: In memory of . . . And another contest!
Life is too short
When I first started thinking about recording an album of my music, I knew that I would need some sound business advice as I have zero talent at business affairs. Just the very thought of having to negotiate business dealings gives me panic attacks. So I thought of all the people I knew and asked myself, “Do I know anyone I can rely on who has good business sense and is also totally trustworthy & honest?” There was one person who matched those requirements – my good friend Rob Signorile. Before his retirement, Rob ran an advertising agency with his wife Marie. If you know anything about the advertising business, you can appreciate just how hard it is to maintain your integrity in the business – but Rob managed this balancing act for many years before his retirement.
Rob & I meet at the blues jams at the Franklin Tavern. Rob had the knack of finding great musicians to play with him – and I was flattered when he invited me to play with his blues / R&B band Shuffle Jump & Moan We made great music together, had some memorable gigs, and my wife Lisa & I became good friends with him and his wife Marie. And Rob not only took on the task of being my informal business advisor, he also became one of my biggest fans. “Eric, I don’t understand your music, but I love it.”
Three years ago Marie died suddenly. This was a terrible blow to us all, but we carried on. But then, in another one of these cruel twists of life, Rob came down with cancer. After many months of treatment, the cancer was in remission – and we were able to gig again. And then COVID came along.
In the midst of this, I was debating with myself whether to self-release my album or to continue hoping/waiting for a record deal to materialize. I reached out to Rob to talk it over. Rob’s advice was to go for it. “Life is too short, you never know what will happen. You’ll regret not doing it.”
Rob knew what he was talking about. Later that year the cancer came back – and after trying various treatments it was clear that medical science could do no more. Rob died last week. He will be missed and I will miss him. Sigh. The circle of life is a bitch.
Hidden Song Quote Contest!
On a more upbeat note, I can report that the winner of last months “Hidden Song” contest was keen eared Arthur Neilson who correctly heard “A horse is a horse” at 3:43 into Bounce #1 (you may listen again for your edification).
This month there’s a new contest. Short Story For Mixed Ensemble is a piece I wrote a for a concert that was Covid Cancelled last spring. Hidden somewhere in this piece (actually it’s pretty obvious) is a short reference to a song from a well known Broadway musical. The first person who can correctly identify the show & song (and where it is in my piece) will win a dinner for two at the restaurant of their choice (within reason). Again, here is the link for the piece: Short Story For Mixed Ensemble