Critter's Crazy Corner

Everything is coming together quite nicely for the "Rockin' Around the Town Square" concerts, at least from the front-end planning stages. Last weekend I wrapped up recording rough demos of my new arrangements for the rest of the band members to listen to and rehearse with, and then spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and catching up with a close brother of mine. It was nice to be able to sit back and enjoy some time off, especially after immersing myself into music and recording over the past several weeks.

After a few days of recharging the batteries, however, it is time once again to get back to work. During the past couple days, I've already begun to revisit and re-learn some of my arrangements from last year's Christmas show that will be used again this year. I'm looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with my family and catching up with friends over the next few days - but after that it's back to work again. The first full-band rehearsal is scheduled for this Sunday afternoon, and I'll be meeting with Roger on Saturday to record drum tracks and to work on material for this year's "Rockin' Around the Town Square" shows. I'm excited to hear and witness the musicianship he will bring to the shows this year, as I've always been impressed with his feel and how well everything he plays fits perfectly within a song - one reason why I always enjoy working with him in a studio environment. These will also be the first live shows we've performed together, which should be a ton of fun. 

One exciting new thing for this year's Christmas performances is the addition of some newly-written original music. While in the process of recording demos for possible inclusion in the Christmas concerts, many ideas were left on the cutting room floor for one reason or another (mainly because they didn't fit in with the overall theme); I'll probably revisit and finish some (if not most) of them for other future musical projects. Some of the freshly recorded new ideas include a couple piano-based tracks, as well as some of the darkest and heaviest material I've written, and more... so be on the lookout for news soon about this exciting new material!

As of today, 24 days remain until the first performance... the excitement and anticipation has already begun!

As always, stay tuned for further information... and have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by Christopher Lee at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A few days ago my first grade teacher, Mrs. Cathie Wagner, passed away as a result of complications due to the H1N1 virus. She had been very ill for 3 weeks (most of which was spent in the Cleveland Clinic) while she fought the H1N1 virus, pneumonia, and a blood clot in her brain. The news of her passing hit me like a brick, as I've known her and her family for a long time. She was my first grade teacher, her husband was my fifth grade teacher, and I graduated from high school with their son Ben.

While I have not been in contact with the Wagner family for a long while, it caused me to stop and reflect for a few days. I firmly believe that people are placed into our lives for a specific reason: to make some kind of impact in some way to each of us. This is true of everyone - our family members, our friends, our enemies, and even the people we run into on a subway or bus - even though we may not immediately realize what that impact may be. And on the flip side of the coin, we too are placed in the lives of other people to make an impact.

The impact of Mrs. Wagner in my early life was huge. She was patient, kind, and passionate about teaching and helping lift others up. She cared not only about her job, but more importantly, she genuinely cared about the lives and successes of her students. She was known and recognized statewide and nationally for her achievements in the classroom. One of my fondest memories was of a "math game" that she had on a regular basis. The whole class would be involved in a competition, and the winner of the game would win a trip to her house for dinner and dessert with her and her family. As math and science were 2 of my favorite subjects in school, I recall going to the Wagner household on multiple occasions. Mrs. Wagner always cooked excellent meals, and topped them off with homemade suckers or fudge. This is simply one example of how Mrs. Wagner went above and beyond the "norm" - and a small part of what made her so great at what she did. She was not just a "good" teacher; rather, she was an exceptional teacher. Without her influence on my early academic career, I would not be who I am today. She taught me that math and science could be fun and very rewarding. As a student in the first grade, my reward was dinner and dessert - as an adult, the reward is so much greater. She also taught me the important lesson to keep trying, even in times of failure - a lesson that has served me very well. She was a huge source of encouragement to everyone.

Perhaps with her passing comes a reminder of another crucial life lesson for me: it is important to reflect upon and thank those people who have made an impact in my own life. I do not recall taking a chance to truly thank Mrs. Wagner for the role she played in my personal and academic development. Her passing also teaches me that life is indeed fragile. It is too easy to get caught up in the daily conundrum that we call "life" - busy schedules, commitments, and deadlines have a tendency to cloud our perspectives and help cause us to lose sight of what truly is important in life.

My challenge to those reading these words is two-fold. First, take some time to reflect upon the people who have made a difference in your life. Reach out to them and thank them. Reconnect. Life is short - and in the case of Mrs. Wagner and many others, TOO short. The second part of the challenge is to take what you have learned from those individuals and put it into practice. Go out and impact the lives of those people who have been placed in your life. You may never know how wide and far-reaching your influence is in the lives of others, but don't let that stop you from getting out there. Lead by example. Be bold. Dare to be different, and dare to make a difference.

For those who may be interested, Mrs. Wagner's obituary may be viewed here - her son Ben wrote it, and his words reflect some of the impact that she has had on his life.

To Mr. Raymond Wagner, Ben, Andrew, and the friends and families of Mrs. Cathleen A. Wagner - you are very fortunate to have such a strong, influential pillar and shining example in your lives. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you.

Posted by Christopher Lee at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

 

 

Posted by Christopher Lee at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Due to popular demand, I've decided to temporarily "open the vault" to unveil a small bit of some new music that I've been working on over the past couple weeks. A portion of a freshly recorded home demo is now available online. It is approximately 2 minutes in length, and I perform all of the instruments. It is a "rough demo" and not a polished, final recording; as a result, there are plenty of mistakes, but it serves its purpose, which is to relay the general idea of what I want to accomplish with it.

After having said all of that, it's time to move on to the good stuff! Click HERE to listen to the new demo recording. A flash music player will open in a new window. Feel free to share your thoughts and leave any comments. Enjoy!

P.S. - this is just one of the arrangements I'm presently working on for the upcoming "Rockin' Around the Town Square" Holiday Rock Concerts on December 18-20, 2009. Please come check it out - and see this arrangement performed in its entirety in a LIVE setting!

Posted by Christopher Lee at 01:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)