Hebron's show

[HerroWon]

Anyone have any info on Hebron's show? I've heard some chatter about the ballad and I know they sweeped the TOC contest but I haven't seen their show yet

[HHS352]

I'm an Alumn..
I saw them at TOC and OMG... They are definately going to do great at NATS this year.
Such an Amazing show i got Chills when i heard the ballad. Definately my favorite show this year.
 

[HerroWon]

Do you think they'll out do Marcus again this year at the DFW BOA contest?

[HHS352]

I totally wouldn't be surprised if they do.. but then again I haven't seen marcus show this year. But Hebron is just unbelievable. I can't wait for this Saturday to see how they do with marcus and all the other great bands.

[HHS352]

I totally wouldn't be surprised if they do.. but then again I haven't seen marcus show this year. But Hebron is just unbelievable. I can't wait for this Saturday to see how they do with marcus and all the other great bands.

[Statebound]

Literally got their in time to catch the last 5 shows.  First, I've not been exposed a great deal to Frisco Centennial but super impressed. I believe they are a 5A program so they would have the opportunity to go state this year. Really nice nuance between crescendo and subtle passages that you typically only hear from the top programs. Their sound reminds me of Bowie to a certain extent and that is a compliment. I personally had them ahead of PESH and close to Coppell. I think that the PESH show has a lot of room to grow. They are playing an up tempo, very demanding show similar to what you might see from Hebron or Cedar Park.  I think they could contend later in the year as they tighten things up.

 

Hebron only played roughly 5-6 minutes of their show but it was very impactful and the crowd erupted.  The opener is typical Hebron but in a good way.  The show is called "360" and you can see why very quickly. Combinations of flying wind and brass passages while marching in circles both big and small.  The beginning of the show is very ambitious having sections start simultaneously on opposite ends of the field and there were slight timing issues in the first few seconds.  I could see this becoming a bigger issue in the domed facilities. The second section is probably more of a sax solo with an accompaniment than a ballad but OMG it is good.  Jazzy feel with some really nice colorguard dance moments. I'm really surprised I haven't seen any videos posted yet (hint) because this show looks like it could be big.

[Bandbandband123]

Hebron's show is definitely good, and I hope that they can keep up the great work. Sometimes I feel like Hebron isn't SUPER strong visually, and that it's not as engaging visually as the music, I'm really excited to see them this week. I wonder how they'll do against Marcus and other great bands especially if they want to put out some of their closer this week. But I hope they can pull a win at Arlington.

[whitewing09]

From what I've encountered, Hebron's musical book sounded great, but their visual book seemed lacking (at least compared to the rigor output by their peers). I'm interested in seeing how they fare this weekend, especially against Round Rock who won visual against some very strong bands a couple weeks ago.

[savannah0716]

I'm a Hebron Alum, as well, and every time I hear the ballad I wish I could still be marching with that incredible band. I know that there will be some surprises coming out this weekend in Arlington and that the show still has so much to be added but I cannot wait for Arlington- I think they'll pull a third year win for the DFW BOA competition. 

[HerroWon]

So I did some stalking and I came across multiple things on Twitter from this past weekends contest about Hebron. It's mostly all talk about the tenor solo in the ballad which makes me even more impatient for this Saturday.

[LKendrick]

Yeah, the ballad is absolutely stunning, and that's based off of that pretty bare bones vid that's since been taken down.  I cannot wait to see it fully fleshed out.  That's going to be one of the talked about moments at Nationals this year.  

[takigan]

So I did some stalking and I came across multiple things on Twitter from this past weekends contest about Hebron. It's mostly all talk about the tenor solo in the ballad which makes me even more impatient for this Saturday.image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

 

 

His Twitter page is a neverending hype train over the solo.

 

https://twitter.com/mirnoahkhan

 

 

[Xenon]

The hype train is deserved. That tenor sax is so grittily sultry, with the guard soloist constantly teasing him. She wants him to put a ring on it.

 

Edit: Even his sax has its own twitter account. https://twitter.com/NoahsSax

[Rubisco]

Their music is great. The ballad in particular is wonderful, mainly because it's so different than what you're used to hearing. Most bands this year (and every year) will go for something sweetly sentimental during their slow movement, because, let's face it, it appeals to just about everyone, including the judges. (It certainly helps explain Lawrence Central's and Broken Arrow's first national wins over superior, if less sentimental offerings.) What I love about Hebron's ballad this year is that it goes against that trend. It's fun and sexy and unsentimental. It stands out in a really good way. That said, while I think Hebron's music is great this year, the visual needs to be more engaging. I also fear that they're going to have difficulty cleaning their show again, what with all those circles. It would be a shame if what happened to them last year at SA in the visual caption happens again this year at nationals.

[rramen]

I saw Marcus this past weekend at HEB, and they were really clean. In my opinion, though, their show wasn't very "exciting" GE wise compared to what you usually see from a band like Hebron, but they were what you expect from Marcus...beautiful sound and clean drill.

[HHS352]

Im sure they will clean the show easily. In my opinion they are on a great track.. When i was in the band we usually waited to do body visuals till the end, and they already have tons of visuals at such an early time... all they got to do is clean, clean, clean and add the closer and im sure a preshow. Music wise every year it looks like they open up with crazy woodwind parts and every year is rocky but they do great at the end of the season. Mr. Sealy is a great director and the kids are all hyped for Nats im sure they will work their butts off.

[HerroWon]

I believe visuals will make or break this show. If they can pull of clean coordinated visuals they will be a very strong contender for the championship this Saturday. They'll also need to add more of their show but I'm confident that they are already doing that. These early October contests really set the stage for the end of the season so if Hebron can pull of the win this Saturday I think they'll have a very good chance at making top 5 at Nats

[Xenon]

Circles are incredibly hard to clean and super easy to see when they are wrong. They are probably the highest exposure-difficulty combination form.

 

And there are tons and tons of them in this show.

 

I know that Hebron has the ability to do it by the end of the season, but he only band that I've ever seen that truly pulled off lots of circles throughout the show to an insane level was Bell's The Circle's Edge show in 2011. That show was an absolute visual masterpiece.

[HHS352]

Im just dying to see how this saturday goes... hopefully I can make it and see the finals after I get out of work. I really wanna see marcus, round rock, FloMo, and Bell

[5 te 6]

Xenon:  "...she wants him to put a RING on it."  Hebron 360 --> I see what you did there! 

[knoxisawesome348]

Found a video of Hebron's prelims performance at TOC shot from a group of students from another band. Lots of visible and audible reactions to the sax solo in the crowd haha. 

 

But if I want to hype Hebron for anything else, it's the REST of their saxophones. They're just nailing that technical feature at the beginning. They've got one of the best sax lines in BOA.

[LKendrick]

Personal opinion time on Hebron's visual program.  Not trying to discount anyone else or convince anyone else, just my thoughts.  I've been a fan since 2012.  I don't think they take the usual approach that a lot of BOA/modern groups do.  AKA, lots of lightning quick stuff into big impact moments, staging difficult moments halted with other high velocity stuff counter balancing it, ect. ect.  I'm not talking down on that kind of stuff, it's smart, fools you, guides you where to look, ect.  So on and so forth.  Hebron does A LOT in the simultaneous difficulty/staging difficulties department.  More so than most groups I watch.  They definitely don't take the conventional high velocity approach, but what they do on the move ALWAYS blows my mind, opener this year, and I remember 2012 having the woodwinds spread out 80+ yards doing some pretty insane technical passages almost perfectly despite their insane staging.  I think what they do in terms of their listening environments, staging, and simultaneous demand is crazy difficult in its own way.  As far as the design, I like it.  Clean, gets the theme across, and has plenty of difficulty in itself.  All the circles like stated is going to be crazy hard to get cleaned.  I have a ton of respect for them taking that approach, last year it didn't get championship caliber polished, but I think it got there in 2013 and similar in 2012.  

 

 

Regardless.  That show cleaned at nationals.  Compared to vids I've seen of other bands attending, Texas or not, they're well on their way to a High Music caption.  I cannot wait to see this show fully fleshed out.  That ballad is already one of THE moments of the year in my eyes.  

[HerroWon]

Here's the link to the scores from last week. It's not the same as BOA scoring but at least it'll let us see where they are kind of struggling point wise. I found it on another form on here and figured it should be on here too http://www.nshsband.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/TOC-2015-results.pdf

[Bandbandband123]

Do you think that Hebron's high musical capability will be able to pull it out against Marcus's clean but not so GE show at BOA Arlington?

[justabandkid94]

Do you think that Hebron's high musical capability will be able to pull it out against Marcus's clean but not so GE show at BOA Arlington?

 

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!