mbui Posted October 14, 2008 Posted October 14, 2008 Once again, I made my way to Pearland, Texas for the Bands of America Houston Regional. Pearland (pop. 83,000) is a suburb located 15 minutes south of Downtown Houston. I like having the Regional here because not only does it beats the traffic in Houston, but it's right up the road from my house. I ain't complaining. I arrived at the Pearland District Stadium (aka The Rig), parked my car, and made my way to the box office to pick up my press pass. Special thanks to Music for All and Debbie Laferty Asbill for the press pass and to Jennifer Schuessler, who handed me my pass at the box. I entered the stadium, bought a breakfast taco and Coke at the concession stand and made my way to the bleachers. Like last year, I sat on the 50 yard line right under the press box. Perfect seat in the house. Thoughts A fantastic competition. Sure, a few Houston area bands had incomplete shows and are a little behind schedule compared to previous years, but the effects of Hurricane Ike didn't seem to phase them. Huge kudos to the Gulf Coast groups that put on a show. Thank you. Westfield not making Finals for the first time in BOA history (if I'm not mistaken). A shocker? Yes. Was I surprised after it was announced? I hate to be blunt but no. When I saw them in Prelims, I knew it was going to be difficult for them getting in. I had them in Finals on my sheets, but as tough as the competition was, I had a feeling they were going to be on the outside looking in. Are they bad? Absolutely not. I don't know if the hurricane had anything to do with it. But then again, 7 of the 10 Finalists were Houston area bands. The band does seem a lot smaller and I will say the show lacks originality. Westfield has been known for innovative and unique shows and this year's just didn't do it for me. L.D. Bell was simply on a whole other level. Design wise, execution wise, everything. The show is beautifully designed and the music repertoire is out of this world. There were a few emotional moments for me--- in the opener during the follow the leader (the part where it sounds like "Mask of Zorro"), the excerpt from Husa's "Music for Prague" and the climax in the closer during "Stardust." I can't wait to see L.D. Bell in late season form when all the details are added into the show. There's nothing else to say. They look and sound great. I think they've reloaded. Hendrickson was my surprise band of the day. A fun and entertaining show which used music from Eric Whitacre's "Noisy Wheels of Joy", Cirque du Soleil's "KA" and Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka. I feel a show can be fun and entertaining as long as they play and march well. And, Hendrickson did just that. I remember seeing the band in 2005 at the Houston Regional where they made Finals and I was floored. Fast forward to three years later and I was floored again. Thanks Stephen F. Austin for always having a unique style. The Angels were beautiful and elegant. I've always wanted to see them in pink and they looked stunning. Something that I really do miss about the band----the drumline jamming it out during warm-up. Please, please bring it back. I always look forward to hearing that when I see SFA. I apologize if I only covered a few bands. Those were the only ones that stuck in my mind. Pictures I took quite a few pictures at the Houston Regional. You can view them on my Photobucket album at the links below. Prelims: http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc267/t...?albumview=grid Finals: http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc267/t...?albumview=grid My Scoring Recaps The following are my own Prelims & Finals recaps. I like to "play" judge sometimes. I like to sit back, watch the shows from every possible angle, put down my numbers, and then compare them to the actual results. I write down all of my numbers after each band has performed using the actual recap and judging criteria of the respective circuit. The difference between my recap is that I show how I arrive at the actual score for each subcaption---something that BOA doesn't show on theirs. I did this last year on the BOA Forums and got a great response from it. Remember, these recaps are for entertainment purposes only. Actual recaps of the Houston Regional can be found on the Music for All website at http://musicforall.org PRELIMS PRELIMS COMPARISON FINALS Band Repertoires Program Book Special thanks to Music for All/Bands of America, the city of Pearland, and the Pearland High School & Dawson High School Bands for hosting the event. You guys did a marvelous job. And to think that we were hit by a hurricane one month ago...... Quote
Xenon Posted October 14, 2008 Posted October 14, 2008 Wow, Mike! Great job; especially on your placements accuracy! And the pictures are really awesome. I love that a lot of the bands with dark uniforms have gone to having white plumes. I think it is a really striking look. Quote
Danpod Posted October 14, 2008 Posted October 14, 2008 Mike rules at this kind of stuff. The accuracy of his predictions are something that should be on the Mount Rushmore of the Marching Arts. Quote
iceeblue2 Posted October 14, 2008 Posted October 14, 2008 (edited) Great Pictures. Thanks for sharing. Edited October 14, 2008 by iceeblue2 Quote
itsstephenyo Posted October 14, 2008 Posted October 14, 2008 Thanks again, Mike! Always a pleasure seeing and comparing your results to the real thing. Man, your prelims placements were incredibly accurate! Quote
slw13 Posted October 14, 2008 Posted October 14, 2008 Just wanted to add my $.02 worth for the work that Mike does. I have a lot of respect for him and all he puts in to help support marching band in texas. The contest was one of the best (outside of Super Regionals or Nationals) that I have witnessed. Many amazing bands and wonderful performances. My final thought, however, is for not only the bands of that area, but for all of the people who are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Ike. I was struck by how much damage we could see in the area (roofs still covered in tarps, trees still down, mulching work going on, broken windows, etc), and I also know it was much worse closer to Galveston Bay. My thoughts, prayers and support continue to go out to all who have suffered in that area. Quote
bluebellbrass07 Posted October 14, 2008 Posted October 14, 2008 Just heard a (somewhat crappy) recording of Bell from houston. All I have to say is, I wish I would have graduated two years later Quote
GuitarJoe Posted October 14, 2008 Posted October 14, 2008 bluebellbrass07 said: Just heard a (somewhat crappy) recording of Bell from houston. All I have to say is, I wish I would have graduated two years later Werd. Quote
takigan Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 Just saw L.D. Bell's show. It's not complete so there's no telling what strange new concepts they may decide to (and are known to) explore, but it reminds me a lot of their 2005 show; less about shock value and more about creating really good music. One talent this band has that most bands don't, and displayed very well in this contest is the ability to stay together within the same musical fabric without tearing, even when they're spread across the entire field. This is extremely hard to do early-season while you're still learning your show, especially if you're marching "death-defying" drill. Quote
Fata1 Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 Just saw Bell's show for the first time on the BOA Fan Network. I love it. I'm really looking forward to seeing their final production at Grand Nationals. Quote
JediSaxSolis Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 Fata1 said: Just saw Bell's show for the first time on the BOA Fan Network. I love it. I'm really looking forward to seeing their final production at Grand Nationals. Agreed. Bell didn't leave me a bit disappointed at all. This year's L.D. Bell show will never be forgotten. Quote
drummerdad Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 This is a little off topic, but has anyone looked at the musicforall website results page for the other regionals and noticed that the relative scores from week to week are higher in the midwest and southeast regionals versus Texas? There are some exceptions, but in general the scores are equal or higher outside of our region, but if you watch the bands (via the FanNetwork on Musicforall) there seems to be a large difference in quality in Texas'' favor. (Compare Paul Lawrence Dunbar's (KY) show with Cedar Parks from a week ago...They aren't even close to me yet PLD scored .20 higher) Also very notable was this weeks scores in Florida and Ypsilanti compared to Houston. Granted the Houston bands are a week or so behind on show prep because of the hurricanes, but even Bell's score was considerably lower that Tarpon Springs. I know Tarpon is incredibly innovative and impressive for a small band, and have a great history with BOA (and I saw this years show on the FanNetwork sight and it is very cool) but they don't march a battery, and in terms of direct show to show comparison...well, there is no comparison. I guess this all shakes out at GNs, right? Quote
mbui Posted October 15, 2008 Author Posted October 15, 2008 drummerdad said: This is a little off topic, but has anyone looked at the musicforall website results page for the other regionals and noticed that the relative scores from week to week are higher in the midwest and southeast regionals versus Texas? There are some exceptions, but in general the scores are equal or higher outside of our region, but if you watch the bands (via the FanNetwork on Musicforall) there seems to be a large difference in quality in Texas'' favor. (Compare Paul Lawrence Dunbar's (KY) show with Cedar Parks from a week ago...They aren't even close to me yet PLD scored .20 higher) Also very notable was this weeks scores in Florida and Ypsilanti compared to Houston. Granted the Houston bands are a week or so behind on show prep because of the hurricanes, but even Bell's score was considerably lower that Tarpon Springs. I know Tarpon is incredibly innovative and impressive for a small band, and have a great history with BOA (and I saw this years show on the FanNetwork sight and it is very cool) but they don't march a battery, and in terms of direct show to show comparison...well, there is no comparison. I guess this all shakes out at GNs, right? You shouldn't compare scores from regional to regional. Judges look and score based on the bands at that competition and not others around the country. This happens all the time at BOA. You have a lower tier band scoring higher than an upper tier band at another regional. Those two bands compete a week or two later and the lower tier band doesn't even come close to the upper tier band. It's happened many times. Quote
jbroomas Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 Based on the videos, I have to say that I think Churchill did a much better job than SFA....Just my opinion. I can definitely see why The Woodlands scored so high in music and they always have an incredibly difficult drill. They're always extremely enjoying to watch. Quote
radchad Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 Where can I see videos from the Houston Regional? I am a member of the thingy.. where I can watch live webcasts and stuff.. Quote
radchad Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 I just realised how vague I was. I am a member of the Music For All Network. Is that the same as the BOA Fan Network? Quote
Danpod Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 radchad said: I just realised how vague I was. I am a member of the Music For All Network. Is that the same as the BOA Fan Network? No. Music for All Network doesn't guarantee you access to the videos. Plop down $69 and you'll be a member of the Fan Network. Quote
Fata1 Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 I'm not sure what I was a member of. I just know that I got an email saying that they made some changes and that my current membership was changed to a BOA Fan Network membership that I could renew in November for a discount. Quote
radchad Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 Danpod said: No. Music for All Network doesn't guarantee you access to the videos. Plop down $69 and you'll be a member of the Fan Network. I can't remember how much I paid originally.. Quote
takigan Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 You probably paid $30 then if this was awhile ago.....I think what happens to you is that you still get access to the Video on Demand until you're membership expires (technically you're a $39 member now) but you don't get access to the webstreams this season until you upgrade to the $69 membership. Either way, the website that has all the new videos has changed: http://fannetwork.dci.org/index.cfm?corps_id=2000 I'm not even sure if your MFA ID will still work with this new site and if it doesn't I'm not really sure how you would go about getting that changed (me? I simply upgraded to the $69 version and got a new user ID).....the way they're handling this transfer is very confusing (just like the MFA website is confusing--GOD I can't stand how awkward it is to navigate that site!). Quote
jbroomas Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 takigan said: You probably paid $30 then if this was awhile ago.....I think what happens to you is that you still get access to the Video on Demand until you're membership expires (technically you're a $39 member now) but you don't get access to the webstreams this season until you upgrade to the $69 membership. Either way, the website that has all the new videos has changed: http://fannetwork.dci.org/index.cfm?corps_id=2000 I'm not even sure if your MFA ID will still work with this new site and if it doesn't I'm not really sure how you would go about getting that changed (me? I simply upgraded to the $69 version and got a new user ID).....the way they're handling this transfer is very confusing (just like the MFA website is confusing--GOD I can't stand how awkward it is to navigate that site!). I completely agree with the site. It is definitely not very user friendly. Quote
ChrisTHS08 Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 what did you think of william b travis? honest opinion we played right after westfield! Quote
diamonds and drums Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 ChrisTHS08 said: what did you think of william b travis?honest opinion we played right after westfield! I am impressed with the progress of Travis. This being the first year of having Seniors, the band is coming together really well. If you look at Michaels scores for Prelims, he had you guys in Finals at the 9th spot. It is never easy to follow in the footsteps of a sister school like SFA, sometimes patience is the hardest thing to maintain. Keep working as hard as all of you are. You have an enjoyable show and an opportunity to get better this Saturday at The Woodlands and then in San Antonio. Quote
takigan Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 Keep in mind that it's not good form to just come in to a forum and be all like, "Hey, guys, I'm from ____, what do you think of my band?".....even more so if you're from a school that is not well known, because then it just sounds like you're begging for attention.... There are more subtle ways of promoting your band than just saying "Hey, talk about us....please?". Quote
iceeblue2 Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 (edited) takigan said: Keep in mind that it's not good form to just come in to a forum and be all like, "Hey, guys, I'm from ____, what do you think of my band?".....even more so if you're from a school that is not well known, because then it just sounds like you're begging for attention.... There are more subtle ways of promoting your band than just saying "Hey, talk about us....please?". I disagree. I don't see anything wrong with someone asking the plethora of talented marching band members and alumni on this site their opinion on a band and/or their performance, but hey that's just me Edited October 17, 2008 by iceeblue2 Quote
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