Latest / WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio / Talk Line: Chris Hammitt talks about the Dixon Municipal Band's Spring Concert

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Talk Line: Chris Hammitt talks about the Dixon Municipal Band's Spring Concert · WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio

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  Speaker 1: Good morning, Souk Valley. You've joined the Waking crew here
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  Speaker 1: on FM ninety five one and AM fourteen sixty WIXN.
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  Speaker 1: It's eight seventeen on your Friday morning. We're right here
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  Speaker 1: on the cusp of the weekend and it's now time
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  Speaker 1: for talk line and we're I'm joining the booth today
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  Speaker 1: for the first time, at least on my end. I'm
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  Speaker 1: not sure if you ever hear when the legendary Steve
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  Speaker 1: Marco had the helm of the show. But it's Chris
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  Speaker 1: Hammett from Hammett Insurance Agency and he's here to tell
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  Speaker 1: us all about the Dixon Municipal Band spring concert this weekend. Chris,
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  Speaker 1: how are you.
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  Speaker 2: I'm doing great, brand and it's nice to meet you
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  Speaker 2: and be here. Steve was always Steve Marco was, as
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  Speaker 2: you said, a legend and was always very kind of
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  Speaker 2: the Dixon Municipal Band. So glad to be here with
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  Speaker 2: you this morning.
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  Speaker 1: And I'm glad to be keeping that tradition going. And
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  Speaker 1: you and I were talking off air before we started
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  Speaker 1: a little bit. But for anybody listening, I gotta imagine
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  Speaker 1: they had the same question that I had for you,
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  Speaker 1: which is, how does an insurance guy get mixed up
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  Speaker 1: in band, the Dickson Municipal Band.
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  Speaker 2: I've played trumpet since I was in grade school and
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  Speaker 2: it's a love. It's something I do. It's good for
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  Speaker 2: my soul, and it's just relaxing and it's enjoyable to do.
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  Speaker 2: So there's a lot of benefits to doing that. That
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  Speaker 2: trumpet has taken me a lot of places, and I've
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  Speaker 2: met a lot of fabulous people with that horn on
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  Speaker 2: my face. And it's just a nice It's a nice
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  Speaker 2: thing to do outside of work.
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  Speaker 1: Right.
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  Speaker 2: So, yeah, I'm not here as the insurance guy this morning.
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  Speaker 2: I'm here as Dixon Municipal Band.
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  Speaker 1: So yeah, I love that. And again, me and you
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  Speaker 1: were talking about this, but there's something about music that
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  Speaker 1: it's like you said, it really does speak to the soul.
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  Speaker 1: It's not it doesn't have anything to do with, like
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  Speaker 1: you said, work or moving towards something or becoming this
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  Speaker 1: ideal you know that the hats that that we wear,
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  Speaker 1: it's just something you pour yourself into.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, yes, So it's a lot of work. You know,
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  Speaker 2: all of the musicians in this band were a professional band.
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  Speaker 2: I mean we're paid to do this by the City
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  Speaker 2: of Dixon and by our donors, and we take it
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  Speaker 2: very seriously to be a professional band. And Dixon's had
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  Speaker 2: a professional band here for over one hundred years. So
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  Speaker 2: it's part of Dixon, this band is, and it's an
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  Speaker 2: honor to be a part of it and to keep
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  Speaker 2: this tradition going.
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  Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, and in that tradition and that that
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  Speaker 1: love for what you all do really just kind of
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  Speaker 1: speaks out in those performances, which is why you're here today.
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  Speaker 1: Because the spring concert is this weekend.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, tomorrow night, and we're very excited. So tomorrow night
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  Speaker 2: at the Dixon Historic Theater, seven o'clock, free show. It's
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  Speaker 2: a Dixon municipal band, and we are so excited to
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  Speaker 2: bring in our special guest this year, Tom Scott, the
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  Speaker 2: three time Grammy Award winning Tom Scott. And he's somebody
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  Speaker 2: that you say, oh, Tom Scott, I've never heard of
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  Speaker 2: him before, but I guarantee you've heard his music before,
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  Speaker 2: you've heard him play. So it's gonna be a fabulous
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  Speaker 2: show tomorrow night.
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  Speaker 1: I absolutely love that you guys are always finding that
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  Speaker 1: that talent. And then this is a free show. Live
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  Speaker 1: entertainment is something to me that even if there's a cost,
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  Speaker 1: is one of the few things that I find is
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  Speaker 1: worth the money. There's something about being out in a
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  Speaker 1: crowd with other people, especially from your community, and enjoying
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  Speaker 1: the same thing at the same time. It's close as
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  Speaker 1: we almost get to a hive mind that doesn't leave
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  Speaker 1: you with the thought of a soulis drone right.
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  Speaker 2: There's not a lot of that in today's society anymore,
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  Speaker 2: and this is a place where everybody can come together
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  Speaker 2: enjoy beautiful music. Like you said, it's free, it's family friendly,
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  Speaker 2: it's in our beautiful theater right downtown, and it's gonna
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  Speaker 2: be great music. It's gonna be stuff that you've heard,
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  Speaker 2: that you know, and we'll really enjoy as a group.
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  Speaker 2: Our crowds have been fantastic. I can't say enough about
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  Speaker 2: the crowds that the Dixon Municipal Band has been getting,
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  Speaker 2: both in our summer series down at the Page Park Bandshell,
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  Speaker 2: we had a fabulous crowd at our Christmas concert back
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  Speaker 2: in the first weekend of December at the Theater, and
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  Speaker 2: looking forward to another really nice crowd tomorrow night. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, weather's going to be looking good for everything. It's
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  Speaker 1: warming up this weekend. The spring and summer evenings are
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  Speaker 1: some of my favorite especially again, you're getting out, you're
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  Speaker 1: you're listening to music. How long you know, has has
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  Speaker 1: this kind of been a thing for you. I know
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  Speaker 1: you said you've been playing trumpets for years, but how
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  Speaker 1: long have you been a part of the Dixon Municipal Band.
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  Speaker 2: I joined the That's a funny story. I joined the
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  Speaker 2: Dixon Municipal Band when my son was in middle school,
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  Speaker 2: so it's probably been about fifteen years ago. He wanted
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  Speaker 2: to join. He was he's a really good clarinet player
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  Speaker 2: and was looking for another place to play, and he
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  Speaker 2: knew that the band was a good place to play.
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  Speaker 2: And the manager, Kathy James, who's still the manager, told
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  Speaker 2: me that they weren't looking for clarinets at that point,
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  Speaker 2: but that they could use a good trumpet player and
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  Speaker 2: that if I would join and play regularly with them,
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  Speaker 2: that they'd let Joey join too. So that's how I, uh,
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  Speaker 2: that's how I joined the band, and I've loved every
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  Speaker 2: minute minute of it. I've played with my son and
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  Speaker 2: the band. My daughter also plays trumpet, Katie, and so
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  Speaker 2: I got to play with her. It's a fun family
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  Speaker 2: thing to do and there's a lot of families that
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  Speaker 2: have had that same experience through the Dickson Municipal Band
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  Speaker 2: and seeing their kids go on to you know, play
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  Speaker 2: music or not. But the kids are a part of
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  Speaker 2: this band and there I'll say there's two fantastic kids
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  Speaker 2: that I would highlight that are in our band right
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  Speaker 2: now that both are seniors at Dixon High School, James
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  Speaker 2: Cochar and Blake Ferguson Allen. Both are number one in
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  Speaker 2: the state of Illinois on their instruments. They both made
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  Speaker 2: All State and see that first chair at state this year.
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  Speaker 2: So we're really proud to have them in the band.
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  Speaker 2: And that's another piece of the band that it's intergenerational.
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  Speaker 2: You know, there's old guys like me. There's actually guys
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  Speaker 2: older than me in this band and they're sitting next
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  Speaker 2: to these kids and there's that exchange of information and
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  Speaker 2: this intergenerationality. That's that's really important. A place where everybody
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  Speaker 2: can come together and learn from each other.
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  Speaker 1: That that is one of the great things about music,
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  Speaker 1: right is you usually end up building a community. Usually
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  Speaker 1: find one or two other people that are either playing
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  Speaker 1: the same instrument as you or enjoy the same playing
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  Speaker 1: the same type of music as you. You become friends
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  Speaker 1: and then you start to learn off each other. So
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  Speaker 1: I was telling you before we were on here that
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  Speaker 1: I was learning banjo, and that's something that just started
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  Speaker 1: this year. So I'm far off, folks, Please no requests.
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  Speaker 1: And sadly I wished I had joined when I was younger,
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  Speaker 1: you know, like your kids, because I had friends that
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  Speaker 1: were all musicians. They all played guitar, some type of
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  Speaker 1: string or drums, and I was just the front on
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  Speaker 1: the couch, just like jamming a log and cheer. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: you know, and it was great. And you know, now
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  Speaker 1: realizing later we're all kind of spread across the country,
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  Speaker 1: and I'm like, god, I just wish I had these
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  Speaker 1: guys right next to me to show me, you know,
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  Speaker 1: what it is I'm missing while I'm trying to pick
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  Speaker 1: up the banjo. Because when you've got somebody with you,
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  Speaker 1: it just makes it better. Things start to flow easier.
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  Speaker 1: And I just can't say more great things about the
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  Speaker 1: way relationships form and the positive impact that music and
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  Speaker 1: learning to play music has on anyone.
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  Speaker 2: Yep. And and it takes people to appreciate it too,
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  Speaker 2: So yeahny players are any people that listen to it,
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  Speaker 2: it's it's interactive. It's a give and take between the
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  Speaker 2: performers and the audience and both feed off the other,
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  Speaker 2: and that's part of the beauty of it.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm loving to learn how many more people like it.
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  Speaker 1: Surprises me come in and like, oh, well, you know
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  Speaker 1: I play this instrument. You came in and I'm like, oh, Chris,
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  Speaker 1: how you get involved with insurance? I'm like, maybe you
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  Speaker 1: met someone in this How you came out of the band.
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  Speaker 1: You're like, no, I'm a musician. Andy Jackson from Sinissippi Centers,
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  Speaker 1: he plays drums. He dropped that on me yesterday. I
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  Speaker 1: was like, I never would have guessed that out of you.
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  Speaker 2: Andy.
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  Speaker 1: It's just so cool to see how much that appreciation.
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  Speaker 1: It's as much as we want to think, we're all
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  Speaker 1: different from each other, even if you don't like the
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  Speaker 1: same kind of music, music in general speaks to everyone.
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  Speaker 1: In my opinion, I think it's undeniable.
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  Speaker 2: I agree. I agree. All right, So I said that
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  Speaker 2: you've heard Tom Scott play, right, I'm going to give
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  Speaker 2: you some of the songs that you've heard him play on.
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  Speaker 2: All right, okay, all right, So if you've heard Carol
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  Speaker 2: King's jazz Man, Yes, that's him, and we're doing that
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  Speaker 2: tomorrow night. Actually, Paul McCartney listened to what the man said. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: all right, that's him, that's him, Rod Stewart. Do you
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  Speaker 2: think I'm sexy? Oh?
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  Speaker 1: Every come on? And he doesn't know that.
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  Speaker 2: I did not know that was him, right, Blondie Rapture.
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  Speaker 2: All right, we're all over the board here, right.
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  Speaker 1: I've been playing this guy in so many songs here
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  Speaker 1: and I had no idea always him.
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  Speaker 2: We'll hear him on here all the time. Toto, Rosanna,
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  Speaker 2: Whitney Houston, saving All My Love for You. Okay. So
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  Speaker 2: these are just some of the songs that he has
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  Speaker 2: played on his Grammys are for his own solo work,
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  Speaker 2: like Smooth Jazz La Express, I mean really really famous
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  Speaker 2: for that, and I know we've got some people in
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  Speaker 2: town that are very that know him from that and
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  Speaker 2: are excited to hear him, you know, because of that.
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  Speaker 2: But he played uh did you see the movie Austin Powers? Right?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, big fan, So.
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  Speaker 2: Right, he played Quincy Jones on Soul Bosonova.
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  Speaker 1: Oh my god, why hasn't this guy done or been a.
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  Speaker 2: Part of He's huge, right, so musicians, musician, So if
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  Speaker 2: you've seen the movies Monsters, Inc. Who framed Roger Rabbit
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  Speaker 2: actually the jerk taxi driver. He played on all those
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  Speaker 2: movies soundtracks too, So he's he's played everywhere and that
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  Speaker 2: that's as a player, but he's also a composer. He
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  Speaker 2: composed the film scores for The Great Outdoors. Uh stir crazy,
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  Speaker 2: just you know. So he's done composing as well as playing.
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  Speaker 2: Just an amazing, amazing musician. And we're so blessed to
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  Speaker 2: have him here in Dixon to play with our band
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  Speaker 2: for our for our local Dixon audience tomorrow night.
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  Speaker 1: That is a true legend touching down in our town
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  Speaker 1: here in Dixon. I mean that that is a level
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  Speaker 1: that is unbelievable. I as as somebody who especially appreciates
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  Speaker 1: music in film, I appreciate some of those extra facts
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  Speaker 1: that that that you brought in there, because you could
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: have just mentioned some of the other songs, but mentioning that,
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  Speaker 1: I always think a great soundtrack can can tie a
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  Speaker 1: movie together and really bring out some of the best moments.
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  Speaker 1: So I absolutely love that. So I'll give one to you,
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  Speaker 1: not that he's played or a fact, but as a
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  Speaker 1: music lover, have you ever seen the film whiplash.
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  Speaker 2: No, I don't think I've seen.
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  Speaker 1: This guy JK. Simmons and Miles Teller. Okay, Okay, give
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  Speaker 1: that a watch this weekend. Okay, I think I think
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  Speaker 1: you'll like it. Just kind of summarize it up without
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: giving anything away. A young drummer wants to kind of
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  Speaker 1: become the next blues drumming legend. Goes to this prestigious
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  Speaker 1: school where there's this guy known for his program, but
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  Speaker 1: he also pushes things to the limit, kind of almost
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: gets downright abusive, but all in the pursuit of what
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  Speaker 1: does it take to make a legend, and it just
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  Speaker 1: kind of leaves you scratching your head at the end,
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  Speaker 1: while also kind of smiling. I'm going to leave it
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  Speaker 1: at that, not going to run anything else, but from
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  Speaker 1: one person who appreciates music to another, I think you
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  Speaker 1: like that film.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, So maybe Sunday, Yeah, pretty busy up until then.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely anything else you want to share this morning, Chris, I'll.
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  Speaker 2: Just say that we're able to do this because of
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  Speaker 2: our donors and sponsors. I'll thank Shaw Media. You guys
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  Speaker 2: have been a great partner and helping to promote this show.
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  Speaker 2: But we do have over seventy donors and sponsors that
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  Speaker 2: are local businesses and families and individuals that contribute to
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  Speaker 2: the Dixon Municipal Band and make this possible. So it's
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  Speaker 2: not just the city, it's those donors and that's what
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  Speaker 2: allows us to do this. So our fundraising period is
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  Speaker 2: closing basically at the end of this month because we
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  Speaker 2: need to get our promotional stuff put together for our
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  Speaker 2: spring summer series that starts our new season. So if
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  Speaker 2: you are interested out there in radio land and helping
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  Speaker 2: support the Dixon Municipal Band, come to the show tomorrow night.
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  Speaker 2: We will have sponsorship forms there and available, or you
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  Speaker 2: can send donations to the City of Dixon care of
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  Speaker 2: the Dixon Municipal Band. So we're also kicking off the
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  Speaker 2: USA to fifty stuff tomorrow night with some patriotic stuff
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  Speaker 2: to celebrate the nation's two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of
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  Speaker 2: the Declaration of Independence, so kicking that off tomorrow night
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  Speaker 2: as well. So it's gonna be a great show. Come
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  Speaker 2: on out Dixon Historic Theater tomorrow night, seven o'clock, free,
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  Speaker 2: family friendly show. Dickson Municipal Band. We hope to see
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  Speaker 2: you there.
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  Speaker 1: There you go, get out tomorrow enjoy that live performance
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  Speaker 1: from the Dixon Municipal Band, and help support your local
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  Speaker 1: music scene. Chris, thank you so much for sharing this information,
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  Speaker 1: and from one music fan to another, for contributing to
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  Speaker 1: what I think really feeds the soul.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you, Brandon,