March 8, 2002 -- Austin, TX . . . There’s a loud sound coming from the Texas Color Guard Circuit this season that consists of a color guard, brass and a drum set player. MCM/Gulf Coast Sound Senior Drum and Bugle Corps from Houston, TX is a combination of color guard (the MCM portion) and brass line/drum set (GCS portion) that performs a "Blast!"-style show in Winter Guard International’s "Independent World" category.
This group is tearing up the gymnasium floor with drum corps-style maneuvering, and a traditional "in your face" drum corps book. The group recently performed at Leander High School, just outside of Austin.
This is the corps’ first season and thus far MCM/GCS has been able to claim an undefeated record. Their repertoire consists of a variation on the "Porgy & Bess" piece In the Summertime (based on a Robert W. Smith arrangement), arranged by MCM/GCS Corps Director, Jason Rose. Cathy Marmolejo is the MCM Director. The small, but mighty horn line consists of two contras, three baritones, two mellophones, and four sopranos. A majority of the brass players come from the ranks of the Bayou City Blues Senior Corps from Houston, TX.
"Our purpose for this off-season winter corps is to promote Bayou City Blues, and the drum corps activity in general," Rose said.
Horn instructor and soprano soloist Eric Brooks is a veteran studio session player who has performed and recorded for more than 25 years. He never had the opportunity to participate in drum corps until now.
"I’ve always wanted to perform in a drum corps early on, but never got the chance," Brooks stated. "Now here I am getting the opportunity to participate at the end of my career." Every solo he performed was screaming into the upper-stratosphere range, with such crisp clarity and intonation...
