The 2019 WGI Temecula Regional features national contenders across the board, as some of the West's best compete for early-season standing. Follow along with Jeff Griffith for updates from the event!

Watch the 2019 WGI Temecula Regional Finals LIVE on Feb. 24 @ 10 AM PT/1 PM ET

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Percussion Scholastic A (PSA)

Valhalla HS — "Breathe"

Valhalla’s floor displays a very “Tree-of-Life” kind of design, with reds and oranges filling the image on a white background. The show opens with the sounds of slow breathing, with the ethereal lyrics “breathe in, breathe out” ringing from the speakers. The music begins to speed up and grow more chaotic in the second movement, which provides an opportunity for a handful of very intricate, up-tempo section-specific features from the battery. The end of the program has a very tribal feel to it, with the sound of African drums being echoed in the battery music, which creates a very intense final impact. The emotional range of this show is often reflected by different breathing sound effects at different speed and intensity levels, which provides a consistent thread from start to finish.

Arbor View HS — "Captive"

A sky-blue floor with a golden bird-cage in the back left corner sets the stage for a very emotional production, which opens with each battery member laying on their backs throughout the floor while bird calls ring from the speakers. Most of the battery’s dance movements also relate in someway to bird-like characteristics, and one member spends the majority of the show trapped inside the cage prop, so the overarching motif is very apparent from the start and used well throughout. 

Mountain View HS — "Dreams You Dare to Dream"

Mountain View’s program was quite produced for the PSA level, with plenty of props and sound effects filling the early portions of the program. The opener sets the stage well, with a driving, minor-key arrangement of the iconic “Somewhere of the Rainbow,” made famous in The Wizard of Oz. The melody from the well-known song reappears throughout the show as a motif. For the size of the front ensemble — maybe 10 members max — Mountain View has an impressively full sound from its melodic instruments, especially given the size of its battery. This show doesn’t have its visual book complete yet, but the them is very apparent in the first two movements, including an engaging dance feature during the show’s ballad.

Basha HS — "Home is..."

Basha has a very eye-catching floor design, with what look like gray, wooden floor panels emerging from a red door positioned in the back-middle of the floor. The dominant color in the design and the battery’s uniforms is the same light gray, which makes the various reds, yellows and purples used in visual ensemble and front ensemble uniforms really stand out. This show definitely looks to tug at the heart strings; it opens with an open-ended question for the audience, enticing each member to think back to the places that make them feel at home. From there, Basha expands upon all of the unique emotions, good and bad, connected to that concept, largely by way of narrations and musical tones that match said narrations. 

Percussion Independent A (PIA)

Cornerstone Percussion — "Wasteland"

Cornerstone’s design is quite void of color, with most of the uniform and floor being black or gray; the only prop is a light shade of brown, with a wooden texture. Given the title, that color scheme fits quite well. The show starts with a loud crash, and the visible battery members fall to the floor, before waking one another up, as if to say this show is taking place in the aftermath of some kind of disaster. This show has plenty of high-energy moments, especially when it comes to the music. 

Incognito — "I Don't Belong Here"

This show has a lot of imagery of isolation and separation, and those are apparent from the beginning, as the program opens with one snare solo on the opposite end of the floor from the rest of the battery, which soon becomes a snare duet. In a more conceptual sense, Incognito plays on themes of outcasting and insecurity, as narrations of an individual crying out for help transition into a soft, mallet-heavy arrangement of Radiohead’s “Creep.” For only having six mallet players, Incognito’s performance of the song is very full and quite expressive. “Creep” ends up being the end of the show; one member stands isolated, walking away from the rest, as the song’s lyric “I don’t belong here” fades out to close the production.

Vegas Vanguard  — "Curtain Call"

You can tell from the beginning that Vegas Vanguard has some kind of “entertainer” theme going on, as two members spend the pre-show holding up signs imploring the audience to either cheer or boo. Each member is dressed in a suit of some kind; after a soft arrangement of “Send in the Clowns,” the entire battery enters the floor through a red curtain to a parade roll-off before transitioning into Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer.” This show, if nothing else, is definitely upbeat, entertaining, and engaging of the audience. It’s pretty in-your-face, as you’d expect a show with this kind of theme to be. The ending of this show is pretty cool, too, as it’s quieter than most of the show, almost like the lights have gone off and the performers are cleaning up to go home after a final “Curtain Call.”

Percussion Scholastic Concert A (PSCA)

Price Charter School — "Secret Lies"

Price’s program features a lot of string patches and high melodies, which creates a very happy and jovial tone to the show. It’s hard not to tape your toe to the first movement, that’s for sure; it’s got a very catch up-tempo double-time feel to it. A high-pitched ringing sound brings in the second movement, which is much more expressive and dynamic than the music that came before it. This segment has more of a 6/8 pattern, which gives it a very flowing aesthetic. That same ringing noise carries into the third and final movement, which has a driving, energetic, mid-tempo 4/4 feel.

Percussion Scholastic Open (PSO)

Mission Viejo HS — "Divided and Conquered"

Six props that look like balance red and gray beams are featured throughout Mission Viejo’s production. Those props serve as a visual separation between portions of the ensemble throughout the show. One of the coolest features of Mission Viejo’s program — something I haven’t seen yet this season but definitely think has a great place in the indoor activity — is a pair of electric spring players, one cello and one violin, in the front ensemble. They add a lot of unique sound and emotion to Mission Viejo’s show. There are a lot of isolated battery section features that drive the “divided” nature of the show’s concept.

Fountain Valley HS — "Stark Raven Mad"

When you first see Fountain Valley take the floor, your eye is drawn to an elevated stage in the back-left corner of the floor, which is topped by a bright red door with. Then, you hear the title, and you know why that door is there — this show is an interpretation of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven, in which the main character here’s a sound, “rapping at my chamber door.” This show is as dark, musically and in terms of color scheme, as you’d expect — in the best way possible — and the sounds of low string patches add to the chilling nature of the production. Much like the short story, this show moves gradually further and further into darkness and solemnity, closing with a quiet, somber ending.

Foothill HS — "When You're Young"

This song has a very “carpe diem” feel to it, as it opens with the words, “Don’t wait, do something while you’re young, when you have nothing to lose.” One of the more interesting things about this show is its visual development; the design is very neutral at the start, dominating by whites and grays, but the many props turn around throughout to reveal a wide array of colors and images. During the ballad, though, all of these props are turned back around, continuing to develop the show’s contrast between neutrals and colors. It seems, more conceptually, to be a contrast between expression and a lack thereof. Regardless, “When You’re Young” certainly tugs at the heart strings, particularly with a couple of beautiful flute solo passages.

Great Oak HS — "The Great Unknown"

This weekend’s host definitely brought plenty of energy in its finals performance of “The Great Unknown.” Great Oak has a beautiful floor design with a deep-space feel to it, and each member of the battery enters that floor with a black umbrella in hand, to open what is essentially a show about the curiosity about what lies beyond Earth. Musically speaking, Great Oak has a very entertaining program, with a lot of driving rhythms, which are matched by a consistent level of difficulty from the visual book, performed at a pretty high level. One unique visual touch, the aforementioned umbrellas are turned inside out and attached to props so as to look like satellites, as the show develops into a search for “contact.” In all aspects, Great Oak was one of the more produced and polished PSO groups of the day, aside from a prop malfunction near the end of the performance. 

Arcadia HS — "Line of Sight"

Arcadia has a very similar looking floor to Great Oak, with a “cosmos” looking design, largely featuring shades of green and purple. The execution of theme is far different, though; each battery member opens perfectly in line with individual vertical pole props, before performing a very uniform dance feature set to intricate mallet passages. Different types of lines are also featured visually throughout the show, most prominently when members of the battery pick up slightly-curved white line props. At one point, these metal props are held in front of the tenors and used as part of their feature, almost as an extension of the instrument; they remain positioned on the tenors’ drums for the remainder of the show, which creates a multitude of unique musical effects.

Los Alamitos HS — "Mutiny on Dark Waters"

This show gives you immediate pirate vibes, as the back-right corner of the floor features a large wooden stage with the kind of ornate steering wheel you’d see at the helm of a pirate ship. As the show goes on, you see all of the visual signs that go along with the pirate motif — those most notably being treasure, and a Jolly Roger flag. From a performance standpoint, Los Alamitos does a great job of curating the energy that goes with a show like this. The members sell the “pirate” character well, but also play and move at a very high level in what is a pretty intricate overall production.

La Quinta HS — "A Place in my Daydream"

This show’s focal point is a rather large round platform with a rising wrap that wraps around the entirety of the structure. The ensemble takes the floor all laying down across the floor, while “Mr. Sandman” plays from the piano in a ragtime feel. From there, the full battery “wakes up,” and plays rather impressively through a handful of section features. This group was really polished. In terms of the drill design, La Quinta had plenty of Chino Hills vibes, with a very challenging visual book that was performed quite well. La Quinta didn’t need a lot of color and an overwhelming amount of effects to make its performance engaging, and that speaks to the level of individual performance quality. That’s not to say there aren’t impressive effects, though — I mean, the aforementioned stage appears to rotate and move on its own before the program comes to close. 

Percussion Independent Open (PIO)

Gold Indoor Percussion — "Nightingale"

Gold’s floor is very eye-catching, featuring an array for reds, oranges, yellows and purples with the silhouette of a flying bird positioned in the top-right corner. Soft bird songs start the show, but are quickly overpowered by a very strong initial battery impact. That said, those sound effects are a constant throughout the show, as the music rises and falls in terms of emotion and dynamics. One thing that’s intriguing about this show is the simplicity of it. The bird songs are really the only obvious effect — there aren’t any props or narrations — but it’s still engaging, largely because of the arrangements of the music.

Vision Percussion — "Kinetic"

Vision’s show has a lot of electric sounds on it, which really drive the concept of its program.The visual design itself features five cube-like props — similar to those that members hung from in Pulse Percussion’s 2014 show, “That Which Confines Us.” Each prop contains a pendulum; the five combine to operate like Newton’s Cradle, further expanding upon the idea of kinetic energy in physics. These are used throughout the show as they move around the floor, and serve somewhat of a new focal point for each movement of the production. 

Elan Percussion — "The Panic Broadcast"

Elan's visual design is relatively simple, with just one major prop sticking out from a white and gray floor. Said prop looks somewhat like a plaque; it's wooden and finished, with a set of golden wings on the top of it. The title alludes to Orson Welles' 1938 "War of the Worlds" radio =broadcast that briefly, unintentionally sent listeners into a frenzy. Sounds from that broadcast show up throughout what is a very energetic program. You'd certainly expect a level of chaos from a show about Welles' broadcast, but it's a controlled chaos, and one that creates a very engaging production with a very original concept.

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield has a very dark, natural floor design, with a black background and a handful of pink flower-like designs. It's hard not to be impressed with what this group is doing musically at the PIO level, although it also shouldn't be a surprise seeing as Bakersfield is the Temecula regional's lone returning PIO finalist. The battery book in particular is quite intricate, but performed at a very high level. That's not to count out the front ensemble, though; there are several impressively complex-yet-clean passages of pit music in Bakersfield's program.

Percussion Scholastic World (PSW)

Vista Murrieta HS — Najarey

A handful of round objects serve as the featured props in Vista Murrieta’s production, which also has four rectangular screens lining the front of the floor. Vista Murrieta’s show is particularly expressive when it comes to the music; it features a wide array of styles and tones, with several emotional dynamic swells to draw in the audience. The four screens at the front of the floor provide one of the more eye-catching effects from this weekend’s event, as they stand adjacent to each of the marimba players and project what look like negative images of their playing movements to the audience. 

Homestead HS — "The Space Between"

Homestead's show is very musically enticing, with an impressive drum set solo to start things off, but the first place the attention of the viewer is drawn is to a set of nine screens in the back right corner of the floor that display a handful of unique images. At one spot in the show, what looks like the explosion of star is displayed on the screen, at which point the whole battery scatters to edges of the floor before, one by one, re-entering. This show has many ethereal and electronic moments, which make it very mysterious and entertaining to follow for the viewer. Homestead's front ensemble in particular really impressed me, with some really complex passages that had both a clean and very mature sound to them. This group as a whole, in fact, puts out a really strong, full sound across the board.

Etiwanda HS — "It's Just Us"

After a year off from WGI World Championships last year, Etiwanda is back with a vengeance, looking to return to where it landed in 2017 — sixth place (94.425), less than two points outside the top three. In its 2019 debut, Etiwanda scored just four points behind defending champion Chino Hills in Saturday’s Temecula prelims. This show has really impressive expressive development from its two main characters, and the musicians back it up with really outstanding performance energy and quality. From a design perspective, the show opens with Cindy Lauper’s “True Colors;” the dominant colors in this performance are red, gray and white, every perofmrer is dressed head-to-toe in one of these three. The battery uniforms are all gray on the front, and all red on the back, which makes for a very cool visual effect. Lining the back of the floor are a series of tall triangular props, that almost look like one side of a backgammon board. The tops of these props each feature circular lights — almost like halos — which brighten the entire performance surface. 

Chino Hills HS — "The Vine Wound Tight"

One thing’s for sure — as we’ve come to expect from Chino Hills — this show certainly isn’t lacking for color. The southern California powerhouse came out in prelims and posted an impressive number (85.650), and it’s not hard to see why. Chino Hills has come out firing in search of a PSW three-peat, and “The Vine Wound Tight” is just another installment in a series of creatively designed and challengingly complex shows from the ensemble. Chino Hills’ visual design, though, is one of the more eye-catching parts of this program. Ornate wallpaper props centered around a large stage with the same design fill the floor, which is white with red vines climbing up from the front of the floor. Conceptually speaking, this isn’t like what we’ve seen from Chino Hills in recent years, but it’s definitely the level of production we’ve come to expect from this ensemble. It's a very deep and emotional concept that deals with a lot of real-life struggles, and it'll be really] interesting to see how it evolves as the season continues. 

Percussion Independent World (PIW)

POW Percussion — "Dia de Los Muertos"

The title of POW Percussion’s program, which is Spanish for “Day of the Dead,” is an artistic representation of the Mexican holiday of the same name, in which families honor those who have passed away. The concept of the holiday has a bit of a spiritual nature to it, and that’s certainly displayed in the design of this production. Blue Devils B did a very similarly-themed show in the 2018 DCI season, for reference, but this one was definitely unique from that show in terms of how it executed the theme. The dominant colors at play in POW's show are orange and light blue, with six large skull props lining the back of the floor. A lone guitarist is featured on a stage in the front right corner of the floor, which develops the latin tones of this concept throughout the performance.

Breakthrough Indoor Percussion — "Unrest"

After finishing 15th in last season’s PIO Finals, It was quite a surprise to see Breakthrough top POW Percussion — a returning PIW finalist — by four points in Temecula prelims, but it’s not hard to see why this group is having early success. Breakthrough has really taken its design quality and performance quality up a notch — as you’d expect for a group looking to make a splash on the World Class stage. “Unrest” is musically enticing and takes the audience on an emotional journey, and is driven by a really impressive level of character development from the individual performers. What was particularly impressive about Breakthrough, was the visual proficiency of the ensemble. For a group that just transitioned from Independent Open — on top of the fact that it's February 24 — Breakthrough's rather complex drill was quite clean.

Pulse Percussion — "Divided We Fall"

Pulse’s show is built on visual motifs and effects, and it does so very well. The general theme presented by the show isn’t very hard to grasp based on the title — unity and disunity, barriers and the like provide the overarching themes of the show — but the concept is presented in a very unique and smart way throughout all levels of design. The show is built around one long, green prop that divides the middle of the floor, and is used as a table of sorts at points throughout the show. This prop serves as the focal point for a handful of key moments in the show, but is also the centerpiece with which Pulse develops its theme, and does so in a very intriguing and entertaining way. All in all, it's a pretty exciting and entertaining production with a lot going on, and of course, Pulse is pretty sound musically and visually, as you’d expect from a perennial PIW Top 5 finisher.