PunkAsAMonk

Bell and Marcus back to back in finals....potentially. I love how that always seems to happen.

Wow, I didn't realize it was still 2001.

Though I could agree to a point, I feel that this is a fundamentally poor argument. This could maybe be the case (and most likely a stretch) if a band got say 20th in marching instead of 25th, but it is very hard to argue the top groups in terms of how they look visually. Also, something that I think many fail to realize is the main reason for having props: giving the members that did not get a marching spot an important role in the show. As a program, you have a better chance at retaining members if you give them something to do and let them know that they are an important part of the organization, rather than cast them out because they did not get a marching spot. Marcus has over 300 members, and considering the numbers they march, that would leave out a good amount of student involvement.

Totally, all I'm saying is that there's always so much "That band sucks this year" when they saw their incomplete show first week of contest season. Just seems like a waste to predict any more than a week ahead.

I really don't understand why so many of you predict based off of what you see late September/early October.

I've looked, and believe me, there is no "good copy" of this album. The Guitar Hero versions are a full 10dB softer, but still don't even hold a flame production wise to past albums. To give you an idea, here's a comparison I did in Pro Tools from The Black Album to Death Magnetic. Here is a comparison of the new single "The Day That Never Comes" to "Nothing Else Matters" from their 1991 S/T. Both songs start soft and build to loud climaxes. 10 bucks to anyone that can point out to me where that happens in "The Day That Never Comes.

Good stuff. Hopefully we can have some good discussion on here throughout the season without the normal hype and/or bickering. It's always more fun on 5A state years.

Edit: Accidental post.

I don't know how you could seriously make a statement like this and keep a straight face.

TOTALLY! Except the part about them having great upper body posture, foot technique, timing, and form control. I don't know what everyone else is seeing, but from a visual standpoint, Bell (when at their best) has blurred the line between marching band and drum corps.

Edit: Nevermind, this argument isnt worth it.

This is a poor argument. Anyone who saw finals can clearly see that the caliber of the groups speak for themselves.

The top bands with big productions are also scoring highest in visual. Visual execution and GE are two seperate things.

Directors can conduct as long as they have the correct badge, which I think has to be a "director badge", not just a "field badge".

Where do you see them both in terms of music GE?

I'll be there for sure.

I don't know about you guys, but this slaughtering of the Marcus/Bell argument happening before they've even competed is definately getting pretty old pretty fast.

Marcus has really only been a serious contender for about the past 3 years or so. With the big jumps in progress they have made in recent years, they are still on the rise in that the program is cementing itself as one of the best in Texas. Winning a state championship draws massive attention to a program, which means more interest in the program by students, parents and the community. Another very important part of success at the high school level is strength in the feeder schools, and what percentage of those kids continue doing band in high school, which is something Marcus definately has.

I'm not sure why you think that you're a minority for thinking this. It's pretty obvious that everyone else loves Bell too.

Good to see that somebody else recognizes this. It isn't always about blunt force volume.

Those 4 to 5's are so cliche...

Spring Marcus Not hating on Bell, but I think musically those are the best.

State Finals hi cam is on google video. Quality is a lot better then the other two. http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=...092456&hl=en-GB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx7Piq5c9og Here's the video of finals, probably the better of the two. Obviously the better run, but its also got some close ups.

I didn't mean this as a personal attack. I was merely saying that there seems to be a lot of "Band X deserves to win because they are Band X", and not nearly enough justification to back such a statement. For example, when the finals bands were announced there was at least half a page worth of "no Band X?" and "no Band Y?", which in my mind says that people think if a band usually makes finals but doesn't, then it was because bad judging or something along those lines. I just think in general people tend to go too much by reputation then how each band performed on the given day within the judging criteria.