The Brass Junkies: Harry Watters of the US Army Band

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Trombonist and probable alien Harry Watters sat down with me and Lance and hilarity ensues.

Harry has had an amazing career, including a four year stint with the Dukes of Dixieland before detours to Las Vegas and his current position in Pershing's Own Army Band. Harry has played with just about everybody on the planet and give us some tips on learning improvisation.

He may or may not also have been present at a casino during a takeover by the Feds.

Links:

harrywatters.com
Harry's Latest Recording: The Great American Songbook featuring the Salt River Brass

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer of FredBrass

The Brass Junkies: Tage Larsen of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

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Tage Larsen, 4th/utility trumpet with The Chicago Symphony sat down with me & Lance for a fascinating look at his highly successful (and highly diverse) career.

I played for one season with Tage in the Dallas Brass and can't even begin to describe how much I learned from him. He is such an efficient player and sounds totally fluent in more styles than I can count.

As I shared in the interview, I remember my third day on the job with Dallas Brass when we had been having intensive rehearsals and my chops were toast. I was a very inefficient player at that age because I could get away with it. I vividly remember Tage playing the intro to Mahler 7 about five minutes into his warmup on that third day and it looking as if he was playing a long tone. My face was toast and his tone was still silk. I learned an awful lot in that moment.

Tage spent time in The Marine Band, Dallas Brass and the St. Louis Symphony before his current position and he explores what he likes about playing 4th/utility. We also get into the role of classical music in society and the notion that we should have sincerity in all that we do. Shockingly, he only uses one mouthpiece. That's what he said anyway.

Links:

Tage's DePaul School of Music Page

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer of FredBrass

The Brass Junkies: Michael Colburn, Former Commander of The President's Own Marine Band

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Mike Colburn, former Commander and Conductor of The President's Own Marine Band in Washington, D.C., joined us to discuss his impressive career.

Colonel Colburn (or "kernel" as Lance like to call him) recently retired from a long and distinguished career, which began as a euphoniumist (probably a word.) He is now the Director of Bands at Butler University and believes in living a forward-focused life.

Oh, and he suffered a severe wally-ball injury and has a thing for ficus trees.

Links:

Mike's Butler Univeristy Page

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation athttps://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer of FredBrass

The Brass Junkies: Matt Vaughn

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Matt Vaughn, Co-Principal Trombone with the Philadelphia Orchestra sits down with me and Lance for a fun and wide-ranging conversation. Matt talks not only about his highly successful career, but about what it is like being a twin, what he listens for in auditions and what it was like to take on the role of Mother Teresa in Air Force Basic Training.

Oh, and he once played a gig at Cedar Point with his pants down. Allegedly.

Links:

Matt's Website
Philadelphia Orchestra bio
Book: No More Mr. Nice Guy
Book: The New Toughness Training for Sports
Book: The Inner Game of Tennis
TED Talk: Power Posing

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer of FredBrass

The Brass Junkies: Chad Winkler of the Pittsburgh Symphony

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Chad Winkler, fourth/utility trumpet for the Pittsburgh Symphony, sat down with Lance and me for our first ever live taping of the Brass Junkies. We spoke to him where both he and Lance teach at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

Chad spoke about the many different professional auditions he took before winning the big job with his hometown Pittsburgh Symphony. He also talked about what it was like growing up with a famous trumpet teacher as a father.

My two favorite moments from the interview were when he shared the best quote about preparation I've ever heard and when he and I got into a fight about hockey!

Links:

PSO Biography
Personal Website

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation athttps://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer of FredBrass

The Brass Junkies: Chris Castellanos

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We finally had a chance to sit down with our former colleague from Boston Brass, Chris Castellanos! When we caught up to him he was in Flower Mound, Texas with Boston Brass.

Chris had a long run in Dallas Brass before joining Boston Brass and also performed Phantom of the Opera over 1,000 times in Las Vegas before that show closed a few years ago. He's had an incredible career for someone who has yet to turn 40.

My favorite part of the interview was when we scared him by telling him we wanted back in the band...

Links:

www.chriscastellanos.com
www.bostonbrass.com
YouTube Channel

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation athttps://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer of FredBrass

The Brass Junkies: Dan Perantoni

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Brass legend Dan Perantoni, Provost Professor of Tuba at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, is our latest guest on The Brass Junkies. Not much left to say that hasn't already been said about his impact on the tuba and the brass world as a whole. The term legend is 100% accurate.

Did you know he initially dreamed of being a jazz pianist? Thankfully for all of us, he ended up participating in nearly every important milestone in the development of nearly every important milestone in tuba-dom in the last 50 years. Dan shares stories about Harvey Phillips, Rich Matteson, Don Knaub and the St. Louis Brass Quintet. He explains how he got into Eastman on sousaphone, details his approach to playing and teaching and how he makes meatballs by the hundred and tomato sauce by the gallon.

And to repeat, this dude got into Eastman on a sousaphone! Crazy!

Links:

Indiana University bio
www.danielperantoni.com
St. Louis Brass

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer of FredBrass.

The Brass Junkies: JD Shaw

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I hate to say nice things about him because he's one of my best friends but JD Shaw is simply one of the best horn players and teachers in the world. He is currently Associate Professor of Horn at the University of South Carolina and is my former colleague from Boston Brass.

JD talks about a new quartet that I'm in with him (along with Lance LaDuke and David Cutler) called Cones and Tones and about what it's like writing for horn, euphonium, tuba and piano. He also shares some fascinating insights into how the market for chamber music is changing and lists some of his favorite chamber groups.

And there are a couple of old Boston Brass war stories as well!

Please don't tell him I called him one of the best players and teachers in the world. I will deny it.

Links:

JD's bio at the University of South Carolina
Buy some of JD's arrangements at Potenza Music

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation athttps://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer of FredBrass.

The Brass Junkies: Colin Williams of the New York Philharmonic

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I had the pleasure of interviewing an old friend recently in Colin Williams. Colin is the Associate Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic and was my section mate many, many years ago in the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Colin's career has brought him from the San Antonio Symphony to the Atlanta Symphony and most recently to his current employer, the New York Philharmonic. His approach to trombone playing and to music in general is fantastic and he has an incredible way with words.

But the truly stunning part of his story is the playing related injury he suffered and his recovery from that. He is incredibly generous and forthcoming about this aspect of his career and it is one of the most inspirational tales you will ever hear in the music business.

It took him five years to be fully recovered and he had to completely relearn how to play the trombone. Oh and for what it's worth he won the New York Philharmonic audition during that five year recovery process!

Seriously, you have to hear this story. It will convince you that no matter you are facing, you can overcome it. Thank you Colin for being so open about your journey!

And he tells a pretty hilarious story of me being a jackass in youth orchestra that you'll have no trouble believing.

Links:

Colin's Page at NY Phil 

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation at https://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer of FredBrass.

The Brass Junkies: Fernando Deddos

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Lance and I recently had the honor of chatting with our dear friend Fernando Deddos for The Brass Junkies podcast. We met Fernando in May of 2010 when we attended the Tatui Brass Festival in Tatui, Brazil.

Fernando performed a recital that left both of our jaws on the floor. And then it turns out that he is one of the kindest, most giving human beings I've ever met in my four decades. He is a world class euphonium player, composer, and teacher.

He is breaking ground for the euphonium in his native country of Brazil and is leaving a mark on the musical world like few people his age have done. I count myself lucky to be able to call him a friend.

You'll love this episode! We talk about traditional Brazilian music, barbecue, and a whole bunch of brass.

Links:

Website
SoundCloud
Potenza Music
Eufonium Brasileiro

You can help offset the costs of producing the show by making a small donation athttps://www.patreon.com/thebrassjunkies. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Produced by Austin Boyer and Buddy Deshler of FredBrass.