So I got a really, REALLY awesome gig recently with a contracted orchestra in Orlando. A friend from college has asked me if I wanted to play with The Who. When she initially asked, I thought she meant covers of them, or maybe even accompanying a cover band. I didn't know she meant the actual Who! Even writing about it makes me feel disbelief. I of course responded immediately and said I would love to be part of the shows (the shows are in September, but the rehearsals were last week.) I had reached out to a few folks down in SoFla since I used to go there quite a bit, but ended up staying in a really cute Airbnb since I have no friends anymore jkjkjk
The room itself had a very cute Moroccan vibe. I was trying to save money, so I brought a cooler of food with me (since the per diem was rolled into the amount we'd be making for the performances and rehearsals.) I wish I had had time to write while I was there since it was tropical yet somehow refreshing (though I'd prefer the woods over the beach any day) and felt like a nice reset from the madness the week before.
My place was about 10 minutes from the rehearsal space, a place called G Star Studio Productions. I had never been there before, but apparently it's also a performing arts school. Many touring acts stop there for rehearsals, since the spaces are completely loaded to mimic full sound stages. They tested the lights on Saturday before everyone else had checked in, which was cool to see.
Schedule:
Wednesday, May 1, 2019 10:30AM CALL 11AM - 2PM REHEARSAL Thursday, May 2, 2019 10:30AM CALL 11AM - 2PM REHEARSAL Friday, May 3, 2019 10:30AM CALL 11AM - 2PM & 3PM - 6PM REHEARSALS Saturday, May 4, 2019 1:30PM Call 2PM - 5PM REHEARSAL
I wanted to make sure I'd have enough time to hang out with people, so I tried to make a schedule around the above schedule - MUST WORK ALL TIME, NO LEISURE FOR PEASANT. The first round of rehearsals was focusing on tricksy rhythms. That always seems like the most difficult part of sigh treading to me- getting more unique or more complicated rhythmic fuck ups out of the way on the first day so that you can retain them thereafter. I'm more accustomed to playing modern rhythms, though I don't often see them notated in actual sheet music - I normally just play by ear. That's something that helps a lot when playing rock or pop music in an orchestral setting. Though we weren't graced by anyone from the band the first day, it was nevertheless exciting. I tried to sneak some pictures of gear and the set-up.
That evening, I recorded with a Ukrainian cohort in Pompano at his home studio. Besides shooting the shit for the first time in person and obsessing over Nikki Glaser, we got the first part of a song down with me on vocals. Though I'm not Ariana Grande, I've been working on some tunes that might see their cover debuts in a local coffee shop. Or maybe I should find the time to find time. Either way, it was fun to be able to flex vocally even if I wanted to get more done. Hopefully we can finish the track soon!