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Speaking of jet planes…

Apr 14, ’09 7:46 AM

[Ed. note – I wrote this Sunday on the plane back from Charlotte, but forgot to publish it right away.]

Turns out that on an E190, the row of seats directly in front of the emergency row do NOT recline. In fact, they seem to be even more upright, if anything. So, if you like to doze on planes, don’t sit here!

As for my time spent with my parents, had a great time! Spent some time at the stables with my mom, helping a little bit more with their computers, then got in some horseback riding on Saturday. Definitely sore, but it was great; haven’t ridden in years. Thursday & Friday night was spent just hangin’ out watching movies; Thursday we just watched whatever was on, but Friday we rented Body of Lies from the iTunes Store, a great movie!

Saturday night was the best though: my friends Joe, Matt, Greg, Tim, Tom, & John, along with his wife Catherine, came over for dinner. My mom prepared steaks, fettuccine, salad, & shrimp which was delicious, & we popped open a bunch of great wine, courtesy of my father’s always excellent purchases. The last time I had a bunch of these guys together was on my 21st birthday, back in 2004, and it was even better this time! Everyone spilled in regards to their lives recently, which was great, as I haven’t caught up with a few of them in a while. Got a chance to hear my buddy Tom’s jury, as he had a DVD copy of it in his car, & the night was just filled with laughter. Hopefully, I’ll get to see each of them sooner rather than later, especially since a few of them are big on coming up for a Sox game!

Only thing that would have made it better is if Amber could have been there, but she’s kicking ass getting ready to graduate! She’s wicked excited that the end is in sight, & we’re looking for a job for her in Boston. Hopefully in biology/medicine (that’s her field), but with the job market as it is, any decent gig would be good for now. So if any of you silent readers (come on, comment already!) know of an opportunity, please get in touch with me.

Alright, now to try & doze some more in this damn seat.

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Matthew Sorensen, composer extraordinaire

Apr 7, ’09 8:18 PM

On March 28, 2009, my friend Matt Sorensen premiered his first orchestral work with the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra at Plymouth’s Memorial Hall. I had the pleasure of staying the weekend with Matt & his family at the house he grew up in. Our mutual friends from Berklee, Will Mitchell, Joe Koubek, Alison Batignani, & Vlad Ufimtsev were also in attendance, coming from as far as Atlanta!

Besides being a totally awesome reunion weekend for old friends who spent almost every waking moment together at Berklee, it was also really encouraging to Will, Joe, & myself, as we have not yet experienced success as musicians, but as Matt has proved, it’s definitely within reach.

As for the performance itself, the Plymouth Phil is no mere “community orchestra”, but definitely the equal all but the greatest of the world’s orchestras. I noticed especially the tubist was an exceptional performer, & as it turns out, he happens to be one of the best tubists in the world. So, it goes to show you never know where you might find magnificence…

Matt’s piece itself is a really spectacular work, & I highly recommend getting in touch with the Plymouth Phil to see about securing a copy of the recording they made of their performance this past March when it becomes available. The Boston Globe has a great article that describes the evening of music, and Matt’s piece in particular, really well, check it out here: Mathematical theory, music to intersect at Plymouth Philharmonic concert — The Boston Globe.

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Good Times™

May 10, ’08 12:44 PM

So the last week basically flew by; my sister’s graduation last weekend was awesome. Really great to see my family & since it was only the second time I’ve ever been to Salem, I finally got to meet all of my sister’s friends & hit the bar with all of them to celebrate. I’m really excited for my sis to move up to NYC though, it’ll be great to have her close by again for visiting & such.

Work is going as it should; my schedule remains the same which is absolutely amazing. Seriously, my boss is totally the coolest, always willing to work with me regarding hours & days off & such. So I continue to have Friday-Sunday off, the exceptions being weeks I needed Monday or Tuesday off (working on Friday those weeks.)

As for my social life, definitely a rockin’ weekend has already begun. Kicked things off Thursday night with the Video Game Music Club Band, hanging out here in my place drinking & enjoying each other’s company. Sadly, three of our members are leaving to head back to their home countries (Taiwan & Denmark) but we wished them well. Last night I hung with my new friend Emily, who is a totally awesome girl. And tonight I’m going to Lettuce with my buddy John Cooke. In case you don’t know, they’re probably the most ridiculously amazing horn funk band ever, right alongside Tower of Power. Sunday will be spent enjoying the great outdoors with a friend of a friend.

In case it’s not obvious, I’m trying to expand my circle of friends, as my closest ones moved away to pursue opportunities elsewhere. Still keep in touch with them, of course, but having friends here in town is vital.

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Musical Update

Aug 13, ’07 7:07 PM

So here’s an update on my musical life. John Cooke & I have begun a cover band, entitled The Common Good, made up of former members of Boston Common. As with any venture, much to do, but we’ve got some gigs happening, and some new booking is on the way as well. We’ve taken over the Thursday night slot at Paddy O’s for the time being, although once Jonnie reforms Boston Common, I have no doubt we may be competing for that gig.

As for Chet, Will & Joe have both moved down south to Atlanta, GA. They’ve both secured jobs at local recording studios, and I with them well, but no longer shall anyone be able to hear the dulcet tones of that which was live Chet. I am, however, closing in on creating the Chet album. Album title suggestions are welcome.

Amber moved out this past Sunday, which leaves me a bit lonely here in this place. The summer with her was wonderful, and of course there were ups & downs, but that’s just life. More ups than downs, for sure, and considering how small my place is (600 sq. ft.) we managed to fit everything quite well. Definitely need some more shelves though…

Last, but not least, is the Matt Germak Band. Matt’s been hectic with his education, as well a looking for a new day job, but we do have a gig in September in Bar Harbor, Maine. We’ll see how Matt’s life plays out.

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Recording some jazz

Apr 22, ’07 11:15 PM

My friend Adriane Yeager, a vocalist, is working on a 3 song demo of her jazz singing, & asked me to play some upright bass on the recordings, which is very cool, as I haven’t played any jazz in a while. Definitely be cool to get back in the studio with the big bass. I’ll post links to listen to the recordings when she gets them to me.

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