Pit_Girl_77

Day one of camp was great! The weather was a bit on the wet side, but we got a bit of marching done and a whole lot of music down. This afternoon we meet again from 1-6 to recap what we did yesterday and ensamble most of our 2006 show music. It is not too late to join us! Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-2006 and beyond... www.gulfcoastsound.org

Hi all-If you are not ready (or able) to march but still want to come out, we could use a few bodies in the pit to play keyboards and toys :P Also, our booster club is up and going for folks that want to just hang out and help with our home show, practices, and all that fun stuff. Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-2006 and beyond

Yeah! Practice less than 12 hours away!!!

Last night to enter!!! Of course, if you do not win you can still come down to play and party with us! This is my first year, and I am hoping my MN friends will come down and join us! Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-2006 and beyond www.gulfcoastsound.org

The Band Has Left The Field! (Is that like "Elvis has left the building?) sigh-I need a weekend camp. too much work and real life is getting me all goofy! Don't you feel the same?

Yeah, what he said!!! We are organized and ready to go!!! Some of us even have music memorized for the show---in JANUARY! Can you believe that? It sounds so cool we couldn't help ourselves. If you miss the January camp on the 14th you will be missing out on a great time. Besides, when Cory gets permission from "ma" to come play he will have more fun if all his friends are there ;) Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-2006 and beyond www.gulfcoastsound.org

I wanna see "Le Miz" done by SCV or Phantom, I have seen some high schools and such do it, but no one I have seen has put the power and emotion into it that could be done. Also, "Wicked" by VK :P

Revolution is a Div-I corps in Texas :) Texas has a ton of corps members because a lot of Div-I staff teaches at colleges in Texas, and the students follow their college instructors up north to the other corps. (Take it from a Minnesota girl who spent her first summer in Houston last year: Learning drill in May and June in TX sucks! I do not fault anyone for heading up north for 3 months! It takes a special kind of crazy...oh wait! I spend all my weekends with those crazy folks...) Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-2006 and beyond

Here is a thought-how does each corps express itself in the community? Does the corps march in local parades, play local gigs, do community service or SOMETHING to give back to the community? It the only time the locals here about a corps is when they are looking for money, they will likely not care very much. If they see members as part of a vetrans day celebration or entertaining folks at the local nursing home or giving clinics to the high school kids free of charge, they may see more benefits to supporting the local corps. It would not matter where the kids come from, only that they are helping the corps hometown and deserve local support. I know time is precious during camp weekends, but anytime you can get a quartet or something together on an off day and play for someone in the community you are building relationships. Anytime I was in high school band or corps and we played stuff for a group that would not normally hear us, they were very appricative. (Besides, it is a great way to get a dress rehersal done with a real audience!) Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-2006 and beyond

My parents took me to my first DCM show when I was about 5 (?). I spent the afternoon being mesmorized by the scouts who were practicing at the nearby high school, and I guess I threw a big enough fit over leaving they took me to the show in St. Peter. That night I remember MBI playing "Seasme Street" or something like that, and being really mad at the judges who picked madison to win over them. I saw MBI and Govies every summer for years, but I don't think I really understood the difference between junior and senior corps untill I was in junior high with other band kids who were smarter than me. That smart kid, Angie, pulled me into Govies the year after I graduated high school. Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-2006-and beyond

Joined Govies when I was 19. No Junior Corps were really close, and as a woodwind I figured I would never make a Junior Corps when I was just learning how to play something new. If only I knew then how desperate some Div II and III corps were for members I maybe would have gone for it. Oh well...my year in Govies was great and I would not trade it for anything! Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-06 and beyond

Dear Santa- Please give everyone tickets to come march in the 2006 Mardi Gras Parade so I can march with all my old friends again from Minnesota again!!! Also, a marimba or a pit cart would be nice...(Jason, you reading this??? I bet you would make a great fat man in a red suit!) Come party with us in February--- http://www.gulfcoastsound.org/mardigrasraffle.html http://www.gulfcoastsound.org/mardigrasparade.html Barbara Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-Forever :)

FYI-Here is what Gulf Coast Sound did in 2005 (Parts of the show are already posted in places on this thread) "Bring Me to Life" Evescence "Dust in the Wind" Kansas "Point of No Return" Kansas "My Immortal" Evanescence "The Wall" Kansas 2006 is also a Rock Show for us: http://www.gulfcoastsound.org/news_2006_show.html "Hazy Shade of Winter" Based on the remake by The Bangles "Tarkus: Eruption" Emerson, Lake, & Palmer "Unchained Melody" Based on Cyndi Lauper's remake "The La La Song" Zebra After about 20 hours into a LONG van ride back home after DCA finals, some of us girls thought an Elton John show would be cool---Crocadile Rock, Don't let the Sun go Down on Me, Candle in the Wind, something else I cannot remember. The guys in the van were NOT into the idea, but we are working on them :) We also tossed around ideas on Styx and just about anything else that came on the radio. Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-As long as I can :)

FYI-Here is what Gulf Coast Sound did in 2005 (Parts of the show are already posted in places on this thread) "Bring Me to Life" Evescence "Dust in the Wind" Kansas "Point of No Return" Kansas "My Immortal" Evanescence "The Wall" Kansas 2006 is also a Rock Show for us: http://www.gulfcoastsound.org/news_2006_show.html "Hazy Shade of Winter" Based on the remake by The Bangles "Tarkus: Eruption" Emerson, Lake, & Palmer "Unchained Melody" Based on Cyndi Lauper's remake "The La La Song" Zebra After about 20 hours into a LONG van ride back home after DCA finals, some of us girls thought an Elton John show would be cool---Crocadile Rock, Don't let the Sun go Down on Me, Candle in the Wind, something else I cannot remember. The guys in the van were NOT into the idea, but we are working on them :) We also tossed around ideas on Styx and just about anything else that came on the radio.

My 2 cents- More corps playing on Friday night may mean more people (Parents, friends, etc.) can see them at finals in a huge stadium. Some folks may have trouble getting enough time off of work to make the Thursday show, and if their kid/friend did not make semis they will not get to see them. Also, more of the local folks are likely to come out on Friday night because they will not have to work, so they will also miss any corps not making the cut. Also, I LOVE the idea of the top div II/III corps playing as well-they work just as hard and deserve a night under the lights for a HUGE crowd! Tickets for DCI finals are not that expensive compared to Professonal sports and rock concerts, an extra $5 per ticket to get an extra hour of entertainment is fine by me. Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-Forever :)

Retro equpiment might be cool-can anyone jazz run with a marching timpani??? What about starting a show in the "old style" with a march from end-zone to end-zone, then add a previously-hidden pit and some guard dance moves in the middle, then some amped stuff at the end. I would think the GE would be high for any corps that can successfully do this without making it cheezy. With the DCI classic shows and all the downloads and DVDs available, more younger people then ever are discovering the older shows and would recognize some of the songs, drill, and guard moves. The first live shows I went to at the age of 5 were cool, but I don't remember much :) Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-forever B)

One of our guys said his DVD was missing a few corps (I think MCL and Chops), and our show started in the middle instead of the begining. Also, the second disk stopped in several places. He was going to call the company tomorrow and ask them about it. Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-forever B)

So far so good-GCS folks are slowly checking in, and the worst anyone has so far is tree limbs down in their yard. Most folks in the area do not have power yet that we have not heard from, and we have one snare from Beamount, which is an area that was really hit hard. It may be a week before his family gets back in to check the damage. Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005

-When you are in a public restroom with lots of other women, and you wonder why the others are not unbuttoning as they wait in line, and button back-up after they get out of the stall to keep the line going faster. -When you sit in church and write drill in your head for the communion songs as you wait in line. -When you spend 45 minutes of class-time explaining to your high school students why a 2.5 hour band practice is NOTHING to whine about, even if it is over 100 degrees outside. Barb Wendt Govies 1996 (St. Peter MN) Gulf Coast Sound 2005 (Houston TX) (Our full equpiment trailer is evacuated out of the city-we are ready for Hurricane Rita!)

Hi all- From our e-mail network it sounds like some of the GCS group has the same idea as Jon and I: We were going to head out but the lack of gas and the parking-lot highways are keeping us in town. We are on the NW side well out of the flood plain, and we are going to ride out the storm in the church Jon works at (Messiah Lutheran, no windows in the offices, and it is right near highway 290 in case someone needs help from being stuck on the highway). It will be uncomfortable for a while, but I suspect the corps will be in high spirts and getting back to normal by the time open house comes around. Whenever we get power back after the storm everyone will be checking in. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers! Barb Wendt (And husband Jon) Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005

Early 1980s in St. Peter MN with the Govies, MN Brass, Madison Scouts, and some others. I remember MN Brass played the theme to "Sesame Street" as their closer, and me being of the sesame street age, I guess I had a fit that the Scouts beat them and made it known to everyone within about 2 sections of the stadium that the MN Brass was way better than the Scouts. Of course, 10 years later I was at the local high school drooling over the Scouts Baritone line with my best friend...Good times B) Then 10 more years later (Like 2 nights ago) I was cheering on MN Brass at the DCA Championships...Even more good times ^OO^ Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-as long as they let me!

One more opinion... If the purpose of the telecast was to get new folks interested in us, then the extra clips are important to get people to understand where these shows come from. However, I think they could have choosen some better clips of the shows to use (Yes, I would also love longer clips, but I will take what I can get). For example, Carolina's "Angle" ballad would have been highly recognized by the average Joe, and the ladder work on the Chicago show was very cool to any high school kid who has ever marched on a flat field. I am not sure the average person flipping through the channels would have understood much of the Cadets' show, but I bet they would have really connected with Phantom's. Also, I wish they would have shown a non-chick clip of the Scouts show. I love Madison very much, but whenever Carmen was on the field it totally distracted from the drill and music and anything else that may be going on. Over 50% of the clip was on a person who is a "guest performer"-what about all the other folks on the field??? One last gripe-they kept using "Trumpet" as a section when interviewing folks. Besides all that, I am very happy the show is back on TV and I can get my friends to tune to see what kind of crazy stuff I do during the summer. Barb Wendt Govies 1995 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-As long as I can

Great job everyone! We had a blast watching the shows-the young kids in our corps really have something to work towards for next year. I can't believe how wonderful Govies and Chops have gotten since the early 90s-Way to go!!!! One more thanks to add to the list----Thank you Alliance pit crew for letting us borrow keyboards most of the season. You guys have always been really friendly and helpful to us, and I know DCA South shows next year will be a great time with such great people hanging around, Barb Wendt Govies 1996 Gulf Coast Sound 2005-as long as I can! :D