Test Driving Life

Left to right: Manring, Oster, Weingarten last year Last night I got more than I expected when I went to the 1400 Bar and Grill in Al...

The Schubert Trout Quintet is a very famous and beautiful piece of music. Orchestral bass players often get to play it--or you may even s...

Rossini The chamber music workshop week always begins with a group meeting in the  main theater to learn the details of the week's a...

Co-host with the most Frank Goulart* A fine time was had by all at the 20th Annual Gates of Eden Reunion Party on Sunday July 1 in Haywa...

Besides the sign, it looked like this 2008 photo today. What could be better than a fine summer afternoon spent hearing live music in th...

Castro Valley Center for the Arts - a fine community venue I had the pleasure last night of hearing a performance by the Castro Valley A...

I just played bass this afternoon with some talented musicians at Gary Lamb's monthly Blues Jam at the Bistro in Hayward . It was my f...

I just got back from an enjoyable evening of orchestral music--without a single stringed instrument on the stage. Instead, it was a wind s...

Funny how you learn about things. I was reading through the March 26, 2012 issue of the New Yorker and discovered a story on the Shins . B...

Somehow, the last three days became a whirlwind tour of music and beer. Today, starting with my oatmeal with almonds, I will get back to n...

Tonight, Red Paint , an Alameda, California-based four-piece rock band, takes the stage at its first ever CD Release Party. It's the c...

The goal with Test Driving Life in 2011 was to post daily. I did that--and somehow, at the beginning two extra posts slipped in, so there ...

Here in mid December, I am already planning for events for my two areas of personal interest, music and cars. Each receives an important eve...

Last night I went to hear Barbwyre , an excellent trio of musicians that play their country/folk/bluegrass sound to perfection--mostly origi...

When you play with a group of musicians, say, a band or an orchestra, you normally rehearse the material you're working on together. It ...

Have you ever used Pandora.com to find music you like? It's great for helping you discover performers and recordings that are similar t...

You know you like a band when you seek them out and go see them again . That's what I did last night, when I heard Mike Stadler and Mary...

Last night, I was looking for some action and decided to visit a small restaurant that was featuring a quartet. Based on not much more info...

On a busy weekend of listening to music, I report in from last night's couple of hours of Lonesome Locomotive music at the Milk Bar on...

I was just stepping into Panama Red in Concord to get a cup of coffee when I met Andrew. He saw my bass tattoo and we discussed our ink. He...