BOA Austin 2018

[Hard Core Band Fan]

my favorite things....

-The power of Vandegrift!! Jaw on floor at the depth of sound as well as the flute craziness in Concerto for Orchestra.

-Leander being back! So much more demand while on the move than previous years. The ballad is also simply gorgeous. What a treat to hear Nino Rota’s Romeo & Juliet on the field and so clever to use it to help convey the polarity theme. Outstanding guard.

-I love Cedar Park’s fun shows that hit me over the head with the theme. Light years better from prelims to finals. The Euphonium battle was sensational as was the Can Can and the nicely done block drill during. Also seemed to be bringing a little more volume than last year, I thought.

-Vista Ridge’s new arrival! Even though they have been amazing forever, this just felt next level. Wow Wow Wow! I love the idea of using the spinning compass as a showcase for soloists and cool visual moments like when the whole cymbal line was up there. Incredible soloists! It just felt so fresh and interesting. Visually, the individual performers are so committed to incredible fundamentals which elevated the whole production even more.

-Hendrickson’s blue soloist - amazing player AND actor, as well! And you’ve got me hooked if you play Blue Rondo ala Turk on the field! Introducing high schoolers to Dave Brubeck’s music warms my heart!

-Cedar Ridge - Kashmir on the field with lovely vocal solo - yes!!! Polovtsian Dances - yes!!!! I thought it was beautiful and accessible in both theme and musical selections. Also the double (or triple?!) tonguing brass in Sabre Dance was on fire!

-The CTJ trombones are probably the section of the day - bringing the power and the beauty!

 

Overall, fantastic day of band!

 

That CTJ trombone quartet is the finest thing I heard all day.

[herbaflerb]

In the case of Round Rock (which I loved), I think abstract shows don’t land as well as shows with tangible themes. I’m not saying “hurr hurr people are too dumb to understand”, it’s just that they don’t resonate with people as well as other shows like Leander or Vista.

[herbaflerb]

my favorite things....

-The power of Vandegrift!! Jaw on floor at the depth of sound as well as the flute craziness in Concerto for Orchestra.

-Leander being back! So much more demand while on the move than previous years. The ballad is also simply gorgeous. What a treat to hear Nino Rota’s Romeo & Juliet on the field and so clever to use it to help convey the polarity theme. Outstanding guard.

-I love Cedar Park’s fun shows that hit me over the head with the theme. Light years better from prelims to finals. The Euphonium battle was sensational as was the Can Can and the nicely done block drill during. Also seemed to be bringing a little more volume than last year, I thought.

-Vista Ridge’s new arrival! Even though they have been amazing forever, this just felt next level. Wow Wow Wow! I love the idea of using the spinning compass as a showcase for soloists and cool visual moments like when the whole cymbal line was up there. Incredible soloists! It just felt so fresh and interesting. Visually, the individual performers are so committed to incredible fundamentals which elevated the whole production even more.

-Hendrickson’s blue soloist - amazing player AND actor, as well! And you’ve got me hooked if you play Blue Rondo ala Turk on the field! Introducing high schoolers to Dave Brubeck’s music warms my heart!

-Cedar Ridge - Kashmir on the field with lovely vocal solo - yes!!! Polovtsian Dances - yes!!!! I thought it was beautiful and accessible in both theme and musical selections. Also the double (or triple?!) tonguing brass in Sabre Dance was on fire!

-The CTJ trombones are probably the section of the day - bringing the power and the beauty!

 

Overall, fantastic day of band!

Those compasses were so cool! I loved the soprano solo. They’re a fantastic band.

[vistaridgefan42069]

The top four were absolutely SLAMMIN'

 

I was pullin for that 4 way tie but ctj had that good ol whataburger sponsorship (and a hella immersive show that cleans up like a nerd girl in a teen movie every time we see them to the next time we see them)

 

So much time until San Antonio, it's gonna be a goodyear™

[whitewing09]

In the case of Round Rock (which I loved), I think abstract shows don’t land as well as shows with tangible themes. I’m not saying “hurr hurr people are too dumb to understand”, it’s just that they don’t resonate with people as well as other shows like Leander or Vista.

It’s such a delicate balance. If a band wants to do an abstract theme or go for a very complex design, they have to put in extra effort to ensure that they can communicate the message effectively. I think one of the reasons why leander struggled last year was because their message was somewhat obfuscated by the really...esoteric design of their show.

[inmysights31]

my favorite things....

-The power of Vandegrift!! Jaw on floor at the depth of sound as well as the flute craziness in Concerto for Orchestra.

-Leander being back! So much more demand while on the move than previous years. The ballad is also simply gorgeous. What a treat to hear Nino Rota’s Romeo & Juliet on the field and so clever to use it to help convey the polarity theme. Outstanding guard.

-I love Cedar Park’s fun shows that hit me over the head with the theme. Light years better from prelims to finals. The Euphonium battle was sensational as was the Can Can and the nicely done block drill during. Also seemed to be bringing a little more volume than last year, I thought.

-Vista Ridge’s new arrival! Even though they have been amazing forever, this just felt next level. Wow Wow Wow! I love the idea of using the spinning compass as a showcase for soloists and cool visual moments like when the whole cymbal line was up there. Incredible soloists! It just felt so fresh and interesting. Visually, the individual performers are so committed to incredible fundamentals which elevated the whole production even more.

-Hendrickson’s blue soloist - amazing player AND actor, as well! And you’ve got me hooked if you play Blue Rondo ala Turk on the field! Introducing high schoolers to Dave Brubeck’s music warms my heart!

-Cedar Ridge - Kashmir on the field with lovely vocal solo - yes!!! Polovtsian Dances - yes!!!! I thought it was beautiful and accessible in both theme and musical selections. Also the double (or triple?!) tonguing brass in Sabre Dance was on fire!

-The CTJ trombones are probably the section of the day - bringing the power and the beauty!

 

Overall, fantastic day of band!

I for sure felt Leander’s presence last night! I don’t know anything about the program because I do not go there and can’t speak for them, but let me tell you that hornline plays with such an intensity. I can’t really chalk it up to energy, because it’s not that. Every program last night brought energy. It felt like to me that Leander’s brass was just playing ruthlessly, expecially on that opening statement. I think the judges picked up on that last night and that contributed them getting the music caption.

[Band2013-2]

I honestly think round rock was caught in the glitz and glamour of Grand Nationals. They have been trying to style themselves as that type of marching band and it just hasn't landed yet. What's clear is that they are a fan favorite, and everyone roots for them to place within the top five but remember that in Texas anything can happen and some bands might just shock you for example vista ridge.

[Nny14]

 

I honestly think round rock was caught in the glitz and glamour of Grand Nationals. They have been trying to style themselves as that type of marching band and it just hasn't landed yet. What's clear is that they are a fan favorite, and everyone roots for them to place within the top five but remember that in Texas anything can happen and some bands might just shock you for example vista ridge.

Would you mind elaborating? What is "that" type of marching band?

[Band2013-2]

Well let me see if I can, their shows have been reminding me of a mixture between william mason and Tarpon which is not bad at all I love them both. I just think Rock hasn't hit a stride with it yet. My favorite show's from them were The Dragon & Acts of Light because they felt like a round rock show, it was unique to them. However, I understand every band has to shift and evolve based on what occurs over the years.

[CTJBandPops]

I found this interesting - there were 196 posts on the BOA Austin predictions page - while the order was off other than 1st and 8th - the top 10 were in fact the 10 finalist last night.  

 

does that mean Texas Bands have be come predictable? I doubt it - just food for thought (I apologize for my need to review analytics - just what I do)

 

Overall Score Analysis and Predicted Placements

1. 2336 (Claudia Taylor Johnson)
2. 2237 (Vandegrift)
3. 1903 (Leander)
4. 1724 (Cedar Park)
5. 1420 (Round Rock)
6. 1295 (James Bowie)
7. 1100 (Cedar Ridge)
8. 1068 (Robert E Hendrickson)
9. 980 (Vista Ridge)
10. 692 (Winston Churchill)

[whitewing09]

It just means that, individually we’re all imperfect estimators of a random variable (in this case, placements at a marching band contest). When you aggregate our beliefs, you can get a biased, but useful estimation of how a contest will be adjudicated.

 

I say biased because the majority of us either had vista ridge high or just in the finals in final, but we had our expectations of their placement based on past results, so they were ranked low. The opposite happened with round rock where we expected them to be in the top half because of their history of success at Austin, but they fell to the bottom half. Sometimes our predictions are actually pretty good, but a lot of times we can over- or underestimate simply because of the data we have.

 

a part of my life is also consumed with analytics

[A Testing Trumpet]

You have the right to be happy with what they are doing now, if you so choose. If someone else that was also in your band is not happy with it, that is also their right.

I don't disagree with that, but I don't believe that it is your right to be rude about it. The way it was said could have been better worded then it was; and it's why I was compelled to answer in the way that I did. As a recent member of that band I know that maintaining that legacy of success is very important to them, and saying something like what was said is not only very hurtful to those members, it did not offer any productive analysis of why they thought they lost that success. My point is that you have every right to call out a program on their laurels, if you so choose; but you don't have the right to say something rude to them for it. They have already recognized that it was rude and apologized so it's fine, but I just felt like I should clarify this further. 

[vistaridgefan42069]

those are the same finalists from the past two years too

 

easy to predicc??

 

hard to predicc??

 

predictably U N P R E D I C T A B L E

[principalagent]

Austin has gotten a little stale, but DFW and Conroe every year provide quite a lot of shaking up

[FaultLineBlues]

I saw someone else give some thoughts I thought I'd give mine too! If I leave out any bands from finals I'm sorry! I was either in the bathroom or getting concessions :')

 

- CTJ: Man I was a doubter of the show concept, but the kids just make it work. Everything comes off so naturally, whether it's someone flinging off a shako in character cause it was slipping off, or a major hit. I think this year is gonna be another killer one for them, and I can't wait to see how they grow and change. Normally I'm not one for "hoo rah America WOOOO" because stuff has been so rough recently, but by the end of the show, I was on my feet cheering with the rest of the crowd. (Sidenote: I really think we're going to see an increase of bands "framing" the field in scrims and backdrops after it been providing such an immersive experience for CTJ these past two years)

 

- Leander: If I'm to be entirely honest I think the electronics not working made a better (albeit slightly more awkward) experience! It felt like the music really stepped to fill in the gaps where electronics would be. I'm very happy to see them back on top of their game. The show is cool and absurdly fun to watch and the music is great! After seeing them at a football game I honestly mentally had them pegged to win and they were super close! Gonna be a fun season for competition.

 

- Vandy: Always such a nice *loud* sound that carries. Really thought the Bow and Arrow props were well made and not overly distracting and I really liked how they weren't too in the focus. Also another small thing I liked was the way the scrims showed the arrow curving over the pit and back down. While I did feel like I missed some overall arching story, that could just be on me not watching closely enough due to being pretty tired and just absorbing the music haha. Either way, even though they got third place, I don't see them being anywhere near out of contention for a top three spot at San Antonio this year. They're all very musically talented students.

 

- Vista Ridge: While show the theming is still kinda lost on me, I might be looking at it in a way that's too similar to Boston Crusaders this year when it might be a more metaphorical take on the concept of being "Lost and Found" (if I'm wrong please let me know! I'd love to learn more about this show considering how great the band performing it is). The musicians and soloists are doing amazing this year and are a huge step up and it's so exciting to see a new band break into that upper level of finalists. While I was a little unsure of what the props (not counting the compasses, compi??) were, they worked very well at showcasing the soloists/people playing features) the ballad was absolutely beautiful and I'm pretty sure it's gonna end up being one of my favorites this season.

 

- Cedar Park: This show is FUNNNNN. They really take the circus story and run with it. I liked the use of the singer as the ringleader (if that's the right word?) and the sections of dueling solos! So cool on field and the players were so talented! Really like the way the chest props were flipped and turned into the circus style boxes! Overall just a really really fun show that I'm probably going to find myself watching over and over again.

[FaultLineBlues]

(cont.)

 

- Cedar Ridge: I'm probably gonna be a bit biased but man I'm proud of these guys. They managed to be louder than some bands practically double their size and I love that they brought back having a singer in such a great way. I've always been a sucker for Arabian style music so I'm jealous as heck of them for getting this show right after I left. The initial Kashmir hit and the demand of the drill combined with Sabre Dance makes this show an absolute blast to watch! And man that triple tonguing feature from the high brass was so crisp and nice. And while I did see some validity in the complaint about the drill earlier, I do think it's playing to the bands strengths in terms of size, so I give them a bit of a pass.

 

- Hendrickson: My god that soloist! What an amazing player! Starting off with Rhapsody in Blue was fantastic and the show got more fun from there! The character work in this show was endearing and the sound effects just added to it. My friend described it like a Disney cartoon on field, and I couldn't agree more. One of my favorite parts was how at the beginning when the soloist's mic cut out at the beginning but he was so loud he practically didn't even need it! (SIDENOTE: odd coincidence that two schools from PISD had such similar shows to each other prop and overall theme wise!)

 

Round Rock: It seems like Round Rock is taking a bit of a departure from their more story-driven shows from the past few years and I'm honestly fine with it! I really liked a lot of moments in this show, like the opening hit and the saxophone feature and that trumpet soloist! And I love "Once Upon a Time in Paris" so that flute solo was a great way for the show to open with! I hope they do more with the props as the season progresses because they looked really cool. (SIDENOTE: While I think he new uniforms look great, I think removing the Maroon was a mistake. A lot of the forms looked muddy due to the uniform black blending into each other, and I don't think it's any fault of the students)

[gregorydf01]

Vista Ridge doesn't even have it's whole show on the field yet and still got a caption, Wow!  Looking forward to seeing the whole show!
It's going to be a fun year with all these great Texas Bands!