Hey everybody, it’s been a while since the last update, but for good reason… We have recently added some new members to the group, and have been busy getting ready for some big shows.
As of this latest tour through Nevada, Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, we took on two new members; Daniel Rosenboom and Mark Burroughs. Daniel has come in to fill the empty spot left by Brian Neal leaving the group. For those who know Brian, you know that he is an awesome musician and has brought a lot to the Dallas Brass table. However, he was recently offered a professor position at Miami Dade College, and accepted the position. This will keep him at home with his family much more, and let him focus on his bread baking and kambucha tea brewing. He will be greatly missed, but will surely make some cameo appearances in the future…
With that said, Dan has been filling Brian’s shoes nicely. He is a great player, and brings a wealth of variety and musical knowledge to the group. He is also a composer, and has some outside projects that are out of this world. Check out his groups; PLOTZ, Dr. Mint, and ThunderGrunt, to name a few. His website, www.DanielRosenboom.com to get an idea of what he is capable of! All around great guy, too, and also a big Batman fan.
On tuba has been Mark Burroughs, and he is an old friend of mine from back in the Blast! days. I met him while he was in rehearsals for the Pre-Broadway US tour with my younger brother, Ben. I later was in the US touring cast with Mark’s older brother, Ben. Read it again, it should make sense. Anyways, he brings a great feel to the bottom end of the group, and has a great sense of humor to match. In addition, Charlie has pointed out that he has a bit of a “Mad Scientist” laugh. You’ll have to meet him to decide for yourself…
As for the rest of the group, DJ is doing great, no new kids that we know about… yet. Although we’re never sure when he’s going to ramp 6 up to 7. Word on the street is that he is going to pull an Angelina Jolie and adopt several babies from third world countries. I’ll keep you updated.
Mike has been busy putting together a bunch of new pieces for the show. Which in no particular order include Slava, Yorkshire Ballad, What is Hip?, In the Stone, An American in Paris, and several others that you can expect to see in future shows. I forgot to mention an original piece composed for the group by our own Charlie Porter, entitled A Proclamation of Freedom. A great ride of a piece, and we hope you’ll get the chance to hear it soon.
As for me, I’m staying busy keeping the website current, playing accordion in my spare time, and hope to get out to the workshop this week to build some furniture before heading back out on tour next Tuesday. So come out and see the group, and I promise we’ll get some new entries up soon!
Jeff Handel
Percussionist, The Dallas Brass
