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Post by srv1084 on Oct 1, 2022 0:52:27 GMT -6
Why the heck not.
1. Carmel 2. Brownsburg 3. Lakota East 4. Bourbon County 5. Centerville 6. Madison Central 7. MPLT 8. Floyd Central 9. Beechwood 10. North Hardin 11. Henry Clay 12. Central Hardin
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Post by hewhowaits on Oct 1, 2022 6:23:33 GMT -6
I believe Madison Central is AAA so they would be class champion, not Lakota East. Not if Lakota East beats Madison Central in prelims and things change drastically in finals to make the predicted finish order pan out.
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Post by yayband914 on Oct 1, 2022 8:13:07 GMT -6
I believe Madison Central is AAA so they would be class champion, not Lakota East. Not if Lakota East beats Madison Central in prelims and things change drastically in finals to make the predicted finish order pan out. I just meant according to their specific prediction, come on now.
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Post by Marching Observer on Oct 1, 2022 8:28:51 GMT -6
Well the first break has ended and boy are my pre-show predictions probably wayyyyy off. Lots of surprises this morning and all in good ways! Here are my current rankings and quick thoughts that are just for fun!
1. Floyd Central (Show is not complete ending at the ballad but they've got a lot of great moments happening. Tighten up the solo but there is time) 2. MPLT (Wow! So much better than last year. Like it's a new band! Not back to their old power self but major major improvement and good show) 3. Madison Central (Lots of Amazing Grace moments and liked the blind folds. Some intonation issues but it is cold this morning) 4. PLD (Really liked the Avatar theme and some really good moments! Sad to see them so much smaller than their heyday but they played well. Going first will hurt them though) 5. George Rogers Clark (Those flags were uncomfortable but in a good way with the hands. The props reminded me of the laughably and arguably worst movie ever made, Manos: The Hands of Fate. But this show was better than that) 6. Henry Clay (Strong opening moment but then the cold I think got to them as the brass was either having intonation issues or people trying to be heros. Also felt like maybe there was a shotgun issue on side 1 as it felt like it was overbalanced over there for a bit. Good visuals though!) 7. Pike (That was a fun chess show with the different uniforms and the red pieces winning with the white group falling over at the end!) 8. Cumberland County (Another group that surprised me! Gave me Archbishop Alter vibes. Very confident playing and love a good dark theme with Dracula. Love all the pieces they chose to perform) 9. Lafayette Jefferson (I'd love to see this program pick itself back up as I remember when they made state finals with One Suite Channel. Cold was getting to them but had some really nice visual moments)
Looking forward to block 2 now!
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Post by Marching Observer on Oct 1, 2022 11:31:20 GMT -6
After block 2, here are my current rankings. All for fun. Hate that I need to always put that qualifier but just like to be safe. Quick notes for each new group ranked as well!
1. North Hardin (They came out far stronger than I expected. Lot of great elements in the show and even though it isn't finished, expect a sudden push at the end of the season imo) 2. Floyd Central 3. MPLT 4. Bourbon County (This has to be the largest I've ever seen them. Great wall of sound. Noticable decline as the show went but still strong. Just needs those reps and this show will be all beast mode at the end of the season) 5. Columbus (Another surprise! They really are finding a footing together and will end up even better than last year which was good. Visual intensity could be upped but they are performing very well with what they are given) 6. Madison Central 7. Central Hardin (Another strong performance. Individual performance was good and some excellent ensemble moments) 8. Victor J Andrew (Absolutely solid in all aspects. I really liked the set pieces changing to look like paper airplanes for 1000 Airplanes on the Roof) 9. PLD 10. George Rogers Clark 11. Henry Clay 12. Decatur Central (I liked the visual concept with the black and white front/backs and the piano key set pieces. The transition out of Piano Man felt jarring but a fun show overall) 13. South Oldham (A fun winter show! They used a big white silk over the band very effectively and the musical pieces were excellent. The musical performance will get better with reps but that was just a really fun show to watch) 14. Chesterton (I just love the simplicity of this show. They know the limits of the kids and don't over do it. It doesn't rely on a lot of gimmicks that most groups do these days. Much more "traditional" style show from back in my days of marching lol. The soloists though were absolute fire!) 15. Oak Hill (This band has only been competing for 5 years but are clearly on the up. Good design and solid performance with some difficult music. A band to watch for in the future. This was their first BOA event so hope they continue to come) 16. Pike 17. Cumberland County 18. Lafayette Jefferson
Final block is coming up!
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Post by statechamp1239 on Oct 1, 2022 12:06:40 GMT -6
Hoover Dam! Beechwood is SO GOOOOD!!
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Post by ohbandie48 on Oct 1, 2022 12:08:41 GMT -6
Beechwood was really good. Can't believe they're able to get so much sound out of such a small group, and they're playing and marching very well too.
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Post by marchingmaniac on Oct 1, 2022 12:15:07 GMT -6
Beechwood had some really great sounds! A fair amount of technical demand which they pulled off quite well, and for such a small ensemble they produce much more sound than I expected. Great performance from them.
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Post by ohbandie48 on Oct 1, 2022 12:24:05 GMT -6
Is anyone familiar with Westfield? I've never seen or heard of them before, but thought they were pretty clean musically and visually (although last movement was less clean); show design was pretty solid too. Color guard is huge for their band size too and helped a lot from visual impact.
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Post by statechamp1239 on Oct 1, 2022 12:36:32 GMT -6
Is anyone familiar with Westfield? I've never seen or heard of them before, but thought they were pretty clean musically and visually (although last movement was less clean); show design was pretty solid too. Color guard is huge for their band size too and helped a lot from visual impact. They won ISSMA State Scholastic Class A last year, 3rd in 2019, and 4th in 2018.
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Post by ohbandie48 on Oct 1, 2022 12:39:06 GMT -6
Is anyone familiar with Westfield? I've never seen or heard of them before, but thought they were pretty clean musically and visually (although last movement was less clean); show design was pretty solid too. Color guard is huge for their band size too and helped a lot from visual impact. They won ISSMA State Scholastic Class A last year Well that explains a lot well you can tell I'm definitely not from Indiana lol
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Post by TXHillCountryBands on Oct 1, 2022 12:43:18 GMT -6
Switched over to Louisville and caught tail end of Beechwood! Westfield was great. I”m staying thru Carmel and will catch Katy finals later tonight. Loving the natural reverb in this stadium.
Great day to BOA!
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Post by ohbandie48 on Oct 1, 2022 12:55:07 GMT -6
Definitely more messy than I would've expected from Centerville. Some interesting, fast-paced drill though, but overall the show just needs a lot of cleaning. Think we could even see them in the bottom half tonight.
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Post by srv1084 on Oct 1, 2022 12:55:56 GMT -6
Opted to watch Westfield over Clovis and I was not disappointed. They're a terrific band and could definitely make some noise here when results are announced. They're pretty darn clean for this early.
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Post by MarchingBand4Life on Oct 1, 2022 13:25:53 GMT -6
Definitely more messy than I would've expected from Centerville. Some interesting, fast-paced drill though, but overall the show just needs a lot of cleaning. Think we could even see them in the bottom half tonight. Agreed. Dirty and I don't hear a lot of potential for big musical moments. I wasn't in love with a lot of their drill either. They've got a lot of work ahead of them before GN
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Post by coleeich on Oct 1, 2022 13:26:26 GMT -6
As much as I want to be on the Brownsburg hype train (which to certain extent I am), something about their show isn't hitting all of the marks for me. I love the uniforms, props, theme. Maybe it is the music? I still think we will see them easily in the top 6 and possibly in 2nd place, but I am just not sure. I also don't know if it is screaming Grand National Finals to me (granted it is still pretty early season and a LOT can change between now and then).
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Post by ohbandie48 on Oct 1, 2022 13:27:35 GMT -6
What an absolutely massive group Brownsburg has. They use the whole field really well, and the visual design is really captivating. A lot of dirt musically throughout the show, but will be super interesting to see the cleaned up full show at end-of-season.
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Post by MarchingBand4Life on Oct 1, 2022 13:27:57 GMT -6
Brownsburg looks and sounds great! I think this really could be their year for finals at GN.
I've not seen shows from any other finalist caliber bands yet, but I do think Brownsburg's book might not be as challenging as other finalist caliber bands.
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Post by ohbandie48 on Oct 1, 2022 13:33:13 GMT -6
As much as I want to be on the Brownsburg hype train (which to certain extent I am), something about their show isn't hitting all of the marks for me. I love the uniforms, props, theme. Maybe it is the music? I still think we will see them easily in the top 6 and possibly in 2nd place, but I am just not sure. I also don't know if it is screaming Grand National Finals to me (granted it is still pretty early season and a LOT can change between now and then). I think the music book is a bit cliche, although it is reinvented. Without a doubt there was a lot of music ensemble dirt and needs a lot of refining, but it is only Oct 1, so they have time to clean at least.
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Post by marchingmaniac on Oct 1, 2022 13:37:29 GMT -6
Brownsburg has the right tools this year to make Grand Nationals finals, but there is certainly a fair amount of dirt both musically and visually right now. I thought they sounded great and they have the right look visually, but they have a fair amount of work to put in still.
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Post by das88 on Oct 1, 2022 13:38:37 GMT -6
Considering the wind, I thought Brownsburg did well. This show is not going to peak until the final weeks of the season
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Post by ohbandie48 on Oct 1, 2022 13:42:47 GMT -6
Lakota East had a solid showing. I think they were better musically than Brownsburg, but the overall show design isn't as strong as Brownsburg.
On a side note, I think it's funny both Lakota East and West have similar props (moon-related) this year.
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Post by ohbandie48 on Oct 1, 2022 14:09:27 GMT -6
Walled Lake was another solid showing! Interesting Chuck announced them as Walled Lake Central in the beginning, but then post-show he only called them Walled Lake HS.
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Post by TXHillCountryBands on Oct 1, 2022 14:40:10 GMT -6
Carmel:
Chamber sounds, legacy visual designers and amazing guard! Only criticism is the obvious basic to moderate brass and woodwind music books but Gaines doing what Gaines does! BOA formula met so dare I say Grand National Champs 2022!!!?
🎉
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Post by ohbandie48 on Oct 1, 2022 14:40:41 GMT -6
Well, Carmel undoubtedly is ahead of everyone else. Super gorgeous ensemble sound, and I liked their take on Barber. They need to give a masterclass on how to get 300 people spanning the entire football field to play together.
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Post by marchingmaniac on Oct 1, 2022 14:41:38 GMT -6
Carmel was exceptional as usual. Really great full sounds and thought their soloists were wonderful. Visually they were very clean and the color guard was superb. That said, I feel like it may be missing that extra spark to really make it a potential Grand Nationals winning show, though they definitely aren't done adding to the show yet.
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Post by coleeich on Oct 1, 2022 14:46:26 GMT -6
Yes Carmel! Incredibly performed. I felt like it was a little...basic? But it was really an amazing performance, and I feel like it was ahead of where they were at this point last season.
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Post by Marching Observer on Oct 1, 2022 15:15:58 GMT -6
Edit: Now added my quick thoughts on each of the bands in the last block! I'll add more thoughts in other posts now that awards are done.
I'm going to put in my rankings in before awards. I will go back and edit it with my quick thoughts afterwards but wanted this to be an honest post so you don't think I'm cheating. Have to get those awards posted on the live blog! Great bands all around today though!
1. Carmel (Phenominal music performance I feel! The guard work is impeccable. Almost feels like it's a show that could peak early as the band didn't really move more than 8 to 5 really and seemed almost too big to really generate a lot of intricate formations but I'm sure they'll amaze with improvement I'm not even expecting. Amazing job!) 2. Brownsburg (The Wes design comes through HARD on this one. The band and (NUMEROUS) props all blend together that you almost lose them among each other. Lots of standing and playing so I'm hoping they add some choreo during them to intensify the simultaneous responsibility) 3. Centerville (It's Centerville. By now you should know what you get with them and this show is more of that lol. The guard is doing a lot of work here too) 4. Lakota East (Stellar performance as the Lakota's (yes both) continue to improve and refine their designs each year. I realized right before they started that both Lakota's are doing Moon Themed shows basically lol! I hope they go back to back at GN!) 5. Westfield (I expected big things from how they were scoring earlier this year and they delivered! I see no reason why this band is staying in Scholastic class in Indiana...) 6. Beechwood (Wow wow wow wow..... WOW! Top to bottom this show rocks! Incredible guard, great marching technique. Small but mighty! A real challenger for the Class A crown come Grand Nationals! Probably my favorite show of the day honestly) 7. North Hardin 8. Floyd Central 9. MPLT 10. Bourbon County 11. Columbus 12. Madison Central 13. Walled Lake (Love the themeing on this. Some really good moments throughout and like to see the combined schools are really starting to gel together too. They are rising once more) 14. Central Hardin 15. Victor J Andrew 16. Kettering Fairmont (They, like some other Ohio groups, are slowly getting out of that OMEA design mold and really starting to branch out. Very good musical performance I think) 17. Harrison County (Some great musical moments! The uniforms for the band and guard are from Rosemont last year? Was this a secret Wes show lol) 18. PLD 19. George Rogers Clark 20. Bellbrook (This has to be the best I've seen Bellbrook in a long time. Lot of ambitious music and they pretty much were up to the task. This is looking to be an even more entertaining show by GN) 21. Henry Clay 22. Decatur Central 23. South Oldham 24. Chesterton 25. Oak Hill 26. Adair County (Robot invasion! But oh my. The band is sadly not what it used to be. Between staff changes and Covid, this group seems to have gotten hit hard. But the ambition is still there and is ripe for a comeback! Lot of fun elements and musically arranged moments make this quite an entertaining show) 27. Pike 28. Woodford County (I liked the visual of continually mirroring each other through the show. Lots of fun design elements presented very well and good music performance) 29. Cumberland County 30. Lafayette Jefferson
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Post by paddy on Oct 1, 2022 15:24:06 GMT -6
They need to give a masterclass on how to get 300 people spanning the entire football field to play together. Nobody outside the 30s plays and turn up the shotgun mics?
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Post by mtnxdrew on Oct 1, 2022 15:33:13 GMT -6
Great Job Walled Lake!! Way to represent MI!
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