|
| |
| | |
|
OKBC Review Renegade Review (finals)
After enjoying a great afternoon at the Broken Arrow Invitational, I jumped back into my trusty rental car and made a bee-line over to Union High School, arriving just in time to hear the prelims awards announcement. Skiatook and Bixby had made complete sweeps in their respective classes and Lake Hamilton had nearly done so (darn that Enid percussion section, lol). As the stadium cleared out, I filled my empty stomach at a nearby Taco Bueno. Down in Houston (where I live), there are no Bueno's to be found, and it is one of the things I miss about living in Oklahoma. Once I had stuffed myself and returned once again to Union, I found a seat in the stands (sorely missing the chair-back seating of Broken Arrow's stadium). The skies had almost completely cleared up and, with the sun rapidly setting behind me, I sat back (or rather, hunched forward---thoughts again on the chair-back seating) to watch Finals unfold... MULDROW
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: The Game of Life Where have I seen these props before? It took me a few moments to realize that Muldrow must have purchased them from Edmond North, who did this exact show 2 years ago, albeit with different drill. I think "cute" shows generally work better for smaller bands, and this show has really served them well this season, with strong showings at the Moore contest & USSBA. The music was performed adequately, but they still need to work on polishing their technique if they want to hang with 3A powerhouse Berryhill. Considering that OBA is only a week away, their marching was a bit sloppier than I was expecting. There were several people out-of-step at times (very noticeable with white pants) and a few people were late to their formations at times. But this was a fun and entertaining start to the evening.
ROLAND HIGH
SCHOOL Show Title: The Guardians of Justice This show featured music from "Batman", "Spider-Man", and
"Superman". Their musical sound was a bit harsh and uninspired, but their
marching was pretty good. The formations seemed to come together pretty
well. Although the show was a bit simplistic, I liked how they used the
flags to help express each piece of music: black flags for the dark sounds
of "Batman", red and black flags with a webbed design for "Spider-Man", and for
the all-American hero "Superman", they brought out the red, white, and blue.
All in all, it was a fine show but not among the best that Roland has performed
in past years. BRISTOW
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: Movements: Alone, In Pairs, & Together Musically, they seemed to be having a bit of a rough time, but their marching was much better. There were a few spacing and feet issues, but nothing too serious. I liked the way that the show's theme was interpreted in the drill. At the beginning, there were several people that were marching "alone". As the show progressed, you see various "pairs" grouped together, and by the end, they were all integrated "together". This was a nice, well-designed little show.
SPIRO
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: Red Donning fur hats and boots, Spiro really set the mood for this Russian-flavored show. They had one of the better musical sounds of the smaller schools. However, their marching technique left a bit to be desired. They need to watch each other better and cover down, and there were quite a few people out of step. I'm not really sure why they decided to have the pit in the middle of the field, but to each his own, I guess. The guard was unexpectedly large for a band of this size, but they really helped sell the show.
PAWHUSKA
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: (unknown) I didn't manage to catch this band's show title as it was announced, and it wasn't printed in the program. First of all, I have to admit that I really liked their uniforms. They create a sharp, interesting look. However, I did wonder why one of the snares wasn't in uniform. With a total of only 25 people on the field, this was by far the smallest band I saw all day. In fact, Willard's clarinet section was larger than this whole ensemble. I really felt for them. It can be incredibly difficult to create a full sound with such limited instrumentation. Bands such as Jackson Academy are able to pull it off, but strong fundamentals are essential. For better or worse, though, this group certainly gave it their all.
HEAVENER
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: Current Events Talk about selling your show! This was one of the most purely-entertaining shows of the night. The clever title refers not to the latest news, but to electricity, of course. They took full advantage of every opportunity to jazz up this show. Guard members dressed as either "+" or "-" even bring out glittering lightning bolts at one point. The music and marching were somewhat improved since I last saw Heavener perform a couple of years ago, but they still need to clean up their execution. They need to be careful not to rely on glitzy props to cover up weaknesses in other areas. If you're gonna bring the flash, you also need the substance.
COLLINSVILLE
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: Eclipse After last year's show, which I felt was a little too cute, Collinsville rebounded this year with a more mature and serious production. An orange, sun-shaped tarp covered the middle of the field which, at one key point, was "eclipsed" by the band. Although not as strong as past years, their music and especially their marching are starting to show improvement. They also seemed to be a bit larger than I remember them last year. After a couple of solid years under their new director, perhaps they are beginning to recruit and retain more people. Overall, this was a fine performance. With this show, I think they are on their way to regaining their former glory.
BLUE VALLEY HIGH
SCHOOL Show Title: We Came to Play I remember the good, old days, under the direction of Martin Dunlap, when Blue Valley was a really strong competitor, even outscoring Owasso a couple of times. In recent years, with the rise of sister school Blue Valley West, there has been a definite downturn in their performance quality. The show was interesting from a design standpoint, and I felt that their visual performance was really pretty good. Musically, they were very inconsistent. There were moments when they sounded great and I was reminded of the group they used to be. And then there were moments that weren't so great. But as many groups have proved this year, with hard work and focused determination, significant improvement is definitely possible.
ENID HIGH
SCHOOL Show Title: Chimes Using Key Poulan's "Chronometry" as their inspiration, this group took full effect of the opportunities to create a strong and interesting show. Large, silver tubes spread across the backfield, while guard members in the front slowly swayed smaller silver tubes to simulate wind chimes blowing in the breeze. After the famous, introductory chimes melody, the band filled the stadium will a big, full sound. The spacing and form control was well managed, but I felt that the drill wasn't as challenging as it could have been. The percussion section was really impressive and definitely earned their trophy in prelims.
MOORE
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: Feel... I'm still not sure how I feel about this show, no pun intended. They played very well and had one of the most mature sounds of the night. Moore always marches well and this performance was no exception. Their marching fundamentals are quite good. There was a large tarp on the right hand side of the field sort of looked like a close-up of a solar flare. Upon closer inspection, I realized that it was an abstract portrait of a woman with flowing hair. I think. At regular periods throughout the performance, there was a narrator who sounded rather agitated and kept making various exclamations. The main problem with this show is that everybody in the audience was scratching their heads at the conclusion of the performance, myself included. I even heard one person ask, "What the heck was that all about?" But this show is definitely not finished yet. Hopefully, with the end product, all will become clear.
WILLARD
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: The Mask of Zorro As a graduate of Willard and a former band member, it's difficult to remain impartial, but I'll do my best. By far the largest band at the competition with 248 people on the field (including 183 winds), they cut an imposing figure. And say what you will about their helmets and plumes, but I like them. Although the uniforms still look fine, I'd like to see them upgrade to a more modern look. If I'm not mistaken, they've had the same uniforms since the early 90s (although they switched from white pants and helmets to black about 5 years ago). After struggling through the early 2000s, they have made significant improvements musically and visually in the last 4 years. Using movie music for their last 4 shows has seemed to help them immeasurably, but I think it is time to try something a bit more challenging. But I was proud of my alma mater nonetheless.
SKIATOOK
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: Lightscreens It's amazing what this band has accomplished in a few short years. From humble beginnings, they have arguably been the most rapidly improving band in the state. Strong fundamentals are integral to a group's success, and they have it in spades. The marching was very sharp and defined, with good use of the guard who were very impressive. Their music, though performed well, was a bit too subdued in my opinion. I felt they should have projected more. Although I wasn't really sure what they were trying to bring across with their show theme, I think their execution was great.
TULSA
MEMORIAL
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: Transformation Upon hearing that Tulsa Memorial had made the top 8 in prelims, I must admit that I was quite surprised, considering the level of competition at this event. However, after seeing their finals performance, I must say that it was very deserved. This is quite simply the best they've been in a very long time. Their music was nicely played with a good sound for their size, although the repertoire wasn't as demanding as several of the other finalists. The battery was particularly strong. Surprisingly, there were only 5 guard members. A larger guard could help them create a better overall effect on the crowd. But it was a very fine performance overall.
LAKE
HAMILTON
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: The Mechanism This band's nickname is the "Lake Hamilton Power Band". Holy crap! They weren't kidding. They had an incredibly powerful brass sound that blows your hair back. This, together with very solid marching technique, made this band a must-see. The show started off with the band members bent over at the waist with their arms dangling awkwardly like robots waiting to be switched on. Once they start moving, the music and drill build in intensity until, at the climax of the show, the "power" is suddenly switched off and the "robots" slump over once again. This was a fantastically designed show that was very deserving of the top prize. They really need to come to BOA and show them what Arkansas is capable of.
BIXBY
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: We Will Carry On Wow! Bixby is on fire. This show was strong on almost every level. Their music was multi-layered and performed with precision. Their new, all-white uniforms (with only a red sash) make an incredible visual statement. However, you have to be clean, clean, clean in the visuals or else it is incredibly noticeable. But Bixby's marching was absolutely rock-solid. I was positive they would take home the Visual caption. Their spacing was good, their feet were in step, and their lines and diagonals were crisp and sharp. The guard and percussion were also very solid. My only (very small) complaint is that I wasn't really sure what they were trying to communicate with the theme. But all of the other elements were so strong that it didn't really matter. It was just a fantastic performance.
EDMOND
SANTA FE
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: The Legacy of Robert Russell Bennett After being the first band of the day in prelims, they finished off the evening in style with a nice, solid, Broadway-inspired show. Although I didn't really care for the musical selections, I thought that their sound was well-blended, with good tone and balance. There were also some surprisingly difficult passages in the musical program, which they handled well. There were also some great moments in the drill, particularly the spiral "hurricane" formation. With a strong performance, they ended the competition with confidence.
UNION
HIGH SCHOOL Show Title: The Beat That Moves U In their exhibition performance, Union demonstrated that they are poised for a major comeback. This engaging show starts with the band kneeling in concentric circles which begin to "pulse" with the beat. As they expand and scatter, the guard is revealed as the beating heart within. The music was strong and well-balanced and the marching was considerably sharper than last year. The guard, as usual, was integral to the success of the show. The musical and visual design teams have really put together a great package. I can't wait to see them again in St. Louis. Welcome back, Union!
|
|
