All of those things being present on an HBCU campus can only mean one thing:
The start of the 2015-16 season is upon us, which means the return of ‘View From The Sidelines‘!
For all of the folks that have come to follow my thoughts and musings on ‘The Craft’ over the years, THANK YOU for your continued support of this blog. It means a LOT to this particular band head.
Welp…The season got underway like it normally does for many of us that are in the Mid-Atlantic portion of HBCU country. The Charlotte Battle of the Bands has come and gone, with some fairly pleasant surprises (as well as some ensembles that left a bit to be desired…*smh*).
1) The Stand vs. Stand portion of the event was a WELCOME addition to the BOTB format. It’s long been a staple of what the craft is about. Whether you’re a fan of field show excellence or power in the stands, both audiences got their money’s worth in fun match-ups.It would be nice to see OTHER promoters do the same thing, as opposed to putting together a “janky” promotion.
2) North Carolina Central’s Sound Machine is officially a Sleeper/Dark Horse for a Honda Invite. Jorim Reid left the program in 2014. I think the Sound Machine gave a definitive answer on Saturday. The sound quality from the ensemble was the best it’s been in recent years, and there was an on-field intensity that’s hardly ever been present from the program. Director Thurman Hollins took over the program and has already put a very ‘Spartan-like’ stamp on the band’s direction. The future is definitely bright in Durham this year.
3) Twitter Periscope (and the advances in web-streaming events) is gonna take bandhead fandom to a different level this year. I think I lost count of how many folks I knew at the event were either periscoping, or following someone with a periscope feed to watch the event. As the technologies continue to advance at a breakneck pace, there really WILL be nowhere to hide on the field, or in the stands…If you’re shamming, you might as well get ready to be immortalized on any number of social media outlets.
4) Alright…Talladega.…It’s about time we start to see some ‘nuance’ and finesse to go along with all of that wig-splitting power. Don’t get me wrong; The Marching Tornadoes have made an impact of epic proportions for a program still in it’s infancy. It’s just time for the program to start showing that growth ON THE FIELD, too.
5) The State of Alabama might very well be THE hub for ridiculously intense match-ups and parity this season. Talladega, Miles College and Alabama A&M (yeah…even gotta give props to the rivals sometime…smh…LOL) had extremely strong showings at this year’s event. Alabama State is pushing wattage this year also, which means that the normal slate of BOTB events that are normally held in the state (as well as the Magic City Classic) could be epic in terms of the fun factor for the band head AND the casual fan.
Bethune Cookman and North Carolina A&T also looked extremely solid at the event, which is looking to become more and more of a staple for the greater Charlotte area in terms of popularity and exposure for the HBCU institutions involved.
As far as the rest of the landscape goes, Southern and Jackson State are looking to have monster years yet again, though it looks like the SWAC as a whole might be as balanced as it has in a long time with quality programs. A little less is known about the overall status of the MEAC, though I think we’re primed to see HBCU Marching Band royalty regain the spotlight with Florida A&M’s ‘Marching 100‘ finally getting some distance from the Champion tragedy. Tennessee State looks to build on the success of last year’s campaign also, so the early ‘September Classics’ circuit (Bama State vs. Tenn. State, Southern Univ. vs. Talladega and Jackson State in one weekend, etc.) is gonna be one for the ages.
For those folks that slept through this band-friendly weekend, the fine folks over at ShowtimeWeb, BandTubeHD, and HBCUBands (as well as a number of ultra-talented supporters of the craft) have put the Charlotte event on youtube in it’s ENTIRETY for public consumption…