TBJ70: Listener's Choice: Where Andrew & Lance share stories related to questions submitted by YOU! This is the first in what may become a recurring episode type (depending on whether you nice folks like the format.) We get lots of questions on a variety of topics and thought we'd try answering some of them. In this episode, we talk about our early influences and share stories from our formative years. We close out the episode explaining how we ended up in music school and will be unpacking ...
Oct 24, 2017•1 hr 4 min
TBJ69: Bass Trombonist Brian Hecht on Playing with the Atlanta Symphony, his Audition Preparation Strategy and Subbing with Almost Every Major American Orchestra by the Age of 32 Brian Hecht is the bass trombonist for the Atlanta Symphony and is a former member of the US Navy Band in Washington DC. He grew up in Dallas and spent some time in the Navy Band in Washington, DC before hitting the orchestral audition circuit, which led to him subbing with both the NY Phil and Philly Orchestra. He shar...
Oct 12, 2017•1 hr
Dr. Amy Horn, 29-year member of The President’s Own Marine Band and Adjunct Professor of Horn at George Mason University joins Andrew & Lance to explain how to bloom where you’re planted. A native of Ohio, Amy studied at Bowling Green University with Herb Spencer and played under legendary bandmaster Mark Kelly. We hear the amazing story of her audition for the Marine Band (including camping out in her pea-green Chevy Citation), how she cut a rug on the road with Patrick Sheridan and why she...
Sep 27, 2017•58 min
TBJ 67: Denise Tryon, low horn specialist and former member of the Philadelphia Orchestra, joins Andrew & Lance and unpacks following your gut to pursue your dreams. Denise has had an incredible career as member of the New World, Columbus, Baltimore, Detroit, and Philadelphia orchestras and currently teaches full-time at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. Additionally, as a member of the Taiyo Wind Quintet, she had the privilege of working with John Harbison, Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, an...
Sep 12, 2017•57 min
IWBC President Joanna Hersey joined Andrew & Lance in her second podcast to spend some more time talking about gender issues in brass playing. Fresh off the 25th Anniversary International Women’s Brass Conference, we spent a good amount of time talking about that tremendous organization, from the founding (by Susan Slaughter) in St. Louis in 1993 to the highly successful event in the summer of 2017 at Rowan University. We learned that while women represent 28% of the horn sections of major o...
Aug 29, 2017•1 hr 9 min
Alabama Horns trumpeter Ken Watters joins Andrew & Lance for a fascinating masterclass in the difference between the Nashville horn sound and the horn lines from Muscle Shoals. Ken currently spends the majority of his time recording with legends like William Hightower, Eddie Floyd, Smash Mouth and Billy Ray Cyrus. He explains how Muscle Shoals became such a hotbed for recorded horn sections and explains how sessions and arrangements come together. He talks about how to write good lines, that...
Aug 17, 2017•1 hr 10 min
Pete Meechan, composer of “Song of Hope”, joins Andrew & Lance to talk about, wait for it, composing! Pete explains how he went from working in the bar at the Royal Northern College of Music to writing pieces which have impacted countless listeners and has allowed him to work with and write for some of the best players and organizations in the world. We discuss music as a healing process, talk about the state of the industry and how CDs can still serve as proof of quality. We learn who he co...
Aug 01, 2017•1 hr 12 min
Boston Symphony trumpeter Michael Martin joins Andrew & Lance to talk his career as a player, and composer. Michael joined the BSO in 2010 and has had great success there, building on the training which began with his dad (Freddy Martin). We discuss his days at Interlochen and Northwestern, touring with his brother (Chris Martin) and the Chicago Symphony and how his composing career got off the ground at an early age. He also discusses his favorite conductors, what it takes to be a good sect...
Jul 18, 2017•55 min
Epic Low Brass Game of Thrones mastermind Andrew Bove, joins Andrew & Lance to talk about his life as a tuba player and recording engineer. From his parallel life coming up with Andrew Hitz (they met as tuba-longs at Tanglewood and went on to study together with both Rex Martin and Sam Pilafian) to his opportunity to record the brass section of The Met, Bove also talks about recovering from a broken collar bone and the problem with peacocks. Lots of funny stories about his and Andrew’s “educ...
Jul 04, 2017•1 hr 16 min
Mark Houghton, 3rd Horn with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Adjunct Professor of Horn at Duquesne University joins Andrew & Lance in a thoughtful conversation covering both the mental and practical sides of a career playing horn. Since joining the PSO in 2014, Mark explains how well the section clicks and the commonality of approach which helps them do what they do. He discusses the value of positive affirmations and meditation and we touch on the possible connection between long tones and medi...
Jun 20, 2017•1 hr 7 min
Joanna Hersey, President of the International Women’s Brass Conference and one half of the JAM Duo, joins Andrew & Lance in a fantastic and high energy conversation about taking risks and following your dreams. Joanna is a very busy musician. In addition to the above, Joanna is Associate Professor of Tuba/Euphonium at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Visiting Instructor of Tuba/Euphonium at East Carolina University and is a Yamaha and Parker Mouthpiece Performing Artist. Formerl...
Jun 06, 2017•1 hr 14 min
Maynard Ferguson and Duke Ellington band lead trumpet player Steve Reid, joins Andrew & Lance about life as a lead player and diagnosing chop issues. Andrew & Lance were shocked to find a lead trumpet player who defies all the usual stereotypes. Until we heard about his Corvette. Anyway, Steve is a great player, funny guy and has played with an amazing array of some of the best bands in the world. He shares stories about learning from Rich Matteson, playing chess with Mercer Ellington, a...
May 23, 2017•1 hr 15 min
Simpsons animator and Flaming Tuba artist David Silverman joins Andrew & Lance in a fascinating and hilarious exploration of The Simpsons, the tuba and animation. David has had an incredible career. He was one of the original animators on The Simpsons, directed countless episodes of the show, as well as the The Simpsons Movie. More importantly, he plays tuba! He started relatively late in school, at the age of 17. “Dr. Fonz” set him on his way and David went on to play tuba and sousaphone in...
May 09, 2017•1 hr 13 min
Ryan Anthony, force of nature and inspirational mastermind behind Cancer Blows joins Andrew & Lance to talk about the upcoming Cancer Blows event in Dallas, Texas. Ryan was the first guest on The Brass Junkies a couple years ago and generously returns to the program to catch us up on his health, his gig in the Dallas Symphony and his new teaching position at Southern Methodist University. From the website: "The Ryan Anthony Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was created in 2014...
Apr 25, 2017•1 hr 14 min
Zach Smith, Assistant Principal Horn with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Adjunct Professor of Horn at Duquesne University joins Andrew & Lance to explain that conductors are human too. Who knew? Zach unpacks his daily routine and details a complete reset of his embouchure some time ago with the help of Arnold Jacobs. He covers the importance of good rhythm and intonation in auditions and talks a bit about the Pittsburgh Symphony strike. He feels strongly that musicians need to be their own advo...
Apr 11, 2017•1 hr 16 min
Trumpeter and former Boston Brass colleague Rich Kelley joins Andrew & Lance in a fun conversation about life on and after the road. Rich dropped out of Juilliard, where he studied with Mark Gould, because he had too many gigs! He has played on Broadway, with Meridian Arts Ensemble and Boston Brass and regularly plays with the Boston Pops and the Brass Band of Battle Creek. Shockingly, he’s also a really great guy! We get some great Boston Brass stories along the way, he talks about having p...
Mar 28, 2017•58 min
Charles Lazarus, 4th/utility trumpet in the Minnesota Orchestra joins Andrew & Lance in an interview to discuss everything from producing concerts to Gestalt dream analysis. Charles has grown beyond the typical role of orchestra member to someone who produces concerts for the orchestra on a regular basis. We talk about the long and painful lockout experienced by the Minnesota Orchestra, the ideas of Michael Kiser, and (believe it or not) Esquivel. Charles also explains the importance of clar...
Mar 14, 2017•1 hr 8 min
JD Shaw & David Cutler join Andrew & Lance in a slightly chaotic exploration of the group Cones and Tones. Both on faculty at the University of South Carolina, JD and David also make up (along with Andrew & Lance) a new group called Cones and Tones. The group has had a couple performances and is heading into the recording studio in late Spring of 2017 to record an album which will attempt to cover the multiple styles and diverse personalities these four knuckleheads bring to the tabl...
Feb 28, 2017•1 hr 1 min
Trombonist Billy Bargetzi joins Andrew & Lance in an interview that is both entertaining and powerful. Billy is a journeyman who has played with an incredible array of some of the most amazing players of our time. Additionally, he teachers at the University of Alabama- Hunstsville, which is celebrating 50 years of existence. Both his parents were avid opera singers and his dad was also a big band singer, which informed Billy’s interest in music that crosses genres and styles. He went to scho...
Feb 14, 2017•1 hr 5 min
David Childs, phenomenal euphonium soloist, recording artist, teacher, publisher and magazine editor joins Andrew & Lance to talk about his career up to this point and where he’s headed. We talk to David about studying with his father (Robert Childs who along with Nicholas, made up the groundbreaking Childs Brothers euphonium duet), inspiring younger players and his explorations into electro-acoustic music, specifically his experiments with adding sensors to his horn. Additionally, we share ...
Jan 31, 2017•1 hr 9 min
Alex Lapins, Assistant Professor of Tuba/Euphonium at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Tony Tortora, a senior music education major and virtuosic vuvuzela-ist from Alex’ studio, join Andrew & Lance to discuss what happened and why. The email subject heading was “Challenge Accepted” and referred to the offhanded comment made in the TBJ Joy Tartell interview. Blind auditions and vuvuzelas were mentioned. There may or may not be video. Which looks like this: YouTube Awesomeness! Addit...
Jan 17, 2017•1 hr 7 min
Mark Jenkins, Principal Euphonium and Section Leader in “The President’s Own" United States Marine Band, in Washington D.C. joins Andrew & Lance in a fun conversation about euphoniums in the wild. We cover stylistic playing, the importance of sight-reading, his euphonium band excerpts compact disc (that is still a thing), and some guy named "Pineapple Paul." And he talks about his upcoming memoir, "Universal Judgement” (not a real thing). Links: Marine Band bio George Mason University bio Of...
Jan 03, 2017•1 hr 5 min
Scott Hartman, Lecturer in Trombone at Yale University joins Andrew & Lance to discuss his incredibly successful and diverse career. Scott has taught and played concerts throughout the world and in all fifty states. He regularly performs and records with the Yale Brass Trio, Proteus 7, the Millennium Brass, the Brass Band of Battle Creek, and the trombone quartet Four of a Kind. Mr. Hartman spends several weeks each summer in residence at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Scott covers his ...
Dec 20, 2016•1 hr 6 min
Wes Funderburk and Tom Gibson join Andrew & Lance for one of the most chaotic and accidentally informative episode yet. We and Tom both live in Atlanta and write, gig, teach and conduct there (both play/conduct/arrange for the Atlanta Pops, the Joe Grandson Big Band and teach at Kennesaw State University. Additionally, Wes teaches at Georgia State and Tom teaches at the University of West Georgia). They each have also launched successful online projects (one of which involved a banana and a ...
Dec 06, 2016•1 hr 12 min
Phil Snedecor, Associate Professor of Trumpet at the Hartt School and co-founder and conductor of the Washington Symphonic Brass joins Andrew & Lance in a nearly step-by-step examination of how to succeed in music. Phil has extensive experience as a player, arranger, conductor, teacher, composer and booker and explains the importance of putting in an honest to goodness eight hour day. He explains how to break into a new market, how to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem a...
Nov 22, 2016•1 hr 4 min
Jeffrey Scott, composer and horn player with Imani Winds, joins Andrew & Lance to discuss how he and the group got started. Imani Winds has charted new ground in the medium for 19 years and Jeff explains how they found their mission. Jeff covers his development as a composer, the need for entrepreneurial skills, how they set up residencies, marketing and what it was like to replace a long-standing group member. We also relive the fun we had back in the day when Boston Brass and Imani Winds j...
Nov 08, 2016•1 hr
Joey Tartell, Associate Professor of Trumpet and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Indiana University joins Andrew & Lance to explain how he can be both a lead trumpet player and a decent person. Joey details the keys to his success including the insights he gained from his former teachers, explains the good news/bad news about the advent of YouTube and how he equips his students to succeed in music. Along the way there is also mention of Mexican food, vuvuzelas, the San Antonio Spurs and...
Oct 25, 2016•1 hr 3 min
Bruce Broughton, multi-award-winning composer of countless television and movie scores somehow got tricked into talking with Andrew & Lance about his amazing career. Bruce’s music has been nominated for 24 Emmy’s, he has won 10 (!!!) of them and was nominated for both an Oscar and a Grammy. Take that! From an early musical start at Salvation Army Band Camp and composer (at 5 years old) of “Go Up Jesus, Come Down Baby”, to his 10 years at CBS and his overwhelmingly successful career in Hollyw...
Oct 11, 2016•1 hr 8 min
Kristy Morrell, Chair of the Department of Winds and Percussion at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, and the principal French Horn instructor at the Colburn School of Performing Arts, joins Andrew & Lance against her better judgment. In an in-depth discussion, we learn how her performance of “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” as a child impacted her career (Spoiler Alert: It didn’t). However, we do get to hear some amazing stories about playing on hundreds of m...
Sep 29, 2016•1 hr 2 min
Dennis Askew, Director of the School of Music at UNC Greensboro, joins Andrew & Lance to explain how a lowly tuba player gets a gig like that. Dennis has been teaching at the college level for over 25 years and we explore how he went from a newbie faculty member (he was young and cheap) to a newly minted Director (he worked to become organized, consistent and trustworthy, no mean task for a tuba player.) When asked how he prepared for the interview, Dennis reported to listening to roughly te...
Sep 13, 2016•1 hr 6 min
