Lapsed Fan's Guide to DCI 2023

Part One!

It’s Friday, June 23rd, which means the start of the 2023 DCI Summer Tour is just around the corner! We’re bringing back the Lapsed Fan’s Guide to DCI so that you can enter the Midwest Premiere on June 28th with every bit of knowledge you need to back up your hot takes on who returns to finals this year, as well as what corps takes home the Founders trophy.

RULE CHANGES

It’s time to discuss one of the most hotly debated topics in the offseason, albeit one that DCI’s member corps chose not to take action on during this cycle of rules changes. There were proposals on the table that would have affected the Music Analysis and General Effect sheets, the length of the competitive portion of the DCI tour, and, most prominently, amplification and sound design, specifically to address concerns that corps may be using microphones and synthesizers to misrepresent the ensemble’s quality and volume. 

The amplification and sound design proposals generated a significant amount of buzz in the community, with those that prefer a more traditional style of drum corps favoring those proposals. There was some concern regarding these proposals as to how they would be enforced, with notable sound designers in the activity arguing that the only ways for corps to be caught not following these rules would be if either other groups turned them in for improper usage or for groups to go down their lists of samples and amplification channels at every show to demonstrate that there are no artificial brass moments or individuals amplified at improper times. 

No action was taken on any of the proposals above. 

That’s not to say nothing changed in the DCI rulebook this offseason. There was a proposal by the Madison Scouts to shorten timing intervals and performance times. This would have put timing intervals in line with BOA, which runs groups every 15 minutes, and shows would have run from a minimum of 8 minutes to a maximum of 10. After significant debate, this proposal was adapted into an adjustment of the minimum time limit, reducing it to 8 minutes per show. The maximum will continue to be 13 minutes, with performances every 17 minutes. 

STAFF MOVEMENT

Earlier in the offseason, GEM released a DCI Offseason in Review article detailing many of the staff changes in the activity. Only a little has happened since then, so I will highlight some of the most significant moves from the offseason here. 

The Cavaliers underwent a significant transition, especially in the Brass and Visual captions. Richard Saucedo, one of the most storied arrangers in DCI, returned to the Cavaliers after over ten years away from designing for the corps. Between his previous tenure and now, he arranged for the Blue Stars, was an ensemble coordinator for the Blue Devils, and retired as the head director at Carmel (IN). Additionally, Keith Tye was brought over from the Blue Knights to take over the role of Brass Caption Co-Manager, bringing much of his staff from that organization, who many lauded in recent years for their balance, sonority, and control. 

Veteran DCI designer Jeremy Hunt was brought on to lead the Visual Design team, with John Leonard, formerly of the Phantom Regiment, Santa Clara Vanguard, and Marcus (TX), leading up the Color Guard Staff.

Carolina Crown made significant additions to their staff, with Kevin Shah and Mike Jackson, known for their very distinctive lines during their time at Blue Knights, as well as 2019 WGI Percussion Independent World class champions Broken City, taking charge of Percussion Design. Additionally, Michael Martin was brought on as a Brass Designer and Instructor, with rumors swirling that he would be the heir apparent to Michael Klesch. 

Vince Oliver has taken over brass arranging duties for the Mandarins from Key Poulan, who departed after working with the corps since 2011, and under who’s arranging, the corps cemented themselves as a perennial semi-finalist and then, in 2018, became World Class Finalists for the first time, an honor they have not relinquished. 

The Blue Knights are looking to return to finals with the addition of Jed Weekes as program coordinator, a title he held during the most competitively successful run the corps had. Additionally, Pyro Lugo-Allen has taken over as Artistic Director, and former DCI Judge Jeff Ausdemore was placed in charge of percussion arranging. 

Lee Beddis has taken over the percussion program at The Cadets and is looking to keep the East Coast percussion section a force in the activity following the corps’ move to Erie, PA.

The Bluecoats have brought on Kevin LeBeouf from the Cavaliers as their Brass Caption Head, looking to sustain their level of success in the activity while augmenting what has been a robust staff over the past ten years. 

The Academy had a significant turnover on the design front, with the new team being led by Jeff Gentry, with names such as Jamie Holly and Courtney Allyson Mills joining the AZ-based corps.

Nashville-based Music City Drum Corps revamped their percussion design team, bringing on names such as Joe Hobbs and Tom Rarick, both known for their work with the Sanford Award-winning Bluecoats lines, as well as bringing on Tom Aungst as ensemble coordinator, fresh off of a stint with The Cadets.

One of the more notable shake-ups in the offseason for veteran fans was the Madison Scouts bringing back Scott Boerma as Brass Arranger. Boerma was the arranger from 1989 to 2006, a period which included Scouts fan favorites such as 1995’s A Drum Corps Fan’s Dream, 1997’s The Pirates of Lake Mendota, 1999’s Selections from Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as 2005’s The Carmen Project. His second tenure with the Scouts, from 2015 to 2018, included the corps’ highest placement since 2005, 2015’s 78th and Madison, but also the corps’ lowest placement in DCI history to that point, 2018’s Heart and Soul (which would be surpassed the following year by Majestic).

With a corps that placed out of finals last year guaranteed to make finals this year (more on that later), the fight for Saturday night will be more challenging than ever. Which one of these groups can make the jump? We’ll explore that next time around.

A Quick but Somber Note

As this article was being written, it was announced that Chad Pence, former Brass Caption Head at the Boston Crusaders and the Blue Knights, passed away. Chad touched many, many lives during his time in Drum Corps, as well as during his years as a band director in the south, primarily in South Carolina. He will be missed.

This wraps up Part One of the Lapsed Fan’s Guide to DCI 2023!

Part Two is available now!

Matthew Carstensen is currently GEM’s Managing Editor. 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 dog.