So here we are – retired, heading out in an RV and looking to combine travel, adventure and music.
We’re amateur musicians, not professionals. Though of course we strive for greatness (i.e., we’re serious about playing), we’re not so serious that it gets in the way of having fun!
Doug was a clarinetist in high school. He also played around on an acoustic guitar in college because, well, that’s something guys did back then. Sue’s early forays into piano lessons in junior high (back before there were middle schools) came to an end when the priorities of teenage life allowed zero time for practice. After we met, careers, friends, vacations and other activities somehow displaced the playing of music in our lives, though our love for music remained.
When an injury sidelined Sue in 2011, she pulled a big ticket item from her bucket list – learning to play drums! Doug rekindled his relationship with the guitar and added electric and bass guitars to the mix (and turned up the amp to drown out the drum practice sessions!). Within a couple of years, our love for music had evolved into a love for making music – playing with others is so much fun! – and we decided that this “making music” thing needed to be a big part of our retirement.
We’ve got a growing play list for Doug as a solo acoustic guitarist/singer and the two of us together as a duo, and we’re always learning new stuff. With Doug on bass and Sue on drums, we can serve as the rhythm section for almost any type of music. And we’re always on the lookout for jamming opportunities with other like-minded musicians, wherever we are.
We’ve also got a growing list of covers and originals on Doug’s youtube channel, https://youtube.com/@dvshick – please check it out! And we’re working on getting some of Doug’s original tunes up on the streaming services. Right now we’re on Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. Woohoo!
