Random Happy

A very happy birthday to Dave Matthews! 

Rather blurry shot from an Alpine Valley concert, 2012! (with Stefan rocking out the bass guitar!)

The front man, Band namesake, and musical powerhouse is 46 years young today!

Much thanks to someone who I will most likely never meet, but who has been an unfailing source of happiness, mental health, and well-being.  Funny the way it is.

Auld Lang Syne

Music Zombie's musical year in review:

2012 was fantastic!  I made the trip to Clarinetfest, explored the National Music Museum, attended an Aebersold jazz workshop, visited the birthplace of Glenn Miller, saw Dave Matthews Band at Alpine, and Hugh Laurie in Iowa City.

On a more personal level, I helped to launch a clarinet trio (with two of my clarinet students) and wrote three new arrangements that were performed publicly for the first time.  My debut as an arranger, if you will.  As a bonus, I learned an entirely brand-new musical in a week and sharpened my flute and piccolo playing skills.

I am learning some new technologies, and hope to start recording some things soon. There are plans for more arranging and perhaps some composing.

This Zombie is counting her musical blessings and looking forward to more great adventures in 2013.

Be safe out there!  And take care of your musicians!!

Catch you on the flip side.

Happy New Year!!!

You know you're a musician when...

You have a well-stocked closet of black clothing.  And, if your regular gig requires it, a second-hand black suit jacket to create the illusion of a tuxedo.  Because, you know, you're a broke musician who can't afford a real suit jacket.

You only know the first bit of a song, because then you have to start playing and can't pay attention to the lyrics.

You see the word "beetle" and have to remind yourself that there is also an insect with that name, and it is not spelled wrong.

You are familiar with the back entrances of venues and bars all over town.  You only occasionally get to see the lobby, and even then it's only to pickup a copy of the program.

You know every possible version of Brown Eyed Girl.  You also know that most drunken "guest" singers really don't know the words...but they think they do!

You can point out the girls (or guys) in the bar who are most likely to try to play one of the instruments on stage or try to sing into the microphone.

You keep music stands, horn stands, and stand lights in your car.  Just in case.

You know what "circle of fifths/fourths" means.

You know the difference between valve oil and rotor oil.  And the difference between valves and rotors.

When attending concerts, you watch for things like hand positions and fingerings and listen for intonation and articulation.  Also, you start counting, through shear habit, when the orchestra starts to play.  Only about 8 measures in do you realize that you can just relax and listen this time.

You can't go see your friends' bands because you've got a gig that night.

You know all of the "fast, cheap, quick" repairs for on-the-job breakdowns.

You've continued a performance through a power outage or blackout.  The show must go on, dammit!

What did I miss?

So Damn Lucky

A friend and I made the trip to Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI to see the Dave Matthews Band show on July 6.  The venue allowed cameras this year, so here are some pictures from the concert.  People attend Dave shows for lots of reasons: some go for the party, some go to them because it's tradition to attend one or more concerts every summer, and some go simply for the music. 

Almost there!

YAAAAAY!!!

The venue.  All seats will be filled and the upper lawns will be filled with fans.  Right around 40,000 people.

Somehow managed to get a glimpse of Dave pre-show.  Those are his twin daughters with him.  Their tour buses are behind them.

The Eco-Village had some nifty things, like a couple of these listening stations.

Listening to a track from the new album, due for release in September.

This is Brandi Carlile.  The opening act.  She's really good!  Go buy her music!  She has a Johnny Cash/Sheryl Crow/bluegrass vibe.  Solid vocals, strong guitar/piano work.

Hard working stage crew.  Setting the stage.

Look! Boyd's violin!

He has the best seat in the house.

Stage Left Solidarity.

Stefan Lessard, Rashawn Ross, Jeff Coffin.  Bass, trumpet, saxes, respectively.  Of these three, only Stefan is a founding member, Jeff was brought in after LeRoi's death to cover the sax parts, and Rashawn adds so much to the sound of the band.  Always tasteful, always musical.  The musicianship here is just incredible.

Boyd Tinsley, Tim Reynolds

 It was a hot night.  98-103 degrees.  But the band delivered three hours of solid, non-stop, energized music.  A good mix of old and new songs, including some of my personal favourites.  I try not to go into concerts hoping to hear one song, or expecting them to play certain songs.  They'll play what they want to play.  However, it was great to hear Seven as an opener, The Song That Jane Likes, You Never Know, and All Along the Watchtower.  Closing the show with Tripping Billies was perfect.

Dave, Stefan.

Carter is hidden behind his drum set.  He has a very busy style of playing, but it's never in the way.  Good drummers know how to add to the music without overwhelming it.

A great concert.  Despite the heat, the (very large) crowd seemed to be in good spirits, and the band was appreciative.  It's so great to be a part of something so big and so positive.

Rock on.
 :-)

Music for an iceberg

Today, the Momster and I visited the Titanic artifact exhibit at the Putnam Museum in Davenport.  Interesting to walk through, with lots of stuff that was recovered from  the depths of the ocean.  Every visitor is given a boarding pass with the name of a real passenger, and at the end of the exhibit, visitors can see whether their passenger survived or not.  My passenger was a third-class Englishwoman who survived the disaster.  Sadly, her husband did not.  Women and children first onto the too few lifeboats of the doomed ship.

While the story and history of the maiden voyage of this enormous vessel is sad and tragic, as a Music Zombie, I'm always attracted to the musical aspects of history.  Which means I felt especially touched while reading about the musicians aboard the Titanic.  Titanic's privately contracted bandleader, Wallace Hartley, and his orchestra were designated as second-class and were in the unusual position of not being part of the crew or passenger list.  So, they were barred from boarding any lifeboats when the ship started to sink. 

The musicians were contracted to play on the ship by the C.W. and F.N. Black agency of Liverpool.  There were actually two independent ensembles, used at different times in different locations, and it is likely that when the ship began to sink, it was the only time all eight players were assembled together.  Shortly after midnight, on April 14, 1912, all 8 men were assembled to play in the First Class Lounge.  They were later moved to the Boat Deck, as more and more passengers were piled onto the lifeboats.  They were asked (or ordered?) to play to keep the passengers calm.

We don't know for certain what the last melody played by these brave men, or what was going through their minds as the chaos ensued around them.  But they played on, until they couldn't play any more.  I like to think that they were showman to the last, and, as musicians, they felt that if they were to die, they were to die doing what they loved.  I am perhaps over-romanticising, but it's a nice thought.  In any case, my hat goes off to them, with respect.