taz_39 | Entries tagged with state: florida

Train Run yaaaay!

It's been so long!
We were about 5 hours late getting moving.
After a lot of back-and-forth motion, we finally got up to speed around 3pm.
Although it was dreary and rainy, there were a few trainspotters present to see us off.

Watch on YouTube

Incidentally I am in this video, around 4:13-ish.
I was eating an apple and waving at this guy.
I'm in the vestibule on car 37. Car 38 (my car) appears at 4:17.
Other cars of note:
Elephant car - 2:30
Generator car - 3:60
Pie Car - 4:03
Private/Quarter cars - 4:37 thru 4:43
Flat/Stock cars - 4:55 and on.

Throughout this run, people stopped what they were doing to wave or pulled over to take pictures.
It was really nice to see enthusiasm for the train :)

The Orlando yard is near an intersection with lots of great stuff nearby...a Publix and a Super Target, and lots of retail and food stores. These things are important when your schedule's tight and maybe you don't have time to catch the market bus. On the downside, this yard is pretty noisy, with freight and Amtrak trains going by at pretty high speeds at regular intervals. I will be investing in more earplugs :)

The band had a recording session on Wednesday.
The music we record will be used in PRs, commercials, show intermissions, etc.
We (the band, the sound guys, and the audio engineers) were at it from 9am until around 5:30pm.
Pizza break included :) Thanks guys!!!

Like all recording sessions it was slow going.
For those who've never recorded before, it's a lot of starting and stopping, playing sections instead of whole pieces, and being very patient. Mistakes will be made by everyone, and they'll be recorded, and it will NEVER be perfect or sound the way you want it to.
Getting nine people to play perfectly in one given instant is pretty much insane.
As Slick (trumpet) said, you gotta respect session musicians who do this kind of thing for a living!
We did our best. Though it was a long day, it was productive. I hope the finished product will be decent!

( Adventures! )

It's been a busy week!
We've had our first shows, and our first three show Saturday.
Aaah, just like old times.

So far the show is running very smoothly!
Some changes are still being made, but since we'll be on tour for two years it's important to make the show as perfect as possible before leaving Florida.

A few nights ago after the Liberty act ended, the horses got a bit
confuzzled about where their exit was and came rushing at the bandstand.
(Liberty = a horse act where the horses perform without riders, following only verbal commands)

Last year something similar happened, and I saw Tom (keys) spread his arms wide and hold his ground in front of the confused horse. This seems to be the thing to do...I have also seen the animal handlers and trainers make the same gesture to direct the horses when they go the wrong way. So I thought I'd try it out. Sure enough, the horses turned and trotted away...
over to the other bandstand...so the Bandmaster got to spread his arms too. LOL.
The horse trainer (I'm sorry, I STILL don't know his name!) has since changed the way the horses exit.
But hey, it's good to know what to do just in case :)

Animals are our colleagues. They work just as hard as people to learn their parts.
They get nervous, excited, happy, and frustrated, just like us.
So it's important to show them respect, always :)

This year, because I am participating in the Band Gag/Clown Blowoff,
I have a little time to mingle during preshow activities.
Again, I don't want to ruin the surprise so I won't say what the Gag entails.
You'll just have to come to a show to find out ;)

Anyway, I do get to spend part of the preshow in the audience.
I enjoyed watching fellow circus performers as they entertained guests
up close and personal, but it was far more interesting to people watch,
and to hear what people are feeling and thinking about the circus.
So far, seems like most people are very excited to see us, and that's a great feeling :)

Here are some people enjoying the aerial preshow act.

The elephants' entrance is also a big deal; most people start
gasping, cheering and dragging their kids closer right away.

We have been sold out or nearly sold out every night. I love big crowds!
The atmosphere is more festive, and reactions are bigger :)
We've also had a few celebrity visits from folks such as Nancy Grace and Chris Jericho.

The DVD is being filmed currently, that's pretty cool.
There are cameras EVERYWHERE...on the portal, zooming overhead on booms,
dudes with shoulder cams scooting around the bandstand to catch acts as they
enter the arena. I wonder what the finished product will look like!

Now that the music is solidified, it sounds GOOD.
We've got a recording session on the 9th that is supposed to take most of the day.
The recordings will be used with the DVD, in advertisements, for preshow,
and anywhere else the promoters see fit.

Today (Sunday) we have two shows.
The train will be preparing to move to Orlando.
HOORAY!!!

Without further ado...
...let me finally post these photos from Winter Quarters!

These are photos that I wanted to share but couldn't because the show wasn't public yet!
Most are just photos of props and vehicles used in the show.
Now that we are performing publicly, I think it's ok to share these.
However there is always a chance that I could be asked to take them down.
So enjoy while you can ;)

The dump truck!

My favorite, the 'soap dispenser'!

The cannon. The door behind the cannon leads to several dressing rooms,
including the band's rehearsal space.

Tiny clown bike :)

Giant bag of Campfire Marshmallows!
Each marshmallow is slightly smaller than a basketball.
I haven't seen this used in the show...maybe it's part of preshow activities?
The size indicates that this is probably an elephant prop.

The Russian acrobats, after an exceptionally tough rehearsal:

( Read more... )

Day 30

A long day, but not as long as we thought it would be!

There were photo shoots all day today.
We weren't involved in that, but we did get fitted for our costumes!

Yes, you're seeing that right: sparkly orange construction vest. And a caution tape tie!
Wardrobe has been working hard. It's so FABULOUS!~<3

On one hand, it's similar to what we had last year, and that's nice :)
We'll be wearing white shirts/black pants with the vests again.
And I can make that tie sexy ;D

On the other hand...the first thing that popped into my head was a construction-themed wing bar or something.
"Our lunch specials today are the CARP-enter's cedar plank,
and the Construction Burger with our signature 2 x 4 Fries.
Have a seat, we'll be with you in a moment!" LOL!!

Brett's vest is different than ours. It's yellow with black stripes.
He's the Queen Bee!!
(he insists he's a very manly King Bee, but we all know there's no King Bee :P)
There will be pictures.

There was a PR for the band, and although I think only the Music Director got to speak,
the rest of us played a bit in the background for the cameras.

We did a run through of the whole show.

Russian acrobat leaping over an elephant's back:

(photo courtesy Nicole Feld's Twitter)

Most things went well.
One person was injured by a show vehicle, but fortunately not badly.
Additional safety precautions were added immediately after her injury.
The performers did very well, as did floor crew.

We (the band) have been getting more music over the past two days than we've gotten throughout all of winter quarters. Some parts are revisions of pieces we already have, and some are new.
We may have to play the preview show without some parts.
The band members who have been here for 5+ years say that we've never gotten music this late before.
This is my first winter quarters, so all I can do is speculate.
All I can really say is that hopefully we will be awesome. By tomorrow.

( Read more... )

Christmas!

Today I woke up super late, around 10am.
What a wonderful feeling!
After a week of early days, sleeping in was a great treat.

I cooked enough food to last a few days and cleaned up a bit.
Then I got to Skype with my parents and sister!!
They are opening presents tomorrow, and since I have to work they decided it would be better if
I opened my presents today. YIPEE!!!

First off, I am a very lucky girl, to have such generous and thoughtful parents and siblings.
My sister sent me a box, but unfortunately it may have been lost in transit.
However she put a lot of thought into the gift that would have arrived. It's a wonderful feeling,
knowing that she cares enough to send something. Thanks sista!

And my parents not only sent gifts, they also took the time to wrap them and make sure they arrived
before Christmas, so that I could open them today. That's REALLY above and beyond, and I was touched
by their thoughtfulness and long-distance love the day the boxes arrived :)

Then I got to open the gifts in front of them via Skype!

A NuWave Infrared oven!!!
I can cook whole chickens! Or cookies! Or pizza!
Wow, I might actually learn how to prepare food for REAL!!!

A NuWave Induction cooktop!!!
It works using a magnetic field, causing the cookware to vibrate and cook the food.
So you can touch it and not be burnt, while your food is cooking!!

I'll try these out for the first time in a day or two. Can't wait!!!

And stocking stuffers!!

My parents obviously took a LOT of time to consider what would be most useful to me on the train...
a Brita water bottle with extra filters, an LED lantern to find my way in the dark in the
train yards, an LED flashlight so that I can unlock the band box backstage, and a jar of
SUPER difficult to find PA Dutch Buckwheat honey (they went through a LOT of trouble for that one).
And candy :) You know, the necessities :D

I am deeply touched by how carefully they thought about all of these gifts.
I am deeply ashamed that my gifts to them are not nearly as thoughtful.
How can I repay them? I can't think of anything now. But it's my greatest wish that someday I can
give back an equal share or more.

I am very, very grateful for my family.

Afterward we talked for about an hour, about work and life and other such things.
It was nice catching up :)

Then I caught the 3:30 bus to a nearby Hilton, where the circus Christmas meal was being hosted.
It was just a dining hall with a hot meal for whoever wanted to dig in.

Lots of veggies :)
There was chocolate cake and sweet potato pie too. I had a 1/2 slice of each.
Boy was I stuffed!
LJ (floor crew) and one of the KCT (King Charles Troupe) guys joined me.
We ate and talked and caught the next bus back to the train.

I cleaned up a bit, then wrote this,
and now I'm going to watch a Christmas movie and enjoy the rest of the holiday :D

Merry Christmas everyone!

Day 25

Two more mysterious boxes have appeared!

The one with gold snowflakes is shedding glitter EVERYWHERE <3
I had fun scattering glitter around in the rehearsal room. Not sure the boys appreciated it though :P

I also received some surprise goodies from my Aunt today!!

Along with this KAWAII geisha nutcracker, there was also a box of Botan Rice Candy
and some Starbucks instant coffee!! Instant good day :D
Botan rice candy is tasty, it's a citrus-y chewy gummy wrapped in rice paper.
Gave me a happy nostalgic feeling to eat it today :)
Thanks Aunt C! I love you!

We had a runthrough again today that went pretty well.
We played our new music, including High Wire which has a lot of cuts and cues.

I missed a bunch of cues...well I saw them, but when my eyes went back to the music they'd
go to the wrong place more often than not. I think learning cues is partially muscle memory, too.
Tomorrow will be better :)

Assuming there IS a tomorrow!
We had a heck of an apocalypse storm tonight. No thunder but heavy rains and high winds.

( Merry Christmas! )

Day 21

There is some awesome pyro very close to the bandstand.
Rock Trombone \m/

Did a run-through of the first half of the show today,
and got one new piece of music.
Is it bad that we've got 11 days left until preview night,
and only 1/4 of the music?

In other news, missed the Gold show preview tonight :/
I had to get ready for a trip tomorrow.
But I hear they did a great job (and frankly am not surprised!)

( Read more... )

Day 16

Back to work!
There was a pretty raucous storm last night, so everything's wet and mucky today.
Train yards can get pretty gross when it rains.

We ran through our music (nothing new), mostly focusing on the stuff for the King Charles Troupe since it's
a bit harder and we just recently got it. I like that piece a lot, but was getting frustrated at my inability
to play it well today. There is a section where I can play an improvised solo, and if you know me well, you know how miserable I am about improvising. I have almost a nonexistent jazz background.
Fortunately, here at the Greatest Show On Earth®, I am blessed with patient coworkers who are willing to let me work through it in my own way. Thank you guys, really. This is the first time I can work at improving this aspect of my playing without fear of being sneered at and/or fired. I can't tell you how much that means.
Tomorrow will be better :)

And I KNOW it will be better because I got my new slide in the mail!!
Didn't I mention? I'm trying to make a copy of my boss's horn, a Minick small bore trombone.
Minick horns are SUPER difficult to find; the one that I get to play here on the circus is very
literally one-of-a-kind. As much as I love playing it, it's not mine, and although I do still have my
adorable King 606, it just doesn't compare to the quality of the Minick.

So at my boss's suggestion, I picked up a Conn 100H bell back in Oklahoma City.
He was then kind enough to put me in touch with a guy who makes and/or sells custom slides, and who
had a lightweight Conn slide similar to the Minick's. It's a Frankenbone for sure, but it sounds great and with some bell work might come close to sounding like the Minick!

Other than that it was an uneventful day.
On the way back to the train Brett saw a frog in the road.
I hopped out and picked it up, and we were almost back to the train when it slipped
between my fingers and started hopping around on the dashboard.
Lucky Brett didn't freak out!
Frog was recaptured and returned to the wild :D

Day 17

12/12/12! Or Check 121212 ;)
Appropriately, we got our in-ears today!

It is awfully humid today, making it very difficult for some of us to play.
Nothing of note happened today...just another day at work.
Although we're having to repeat the same like 10 songs over and over,
there's a purpose behind it, and we'll be getting most of our new music next week.
So we're trying to stay positive and not get bummed by the repetition :)

Day 18

We're bummed by the repetition. Lol.
We've been told that we'll get more music once the Gold show is finished.
Right now we're in the 'calm before the storm'. Boy I hate waiting!!
But if I ever start getting frustrated because we're playing the same music over and over,
all I have to do is think about last year when I was working my a$$ off to stay afloat.
All I have to do is think about all the people out there having to work in dangerous conditions,
or for too little pay, or for employers who take advantage of them. Or all the people who desperately need
work to support their loved ones, but can't find a job.
Thinking about these things, I can do my best and play to the best of my ability.
Because I am a lucky duck.

Day 19

The band got to run through the Clown Blowoff gag this afternoon!
We solidified some things that had been confusing, and worked through the parts where
cues needed to be given. I'm REALLY excited about it!

We also got to perform WITH everybody today for the first time! Woooo!!!
It's great to finally be doing something other than hashing it out in the back room.
Though that's an important step, it was hard to do it for so long without participating in the show.
Playing on the arena floor, even if we can only play some of the music, makes me feel like we're participating
and doing our job and all that awesome stuff :D

And we got to see the acts, finally! Although there are some rough spots, the show looks great so far!
I was really impressed by the new horse trainer (very sorry, I do not know his name yet!)
One of his horses seemed nervous about the things going on in the show...
loud noises, lights, fast movements, etc.
He led this horse around the arena floor while the band was playing,
and while the trampoline act was practicing. It would start and try to pull away, but he talked
to it, occasionally gave it treats, and waited patiently while it adjusted to the environment.
This took probably 20 minutes.
I was awestruck by how patiently and gently he treated his animals.

Everyone--floor crew, lighting, sound, wardrobe, performers--
--is working really hard and making it come together.

( Photos! )

Day 12

More rehearsal of course!
Brian and I recorded samples for the clown blowoff.
I think we are presenting the blowoff concept to the Felds on Sunday.
I'm kind of nervous, but the ratio of excitement is higher :D

Tonight was Clown Gag Night. This means that the Red Unit's Clown Alley presents their gags to the Felds
and their circus peeps for consideration for inclusion in the show.
Here's a video of Blue Unit's gag night from last year:

It must be very stressful, but all of the gags were very well done and came off well :)
The gags that I liked best were G's 'horse act' gag, Jeff and Aaron's 'construction' gag,
and Aaron's suitcase gag.
As you can see, many of our clowns have other skills besides clowning!

(Photo courtesy Nicole Feld's Twitter)

Day 13

I got to borrow a rental car for about an hour, so used it to run some errands!
Mostly I needed to find a post office. There are seriously no drop boxes in Tampa :/
After that I picked up a pine wreath and garland, and a set of lights I'd ordered from
Restoration Hardware. These aren't ordinary string lights; they're strung on a wire that
holds its shape. I will use them to light my room after the holidays.
The pine smells very nice in my room, and makes me think of Christmasy things :)

Day 14

Tonight was Act Night! This is very similar to Clown Gag Night that we had two days ago, except it's the circus acts performing for current and former circus members, and the Feld family.
Another video clip from last year's Blue Unit act night:

Elliana (human cannon) started the show off by flying across the arena, very impressive of course!
Then we got to watch Duo Fusion's hand balancing act. Those two are SUPER strong.

After that...it was the 'band gag' with Alex and Irina Emelin!
I don't want to spill the beans, but I will say two things:
~ Afterward many people asked whether we had rehearsed the act or not,
which is great because you're not supposed to be able to tell it was rehearsed ;)
~ It was a LOT of fun and an AMAZING privilege to participate in a circus act!!!!
Hopefully our act doesn't get cut...but if it does, I'm so glad we got to do it once!

Alex and Irina are skilled animal trainers as well. Their 'animal magic' act involves rabbits, ferrets and other hard-to-control small creatures. The Emelins make it look easy! And their dog act is totally TOP NOTCH...the dogs performed beautifully and with great skill, needing no corrections.

There were many other fantastic acts, including
the high wire, wheel, aerialists, trampoline, and clown soap gag.
The best part of the whole thing...was being a part of the whole thing!! :D

This was the circus performing for the circus.
Even though I'm just in the band, being there and experiencing the acts before they're perfected for the public really made me feel like a part of this 143-year-old American icon.
The skill, strength and easy grace of the performers made me a bit jealous of those born with circus blood.
But watching them work made me so happy :)

After Act Night, we all went back to the train for a punch party that's still going on as I type this!
Bottoms up!

( Dali Museum )

First off, to see some Ringling Bros. Official behind-the-scenes photos of Built to Amaze,
Fully Charged Gold Edition, and more, CLICK HERE!
(to the person who asked my why people don't get to 'tour' the train or eat in the Pie Car,
check out the Breakfast With The Stars event!)

And here are some behind-the-scenes videos of our progress thus far:

Rehearsals

Choreography Video
( Days 7 - 11 )

Day 3

I got to see our costumes today!
CONSTRUCTION VESTS!!!!
I can haz utility belt??
Also we must do the YMCA at least once!!! lol.

Here's a costume that you WON'T see me wearing btw :P

(image courtesy Nicole Feld's Twitter)

( Read more... )

Hello, everyone who reads this blog:

Just an fyi,
I won't be able to post any of my own pictures of props, acts, music, etc. until rehearsals are finished.
I will continue to share some of my own photos,
however all of my images are subject to removal at any time at the request of my employer.

Nicole Feld frequently posts pictures of behind-the-scenes stuff on her Twitter account,
and the Ringling Facebook page shares photos too,
so I'll be linking back to those images for now.

There'll be a post full of my own pictures later on :)

( Anyway! )

Hooraaaay! I'm back on the train!!!

Oh dear.
Unpacking was kind of a mess.
I had checked a suitcase full of books, decorations, clothing, and sheets.
I was up until 2am doing laundry and cleaning up this mess!
But it's easy to be productive when you're excited!!!

Tomorrow is our first day of rehearsal! I wonder what it'll be like?
I haven't heard the music or seen the costumes yet.
My dad kept asking me, "Are you SURE you don't have to be there for something right now???" Lol!
Well, they made me an ID, so hopefully that means they expect me to be here now!

I STILL can't believe I get to do this AGAIN!!!!!! Life is too good to me.

Today I'm going to prepare for the rest of the week, which is kinda hard to do...
but not knowing is exciting too :)
I'll take a short walk to a nearby grocery,
and try to wrap my head around the 70 degree weather and palm trees.
Then there's lots of cooking to be done, and then I think a trip to the rehearsal space is in order.

Off I go! I leave you with some pics:
From Nicole Feld's Twitter, this is the entrance portal being painted.

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taz_39

June 2025

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Page Summary

Orlando, FL Adventures and Bread!
Tampa, FL First Week of Shows
Built to Amaze! in 2013
Winter Quarters: Final Days & Preview Show
A Circus Christmas
Winter Quarters Days 25 - 29
Winter Quarters Days 21 - 24
Winter Quarters Days 16 - 20
Winter Quarters Days 12 - 15
Winter Quarters Days 7 - 11
Winter Quarters Days 3 - 6
Winter Quarters Days 1-2
Prep Day

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Page generated Jun. 21st, 2025 08:21 am

goofball on a train

(adventures of a touring musician)

Entries tagged with state: florida

Orlando, FL Adventures and Bread!

Tampa, FL First Week of Shows

Built to Amaze! in 2013

Winter Quarters: Final Days & Preview Show

A Circus Christmas

Winter Quarters Days 25 - 29

Winter Quarters Days 21 - 24

Winter Quarters Days 16 - 20

Winter Quarters Days 12 - 15

Winter Quarters Days 7 - 11

Winter Quarters Days 3 - 6

Winter Quarters Days 1-2

Prep Day