Dog885

Looks like Weiss just dropped the contest and I just realized O'Connor isn't listed either ?

If I had to mention every program to look out for this year and should be in contention for Area finals:
Anderson
Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA)
McCallum
Bastrop
Comal Canyon
Dripping Springs
Georgetown
Buda Johnson
Lehman
Connally
Hendrickson
Pflugerville
Weiss
Seguin
That's 14 very solid programs and we've already seen some great showings from a good handful of them this season so far. I'll split them up into a few groups.
Austin ISD: Anderson had a stellar show at BOA Austin, best I think they have sounded in nearly 8 years. Fix some timing issues and this program should have a good shot at state. LASA is in their first year as a standalone campus (formally combined with Austin LBJ) and while they are noticeably smaller, they still have a great sound. McCallum just won CapCity for the second year in a row and you can tell why if you go to the CapCity instagram and watch their full run (you can see all of finals there in surprisingly good quality). 
Pflugerville ISD: Connally is coming off a strong 3rd place finish at CapCity, they seem to have shrunken since 2019 but still have a really round and controlled sound. We saw Hendrickson miss finals by a fairly narrow margin at BOA Austin with a much improved performance from 2019; we'll be them seeing again this weekend at Midland where they will be in the running for the gold. Pflugerville has always been competitive at UIL regardless of what classification they are and it's safe to assume they'll remain that way this year after a solid performance at BOA Austin. Weiss is off to a fantastic start to this marching season, with a 2nd place finish at BOA McAllen and a finalist appearance at BOA Austin; they are one of the few bands I'd consider to be a lock for state so far.
Other Newcomers: Whether they're a new school or have moved down because of a new school in their district pulling enrollment, we have a couple new names that could really make a splash. Starting off this group is Canyon, who has had a significant portion of their enrollment taken by the new Comal ISD school Davenport (currently 4A); they nearly made Area finals in 2018 in 6A, so needless to say they should do very well in 5A. Next is Buda Johnson, a new school in Hays CISD in their 3rd year and their first with seniors; in 2019 they had a fantastic showing at BOA Austin with just freshmen and sophomores, and so far this year they won the Charger Marching Classic and I've only heard good things about them. Lehman is also from Hays CISD and was a significant enrollment pull for Johnson, they have been a very solid program at times and with a good year they could really make an impact at this contest. 
Old Faces: Dripping Springs has been a consistent state qualifier for many years, getting as high as 2nd at state in 2017; even if they aren't at the same level as they were, they are still a strong contender here. Georgetown was another program that made state in this Area in 2017 with a very entertaining show and after a 6th place finish at BOA McAllen this year, you can safely say that they will be a strong contender again.
Dark Horses: I have two programs that I have my eyes on as dark horses, the first being Bastrop who made Area finals for the first time in 2017 and has grown as a program significantly since then; if you saw their performance at BOA Austin, you know the amount of potential these kids have. The other dark horse is Seguin, who I admittedly don't know a lot about but they did make Area finals in 2019; even with more competition, Seguin will more than likely be able to make a strong statement this year.
Other Shout-outs: There are a couple programs that I wanna mention even though I don't quite consider them contenders in this competitive Area. First is Crockett, who has been recently been making a comeback of sorts; you can find their 2019 show on YouTube and I personally was very impressed with their sound, hopefully they have maintained that progress through COVID-19. The second group I want to shoutout is Lockhart, a band that was until fairly recently making 2s at UIL region; this program has been improving a lot and that can be seen most evidently through their fantastic guard, who just finished 2nd in the caption at CapCity.

This one's looking to be a good one. Lots of bands that can make finals here

Boy am I glad LISD is no longer in 5A Area D. That would be a fun competition though!

Updated participant list as of 4/15
4A
Burnet
Cuero
Wimberley
5A
Anderson
Bastrop
John B. Connally
LASA
Lehman
Marble Falls
Tom Glenn
Weiss
6A
Belton
Louis D. Brandeis
Jack C. Hays
John Marshall
McNeil
Sandra Day O'Connor
John Paul Stevens
Stony Point
William H. Taft

Updated participant list as of 4/15
4A
Burnet
Cuero
Wimberley
5A
Anderson
Bastrop
John B. Connally
LASA
Lehman
Marble Falls
Tom Glenn
Weiss
6A
Belton
Louis D. Brandeis
Jack C. Hays
John Marshall
McNeil
Sandra Day O'Connor
John Paul Stevens
Stony Point
William H. Taft

Oh yeah, forgot to say that I was also half asleep while the DNA and Clay things happened.

5/1/20
Add:
4A:
Cuero HS
Lampasas HS
5A:
Georgetown HS
6A:
Earl Warren HS

5/1/20
Add:
4A:
Cuero HS
Lampasas HS
5A:
Georgetown HS
6A:
Earl Warren HS

Agreed. I can see Weiss really stepping it up in the near future. They’re like a Pfluger version of Vandy. ??

Haven't seen anyone talk about this yet, but I was looking at the Vista Ridge website for results and I found that they had already listed 2020 registrants posted. This is looking to be a good one.
https://www.vrhsband.org/marchingfestival/participants/
4A
Manor New Tech HS
5A
Anderson HS
Bastrop HS
Lehman HS
LBJ/LASA HS
Marble Falls HS
Robert E. Hendrickson HS
Weiss HS
6A
Akins HS
Belton HS
John Jay HS
John Marshall HS
John Paul Stevens HS
Louis D. Brandeis HS
McNeil HS
New Braunfels HS
Sandra Day O'Connor HS
Stony Point HS
William H. Taft HS

Glenn in Leander is looking pretty good as of right now, as well as Connally in Pflugerville. Also, holy cow McCallum came in strong this year.

I listened to this a few days ago and I figured that our (TWHS) director had listened to it as well as she said something to us that was similar to what you said but she just played your comments for the entire band! Figured you'd enjoy hearing that.

Way to save the best for last!!  Awesome job on the Nerd in.  You have done such a nice job of explaining the culture of Texas bands.  Culture typically is a hard thing to identify and put your finger on in the business world but in the band world, you have such a talent of describing it and I hope we can all follow your advice!!  We will miss you in Indy!!

Great one, my friend.  You made me cry...not once, but twice!  
 
Love you, young man.  I know I give you a hard time most of the time, but you are 'good people' and I am honored to know you.  

Suck-up.

Also love the Oppenheimer quote that Leander uses going into their ending, it's short but perfectly placed.  

Personally I'm not a fan of narration in marching shows. That being said, I've never forgotten the kid that did the intro in Hendrickson's 3D show. He was amazing. 

If I didn't hear a single word of narration next year, I'd be good.

Tomorrow's the day! I'll probably start watching during semifinals, and I'll try to catch all of finals.
 
I think it'd be absolutely amazing to have 6 Texas groups in finals, and at least one in the top 3. What a fantastic achievement that would be! Taking home the Eagle at that point would just be the cherry on top. As for goals for the individual TX groups, I'd say that the top 3 group from San Antonio (Vandegrift, Leander, and Hebron) should all aim for a spot on the "medal podium." If you make the cut, great; if not, who cares. It's a great experience regardless of where you place. CTJ and TWHS should aim for a spot in the top half of finals, which might require them to beat some of the groups that beat them at San Antonio. The addition of Avon, Carmel, and William Mason could make that very hard. These groups collectively will be a tough top 8 to crack. Round Rock should aim to be in finals, maybe even comfortably in finals, after their great San Antonio performance.
 
Anyway, good luck to all the participating bands. Have some fun! You've earned it!

I think UT Austin is definitely a lock for state finals after this stunning performance.

Here's my wild and rushed predictions
1. Churchill
2. Dripping Springs
3. Sharyland
4. Anderson
5. Brennan
6. Georgetown
7. LBJ
8. Canyon
9. Johnson
10. Austin
11. Group 2 winner
12. Group 1 winner

Here's my wild and rushed predictions
1. Churchill
2. Dripping Springs
3. Sharyland
4. Anderson
5. Brennan
6. Georgetown
7. LBJ
8. Canyon
9. Johnson
10. Austin
11. Group 2 winner
12. Group 1 winner

I. Love. Rouse.

I. Love. Rouse.