7/18 - Southwest Championship

The Cadets - 87.625 Blue Devils - 87.300 Carolina Crown - 86.200 Bluecoats - 85.625 Santa Clara Vanguard - 84.825 Blue Knights - 81.900 The Cavaliers - 81.825 Phantom Regiment - 80.975 Madison Scouts - 79.200 Boston Crusaders - 77.725 Crossmen - 77.435 Blue Stars - 77.150 Troopers - 76.275 Colts - 75.225 The Academy - 74.075 Spirit of Atlanta - 71.800 Mandarins - 69.475 Oregon Crusaders - 69.475 Pacific Crest - 67.450 Cascades - 64.200 Jersey Surf - 63.550 Pioneer - 57.775

Click Here for Recap

-----

Genesis - 61.350

Louisiana Stars - 56.900

Guardians - 54.950

Click Here for Recap

-----

Jubal - 53.500

Click Here for Recap

DCI Southwest Championships took place in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, July 18th, 2015. Due to the weight of the competition, the corps writers decided to combine our skills and make one massive article.

The Cadets- You know, there are seasons where you will see top level corps who still have a few issues, and only win one maybe two captions. The Cadets are not that corps. They are absolutely stunning in every single caption. There lowest placement over and over again is 4th in colorguard and the score itself is fairly close to 3rd. To start, in San Antonio, the brass was so balanced. I need to hand it to the staff on this one. Trumps were very articulate and precise with their playing. Mellophones were by far the most outspoken. In my opinion they are the best mello line of 2015, with Crown a close second. Low brass is extremely balanced as well, and you can really hear it when they play their first feature in the opener. Visually, it’s been very close between them and BD, but Cadets are beginning to win it more. They do have more traditional drill sets than BD, but they overall, are cleaner in that respect. It is BD’s guard that is making it closer in my opinion. Percussion is just sizzling. Not a fan of the snare tuning but everything else is perfect, and they have a real shot at high drums. Pit has some gorgeous parts in the ballad that set the stage really well. An excellent effect that creates an atmosphere of haunting beauty. The use of props is excellent, and doesn’t muddy up the field at all. Colorguard is solid, just not as tight as the other in the top four. Finally, GE is probably their greatest caption. They have been winning it by a considerable margin for the past 2 weeks. Overall, they have a very challenging show (That waltz especially), and will be tough to beat going into August.

The Blue Devils- I believe that the Blue Devils have the best uniform design of 2015. Not a fan of the red and purple, but the geometry, and where they put the white accent is brilliant. It makes them look much taller than pretty much every corps. When they nail a form, it looks perfect. The visual program is so unique and innovative. If they clean, they will certainly catch up to the Cadets in the visual category. Right now their percussion is a solid second, maybe third overall. Vanguard has been up and down, and will be the decider when it comes to Cadets VS BD. Brass wise, very clean, and once again trumpets are the most outspoken. Low brass is nice and dark. Colorguard is amazing, but not necessarily a shoo-in for best guard. Crown is definitely up their tail, beating them out in the guard category a few times now. GE they are very good, but still not up to the Cadets level. They still need a little more to get them there. Their show design is still great, and their members are amongst the most mature in DCI, so they won’t have any problems with adding to their show. They can definitely beat Cadets, they just need a little more.

Carolina Crown- Crown has probably had the most controversial recap sheets of DCI 2015. There was one night where they scored 2nd in brass, 5th in music analysis. Then again, when they won guard, got 2nd in visual analysis, and 4th in visual proficiency. There never seems to be a constant with them. Well, San Antonio marked the day where Crown began to perform their show to a higher level. Brass parts are extremely beefy, and if cleaned a little more, have a real shot at High brass again. They are very balanced, and that’s the reason why they are so good. Every section is together, no one sticks out negatively. Drumline is much better than previous years. Still not up to the tier that SCV, BD, Cadets, and Bluecoats bring, but they are close behind. Visually, Crown is interesting. They are fairly clean, just one notch below Devils, and just one notch above Bluecoats. They are the only corps in the top five with no white in their uniform. It looks like they have the most jam packed visual book, meaning the most body work, and definitely the most “blank check” moments. All off it may not be totally clean, but it’s getting there, and will be something to watch by August. Their music and drill changes were noticeable, and I am very happy with them. Beefier books with all sections, and better use of the new music in the drill. The tarps are finally solved. Opening trap was perfect, and the ballad tarp covered everyone. They also added individuals standing up, attempting to escape the tarp to really bring out the tragedy and treachery beyond the gates of hell. Colorguard is stunning, and has a real shot at high guard. In fact, There is a possibility that Crown could get 4th place overall, and win Brass and guard. Reason why they will most likely not get higher than third, and have more of a chance at ending 4th is their GE scores, as well as their visual sub captions. GE, however is their biggest cut from the rest. There were nights before SA where they were .9 behind a corps in GE, with a placement of 4th or 5th. Crown did better this time around, but they must add more to the show to bring out the theme. The ballad change with the tarp people was a big step. Overall, great program, just needs some more beef in the GE department, and some visual cleaning.

The Bluecoats- Visual program is very solid. The amount of body work they have content wise is matching Crown. They, similar to the Blue Devils, have a very unique and innovative visual book. Very new age and modern. The detail is also astounding. Crown may have a jam packed book, but if I had an award for most intricate visual program, I have to give it the Bluecoats. Especially the ballad. I find it amazing how much is going on when you focus on just one area of people. Props are very nice, again not mudding up the field at all, and they are used quite a bit. Colorguard is just wonderful, and actually beat Crown and got close to BD earlier last week. With some more work, they are also a serious contender for high guard. They add to their already great visual program. The source music is gorgeous, and definitely one of my favorites. They need to clean up a little, as music scores were there weak point at SA, however their percussion is very tight, and will be a contender for high drums, as their achievement scores are very high. I would like to hear a little more from their low brass. Their high brass is very dominant, but such that their low brass isn’t to the same level. GE is a little better than Crown, but not up to BD and Cadets level. Like BD they need to add a little more to get that late season surge. Bluecoats out of these four corps have the most potential to grow in the coming weeks, which is very exciting.

Santa Clara Vanguard - Coming in at 5th place for the night was the Santa Clara Vanguard. This might have come as a surprise to many fans, as Vanguard had been in a solid 4th place for the past few weeks. A Spark of Invention has become a personal favorite show of mine this season. It has all the classic Vanguard elements that we all know and love, but with a twist that perfectly fits the theme. Vanguard performed well across the board, but their percussion is still their strong suit. GE may be an issue for them in the coming weeks; some of their achievement scores are higher than the content scores. This means that they are performing this production very well.

Blue Knights - The Blue Knights are still proving that last year’s 8th place finish was not a fluke by finishing in 6th place in San Antonio. Because is another beautiful production, not quite as deep as 2014, but still a show that a lot of fans are taking a liking to. The Blue Knights took 6th in GE and Music but fell to 8th in the Visual caption, this may hurt them come Championships. Still, CWI writer Jason Kazmierski personally believes that the Blue Knights will surprise all of us and break into the top 6 at Finals.

The Cavaliers - The Cavaliers finished 0.075 behind the Blue Knights with Visual being their best caption. The Cavaliers tied with Phantom Regiment in GE, and are scoring well across all captions. The Cavaliers, like many corps, have made changes to their ending. The music is mostly unchanged, but the visual aspect is much more appealing in both the eyes of the judges and the audience.

Phantom Regiment - Phantom Regiment may not be safe with their current placement based on their current scores. GE and Visual are their strongest captions, Phantom tied Cavaliers in GE and were 0.15 behind them in Visual. It appears that Music is what’s holding them back, specifically the percussion caption where they finished in 11th.

Madison Scouts - This show continues to scream classic Madison Scouts. The look of the uniforms, the sound of the hornline, and even the drill brings fans back to an earlier time in Drum Corps history. This show is an easy show to be a fan of and you can find yourself singing "Gotta Dance" all the way home after seeing the show. Their highest caption of the night was given by the second percussion judge, placing them in eighth. Their lowest caption of the night was Visual, but specifically Color Guard. This has been a problem since the beginning of the season but Madison has also grown a lot since then. From a show that may not have made finals early in the season to be a contender in the middle of the Top 12 pack, Madison continues to light up the stadium performance after performance.

Boston Crusaders - How could you not get excited after hearing a huge drum break and bagpipes to open up a show entitled "Conquest"? This opener gets me everytime and it has changed so much since the beginning of the season. When I first heard this show in Boston, MA at Concert in the Park, I was nervous for BAC. Their hornline sounded weak, and not like a BAC hornline should sound like. My feelings toward this hornline has completely changed. Although their hornline is the weakest caption, finishing 13th at San Antonio, I believe this hornline has grown a lot and that deserves to be recognized. Boston experimented this year with a whole new educational staff and for a first year staff, they had large shoes to fill after "Animal Farm" in 2014. Although this may not be how BAC imagined their 75th Anniversary show, they should be very proud of how much they have improved this season and continue to be a serious competitor.

Crossmen - Enough to get a post from Eric Whitacre, Crossmen are continuing to give fans an exciting show to watch and proving that they are here to stay as a finalist corps. Finishing in 11th place overall, Crossmen are putting on quite the program with "Above and Beyond". My personal favorite moment in this entire show has to be the opening. It's such a beautiful arrangement and Crossmen is doing "Fly to Paradise" justice. The biggest shock in the recap has to be the huge difference between the two percussion judges. Judge 1 placed them in 17th place with a score of 14.00 and Judge 2 placed them in 12th place with a score of 15.90. That's a huge difference and I thought it should be noticed. Their visual score being their highest in San Antonio, finishing 9th, I'd say that Crossmen are making quite the impression among fans and judges.

Blue Stars - In the past few says, we have seen quite the drop in placement and scores with the Blue Stars. Their program "Side Show" has been a hit with fans and judges but lately, should we be worring about Blue Stars not making finals this year? It's a sad thought to think that Blue Stars will not be in finals, especially after the captured our hearts last year. This program still has a lot of potential to be not only a finalist show, but placing around 8th. As of right now, music is their highest caption by far, placing 8th in San Antonio, but their General Effect and Visual scores are what is holding the Blue Stars back.

From 13th to 17th place, the five had surely combated between each other in performance that has grown immensely through the current season. With (in order of placement) Troopers, Colts, The Academy, Spirit of Atlanta, and Mandarins going head to head, there was a noticeable score gap that began to emerge downwards from the position Troopers were in. Although, as it began to divide even more from 13th and down on, the five corps moved off and on from caption to caption, taking over one of the other for their spots on the leaderboard. Troopers lead off from the five with placements of 12th, 11th, 15th, and 12th again in each caption while Colts stood right behind on 13th, 14th, 12th, and 14th. These small but noticeable changes in scoring put Troopers and Colts at a 1.5 difference, not much of a difference compared to the upper corps in the performance that night, but helped create a spread from a 76 to a 69 in only five corps.

Progressively, a highlight of the five is the sudden uprising in Mandarins' performance ability this year. We've seen how much they've progressed over the years, but the 2015 season is no exception to them, with their quick and rise up through the ranks of the drum corps world. Although they tied with Oregon Crusaders (a common opponent and rival to them), they still surged through captions above them. We can hopefully see a much bigger progression from them this season and into the 2016 season as well.

Mandarins - Tying with Oregon Crusaders with a score of 69.475 for 17th place were the Mandarins, with their terracotta warrior themed show. The corps always pays homage to their heritage, this time with a full-fledged army of the mystical warriors, giant drums, and other various symbolism. The corps finished across the board. They were as high as 14th in Percussion 1, 15th in GE 3, and 16th in Overall Music. The corps finished 20th to 17th in all remaining captions.

Oregon Crusaders - Oregon Crusaders returned to San Antonio with another lush program. The Midnight Garden follows the adventures of a Cinderella like character through an enchanted garden as the clock strikes midnight. After tying Pacific Crest at Denver, the Oregon corps moved ahead of them for the first time with a score of 69.475, tying the Mandarins for 17th place. The corps finished over a wide spread, as high as 15th in Percussion 1, 16th in Visual Proficiency, and Brass, and 17th in Visual Analysis, Guard, and Overall Visual. The corps finished 19th to 17th in all remaining captions.

Pacific Crest - Pacific Crest continues a solid season with their show The Catalyst, revolving around a mysterious cube that moves and transforms as the show progresses. Filled with fantastic music from Prokofiev, Final Fantasy, Frank Tichelli, and more, the show is a musical treat in addition to a fantastic visual program. The corps finished 19th with a score of 67.55. They finished as high as 17th in Visual Analysis and Overall Visual, 18th in GE 2, Visual Proficiency, Color Guard, and Brass. They finished 21st to 19th in all remaining captions.

Cascades - One of the biggest turnarounds from 2014 to 2015 is the Cascades. With a new white and blue uniform, drastically higher numbers, and a show that appeals to everyone, they are one of the biggest success stories of the 2015 season. Their highly entertaining show Intergalactic, with tons of recognizable music from Star Trek, The Planets, Beastie Boys, Soundgarden, and more, continues to

captivate audiences. Particularly the Holst/Soundgarden mashup ballad and the Intergalactic dance break at the end are huge highlights. The corps finished as high as 19th in GE 1, GE 3, and Visual Performance. They finished 20th and 21st in all remaining captions.

Jersey Surf - Jersey Surf continues to get audiences clapping with their fun show titled Sun Surfing. The entertaining show features classics by the Beach Boys and other fun in the sun music. The corps featured a new uniform change, a orange poncho-esque piece in addition to their blue and white uniform. The corps finished 20th with a score of 63.55 and placed as high as 20th in GE 2, Color Guard, Brass, Percussion, and total music. The corps finished 21st in all remaining captions.

Pioneer - One of the more interesting stories of the day involved Pioneer. After the corps encountered a transportation issue due to getting busses fixed, the corps was placed at the end of the competition since they missed their original performance slot. The crowd welcomed them with a large amount of applause, and Pioneer performed in one of the larger crowds of the season. Their show Exodus, finished 22nd place with a score of 57.775, after a two point penalty. The corps finished 22nd in all captions except for Color Guard and Percussion, which finished 21st.

Genesis - Finishing out Open Class competition was the locally based corps Genesis, with their show Phantom Revisited, providing a fresh new take on music from Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Phantom of the Opera. The hometown corps performed at a very high energy level, likely fueled by their hometown crowd who was very receptive. The show is full of recognizable melodies from the classic score, but giving their own unique take on it. Coming off of a 23rd place finish last year, the Texas corps continues its growth into a mainstay in Open Class competition. Genesis finished 1st with a score of 61.35, and finished 1st in all captions but Color Guard.

Lousiana Stars - Open Class Competition opened up Saturday with the 2nd year Open Class corps “Louisiana Stars” with their program Universal Melodies, featuring the music of Beethoven. Though they are only in their second year, the Louisiana based corps sounds like a seasoned Open Class finalist with a huge, lush brass sound, an extremely polished and aggressive drumline, and a guard that is full of vibrant color and performance quality. Their show is full of recognizable Beethoven melodies, and different takes on them. The corps received a massive response as their show ended in a star set, a homage to their name. This is a corps that is going places, and whenever they do decide to go to championships, will be a serious force to be reckoned with. The corps finished in 2nd Place with a score of 56.9, and won Color Guard in Open Class competition.

Guardians - Next up was another relatively new corps, the Guardians from Houston who recently got their start in Soundsport competition. Their show Light of Gold featured many shades of bright yellows and golds in the sideline panels around the field, guard uniforms, costuming, and as well in the bright and shining musical selections they picked. Another solid corps in its early stages, if it is any sign of what is to come, the activity is headed in a great direction. The Guardians finished 3rd with a score of 54.95.