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!

Bump. Still looking...

I'm really pleased with this. Ben Lutman from Channel 13 has been great. He really went out of his way to make this happen and GCS owes him a debt of gratitude.

Thanks Vic. It was really nice not having to travel to a meeting for once. I could get used to that. GCS would be honored to host ALL of the meetings!! :P

It was an honor and pleasure to have ya'll here with us. GCDCA has put a LOT of work into making this a fun, well run show. There are some really good folks that are truly passionate about the show (and GCS) and we couldn't do it without them. In fact, they're starting TONIGHT on the 2008 edition and it's gonna be even bigger and better! Maybe by 2010 we'll be forced to move the show to Reliant Stadium where we can close the roof and play in the AIR CONDITIONING on a DRY FIELD!! Ahh.... dreams can be fun....

Given the field conditions, we could have had both Corps mud wrestle for the title! It was a GREAT show and one of the highlites of my career with GCS. And the rest of the season promises to only get better!!

Thanks to Teal Sound and Revolution for being a part of the show. It was truly an honor to share the field with them. Best of luck at Championships week this year!! Your buds in GCS will be cheering you on!

Thanks Chris. And, thanks for bringing Frontier again. Anytime we can hang out with you guys is a good time! GCDCA put a LOT of work into this show since 2005. In fact, they're starting TONIGHT on the 2008 edition!! No rest for the weary. Good things are happening down here, but we can't take all the credit. The seeds for all this success were planted in 1991 when Gulf Coast Drum Corps Associates (GCDCA) and Bayou City Blues Senior Drum & Bugle Corps were formed. It may have taken a while for everything to come to fruition, but it's an honor to be a part of the team that is doing it. Special thanks to Teal Sound and Revolution. Both are truly class acts and it was an honor to share the field with them. I can't wait to see Masq and Austin Stars get up to full strength. And, as always, it was a blast to watch the Arabia Shrine go to town! Looking forward to next year and having everyone back. I can't promise it won't be wet and muddy or hot and humid, but it WILL be a lot of fun!!

If you consider where we were 5 years ago, I'd say Texas Drum Corps has already taken off. It never ceases to amaze me how much we've accomplished in such a short amount of time.

We've got a 95% return rate from 06. That's pretty darn good. Plus, everyone we've pulled in so far is talented enough to hang with the vets. All in all, we're off to a GREAT start.

The new uniforms were LONG overdue.