Marching Band on Steroids: A Quick Look at Drum Corps International

by Molly

Drum Corps International (DCI) is something that not many people have the opportunity to get to know or be a part of, but for those who have the time to surf YouTube or take a summer road trip, it is a life changing experience. For those who don’t know, DCI is essentially a regiment of professional-grade marching bands. These talented, passionate young people spend thousands of dollars and months away from their families in order to produce a top-of-the-line product that high school ensembles could only dream of.

In my lifetime, I’ve only had the privilege of attending one DCI show (the one that introduced me to the wonder that was the Blue Devils!), but from that experience I can tell you that marching band can be just as competitive as any football or baseball league out there.

At my first Drum Corps International show, it was projected that there was going to be some pretty nasty weather rolling in. Being DCI, and knowing that many people had invested hundreds of dollars in tickets to watch them perform, the show went on. About half way through the Cavaliers’ performance, an announcer came over the intercom, alerting us to the fact that there was severe weather fast approaching. Corps members and spectators alike took refuge under the bleachers. Oddly enough, this is how I got to know several members of the Madison Scouts and Crusaders Corps fairly well.

By the end of the ordeal, we were all laughing and joking like we’d known each other for years. This is one thing that I really appreciated about these people who we could’ve expected to be snobbish and rude. I mean, most of these performers have a World Championship under their belts. They had no reason at all to be interested in what I had to say about my 52-piece band from the boondocks of Southern Indiana.

This, admittedly, was probably the highlight of my entire life. Even though this all happened due to a flash tornado watch, I’m so glad it did. To this day, I’m able to creep these people on Google Images and be like, “Yeah, I know that guy.”

When I asked one performer if he considered marching a sport (a long-standing argument amongst us seasoned performers), he responded with a definitive “no”. To elaborate, he stated that marching band was an athletic performance, combining all of the beauty of a concert band with all of the stealth and precision of a drill team. Every member was in use at all times, unlike sports, where some players may sit on the bench for half the season, and if even one person is out of step, the entire team suffers for it. Therefore, band members must work harder than any athlete out there. When you stop and think about it, his reasoning is pretty fool-proof.

One of the most exciting parts of the DCI experience is the fact that everyone that shows up has a team that they are rooting for, but at the same time, everyone is there to have fun and share “This One Time at Band Camp...” stories with anyone who will listen, regardless of which corps you are there supporting. It isn’t like a football game in the sense that opposing teams absolutely despise each other. In all honesty, I’ve probably had more fun getting to know people from other parts of the country who came to support their Corps, than actually watching the show itself in some cases!

Auditions for individual corps are held in different cities across the country, often starting as early as December of the year prior to the start of the competitive season. Only the best few will be accepted into the Drum Corps ranks, and these few will have to fight to get to the top of the leaderboard for the entire season..

The reigning champion from the 2013-2014 season is Carolina Crown, an integrated corps hailing from Fort Mill, South Carolina.This past season, they earned a near-perfect score of 98.300/100 points at the World Championships with their show, E=mc^2.

World Championships are held every November in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium, and every year, people come from across the country and the world to be able to witness the phenomenon that is Drum Corps International. Whether you’re a fan of Santa Clara Vanguard’s unique marching style, the Scouts’ triumphant tunes, or Phantom’s powerful drum majors, there will inevitably be something there that will continue to draw you in and bring you back year after year.

Who is your favorite corps? Who do you think will be the World Championship holder this season? Let us know in the comments below!

This Star Won't Go Out

by Jessica

 

If there was ever a book that made me bawl my eyes out like a small child, it was this one. I received this book for my birthday from one of my closest friends, and even though it is a huge hardback book with 431 pages, I read it like nobody’s business. But I had to keep taking breaks when I cried too much and just couldn’t read any more.

 

This Star Won’t Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl tells the story of an amazing sixteen-year-old girl who died of thyroid cancer. Her body may have physically died, but she never truly did. I’ve never before been so touched, so affected, by a book before, more so by this one because I know it is a true story. People, family, really had to lose this wonderful, artistic, clever girl from their lives. But they kept her alive through this book.

The journals, web blogs, online posts, photographs, and memoirs of Esther and those who were inspired by her and her story are of what this book is composed. A spunky little thing living in France in 2006 (for her parents’ work), Esther Grace Earl was diagnosed at the age of 12. She had been out of breath when they ran at school, and when her dad took her to the doctor, it turned out there was excess fluid in her lungs (tumors), and she and her family (her parents, two older sisters, and two younger brothers) would need to go back home to the United States, back to their previous home in Massachusetts, so she could receive better care.

 

I’m not even sure where to begin, what to tell about her, how it affected me. I suppose we can begin with what a light Esther was, and still is. Her name, Persian for “star,” is perfect for who she was in everyday life. She loved her cats, Blueberry and Pancake, and she loved writing. She wrote as often as she could in her journals, and she was often afraid and annoyed that she wasn’t as capable as she wished she were in making a difference in people’s lives. She said something about kids who have it worse than her out there who manage to do more than lollygag around in bed all day, but she had no idea what kind of an impact she was about to make in so many lives.

She formed this online community (with friends she met in chat rooms) called Catitude. It was here that Esther could, for a time, look past the fact that she was a kid with cancer and just act normally for once. Her friends didn’t find out for a while that she had cancer, but when she finally told them, they became closer than ever. Many of their stories of Esther and what a bright star she was in their lives are in this incredibly touching book.

Esther was very present online. She started her own YouTube channel in 2008 (cookie4monster4) after being inspired by other YouTubers, including the Vlogbrothers themselves, John and Hank Green. Esther even got the chance to meet John at LeakyCon (a convention dedicated to all things Harry Potter) in 2009, and his involvement with Esther still continues today. With Esther’s help, Nerdfighteria (John and Hank’s subscribers) won $250,000 for the Harry Potter Alliance, an organization dedicated to fighting for social justice. John came back for Esther’s Make-A-Wish occasion in July 2010, along with all of her Internet friends from Catitude, to truly give her the most amazing weekend and most wonderful last hurrah she could ever wish for (I won’t spoil for you what all Esther and her friends got to do; you’ll just have to read the book for yourself).

 

Esther sadly passed away in the Children’s Hospital in Boston on August 25, 2010, only 22 days after her 16th birthday. But Esther’s light will never go out. That’s why the Earl family created This Star Won’t Go Out, “a non-profit foundation serving families with children diagnosed with life-threatening cancer” (tswgo.org). Since its start in 2011, the foundation has presented more than 75 gifts to families, totaling more than $130,000.

John Green, incredibly impacted by Esther, created a day in her honor, called Esther Day. Before she died, he asked her what she wanted people to do on this day, August 3rd, her birthday, each year. She simply said she wanted to celebrate love. But not the kind of love that is already celebrated on Valentine’s Day - the kind of love we don’t always acknowledge, that between siblings, friends, family, anyone we hold dear to our hearts. She wanted people to tell others that they love them on that day. And that was all. A simple showing of our love can go a long way.

Esther’s story really impacted my life, in a way no book or story ever has before. Esther taught me that death is a natural part of our lives and to not be afraid of it. She wasn’t, so why should I be? Of course she was hesitant at times and scared to leave her family, but she had come to terms with the fact that she was probably going to die, and her faith in God and Heaven kept her from fearing what we do not, and cannot, know. Esther loved in a way most of us aren’t lucky enough to know how to or lucky enough to receive.

I genuinely hope you will pick up this book, today, tomorrow, in a year from now, because it will have such a positive impact on your life. If you’re anything like me, you will look at things and people differently, love more fully, and never let any opportunity go to waste. Our stars don’t have to go out either. Love is stronger than death.

The Lucky One

by Jessica

 

More guys in the world should look like Zac Efron in The Lucky One. Efron gained eighteen pounds of muscle to play U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault for this film, and it definitely added to the character he was portraying. Based on the book by Nicholas Sparks, The Lucky One tells the story of veteran Logan stumbling across the picture of a stranger while at war and how it seemed to save him from events that most weren’t as lucky to survive. Logan promised himself that if he made it out of the war, he would find this girl and thank her for that. Little did he know how long it would take and on such a journey it would take him.

 

There’s something about Logan that sets him apart from others, aside from being a Marine: he loves to walk. And walk he did to find the girl in the photo. He researched the picture online, and it took him all the way across the country, from Colorado to Louisiana. And he walked - the entire way. But he did have a buddy with him, German shepherd Zeus. But a misconception when he finds who he has been searching for extends a temporary visit to a permanent living arrangement. Did the girl save Logan, or is he the one truly saving her?

The Lucky One, which came out April 20, 2012, was most definitely a change in character for the loveable Zac Efron everyone knows as Troy Bolton from High School Musical (2006). Logan is a serious and loyal person, quiet but so intelligent. He has so many hidden talents that one might confuse him for a magician! But that hobby is reserved for another character in the movie. Logan is sweet and caring, and he will do anything for those he loves and will always stand by those in need. And as he points out, “It’s how Marines work. We watch each other’s backs. You don’t worry about yourself. You think about the guy next to you.”

This movie is strong in emotion; you watch it, and you’re soaring, devastated, worried, anxious, laughing, terrified, relieved. Every feeling you can imagine is in this. And something that especially got me thinking was one of the film’s main motifs - does life have a plan for us? I think about this sometimes, and Logan said, “If it does, it hasn’t shared it with me.” We don’t know this; we never can while we’re still here. So like Logan and the girl in the picture, we live the best that we can, and even though life can be unpredictable and seemingly led by fate, we have to trust in that it is leading us where we are supposed to go.

 

The Lucky One deals with very real and frightening scenarios, the biggest being anger issues in the girl’s ex. She stands very still whenever he’s around and seems about ready to explode. She talks calmly and tries to keep everything out of his hands that he might use against her or even himself. People like him aren’t inherently bad people, as Logan tells him. I believe it’s an interesting subplot in the movie, and it leads to the extremely intense climax that will leave you breathless.

 

But overall, and aside from those sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat scenes, The Lucky One is about finding love in unexpected ways, the kind all great romance movies seem to encompass. It’s about being open to others, and to yourself, even when you don’t want to or think you need to be. It’s about following your heart, as cheesy as that might sound, and trusting in unimaginable turns of event in life.

The Lucky One is one of the best romance movies I’ve ever seen because I can be quite picky when it comes to overly mushy movies that are totally gag-worthy. But this one gets you thinking, about life and love and loss and how we can never know or be in charge of everything. Some things just have to happen naturally. As Logan ponders, “How can you explain something that you can’t even understand yourself?” Well you can’t, not always. But if you’re lucky enough to find the one, you don’t have to explain everything; they’ll just know.

Unnerving Movies

by Kaylee

 

Nearly everyone goes through what I would call a Scary Movie Phase, and it might only happen once when you’re 15 or it might happen every year around Halloween time, but during this aforementioned phase you spend days and days talking/watching/breathing/living/reliving old classics like Alfred HItchcock's Psycho and the Birds and checking off your list of which Friday the 13th remakes you’ve seen and which ones you never want to see.

Scary movies are usually filled with gore and pop ups meant to make you jump; it really just depends on what you find “scary.” There are psychotic and elucid serial killers, ghost and demons imbedded in the foundation of old houses, aliens that will snatch you and your loved ones from your beds at night, but there’s a special type of scary movie that seems to be forgotten amidst the guts and gore - the believable and unnerving thriller. Mostly tales of home invasion, this breed of movie replaces axe-wielding crazies with quiet and sneaky everyday people. Innocent next door neighbors, the people who you wave to in the mornings and share a mailman with, are suddenly turned hostile, and that’s when things get real. And you thought you were safe in your home.

The Strangers (2008): This was the first really unnerving movie I ever saw. It scared me the most because of how quiet the whole thing is. It starts with a young couple who, after leaving a wedding reception, decide to spend some time in their isolated vacation house. A late night knock at the door begins a series of increasingly creepy events involving three masked strangers who just decide, “Hey, let’s go scare the crap out of whoever’s home,” and like a friend of mine said when I showed him the film, it scares you because “THAT COULD HAPPEN TO ME SO EASILY.”

 

Funny Games (1997): This movie was never intended to be a horror flick, but what was produced was one of the most unsettling films ever produced. Before watching it I heard countless tales of people leaving in the middle of the movie and vomiting, and it was even banned from several film festivals. It bothered me from beginning to end. The first shot is of a nice, civil-looking family - a man, woman, and little boy. They’re playing a game in which one of them plays a classical song and the other guesses the composer, and in the middle of them rolling through the idyllic countryside, they just cut it off in the middle with very loud and pretty terrifying screaming and drum pounding. Everything seems to be going well for the family until two boys who are friends with the neighbors come over and ask to borrow some eggs. And then they drop the eggs. And ask for more eggs. And things go wrong so quickly that it’s difficult to watch. The two boys seem so friendly until they’re not. The movie is shot in a way that makes it feel less like a movie and more like a terrible alternate reality all the way up until the end, and you’ll be left wondering why there is no justice for the innocent and anyone would ever make a movie like this. But it was good to the point that there was a shot-by-shot remake done in the late 2000s, so the director did something right.

 

In Their Skin (2012): I found this movie by accident one dark midnight, and I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but looking back on it, I’m glad I did. Some people consider this a knock-off of Funny Games, and as I watched it, I could tell why. Once again, a family of three (a husband, wife, and little boy) take some time off in their vacation home out in the woods after the death of their daughter. While things are awkward and uncomfortable in the first place, more complications arise when the neighbors (see the pattern here?) come over in the early morning to bring over a little firewood. This family also consists of a husband, a younger wife, and little boy, but they are less than socially adept. After an awkward dinner party filled with too many intrusive questions and creepy smiles from the neighbor’s wife, things get real fast, and the night unravels into a scene that had me on edge the entire time.

Requiem for a Dream (2000): This wasn’t originally going to be a part of my list, but as I thought about what movies scared me more than anything else, this came to mind. It’s not exactly a horror story about neighbors gone wild, but it gives you a front row seat to how addiction and drugs can lead you to do terrible, terrible things. It starts out harmless and slips out of control so quickly that you don’t notice how bad it’s gotten until the end. After you watch it once, you won’t want to again, but it’s worth being on edge for.

The Color Morale

by Sarah

 

Enter The Color Morale, an up and coming band that has been thrown into the genres of metalcore, post hardcore, and progressive rock by websites like sputnikmusic. However, their Facebook page describes them as simply a five piece post hardcore band from Rockford, Illinois. Contrary to the generic information given to suffice the fans that like to memorize every detail of a band’s history, the music is what truly speaks for them to prove that they have what it takes to stand next to the other accomplished bands that have paved the way before them.

With Garret Rapp delivering the lyrics with his voice of gems and wonderful screams, he does his job as frontman while supported by his ever-so-talented bandmates. Devin King and Aaron Saunders bring the guitar to life as they shred away; Justin Hieser ties the other instruments together with his talent on the bass, while drummer Steve Carey gives the band the beat to base themselves off of. These are the current members, but they have gone through their fair share of switching positions and substitutes throughout the years.

 

In 2009, The Color Morale released their first full album, We All Have Demons, which features songs such as “Hopes Anchor,” “Close Your Eyes & Look Away,” and “Resource : Recourse.” During the same year, they were signed to the well-known label, Rise Records. Since then, they’ve come out with two new albums, My Devil in Your Eyes in 2011 and their most recent album, Know Hope, in 2012.

They’re currently getting ready for a tour in the UK that’ll kick off February 25th and come to a close March 2nd. They’ll be performing with bands such as We Came as Romans, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, and Palm Reader. For those of you that could travel across the pond to see them, I envy you. However, if you’re like me, and that’s not a possibility for you even in your wildest dreams, they have been announced for the 2014 Warped Tour lineup. Warped Tour has locations all over the country, as opposed to a country quite a bit away. If you’d like to learn more about what it’s like to go to Warped, check out Kaylee’s article on what she says was the best day ever. You can find it here: http://trendmillentertainment.blogspot.com/2013/08/not-for-weak-of-heart.html

Hopefully upon listening, this band will color its way into your music taste.

Stuck in Love

by Sarah

 

"I remember that it hurt. Looking at her hurt." This was the first phrase to fly from anyone's lips in the underrated movie, Stuck in Love (2012). Directed and written by Josh Boone, the story follows a family that all have their own take on love. High schooler Rusty (Nat Wolff) crushes on this girl he refers to as an angel from afar in his English class; college girl Sam (Lily Collins) refuses to fall in love and would rather live without getting close to anyone; Bill, their father, (Greg Kinnear) holds tight into his promise to his ex-wife that he'd wait for her, a promise that was made before she ever left; Erica (Jennifer Connelly) is the mother that has lost touch with her daughter and isn't sure of the choice she made to leave.

While the film follows multiple characters in lives that intertwine like the well-known movie, He's Just Not That Into You, it's less of a cruddy chick flick that the middle-aged housewives swoon over and is instead realistic and has an actual plot with depth and character. Aside from that, for all the music lovers out there, Boone made sure to please the ears with the soundtrack that accompanies the well-thought-out movie.

The characters experience several twists of fate, good and bad, whether it be through the writing careers that 3/4 of the family members have or the developing relationships through the other people in their lives. Toward the beginning of the movie, Bill tells Rusty that writers are the sum of their experiences, so he advises him to get out more and truly live to help his creativity flow. He takes the advice, and his story follows the results of that decision. When Sam meets a fellow classmate and gets a book published at a young age, her life and viewpoints in life have the potential to change. Then, of course, the parents have their own issues: their own personal conflicts and the relationship between the two of them.

 

Personally, I’d award this movie a 4.5/5. There was very little I could find wrong with considering upon writing this it’s my third time watching and adoring the movie. I’m trying to pick out a flaw from the movie, but I literally. can’t. find. one. Because of this, I’d honestly give the movie the full five stars it deserves, but then most people would believe that I was exaggerating or that my taste is just mediocre because this movie isn’t a classic like The Godfather. Oh, the struggle.

Due to the R rating, I of course have to at least mention that it’s not necessarily meant for audiences younger than 17, but it’s truly not heavy in sexual activity, violence, or strong language, but it does include some. You have been forewarned.

Revisiting the personal opinion aspect of this article, I may be slightly biased with my love for the movie considering my desire to be a published fiction author and that’s exactly what a few of the characters accomplish. Plus, it involves numerous references to the ever-so-talented author, Stephen King, who is best known for his novels in the horror genre. You’ll see his books laying around, being held, discussed, and being treated by the precious gems that they are (except by Sam, who says that her “idiot brother” is the one who’s the fan). As someone who’s writing a seven page paper on the man for her English class, you could say that these things were considered huge bonuses to me.

If you want to experience a film that’s truthful, emotional, humorous, and laced with wonderful tunes, this movie is more than likely for you. I’m not going to promote just watching it for free instead of searching for a DVD that you’ll have to spend, ya know, actual money on, but… Hint hint, nudge nudge. Plus, it’s on Netflix instant que, so I don’t understand why you’re still on this site and not getting cozy in front of your laptop screen as the movie kicks on. Hm. Change that, then get back to me. Merry watching, folks.

Credit to photo and cast names: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2205697/?ref_=nv_sr_1&licb=0.8163524048868567

The Criminal Minds Effect

by Molly

Admit it. Try as we might to get away from Criminal Minds, we just can’t seem to get enough. We always end up running back to the show, which, for most of us, was our introduction to “grown-up” television. Yes, at one time or another, everybody has become enthralled by the nerdy, flamboyant Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), the sheer sex appeal of Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), or the boyish charm of Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler).

For many seasons now, Criminal Minds has appeared to be on its last leg, pulling stunts that less prominent, less successful shows would have to try in order to keep their viewership. Gone were the days, we thought, of touching back stories and witty one-liners. How wrong we were, though. This season, Criminal Minds is the best it has been since, I daresay, as far back as season three.

That’s the most frustrating part about this show. You could have one stellar season and then have three or more years of lackluster plotline before getting another good season! Somehow, though, while digging through the never-ending voids that are our DVRs, we always seem to come across Criminal Minds, and make time for it.

An outstanding core group of performers had lent itself to an even more outstanding initial plot. At first glance, it appeared NBC had hit the jackpot with this cast. Before taking the role as Aaron Hotchner, Thomas Gibson had lent his talents to the ABC sitcom, Dharma and Greg. AJ Cook starred in several movies before being cast as SSA Jennifer Jareau, one of the most prominent being The Virgin Suicides (1999). Matthew Gray Gubler had had a relatively successful career as a fashion model before being cast as Dr. Spencer Reid. As you can see, they were all relatively unknown before being cast as the characters that would define our generation.

One of the most intriguing things about this series is that the characters have very set responsibilities within the plot that are very seldom diverged from. Still, we hope for things to be different, and there is room in the plot for a small shake-up, for sure. No matter what we may say, we all yearn for an episode where, for once, Reid can be the hero and not the damsel in distress.

Among one of the most excited (and frustrating) things that occurs within this show is the shake-ups within its core cast. Obviously, switching out several main characters in the course of a season keeps the viewers on their toes, but continually pushing new people in and old ones out can confuse the viewership to a point. I realize that actors’ contracts expire and they move on to bigger and better things, but couldn’t the network spread the expiration dates out a bit so we don’t lose all of our favorites at the same time?

We all definitely have our own opinions and ideas as to why Criminal Minds continues to be as successful as it is. One thing is for sure, though. Criminal Minds has been the show we have loved to hate for nearly ten years running. And with any luck, it will be around for ten more.