The Kennedy Center

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Looking forward to playing the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center this weekend. I'm happy that a lot of friends and family can make it to this one and am looking forward to the post-show hang! I just stumbled across this picture from my freshman year of college at the University of Maryland. Our student orchestra had the honor of performing alongside members of the NSO, including my teachers John Tafoya and Tony Ames (left). I remember playing Daphis and Chloe, but I'm not sure what else was on the program. I believe Emil de Cou conducted. 

Drum Setup: PitchBlak at Brooklyn Bowl

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As expected, playing Brooklyn Bowl was a total blast. The staff do a great job to ensure everything runs like a well-oiled machine. We played well and the Bowl made sure we ate and drank well, too. A fed musician is a happy musician!

Last night, my Roland SPD-SX got a lot of use. I used a kit for almost every song (often just to run a click) and it ran so smoothly because of the kit chain function. At soundcheck, I was able to load some WAVs via USB and edit them and assign them internally. I really can't recommend an electronic device more highly. The possibilities are endless!

Horseplay: The Musical

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I'm very excited for the first full staging of Mitch Kess's new musical, Horseplay, which opens Friday, Aug 9 as part of the 2013 New York International Fringe Festival. I first met Mitch playing on his show, The Deciders (which was a part of the Fringe in 2008), and we have been working out the music (which totally rocks) for Horseplay over the last two years. We start tech at La Mama tonight. You can get tickets here.