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Post by boahistorybuff on Aug 13, 2022 4:15:28 GMT -6
The Rebel Regiment Makes History
During the 1990s, there was a huge influx of South Carolina bands who began competing in BOA. In 1991, Irmo made history by becoming the first South Carolina band to make Grand National Finals (Wando is so for the only other SC band to achieve that). During the course of the 1990s, both Irmo and Fort Mill came close to winning a BOA regional but ended up in 2nd (Irmo would win one in 2001 and Fort Mill finally nabbed their first in 2011). The very first South Carolina band to wind a BOA Regional title was actually the James F Byrnes 'Rebel Regiment'. This occurred at the 1999 BOA Johnson City regional. Byrnes actually beat Lafayette KY to win that title. This would be the first and so far only regional title for Byrnes.
The Byrnes prelims performance from that 1999 regional is on line. However, I chose to post their late season performance at the South Carolina State Championships, obviously a cleaner show than the early season BOA regional. One of their song selections was Rocky Point Holiday, one of my favorite songs for marching band. For me, that piece never gets old. While that song has been played many times, there are some notable performances of that piece from a much earlier era. In 1983 The Cadets (known as Garfield Cadets back then) played that piece in their first DCI World Championship performance, and it was awesome. Also, in 1984 Grand National Champion Rocky Mount performed that piece as well. But I digress. Anyway, here is the 1999 James F Byres marching band at the South Carolina State Championships, roughly a month after making history as the first South Carolina band to win a BOA regional title.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Aug 16, 2022 4:37:34 GMT -6
BOA's Longest In-State Rivals Face Off
Over the years there have been several instances of rivals between two bands from a state play out not just in their state marching band circuits, but on the BOA front as well. For example, in the 1990s we had Marian Catholic and Lake Park from Illinois and Westfield and Spring from Texas. In more recent years of course, we have Carmel and Avon from Indiana. Two bands that have had a rival play out for over 35 years are from Pennsylvania, Kiski Area and Norwin. During the late 1970s through mid 1980s, Norwin was the undisputed Pennsylvania powerhouse. Then in the late 1980s, Kiski rocketed to the big time and beat Norwin at the 1987 BOA Eastern Regional, finishing second to Rocky Mount NC. Now throughout most of the 1990s and several years in the 2000s, Kiski was performing at a higher level than Norwin, but that rivalry was still present. In more recent years, these two bands have been a little more on an even playing field. There have been some dramatic competitive moments in BOA between these two bands. In 1989, for example, Kiski beat Norwin at the early season BOA Eastern Regional to win the title. Then late in the season, Norwin beat Kiski by a tiny fraction of a point at the BOA Mid East Regional to win the title. Both bands were in Grand National Finals that year (the only year both bands competed in GN Finals together). Norwin finished 3rd ahead of 5th place Kiski. The next time Norwin would beat Kiski at a BOA event came 10 years later in 1999. At the BOA Morgantown Regional, Kiski and Norwin tied in finals. Back then, when there was a tie at the top, the title was not shared among two bands as it is today. The tie break was the band with the higher overall General Effect score, which in this case was Norwin. I am sure that was a huge moment for Norwin. In fact, the next season in 2000, Norwin beat Kiski at BOA Morgantown, this time by over a point.
I am going to share two videos in this post from 1999 Kiski and Norwin. The Kiski video is from BOA Morgantown Prelims. I would have preferred to show Norwin from this same competition, but it is not online. What is online is the 1999 performance of Norwin at the BOA Hempstead NY regional, which they won. Now BOA Hempstead was three weeks earlier than BOA Morgantown, so keep that in mind. We all know how much improvement occurs over the course of three weeks in October. Another point I will make is that during the years that LJ Hancock was director of Norwin (mid 1970s to early 2000s), the Norwin drum majors had a very unique salute and conducting style, which you will see in the video.
So here they are:
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Post by boahistorybuff on Aug 17, 2022 5:15:57 GMT -6
When San Antonio First Made Its Mark on the Grand National Stage
Texas is so big and has so many incredible bands that I often break it up into metro areas to try to keep track of them all. In terms of the San Antonio metro area, Ronald Reagan and Claudia Taylor Johnson have been the most successful in BOA. However, neither one of these bands was the first to perform in Grand National Finals. That honor belongs to Winston Churchill, the original San Antonio power prior to the rapid population boom that produced both Reagan and CTJ (all of which are a part of the North East ISD).
Heading into Grand Nationals in 1998, many had very high expectations for Churchill. They had won both Texas BOA regionals in 1997 and prior to their trip to GN in 1998, they won another Texas regional, beating Westfield and placed second at the other Texas regional, just behind Spring (yes only two Texas regionals in those days). Churchill of course made GN finals and ended up finishing 9th. I think many thought that before they came into finals they would place much higher. 1998 was a tough competitive year and Churchill still broke 91 points, which at the time was the highest score for a 9th place band. With their big powerful sound, they did not disappoint me. I also loved their Brubaker like drill designs. The rifles were also a big hit with the crowd. Churchill decided to attend Grand Nationals again in 1999, they only time they attempted back-to-back trips. Prior to their 1999 GN appearance, they won another Texas regional and then placed 4th at the other. Their performance at Grand Nationals garnered them another 9th place finish. You will see that the guard featured very bright colors along with some unique props to help feature those guard performers, techniques that I would see from many other bands during the 2000s.
This first video is the multi camera angle from 1998 BOA Houston
The next video is 1998 Grand Nationals hi cam
Here is the multi cam video from 1999 Grand Nationals. Not the most hi tech way of putting these old videos on YouTube, but I guess whatever works right?
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Post by LeanderMomma on Aug 17, 2022 9:39:47 GMT -6
Winston Churchill is so full of history and they are just a fantastic band!
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Post by srv1084 on Aug 17, 2022 10:02:57 GMT -6
When San Antonio First Made Its Mark on the Grand National StageTexas is so big and has so many incredible bands that I often break it up into metro areas to try to keep track of them all. In terms of the San Antonio metro area, Ronald Reagan and Claudia Taylor Johnson have been the most successful in BOA. However, neither one of these bands was the first to perform in Grand National Finals. That honor belongs to Winston Churchill, the original San Antonio power prior to the rapid population boom that produced both Reagan and CTJ (all of which are a part of the North East ISD). Heading into Grand Nationals in 1998, many had very high expectations for Churchill. They had won both Texas BOA regionals in 1997 and prior to their trip to GN in 1998, they won another Texas regional, beating Westfield and placed second at the other Texas regional, just behind Spring (yes only two Texas regionals in those days). Churchill of course made GN finals and ended up finishing 9th. I think many thought that before they came into finals they would place much higher. 1998 was a tough competitive year and Churchill still broke 91 points, which at the time was the highest score for a 9th place band. With their big powerful sound, they did not disappoint me. I also loved their Brubaker like drill designs. The rifles were also a big hit with the crowd. Churchill decided to attend Grand Nationals again in 1999, they only time they attempted back-to-back trips. Prior to their 1999 GN appearance, they won another Texas regional and then placed 4th at the other. Their performance at Grand Nationals garnered them another 9th place finish. You will see that the guard featured very bright colors along with some unique props to help feature those guard performers, techniques that I would see from many other bands during the 2000s. I wish I could get my hands on some judges tapes from that season. There must have been so many mixed messages and confusion with the staff when receiving their visual and visual GE scores that season, especially when receiving their first visual score of over 19 in an early season regional. Individual Visual and Ensemble Visual were flip-flopping to extremes during the season, too. Here are the stats for reference: 10/10 Prelims - Visual: 19.10, Visual GE: 14.70 10/10 Finals - Visual: 17.05, Visual GE: 18.00 11/7 Prelims - Visual: 19.00, Visual GE: 18.70 11/7 Finals - Visual: 17.50, Visual GE: 18.70 11/13 Prelims - Visual: 17.65, Visual GE: 18.20 11/14 Semis - Visual: 18.05, Visual GE: 17.20 11/14 Finals - Visual: 17.45, Visual GE: 17.10 Their highest visual performance score for the entire season was at the earlier season regional. That score from 10/10 would have been good enough for 3rd in visual at GN. Another interesting stat - their finals score from their early season regional was nearly identical to their finals score at Grand Nats. 91.25 vs. 91.30.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Aug 18, 2022 7:04:04 GMT -6
Going Further Back in Time with the Charger Band
In my search of Winston Churchill band videos, I stumbled upon some of their early 1990s shows. This looks like an era when they were building a stronger competitive program. Notice in 1990 and 1991 that the drum major used a mace (aka baton) and whistle. Even back then, not many competitive corps style band's drum majors used these, they were more common among traditional/college marching bands and the Marine Corps and other military bands. I also noticed in 1990 and 1991 that Churchill's uniforms were the same style that my band used, except we had shakos (like their drums wore) and not busby hats. Our uniforms were heavy and would be very hot in warm weather (but good for those cold Michigan fall competitions), so I am not sure how well those jackets served them in the Texas heat.
So here is vintage Winston Churchill, the first four years of the 1990s.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Aug 21, 2022 5:38:28 GMT -6
A Trip to the Art Gallery with Marian
In 1999, Marian Catholic's show was titled "The Gallery". It was a very unique concept at the time. The premise was a narrator was walking through an art gallery. An artist was introduced and then Marian played music in the style/genre that best fit that artist.
After having been in Class AA since they began competing in BOA in 1983, this season Marian Catholic jumped up to Class AAA. They would remain in Class AAA through the 2006 season before going back down to Class AA in 2007. In Semi Finals, Marian was second to the Class AAA Title. In Finals, they ended up finishing 4th. They did, however, narrowly edge out Center Grove to win the visual performance caption in Finals. This was the first time they won that in GN Finals since 1987. Here is the 1999 Grand National Finals performance of Marian Catholic.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Aug 22, 2022 10:10:54 GMT -6
The Spanish/Latin Theme - Always a Classic
During the 1990s, one of the typical themes explored was performing music of a specific geographic/national/ethnic genre. Music of Spain and/or Latin America was one typical theme, and why not, such great music to choose from. To sell the theme, the guards often wore bright colorful outfits. Colorful flags, props, fabrics, tarps, etc would also typically complete the look. In 1999, Broken Arrow performed music from Spain, in their show titled "Festival Espanol". This ended up being the most successful season for BA while under the direction of Scott Tomlinson. They won the Oklahoma State Title, won BOA Atlanta and made GN Finals for the second year in a row. They ended up finishing 7th in GN Finals. This would be their highest finish at Grand Nationals until their 2006 GN Win. So here is the 1999 Pride of Broken Arrow.
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Post by realjsnacks on Aug 22, 2022 14:57:57 GMT -6
BA '99's epic drill spiral in the opener will never ever get old.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Aug 23, 2022 6:13:10 GMT -6
Thoughtcrime - A General Effect Masterpiece
In 1999, Plymouth-Canton Educational Park participated in the early season BOA Toledo Regional and finished a close second behind Centerville. This was not all surprising as PCEP was a band who really paced themselves to peak right at Grand Nationals, while Centerville was typically a strong early season competitor. PCEP spent a lot of the summer and early season focusing on basics. They then built their show gradually from late August through early/mid October, really perfecting it late October up to Grand Nationals. At the 1999 Michigan State Championships, it was clear that Plymouth had a brilliant show and would be a contender to take home the eagle at Grand Nationals. During the time period between State and Grand Nationals, PCEP really had intense practices. They also rented the Silverdome during this time period to get really comfortable performing inside a dome. So, although coming into Grand Nationals much of the talk was about Center Grove, us Michigan folks knew that Plymouth-Canton was going to be a force to be reckoned with. Upon conclusion of semi finals, Plymouth-Canton won the Class AAA title and swept the highest achievement awards. It was now clear that they were a front runner for the GN Title. In Finals, they delivered and won their third BOA Grand National Title. In fact, they delivered the best show they had ever put on the field finals night. Every single judge put PCEP first except the visual ensemble judge which gave them a head scratching low score. Nonetheless, they still hit 97 points to win by a 2.2 point margin.
Throughout the 1990s, bands were exploring different ways to bring a theme-based show to the field. Some of the shows were more elaborate in terms of visual frills than others. There was however one big thing in common with the various shows, and that was an ever-growing desire/attempt to better marry the music and visual designs. The color guard was certainly instrumental in this. So too were drill designs and props (for those bands that used them). I think that a new bar was first set in 1995 with Center Grove's "Journey into the Adventure Zone Show" as the whole distortion theme appeared throughout the music and visuals. One of the types of theme shows that really gained in popularity in the 1990s was that of telling a story. I personally think that came about from the Broadway themed shows of the late 80s/early 90s. In 1999, Plymouth-Canton set a new bar in using the music and visual designs to tell us a story. In 1999, PCEP was under the direction of David McGrath and had a strong team of instructors. This was one aspect of why this band was so good. They brought a show to the field called "Thoughtcrime, Music for an Orwellian Era". The show concept and design were the creation of Alan Spaeth.
The show was based on the book "1984" by George Orwell. The concept of this show was that individual thought was persecuted and eliminated for a state controlled collective. Throughout the 1990s, PCEP often did shows that were dark and theatrical. It was a genre at which they excelled. Interesting to note that since 1991 they had used amplified vocalization in their shows to help sell the theme. Not in this show, the music, the props and visuals told the story. This show used unique staging on the field of the pit. It also had a large machine-like prop in the back of the field that looked like a meat grinder and one in the corner that said "Big Brother is Watching". There were light moments in this show to represent the individualism. These moments would then get destroyed, represented by the band playing darker and heavier music. Aside from being overall very clean, both musically and visually, this show really hit the mark with overall general effect. Sitting in the audience, you could just feel the story being told, a descent into a dystopian world. At one point near the end, the band tied together these large hoses from their uniforms (there was an overall industrial look to the design) to give the impression of one unit, symbolizing the forced collective. The end of this show was simply spectacular. Guard members individually dressed in bright colors were tossed into the machine prop (aka meat grinder) in the back of the field which spit out clones in one uniform silver color. This was going on while the band was hitting the high point of Metropolis Symphony. I still think this is one of the best closings of a show in BOA history. When the show ended, the entire audience in the RCA Dome immediately rose to their feet in thunderous applause. The response so overwhelmed many of the band members that they actually broke into tears.
Here is the 1999 BOA Grand National Champion band, Plymouth-Canton Educational Park.
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Post by Marching Observer on Aug 23, 2022 13:01:31 GMT -6
This show is still honestly probably my favorite band show. Thematic, but still based on excellent marching design and execution. It's still recognizable as a marching band show if they makes sense, but an accessible show theme clearly and expertly conveyed. Their finals run, at least visually, was not quite as strong as their semi finals run so I get not quite cracking the top vis ens score. But that judge was all over the place too it seems in his placings lol. I hold this show as a cornerstone to the activity and can easily be used as a clinic on effective design to this day.
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Post by TXHillCountryBands on Aug 23, 2022 13:40:04 GMT -6
This show is still honestly probably my favorite band show. Thematic, but still based on excellent marching design and execution. It's still recognizable as a marching band show if they makes sense, but an accessible show theme clearly and expertly conveyed. Their finals run, at least visually, was not quite as strong as their semi finals run so I get not quite cracking the top vis ens score. But that judge was all over the place too it seems in his placings lol. I hold this show as a cornerstone to the activity and can easily be used as a clinic on effective design to this day. Why do Hoosiers still try to fit the activity into the “marching design” “design execution” “vis ensemble” and effective design ONLY bubble that Indiana has sold to us for the past 20 plus years. Yes, BOA bought it hook, line and sinker of recent adjudication times but back in the day these bands needed to execute musically primarily and equally! PCEP 99 is a monster of a GE! Top 3 imo. They sound like most elite Texas bands of today! Im so overly excited to have our beloved programs back in 💯 this season. To the future! These COViD years have been difficult.
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Post by Marching Observer on Aug 23, 2022 14:09:02 GMT -6
My post wasn't isolated to the visual programming of the show. When I said design and execution, I was including the musical performance they gave. If was absolutely spot on. Without a masterful arrangement, the show will feel slightly off. Agreed that this show was a GE monster!
The reason I, personally, talk a lot about visuals is because it is an activity built around movement. Music in this activity is incredibly important still because no one wants to listen to a cringy performance heh. Music is 60% of the BOA sheets after all. Ditto for ISSMA. And even for UIL basically. 3 if 5 judges for music. And no one has mastered the music aspect like Texas has. Love love love listening to those shows all the time. But when I go to a marching show, I want a great visual design too. Not just a concert/symphonic band performance. That's for the spring. That's all. 😄
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Post by boahistorybuff on Aug 23, 2022 14:28:35 GMT -6
WOW, how does a Michigan band ignite an Indiana vs Texas debate. LOL
I do agree that in finals there may have been a few spacing issues that affected the visual ensemble score, but I still think that judge was harsh. From a GE standpoint, they really sold that show in Finals.
That show really hit the mark because both the music and visuals were so in sync and so much in keeping with the story being told. And yes, PCEP sounded fantastic, best musical performance I ever heard from that band.
It took both a strong visual design team and music director and instructional staff to pull that off. I remember back then that show seemed so complex. After seeing all of the visual and musical extravaganza in the shows of today, 99 PCEP almost seems simplistic.
And for you Hoosiers and Texans, those of us from other states admire both the quality and depth of your marching bands and appreciate the stylistic differences. I'll have no more bickering on this thread. LOL
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Post by Marching Observer on Aug 23, 2022 15:14:46 GMT -6
Ooookaaayyyy. 😜 I truly do respect all facets of the activity. No matter what state you hail from. Please continue with the history lesson. It was my favorite subject in school (hot take). 😁
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Post by boahistorybuff on Aug 25, 2022 6:37:55 GMT -6
Some Notable Winter Guards (Late 90s)
Just a few videos from some awesome winter guards during this time period. Enjoy!
1998 - Miamisburg (tied James Logan for the WGI Scholastic World Title)
James Logan 1998-1999 WGI Scholastic World Champs
1999 Pomona (won Scholastic Open World Title)
1998 Lassiter
Center Grove 1998 and 1999
1999 Marian Catholic
1998 Beyer
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Post by boahistorybuff on Aug 26, 2022 6:09:11 GMT -6
The 2000 WGI Percussion Champs
King Philip Regional (MA) - Scholastic World
Father Ryan (TN) - Scholastic Open
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Post by srv1084 on Aug 26, 2022 7:25:56 GMT -6
The 2000 WGI Percussion ChampsKing Philip Regional (MA) - Scholastic World Best high school tenor line in WGI history, in my opinion. And if I remember correctly, I believe both were sophomores at best (one may have been a freshman). The prior year they had a tiny battery (8 members) and finished 5th, one point from 1st, with 50% of their battery in 8th grade. Still have an awesome photo in my office of both our groups celebrating their first win after retreat.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Aug 27, 2022 13:41:35 GMT -6
Marian Catholic - The Early Years
Thanks to one of our Marian alums, we have a little more complete series of videos of the early championship years of Marian Catholic; 1985 - 1992.
To give a little back story about Marian, from what I have read and heard from old interviews from Mr. Bimm along with some of my own speculations, here is the story of the early years of Marian Catholic. Greg Bimm became director of Marian Catholic in 1977. At the time, Marian was a somewhat unaccomplished band of just 77 members. Over the next several years, Mr. Bimm expanded the size of the band (up to 200 members by the mid 1980s) and improved the performance quality of the band. In 1980, they won their first class title at the Illinois State Marching Band Championships (they have won their class every year since). Then in 1983, they won the overall state title. I have a strong suspicion that Marian Catholic was heavily influenced by small town band Herscher (IL) under the direction of Tim Salzman. Herscher participated in the June Grand Nationals of the late 1970s and made finals twice. Although they did not attend the fall Grand Nationals, from 1980 to 1982 they were Class A Champs at the Summer Nationals and runner-up in 1981 before winning the whole thing outright in 1982. They even beat Chesterton and Norwin in the 1982 win. In their fall competitions, they won the overall Illinois State Title from 1980 to 1982 and in 1982 they became the first Illinois band to win a MBA/BOA regional title. Mr. Salzman's departure after the 1982 season brought an abrupt end to Herscher being a national and state contender. What Herscher did introduce during their brief time at the top was a significantly more symphonic/concert band style sound to the marching band. This included much softer moments as well as more prominent woodwind features. At the time, many of the high school marching bands seemed to try to sound more like a traditional college marching band or drum corps. Marian Catholic certainly adopted this symphonic style quality to their sound. Of course, they were not the only ones as nearby Lake Park took this approach as well. In fact, this style spread out across the country throughout the 1980s, giving us much more sophisticated musical performances compared to years past. Marian Catholic, however, really embraced this idea and would soon put forth musical performances that were more on par with a top-level symphonic band than high school marching band.
During the 1970s and most of the 1980s, Marian Catholic (like many bands of that era) had both a summer competitive season and a fall competitive season. In 1983, Marian Catholic attended the BOA Summer Nationals in Whitewater, their first MBA/BOA competition. The Summer Nationals was a mix of workshops and competition. At that competition, University HS of Washington State won. Marian was however a finalist. Then in 1984, Marian won the Summer National Title. It ended up being the first of five consecutive Summer Nationals Titles for Marian. Marian stopped doing a summer competitive season after 1988. By that time, many high school bands were dropping the summer competitions to focus on the fall competitive season. I am sure the growing costs of fielding a show and travel were the big reasons. I do however wonder if the very hot summer of 1988 may have also factored into Marian's decision. The Summer Nationals would only last one more season after Marian stopped their summer competitive program. It was then transitioned to the BOA Summer Symposium.
1984 marked the first year that Marian entered the fall BOA circuit. They attended their first fall BOA Grand National Championships and made finals. They finished 7th in finals and won the caption award for best brass/winds. I am sure their highly symphonic style performance was a treat for the audience. This video is still not online. Hopefully someday it will be, if nothing for simply the historical significance of this being their first time in GN Finals. I have not seen this performance and other early Marian shows for over 30 years, so my memory is faint. I cannot remember if they still wore their darker uniforms in 84 before switching to the lighter pants and dark jackets by the mid 1980s. The one thing I will note is that the musical performance that Marian gave at the 2021 Grand Nationals reminded me a little of the Marian musical performances of the early 1980s.
I saw an old interview with Mr Bimm who said that after seeing the top level bands at the 1984 Grand Nationals, he realized that Marian was not at the level visually of the top level bands. Mr. Bimm, I believe a self taught drill designer, went about fixing that. The result was the 1985 show. In addition to a more competitive visual design, Marian tackled a difficult music program (at least in terms of mid 1980s standards). They played Andrew Lloyd Webber's Pie Jesu for the first time, indeed proving that a marching band can effectively perform soft and subtle music on the field. Marian ended up winning their third consecutive state title. They also won their first BOA regional, granted it was early season and not that competitive. They attended the BOA Indy regional later in the season and finished second behind Lawrence North (IN). Heading into Grand Nationals, I suspect Marian was not favored to win. This is likely because Lawrence North was attending, powerhouse Norwin was attending, up and coming Texas power Westfield was attending for the first time and New York powerhouse West Genesee was attending for the first time. Marian must have really cleaned between the BOA Indy regional and Grand Nationals (a trait they would become known for). Their show was much cleaner than all the other bands and their symphonic music style was a hit with the judges. Marian won the Grand National Title, their first. They also captured their first Class AA Title and took caption awards for brass/winds, marching and general effect and won by the third highest point spread between first and second in BOA history. Here is the 1985 Marian Catholic Grand National Finals Performance.
I just recently read that at the start of the fall season in 1986, Marian threw out their entire show and created a new one. I am not sure of the validity of this, but if that is true, even back then that would be a bold move. That may explain why they lost the overall Illinois State Title to up and coming Lake Park. No BOA Midwest regional was held this season, so they did not compete at a BOA Regional. Despite the late start, Marian somehow managed to pull the show together enough to end up finishing 3rd in Grand National Finals and winning the Class AA Title. I suspect the fact that the 83 and 84 GN Champ Rocky Mount returning to Grand Nationals after a year break added some pressure. So while not as clean as their 85 performance, their 86 show was still quite good. Here is the 1986 Grand Nationals Finals performance of Marian Catholic.
In 1987, Marian Catholic began what would be a three year period of extraordinary performances, culminating in BOA's first three peat. Marian won the competitive BOA Midwest Regional. With no Rocky Mount attending Grand Nationals, their biggest competitors at Grand Nationals was their in state rival Lake Park and three strong bands from New York State. In GN Finals, Cicero North Syracuse (NY) gave Marian a run for their money and won the music and GE captions. It turns out, Marian and CNS were neck and neck in music scores. Marian however scored significantly higher in marching ensemble which allowed them to comfortably win their second Grand National title. Marian ended up winning the Class AA Title and taking caption awards for marching, flags and coordinated auxiliary. I absolutely loved the music in this show (Gloria and Selections from the Tender Lands). That opening drill block was also referred to as the Marian block. Anytime our band had to squeeze into a tight block we would say "go to a Marian block". Here is the 1987 Grand National Finals performance by Marian Catholic.
In 1988 Marian Catholic was unstoppable as they stepped up the level of sophistication in their music and drill design. They won the BOA Midwest regional and overall state title and were heavily favored to win the Grand National Title. They certainly delivered. Not only did they win the GN title, they became the first band in BOA history to break 95 points and they beat 2nd place Lake Park by over 5 points, the largest point separation between 1st and 2nd in BOA history. They took the Class AA Title and won caption awards for brass/winds, flags, coordinated auxiliary and general effect. Watching that performance, we all knew they were going to win. Here is the 1988 Grand National Finals performance.
My personal favorite Marian show of the 1980s was actually 1989. They took visual difficulty to a whole new level. They also debuted some drill passes that would become Marian trademarks and appear in future seasons. Their rendition of Pie Jesu (Remembrance and Prayer as they called it), gets my vote for best ballad of the decade. Although Marian got edged out of the overall state title by Lake Park, they did win the BOA Midwest Regional for the third year in a row. They gave an awesome performance in Grand National Finals, despite being the second band to perform. They ended up winning the Class AA Title for the fifth consecutive year and won the Grand National Title by .3 point over Lake Park. Their high general effect scores put them over the edge. Funny, they did not win the auxiliary award this year because I thought their guard was cleaner than the previous two years in which they won that award. They made history in 1989 by becoming the first band to win three Grand National Titles in a row. They also surpassed Rocky Mount for most GN Titles as this win gave them four total (yes they would add three more over the next 11 years). Here is 89 Marian Catholic.
I personally think that in 1990, Marian Catholic took things up another notch and modern Marian was born. They played music from the 1989 motion picture soundtrack Henry V, their first show built around a theme. Many bands played this show in the early 1990s (my band did it in 1991). Marian's music was very much like the actual orchestral version (the other Henry V shows were more watered down). Mr. Bimm also masterfully arranged the many songs in this soundtrack to fit into an 11-minute marching band show. This show was packed with tempo and time signature changes, all while they were doing incredibly difficult drill. This marked the beginning of an era when Marian would challenge themselves season after season. Their shows would also be so difficult that the band would not have as much success at early season competitions, but their shows would improve exponentially over the course of the season, peaking right at Grand Nationals. So at the very early season BOA Midwest Regional in 1990, Marian finished a surprising fifth. They did improve by nationals. However, they ended up 6th in GN Finals (only .15 points behind 4th) and lost the Class AA Title to West Genesee (NY). I know that was a little disappointing for them. I think this show needed to be just a little cleaner. Given Marian's difficult shows in subsequent years, a lot relied on how well they could clean in the weeks leading into nationals. In terms of this show, I loved how close it was to the orchestral version. During the battle piece, most of the Henry V shows acted out the battle. Marian however, used symbolism through the visual design which was so much on a higher level. My only wish with this show is that the guard would have fit the theme/music a little better. To me it was an early 90s show with a late 80s guard. They would rectify that with their 91 show. So here is 1990 Marian.
In 1991, Marian performed the Lord of the Rings Symphonic music based on the books and I think used (maybe?) in the soundtrack of the 1978 animated film Lord of the Rings (yes this was years before the Peter Jackson films). This show had fantastic and complex music with a lot of movement. I doubt it was the first time ever done, but it was the first time I had heard triple tongueing done by brass in a high school marching band. This was the year BOA went to the class championships format at Grand Nationals (prior to Semi Finals being introduced in 1996). In Class AA, Marian and Kiski tied. Kiski has a higher GE score, so Kiski was awarded the Class AA Title. In Finals, Marian delivered a stronger show and ended up finishing 2nd ahead of Kiski but behind PCEP. While PCEP's 1991 show has grown on me over the years, I still think Marian should have won. But that is just me. The performance online of 1991 Marian is from GN Prelims/Class Championships. So keep in mind I think Finals was stronger. Here is 1991 Marian.
In 1992, Marian did a show based on a few notable composers, their visual panels show. This show revisited segments of both their 1987 and 1989 shows and put a modern touch on them (ie a more complex musical arrangements and more difficult drill). While they won the Class AA Title in Prelims, they did not sweep the highest achievement awards. Many did not think they had a shot at winning in finals. Then they gave a really strong show in finals. When it came down to Centerville and Marian, even though Marian did not win any caption awards, I thought they may be able to pull off the win. They ended up in 2nd, three tenths of a point behind Centerville. I think they just needed to be a touch cleaner. Here is 1992 Marian in GN Finals.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Aug 30, 2022 10:14:34 GMT -6
The Tyranny of the Clock
One of my favorite show titles was Bellbrook's 2000 show "The Tyranny of the Clock". I also love rooting for the underdog. Now in terms of Class A bands, in 2000 Bellbrook was anything but an underdog. They entered the 2000 Grand Nationals having won 4 of the previous 6 Grand National Class A Titles. The previous year, 1999, they had also placed 16th in Semi Finals and scored nearly six points higher than the next Class A band. Coming into Grand Nationals in 2000, Bellbrook was the overwhelming favorite to win the Class A Title and they certainly delivered, sweeping the Class A Highest Achievement Awards. For them to make finals, seemed a bit more of a long shot. The prior week they did finish 7th at the BOA Indy Regional. So it certainly was not out of the relm of possibilities for them to make finals, but again it seemed a bit of a long shot. When they were announced as one of the Grand Nationals finalist bands, I am sure there was a ton of excitement. Following the 1991 rule change which eliminated the requirement for bands to be advanced into finals on class if they were not among the top 12, only tiny Jackson Academy (MS) outright made GN Finals in 1993. After that, it seemed unlikely we would see a Class A band in finals again as more and more larger schools were getting very good and competing in BOA. By making finals in 2000, Bellbrook became only the second Class A band to advance to GN Finals following that rule change. This would be Bellbrook's first and only appearance in GN Finals (other than performing in exhibition as Class champ). This also marked the last time a Class A band would make GN Finals.
Despite their small school size, Bellbrook fielded a relatively large band; looked like at least 140-150 members on the field. In fact, Bellbrook would move up to Class AA in 2002. Bellbrook's 2000 show was actually quite progressive for the era. They had much more professional looking props and a tarp, signs of the trends during the 2000s. I could tell by watching their show that these kids were soaking up every minute of being in Grand National Finals. Their parents/support group were also soaking it all in. They did a fantastic job in finals and finished in 11th place. It is one of the great things to see in BOA when a band has such a great and memorable moment. Here is 2000 Bellbrook and the Tyranny of the Clock.
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Post by philodemus on Aug 30, 2022 11:11:28 GMT -6
I'm really struck by the creative staging of the pit percussion in so many of the more progressive designs of the 1990s and early Aughts. You might imagine that with today's electronics you'd see even more of that sort of thing, but quite the opposite seems to have happened. Pits more or less go in the pit spot up front between the 40s, with just a few exceptions.
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50fly
Senior Member
Posts: 54
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Post by 50fly on Aug 30, 2022 13:08:07 GMT -6
The Tyranny of the Clock
One of my favorite show titles was Bellbrook's 2000 show "The Tyranny of the Clock". I also love rooting for the underdog. Now in terms of Class A bands, in 2000 Bellbrook was anything but an underdog. They entered the 2000 Grand Nationals having won 4 of the previous 6 Grand National Class A Titles. The previous year, 1999, they had also placed 16th in Semi Finals and scored nearly six points higher than the next Class A band. Coming into Grand Nationals in 2000, Bellbrook was the overwhelming favorite to win the Class A Title and they certainly delivered, sweeping the Class A Highest Achievement Awards. For them to make finals, seemed a bit more of a long shot. The prior week they did finish 7th at the BOA Indy Regional. So it certainly was not out of the relm of possibilities for them to make finals, but again it seemed a bit of a long shot. When they were announced as one of the Grand Nationals finalist bands, I am sure there was a ton of excitement. Following the 1991 rule change which eliminated the requirement for bands to be advanced into finals on class if they were not among the top 12, only tiny Jackson Academy (MS) outright made GN Finals in 1993. After that, it seemed unlikely we would see a Class A band in finals again as more and more larger schools were getting very good and competing in BOA. By making finals in 2000, Bellbrook became only the second Class A band to advance to GN Finals following that rule change. This would be Bellbrook's first and only appearance in GN Finals (other than performing in exhibition as Class champ). This also marked the last time a Class A band would make GN Finals. Despite their small school size, Bellbrook fielded a relatively large band; looked like at least 130 members on the field. In fact, Bellbrook would move up to Class AA in 2002. Bellbrook's 2000 show was actually quite progressive for the era. They had much more professional looking props and a tarp, signs of the trends during the 2000s. I could tell by watching their show that these kids were soaking up every minute of being in Grand National Finals. Their parents/support group were also soaking it all in. They did a fantastic job in finals and finished in 11th place. It is one of the great things to see in BOA when a band has such a great and memorable moment. Here is 2000 Bellbrook and the Tyranny of the Clock. Indeed what a wonderful show! (and a wonderful year for Dayton area bands, as 3 made it into finals). The crowd was definitely electric when they were announced as a finalist band during semi finals awards. It had been a long time coming for Bellbrook, and it was great to see them finally make it in. I just watched the video and am always blown away by how big they were for a class A band. They had to be pushing 170-180 people, and were really able to fill up the field. I think the design of this show is just really fantastic, and the music and visuals do an amazing job of supporting the theme. I like the darker and more aggressive tone of the music while still doing great job pushing forward an entertaining narrative. I especially love all the "time" related musical cues weaved throughout the show (the persistent wood block tick-tock in the background, the Westminster chimes, the half time show moment, the as time goes by moment, the whistles, etc...). Some very fun visual moments as well (the pit staging at the points of the clock, the clock arm rifles, the factory worker outfits, the clock faces on the bass drums, the hourglass fireman pole, and that awesome human clock wheel prop). Performance issues (the music phasing and intonation is roooough) definitely held them back from placing higher. I would easily say the design is top 6 worthy, and had a better playing band taken it on it would have placed there no doubt. It's unfortunate they were plagued with so many director issues in the following years, as it would have been interesting to see if they could have kept up the momentum and become a perennial finalist. Issues aside, this show was a major accomplishment for a long time storied band program.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Aug 30, 2022 13:38:49 GMT -6
I'm really struck by the creative staging of the pit percussion in so many of the more progressive designs of the 1990s and early Aughts. You might imagine that with today's electronics you'd see even more of that sort of thing, but quite the opposite seems to have happened. Pits more or less go in the pit spot up front between the 40s, with just a few exceptions. The staging with the tarp reminded me of 1997 Center Grove.
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Post by philodemus on Aug 30, 2022 15:15:04 GMT -6
I'm really struck by the creative staging of the pit percussion in so many of the more progressive designs of the 1990s and early Aughts. You might imagine that with today's electronics you'd see even more of that sort of thing, but quite the opposite seems to have happened. Pits more or less go in the pit spot up front between the 40s, with just a few exceptions. The staging with the tarp reminded me of 1997 Center Grove. Very much so!
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Post by supersound on Aug 31, 2022 23:16:01 GMT -6
The staging with the tarp reminded me of 1997 Center Grove. Very much so! Makes me happy to see these old staging trends re-emerge once in a while with great success, like with Vista Ridge in 2019.
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Post by philodemus on Sept 1, 2022 7:57:55 GMT -6
Makes me happy to see these old staging trends re-emerge once in a while with great success, like with Vista Ridge in 2019. Absolutely, you do see some creative positioning of the pit, but in examples like Vista Ridge 2019 or Blue Springs 2021, they are still all together. What impresses me in some of the late 90s shows is how the pit would be separate from each other, which had to make listening very challenging. Other than Bluecoats Jagged Line, I don't feel like I've seen something like that in a minute. There was someone this last winter in WGI scholastic percussion... I want to say an Ohio group... who had the pit percussion in 4 islands in opposite corners of the floor. It was a very cool look and feel and I would love to see someone give an idea like that a shot outdoors.
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Ryan
Senior Member
Posts: 63
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Post by Ryan on Sept 1, 2022 12:46:26 GMT -6
I’m loving these old videos! I have a few myself on vhs, some I was able to transfer to dvd. Others are coded and won’t transfer. Are they doomed to stay on vhs? Any ideas? Fair warning, I am a tech dummy 🙂.
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Post by Marching Observer on Sept 1, 2022 14:49:42 GMT -6
I’m loving these old videos! I have a few myself on vhs, some I was able to transfer to dvd. Others are coded and won’t transfer. Are they doomed to stay on vhs? Any ideas? Fair warning, I am a tech dummy 🙂. There are creative ways around it but it would require some special wires so that it could hook up to your computer I believe. There might be a simpler solution but I haven't really had a need to do it myself.
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Post by boahistorybuff on Sept 1, 2022 16:30:06 GMT -6
Yes, the conversion process is a pain. Many of my old VHS tapes have not aged well either. I certainly appreciate those who have taken the time to put these recordings on line. Tapes from the older home recording devices from the 60s and 70s are even more rare.
The MTSU Contest of Champions was professionally recorded way back in the early/mid 70s which is why there is so many vintage KY and TN recordings on line. I believe DCI began their professional recordings in 1974 and BOA (MBA at the time) began in 1979.
LD Bell has a website of performances going back into the 60s (and I think one video going back into the mid 50s).
Yes it is so interesting to see the evolution of a show over the last few decades and to see some of the various fads over the years.
I also like to acknowledge those bands of the past who broke new ground and kept raising the bar. They are why bands are so good today and why organizations like BOA have had tremendous longevity.
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Ryan
Senior Member
Posts: 63
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Post by Ryan on Sept 1, 2022 17:24:24 GMT -6
Yes, the conversion process is a pain. Many of my old VHS tapes have not aged well either. I certainly appreciate those who have taken the time to put these recordings on line. Tapes from the older home recording devices from the 60s and 70s are even more rare. The MTSU Contest of Champions was professionally recorded way back in the early/mid 70s which is why there is so many vintage KY and TN recordings on line. I believe DCI began their professional recordings in 1974 and BOA (MBA at the time) began in 1979. LD Bell has a website of performances going back into the 60s (and I think one video going back into the mid 50s). Yes it is so interesting to see the evolution of a show over the last few decades and to see some of the various fads over the years. I also like to acknowledge those bands of the past who broke new ground and kept raising the bar. They are why bands are so good today and why organizations like BOA have had tremendous longevity. I actually have a vcr in the box upstairs, so I guess I’ll still be able to view them. As long as there’s a tv I can hook it to. 🤔
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