taylorsnotes.com, and other awesome things!

So many updates!

Firstly, I'm excited to announce that you can now access my blog at taylorsnotes.com!  (You don't even have to type the "www."!)  Not only will this be an easier address for me to share, but it will also be easier for you to remember, and as I've always been a fan of win-win situations, this is a particularly convenient win-win!

[If you're strangely attached to the complicatedly lengthy taylorbmorris.blogspot.com, you can still use that too; you don't need to change anything if you've already bookmarked my blog with that address.]

Next, I've added a page of some of my favorite restaurants in the Phoenix/Metro area.  So, if any of you locals have read my "of Food" page and wondered about my favorite places in the valley, you can check out that page here!  (I have not added a separate tab at the top of the site for my "of Food [PHX]" page, but you can find the link to it on the main "of Food" page.)
 
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Now, onto some non-blog-related updates!

Though Thanksgiving has passed, I would like to share one thing for which I'm very incredibly thankful: that when I knocked over my music stand last week and it landed on my violin (which was sitting on a chair), the stand merely scratched the top and didn't break open my violin.

...that could have been much worse!

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to play with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale. It was easily one of the coolest and most fun gigs I've ever played.  If you don't know of the TSO, they cover Christmas and well-known classical tunes in a giant, full-on, sensory-bombarding rock concert (which costs over $20 million).  Also, the name is somewhat deceptive: they're not actually an orchestra in the way you or I would define it.  The band consists of a drummer, two keyboardists, a bass player, a handful of electric guitar players, an electric violinist, and about eight to ten singers. Then, they contract local string players in every city to play with them on-stage (our group was three violins, two violas, and two cellos).

When we showed up at Jobing.com, home of the Phoenix Coyotes, we were sent into a small room in the depths of the building.  After we had about 10 minutes to look through the music (for the nearly three hour concert, without intermission), the very talented violinist for the TSO, Caitlin Moe, rehearsed us for an hour on the trickier sections and explained the more confusing cues and cut-offs.  

We were escorted to a quick sound check, followed by a short lunch break, and then had two performances (3 p.m. and 8 p.m.) with a dinner break in-between.

Our rehearsal/dressing room.

Not really knowing what to expect from the show as I've never seen it in person, I was on an absurd high when the night finished.  It was indescribably fun.  Lights, lasers, fire, explosions, incredible musicians, and an enthusiastic, packed house.

It was, to say the least, ridiculously awesome.

For a sample of the show, below is a video from an audience member at one of the Phoenix performances.  This number, "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24," is probably their most well-known tune (released in 1996, it helped their first album go double platinum).  As a popular cover of the classic "Carol of the Bells," you've most likely heard it (and will hear it) on many a Christmas commercial.

All of us string players, though not distinctly visible, are located in the upper-left corner of the stage (as you view it).  Make sure you watch through till the end for the explosions!

Here's to a rockin' break!