Undergetting (un)Square, Take II

I am a blog posting machine right now!  Muahahahahaha!!  Just kidding. But really, this is my third post of the night that I'm writing.  I don't think I will be posting it tonight as I have other responsibilities calling me but I figured I'd get started on this one.  I had a request today to write another blog about drum corps and I thought that was a wonderful idea.  My only issue now is what exactly should I write about?  Drum corps is a very general topic.  It is difficult to sum it up quickly besides simply saying that it's marching band on steroids.  Which I love to say.  Sometimes I switch it up and say that it's marching band on crack.  Either way the listener usually gets the picture. If any of you have some drum corps knowledge, or not, and you haven't seen it yet, you should check out this video on corps- What Is Drum Corps

Drawing inspiration from the music I am currently listening to (Radiohead) I guess I'll talk a little bit about this past season since I didn't get much of a chance to do so over the summer.  I did a post not too long ago (okay it was three months ago but whatever) entitled Undergetting (un)Square.  What I did not really do in that post was elaborate on what the title meant!  My goodness what an oversight that was.

So if you don't already know, the 7th Regiment's 2011 program was entitled un(Square) and it featured music by Dave Brubeck and Radiohead (thus the aforementioned inspiration).  The song lineup was as follows: 1) Everything In It's Right Place, 2) 15 Step combined with Take 5, 3) Creep, 4) un(Square), 5) Creep reprise.  It was an awesome lineup.  I once described the theme of the show to a drum major of another corps and he responded with "Woah, that's deep."  I'll try to explain it in a similar fashion here.  un(Square) is about breaking out of the mold.  The show begins with a square, signifying conformity (EEIRP and 15/5).  As the show continues the audience is led through an identity crisis where the main character is being scolded for being who she really is.  She is shunned and abused by her peers (Creep) but soon learns that it's okay to be different (un(Square)).  Everybody is unique in their own way and it's okay to be un(Square).  By the end of the show we are reveling in our differences (Creep reprise).

So that's not anywhere near how I described it to that drum major, but I think it will serve it's purpose.  Often times a drum corps show is taken at face value.  And sometimes that's okay.  Like in '09 when our show was Excalibur.  It was pretty easy to see the theme there, Lady of the Lake and King Arthur and the Sword Excalibur all did a pretty good job of that.  But when a corps puts on a concept show it becomes a little more difficult.  Our show this year was a concept show but I think that if people put just a little bit of thought into it that it was easy to understand.  Other concept shows involve too much thought.  They are a little too deep to understand without a bit of explanation.  I personally think the best shows are the ones that are easily understandable but still involve thought and planning and cleverness.  I LOVE clever shows. 

On that note I will turn away from the subject of show planning.  I don't want to upset too many people and honestly I'm pretty laid back about it so I don't want to get too into it.  So I really should get going now.  I will continue on with my drum corps discussions in the near future, however.  If any of you have any questions or ideas on what I should write about, just let me know!  I love suggestions!  And comments.  The more comments, the merrier!