Lettuce Field Trip

An Evening with Brad Ellis

        Last week, Charlotte and I had the opportunity to go see Brad Ellis perform with the UMBC Wind Ensemble. For those of you who don't recognize the name, Brad played Brad the piano guy and was the accompanist for Glee, both on and off screen. At the concert we got to see him perform delovely and a song about the joys of Burbank. He also accompanied two of the vocalists from the college, one of whom sang Nothing from A Chorus Line. Following that was by far the funniest piece of the night, the same events told from Mr. Carp's point of view. A Chorus Line was one of my favorite shows in high school, and seeing the perspective of a teacher who has a student who refuses to participate in class was hilarious. Next was a piece composed by Brad himself, but before I talk about that, I want to mention the final piece, Rhapsody in Blue. This is a band standard, but Brad played it expertly. It was truly a joy to see how talented he is on piano, in a piece that really allowed him to show off. 

               
          The most enjoyable part of the evening was the world premiere of McMurphy's Reeder, for Oboe, Piano and Wind Ensemble, composed by Brad. I am an oboe player myself, so getting to see this was extra special. One of the things I desperately wanted in college was to play a jazzy oboe solo, since I think the expressiveness of the instrument lends itself well to the genre. The minute Trevor, the soloist, started playing blues and swing rhythms, I was ecstatic. The piece was so much fun to listen to, as well as really showing off the oboe's range. At this point I need to give a shout out to Trevor, who currently plays with the President's Own, who's masterful performance truly brought the piece to life. After the performance, we got to go backstage and meet Brad. He was very gracious, and we got to talk to him about music and performance, and even a little bit about the podcast. We got our programs signed, and our pictures taken. It was a night to remember.

We would like to thank Brad for his time, Trevor for his talent and the students and staff of UMBC for bringing such a wonderful program right to our backdoor.

  

Lettuce Go Out For A Drink!

Last weekend, Tori and I had the pleasure of making a trip up to Manhattan, NY. We did a number of the classic tourist activities: wandered around Times Square/Midtown, saw a show (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - highly recommended!), and ventured out to Brooklyn to go to a niche nerd culture bar.

If you've ever wanted to have a night out, but still enjoy the comforts of nerd culture that you can find at home The Way Station is for you! I first learned about this bar from a Buzzfeed article: 19 Bars in America You Should Drink At Before You Die. Though The Way Station caters to several nerd fandoms, it is largely a Doctor Who themed bar. The bathroom is a freaking TARDIS, y'all. A TARDIS! There is plenty of Doctor Who themed decor and even a list of Doctor Who cocktails- mostly variations on the classic screwdriver. I had the pleasure of drinking a 10th Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver and an 11th Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver while Tori enjoyed a Captain Jack in addition to her 10th Doctor. If you're a Harry Potter, The Simpsons, or Indiana Jones fan there is a cocktail for you, too!

While we had delicious drinks, Tori and I got to experience some pretty sweet music. It was Sci-Fi Night at The Way Station which I would assume it kind of always is, right? But Sci-Fi Night on April 4th meant four "far out" music acts. We only saw the first act, a one-man electronic band called Unigen. He was equipped with a laptop and an elaborate musical rig that he called The Jetpack, though he was taking suggestions for a new name. The Jetpack was attached to Unigen via a backpack with a seatbelt and it held a tray to his front that had a small two-octave keyboard and several soundboards. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about soundboards or other sound equipment, so it's (highly) possible that I am using this term incorrectly. All I can say is that these mystery soundboards looked like several Lights Out game boards next to each other and they created different tones, sound effects, and pitches when pressed. 

Unigen was a very enthusiastic performer and seemed like a swell dude, too. His musical stylings were akin to Daft Punk and/or The Postal Service. Both Tori and I thought the show was pretty cool and the music was catchy as hell. Unigen has a knack for a good hook. We continually confirmed to one another that we were happy to have lucked into not only a fun and nerdy bar experience, but also some cool music to boot!

Thanks for the good time, NYC! Until next time...

-Laura

The Way Station
Unigen on Facebook