Update ^_^

I'm very sorry that it's been so long since any substantial update to the blog, it's been a fairly busy time for me, and I'm not quite done yet. So I'll just tell you what I've been up to recently.

Last weekend, I played with a 1st section band called Hebden Bridge in the Yorkshire Area Brass Band Championships, which was my first contest. It was a great weekend, and the band managed to get 2nd place, which means they qualify for the national competition later in the year! Even better than that, because of the results, the band is going to become a championship section band starting in 2011. I wish I could join the band as a full member, but unfortunately it's too much time out of my schedule and I can't commit. I do little enough practise as it is without losing another 2 nights...

Last week, I performed in a production of Sweeney Todd at King David High School, in Crumpsall, Manchester. It was a fantastic experience, if not slightly nerve-racking. Considering it was a school production, it was great, but on the 3 nights of the performance the actors on stage were... nervous. Cues missed out, lines missing, it was a nightmare for the orchestra at some points, but we pulled through. And both myself and the rest of the trombone section tanked it where needed. Which was pretty awesome.

I have decided that with these earnings, I am going to buy an alto trombone which will be very exciting. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of alto trombone stuff on YouTube or Spotify, but there is just one clip I want to show you... -> Alto trombone.

I haven't discovered any real gems recently, I've just been listening to the same old stuff. I do have one link for you, which you may or may not appreciate. I'm a bit of a nerd, and I have spent too much time over my teenage years playing in a darkened room playing Call of Duty 2 online, or Counter-Strike, or even World of Warcraft. I still do play a bit of WoW, but I haven't been able to since coming to uni :(

If you have ever played the game Eve-Online, you'll know that it has a fantastic soundtrack. The composer, RealX, is a cult hero in the Eve world, and he has produced some amazing stuff. Recently, I have been listening to his Live Set from 2006, from FanFest 06. I just leave it on in the background, and it just makes the time pass a lot quicker!

Anyways, I shall leave you to it. I will make an uber blog post during Easter, as I'm sure there are some golden nuggets of music I can talk about.

'til next time...

Thanks ~ The Jazzbone