Gulf Coast Sound Drum & Bugle Corps
December 10th, 2005
First Winter Camp
Gulf Coast Sound held its first official winter camp for the 2006 season on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2005. The brass and percussion sections spent much of the day working through "Tarkus: Eruption", the second movement of the 2006 show, "Shades of Green". The color guard worked on dance moves and equipment basics. The whole Corps spent several hours outside on the practice field becoming more familiar with the new GCS marching style.
Sectionals were productive and successful. Both the hornline and the drumline worked through "Tarkus" and then put the entire chart together during ensemble. Jason Rose, our Corps Director, pointed out the importance of the accomplishment, reminding us that last year we didn't ensemble an entire chart until March. The color guard also accomplished a great deal during the camp. They worked on basics of handling all standard guard equipment. Last year, the guard worked almost exclusively with flags. This year the show will incorporate rifle and saber work as well.
Turnout was somewhat light because of school and work schedules as well as the approaching holidays, but all sections had both new and returning members in attendance. In the brass section most parts were covered for most of the day. In the opinion of this reporter, high brass sounded better on "Tarkus" than it did during the entire 2005 season. Likewise the drumline turned in solid run-throughs on the chart, which features both battery and pit. While many color guard members are currently participating in winter guard activities, the "over-thirty" bunch (perhaps the heart of the color guard) showed up, worked incredibly hard, and welcomed some talented students from Magnolia High School, who wowed all of us during show and tell.
"Tarkus" is a challenging and unique piece. With much of it in a 5/4 time signature, a 220 tempo, as well as a dark, almost malevolent mood throughout, "Tarkus," along with the rest of the 2006 program, represents another step forward in the evolution of the GCS approach to putting rock and roll on the drum corps field.
Kerry Ellison
GCS Reporter
