The New Quartet

When Charlie and I first met more than six years ago, I was auditioning for the band Mind Control, which featured Charlie on keys and vocals, plus a drummer and a guitarist. We fired that guitarist that summer, around July of 1999. Since then, this band has always been a trio. This was partially because [...]

Becoming A Stickist

There are a lot of things to love about my day job. The impact I have on students’ lives and careers; the opportunity to become a better computer programmer. This week, though, I’m loving the time off. Now that all my Stick gear is in one neat little rack bag, it’s easy to quickly get [...]

Jeopardy!

Last night, Ken Jennings, the famous Jeopardy! champ, came to the college where I teach. He spoke for about half an hour, and after a short Q & A session, he competed in a trivia contest against me and an honor student. The format was to be ten “Final Jeopardy!”-style questions. I’m a huge trivia [...]

Tribute?

I was in Connecticut this past weekend, and when I’m there, I like to visit the public library in Darien. This sculpture, which stands by the main entrance, caught my attention Sunday. First of all, it’s a sculpture of a great blue heron. That part isn’t weird. But it’s dedicated to some guy. Perhaps this [...]

I Still Can’t Believe It…

If you’re a musician working in a store that sells music equipment, hopefully you will have a day like this… This started out as an everyday normal transaction. This past Sunday afternoon, a customer came into the store Erik and I work at, looking for an instrument cable for a keyboard and a small amp. [...]

It’s Done!

Well, it’s official. The music for the Kansas tune is finally complete. Next time we meet, we should be able to play the whole thing through. All in all, tonight’s practice was very productive. We got through all of “Chasing the Squid” for the first time in a while, shored up some parts in the [...]