Hello FMAers! Tonight we'll be discussing the outcome of the last season in the world of small drum corps! This includes scores, captions, show concepts, and a few subjective comments here and there. Here we go!



Sneaking into Finals by about half a point was Chaos Drum and Bugle Corps. Their season was sadly a bit stagnant as rehearsals stopped taking place after the first week and a half or so of the season. The show itself though was an interesting concept. 'Triplicated' plays around a lot with the idea of 3's and triplets. No less than 90% of the show was in 3/4 time, and an especially interesting part of the show had the percussion and brass section at 'odds' with each other, playing triplets on on-beats and off-beats respectively. I believe that this corps has potential in the future if the members are given proper tools and direction.

The Lonestar Regiment celebrated their very first season here on FMA with a respectable 11th place finish, which is impressive considering they only came into existence halfway into week 4. This Texas corps decided to tug at our collective heartstrings with their show 'Conscious'. It takes the audience on the journey of doubt, loss, and redemption and with a fair bit more refinement, it has what it takes to be a solid concept. The mileage this corps can bring out of a 30-man hornline and the sounds they make is very impressive. I personally can't wait to see what the Lonestar Regiment can bring to the table in 110.

The gregories rode into 10th place on their 'Goofy Van', just barely edging out the Lonestar Regiment by 5 thousandths of a point. This corps has made a name for themselves by now for their irreverence and silly nature, which in my opinion is sorely needed in the world of drum corps today. The gregories saw slow and steady improvement throughout their season and surprised everybody on Finals night by driving an actual party van onto the field, completely ruining the lining in the process and upsetting quite a few staff. Regardless, we all look forward to seeing them again next season, party vans and all.

The Red Devils told us a tale about Dante, and his journey through Hell, Purgatory, and his ultimate ascent into Heaven. Prop backdrops were used to solid effect to indicate which realm our Dante occupied (Dante being represented by one of the few male color guard members). Like the corps before them, the Red Devils saw steady improvement and ultimately did Philly proud.

Presenting quite a different aesthetic to the previous corps, the Paladins from Detroit placed 8th in only their second season with a Samurai-themed show. Interestingly, the corps' membership skyrocketed during the season, and it's rumored that up to half of the 128-strong Division 3 corps actually came from Legends after they announced their cancelled season. That influence was put to good use and the Paladins scored higher than usual in the Ensemble and General Effect captions. As for the show itself, it features color guard clad in traditional Japanese garb and the musical selections have many distinctly Asian flavors which is a nice change of pace.

Tick City Drum Corps is our first corps tonight to break 60 points! There's some possible irony there considering their name but the score speaks for itself. Like many other organizations, this corps is a young one but I believe it's only a matter of time before they truly make a name for themselves in their division. Only time will tell.

Beginning the second half of the performances, the Knoxville Knights graced us with a Christmas show, with a bit of horror mixed in! 'Yuletide Madness' presents the audience with several Christmas classics but performed with a much more threatening aura. Their rendition of 'Silver Bells' was haunting with its dissonance and 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' will stick with us for seasons to come. Do me a favor though, and ease up on the minor 2nds next time.

Coming in at 5th place was Gold Coast C. A corps after my own heart. Their show 'Jedi: Fallen Order' featured many pieces from the game's soundtrack and some tidbits of classic Star Wars music.This corps really knows how to rile up the crowd, and this show was no exception. One of the best visual highlights of the entire night was an honest-to-goodness lightsaber battle on the drum major podium! It doesn't get much cooler than that.

It remains to be seen whether the real 'Perilous Journey' was the one the corps showed us on the field, or the one the corps had on the way to Finals. Somehow, every single vehicle in the corps' possession broke down simultaneously, and it's only thanks to help from a few helpful DCL corps that they were able to perform at all. With that said, the show itself features quite a handful of musical selections, and the corps handles the tone shifts remarkably well. 'Over the Rainbow' really brought the waterworks among some of the crowd, and the chaotic ending of 'Sensemaya' made me question whether our color guard and mellophone protagonists would make it in the end. An outstanding performance from a brand-new corps.

Kingdom Corps Marching Knights brought home many accomplishments with their performance on Finals night. A bronze medal, the High General Effect award, and they were the first corps of the night to break 70! They serenaded the audience with beautiful winter-themed music and their usage of snowy props really made it feel like a winter wonderland, even in an outdoor football stadium. Notable in their season was a 25-point increase from their first competition to their last. Impressive numbers! I look forward to seeing what these Kentucky marchers can do in the future.

You really can't go wrong with Firebird. Silver Drum & Bugle Corps really brought the house down on Finals night with powerful music and great visuals. A very impressive piece of spectacle was a jazz-running company front from the back sideline to the front, though it would have benefited from a few extra rehearsal blocks. My personal favorite part of the show was the euphonium solo leading into the end of the show, with a final wedge-shaped formation, paying homage to the Phantom Regiment. In a different timeline, this show would have taken home the gold but we have one more corps to cover...

It isn't uncommon in the drum corps world for a show to leave the audience scratching their heads, and this one is no different in that regard. From Betlejuice to Star Wars, this corps puts on a delightfully random show and executes it to the fullest. The Legacy Cadets overall had a very successful undefeated season and took home all 4 caption awards, proving that they were indeed the victors of this season.



...and there you have it! Before I go to bed, let's go over some awards (including some that I've absolutely stolen from alxmm98).

Objective Results:

Brass: Legacy Cadets
Percussion: Legacy Cadets
Color Guard: Legacy Cadets
Visual: Legacy Cadets
Ensemble: Legacy Cadets
General Effect: Kingdom Corps Marching Knights

My Own Opinion:

Best Opener: The Black Knights DC
Best Ballad: Knoxville Knights Drum and Bugle Corps
Best Closer: Silver Drum & Bugle Corps
Fan Favorite: Silver Drum & Bugle Corps
Best Concept: The Black Knights DC
Wildcard: The Paladins



Have a good season 110 everybody and thanks for reading!

Awesome summary, lemon!

This is great! I can tell you read my corps bio lol. That company front was a last-minute addition, and evidently we pulled it off quite well.

Nice Work!

Love it lemon! Thanks!

I really like it Lemon! Would be cool to see write ups of the other circuits!