Wednesday, December 26, 2012

It's the drum corps apocalypse!

I thought I was done with the fake Mayan Doomsday in Apocalypse Not.  It turns out I wasn't.  If there is another subject I can't leave alone besides the end of the world as we know it, it's drum corps.  So what could possibly make me post again about the topic?  A drum corps show about the end of the world--and I found it.  I had two reactions as soon as I did; first, I have to post about it, and second, I have to have a drink before I do.

Here's what you'll be watching, according to the Galt* Herald.
The Mandarins’ 2012 show “Prophecy” is an original program composed and designed by Key Poulan (design coordinator and brass arranger), Tony Nunez (music coordinator and percussion arranger), Geoff Longo (visual and color guard caption manager), and Drew Farmer (visual coordinator and drill designer). The program is based on the Mayan calendar prophesying that Dec. 21, 2012 is the end of the calendar and strikes the beginning of a new era. An ancient Mayan text has emerged from the jungles of Guatemala confirming the so-called “end date” of the Mayan calendar, Dec. 21, 2012. Considered one of the most significant hieroglyphic finds in decades, the 1,300-year-old inscription contains only the second known reference to the “end date.” Carved on a stone staircase, the inscription was found at the ruins of La Corona in the dense rainforest of northwestern Guatemala. Since there are so many engineers involved in the Mandarins, the model they made of the Mayan pyramid for the program is 1/7th scale of the actual pyramid in Mexico.
At least the corps was calling it the "end of an era" and not "the end of the world."  Just the same, they have total eclipse flags, even though a solar eclipse has nothing to do with the event, and form "2012" at 9:30 in the first video.  They couldn't resist the "woo" factor.

Without any further ado, here are videos of the show.  Just like the ones I included in Christmas music from the Cadets and Crazy Eddie's Motie News, the first is an unofficial video that might be taken down (in fact, it's more likely to be than the rehearsal video I used yesterday), while the second is an official promo that should stay up much longer.


2012 DCI World Championship Prelims, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN



2012 Mandarins - Prophecy

If there is any other combination of topics that would compel me to blog, it's the combination of James Bond and drum corps.  Trust me, I've found that already, along with an eight-year-old article I wrote describing the performance.  That will fit right in with the monthly theme of Work, as I wrote that for Drum Corps World.

*In this case, Galt is the name of a town, not the Ayn Rand anti-hero.  I haven't had much to say about that topic since the Romney-Ryan ticket was defeated, but I'm sure I'll get around to it.  I'm already collecting material.

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