ContraMarine272

Thanks Kansan. Your comment really made my day.

It's never happened before. We've been to every show. We've also been to every Nashville show.

Thanks for the kind words Vic. There's not a doubt in my mind that GCS will be back on the road next season. In spite of not touring this year we're still having a great time! The show is a lot of fun to play and it's really starting to sound great. Now that we have some spare time we're free to raid our library and pull out some old favorites to mess around with. In addition, since we aren't touring we've been able to pull in several vets that couldn't tour (for various reasons) this season and the hornline is sitting at 30 members!! Our biggest ever. Maybe the biggest in Houston history. So, there are still many good things happening down here in Houston.

"Large" will be in Rochester with the GCS Mini-Corps. We're coming to throw down and have some fun.

If you're in the Houston area please join us for our 6th Annual Friends & Family Night. Saturday August 23, 2008 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Night of Stars 2008 (Webpage) Last summer we changed the format, making this an in-door concert and not an outside drill exhibition. This REALLY worked well and we had a nice size crowd. Who knew that air conditioning would be a hit in Houston in August! The evening will feature about a dozen solos and small ensembles comprised of Corps members. The plan is simply to show off and have a good time doing it! The finale, of course, will be the full 2008 production of Classic Rock: Vol II. Preceding the concert we're hosting a spaghetti fundraising dinner. The details are on the webpage. Good Friends... Good Food... Air Conditioning... & Drum Corps! It doesn't get any better than this!

And the second round is on me! You guys are GREAT! And, Denver is one of my favorite places! I need to get out there and attend a rehearsal someday. My review and comments are in the Show Review Forum.

I echo Dena's comments. Nicely done guys. That weather would've killed most shows or at least ruined the evening. The Frontier staff rose to the occasion and handled it like pros. Looking forward to hosting you in Houston in a few weeks. I can't promise there won't be rain.... but I can promise it'll be hot!! Gotta love drum corps in Texas. Side note: Doesn't anyone have a full review of the show? My notes (from the end zone): Prairie Sound: I didn't get to hear them play. But, I talked to them a few times throughout the day and they're a great group of guys. Looking forward to hearing them someday. Masquerade: I missed them too. Austin Stars: Who knew 9 horns (with NO percussion) could FILL a stadium with sound. Rock on guys!! High County Brass: You guys are just plain scary. First year Corps don't get to sound that good. And that Contra line... GOOD GAWD!!!! What are you feeding those guys? Frontier: Given all their difficulties I was pleasantly surprised with the performance. There were several times that the hornline was just glorious! Fantastic sound! Gulf Coast Sound: My perspective here is limited to what I could see and hear from the field. But, it was very wet and we were very loud. I had fun. Overall, I highly recommend attending this show next year. Even in the rain it was fun! www.BrassOnTheBayou.org (check it out)

Here's the video of the Finale:

Here is the video of "Texas, Our Texas", the state song.

That was a blast. I love starting our season with the Preview. It just feels right. And... what a way to start the year. My thanks to everyone for the positive reviews.

On behalf of Gulf Coast Sound, you have our heart-felt thanks.

That's awesome, Mike. If I didn't have my railroad hobby I couldn't stay sane enough to do Drum Corps!! FYI, I'm modeling Rio Grande's Tennessee Pass in N scale, circa 1988.

Thanks again, Dwight. Getting positive feedback like your letter makes it worth all the time, sweat, and money we all devote to GCS. Take care and we hope to see ya'll next year!

Glad to hear you guys got home safely. Thanks again for coming. It's always cool to have other Corps members join us for Mardi Gras! See ya in Rochester!