Newport, VT

I was also without camera for our performance in Newport, but found it just in time to take this picture of one amazing blueberry pancake I enjoyed right before we left town. It is from the Brown Cow and was simply scrumptious! 

Newport was such a pretty area and the scenery in Vermont was gorgeous. The people were so nice and enthusiastic about our concert as well! 

Potsdam, NY

So for the past few days I've been very upset because I thought I lost my camera. That would make updating the blog difficult, and I really did not want to have to spend the money to get another. Fortunately, I found it hidden in one of my shoes, tucked into my suitcase! 

So I'm back to blogging, but I wasn't able to get any pictures from our Potsdam concert. I am putting up these two awesome shots that Rob McIver captured. I thought I would also take the opportunity to plug his site: 

http://gallery.mac.com/rob.mciver

His work is absolutely amazing!! Everyone should look for him on Facebook under Robert McIver Photography. 

This shot is me talking to some audience members after the show. One of the fun parts about soloing is that you get to mingle and have fun with the crowd after we are done playing.  

Rome, NY

Sunday was a very special matinee concert at Rome's historic Capitol Theatre. This venue was absolutely gorgeous. It made me feel like I was on an old-time Vaudeville stage. That being said, it was definitely one of the more challenging places for us to set up the band's equipment. The ramp we had to use for unloading was extremely steep and the slush on the ground made it slippery and dangerous. Of course, the crew worked together and made it happen.  Here is a picture of the audience waiting to hear our show. The place was packed, including the balcony! 

Things were very crowded on the stage. Here you can see Scott trying to reconcile sitting so close to the trumpets. He is probably trying to figure out how he's going to pick up his tuba without knocking something over. 

Before our show there was an organist who played a great set of fun music. It definitely added to the nostalgic vibe of the theatre. It was hard to get a good picture, but the organ is actually down in the pit below the stage. 

The crowd in Rome was so enthusiastic and supportive! It is starting to get colder now, and I'm getting a better taste of up-state New York. After the concert we had to get back on the road and drive all the way up around the Adirondacks to Canton, which is very close to Canada. It was a long day, but while it was still daylight the drive was beautiful. We saw deer and turkey and lovely snow-covered scenery- best viewed from the warmth of a vehicle in my opinion! 

Albany, NY

On Saturday we ventured to New York's distinguished capitol for an afternoon concert in "The Egg." I caught a picture of the skyline as we were driving in and you can see why that name is very fitting. It was a crazy place. Even the elevators were ovals. It was one of the more interesting buildings I have ever explored. 

So for this tour I am on the setup crew. We actually ride ahead of the tour buses and set up all the equipment the band needs for every concert. I haven't gotten many pictures of it because I'm usually REALLY busy when we are setting up. First the whole crew unloads both of our big trucks. Then I help set up the risers, put out the baffles (sound shields that sit in front of percussion), set up the podium & lecturn, and then assemble our Hooah Army Strong display. This quick pictures is one of the trucks backing up into The Egg's loading dock. 

The concert hall was huge (and egg-like). This is a shot from backstage.  One thing about this venue that was funny to me is that all the elevators had operators. Although it seemed like all they did was just push the buttons to take us to our floors, it was nice to have somebody to help orient us in that huge building. 

Sometimes there are some great props backstage. I might need this sign around day 30 of tour, but for now I'm having fun! 

After the concert was over we returned to the hotel and I enjoyed a night out with some of my buds. 

Pelham, NY

On Friday we headed to New York and gave a performance in Pelham. This was one of my favorite concerts so far because the audience was very enthusiastic. I love looking up from playing and seeing little kids waving American flags and dancing to the music! 

I had to catch up with this man, who was wearing an awesome tie with euphonium-like brass instruments on it.

The concert was held at Pelham Middle School. You know, in the Army we are all about acronyms and the Pelicans sort of have an unfortunate one. They were great hosts and the students that were featured with the band during the concert were really nice. 

I love the American Legion guys! Luckily for me, they are always willing to pose for pictures. 

Here I am with Chris and Scott, two of my favorite people!

I am enjoying New York so far. The people are very nice and have the best accents. The pizza's not bad either! It hasn't been as cold as I was fearing but we are heading Northward soon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the good weather holds up. 

Morristown, NJ

Well, I'm finally on the road again! We departed early Thursday morning from Fort Meade and made our way up to New Jersey. Here I am in the first of many tour hotel rooms. 

It was nice that our first stop was in a big concert hall, and the crowd was great! 

Chris and I were soloing that night- here we are posing for some pictures before the show started. 

I met some really fantastic people after the concert, particularly a fellow euphoniumist.  Just meeting somebody who knows what the instrument is can be a rare thing! 

This is what the band looks like from backstage. 

New Jersey Mini-Tour

Last week the Field Band went on a four day trip to New Jersey. These performances were technically our first leg of Spring Tour, but we were able to return to Ft. Meade for a week and a half before we head off on the long stretch this Thursday. 

Our concert on February 19th in Medford, NJ marked the first time I had the opportunity to perform in front of the Concert Band as a soloist. Technically I was part of a duet, as you can see from the picture. My section-mate, SFC Chris Sarangoulis, and I performed "The Fantastic Fast-Fingered Fandango" by Bruce Fraser. It was thrilling, albeit a tad nerve-wracking, to stand out front with such an amazing band playing with us. What a dream come true. Sometimes I still can't believe that this is my job and that I have incredible opportunities like this! This photograph was taken by Rob McIver. 

We had some time to explore so I went to New York City! I had never been to NYC before and it really is overwhelming. So much to see and do. I didn't get a lot of pictures because my camera died. Some of the fun things I got to see were Madame Toussad's Wax Museum, Central Park, Natural History Museum, Times Square, and, of course, the always fun New Jersey Transit train. 

We had a particularly good docent at the Natural History Museum and I learned all kinds of interesting things about Neanderthal. 

Here is my friend Tim and I at a comedy club where we caught an early evening improvised troop act. It was hilarious and a great time 

Since we returned from NJ I've been packing up for the big tour, practicing, and surviving the cold. 

Today it snowed so much that the base was closed and we had to stay in from work. My friends and I decided to have some fun playing around in the powdery stuff. It is still pretty foreign to me. We leave for New York on Thursday. I'll be blogging from the road and will remember to keep my camera charged!