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Tag Archives: Piedmont Wind Symphony

Friend Friday or: King of the Wind

17 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by TGBII in Friend Friday, Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

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Arts, Beethoven, City of Arts and Innovation, Friend Friday, Friends, Matthew Troy, Piedmont Opera, Piedmont Wind Symphony, Podcasting, Rodgers and Hammerstein, The King and I, The Less Desirables, The Less Desirables Network, Winston-Salem Symphony, WSNC, WSNC Arts, WSNC Business

Salutations™!!

Remember when you used to do the #FF on Twitter just a few years back? It stood for Follow Friday or Friend Friday (according to who you asked) and as far as I can tell, no one really does that any longer and whilst I’ll admit I was slack on that on Twitter, I will also say that Twitter isn’t my main social media platform and I just didn’t do it. But, I think it was a good idea and I’d like to pick that back up, except do it here on this blog.

I have a slew of friends that are interesting folks. They may have businesses, they may be musicians, they may just be eclectic as heck, whatever! I just think they need to be highlighted more because they bring awesomeness to the world and we’re lucky to have them here in WSNC.PWS

—
This week, on The Less Desirables, we had Monique Ferrell Smith and Anthony Tang, the Executive Director and board of directors member, respectively, of the Piedmont Wind Symphony on as our guests.

The Piedmont Wind Symphony, now in its 30th season, is led by Musical Director and Conductor, Matthew Troy. Maestro Troy is not only a very talented conductor and musician but he’s just a great dude. His cast of musicians is based on wind instruments and other than a few outliers here and there, the Piedmont Wind Symphony has no stringed instruments.

PWS logoThe PWS started in 1990 when Rob Simon put together a group of musicians, that included educators and students, to perform compositions for wind instruments and ensembles. Simon was the man on the platform for many years. Matthew Troy came along in 2015, after a stint as the Associate Conductor with the Winston-Salem Symphony from 2009-2014.

As I said, this is their 30th season and already this season they have had two fantastic shows. The first was Along the Silk Road in September. It featured music from Pakistan, India, Korea and China as well as some Puccini and one of my favorite classical composers, Camille Saint-Saens. There was also a musical story that was recited, but I can’t remember the narrator’s name.

The next event was this past November when they presented Chaplin Meets Sousa featuring some bombastic selections from the march-master, himself, John Phillip Sousa and Maestro Troy and his cast also provided the music for two Charlie Chaplin shorts, The Immigrant and The Adventurer. 

I call Matthew Troy a friend and I have to say that just watching him conduct this ensemble is as much a spectacle as a rock concert can be. He is always energetic, fun, and brings majesty from those he conducts. They have fun with him and you can tell. As I told Monique, I had the whole seat but I only need the edge of it when watching him. I’ve never been a Sousa fan but the November show changed that. You can feel emotion and dynamics with your ears.

Next Friday, January 24, PWS will hold their annual fundraising gala with the theme of “It Happened One Night” and even though we’re heading into the “roaring 20s,” PWS is bringing the 30s (because of their 30th season, get it?) and the film It Happened One Night is from 1934. This means that 30s-inspired attire is expected as well as other theming. The gala will be held at the Millennium Center in downtown WSNC. Tickets are $125 per person and will include food, fun and frolic. And, there will be beer and wine, as well.

You can purchase your tix by visiting here.

Now, you know I feature my sponsors on here, a good bit. Well, this is different. In this instance, I am the sponsor. I am a media sponsor so it is my job to promote them, but this is an honest and heartfelt (and was not asked to make it) recommendation.

—
Are you familiar with Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King & I? It’s a musical that is based on Margaret Landon’s book Anna and the King of Siam. It’s also the presentation from Piedmont Opera that is coming in March. PO logo

Piedmont Opera has been an advertising client of The Less Desirables for a few years, now. PO has a few years on Piedmont Wind Symphony. Where PWS started in 1990, PO started in the late 1970s by Norman Johnson. It’s in its 41st season now.

According to their website, “Piedmont Opera produces the highest quality opera productions possible by using international, national, regional and local professional singers and technicians.”

I remember the first time I went to the opera. I was a senior in high school and the chorus class went to see The Marriage of Figaro. I drove and took a friend of mine with me. It was one of the first times I ventured downtown, too. I really enjoyed seeing the production. They did it in Italian (I think) and then they did this “rewind” thing and then did it in English. After the show, my friend and I went to my car and because she didn’t know you had to lift the handle to lock the door, it wasn’t locked and someone was able to get into my truck and steal my stereo and cassettes. That sucked but the opera experience was great. The last one I saw, Tosca they actually had subtitles so you could understand what was going on.

PO KingThe Piedmont Opera has now done over 48 different productions to an audience of over 150,000 people. I hope to have someone from PO to talk about The King & I in early March.

If you are thinking that you have to “dress up” for either the PO or PWS, think again. Both are more concerned with your butts in the seats than how fancy you can dress. Not, that you’re discouraged from dressing up. By all means, knock yourself out. It’s just not necessary.

Both PO and PWS, along with about 40 other arts organizations in WSNC/Forsyth County are participating in the year-long event, “Beethoven Rocks Winston-Salem.” You know I’ll be talking more about that over the next year. This is a big deal because this year would have been (in my best Alex de Large voice), Ludwig Van’s 250th birthday. So, you’ll hear Piedmont Opera doing Beethoven’s Fidelio along with the Winston-Salem Symphony and Piedmont Wind Symphony will be doing “Extreme Beethoven” from Johan de Meij in their concert in March.

You can purchase tix to the Piedmont Opera’s The King & I here.

As I mentioned, Piedmont Opera is an advertiser and thus I may get compensation from them, however, this is, again, an honest and heartfelt (and was not asked to make it) recommendation.

I hope you’ll visit my friends soon, not just Fridays, and help local businesses and local business owners and hey, you can get good beverages and delicious pies! Thanks for reading about my friends.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Our Vision is to be the finest opera company of our size in the nation and acknowledged as the best at what we do.” – Piedmont Opera

Spinning Sunday or: The Haul – Black Friday Edition

01 Sunday Dec 2019

Posted by TGBII in Records, Spinning Sunday

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Ace Frehley, Cheap Trick, Discogs, Frehley's Comet, Heart, Jeff Buckley, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, John Coltrane, John Linnell, John Philip Sousa, Karla Bonoff, KISS, Marty Balin, Music, National Geographic Society, Paul Young, Piedmont Wind Symphony, Record Store Day, Records, Streetband, The BCPF, The Rolling Stones, They Might Be Giants, Underdog Records

Salutations™!!

I had told Jonathan that The BCPF and I wouldn’t be coming to Underdog Records for the Record Store Day – Black Friday event, and technically, we weren’t there at the opening for the bum-rush doorbuster event, but we did wait until about noon and went by and the store had settled down. We still found pretty much all we would have gotten had we gotten there in the wee hours of the evening, which surprised us. If this had been the April version of RSD, I would have camped out and been one of the first three in the line and in the door. But, since we went on Friday and spent a good bit of money we didn’t go on Saturday, so this reflects Friday and two that I got on Wednesday. Here ya go:

190759783115

©Epic/Legacy

  • Cheap Trick – Are You Ready? Live 12/31/1979 — This is supposedly an infamous show from The Forum in Los Angeles, New Year’s Eve 1979. The “supposedly” is the infamous part. The hype sticker states it’s from a few different mixes and the first few songs in the set are really crappy production. The sonic quality picks up after the first little bit. Robin Zander’s voice, which I’ve always found strong was a bit shaky in some spots, too. I think they had played a few shows before and he needed a break. Still, it sounds pretty good overall; lots of energy. It was an RSD exclusive, limited to 3500 copies worldwide, and I picked up the last one that Jonathan had. 2xLP. New.
  • John Linnell – State Songs — One half of They Might Be Giants, John Linnell, plays a lot of original songs about 15 different states and one about all 50. I’m a fan of TMBG but sometimes they’re a bit much for me to take. I think this is good for comedic purposes but overall? I didn’t really think it was that great. RSD exclusive, first time on vinyl on green-marbled wax, limited to 1500 copies worldwide. New.
  • Frehley’s Comet – Live… — Not to be confused with Live+1 that came out in 1988, which was recorded in Chicago in 1987 and had two live KISS tunes (Ace’s) and two live from Frehley’s Comet’s self-titled debut and one studio demo track. This was recorded in March 1988 in London and has all the live tracks from the previously mentioned EP along with “Cold Gin” and “Shock Me.” This also had Jamie Oldaker playing drums instead of Anton Fig. A really good sounding recording. I don’t know how many more songs they did and if these were the only ones that made it, or if he only did six songs…? RSD “first,” limited to 2700 copies worldwide, first time on vinyl; orange. New.
  • Jeff Buckley – Live At KCRW: Morning Becomes Eclectic — I will say again that when the world lost Jeff Buckley, we lost a true musical genius and talent. His ability to jump his voice from heavy to heavenly at the drop of a hat was amazing. This EP has five songs done at KCRW sometime in the 90s. RSD exclusive limited to 3750 copies worldwide. New.
  • John Coltrane – A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters — #47 on the RS list, this is a 3xLP reissue from 2015 that I purchased on Wednesday. Coltrane is a “local boy done good.” He was born in Hamlet, NC in the south-central part of the state and grew up in High Point, just down the road from WSNC. This version includes the original album, a quartet session and a sextet session. Good stuff. VG+.
  • The Rolling Stones – Love You Live — Love You Live was recorded on the “Tour of Americas” from 1975, the “Tour of Europe” in 1976 and from the El Mocambo nightclub concert venue in Toronto in 1977. It was overdubbed and mixed from late May to mid-June 1977. So, I didn’t think they could have done that good of a job live. But, the final result was pretty good considering it is the Stones and it is a “live” album. VG+.
  • Heart – Greatest Hits / Live — This is a compilation album of greatest hits, live recordings and new tracks released in 1980. I like Heart. I’ll probably like this. VG+.
  • Streetband Featuring Paul Young – Streetband Featuring Paul Young — I get the feeling that this was a record company money grab as it “features” Paul Young. This is before “Every Time You Go Away,” before “Come Back and Stay,” even before the Q-Tips. His time in Streetband wasn’t very long in the late 1970s. But, he has a great voice, let’s hear how this works out, eh? 2xLP. VG+.
  • Marty Balin – Balin — The other LP that I picked up on Wednesday. Every time I hear “Hearts,” I think of my friend Jim Young. I really don’t know why other than we once had a conversation about it. Same with “Personally” from Karla Bonoff. But, this, Balin’s debut solo album after Jefferson Starship, has “Hearts” and it was only $2 and was in NM condition, although I give the outer sleeve VG++.
  • John Philip Sousa – The Music Of John Philip Sousa On Parade — We say the Piedmont Wind Symphony do Sousa songs early last month and we never knew how much style was in those marches. I thought of them as being boring but one we saw it live, I can’t say that any longer. The BCPF picked this one out. It’s from the National Geographic Society. VG+.

Jonathan said that the Record Store Day – Black Friday Edition was a success, even more than he expected. He did a great job getting it all set up and we are all thankful that he provides us record collectors with a “candy store” we can be proud of. Underdog Records has a good selection of used stereo equipment for sale and don’t forget gift certificates, they come on old 45s. Listen to each new episode of The Less Desirables to hear the TLD/UR special of the week/month. Also, use Discogs to track your music collection no matter the format (other than digital and maybe even then).

Until tomorrow, keep spinnin’…
Scorp out!

—
“Hearts can break and never mend together. Love can fade away. Hearts can cry when love won’t stay forever. Hearts can be that way.” – “Hearts” (Barish)

A Hiatus or: Just a Bit

12 Tuesday Dec 2017

Posted by TGBII in Food, Life as We Know It, Podcasting

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Tags

Danielle Bull, Eugene B Sims, Fan Interference, Jon Lowder, Jordan Keiper, Matthew Troy, Paul Jones III, Piedmont Wind Symphony, Sipping NC: The Art of Drinking, The Beer Dads, The Less Desirables, The Less Desirables Network, The Man Who Ate the Town

Salutations™!!

I wanted to take a few seconds to tell you about what is going on with The Less Desirables Network.TLDNetwork

Sipping NC: The Art of Drinking has been on hiatus for a few months now, due to a health issue in Jordan’s family. He’s dealing with that and we’re still off until further notice.

The Beer Dads Podcast is going to be on hiatus until at least January and possibly into February. Beer Dad Paul started a new day job and he needs a little time for training and assumption of duties. Beer Dad Jon has a lot on his plate, as well. As you’ll see with The Man Who Ate the Town Podcast, forcing content for the sake of content is bad for business and we don’t want to do that. Plus, during the holidays it’s not uncommon for some of our shows to take a little break.

Speaking of The Man Who Ate the Town, I will continue to record those on time, but as much as I would like to have a new one each week, sometimes there just isn’t anything outside of the holidays and history and I want it to be more about the food and WSNC/Triad food scene than aggregated internet info. Also, there may be something new about the show that I can’t talk about right now. There may be no changes at all, but you never know.

Fan Interference is off until at least January. I am thinking we’d like to have a show to talk about the CFB playoffs and the national championship. Plus, the NFL playoffs will be starting up. I’m sure there will be some NBA stuff to talk about as well. So, January.

The Less Desirables will be business as usual. This show has only missed one Wednesday in 409 Wednesdays in a row and I don’t plan on it to miss, now. We have Matthew Troy, the conductor and Executive Director of the Piedmont Wind Symphony will be on this week. My bestie Eugene will be on next Wednesday, 12/20, to talk about his top TV shows of 2017. Danielle is working on a guest for the 27th so check back then to see who it is.

So, there you have it. The Less Desirables Network will have some out and some in through the holidays and into the new year. As always, we appreciate your support and thank you so much for listening and I thank you for reading the blog, which, by the way is going nowhere!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I take a hiatus every now and again, but I’m not good at that. – Miley Cyrus

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