All right, Christmas concert time. Of course, Doug Johnson is here from Bell City Brass Works.
A good morning, my friend. Good morning, Don. Good to hear from you.
You can't play the trombone outside because your lips will freeze to the mouthpiece. I was
assuming, right? Well, that in the slide will freeze in position where you can't move it.
So, yeah, this is not good weather for being a brain of breath disorder.
So, this is why the concerts are indoors. This is the exact reason Bell City Brass Works Christmas
concerts. We have two of them coming up December 10th and the 17th. What do you tell us about the
10th, first of all? The 10th is going to be at Living Faith, Lutheran Church and the concert
program is reminiscent of going through some old-style music and also some very new things,
but one of them is we're going to four dances from the Nutcracker, which I think everybody will
recognize and enjoy. And then we're doing some pieces that are probably not as well-known
and not Australian Christmas with their music for things that they celebrate Christmas in warmer weather.
Right now, it's a dusty and warm down there. So, I'm really looking forward to this concert.
Dusty warm Christmas. Oh, I like the sound of that. I like the sound of warm is what I like.
So, that concert is coming up on December 10th at the Living Faith Church at 2915,
right now, and you're straight here by the radio station, by the way. A couple of more.
So, yeah. Now, are these free concerts or how does that support? The concerts are free concerts.
We do have a free will offering that we do during the concert, but otherwise, no, it just come
on in. You don't have to add any money to it. Just sit back and enjoy and build that Christmas spirit,
and I think the snow is going to help with that one. Yeah. So, the December 10th concert at the Living
Faith Church is at 7 p.m., and then you've got the Wednesday December 17th concert at Holy Communion
Church. There are 2,000 West 6th Street in Racine, right? Right, right. And that one,
again, we're going to be playing the same music in a beautiful setting in that church. We played
their last year for the first time, and it was just fantastic. A great audience. We have a
sing along at the end of the concert, which means you don't have to know how to sing very well,
because there's so many people just enjoying the moment and having a great time with it.
It's fun. You don't want to miss this, either one of these concerts.
It's fun. You can play the same Christmas songs every year, and nobody ever gets tired of them.
You know, people say, well, I'd like to hear them year-round. No, you wouldn't, because it wouldn't
be special then at the end of the year. No, no, it wouldn't, but I'll tell you what, you know,
and you brought that up. I was thinking that I had been doing these concerts probably since I was
8 years old, because our family did it. Christmas, get playing, and we all get together and
sing songs together, and that started it, and when I started playing Trombone at 5th grade, which is
64 years ago, it was, we started playing Christmas concerts. You play the first piece you ever
learn on, the instrument is jingle bells, because it's really simple to play. And then from that
point on, I think I've been doing Christmas concerts every year, ever since. It's not hot.
It's not hot cross buns. No, it is. Well, I've had fun sitting there, but as soon as we get through,
like the second week of November, we've got to be doing Christmas music. So, how many, you got
47 musicians in this band, right? That's including percussion. We've got 47 people on the
roster now. Not everybody can do every concert, so you usually sit down with around 40 people,
and it's the cross section of people from Racine and Kenosha and Points Beyond. They come in from
everywhere to play. It's just sort of like I do. I come in from Stoden, Wisconsin, just south of
Madison, and I work with them every week. But yeah, and we go from ages, I think I've got a
senior in high school this year with 18, and I've got to remember my corner section is in his 90s,
and everything in between. It's a bunch of great people, and we have a lot of fun playing.
All right, quick review here. Wednesday, December 10th, next week at Living Faith Church,
20, 915, right Avenue here in Racine. Wednesday, the following week, December 17th,
at Holy Communion Lutheran Church, 2000, with 6th Street in Racine. Both concerts begin at 7 pm.
They're free. There will be a free will offering taken during intermission, but that's just your
choice, whether you want to or not, but the concerts are free. So, if you've been in the Humbug
spirit lately, and you're stressed out, you got anxiety, you can't get into the spirit,
this will do it for you. Guaranteed. Awesome. Make you feel good. This will definitely do it for you.
I'll guarantee you that. Thank you, my friend. You have a good concert and looking forward to
talking to you next time, Doug Johnson. Now, you're the music director and you play Trombone,
but you're not the conductor, right? No, I am the conductor, yeah. How do you play Trombone and
conduct it at the same time? No, that I can't do. Only a smaller group. Okay. All right, you have
a good concert and drive safely from Stouten, okay? I will. You take care of yourself too. Okay,
bye-bye now. Bell City brass works. Why? What a treasure to have in Racine.
