Sticks & Stones (pt. 7)

Man, this piece is getting CLOSE... yesterday I was able to play the sketch from start to finish. I need to color and thicken some sections here and there, but it's really coming together... I think a lot of people are going to be surprised by the sound of this piece!

I'm very happy to announce that STICKS & STONES: Variations for drumset and wind orchestra WILL be ready for it's premiere in January 2006!

(Oh, and looks like it's official: WATERCOLORS, 5 sketches based on water themes (which will include Reflections in a Tidal Pool), will be premiered in Texas during the first week of May, 2006)

Oh boy!

Tickets are on sale now!!! CLICK HERE to get 'em!

FYI: I hear Velveeta is on sale at the Jewel/Osco this week too, so you can take your pick which packaged-phony-cheez-crap you prefer...

(totally confused by all of this? CLICK HERE.)

4 - 0

88 years since their last World Series victory...

200 home runs in one season, with a grand slam in Game 3...

Sweeping 8 playoff games in a row, and 11-1 in the post season...

Victors in the longest game in World Series history...

Shutting out the opposition for the final 15 innings, and stranding them with 18 runners on base...

Ladies and Gentlemen: Let’s give it up for the Sluggers on the South Side...

THE 2005 CHICAGO WHITE SOX!!!!!!!!

Simon says

This is such a bad idea on so many levels, it boggles the mind.

I command you to CLICK HERE.

Sticks & Stones (pt. 6)

I'm rapidly reaching the point of no return... the architecture is firmly in place, and almost finished with the first coat of paint... I'm very close to leaving the mortal terror of the blank page and embracing the mortal terror of being COMMITTED to what I've written and being left to simply connect the dots...

(BTW: is anyone watching this World Series?!? UNBELIEVABLE!!! GO SOX!!!!!!!)

IRON ANNE

As promised, here are a few snaps of my FREAKISHLY STRONG sister. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the start of the race...

... but after a brisk 2.4 mile swim, Anne donned her "Full of Beans" jersey and got ready for the bike ride...

... coming in after her first lap. She's already ridden 57 miles, and SHE'S STILL SMILING!

Having finished 114 miles on her bike, Anne turns in her wheels for a pair of running shoes...

... and she's off yet again! I tell ya, nothing outlasts the Energizer Bonney... she keeps going, and going...

(OK I'm sorry, that last caption was B-A-D... but it IS amazing how she can still find the energy to smile and wave, isn't it?)

The sunset was absolutely spectacular. But unfortunately, even though the race started at about 8 AM, it wasn't over yet! Anne would have to finish her 26.2 mile run in the dark...

SHE DID IT!!!! In 15 hours and 42 minutes! VICTORY AND A LIFETIME OF PRIDE!!!!! And, perhaps a few blisters...

Quick update

Hey folks, we're back -- safe and sound. Managed to get out yesterday and avoid Hurricane Wilma altogether.

Oh, and Anne finished the Ironman! 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run -- in 15 hours and 42 minutes. Unbelievable... I'll be posting a few pictures later today...

glutton for punishment

Nic and I are headed for stormy Florida for the weekend.

What sort of insanity would compel us to plunge headlong into Hurricane Wilma's watery eye, you ask?

My sister is running a full Ironman-distance triathlon, I says...

In this instance, it's hard to say who's crazier...

everybody pay attention:

Nicki got in a car accident today, about 3 blocks from our place (statistics don't lie, folks). She was rear-ended by a woman in a giant SUV who was not paying attention to where she was going.

Nicki is totally fine. I have no idea whose car this is...

Listen to Newman

For those of you that might not be aware, Jonathan Newman has begun blogging (almost) daily. CLICK HERE to get the latest scoop from our man in Alphabet City.

An exercise in futility

12:00:00 PM CST - tickets for world series tickets go on sale.
12:00:03 PM CST - I'm online trying to get 'em.
12:02:34 PM CST - Attempts to buy tickets for game six foiled -- they're already sold out.

Oh well... guess I'll be watching 'em on T.V. like everybody else...

GO SOX!!!

Chaos in Indiana

rehearsal in Neff Hall, at Indiana Purdue University

Wow, where do I begin? It was a fast and furious trip -- Nic and I drove down on the Saturday night before. It was a pretty normal roadtrip, aside from stopping at the most surreal truck stop on the face of the Earth -- seriously, it was like something out of a David Lynch movie. But we arrived in Fort Wayne safe and sound... all in all, an uneventful evening... until I got up in the middle of the night for a glass of water, tripped over the pedalboard I'd left in the middle of the hotel room floor, slipped on the comforter, and smacked my head on the edge of the bed. Slick move, dude... veeery slick.

The next morning, we woke up, got packed back up, and met the director, Gregg Gausline, at the ubiquitous freeway-side Cracker Barrel. My fourth toe looked like an overripe plum, but when I found out Gregg had finished the Indianapolis Marathon the day before, there was NO WAY I was going to limp in front of him. We had a chance to talk about music, the school, and the ensemble, and get to know each other better, before we headed over to the concert hall.

I hadn't played CT since the spring, and I was so pumped up to be performing again, I could hardly stand still before the performance. I'd also completely forgotten about my toe. The rehearsal went smoothly, aside from my amp. It was a rental I'd brought down from Chicago, and the tone I was getting was... not pleasant. It was totally lacking definition and instead of roaring like a man-eating tiger, it was kinda barking like a dog with laryngitis. I had a chance to shape and tweak it out a little more before clearing the stage, but I was still not thrilled with what was coming out. Solid state sucks.

We cleared the stage, and almost immediately, the audience began to file in. I went backstage to scrounge up some food from a vending machine -- the pre-concert meal was cheeze-on-wheat crackers and a package of meat sticks. Totally did the trick. I also had a chance to talk to some of the musicians (mostly about progressive concepts in stage attire), and I met Micah, a trombonist who had actually been at the world premiere of Chaos Theory at UNLV!!! Now THAT was trippy...

The concert started, and unfortunately, I wasn't able to hear their entire performance, but I heard a few really tight performances of a few particularly cool pieces: Old Home Days by Charles Ives, and Elfin Thunderbolt by Nancy Galbraith. Chaos Theory was the last piece on the program, and the entire piece ran on rails. The band was rock solid and played with great conviction. The audience ate it up, and were on their feet for a standing ovation. I'm also performing with them in February 2006, and I can't wait to rock the stage with them again!

A big thank you to Cory (high voltage), Bryan (de bass man), Micah (Go Rebels!), Cathy (you can quote me on that), Megan, Joshua, Zach, Brandon (bones), Brandon (de mallet man), Ron J., and Casey (de other bass man), Vince (thanks for the help with the sound check), and the rest of the musicians whose names did not deserve the fate of my sieve-like brain... and a HUGE thank you to Gregg Gausline for making this concert possible. See you all in February!!!

(BTW: On my way out to the lobby, I ran into Elmer, the university photographer. Hopefully I'll have more pictures soon... oh, and my toe is TOTALLY broken, and NOW IT REALLY HURTS!)