Another night of Motown

Royal Caribbean really loves its Motown tribute bands, and since joining the Voyager last year I've played for my fair share of them. Its always the same songs, sometimes arranged by the same guys back in the states. This week we backed up Spectrum, a motown band with 4 guys (the average). They are really one of the better groups: entertaining, professional, and singing in tune (this doesn't always happen). They are also really easy to work with, and their charts make sense as far as we're concerned as horn players. The trick in writing for our size of band is to neither over nor underuse the horn section, a balance they've figured out pretty well. Another trick is not to write for the brass as if we were string players, with whole charts of long sustained whole notes that only serve to wear us out and don't use our punch capacity effectively. Treat us like a brass section please, and thank you! This motown show also goes by really quickly since Spectrum don't leave much downtime between charts, there are a lot of segues, and we are always on our toes. If you have to play a motown show, Spectrum is a good one to do. Tomorrow the rest of the band will back up an entertainer known as Bowzer, about whom I've heard all sorts of horror stories. Lucky for me, he doesn't use the trombone, so I only have to play the late big band set at the end of the night after the show. Another week in the life!

3,2,1, Hawaii!

Today I started a new workout regemin with the production cast. My friends in the cast have been on my case to start doing it with them, and now that I've just about kicked this cold I've had, I felt my excuses had run out. The workout routine is called Insanity. I think it needs no further explanation. Keeping up with professional dancers is pretty much impossible, but it is also hugely motivating. You don't want to be the one who gives up an exercise first, so you push yourself....needless to say, I'm exhausted. But I am looking forward to really getting into shape alongside them.

Yesterday I had a great day in Victoria. First, I saw "Hubble", an educational IMAX film. It was so incredible - I highly recommend it. If you was a refresher on just how inconceivably huge and beautiful God's universe is, this is a great film to see. The IMAX experience of a six-story screen doesn't hurt either, and was very appropriate to the subject matter. Second, I tried a new waffle place, and had a delicious savory waffle with brie, sliced pear, and bacon on it. Wow. Third, I got a hair cut. My hair is once again shorter than its ever been. It was a little terrifying to feel so much of my hair being cut off, but I'm really loving it. Maybe I've discovered my "true" hairstyle?? Or maybe this sleek new me will eventually want to return to the comfort and time honored tradition of the long hair I always used to have....I may yet grow it back out. But new is definitely fun.

My roommate Monica and the rest of the new cast have now finished all of their safety training, and today were assigned their new emergency numbers and emergency duties. Most of them are in Muster stations, as I am. Or should I say, was. Since today marked a lot of changes in the numbers, and there are a few allocated "entertainment/musician" emergency numbers that aren't required to participate in the guest drill, we were able to switch things around a bit. Thanks to my friend Beau (tenor sax) who is dating the dance captain and was able to reassign a few of our numbers through her (including his own), I now no longer have to do the guest boat drill. I cannot tell you how happy a day this is for me. Passenger boat drill is usually one of the necessary evils of my job, and thanks to some harmless meddling on Beau's part I no longer have to do it! Hooray! I told him I would love him forever. The neatest thing about it was that it didn't occur to me to ask for this, he was proactive and surprised a few of us with this unexpected release from a tedious job. Thanks, Beau! My embarkation days are so much nicer now....