by Don Church and Tony Schillaci

Stringfever, four outrageously funny and brilliant British musicians, are returning to the Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den on Sunday, February 21.  They are like The Marx Brothers, the Three Stooges, virtuosos Joshua Bell and Itzak Perlman all rolled into one!

Three brothers and a cousin, all with the surname Broadbent, are older brother Giles, little brother Neal, cousin Graham, and middle brother Ralph, who acts as spokesman for this talented and entertaining family group.

Ralph told THE RESIDENT:  “We often get asked what it’s like working all the time with so many members of your own family as I guess that scenario is un-imaginable for most people.

But to us it seems natural. We were taught to look after each other by our parents and it seemed the most normal thing in the world to form a group together. Life on the road as a performing artist is famously lonely at times; being away from your friends and family but the beauty of being in this group is you have both with you all the time!”

About a Royal Command Performance, Ralph commented, “We performed our show after a dinner held in Windsor Castle in 2008. The Queen was out that night but her youngest son, Edward was at home and thankfully, he enjoyed our performance. The four of us had a brief private meeting with His Royal Highness after the show and after the initial pleasantries; Giles asked him if he played any musical instruments himself. His good humored response was ‘I’ve got this thing I occasionally play at home…..called a CD player!’ “

Giles then asked Edward: “Doesn’t your eldest brother (Prince Charles) play the cello?” Not missing a chance to make a joke at his sibling’s expense, (a concept not un-familiar to us!) he replied, ‘Yes. I think that’s what put me off playing string instruments!’ “

The road to being booked at The Mohegan Sun was via their first performance in the United States at Las Vegas in 2007. Celebrity booker Julie Grant happened to be in the audience that night and she thought the Mohegan Sun would be a perfect venue for Stringfever.

Ralph muses on the future of Stringfever: “Having built up our show, which is very visual and based on existing music, our two main aims are to develop the stage show further, to make it even more of a spectacular, visual experience along with a set and lighting designer and possibly an illusionist.

“I grew up with classical music all around me, my dad, two uncles and older brother all playing the violin or viola so I went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London when I was 18. I had a strong urge to be involved with the more ‘show business’ side of music and along with Giles started using electric violins and arranging music that was more accessible to the general public. The show we’ve now put together has a nice balanced mix of our classical roots and a more contemporary show with unusual sounds and comedy thrown in as well.”

Graham chimed in: “People often ask me if the musical skills we have as a family are a thing of nature or of nurture and I guess it’s a bit of both.  I feel more and more grateful for having had the opportunity to grow up surrounded by people playing music.  My father, my teacher during my school years, had a surprisingly small collection of records tapes and compact discs so I never felt that music was being rammed down my throat.  However, he was the best player and teacher in terms of inspiration that I ever had.

“He was a top notch violin and viola player and when teaching he seemed always to have several different ways of explaining the solution to any one particular problem.  You might say that this is just a great teacher at work but I think there is a great advantage when the teacher knows the pupil (or in this case his son) so well and therefore knows better how their brain works.

“I was brought up with Chamber music all around and so it seemed natural to me to want to play quartets throughout school, throughout my time at the Royal College of Music and professionally.  I always found it hard to juggle all the musical groups and interests I had but now concentrating solely on Stringfever I find it is a question of juggling time between traveling, performing, composing and recording.  There is never a dull moment, there isn’t time!”

Asked about maintaining stamina on the road, Ralph said “I get immense energy from performing with Stringfever. It’s really pleasing to see audiences enjoy a show we’ve developed ourselves and that drives me on every night on tour.”

Little Brother Neal added, “From a very young age music was all around me. My father started me off playing the cello when I was six. I left school in 2003 and was faced with a decision….

go to music college for four years, spend all of my student loan on wine, women and loose living and not really practice enough, leaving college hoping to get work as a freelance cellist?

Or, join my brothers and cousin to form Stringfever, travel the world, perform to different nationalities and do what I love, play the cello .A tricky decision but I think I made the right choice!”

We saw Springfever’s first appearance at the Mohegan Sun last year and agreed it was not only tremendously exciting musically, but chock full of genuine belly-laughs delivered with great showmanship!

Catch this show stopping foursome at the Wolf Den on Sunday, February 21, at 7 p.m. You’ll love them!

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by Sam Mazzotta

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: My dog “Scraps,” an 8-year-old Lab-collie mix, has a rather embarrassing problem. He has a lot of smelly gas, and when he eliminates, well — his poo smells. Like, to the point that I have to look away when I pick it up because my eyes water. Is this normal? Is there a way to stop this? — Melanie T., via e-mail 

DEAR MELANIE: You should take Scraps to the veterinarian for a complete checkup, and be sure to mention every delicate detail of his poop and his gassiness. Bring notes to help you remember, in particular: Does the smell have a particular odor? How often is Scraps gassy? Have you noticed a pattern between, for example, when he eats and when he gets gassy? Does his poop always smell? What color is it? Is it firm or runny? (Bring a small sample with you, in a plastic bag or specimen cup.)

The reason I want you to consult the vet first is that smelly elimination is often the first indicator of an illness. The illness may be minor and easy to treat or recover from, but it also may be more serious and need immediate medical attention. Only your vet can say for sure.

If Scraps’ problem is not major, then the vet may recommend some changes in his diet. If he eats table scraps or gets into the garbage often, stop both of those behaviors. (Table scraps are often higher in fat than is recommended for pets, and garbage — well, you may have no idea what he’s ingesting.) A supplement or medication also might be recommended, and if Scraps has a weight problem, the vet will recommend a diet to help him shed a few pounds.

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by Bryan Golden

When someone is successful, they are more visible than when they were struggling along their path to attain their goals.  Few people draw much attention while they are confronting challenges and overcoming numerous obstacles.

However, very few of us relish the time and effort required to bring our dreams to reality.  Our fantasy is to be instantly successful, living happily ever after, forever.  Therefore, the possibility of any type of shortcut has a certain innate appeal.

The reality is that shortcuts typically don’t produce the desired results.  In fact, shortcuts invariably extend the journey towards success and may even derail it.  Rewards come to those who are willing to expend the required energy.

On your journey to success, there are certain steps you must go through.  Any shortcut will attract what you don’t want.  Before becoming reality, a goal requires a specific mix of components. 

You must have enough desire.  The higher the goal, the stronger the desire required.  There is a big difference in results between someone who says, “I’d like to do that, it would be nice if it happens,” and another person who exclaims, “I want that more than anything else, I’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen.”

Effort is also essential.  Anything worthwhile takes effort.  Being successful takes a lot of effort.  Working hard while working smart is essential.  Not only is the easy road not a route to success, the so-called easy road isn’t that easy or rewarding.

Success also takes time.  Exactly how much time is needed is never known.  Subsequently, many people give up when they are right around the corner from succeeding.  Since you don’t know how long your path is, you never know how close you are to your destination, and therefore you should never give up, believing you have failed.

Shortcuts are appealing because they offer the illusion of success without effort.  Again, there is no such thing.  Shortcuts are in reality, pitfalls.  Common shortcuts are cheating, stealing, deception, profiting while causing harm, unethical behavior, taking advantage of others, and illegal activities.

Don’t look for shortcuts and don’t take them if offered.  Shortcuts have never worked for others, and they won’t work for you.  You will achieve your dreams if you are willing to take the journey.  Once you reach your goal, you will be glad you avoided shortcuts.

NOW AVAILABLE: “Dare to Live Without Limits,” the book.  Visit www.BryanGolden.com or your bookstore. Bryan is a management consultant, motivational speaker, author, and adjunct professor. E-mail Bryan at bryan@columnist.com or write him c/o this paper. 

© Bryan Golden

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by Neil Rosenthal

Note: This is the first of a two-part series

When a plane flies cross country, it uses a navigation system that helps it stay on its flight path. If the plane deviates from the flight path, the navigation system alerts the pilot that the plane has strayed from its course. Similarly, when you get depressed, perhaps your mind—or heart or spirit—is warning you that you have veered too far off your own path and that you need to reconsider what you are doing with how you’re spending your life.

Depression can be profoundly painful, but it can also be a signal to stop and reevaluate what we are doing with our lives. It provides us with an opportunity to question our priorities, to reassess how we are spending time, to reconsider how we are behaving toward the people we care about, to challenge ourselves to be healthier, to make changes or to heal ourselves. That is the premise of Lara Honos-Webb in her book Listening to Depression (New Harbinger Publications). She says: “The pain of depression drives you to search for the deeper meaning of your life. First depression stops you in your tracks, making it difficult for you to continue with your current life. Then your depression makes you agonize about what you should do with your life. In this way, it sets you on the path of greater meaning.”

Honos-Webb offers a series of steps you can take to explore the meaning behind your depression and what it may be asking you to do:

•  Write on a sheet of paper: “What is stopping me from healing my depression?” (Examples: “I’m too tired to help myself; my problems are too big; I don’t have the energy to break out of this rut; I don’t have the resources to get the right help.”)

•  Now write how you might be wrong about what’s stopping you from healing your depression. (Examples: “Maybe I do have energy sometimes; maybe I could solve some of my problems; what if I did have some answers to my problems, what would they be?”

•  One of the symptoms of depression is that it keeps you focused on the bad things in your life and it often prevents you from seeing the positive things. You may be depressed, but that is not all that you are. What else are you? What strengths do you have that the depression has not overshadowed?

•  Complete the following sentences by listing as many answers as you can: “I am depressed, but one resource for helping me through the depression is…. One quality about myself that will help me through this depression is…. Even though I am depressed, I will not fall back on the self-destructive habit of …to cope with this depression. The family members, friends and professionals that will be most helpful in helping me cope with this depression are ….The things I can do that will help me cope with this depression are….”

•  Write “The Gifts of Depression” at the top of a blank page. Give yourself a half hour to reflect and write about how your depression could be a gift; how it could be meaningful in your life. (Example: The depression may force you to let go of a job, a career or a relationship that you are unhappy with and unfulfilled in. It may slow you down, or assist you in reevaluating the direction your life is heading, or force you to deal with memories or feelings you’ve been trying to avoid.) Then write: “I don’t like this depression, but if it were serving a purpose in my life, it might be….This depression has forced me to…. If it were not for this depression, one thing in my life that would be different is…. Although I hate to admit it, one good thing about my depression is….”

Neil Rosenthal is a licensed marriage and family therapist in the Denver and Boulder, CO, specializing in how people strengthen their intimate relationships. He can be reached at 303.758.8777, or e-mail him from his website www.heartrelationships.com.

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