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OKBC Review Broken Arrow Invitational (prelims)
Arriving at Broken Arrow's Memorial Stadium, I kept an intent watch on the threateningly gray skies above. Having received a few sprinkles on my rental car's windshield on the way to the event, I was reminded how unpredictable Oklahoma's weather can be. After a quick stop to buy a program and a Diet Pepsi, I headed high into the stands to find a seat near the 50 yard line and settle in to watch a great lineup of bands at this inaugural event. Luckily, the rain stayed away and the sun even popped out enough times to give me a slight sunburn. But it was well worth it to enjoy the performances of these 13 fine bands. And now, without further ado, on with the show... CATOOSA HIGH
SCHOOL Show Title: Catch Me If You Can This rather small band started off the day with a nicely played sax ensemble at the beginning of their show. Their forms seemed to be hitting decently, but there are a few people that are a little late getting to their spot. I also noticed quite a few people out of step at times. With a group this small, they tend to stand out more than they would in a larger ensemble. Overall, their musical sound was pretty good for a small band, but they need to project more. They sound too tentative much of the time, although there was a very good soloist near the end of the performance. They just need to work on nailing their fundamentals and project more confidence in their abilities.
VAN BUREN HIGH
SCHOOL Show Title: And Beyond The first thing I noticed as they were coming on the field
is that their uniforms are exactly the same as Broken Arrow’s with the exception
of them being black and green instead of black and white. It is still a very
striking look, whatever the colors. The B.A. influence was evident throughout
their show, which was a very intriguing variation of Gustav Holst’s “Jupiter”.
They had a very lush, balanced sound with nice fundamental playing and marching,
although there were a few feet issues and some lines that didn’t stay very
straight as they were rotating. However, all in all, it was a really nice
performance and it is no wonder that they are considered one of the elite bands
of Arkansas. MORRIS HIGH
SCHOOL Show Title: Evil Queen of Bird This show’s rather strange title comes from a blending of their 3 musical selections: “Evil Ways” by Santana, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, and “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. The brass was fearless and in-your-face in the opener. However, they need to be careful not to overpower the ensemble. At times, you could hardly tell that there were woodwinds playing as well. The marching technique definitely needs some polishing. There were numerous instances of dirty feet and sloppy forms. However, this group seemed to be having a great time with this fun, "old school" type of program.
NEVADA HIGH
SCHOOL Show Title: Love Having graduated from Missouri, I’m very familiar with bands from the Show-Me state. I have watched this group develop over the last few years and I must say that this is possibly the best they’ve ever been. The show was basically a medley of romantic pop songs like something out of Moulin Rouge. They had a nice, ensemble sound for the most part. However, there were some occasional harsh sounds from the brass and a few woodwind squeaks. Their forms seemed to hit well and there was some nice marching technique, as well as much improved guard work. They did southwest Missouri proud.
MUSTANG HIGH
SCHOOL Show Title: All or One After several small and mid-sized bands, it was nice to hear the big, powerful sound that a large band can provide. Their show featured the music of Samuel Hazo, including the ubiquitous “Ride” as well as “Voice of the Sky”. Their music was well-balanced and performed and the drill was demanding. Their guard starts out well but seemed to get lost along the way. There’s too much looking around to see where they’re supposed to be. At this point in the season, their marching is a little rough around the edges, but it should clean up with time.
OWASSO
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: Red Shades: Russian Masters Revisited Even though the show was clearly unfinished, they are still the best playing band in Oklahoma (with the possible exception of the recently rejuvenated Broken Arrow). Difficult musical runs were handled with apparent ease and blended perfectly with the deep, rich sound of the lower brass. Throughout the show, I heard variations of Frank Ticheli’s “Blue Shades” mixed brilliantly with Russian classical music. The guard work was skilled and confident. Their traditional weakest link has been their marching. Although very solid on a regional level, the visual performance is just not on par with most other national-caliber bands. The overall show design is good, but it left me feeling a little let-down in comparison to their best shows: ‘03, ‘05, and especially ‘04 (my personal fave).
BERRYHILL
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: Geometrix: Modern Art, Modern Jazz This little Oklahoma powerhouse just continues to impress. It’s amazing the quality of sound they can pull off with so few musicians. They performed the music of Pat Metheny with smoothness and style. The drill featured a variety of circles, squares, and triangles which reinforced the show’s theme. The brass line is strong but they need to be careful of being shrill. There was nice form control with great individual marching. I have to admit that I like this show's design even better than their breakthrough show last year.
JENKS HIGH
SCHOOL Show Title: Urban Geometry As this band started their show, my attention was instantly grabbed by their fast-paced drill filled with rapidly changing angles and their big, intense sound. This was a more difficult and complex show than I am used to seeing from this group. They definitely came to play this year. Mid-way through the show, they seemed to struggle slightly as the music threatened to fly apart at the seams and their marching became less precise. I’m sure this will clean with time. This show has great potential. I can’t wait to see a more polished version in St. Louis.
O'FALLON
TOWNSHIP HIGH
SCHOOL Show Title: Synergy: Thought, Motion, Sound! This show starts and ends with narration. I’m not a big fan of narration, but when it is well-written and used efficiently, it can be a great asset to the show. Thankfully, it worked very well for them. Although, once the band begins to play, they overpower the poor narrator and the rest of her speech is lost. The percussion section is fantastic, as usual. Their musical sound is accomplished and the repertoire exciting and beautiful in turns. I particularly liked the ballad. Being from further north, they seemed to have a complete show with many well-executed touches that helped immensely to achieve their desired effects.
BRANSON
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: The Legend of Atlantis Featuring music from the ever-popular Key Poulan, I felt this show could have benefited from a more detailed show design. Like many of Poulan’s works, there are endless opportunities to visually enhance and interpret the theme which I felt was missing in this show. The music was competently played, although there were some harsh tones periodically. The visuals were solidly performed with a few minor issues. They have been through a few director changes in the last few years which I feel has caused them to decline from where they were about 3-4 years ago. However, I think they are starting to regain some stability and are on the way up again.
BLANCHARD
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: Path of a Hero This is the first time I’ve had the chance to see this up-and-coming band. They’ve been doing well in Class 3A for the last couple of years and now I can see why. This was a nicely designed show that, despite their relatively small size, managed to effectively capture the theme of “paths”. They started off in a winding line (or path) which periodically reappeared in subtle ways throughout the show. The music and especially the drill were a bit rough around the edges at times, and they were curiously lacking a color guard (if my memory is correct). With some fine tuning, they stand to do very well at next week's OBA once again.
PUTNAM CITY
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: The Firebird Suite It’s been quite a while since I have seen a band perform this music on the field. Their arrangement was a bit different than I’m used to, but I liked it. I’ve never been a big fan of their uniforms, but the flashes of orange on their mostly black coats is very effective in the context of this show. The visual design was extremely effective. The bright flames on the flags and the final “bird” formation really sell the concept. The music was well-performed but I thought I detected some slight phasing issues briefly. This band just continues to improve each year.
PONCA CITY
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: Angels & Demons To start with, I must admit that I really liked how the guard starts off this show with 2 large white flags crisscrossed behind their backs to simulate angel’s wings. Their musical technique and overall sound has definitely improved over the last few years. The marching seemed solid and confident, with only minor feet issues. After a few disappointing years, they seem on track to possibly return to their early-2000s level of prominence.
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