We hear many different stories about how our music relates to our fans in some meaningful way, unfortunately, we don’t often have the opportunity to pass it along to the rest of you. Here is a personal experience for which we obtained permission to share with the rest of our fans. Enjoy!
‘Hi Guys,
Just wanted to send a note to thank you guys for helping me. Back in February, I began a journey, and you guys took it with me. I began an exercise program with nothing more than some hope,determination & all of Tonic Sol-Fa magical harmonies loaded in my MP 3 player. When I saw you guys in February In Sidney,OH, I was the heaviest I’ve ever been @ 248 lbs.That following week we began the Biggest Loser at work. It lasted 90 days ,and within that 90 days, I not only began to lose the weight ,but I made an entire lifestyle change. From the begining I had you guys singing me all the way through. It was amazing how at times when I felt like I couldn’t go any further, a song would come on to encourage me like Grace or Long Black Train & give me that extra burst of energy that I needed. There were times that I felt you guys were singing straight to me, encouraging me to keep going. I learned to set my cardio pace to the beat of your songs. Eventually, I was able to double pace myself to your music as well as sing along to it. I have listened to you guys repeatedly every day over the last 7 months to the point that i could sing all your parts in almost every song( although I could never hold a candle to you guys). I would always cover the time on the machines,so over time I got creative & I could guesstimate my time by the length of each song. Over the last 7 months ,you guys have went to several 5K & 10K walks \ runs with me, & we are fixing to do a half marathon together in October.( I hope you guys are up to it) I did win the Biggest Loser at work with flying colors. As of today I have lost 72 lbs which is 33% of my total body weight. & I feel awesome. I just wanted to share my story with you, & to let you know that I appreciated all the high 5s & encouraging words you gave me. I thank God that we had the opportunity to meet. Tonic Sol-Fa and your magical brand of song & personality have touched my life in ways you’ll never be able to imagine, & I’ll always be grateful for that. Thank you for singing 72 lbs off me. God Bless & Keep You
Barb Jung
Cincinnati, Ohio”
Plastic Santa needs a friend. A few years ago, we found PS amidst stage props in Durand, Wisconsin. And the rest, as the cliche goes, is history. Since that first off-the-cuff visit with our Christmas mascot, we have received much hate mail and just as much enthusiasm for keeping a ridiculous segment in our yearly trips across the Midwest and beyond. We’ve toyed with the idea of making Plastic Santa more international, of releasing a cartoon, of filming an untimely demise and of pairing him up for a year with a pink flamingo or a garden ball (look that up, it’s real), or one of those gnomes from Greg’s backyard pumpkin patch. So if this were Plastic Santa’s last year (and I’m not saying it is), how should the faded ball of polymer be remembered? What would his last words be?
Say what you will about a cappella, it’s portrayal in digital media is rarely flattering, but we consistently have the best and most loyal fans (take that Emo and Bluegrass!). I read of Justin Timberlake being booed off the stage in Canada and of objects being thrown at Lady Gaga, of country stars who can stand on their head while singing and still not be noticed, of amazing musicians toiling in obscurity for their art peppering the streets on NY, LA, and Nashville. Why are we any different? Because of you. True, in the past decade we did have a woman sit in the front row of a show in IA with headphones listening to her “favorite group” (obviously not us) and this past weekend at the MN State Fair we did have a gentleman read the paper from front to back during our entire set, but the former had her rods and cones mixed up and the latter was probably filming a new Parisian reality show on rude behavior in public settings. In either case, our experience has been almost perfectly wondrous. And today, I thank you for that memory and that experience.
Another year, another Minnesota state fair. And I, along with everyone else on Facebook, ask, “where did the summer go?” Well, I’ll tell you where! Summer 2011 went right into the old memory banks as a pretty good one for me. Had some good shows with Tonic Sol-fa, some great quality time spent with friends and family, a skydive, plenty of ripe watermelon and sweet corn, and just the right amount sun to try and hide the nasty farmer’s tan I tend to get at the beginning of each summer. As I look toward the fall, we have a good bit of traveling in the 2nd half of September-Ohio, New York, Nevada, Louisiana, etc…) some cool artist in residencies in October, and then of course, holiday tour time! But before all that, we have to get through the aforementioned MN state fair….should be fun as always, and we expect to see each and everyone of you that are in the area to show up for at least one of the shows….and, not that I’m telling you how to live your lives, but can you imagine the great feeling of joy you will have inside after having given us a bucket of Sweet Martha’s cookies to munch on? I’m just sayin’…….
We wanted to give a final announcement of funds raised for Neighbors, Inc., as well as post all the videos in one easy spot (as opposed to spread all over Facebook and YouTube). With the help of every participant, there was over $17,000 raised for Neighbors’ social service and food shelf programs. Our fans alone helped raise over $2200, and that was in less than a month and mostly just through Facebook and Twitter! Thanks for being a part of this experience.
Now onto the ridiculously entertaining…
Jared’s Perspective
Greg’s Perspective
Shaun’s Perspective
Mark’s Perspective and hugs from Greg
Neighbor’s Inc. fundraiser highlights (with some TSF cameos)
Thanks to everyone who donated to our “Skydive for Hunger” fundraiser! With your help, enough money has been raised to throw three of us out of a plane. The group is anxiously awaiting this Saturday with only minor butterflies (that we’ll admit to).
We were going to go the democratic route and draw straws to see who the lucky one was that got to stay behind, feet planted firmly on the ground, but it appears Mark’s pitiful sobs are more than any three persons can handle. It’s bad enough listening to him whine incessantly here on the ground, let alone the thought of having to hear that awful noise the entire flight up to the spot we jump. At this point, we welcome a plane ride, or a boat ride, or a train ride, or even a wagon ride, anything to get away from the awful sounds.
Mark will, however, be watching safely from the drop zone, umbrella overhead, cooler by his side, teddy-bear in hand, waiting for his much braver counterparts to finish the job they set out to do. You are welcome to stop by and watch the excitement above, and make sure he remembers to put on his sunscreen and floppy hat.
There will still be amazing video asap!
Thanks again for helping us raise money for this great organization! Follow Neighbors Inc. as they continue to fight hunger and provide emergency assistance to people in need. Your donations and/or volunteerism are always welcome through their site.
I never thought I would have jumped out of a plane. I was part of the majority who had always dreamt of skydiving, but never had the drive to make that dream real. Where? When? How? Why? Those were all questions that I could not answer, and thus delayed my skydiving. Recently, I was handed the responsibility of organizing an event for my non-profit called Skydive For Hunger. My executive director explained, “We raise money through pledges, all the funds go to our food shelf and social service programs, and people jump out of a plane.”
What an un-traditional way towards fundraising! So in March, I took my first test skydive jump. I supposed if I were to organize such an event, I had to lead by example and prove to everyone it was safe. As people reading this blog know, I did survive.
I am so happy to see TonicSolFa interested in, Skydive For Hunger. It’s such a great way to help out a local Minnesota community, while also challenging themselves in conquering their own aspirations. Neighbors, Inc, is the primary food shelf and social service agency in northern Dakota County. In 2010, there were more than three million emergency food shelf visits in Minnesota. This year, in 2011 alone, demands have gone up by 26% percent. By donating and supporting those that skydive, you will also be helping those in our community who really need the assistance during these recent times of economic hardship.
As my friend Lee Walker, a 72 yr old Neighbors volunteer, and fellow Skydive For Hunger participant, said, “I figured, it’s for a good cause, why not try it?” Walker said, chuckling as he explained his impulse decision. “I’m kind of looking forward to it. I’m kind of looking forward to it being over, too.”
Daniel Zhu | Communications & Events Manager
_________________________________________________________________
Neighbors, Inc. | building community
daniel@neighborsmn.org
Tel. 651-306-2154
Phew! This is the last one. Next time think twice before sending in your questions. Or maybe we just won’t let them pile up, considering we still haven’t gotten to them all.
We’re close to being done with our four part mini-series of trivial things you may or may not have known about TSF. Take a deep breath, it’s almost over.
TSF vs. Tough Mudder Not entirely sure what we're thinking when signing up for this event. Sure, last year we jumped out of a plane, but once [...]
Feb 2
Tonic Sol-fa and Wounded Warrior Project For our Tough Mudder run, we've chosen the Wounded Warrior Project as our charity, because only a course this tough give [...]
