Dance & Aux Forum

Now many of you, like me, are on here every weekend. Some of you are a bit like this every 3-4 hours. ↓Yeah, I'd admit it. Trying to get some footage the day of for some schools are like trying to drill for oil. And in most cases, I'd rather not keep my hopes up until the morning after. But for some of the better names (which will come up later as I mention them) do so happen to have a fanbase that is organized, or even quick enough to get it done as soon as the day comes to an end. But we're not here to talk about the method of how the footage gets here. We're going to talk about the stuff that's on the footage. I will go down the list from best to worst. And I will do it in a means that there will be little to no argument. I will highlight some of the good things and the bad things (and some of the ugly) and the ways that they can improve their sound. Again this is my honest OPINION so feel free to argue my thesis as long as you can provide a reasonable argument.

1. Southern

Yeah I know some of you are already trying to revolt, burn and pillage towns and assassinate head members of state as soon as I said this, but let me hit up the main reason why.

-GOOD: Pretty much got music in a basket. Their choreography (sometimes, though rarely the lack thereof) is in one accord. Their sound is consistent and many of their trumpets know how to scream in key, which as a section is not easy. Their musicality is something to behold and is often underrated due to how loud they can get. Which brings up another point.

-BAD: As much as I like their sound, one of the videos I saw, namely 'Love and War' against Prairie View, had 2 different points of view. Now when it comes to hearing Southern from the side they sound brilliant (I'll give them that), but from in front it just sounds as if there was a large wall of sound, and I could barely hear the intricate details that their arrangements have to offer. So their main issue is that they can crank but that they do it too often. It's okay to let some of the melody take the spotlight over the chords (I'm a keyboardist so you know I love chords out right) But just as easily as they can turn up, I would like to see them turn down every now-and-then. Drum line needs a touch-up.

2: Jackson State

Once again with the burning and pillaging, but hear me out on this one. JSU has became a force to be reckon with, more so than that of the previous years. I can easily say that they are the best match for Southern. But they also have a few things to improve on.

GOOD: "These niggas can play they ass off" would be an understatement of the fact that when they show up, they come with it. Sound has drastically improved the last two seasons. Chord structures of their arrangements are colorful and unique, I can tell that their arranger brushed up on his theory. Baritones and mellos have a very strong presence. Trombones lay their parts on thick. Trumpets are pretty decent. In speaking of trumpets...

BAD: The JSU trumpet section is very well trained in the art of tonging (get your mind out the gutter), but sometimes there's the occasional few that forget how. Overhangs are present every now and then. A few, repeat FEW, of their arrangements are musically blunt and sometimes uninteresting. Sometimes the baritones presence can be a bit overbearing and the amount of low brass that this band has can drown a melody causing the trumpets to overblow and compensate for the sound to cut across the field. Screamers can sometimes over shoot the notes and can cause the entire section to go off key.

3: Grambl-Bwahahaha just playing. Alcorn.

I hate to admit it, and I REALLY hate to admit it, but they sound a little decent this year. I literally tried to find bands who did better, but failed. So I'll man up and give credit to where credit is due. It would seem like all the schools in Mississippi are gaining a little weight in the marching band department. Alcorn is one such school, and this time they didn't let the numbers go to their heads (as of yet).

GOOD: Their sound has improved, especially since the last time my band went against them. They're bringing better sound and arrangements to the table. Their sections are becoming evenly balanced. Mellos... smdh. Y'all are LOUD. Aside from that...

BAD: Some can easily say that the sound that they create this season is that of a 2008-2011 Jackson State. But then again they do have their former band director. But with that fact, there is a major identity crisis. Alcorn is trying too hard to emulate JSU and not trying to emulate themselves. They need to work on self-identity. The trumpets section need some work. They can scream but some can't hold a tone. They need to work on that as a section so that they can hit the real JSU upside the back of the head.

EDIT: It has come to my attention that the band director who currently heads Alcorn (that previously headed JSU) is an individual who is trying to bring back the 90's Alcorn. Not saying that it is an identity crisis, but rather a clarification on what Alcorn should sound like. Many people are used to the Alcorn and JSU of the new millennium. So we let what has occurred during the past decade become our current understanding. My apologies to the old heads on the site and the institution they represent.

4: Alabama State

They hid many of their mistakes behind numbers last year, this year they have nowhere to run. And they're just fine with that. They took a loss and proceeded with business as usual.

GOOD: Their trombone section can be timid at times but when they come out they can do some significant damage. Many of their arrangements are pretty well rounded. Their mellophone section can hold it down. Trumpets can come out clean. Their loss of numbers don't let them slow down their stopping power.

BAD: Sometimes the trombones can drown out some of the more interesting parts within the music. Trumpets can also watch out for overshots. Being honest, I can barely hear the snares over the rest of the band and I really needed to hear that in order to get the groove that they put out. Their mellos, though good, can overhang at times. The woodwinds are in need of tuning. The band to me honestly doesn't stand out too much, just the sections within it.

5: University of Arkansas Pine Bluff

These guys are the type who can just get hit with a song and play back like two-to-three different versions of it. These guys have always piqued my interest when it comes to music.

GOOD: The variety that they bring to the table is commendable and more importantly needed. They come with a low brass section that has an intent to kill. Some of their arrangements are pretty basic but they know how to make them work. The ingenuity they have makes them a notable mention.

BAD: Sometimes the mellos need tuning. The upper brass is not exactly being drowned out at times, but rather not heard at all. They have the upper voices for many of their arrangements and they can do without overblowing. Sometimes I would really like to hear a little more of their mellos at times. Their baritones can be timid. The trombones don't really stick out as much as some other schools.

Now 6th is a two-way tie.

6a: Prairie View

These guys may have gone against a mighty foe and took an L, but at least they went down swinging. They may have lost numbers, but they don't let it get to them.

GOOD: Ditto on what I said above. When I saw the clips of how small they've gotten, I refreshed the video and tried to match the numbers with what I was hearing. They band in general isn't too impressive this year but they can still hold their own. Their drum line is clean. Their rhythms and concepts are on point and they can knock back many d-lines in the SWAC.

BAD: The main bad thing is that their numbers went down. What makes it worse is the fact that the drum line is now half the band's size. Sometimes I can hear more drum than music. They ride too much on their drum line, which I can understand is their pride-and-joy, but when the team scores, don't play a cadence.

6b: Mississippi Valley State Univerity

OH. MY. GAWD. What the hell have y'all been eating since I left? These guys are far from the talk of the SWAC, but they have surely turned heads this year. If you thought that I was joking when I said Mississippi bands put on weight, then this is a proud testament to my statement. Y'all came up, and I'm VERY proud.

GOOD: They got big, so big that they ran out of uniforms. It is a good thing because these guys have always been small, smaller than TXSU at that. They sound has drastically changed over the past year. They've gotten loud, which isn't exactly a good thing but it makes their presence known. They've always managed to get their sound across the field (look up the ChiTown Classic 2010 if you think I'm lying), but now they will be heard. Baritones are coming with it. Mellos have improved over the years. They now have screamers that can be heard ACROSS the field. Their drum line is starting to clean house. But there some things that need to be touched up on.

BAD: Don't let numbers get in your head (ask Bama State). The numbers are there for a season and then stuff happens and then you don't have as many. Try not to let it get to your head. Lengthen your arrangements for the 5th. Trumpets are good and loud, that means that your mistakes will be heard across the field. Band as a whole need to clean up. There are some discrepancies with the rhythm of some songs. Don't only play to be louder, play to be cleaner. Don't let other bands not showing up bring you down and come with it every game because you are being watched and even recorded. This level of consistancy is what I would like to see from here on.

8: Alabama A&M

These guys never really appealed to me nor have they ever grabbed my attention. But please by all means, overthrow your big brother Alabama State. I wanna see it happen for once. Clips of these guys are a rarity.

GOOD: You guys know how to articulate and your phrasing is very clean, perhaps too clean.

BAD: Once again, you guys are clean but sometimes you end up being so clean that the music itself can become so black and white. There is a melody, a harmony, a chord and that's it for you guys. You don't play with feeling. Music breathes, it feels, it touches, it moves. Play it as it is heard, not as it is written. The arrangements are that of a high school level.

9: Grambling

Has the world ended yet? If there is someone worse off than these guys, then it's time for me to get right because Jesus is coming. 

GOOD: Variety is good. The drum line is a saving grace. These guys can play when they want to. They've shown that they can. At the inaugurations, they can slaughter a parade. They have the capability of doing better, and yet...

BAD: What the hell is up with tuning? Whether it would be in the stands or on the field, you guys have got to tune your instruments better. Trumpets can't stay in key past eight measures, trombones in four. Whoever is your band director needs to find a means of getting you guys in that kill mode that you save up for the parades. If Valley can do better then so can you. Take criticism into consideration rather than letting your head get big.

10: Texas Southern

Yeah they sounds pretty bad this year, but they lost a LOT of numbers. They were already small to begin with, so for them to be placed down at the bottom is a bit of overkill. 

GOOD: They managed to retain their low brass.

BAD: No upper voices whatsoever. Way too many lows for a band this size. Overshooting notes in every direction. Many of the songs you play you act like you don't know the music to and I even had to do this...

UGLY: TUNING! Arrgh! I know that the numbers have dropped considerably, but take a lesson from FAMU and have every member pull their weight. You're small. You've always been. Meaning that you gotten a little smaller doesn't mean that you can sacrifice tone just for the desire to be heard. In fact this is where your technicality is supposed to be the main thing that you bring to the table.

UPSIDE: There is still much you can make adjustments to in the coming weeks, the end season is still in a good seven weeks. Take the time to reestablish yourselves. And these small numbers are only for a year.

That's my top-to-bottom-10 countdown for the week. Remember this is an opinion and it can be challenged at any given time. Until next week. See ya.