A WORD OF THANKS

One of the greatest benefits I have enjoyed as a member of Five By Design has been the opportunity to work with so many talented musicians. As we cross the country performing in so many different locations and working with a variety of orchestras and big bands, I am constantly amazed by the wealth of talent that is out there.

As fabulous as the talent is that we have run across, it is nothing compared to the small group of people we draw on to work with on a regular basis. We have been truly blessed to collaborate with gifted arrangers, pianists, drummers and others as well. There is not enough room in a single blog to list everyone that has been a part of the artistic success of Five By Design and to give them the credit they are due. Suffice it to say that I am eternally grateful for all that they bring to not only our group but to the greater art of music. Their commitment to excellence and passion for their art is inspiring. I often find myself listening to what’s going on in the shows and sometimes lose myself in the particular solo someone may be playing or the beautiful bed of sound supporting our singing. It is sometimes quite difficult to remain focused on what I’m there for with so much happening around me.

I know I have mentioned before how important music is to me on a personal level and working with these individuals only strengthens that feeling. With all that they do in the course of their own busy lives, they still find the time to work with us. I cannot express in words how much they mean to me, not only for their obvious musical gifts but for their personal character as well. They are a somewhat diverse group of people but share in the common goal of making music a part of their lives and bringing joy to others through their talents.

I hesitate to name names only because I am sure I would overlook someone. With all they have given us it would be unfair to name only those I can recall at the time of this blog. After being on the road for a few weeks, the mind gets a little fuzzy and a good night’s sleep is often a dim memory. So to those of you whom we have worked with in the past and hope to continue working with in the future, please know that you have the undying gratitude of Five By Design for all you have done for us and we can only hope to achieve the levels of artistic and personal integrity that you all share.

Terrence Niska

A word from on the road

Well, we just finished up our performance of Stay Tuned with the Regina Symphony Orchestra in Regina, Saskatchewan. This was our first time with the RSO and everything went smoothly. The conductor, Victor Sawa, was a pleasure to work with and the orchestra played very well. They had a full house and the audience really seemed to enjoy the show. We were their final concert of the season so there was an added feeling of celebration in the air. We each were presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers during our bows. Many times just Sheridan and I are given flowers, but this time even the guys got them.
Even our border crossings went smoothly. For the truck especially, it can often be a time consuming process entering and exiting Canada. Kurt and I are pleased to announce that we had swift and painless crossings. Now we are on to Colorado Springs, CO. to perform Stay Tuned with the Colo. Spgs. Philharmonic Orchestra. This will be our 5th time back with this orchestra. I have lots of family in the Colo Spgs / Denver area so I am looking forward to seeing some of them at the show. We hope to do a little sight-seeing, too. Matt, our drummer, is excited to do some rock climbing. He's been trying to talk some of us into going with him. I'm not sure if any of us will be brave enough. I'll let you know.

~Lorie

IT’S SO PLEASING SEEING GREEN

To misquote Kermit the Frog, “It’s so pleasing seeing green.” No, I’m not talking about money (Though I must honestly say money is not totally lacking in its own charms). What I’m talking about is seeing the green of Spring. I realize the calendar has said it’s been Spring for about six weeks, but only recently and in particular today did it feel like it. I went for a walk after work and reveled in the sights and smells of Spring. It truly is a season of rebirth after the long sleep of Winter. And for those of us in the Northland, it can be a very long sleep. But finally the mantle of white has been cast off and nature is putting on a new coat.

As I walked along I was struck by how wonderful it felt to be outside breathing in the fresh air and feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. If I’m to be completely honest, I really wouldn’t want it any warmer than today. The low 70s are perfectly fine with me. The birds were singing and there were even a couple folks out mowing their lawn. I find it hard to believe there would be much to cut so early, but I guess you never can tell how quickly the grass grows, particularly when you’re not looking. I even spotted a few dandelions in some of the yards.

Now I know that to many people they are a weed and should not be a part of their yard, but to me the dandelions were always a part of spring and summer; their wondrously sunny faces peering up from the sea of green grass. I’m not sure when it was mandated that all lawns must be perfectly green, without weeds and all of a color, but it appears that private yards now strive to look like the greens on a golf course; meticulously groomed and without a patch of brown in view.

But, I digress. The sights and sounds of this glorious evening were not lost on me. We spend a great deal of time traveling and I have already seen Spring make it’s appearance in other parts of the country, but it is especially renewing to my soul to see it in my own back yard. I heard the robins singing and the sounds of children playing in the yards and I found it hard not to think back to those years (which often seem quite distant) when I was one of those kids. Maybe I’ll try to find time this year to sit on the swings or to walk barefoot in the grass.

It is so pleasing seeing green and I look forward to enjoying it for the next five or so months.

Terrence Niska

Our Busy Season Just Beginning!

Five By Design is coming up to it’s last tour for the 07-08 season. We are heading off to Regina (Canada) and then Colorado Springs. I know, another long haul, but on the bright side we really do get to see some beautiful scenery. We are contracted for some shows this summer, but it is “technically” our off season. The good thing about the summer is that two of the concerts are here in the cities. We get to perform with the Bloomington Symphony on July 3rd (and then get to see the fireworks right after) and at the Minnesota State Fair on Aug 27 & 28th (Leinie Lodge Bandshell).

Winding down on tour however, does not mean down time. We use the summer to prepare for the following season by booking flights and hotel rooms, advancing shows, finalizing the budget (which for use begins July 1 - June 30), revamping any paperwork such as contracts and riders......and the list goes on. I won’t bore you with any more details. Suffice it to say that the touring season ending does NOT mean down time for us. In fact it truly is just as busy as being on the road. And on that note I need to get back to working on the budget with my wife, who is patiently waiting for me to finish this blog. Until next time!

Michael

Beautiful Dewey Spring Morning

On my walk this morning, I just reveled in the clean smells of spring, especially strong after overnight rains. I feel like I get so much more done when there are clouds in the sky… I wonder if I moved to somewhere like Seattle would my productivity increase that dramatically? I don’t know if it’s actually true, but I just feel like I do get more done in dreary weather.

I have tickets to a couple shows this weekend – ‘Cabaret’ and ‘Blues in the Night’ – both playing at the Ordway in St. Paul... it’s so nice to be sitting in the audience once in a while! I love to see what else it going on out there. I’m also looking forward to spending time with my family this weekend.

It’s time to get back to work – so many things to do during the short time I’m actually home!

~Sheridan

Speaking with students in Johnstown, PA

Tonight we had the fun opportunity to do a workshop for some interested music students and teachers in conjunction with our performance here in Johnstown, PA. We introduced ourselves, sang some songs, and touched on many aspects of what we do, spending the most time talking about and demonstrating some of the different elements of ensemble singing such as blend, rehearsal techniques, phrasing, and mic technique. We also touched a bit on scat singing and arranging. We were asked a lot of great questions and time just flew by. We really appreciated everyone's enthusiasim and attentiveness and we hope we've made some new friends who will keep in touch. We are very encouraged when we meet so many great young people who are interested this music. It's very important to us that this music continue to be performed and enjoyed by people of all ages and educational opportunities such as this are key in developing and cultivating a new generation of swing music lovers to ensure this music continues to live on.

~Lorie

Flying The Friendly Skies

I would have to say that my least favorite mode of transportation is flying.  It’s not so much that I have a fear of flying as much as a concern about falling.  To be fair, I have never taken a cruise, I have only traveled once by train but I have spent a good deal of time on a bus.  When I was going to school out East I became quite familiar with the Greyhound bus route as well as the stations where I would spend time waiting for the next bus.  It took about 36 hours to travel from my home in Wisconsin to New Jersey.  The first trip was filled with equal parts excitement because I was going to grad school to pursue my Masters Degree and apprehension for the number of hours it would take.  All in all it’s not the worst way to travel, particularly if you’re not in any hurry.

This brings me back to flying.  While it is much quicker to get from here to there in an airplane the accommodations are not all that different from a bus.  Unless you are traveling first class, the space between you and the other passengers is minimal and leg room is even worse on a plane.  The rest rooms seem about the same from what I recall, but you don’t have quite the same turbulence on a bus that you experience in the air.  If your flight is long enough you may get a beverage and perhaps even a bag of pretzels  (Gone are the days of peanuts).  I do recall that there was a dining car on the train, but I did not partake of it’s culinary offerings.

The mode of travel that Five By Design uses most often is a fifteen passenger van and a twenty-four foot box truck.  Because we generally travel with all of our shows at one time, two of our members are almost always on the road in the truck.  The rest of us ride in the van which I may have mentioned in an earlier blog I usually drive.  I figure I have logged close to 400,000 miles since I joined the group 17 years ago.  I have seen many parts of the country multiple times (some I really only needed to see once) and have driven through every state in the lower 48.  It was never a goal I had set for myself, it simply happened to work out that way.  It isn’t even that I love driving so much.  To be honest, my reason for spending all that time behind the wheel is that it’s the most comfortable seat in the van.  The bench seats don’t offer much in the line of support and the passenger front seat does not have a lot of leg room.

All that being said, I still enjoy traveling by ground better than flying.  I like the convenience of getting there quicker, but I think too much of our lives today is about convenience.  Driving does allow us more opportunities to stop and smell the roses along the way, although anyone who has ever traveled with us will testify that I am not a champion of stopping once we start rolling down the road.  I like to get where we’re going so you might think I would choose flying over driving, but I still want the option open to me to stop along the way.  My primary reason for not stopping when Five By Design is on the road is that I prefer driving during the daylight.  If you want to see the country you’re traveling through it’s a lot easier to do so while the sun is up.

I think I have rattled on long enough about this particular aspect of Five By Design long enough.  We just flew in yesterday from a successful guest appearance with the Wheeling Symphony on Friday, April 18th where we had the opportunity to share the stage with Peter Marshall, former host of Hollywood Squares and a fine singer as well.  We now look forward to four more shows in the next eight days stretching from Kalamazoo, MI to Johnstown, PA to Harrisburg, PA and then home for a few days before heading off to Regina,Canada and Colorado Springs.  We’ll see a lot of the country over the next couple of weeks, but at least we’ll be seeing it from the ground.  And for my tastes, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Terrence Niska