Campbell, CA,
Community Theatre
Having missed the Chinese New Year's Parade, I decided to experience a LOUD Music Symposium. Mac McEntire, over a meal with Jim McFarland, horn boss, tossed the summer show charts to moi. With 10 days to learn, I walked into Exec. Potentate Chris Nalls school ready to play notes, not knowing the rests. (Imagine the possible consequences.)
I had met Jim McFarland, Renegades brass cajones caption head, the day before at an Indigo Diablos rehearsal, where I also chatted with Ironlips, Wayne Harris, Scott Johnson, et al., including Gibbs who had his hands full with BD and his own kids. At the Renegades horn rehearsal, I was duly impressed at how Jim McFarland ran warmups and rehearsal. His is a cross between Zen and Capt. Picard calmly commanding "Make it so."
When Mac McEntire, Renegades visuals guru, and I moved to the community theatre before our scheduled rehearsal, the stage hands were being picky regarding who was backstage. Mac had his own printed badge. I threw on my DCWorld press pass, grabbed Francesca's badge, and walked around like when I report drum corps - "I belong here." Worked.
Our rehearsal was a mixture of squeezing too many on too little and sending out scouts to search for the missing DM that reportedly was on a ladder in the aisle. Those Cyalume sticks that I had Mac buy woulda cured the itsy bitsy glitches in the night show. Glow sticks and we coulda seen the tempo. The acoustics were fine, but the Renegades over-powered the theatre.
What I could catch of the other acts, I was super wowed. The variety was a great recipe to sell tickets, involve the community and expose everyone to the extremes of performing arts.
Hookslide: I heard this 5/4-man (Had to be there for the electronics) a cappella group had as tight a harmony as any similar ensemble I ever heard when I lived in Seattle.
Maximum Indifference: Dunno. Indifferent...Didn't see.
Earl Brown: Earl was quite the entertainer. Besides having phenomenal snare chops, he knew how to work the crowd. He'd do well in Blast! or Stomp! Earl is a former Renegade who took 3rd place in Snare I&E at the '05 DCA Championships.
Leigh HS Jazz Ensemble: They were quite impressive. Chris Nalls has done a fine job with his jazz musicians.
Trip Device: I caught 'em in sound checks. They are a tight Rush-type trio that puts out a lot of complex rhythms with some added "cheater" electronic wizardry.
South Bay (Full of) Trombone Choir: You woulda thought it was a t-bone convention. Every local trombonist showed up. I only saw 'em taking over the place as they meandered in. Didn't actually slide in to catch 'em.
Eddie the Rat: He brought in a crowd of groupies. "He" is actually "they." Program says "experimental" and "avant-garde." Mousily, I admit, I didn't see 'em.
Reneguard: A crowd of horn players got our own personal show outside. Let me tell ya', I was super impressed with the latin dance and equipment work of Lisa Dryden, Deb Peterson, Andrea Tobin, Tiffany Mackey, all current 'Gades, and Lesa Barker, retired, and Emily Mavroudis, current cg staff. I knew Emily looked familiar, but it wasn't until the next day that I figured out she was Christina Mavroudis-Dempsey's daughter, and Ed Dempsey's step-daughter. What a show they put on, and we horn folks had our own private viewing!
Renegades Minicorps: !Arriba, abajo, a centro, en dentro! Let me begin with that toast. With
Concierto Aranjuez and Mexico...
Mexico Cali?, that other latin piece, the Minicorps has served notice that they are contenders. Fantastic job! Larrie D. on mello?! Give the man an Opus One wine toast.
Renegades: With the pit already assembled in the pit (Well, in front of the stage), the curtain opened on the '06 Renegades. The "Stairway to Heaven" show with
Toccata, Stairway, and
Adventures in Time brought the house down. The sop line with an attitude (onstage, nice folks off), arced around Rich S's most bodacious contra solo. Man, the dude does rock. He be da' man with that pregnant sop. Chris Nalls, Larrie D., et al., sailed on solos.
Granted, it was a Sunday night, but I was surprised at the non-party attitude. Mac, my host, and I met a few guard folks afterwards. It was a blessing in a way, as I truly got to know an important core of the Renegades. I love making new buddies in corpsdom.
Campbell, CA,
Amy
Fighter pilot mentality soprano line.
Snares ensnared behind bars where they belong.
Each keg is incubating a new Renegade cocoon. Care is taken so that the kegs do not touch or suffer vibration. The evil consequences so close to the San AndRenegades Fault would be much too nightmarish to comprehend.
The anti-marching pants guru himself in his evil lab mixing more hellacious visuals tableau vivant near Mont Diablo for the Renegades.
Mac shows red-shoes Cozy where he ages his diabolical viz viddles for the Renegades in 7 vats.
