So when I last left off my blog in August, I had returned from Acton and was prepping for the DysFunktional Mayhem reunion concert at SPACE Gallery. DFM, by the way, is the funk band that I have played with since I was a freshman. We had broken up for a year because our bass player had gone to college, but with him back for the summer, we decided to do one last hurrah and have a reunion show exactly one year after our "last" show in 2009, which was also at SPACE gallery. We pulled a crowd of probably 80-90 people for this gig. With that much support and a great vibe going, the show was excellent. What was also great was that our friend Alex took some unbelievable pictures of the concert, some of which I have posted. Helps to have a friend who's a photographer!
My next gig was on Saturday, where I played music for my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary...plus I was my grandfather's best man in their re commitment ceremony/mass. I also had to make a toast at their reception, and my toast glass was filled with Shirley Temple, since the staff had whisked away the champagne as soon as I sat down! Despite this setback, the toast was fine, and the music, provided by my dad and myself, was fine as well. That night, my dad and I headed back to Maine, leaving my mom and siblings back in RI.
After the drive, I was lucky enough to go up to Bar Harbor, Maine to play with my school music teacher and an amazing saxophonist, John Cooper, at the Bar Harbor Jazz Festival. Honestly, I didn't expect a small coastal town like that to have a jazz festival, but it was a great time nonetheless, plus there was actually a decent turnout on the village green! After spending the night in Ellsworth, I made my way back home, where I prepared to start my senior year of high school.
And so that's what I've been doing from early September until now...school. But it's not even the classes that are giving me the hardest time, it's the college applications. I can barely keep up with the sheer volume of work I have to do to keep up with school, colleges, and music (I don't know how I will get through this year with my sanity still intact!), but once January hits, and all the college madness ends, I'm sure it will be ok. But all that coupled with auditions for schools makes me very, very tired.
I haven't not done any playing since I've started school. I started taking a music class at USM with Trent Austin, an amazing trumpet player. I'm taking the class along with my friend Will Maxwell, and I think it's safe to say that we've both gotten a lot better! One of the most exciting times was when I went to NYC recently on a college visit to NYU (Top choice btw) and sat in with my teacher, Rob Thomas, at a Sunday Brunch in the city. But what was really great was that I got to meet another kid jazz violinist, Ben Suttin. He is also a student of Rob's, and it was amazing to play wit another kid who played my same instrument! It was a dream situation. One of the best parts about this city visit for me was going to NYU and meeting some awesome people, including bass player Ron McClure who is on the faculty. He was such a warm and welcoming presence, and really made me feel at home where I was. Overall, the isit was a smashing success.
So that's where I'll leave off, now that I'm all caught up. More to come soon!
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