Last day in Fairbanks

I am writing at 1am in Fairbanks with the sun still filling the sky.  I am aware that it is cliche to talk about this aspect of things here but it is really hard to get used to.  I am now prepared to depart in the am for the trip to Denali.  I go a view of the mountains today from Faribanks.  Wow!!!  It has been raining for 4 straight days at the site where we will play.  We are also down one ATV which could prove troublesome for getting our stuff in and out...  Very excited and curious.  

Today was the last day of rehearsal.  I love to rehearse.  We had a great day of prepping and planning the music.  I have yet to get the hang of the cameras.  I am good at ignoring them but bad at making camera ready stories.  Steve and John are much more natural.  I hope to get more comfortable as things progress.

All for now.  This could be the last post for a while.  We are going far off the grid for the next 48 hours.  This will easily be the biggest wilderness excursion I have had.  

PS We saw a moose today and on charged at one of the crew members yesterday. She is fine.  The moose ran right past.  Exciting.

After Day 1

So, day one of JLA Alaskafest is done.  We spent the day filming and rehearsing.  We are musically in great shape.  It is really fun to be up here playing with great people that I admire very much.  In this pic, you see Steve Schick (doing his best to be dressed in Alaskan casual) as well as Peter, Roger, and Takahashi from the movie crew.  

We did our best to have as normal a rehearsal as possible considering the circumstances.  I have no idea what the film crew is hoping to get from us or what the "plot points" that the guys are hoping to capture.  So far, things are mostly focused on rehearsal and what "brilliant" things we might have to say about the music.   They have yet to capture us hanging at dinner or baseball games.  I have mostly just been extoling the virtues of the "green" mallets over the "yellow ones" or talking about the finer points of ones elbow positioning when I realize that a camera man is in my face.  I think this will change as we go to our location in the tundra.

For now, rehearsing in a concert hall and schlepping gear in a college.  That is really what I seem to do best (or at least most often...)

JLA in the New Yorker

Hi again,

Here is a link to the recent article about John Luther Adams in the New Yorker.  It is a really great piece about him.  Check out the article if you are curious.

In AK

I am in AK and have already had quite a time.  This sunny view above was taken at 11pm just before I fell over for the night.  As everyone who comes here says, it is really disorienting. It was also amazing to land in Fairbanks.  I literally did not see a road or a human structure in my entire approach.  I reminded me that I am really in the middle of nowhere.  I thought I lived in the middle of nowhere in New Hampshire.  I am wrong about that. 

 I went to a baseball game for the Fairbanks Goldpanners last night with most of the group that I am working with.  I was one day too late to see the big Midnight baseball classic that brings out a few thousand fans.  Last night, we were directly behind home plate with a couple of hundred regulars.  One of the biggest regulars is JLA, the composer that is the reason for this trip.  He has the best seat in the house and can be found there at any home game.  

Today is down to work.  We have rehearsal all day and have a production dinner/ filming opportunity tonight.  This is going to be fun.

Here is a pic from the game last night.  It was taken at 9:30 pm.

Here I Go

So, I am entering the world of the blog...  I am sitting in a Northwest Airlines Wolrd Club in the Minneapolis/ St Paul airport and have somehow decided that this was the time to start writing.  I am in the middle of a 7 hour layover with very little to do before boarding a flight to Fairbanks.  I am heading to AK to play some music of Alaskan composer John Luther Adams.  I am really psyched to get there to see some great mountains and play with some amazing musicians.  I am playing with Rob Esler, Steve Schick, Lisa Tolenino, and Morris Palter.  I have been friends with Rob for 10 years and have been a superfan of Steve's for at least that long. It is going to be really fun.  More details will follow.  

Here is a pic from my first blog attempt:

I am now off to suck down coffee and watch as many episodes of "The Wire" as I can stand.

More from Fairbanks...