MarkT-GCS

Not sure of the name of the place but Gulf Coast Sound is staying somewhere that is right at the airport as well. It may just be with you guys.

Last night we took some big steps toward getting where we want to be by the end of the year. We had some problems but they were nothing that we cant overcome in the next month or so. We were very proud of our DCA South Class A Champion drum line this weekend. They were smoking....I only wish we as a hornline could have put up an equal effort. Good luck in Minnesota Frontier!! Keep showing those northerners what drum corps in Texas is all about.

You can always come up with excuses not to march.....why not be a part of the building process and get in on the ground floor?

You should come out to St Pius X high school on July 29th. I guarantee you will be entertained. It might be a small show but the house will be rocking for sure. www.brassonthebayou.org

I am half of one of those couples involved in Gulf Coast Sound's ballad trio. This is my second year marching with GCS. My last marching experience was on trombone way back in 1991. Funny thing is if it wasnt for Jenny, who is now my wife, needing a ride to practice that fateful day back in March of 2005 there is a good chance I wouldnt even be on the field. It all started back in Feb of '05 at the TMEA convention. She had seen all the stuff at the DCI booth and it started the wheels turning. She remembered that there was a senior corps here in Houston because we had seen them in San Antonio at a DCI show several years back. Of course that was the old Bayou City Blues. After some searching around she came across the website for Gulf Coast Sound. She contacted them and got their information about practice locations, etc and asked me if I knew how to get there. At this point we were fairly new to Houston having just moved here about 6 months prior from Denton, TX. I had lived in Houston in the past and knew my way around fairly well so I offered to drive her to practice. I took along a book and I had plans of visiting the local Fry's electronics to wander around. Little did I know that my plans were going to be changed. We arrived at the practice site and went up and introduced ourselves and were welcomed very warmly by the entire corps. After some brief small talk, one of the staff members asked me what I played. I told him that I played trombone back in high school but hadnt played since '91. He suggested that I sit in that day on baritone and see what they were about. Honestly, I had no intentions of joining this group that first day but something clicked when I started writing in those fingerings and when we went out on the field for basics, I was hooked. This "family" that we joined back in March of '05 is one of the best things that has happened to us. I call them family because that is what we are. Its a lot of hard work but that rush that you get when you come off the field and the crowd is screaming makes it all worth it. The togetherness that we share as a corps is something that I wouldnt trade for anything. And I think that the bond between myself and my wife is only made stronger by this activity that we share. I probably dont tell her often enough, but I think I should thank her more often for getting me out to that first practice. Its definitely something that I am glad I didnt miss. Thank you Jenny. And thank you to my GCS family for giving me the opportunity to become one of them. Now....lets go turn some heads in Rochester and show them Yankees what drum corps in Texas is all about!!! ^0^

Oh dear....it seems that being so close to Canadia has rubbed off on the Minnesotians. As far as I know the only football fields with 51 yard lines are Canadian. ^0^ B)

For sure.....but we will have a table at the July 20th DCI show as well. Stop by and say hi and buy your ticket for our show 9 days later. www.brassonthebayou.org

Well....we are on track to have our best year ever. A little smaller than last year but definitely better. You know what they say about great things in small packages...... ^0^

The subject has come up in some circles around the Gulf Coast Sound compound. It might be difficult though to balance a trip like that with our required DCA South obligations and our trip to finals. Best opportunity for us would probably be during a year that we were hosting DCA South championships.....that effectively removes a long trip from our schedule and would make it easier to make a trip West work out for our members.

Sev, there are a bunch of us from Gulf Coast Sound that plan on staying overnight Saturday so we can go out after the show. I will try to get some hotel info up on the Frontier board for you. I think we were looking at a Howard Johnson up off of I35 and 290 or 183......I will have to check it out again. I think the rooms were like $59 a night and it was 6 miles from the Capitol.

Check with Paul at The Brass Shop. He might be able to hook you up with a Dynasty G Baritone.

Debut performance of the year for The Gulf Coast Sound this weekend at the Drum Corps Tigers BBQ Bash. Dont get stuck standing on the sidelines.....we still have room for a couple more. If you live in the Houston area come on out and check us out!

If I am not mistaken, I believe the website belongs to the guy that made the first post and that he is a member of Frontier this year.

The Gulf Coast Sound will also be there.

Gulf Coast Sound is a member of DCA-South not Central. Frontier is a member of DCA-Central I believe. Doesnt really put us any closer to our regional competitions but when the Austin Stars get up and running and Prairie Sound also that will be 3 corps in TX and one just up the road in KS. Its a start to a region.....and if Crosswinds and Masquerade ever get off the ground in Oklahoma and Shreveport then that makes 6 all within a relatively short distance from each other. Dunno what you would call it....DCA-Mid South maybe?

Out of region?!?! Bah!!!! GCS travelled to 2 regular season "in region" shows last year and I bet we still travelled more miles than 1/2 the NE corps did combined.

I must find a way to get in on this "wing" action.

Heh....I feel your pain. And so did my butt after the bus trips just to get to Rockmart and Orlando last year. After that I started saving my pennies for a plane ticket to finals. I couldnt imagine 26 hours or whatever it took on a bus to Scranton.

Actually....thats 3 DCA-S shows this year. Check your calendar for July 29th. What show will you be at?

That is definitely a fun event. Jenny and I used to go every year when we lived in Denton.

They should....but from what I gather they cant change that until the rules congress which will be after this season. I think.

Well....we have been called Gulf Coast Sound Drum and Bugle Coprs.....but I think that was more of a language barrier thing on the pins we had made. Apparently the kind folks who turn those things out in the sweat shops overseas weren't familiar with the correct spelling of Corps. And we were called Gulf Coat Sound....but that was on a tshirt and it was only the spelling of our website not our actual name. I jokingly refer to us as Golf Course Sound but thats only because I never have time to play anymore thanks to drum corps. B)

A big thanks to all who purchased tickets. I am sorry that this didnt get posted earlier but without further ado congratulations to : MARVIN AND LINDA WADE POCONO SUMMIT PA We look forward to meeting Mr and Mrs Wade and having them join us for the festivities this weekend. Thats right....Mardi Gras in Galveston is this weekend folks. If you havent already registered please be sure to do so. Follow the links to the Mardi Gras page at www.gulfcoastsound.org for all the info about paying via Paypal. Remember if you register early you get in for only $35. Registrations at the door will be $40. Thanks!!

Time is running out!!! Bump!!

Yeah Jenny is pretty ###### that she wont be able to do the Mardi Gras weekend with Gulf Coast Sound due to TMEA but her school is paying for her to go to the convention so she has to go.