Hi there Po'Fans!
Erik here. It's been a while since I sat down to give you all an update. I'm so sorry! The band's taking a much-needed and deserved vacation. It was only supposed to be through the holidays, but then work started piling up with other projects and, well...you know.
TJ is getting ready for his comps. He's working toward finishing his Doctorate at Eastman and has literally been in the books for quite some time now. Nick is getting ready for the big move to NYC. That's right! Nick is heading out to the city this summer to take a shot at the Big Apple. CT is busy working for the rights of freelance musicians in Rochester, creating awareness and a sense of community through the Rochester Freelance Musician's Forum on Facebook. Mike, CVH and Evan continue to work their butts off with their various jobs, projects, etc.
As for me, I'm in the middle of my third year of study at Eastman and am enjoying work with other things. I wrapped up a tour with the Eastman Wind Ensemble this past December where we played at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago in front of over 4,000 music educators, performers and students. It was a wild experience! Totally different vibe from a PBBB show, but still just as electrifying. I played bass trombone for that tour...something I'm still working on and enjoying. Who knows, there might be a PBBB tune in the future with me on the big horn....
So with all this change and work, what's happening with the band? Well, taking time off is a very healthy thing for a band. It gives you time to reflect on the positives, and the things that need room for improvement. Once you have the time to clear your head and think about it all, it helps clear your head and see the way forward a little more clearly.
The first and most important thing is we've realized how much we love playing together. And for that matter, we absolutely love our fans. You guys make what we do so enjoyable! We have had a bunch of really excellent shows lately and we want to keep that going. We're changing up some things on the business end that will make what we do a little easier and fun.
So when's the next PBBB gig? We're not looking to book anything this winter. We're going to start things back up here with a series of rehearsals aimed at one thing: new music. We'll continue to meet and build up new material throughout the winter and come out this summer swinging hard. We're happy to announce that we'll be going back to the Rochester International Jazz Festival this year. We will also be returning to the Geneseo Summer Concert Series in July.
A lot more than that is in the works, but too early to announce anything just yet.
Whew! Okay, glad I finally sat down and did this. We can't thank you all enough for sticking with us and showing so much love! We're constantly humbled with the support we receive from you. We like hearing from you! Please don't hesitate to let us know what you think! Drop us a line sometime!
Best,
ej
