manuel_pablo Posted November 21, 2005 Posted November 21, 2005 Kinda late, but I found this review by Iwasthere regarding the BOA San Anotonio Super Regional. "I saw the efforts of some very good bands last night. It was such a treat to view and listen to the many concepts and philosophies of sound and marching in Texas. (people that get on here to knock someone's work obviously does not understand the meaning of hard work. I bet you didn't have a band there) Here are some thoughts on what I heard. Just opinions - not intended to slam anybody. I enjoyed all of the shows! Hebron - A great 4A band competing in a field of 5A giants that held its own. Didn't care too much for your musical selections but the band performed with much energy. Nice Job! Coppell - Wow- what mature sounds on the field. Loved the Organ in the front ensemble - very classy! At times the note lengths were too short which may have caused some timing problems. Beautiful Ballad - Guard has come a long way from previous years. Incredible horn line throughout. Loved the music selections!!!! CyFalls - a very good band that did not distinguish themselves musically from the rest of the pack. Individual marching was very tight and one of their strengths. I'd be curious to see where they placed in individual marching execution. Did not care too much for the music selections. Westlake - Great players evident by the difficulty in music. I have always believed that Beethoven does not work on the field and this show verifies it. The organ prop did not work for you but I understood the intent. Wonderful woodwind colors on the Bach!! Westfield - I thought this band would place a few slots higher. Much better than the BOA Arlington performance. The best Drumline moment of the evening! Tight playing on the drum feature! Some of the best clarinet sounds of the evening. Great use of electronics. Somebody told me that they have almost 100G invested in electronic equipment. Good band - did not care for the Final Fantasy/Awake theme. I hope you take a different direction in the future. Maybe back to the "Because We Are" days!! Haltom - One of the most entertaining shows of the evening. The kids looked like they were having so much fun performing. Not the Haltom ensemble sound that I am accustomed to hearing. Some overplaying at times. Brazoswood - Band arrangements are very well scored to highlight the strengths of the band. I did feel like there were too many impact moments written in the show. It almost felt like there was an ending every 45 seconds. Guard placement, writing and execution was the weakest part of this group. Visually, not as strong as the other groups in finals. Musically - one of the best! Churchill - Captivating show! The colorguard is in a league of its own - World Class! Very strong ensemble sound but very little demand. BOA rewards demand on the move - This band has too many "park and play" moments, which may have lead to its lower than expected placement. Overall - It is always so much fun to watch Churchill! The Woodlands - Another outstanding guard. Musical selections may have hurt. "Festive Overture" is difficult to pull off on the field. Woodwinds met the challenge, brass were not up to par. Not as strong a showing as we are accustomed to seeing from The Woodlands - not sure what effect the split-up of campuses had to do with this. Richland - Amazing High Brass. Was captivated by the trumpet playing in this band - very tight and uniform sounds. I am not a fan of voice overs or narration in marching band shows. Loved the vocal soloists - one of the best moments in the show. Good luck at Grand Nats! SFA - Very Classy dance team! The only group that I have ever seen where you never notice the absence of a colorguard. I have never been a fan of overplaying, hyping, loud - call it what you want. I have always thought that this band overplays! This year was no exception. Volume happens through ensemble blend, balance and intonation. Many individuals overplaying and sticking out. Sounded like an early season Cadets!! This band and the Bowie band are ensemble twins...... Bowie - Another carbon copy of SFA. Very similar in ensemble sound or lack of. Many individuals sticking out. One of my main complaints about BOA is their inability to seperate Music GE from Music Ensemble. They tend to reward bands that can generate excitement through loud playing and dismiss quality in the process. Apologies if it seems like I am slamming these two bands but they are the only bands in the contest that approached offensive playing. I had this band ranked much lower that its secind place finish. Marcus - The Ensemble Class of the contest. Words cannot describe the amazing clarity, purity of sound, balance, intonation of this band. A very demanding show played at the highest level achievable by a High School Band. Not since "Star of Indiana" won DCI has their been a group play with such attention to detail. When they played their closer - "Pines of Rome" - it brought back memories of "Star" playing that famous horn line in the Respighi. OMG - the double tonguing in the enesmble was flawless. Superior playing band and I am glad that BOA recognized this by giving them the High Music caption. I know the quality of Mr. Villareal's work and he has done an amazing job in turning that program into one of the State's best. This program has arrived! Watch out for them in the future not only in Marching Band, but also in the Honor Band process. Ronald Reagan - An inspiring display of technical proficiency on the field. By far the most demanding HS show I have ever seen on the field. Someone told me that they have 200 sets on the field - wow! Warm-up chorale was timed perfectly with the announcements - pure genius from the staff! Show lost energy in the middle section but for a 15 minute musical presentation, my hats off to you! Great use of solo's. Transitions are so seamless. You never know that 15 minutes have transpired when you are watching this show. The Ballad was absolutely stunning. The most clever and well written music I have ever heard from a marching band or corps. BOA rewards demand on the move - this band certainly has that. My favorite show of the night and very well deserving of their first place finish. Should win Grand Nats." Quote
manuel_pablo Posted November 21, 2005 Author Posted November 21, 2005 Good. Do you attend Westfield? Yup Quote
Xenon Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 Good to have that here as it has fallen off of the board where it came from. Quote
elementwrx Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 Just out of curiosity - if you attend Westfield (and are in the band I presume by your signature)....how did you watch all the shows? Also, why do you refer to your band as if you're not a member? Somebody told me that they have almost 100G invested in electronic equipment. I hope you take a different direction in the future. Quote
Serardian Posted November 22, 2005 Posted November 22, 2005 He did not write the review. If you read the post, it says it was written by Iwasthere. Quote
manuel_pablo Posted November 22, 2005 Author Posted November 22, 2005 I did not write the review. I don't remember what website I got it from but maybe Xenon does. Quote
manuel_pablo Posted November 22, 2005 Author Posted November 22, 2005 ^no...I posted on there that I found it too It was somewhere else. Quote
Xenon Posted November 28, 2005 Posted November 28, 2005 ^no...I posted on there that I found it too It was somewhere else. It was from somewhere that need not be mentioned here or on the BOA Forums. Quote
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