be immediately followed by a wall of sound from the hornline playing the "Shofukan" melody. The ballad "Chandelier" by SIA gave the hornline a big moment to shine and flex their volume muscles. Careful, if you blink you'll miss the plume change! Great ending too, so much energy coming from Jersey Surf today in Georgia!

71.90 Genesis - Austin, TX

I know we'll see a plume change from Genesis like we saw from Surf, so I hope it goes off without a hitch! This corps really blossomed at the Southwest Championship, I'm sure they won't disappoint today in the Georgia heat. What a great impact with the whole guard using the umbrellas across the entire field and the corps in triangles. Genesis's drill this season is mesmerizing. What a great way to enter the World Class landscape. Great trumpet solo! Not to mention the way the hornline handles the big impact moments in the ballad - wow. Cool transition using the battery voices with "Pure Imagination" while the corps changes out their plumes behind the props. The corps really kills the closer drill heading into the huge company front and final hit. The ending is just one of those "goosebumps" types of endings.

71.45 Seattle Cascades - Seattle, WA

Who can say anything bad about setting the stage with a little "Free Bird?" The choreography surrounding the bird cage throughout the show really draws your eye in to the prop. Nice block rotations from the trumpet section during the drum break! Playing some Eric Whitacre really brings a new level of drama to this show. The live vocalist is really incredible, the style and energy really sets the mood for the closer. What a great way to wrap up your performance, Cascades!

73.700 Oregon Crusaders - Portland, OR

Love this stage being set by OC, with the compasses throughout the left side of the field and the battery doing rotating fan drill on the 50. Great build into the infinity symbol, followed by some fun technical tonguing coming from the brass section. Despite missing a bass, the battery was still on fire during their feature - not thrown off at all, it seemed. This color guard is certainly raising the standard this season and are handling the sun being in their eyes very well! Their ballad "Only Time" has such potential to be a great drum corps ballad, and Oregon Crusaders have pulled it off this season. Footwork and all, the ballad lets these talented individuals in the brass line in particular, show off. The ending definitely has some room for improvement as far as moving the props seamlessly but the function is there and it looks promising for Oregon Crusaders this season.

76.075 Spirit of Atlanta - Atlanta, GA

Spirit of Atlanta must be taking the field with all of the confidence in the world right now. The crowd is already going wild for them! Some high velocity drill to start off the opener followed by a massive brass sound front and center. The blue stripe down the members' legs really shows off their visual technique. If they weren't handling this well, it could be a moment of vulnerability but they're killing it! A moment of shade for the home team before they head into the snare solo. Great moment coming from the rifles despite the wind and sunlight! A lot of velocity and energy coming from Spirit tonight. The visual transition in the drill as the corps makes their way into Shofukan is really fun to watch. The trumpet soloist makes the solo his own while also fitting into a style that all Snarky Puppy fans will recognize. Really cool writing being handled extremely well throughout Shofukan and on to the ending of their performance.

74.550 Pacific Crest - Diamond Bar, CA

Great introduction to your show. Always love that melody from "Kaleidoscope of Mathematics," and the way it builds into that hit in the tilted square form is great. Also, great double tonguing feature from the trumpets around the prop on the 35 yard line. The block rotations into interweaving lines creates a really interesting visual effect. This muted trumpet soloist really creates a cool atmosphere - almost ethereal. Although they seem to missing a few tubas, the ones that are performing tonight are really holding their own in the exposed moments of "Alfonso Muskedunder" and even during the sustained high volume hits. Love the decision to use "Moving On," it really adds to this ethereal mood being set. Between the guard's flag feature and they hornline's high velocity drill, this ending is really becoming a gem!

78.625 The Academy - Tempe, AZ

What season is it? It's always fun to see a corps take a not-so-serious approach to show design. This season and last season we've been able to rely on The Academy to bring a little comedy to the turf and I can't wait to see their performance tonight! The sun is getting painfully low behind the press box, hoping it doesn't affect too many performers out there. Love the scene during the mellophone solo with the high brass on the right side of the field in the "hunter" character. They're diving into some really exposed rotations involving the entire hornline, definitely going to be impressive once they get the kinks worked out. No matter where you are, this show will entertain anyone from seasoned drum corps veterans to first-year fans. Also, I can't forget to mention the massive improvement The Academy has already shown since last weekend's show in San Antonio!

 Intermission - SoundSport Awards

Time to hit up the kitchen if you're at home, concession stands & souvie booth if you're at the show, or just get up and stretch! You're not going to want to go anywhere once Blue Stars bring back the action after intermission with their show "Star Crossed."

83.350 Blue Stars - La Crosse, WI

And we're back with one of my favorite shows this season. Their visual program has certainly stepped it up this season. The opener drill developed very clearly - it was as if there was always an understood form even in between sets. The way the "crossed" theme is presented in the drill is just a treat to follow throughout the different parts of the show. The tubas are really hauling it throughout the entire "Romeo + Juliet" portion of their show. Love the ballad, with the low brass laying on their sides. The environmental demand is also pretty extreme during the first part of the ballad. The hornline is spread from sideline to sideline, 5 yard line to 5 yard line. I can't say enough about the effect of that parallelogram moving upfield with the lower body choreography - one of my favorite moments of all 2017 productions. Some pretty big changes in the transitions for Blue Stars tonight. The closer, "Come What May" is truly one of the best things to come out of Blue Stars since I've been watching DCI. It is spine tingling and goosebump inducing to the max.

85.250 Blue Knights - Denver, CO

That baritone solo is always perfect. The scene Blue Knights set for this opener is so surreal. They calmly pull you into their world then build into this huge brass hit after a quick front facing turn. This opener has really come a long way as they've cleaned up the fast paced drill and raised their overall volume level for the final sustain. The call and response that the hornline does when they're split is incredibly difficult. There is nearly 40 yards between the two blocks of brass and they're playing things back and forth that would be difficult for some corps to play standing together in a block. This ballad, "Hide and Seek" is really captivating. The way Blue Knights plays with the dynamics draws you in close and then they hit you with a wall of sound you weren't expecting.

87.638 The Cadets - Allentown, PA

I really enjoy the way this opening develops. All the crazy movement and sounds leading up into pure silence. The color guard has shown up to impress tonight on the flag. The Cadets are really moving a lot in the first half of their show. When the bass trombones come out the scene is set for war. The block of high brass coming from the large purple panels in the back right of the field feels very militaristic. Once the high brass removes the robes, you can really see the clarity from performer to performer in the visual technique. The bright uniforms leave each individual highly exposed. That's a lot of loud sustains there at the end, Cadets! What a way to finish out your performance!

85.500 Phantom Regiment - Rockford, IL

Very interesting way to set the setting of your show using the overlaid vocals. The hornline is flexing their ability to handle some really high velocity drill in the middle portion. Overall, the brass sound has taken pretty big steps in the last few weeks - big kudos to Phantom Regiment for that. The guard has also been a really strong point for the corps this season and have not disappointed tonight. It seems they're always running somewhere to fill out the negative space in the rest of the field, which they're doing very well. Great features from top to bottom during the brass's back and forths. The end of this show fills out the entire field from each and every corner and is really becoming a moment of pride for this corps. 

89.850 The Cavaliers - Rosemont, IL

Nice and powerful hit to start off the show as always! The symmetric jazz running drill on either side of the 50 is mesmerizing it's hard to not watch! The Cavaliers' brass showing some impressive double tonguing skill split between the props and their small brass groups. Between the snare splits and the spinning quads, this show is a young drummer's dream. This brass section has taken some serious strides since last season, most notable in their ability to handle some fast paced drill with very exposed, isolated, syncopated notes. Some of this drill is just so fun to watch. As the corps goes into the "My Way" melody they really let the crowd have it with a slow float up the field. Great energy to all the way through to the end.

91.175 Bluecoats - Canton, OH

Now for some long awaited changes from Bluecoats! Those opener flags look like they're being spun through a strobe light. The tenor feature with each spread 5 yards is extremely effective, it just shows a small glimpse into the difficulty of this show solely focusing on environmental demand. It's great to see Bluecoats have decided to perform their ballad climax front field. They kept in the effect of playing backfield and having their sound coming out of the speakers in the front, while also giving the audience a beautiful resolution to the ballad. The Bluecoats' battery is ON FIRE tonight. How about that new closer drill? With the snakes on both sides, the new drill creates an incredibly energetic close to what felt like their best run of the season. 

93.125 Santa Clara Vanguard - Santa Clara, CA

Only .1 behind Blue Devils last night, it'll be very interesting to see if Vanguard can step up to the challenge and push past the undefeated corps tonight. So far, their brass section is really showing how powerful they can be and also use great balance. The mellophones really know how to push it to 11 to sit right on top of the massive sound around them. Great showings from all sections of the battery during their feature. The way the mic'd brass ensemble's timing intermingles flawlessly with the rest of the brass is pretty impressive. Vanguard has a knack for finding a way to use a theremin extremely well. Their ballad takes me into a dreamworld every time they set the scene with the props, the color guard, and the hornline. There's some really tasteful playing coming from the front ensemble during the entire ballad. And THAT'S a new ending. Quite a bit of playing and moving coming from Santa Clara Vanguard in that closer, and it is already being performed at a high level. Did I hear a little bit of "Send In The Clowns"?

93.138 Blue Devils - Concord, CA

Now time for the Blue Devils, our current leader. Wow, that drill moving into the company front was entrancing. The drill is also incredibly clean. Transitioning into "Flight of the Bumblebee," the snares seemed to be locked in tonight on the stairs. The hornline also really impresses during this whole movement -- some crazy multiple tonguing technique and runs. How about those circles in the ballad? The Blue Devils are on fire tonight. Building from the front right corner of the field, more and more color guard members add on to the flag feature. By the time the hornline is going full out on the "Everything Must Change" melody, the guard is matching energy and clarity, having enveloped the left half of the field in bright purple. Directly following a long-winded jazz hit, the entire corps is sent sprinting before the reprisal of "Everything Must Change." There's a new ending from Blue Devils as well! Adding a beautiful last touch with a voiceover of Blue Devils' Founder Jerry Seawright announcing "Concord Blue Devils" before the brass lays into the last chord.

91.688 Carolina Crown - Fort Mill, NC

After some closed rehearsals this week for Carolina Crown, I'm very much looking forward to this! The blend between trumpets and mellophones is as masterful as always. Truly great in respect to timing and sound quality. Quite a bit of sound coming from this hornline in their first crown set of the show! There is some very clean drill coming from Carolina Crown tonight. One thing's for sure, the battery has taken huge strides this season and is definitely one to watch for as we move forward into August and World Championships. During their ballad, the hornline plays with a dark, smooth sound that makes it sound like it's coming from one instrument. An appropriate ending to an eccentric show about the deconstruction of the field!

Encore - Spirit of Atlanta