That's a Wrap: In The Heights

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I had the pleasure of playing the drum book for In The Heights at Mepham High School on Long Island. My good friend and former PitchBlak band mate, Brian Lotze, is the band director there. He put together a pit consisting of both pros and some extremely talented high school students.

When I was in high school, I played in the pit for every high school musical. I also played professionally in the local summer stock, Cumberland Theatre. While I think I would've been able to stumble through the book for ItH, I really doubt I would've been able to do it justice. It is extremely demanding but very well written (no slashes!). I am thankful for the years I played in the Latin ensemble in college and for all the setup pics in the Musical Theater Facebook group! I really hope to play the show again, sooner than later so these Latin chops don't wear off 🤣

Double pedal at a synagogue? Oh sure!

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Finally, a practical reason to use my double bass pedal! I reversed the action of the slave pedal so I could sit comfortably on the cajon (well, as comfortable as a cajon can be when you're sitting on it for approx. 6 hours) and not have my leg in the way if I wanted to play the cajon with my hands. It worked out nicely! This page helped me modify the pedal.  

This was for a women's seder on Long Island. The ensemble consisted entirely of women, about 15 of us. It was a beautiful experience! 

Teching the Grinch

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Tech week for this year's production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas took place at the Stanley Theater in Utica. What an amazing venue! 

Scenes from PB x PM

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The PitchBlak x Pharoahe Monch show at Duke University was a resounding success. Here are a few shots from the the trip. I love Durham so much and have been there many times, but it was my first time seeing the Duke campus. It is quite lovely, but GO TERPS!