Quick Hits

Saw Skyfall today in San Juan. It's the new James Bond movie and it's getting rave reviews. I would have to say that the movie didn't really do it for me. I was pretty bored most of the time. No spoilers here, but, maybe this is a sign that I'm getting a bit old for action movies. Not so much old in age terms, but, I've seen so many formulaic action movies that I'm just not that entertained by them anymore. It's kind of like watching football for me. Unless I'm invested in one of the teams (University of Michigan or Detroit, for instance) I usually don't watch. It all seems the same to me. Maybe if I was more invested in Daniel Craig as Bond I'd be more interested. Where's Roger Moore when you need him?

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I may be turning into a beach person. I've spent two days in St. Maarten so far on this itinerary and they have been great. I normally don't enjoy the beach that much, but, for some reason it's starting to grow on me. I've just been enjoying getting out there swimming and hanging with friends mostly. The last time I was there I put on some sunscreen and soaked up some rays a little bit. The company does make it better. The folks on my ship like to hang out and have a good time. Also, the beach is in very close proximity to the bar…always a good thing.

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Speaking of bars...what is the deal with loud music in bars? It's really obnoxious. Usually there are very few to no people dancing and the DJ is behind his/her laptop listening to headphones. The DJ usually seems completely clueless to the environment in the bar. The rest of the patrons are sitting around screaming at each other to be heard. When the conversation inevitably falters (because it's just too much damn work to scream at someone sitting next to you to be heard) most people resort to "chair dancing" and just staring at each other. I'm not even complaining about the choice of music. I'm not a big fan of bar/dance music these days (that comes as a shock, I'm sure), but, even if it was Sonny Rollins it would be too loud.

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A friend of mine onboard just turned 38 years old over the weekend. I'll be 37 in January and he and I were discussing these "milestone birthdays" the other night. Here's where I'm at right now with the whole birthday thing: I don't feel old. It just seems that everyone around me is young.

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I'm not a big cigar person. I have one or two a year, usually on special occasions. They are fun to smoke sometimes, but, I almost always regret them the following morning when I wake up feeling like I licked an ashtray the night before. Doesn't seem to matter how many times I brush my teeth. The orchestra occasionally hangs out in the cigar bar onboard after easy gig nights. We were up there a few weeks ago and the guys were enjoying Trinidad (a Cuban cigar that Castro gifted to visiting diplomats) and Monte Cristo punched cigars. I also tried some fancy alcohol including: Glenfiddich 12, Glenlivet 12, and Remy XO cognac. It was pretty much a new experience for me and for that I'm grateful. However, is it wrong that I'd rather have chicken wings and beer?

Picture Post - St. Maarten Sail Away

From a Sail Away in St. Maarten. Enjoy!

Sail Away - St. Thomas

Years ago I watched a documentary movie about bodybuilders. These athletes are extremely disciplined regarding training and diet regimen when preparing for a show. Eating extremely clean diets with low fat, high protein, and lots of water helps them anticipate and prepare for the two minutes of flexing and posing on stage at the contest. In this movie, after the competition, many of the athletes gave themselves some celebratory time off and took themselves out to eat. Those meals generally consisted of huge steaks, baked potatoes with butter and sour cream, as well as dessert. I wouldn't call it binge eating really, just a big release after depriving themselves of that kind of comfort food for such a long time.

After the six day crossing of the Atlantic at the first sight of land we all acted like a bunch of bodybuilders after a show. Running off the ship as fast as we could to eat at restaurants and drink wine. In St. Maarten, we had a day off from work so we ended up going to the beach. This was, of course, accompanied by more eating and drinking. Today in St. Thomas, I went to the Shipwreck Tavern for a Shipwreck Supreme Burger. 

Spending six days in a row 'trapped' onboard a cruise ship seems like a really long time. It feels more like six weeks. I can understand our need to feel like having a 'cheat' day or two, but, this is getting pretty ridiculous. I'm looking forward to getting back on a little more planned diet and exercise plan.

Tonight I joined three other musicians from the orchestra (Beau - tenor sax, Chris Joodi - trumpet, and Sam - guitar) on Deck 13 for a the sail away from St. Thomas. They enjoyed cigars and we all had a drink while watching the sun set over the mountainous islands. It's very quiet up there. It's really hard to hear the engines. Very peaceful, really. Tonight it was surprisingly calm and there was very little wind. The conversation ranged from the best places to party and eat on the next run to the best locations for bargains on alcohol all the way to iPad video game ranks and high scores. This is all pretty much par for the course among my friends onboard. We're all basically living for today. It's part of the spoiled life of a cruise ship musician. Hey…every job has perks, right?

We were floating by the Marriott resort as the last rays of the sun were in the sky behind us. I could see the camera flashes from the balconies of the resort as people took pictures of the Adventure from their rooms. Kind of a neat role reversal. Here I am taking pictures of everything from aboard the ship and it never really occurred to me that people would want a picture of the ship I was standing on. Here are a few of the pictures that I took before I lost all daylight.

Land Ho!

After 6 straight days of sailing without land in sight, the Adventure of the Seas has finally finished the Atlantic crossing. Our first port of call in the Caribbean was St. Johns, Antigua on November 15. After drill in the morning and a noon rehearsal, I made my way off the ship. It felt great to be back on solid ground. I don't mind traveling by ship, but, that's a lot of days in a row to be trapped onboard. It's true, being 'trapped' onboard a luxury cruise ship could be much worse (especially with the prices in the crew bar), so I recognize that as a first world problem. However, it was so nice to be on solid ground I immediately hugged a tree!

Antigua is one of our regular stops, so, I'm sure I'll explore it much more thoroughly. Today, I just got a quick lunch and split a bottle of sweet white wine with a few friends. Nice to be back in (or at least close to) the Eastern Time Zone. Looking forward to cell phone service in the next couple of days.

Port-Oh-Feeno

I did not see myself here a year ago. A year ago I spent Thanksgiving with some friends in the Indianapolis area. My personal life had gone off the rails just a few months earlier and I was lucky to have so many people in my life to help me pick up the pieces. 

But, let's not rehash all that stuff. Lately I've been thinking about this quote:

"You know what the Mexicans say about the Pacific?"

"No."

"They say it has no memory. That's where I want to live the rest of my life. A warm place with no memory."

I thought about Thanksgiving 2011 with my good friends recently during a night off onboard. I usually work seven days a week onboard. I normally work at night and, as I've described in the previous post, the work can be pretty mentally taxing. By some happy accident, one of the entertainers onboard did not use the orchestra which gave us a night off. To celebrate this occasion we made reservations at the onboard Italian restaurant, Portofino. Cruise ships are famous for their cuisine and this evening didn't disappoint. I had the following:

Risotto al Gamberetti

Sauteed prawns atop creamy, saffron scented Aborio rice and a garnish of fried onions.

Insalata alla Cesar

Cesar salad.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

Char-grilled T-bone with fresh haricots verts (green beans)

Triamisu

Dessert served in a chocolate cup.

The meal was exquisite and accompanied by amazing Chilean red wine, terrific cold cheese with olives appetizer, and authentic, genuine company. Eight of the nine orchestra members were there and we had a great time. Lots of laughs, unparalleled food and service, and a wonderful respite from having to be on our best concentration for the evening.

Again, I did not see myself here at year ago. However, this meal reminded me of times at home spent with in good company with comforting food. I miss everyone at home very much. I miss having a life with direction very much. However, there are some times (and this was one of them) when I'm glad to be out here.

This is not the only time I've felt this way. It's just one of the times I've chosen to document on this blog. Suggestion: try to find time to break bread with close friends and cherish that. In my estimation, it's time and money well spent.

Sol Y Son

Grabbed lunch in Gran Canaria today at a Cuban Restaurant called Sol Y Son with some guys in the band. The food was OUTSTANDING and freshly made to order. I had black beans and rice, beef with peppers, salad, fried plantains, and something like a Hush Puppy or fritter. It was basically mashed potato stuffed with spicy beef and deep fried. Good and good for you, too!

There was also an interesting playlist of music during our lunch. I was expecting some son clave or cha cha, but, instead we got the following. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying.

Right Here Waiting - Richard Marx
All Night Long - Lionel Richie
Memories - Barbara Streisand
Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship (from the movie Mannequin...oh yeah!)
When A Man Loves A Woman - Percy Sledge
Easy - Lionel Richie
And I Love Her - The Beatles
Carrie - Europe

Pictures!

If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend checking this place out.

L to R: Joodi (2nd Trumpet), Kris (Musical Director/Drums), Beau (Tenor Sax), Yours Truly

The before pic.

The aftermath.

Picture Post - Lanzarote

I finally made the trek off the ship in Lanzarote. It's a small island just off the coast of West Africa. It's a long ride from the pier to the town(ish) area, so, I've hesitated getting off the ship until now. Wanted to make sure I at least saw some of the place before the crossing back to the Caribbean. My roommate Dustin and I got some coffee and listened to some music at a small cafe and then took a stroll around the canal. And, yes. I'm holding a miniature University of Michigan flip flop in my hand. It's part of a key chain gift from a good friend and another photo series that I'm doing and publishing on facebook called "Travels of the Michigan Flop."

Enjoy the pics!

We found a playground with black volcanic sand.

This piece of equipment doesn't seem entirely safe to me.

The Concentration Game

Of all the characteristics that a cruise ship musician must possess, I'm learning that one of the most paramount is the ability to concentrate. Have A.D.D.? Don't bother trying to play a cruise ship gig. I may not work many hours in the day, but, I can guarantee you that the work I do takes a combination of expertise, patience, versatility, and most of all concentration. Concentration is key.

There are several sets on the ship gig that repeat weekly. The music for the production shows, Captain's Cocktail Hour, and Big Band performances are roughly, or in the case of the production shows, exactly the same each week. However, on the bigger ships, another role played by the house orchestra is the back up band for various headliner acts. These acts are usually singers (though, sometimes multi-instrumentalists) with their own arrangements. We typically have one rehearsal in the afternoon around 5:00 pm followed by shows at 7:00 and 9:00 pm. Almost all of the time this is new music that the band has never seen before. We are expected to read it at the rehearsal and play as if we've been playing with the headliner for years at the concerts that evening.

Sight-reading has never been that big of a deal to me. I've developed the skill over the years through school and on the freelancing gig trail. It's challenging and fun to read music for the first time and to have the pressure of performing it well with very little rehearsal, but, that's not the toughest part of this. Even though playing music for a living is often fun and very rewarding there are times when we end up playing music I'm not that fond of. Some nights you're playing Motown's Greatest Hits. Some nights you're playing a Can Can Medley. As my friend says, "The gig road has many a strange turn."

This is where concentration comes in. Even if the music is easy to read, I still have to pay strict attention to what's going on. I mean, mistakes by horn players are pretty glaring. I have to make sure that I don't play in a rest or play a note out of the key signature. Even if the audience doesn't necessarily notice, my band mates will for sure. Then I'll have to pay a beer fine…and nobody wants that. Except the band, sorta. 

My point is, sometimes the hardest thing to do when reading these shows is concentrating for 50+ minutes and trying to be perfect musically. Rhythmic and note accuracy, intonation, and dynamics. Those are somewhat second nature to me at this point. The hard part is maintaining my focus for that long. Imagine playing catch with someone. Pretty easy, right? It involves a few different skills, but, it's not that hard. Now do it for 50 minutes without dropping a catch or making a bad throw. That's a somewhat lame, but, appropriate analogy.

Sometimes I think it's even harder as a horn player. Horn parts are often quite exposed. The icing on the cake. Lots of times the horn lines are the parts of the songs that people recognize. Can't mess those up or people really notice! As a horn player, we also usually have long periods of rests between our entrances in order to rest chops and to leave space for the singers. This is the most dangerous time. When you're resting, your mind wanders or you start watching the act and you make a mistake.

By the end of the night, I'm usually pretty tired. There is some physical fatigue with the amount of playing during the evening depending upon how taxing the shows are, but, most of the exhaustion is mental. This kind of 'brain' work is part of the cruise ship gig that is often overlooked. When I was playing a gig at Cedar Point, I played the same 22 minute show 6 times a day for 6 days a week. The first summer we stopped counting at 545 shows! That gig was all about the physical factor and keeping the show as fresh and exciting as opening night. This is different to be sure.

I guess what I'm saying is this: a lot of people assume that this job is 'easy' and 'fun' all the time. You know what? It is fun, but, there is actual work involved. And I've been training to do this work for all of my professional life. It's a difficult and a specific skill and I happen to be pretty good at it. That's rewarding in and of itself.

It's been real, Europe

When I told people back home about my itinerary for this run the general reception varied from excitement to envy. Most people tell me that they've "always wanted to" or it's one of their "dreams" to see Europe. For me, not so much. I have different dreams. Europe is not one of them. I've always believed that Europe exists and I never felt the desperate need to verify that belief with my own eyes. I've been here for two and half weeks now and I'm ready to leave.

Now, before you start getting all self-righteous and start mixing up an indignation cocktail about my take on Europe, consider that I completely understand that I haven't really 'seen' Europe yet. All I've done is been to a few islands off the coast of Spain and Portugal. I haven't been to Italy, France, Germany, the U.K., or any of the countless other famous and historic place to visit here. I'm just done with being uncomfortable and off my game. A short list:

1) I'm not comfortable with currency exchange. I never quite know how much money I'm spending here. As a bonus, when using my credit card there are extra fees and charges associated with being out of the States.

2) The language barrier is significant. Even though I speak a few words of Spanish, it's nowhere near enough to be communicatively competent. This issue reveals itself in the strangest places, for instance, the grocery store. I wandered around the laundry aisle for almost 20 minutes yesterday in search of dryer sheets. I never found them. Later I realized two things. First, because I couldn't comprehend the words written on the packaging or the recognize the names of various detergents, I couldn't zero in on what I was looking for. None of the American brands are sold here. I was having trouble distinguishing between various types of cleaners (don't even get me started on trying to locate Clorox wipes). Second, apparently in Europe dryer sheets are not used. People use liquid softener. Either that or they put up with huge amounts of static.

3) I'm on a completely different eating schedule. You can't go to lunch at 11:45 am here. Lunch joints don't even OPEN until 1:00 pm. Can you imagine a Burger King closed at noon in the States? Well, that's what you have here. I even have trouble locating coffee shops that are open for breakfast. So much for getting off the ship early for some WiFi and blogging. 

4) My cell phone doesn't work here. This one is largely my own fault, but, it's still frustrating. I haven't talked to Ted on the phone since I joined the ship. Getting calling cards has proven more difficult than I originally thought it would be. Plus, with the time zone difference, it's nearly impossible to Skype. 

In short, I'm SO ready to cross back to the Caribbean. American dollars, English speakers, Easter Standard Time. The works! The good news is, we start that this coming cruise. Here's the weird thing though: I'm considering extending my contract a couple months this coming summer. That will give me the opportunity to cross back over the Atlantic with the ship and see some ports in England, Rome, Nice, and Barcelona. How's that for a dichotomy, eh? I can't seem to tell if I'm coming or going these days.