BREAKING: MIKE JACKSON AND KEVIN SHAH TO LEAD CAROLINA CROWN’S 2023 PERCUSSION TEAM
Carolina Crown has announced their 2023 percussion design will be led by the duo of Mike Jackson and Kevin Shah. Shah most recently served as a Music Design Consultant for the 2022 Fred Sanford Award-winning Bluecoats percussion section, and Jackson most recently as a percussion consultant for the 2022 Boston Crusaders. Both, however, are perhaps best-known in the drum corps community for their work together with the Blue Knights from 2014-2019, creating renown and distinctively musical percussion arrangements, with Shah serving additionally as Creative Director during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Drum corps fans may remember Shah from his work as Bluecoats Sound Designer from 2010-2013.
Additionally, Thom Hannum will be sticking around as a member of the Crown Design Staff.
Along with Adam Watts, Shah and Jackson also head the 2019 Winter Guard International Percussion Independent World Class Champions Broken City Percussion, an ensemble which has been one of the few to break into the top of a highly competitive WGI PIW Class over the past 10 years, achieving success at the highest level.
This looks to be an interesting pairing with a Carolina Crown design staff that, while able to keep the corps safely in the top-five following the shocking departure of visual creative team after the 2016 season, has only managed one medal in time since. Will this addition push Crown back into the top-three for the first time since 2017? Only time will tell.
Saturday Night Lights is currently a Staff Writer for GEM. He has been involved in the Pageantry Arts for over a decade, as a performer at the highest level, an instructor, and a fan. You can find him on Twitter at @SatNightLites. He currently lives in Florida with his partner and their two dogs.