This week I pay tribute to a band I used to play with in Minneapolis before moving to Oklahoma: Me and My Arrow.

Several years ago, when I lived in the Twin Cities, I dabbled in non-classical music - Scandalous, I know! I made so many dear friends, went on some crazy (awesome) tours, played some wild shows, and collaborated with so many respected musicians during that time, it is a real cherry on top of my classical music education.

One of the bands I regularly played with was Me and My Arrow (MAMA). They were super fun! When I joined the band, it was like a traveling circus; There were strings, drums, guitars, keyboards, trumpet sometimes, and vocalists galore. I think at its very largest, MAMA had 12 band members. I don't really remember exactly how we got ourselves to gigs. I know we couldn't fit all of those people and equipment in one van! I tagged along with them to SXSW a few times after I moved to Oklahoma (I mean, it is literally on the way), played massive block parties with 10,000+ attendees, and recorded a few tracks for one of their EPs.

Recently, I have been working on a few new tracks created by former MAMA front man, Jacob Grun. Jacob and I have always been dear friends, but after his move to Los Angeles several years ago, we fell out of touch. It is so awesome to be collaborating again! I've been listening to the new tracks on repeat, trying to figure out the violin parts and to gather inspiration I went back and visited some of MAMA's music.

Even though I didn't record for them, the last few tracks MAMA recorded and released are some of my favorite jams, and I did get to perform them live several times. They get stuck in my head, and I find myself dancing around singing the lyrics on repeat. The band has since disbanded, but it was always a good time, with some very talented people. I have so many memories of these people and this music - I just had to share the music with you!