Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

That's what Chris said when we saw the Twin Cities skyline. Ten long days of touring, loading, performing, unloading...not to mention losing Awesome Dave and our bus, riding a First Student unit to Dubuque, and gaining a new motor coach with driver Pat.
The homecoming concert was really amazing. Tons of people. We were realxed and ready to go, and for the first time in over a week the temperature and humidity were within tolerable levels.
Music pastor Gary at Immanuel gave us a wonderful introduction, and we played our hearts out for our friends. Some were die-hard TCB fans, some family, some board members, and people who travelled very far to see and hear us.
All in all it was a wonderful tour. We performed for people we love, and who love us. We learned, we shared, and we had "wicked" fun."
Check out the blog in the the two weeks as we talk about the new Insights Into Artistry teaching seminars and instructors!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To Dubuque

First and foremost, tonight we had a great concert at Church of the Nativity in Debuque. Gorgeous facility and fabulous acoustics.
Our adventure getting there, however, is another story all together.
We'd visited the Historic Lincoln Home and Old State Capital , had a great lunch and were rolling our way down the road. Awesome Dave and Bonnie and Sara and I were playing trivia when an alarm went off on the bus dashboard. Luckily, we were near an off ramp at Woodhull, Iowa. So, we limped into the truck stop and Dave, Bill and Monica proceeded to open up the guts of the coach and give it a physical. The initial diagnosis was three loose belts. Further examination revealed a wobbly pulley.
The funniest part was all of a sudden half of Woodhull turned out to help. So, Progressive Travel arranged a substitute bus to get us to Dubuque and Awesome Dave stayed behind with every mechanic in Wodhull, and we loaded EVERYTHING onto a First Student school bus from Galesburg with our new best friend Gary.
Poor Dave is stuck in Woodhull on the couch of one of the mechanical volunteers (need I say there are no Comfort Suites in Woodhull? Or any other accomodation for that matter?) He'll be there until Monday.
Meanwhile, Progressive sent us another coach and a new driver, Pat, who will get us all to our homecoming concert in Eden Prairie tomorrow.
We sure will miss Dave...he's been one of the highlights of the trip!

St Louis and Springfield

Today we headed to St. Louis for a ride up the fabulous and famous arch. As Dave pulled into the bus drop off zone, something outside the windowmcaught Chris' eye. Lo and behold, it was Alyssa...standing waiting to greet us!
Due to her work schedule, Alyssa couldn't come on tour with us, but she flew into St Louis this morning, and took a commuter train to the arch to meet up with the team for the weekend. Patti was great at keeping the secret, but if we'd paid attention we would have figured it out. Her garment bag was with us the whole time, along with her personally labeled plastic cup. We're so excited to see her and have "Number 15" on the coach!
The arch was beautiful, although crowded and very hot. Once we'd done the requisite trek to the top, Dave motored us to Springfield. Tomorrow morning we'll catch the Lincoln Library and some other historic sites, and then head to Dubuque for the concert tomorrow night.
Only three days until our homecoming!

Grace United Methodist in Cape Girardeau, MO

What a great day! We left Nashville about 9 and stopped to tour The Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson, and learned more about his irrascible personality. Then we headed toward Cape Girardeau for our show. On the way to the church we saw a giant marquee that said "Welcome Twin Cities Bronze Handbell Concert". What a photo op!
The "Grace Notes" handbell choirs cooked dinner for us. Whenever we tour and have churches on the schedule, a highlight is the variety of delicious salads, main dishes, sides, and desserts we get to try. As Alec said, dinner is always better in the church basement. And it was!
The weather in Cape was absolutely beastly. I think the temp at 10 pm was 86 degrees, and the dewpoint was about the same. As always, Amazing Dave helped us unload and load the bus. He's a real treasure.
Our concert was really well attended, and we rocked the repertoire! The same comments seem to follow us around..."how DO you do that???", "You're amazing!" One of the attendees said she almost "jumped out of her skin" because the peformance was so electric. Woot for us!

Tomorrow Awesome Dave will drive us to St Louis to ride up in the arch, then on to Springfield, Il to tour the Lincoln Museum.

It's Our Last Day In Nashville

The concert yesterday was a huge success.
We're receiving major kudos from the Who's Who of the handbell composer and arranger world. Many kind words from the likes of Arnold Sherman, Hart Morris, Michael Joy...we're lucky to have so many fans among the handbell famous. Monica's outsanding relationships with these people, and our connections to the handbell world at large make it a wonderful experience to share our passion and artistry.
However, the highligh of the conference has to be the electrifying performance by Vivace from Puerto Rico. These amazing kids, ages 13 to about 22, start ringing bells before they are the age of 5. Latin rhythm is part of their DNA. And they are exquisitely coached and directed by the two Carlos. Vivace brought down the house!
Tonight we're off on a cruise of the Cumberland River on the General Jackson paddle boat. Although the General Jackson usually hosts country music stars during their dinner cruises, tonight it's the world famous Raleigh Ringers. For most of us this will be the first time we've seen the Ringers perform live. Should be a thrill!

Pinnacle Day 2

Pinnacle is an amazing experience. Imaging 800 of the best handbell ringers in North America in the same place! Our day consists of classes, concerts, classes, and more concerts.
Some of the showcase choirs have been incredible. Circle City Ringers from Indianapolis, IN wowed the crowd by leaving it all on the table. It was a great show.
We've had some Nashville fun, too. Last night Sonos, the professionals from Northern California, became the first handbell ensemble to perform at the Ryman Auditorium, home to the Grand Ole Opry. We preceeded the concert with a fun blues and brews meal at BB King's House of Blues.
Tonight we're headed the the historic 1st Baptist Church in downtown Nashville to hear the Agape Ringers.
Tomorrow, it's our turn! We had a really fun "airbell rehearsal" today, since our equipment is still on the bus. We not only got ready to ring, we proved why we're all ringers and not singers! (except Beth, of course)

On the road to Nashville

We got started on the road bright and early this morning in Loves Park, IL. There was a lot of game playing on the bus today, perfect for a games fan like me. Some of the games we've played so far include Wizard, Five Crowns, Wits and Wagers, and Phase 10. The members of the Twin Cities Bronze are fierce and fun competitors!

Our efficient driver had us in Nashville right on time. After checking in and unloading at the hotel, we hit the Caney Fork restaurant for dinner. We were served by the wonderful Melissa, who served all fourteen of us seemingly without breaking a sweat. Near the end of our meal we were serenaded by a country music quartet.

A great day, but I can tell the members of the ensemble can't wait to attend the classes and concerts tomorrow. Here's wishing everyone a good night's sleep!

Alec S.

Quality Inn & Suites, Rockford, IL

Driver Dave got us here right on time. Of course, the party's already started...Leiney's, Trader Joe's wine, hummus. Have I said yet this group is all about food? We miss Alyssa...she couldn't come with us. So Chris cut the cheese in her honor.
We just discovered that girls are crazy when they're with other girls, and guys are stupid when they're with other boys. The observations of this austere group get more insightful by the minute.
Bill's all about adding video to our blog. Can't wait to see what THAT looks like!
Late to bed, early to rise. We head to Nashville tomorrow morning at about 7:30.
Monica, hope you're following our chronicle. We'll see you soon!

The Wheels on the Bus

If it weren't for our beautiful motor coach, you'd swear the Clampetts were headed to Nashville. Pillows. Coolers. Computers. IPods. Cell phones. And Food, Food Food! Just a few short hours until wheels are rolling, and we start a new round of good times and memorable quotes and stories, many of which will be funnier at the time than when repeated!

Two days and counting...

Hello, my name is Alec, Maggie's fiancee. I'll be traveling along with the Bronze during their visit to Nashville and their mini-tour afterwards. I'm no stranger to music tours, having toured extensively with my high school's marching band and my college's symphonic band. What's different this time is that instead of performing, I'll have the privilege of listening to this fantastic ensemble in the audience. I imagine that I'll be recruited to help out with loading, unloading, etc.

I will be contributing my observations as a roadie during the group's tour. Stay tuned for more posts from me!

Alec S.

Countdown to Tour!

Only six days until we'll be on our magical tour bus on our way to the Pinnacle handbell festival in Nashville. We've traded our normal "Grey Wolf with White Butt" van and trailer for a luxury motor coach...complete with DVDs, card tables, refrigerator, satellite radio, and a quiet zone. So now it's all about food, games, and what movies we're going to take. After all, this group requires a LOT of entertainment.
Bonnie Tranby is on point as tour guide, which means, as always, it will be a great trip. Follow us as we wend our way through Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and finally back to the Twin Cities for a welcome home concert at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie!