Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Last Weekend of Summer
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Back in the Saddle Again!
After a prolonged absence due to the pandemic I am happy to be able to finally announce that the Professor World Band is once again performing in the Boston Public Gardens on weekends when the weather is amenable. Actually I’ve been back out there for the past couple of months now so I must apologise for taking so long to get around to updating my blog!
I have to say that it feels really good to be doing my thing once again after such a long break. And the response has been wonderful so far. I guess many people are thrilled to see live music and entertainment out on the streets once again.
But I also have a brand new show
and a completely new sound that I’ve been working on and practicing for many hours most every day for the past year or so. All that work and effort seems to finally paying off. One of the things that has kept me going for so long is that the Professor World Band is constantly evolving and hopefully improving steadily over the years.
I’m still taking precautions because the pandemic isn’t over yet. I probably won’t play indoors in the Boston T this winter and I no longer put instruments out for the kids to join the band. That’s one aspect of the show that I really miss. But they can still clap their hands and dance around and that they often do.
Last sunny Sunday in the Public Gardens two toddlers started moving and grooving to the beat and then a couple of kids joined in and then a bunch more and before you know it the whole audience was dancing to the sounds of the Professor World Band. That’s the kind of spontaneous joy that makes me feel that my job is important and worthwhile.
So once again, a big thank you to all the folks who’ve enjoyed my show and felt moved to put a little something in my tip bucket to keep the Professor World Band going and the peace wave generator spinning for 38 years as of next Wednesday, which also happens to be my 68’th Birthday! The first performance of the Professor World Band was on my 30th birthday in my hometown of New Haven Connecticut. We’ve been generating peace waves ever since and the world needs them more than ever now. See y’all next weekend in the Boston Public Gardens!
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Looking forward to a better new year in 2021
Wow, what a crazy, mixed up, spooky year it’s been. I’ve been very lucky thus far. None of my close friends and family have been seriously ill with Covid and I’ve been very healthy as well. I have been spending my time at home practicing, writing and learning songs and working on my new music machine. I’m not abandoning my old machine but it is refreshing to have an alternative as well. Perhaps the new contraption is not yet as spectacular but it’s still developing. Once I get the opportunity to test it out in public more thoroughly I’m confident it will improve rapidly. That’s another reason to look forward to the coming season. Hopefully by then, with more and more people getting vaccinated, there will be an end to this crisis that we are in. The world needs Peace Waves more than ever now.https://www.facebook.com/100026352192473/posts/687208695500864/?d=n
Friday, April 17, 2020
Saturday, March 21, 2020
And Suddenly the Whole World Changed....
Alas, at a difficult time, when so many are hurting and afraid, I have reluctantly decided to temporarily halt my street performances with the Professor World Band, hopefully not for too long. Our best defense against the virus seems to be social distancing and frequent hand washing and decontamination of exposed surfaces.
If everyone cooperates we can flatten the curve and keep our health infrastructure from collapsing.
Eventually it will pass but it's too early to say how soon. In the meantime I will work on perfecting the Professor World Band and maybe writing some new songs and perhaps posting them online.
I will sorely miss the street performing.Aside from being my only source of income it also keeps me happy and physically fit. I put my heart and soul into it and I've been doing mostly that for over forty years now. I'm hoping that it wont be too long before I am out there once again playing music on the corner. When this is winding down, people are really going to be needing something to make them smile. Wether that's in a month or more than a year from now, the Professor World Band will be ready. A big part of my job is giving hope to people. This will eventually pass and we will hopefully be stronger and wiser for it. Perhaps people will wake up and start taking better care of the Earth?
Peace Waves,
Ramblin' Dan
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Halloween is coming!
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Back from Mexico!
Mexico was an absolute gas. I flew to Cancun to have some dental work done at less than half the cost that it would have been here. The clinic did an excellent job and since everything is so inexpensive there I more then saved the cost of the trip while tanking up on sunshine while I was there. I managed to find a room in the center of town for only $250 for the whole 16 days of my stay. It wasn’t a luxury suite but it was plenty fine for me. And the food was delicious and so affordable.
While I was there I also did some busking. I brought Digger my dancing doggie and a whole pack of smaller hounds with me. We entertained people in the nearby Palapas park and Mercado 28; both places I had played at with my Hang drum when I visited ten years ago. I was pleasantly surprised to find that some of the market people recognized and remembered me from back then! Here’s a photo of Digger and I playing at the beach on Isle Mujeres. In the photo below taken in Mercado 28 I am playing with my band.