A monthly update on events, gigs, and questions.
In 2015, my wife and I began to discuss our plans after my retirement from the fire department.
"I want to play my horn," I had said, "I want to go back into music full time."
Her reply was, "Okay."
It was the same reply she said when I decided to get out of music education and become a firefighter. The confidence and trust she has in me will always amaze me and encourage me to be the best I can be. Always.
Our conversation switched from what would I do after I retire to where we will live. The dream had always been to move to Florida.
I was a career firefighter in Indiana and would be eligible for retirement in 2022. July 19th, 2022 was my last shift at the fire department and my status changed from active firefighter to retired firefighter on July 20th. We decided to move to the gulf side of Florida, found a house in Arcadia, and became Florida residents.
One of the greatest lessons I learned as a firefighter was to be practical and realistic. I knew that no one would hire someone that says they play trumpet for a gig without knowing how they play.
That was the realistic part of my thinking.
The practical part of my thinking was, to join the music union, get a website, and start looking for gigs.
With the help of my alsome (spelled that way on purpose) friend, Greg Marine, I now have a website.
I plan on posting in this section about once a month to give updates, answer questions, and ask questions.
Once gigs start lining up, I will post when and where I will be playing, that way, if you are interested in hiring me for a job, you will be able to hear my sound and style, and see my stage presence.
I am looking forward to filling my retirement with a lot of music and wonderful memories.
Dan