I will do a separate post in a few days on the food, but let's just mention, House of Blues, Wolfgang Puck, and Cooke's of Dublin... oooh I'm hungry now. ;-)
It’s such a remarkable change from the rural landscape of southwest Virginia where I spent the last ten years of my life and it has been instrumental in the rediscovery of my love of live music.
The entire time I lived in VA I went to a few concerts and music festivals and was always reminded in the moment how alive the atmosphere makes me feel. There is just something in the combined energy of musician and audience that, for me, is magical.
Music has always played an important part in my life. I remember from the age of three,
having my own record player, listening to music in my room, the joy it brought me. As I grew older, I begged for piano lessons, but it was always too expensive for my family. As a teen I started hanging around bands, made the mistake of dating a few musicians (another story for another time *eye roll*) and truly began my love of live music above all other forms.
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Since arriving in Orlando, I have made my life-long dream of attending the opera and symphony a reality. I’ve been to several concerts and two music festivals, each event bringing some different nuance to my soul, but where I’ve found my heart content, is any night out at Downtown Disney.
What’s so special about DTD is the variety. On any given night, there are musicians performing everything from Latin, to classical, to pop and country. Tonight I saw a new group of 5 men singing a capella Christmas carols and they were fantastic!
I think of all the musicians I’ve seen at DTD my favorite of course is the amazing Nicholas Marks. His guitar skill is only matched by his kindness. He is one of a kind and something you truly have to see to understand, not just how good he is, but how special. His music breathed new life into my writing and a passion for it that hadn’t been there since my divorce. I’m profoundly grateful for all the hours of entertainment that man provides and now he's located at the new stage, I want to say it's the park stage, it's in the new "Landing" area of what is becoming Disney Springs.
Another of my favorites is a duo that simply go by Bryan and Billy. Two guys in their early twenties, and again, the draw for me is not their obvious talent, but the passion of front man Bryan Malpass. His spirit just shines in him whether he’s on stage, or off, and he’s such a joy to watch perform plus Bryan's tone to his voice is just beautiful. Together they play a great mix of today’s country like Florida-Georgia Line and Darius Rucker and older songs from Journey, Bryan Adams and the Eagles.
Dominic Gaudious… he's an absolute sweetheart who knows how to make the crowd have fun! You have to see him first hand perform his eclectic mix of electric guitar and didgeridoo. I don’t think it’s something you’ll find anywhere else but out here at Disney!
Nova Era is another of my favorites, a trio playing synthesized classical music. Their rendition of Pachelbel's Canon feeds my soul and one moment in their presence, I feel all the tension of the day slip right away into nothingness.
There are so many more performers that I couldn’t possibly mention them all, but the point I want to make here, is that, for me, live music feeds my soul. I get musicians and I love being around them. Maybe it’s the mix of artistry and passion, or maybe it’s simply the energy of the notes filling the air and the crowd responding, but it’s something that when I am without, my soul suffers noticeably.
As the transformation to Disney Springs is now well underway, I've noticed this week that a lot of my older favorites are coming back as well, like Don Black and Gerardo Manrique.
Suffice it to say, a night out at Downtown Disney is always exciting, entertaining and full of wonderful music!
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