justabandkid94

I know it's already been addressed... However, after lurking and commenting way less than usual this year, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed reading this thread. Good sportsmanship should always be practiced, even if you're a parent. I'm not a fan of some of this discussion on here.Thinking back to my high school days, one of the most defeating feelings was reading a negative comment on my show from some anonymous internet person. Let's think about this: 1) EVERY single kid works their heart off on and off the field. 2) if you identify on this forum with a band program and make a trivial comment, that reflects on the program. Whether you want it to or not. From now own, use this thread to constructively talk about all the bands. I say this every year, but TRULY anything can happen come state. Fate will play out how it's meant to be, and we will all agree that this was an incredible season. Think before you post.

Thanks for that recap Kendrick! had plans to go, family stuff came up. Sounds like I picked a bad year to miss!! Congrats to everybody.

Yeah where is Rubisco this season?? Missing that inside scoop he always manages to track down

aahh and I see my CTJ point was brought up before me. Need to read all the way before commenting lol

The whole "difficulty doesn't matter in UIL" argument was shattered for me when CTJ medaled at state in 2014 with the Symphonic Metamorphosis show (name is escaping me). That year there performed the snot out of a show that was wicked hard compared to others, but they still had portions of their show where the visual wasn't even close to 100% perfection like we've seen from Marcus,etc. lately. I think it all balances out a lot more evenly than the stereotype makes us believe. As for Vandegrift not consistently performing like they did at Austin finals.. isn't that a GOOD thing? It's the 28th of September. You don't want to come out of the gates performing at your optimal level. If y'alls observations are true, they still are struggling with stuff, which is a good thing. Longevity is the name of the game as most of y'all know. Alas, I think this is finally the right step of direction for them since their 2013 win. Starting to find their identity. Speaking of identity, it's been so cool to see Leander flourish in the one they've had going since 2014. Such consistently great products the past few years. As with everyone, I'm excited for the showdown we will see come November. Pumped to see bands at the Dallas regional next weekend.

Yeesh, I've been around too long to not know that haha. Thanks! So I guess that raises a question for me, who writes drill for Broken Arrow?

The Woodlands: Jon Vanderkolff, mastermind behind Bluecoat's Tilt, Kinetic Noise; Star of Indiana '93. Believe TW has used him since 2006 Hebron: Kevin Nix since 2012 Vandegrift: Jeff Sacktig since 2012 LD Bell: Wes Cartwright returned this year who writes for Marcus?

man that's heartbreaking. Still, what an unbelievably special year Hebron!! I can guarantee you your performance will be talked about for years to come regardless of placement. Unreal display of raw talent

Keller was outstanding! They sound and look absolutely fantastic. Really pulling for them tonight. The Woodlands was MILES better all around today. I bet that convention center time is helping a lot. Show continues to get better with each viewing. Music much more on lock than Friday morning. But man, their visual has just improved so much over the past few years. Random side thought: mid/late 2000s they were doing pretty darn well even when they were dirty as **** (2006, 2007, 2011). Really makes me wonder what damage they could have done had they looked like this back then. Anyway.. I agree with Rubisco, they should be Top 5 tonight Broken Arrow. Show design is immaculate as usual, although I'm not as much a fan of it as I have been the past few years. Musically its all over the place, some moments they sound good... the rest of the time it's a mess to say the least. I see them winning based off of GE only, but I don't think it will be that big of a margin.

the recognition comment was about Vandegrift's music, but okay. Nothing I saw about Cedar Park or Vandegrft's drill was "easy"? There has been MUCH easier drill go through past UIL contests. I could pinpoint other bands but I'm not going to attempt to undermine other groups' hard work just because I thought their show was "easy" I was answering a question about what people thought of Vandegrift. Sometimes its okay to give another band credit for a post or two.

I said it in my predictions early on and I'll say it again. Vandegrift has an incredible ensemble blend and nuances quite unlike many of their opponents, which combined with their marching skills (they sweeped both rounds of the contest) is why they nearly went back-to-back this year. It seems to get more credit in UIL than BOA, for whatever reason. It also should be mentioned that they lost the TMEA State honor band title by merely 1 point. They are just so incredibly well rounded. I view Cedar Park, Vandegrift and Marcus and Hebron to be the top 4 musical bands of the state. but that's just me. I'm excited to see how they do in 6A The incredible ensemble blend and refinement can also be attributed to Cedar Park, although they have a more electric, DCI-esque sound, if you will. Sometimes they are too powerful for their own good, but when it's on lock... it's unreal. I think this years' show finally dethroned their 2008 show as my all-time favorite Cedar Park production. The top two were clearly a cut above the rest...which was a field of 8 more amazing bands!! What a contest.

I seriously want to know what Lipman and the CTJ crew are feeding those kids. Every year I just wish more and more that they would go back to Indy already!! The talent in that program across the board is unreal, and their knack for cleaning these MONSTER shows is just getting better and better. They are gonna cause some serious damage next time they go to Grand Nationals Alright fanboy moment is over

Pretty remniscent of 2013. Although no 5th to 1st jump a la Woodlands that year, Johnson going from 1st with a comfortable gap to 3rd is obviously notable. Round Rock from 4th to 9th.. Owasso goes from being 2 pointed by Vandegrift to beating them by 1.2! Is anyone able to comment on if band's runs were better/worse between prelims and finals? Just goes to show you how volatile this regional is.

To me, it sounds more and more like you're someone related to the program. Whether you are or not, your consistent whining and bitterness is getting beyond annoying at this point. It's indeed a s***** situation but I know Mr. Selaiden and the Leander band are going to make the most of the hand they were dealt, which is the best deal that BOA could give them considering the circumstances. Quit adding fuel to the fire and let the kids make this exhibition memorable.

Vandegrift performing at 3:45. Talk about a long day, I'm sure they were up before 4 am for their original performance time. Glad the issue got resolved for them and they're safe. Any word on what other schools are affected?

dang that sent shivers down my spine.. want to see the whole thing!!

Saw a pic of TW's new uniforms. Much more modern, colorful, sleek look. Interested to see how it makes their show look.. still haven't seen video

ok, yeah. I'm just going to go ahead and say it. Your top 4 are going to be Cedar Park Leander Vandegrift Wakeland In my opinion there is just no contest outside of this group. Say what you want about the TMC results. I don't think in reality Vista Ridge and Vandegrift are that close, and I don't think Leander is that far a head of Cedar Park and Vandegrift. Cedar Park: My favorite to win it all. This is honestly probably going to be the best show and execution they have ever fielded. Some aspects of it are a little weird to me (arrangement wise, how some of the pieces are thrown together). But Cedar Park is a band very similar to Hebron, IMO. They sound IMMACULATE, but they have lots and lots of under the surface individual performance issues from attempting insanely technical music (my opinion as to why they didn't win the title last cycle). Right now they are struggling because their show just books it the whole way through and its combined with insane musical technique all across the board. I find myself laughing out of pure amazement. If the night goes right, they could run away with another gold on their hands. heck, I'd even say they could be a contender to medal at BOA if everything locks in as its supposed to on the right night. But maybe I'm just fanboying. Leander: Not as big of a fan as I was Color Study, but once again they have the right mix of everything. This show is obviously going to kill it at BOA, but music wise I think at UIL they are going to struggle to compete with Vandegrift, CP and Wakeland. They sound quite good, but lack that refined and orchestral sound that the aforementioned bands have. As we all know UIL judges ooze over that style. I think they are a safe bet to medal, with their visual looking strong. Again, "any given night." Vandegrift: 2013 was a gorgeous show that was a fresh spin on a classic show... which is why I'm scratching my head a little about their show this year. They are going for a more intense, edgy, angry sound that is super controlled and rip roaring. It's insanely good in its own right, but a huge contrast to the past two years. Right now, their strength is in music. They sweeped music at UIL state finals two years ago. Their lush, centered, yet electrifying sound was preferred over the insanely technical CP. Once again, they are incredibly strong in music. (I'm a tad bit surprised they aren't doing as well in contests this year, its their best designed show yet.. but thats a conversation for another time). As usual, they also have some pretty dang good marching technique and are looking clean. If they max out their music and visual, they are going to be another medal contender... again, "Any given night" Wakeland: can't say I've seen this show as many times as I have the LISD shows (I live in the Austin area). But the videos I've seen are incredbile, and I think the word of mouth speaks for itself and finally..once again.. "any given night." It's going to come down to one performance. Should get a better idea with Area contests happening soon

really interesting. Just feels and sounds a lot different than their usual shows. Just from that clip, the music book sounds much harder than anything they've done lately. Definitely some balancing issues and struggles with heroes (Granted it might just be the camera and the angle). Woodwinds sound great, and seem to be getting much more exposure/playing time than their last nationals show. I can see how this needs time to develop and might not be a hurricane right out of the gates. I'm dying to see the whole thing.

this lack of videos is so dang frustrating .... but hmu if you know where to look

I think at this point, it's anyone's game. I don't find it necessarily fair to say "Marcus doesn't have a GE show." I too, thought this in high school, but over the years I've come to realize Marcus' GE years come from the elegance and overall complete package their shows carry. Its subtle stuff that all just brilliantly comes together as one product. Sure, its never LD Bell 2006 GE, but its gorgeous, its effective and when their shows work, they work. Another thing I've noticed about Marcus is that their shows are really designed with the dome in mind. See: 2012. Came across flat in Denton but once San Antonio came along... @#@$@%^^(U&*& All that being said, I think Marcus is a favorite just for their consistency. But its not as sure fire as it once was; so many other bands, as we all know, are now surging up and the days of just Bell vs. Marcus vs. The Woodlands are obviously long gone. They will have to be entirely on lock to ward off Hebron and Round Rock I think Hebron will come down to whether or not they have individual music and visual locked on. Last year as an ensemble they sounded immaculate on some of the hardest, off-the-page music books I've ever heard at BOA. However, upon a second listen, you can hear some individual music performance issues, especially in the high brass. I don't have the sheets from last year memorized, but if I had to guess, that, combined with some of their visual issues, prevented them from medaling at BOA and kept them from usurping a state title from the undefeated Marcus. I'm predicting that these two categories will either be their achilles heel or reward them greatly this season I've seen both shows.. They are both excellent. I think its going to be very close. They should be proud either way, having two (now 3 with Flower Mound!) bands on this level in the same district is insane. Good luck to everyone this weekend!

Cool LD Bell hype video I found got a couple cool overhead shots of impact sets in there... one of which looks kinda like a throwback to The Quest

Hey I go to Wakeland too!! Kidding aside, I agree with everything that is being said. Another group that has made huge strides in the past two years. I'm excited to see how they fare this season. Pretty sure I like this show even better than last years' nationals show. another band making BOA impossible to predict... ugh. Good problem to have, though

recaps are up. First off, congrats to Ronald Reagan!! What a incredible start to a new year (and with a new director!) after so many of building back up. Now for business: Prelims CTJ 84.35 RR 83.95 TW 82.8 The Woodland's biggest issue right now appears to be Music Ensemble, which is contrary to what we were led to believe based off of recordings...Music Individual was 16.90, while ensemble was a full point behind at 15.90. They also didn't fair well in Visual GE, but music GE was right in there with CTJ and Reagan. If I know anything about The Woodlands band, this is far from the end result. without videos, as everyone has said, this makes this unpredictable season even more so. I'm interested to see where all the bands end up and how all this early season flip flopping plays out. I know all of these bands are going to be putting in a LOT of changes and improvements. Gonna be another year for the books! side note: isn't this the actual show these CTJ uniforms were intended for?

bump!