Ron Carr, vocals

With the Midwest Rock Ensemble:

Still married to Jan (34 years!)

Three sons, one grandson

Contact Info:

Email: me @thecarrs.biz

Skype: ron-carr

Website: roncarr.com

Family Website: thecarrfamilyonline.com

Brief Post-band Bio:

Married Jan in July of 1972, the summer after graduating from Southwest Missouri State with a degree in painting.  Taught art at Webster Groves High School for about 10 years, starting in 1972.  Taught media classes (video, graphic arts, television production) in the early eighties.  Received masters degree in media in ‘84 and began teaching at Webster University.  Served as Director of Technology for the Webster Groves School District from 1984-1999, and for the School District of Clayton from 1999-2005.  Now retired, sort of.  Started a family business thecarrs.biz LLC.  If you visit the website, you’ll see all of the stuff we’re doing.  I’ve been doing alot of painting lately, and have been toying with the idea of getting into music publishing, real estate, and few other things.  I figure that now’s the time to do what I want, and what feels good -- wait a minute, I think I just described the 60’s and 70’s.  Hope to hear from everybody soon!

Sam Baltzer, Trombone

Midwest Rock Ensemble

...where I earned a masters in music education.  I taught public school music (band) for four years then went to Indiana University where I earned a doctorate in music education.  In 1987, my wife and I moved to Rome, Georgia where we still live.  I teach at a small college and am active in the community as the founder/conductor of a concert band, jazz ensemble, and chamber orchestra.  I still play trombone a bit, but mostly electric bass in a jazz combo and with a Celtic band.  I've composed or arranged over 100 band pieces, many of which are self-published through Bag O' Winds Press (www.bagowinds.com).  I still get back to St. Louis 1-2 times a year to see my mom and siblings.  Playing in the MRE was a key factor in my decision to become a music major at UMSL, a turning point decision in my life.  Though I haven't been good about staying in touch, I still regard my band friends as my BFF.  Sam Baltzer

Dave Breeze, Trumpet

Midwest Rock Ensemble

... We now have four wonderful daughters. Time has just flown by.Thirtysix years later, in 2009, I came out of my cubical to find they had bull dozed the plant. I was left with a decision to move, or retire, so the best decision, I felt at the time, was to retire. I haven't kept up with music other to occassionally pick up the trumpet and blow the dust out of it . Best wishes to my friends and fellow musicians.

Dave Bruenger, Trombone

Midwest Rock Ensemble

I continued to play trombone professionally until 2006 in a wide variety of settings: Broadway shows, etc. I also began to play bass along the way and worked with various blues and rock groups in Missouri, Illinois, and Texas. The only playing I'm doing lately, though, is for my own amusement. Professionally I've been on the music faculty of Ohio State for a few years teaching courses in music, media, and commerce. Once in a while I teach a history of rock course...which is what led me--indirectly--to your page.

 

Small world, strange trip.

 

What I found most fascinating is how the audio files sound. I always considered the MRE a formative experience for me as a musician, but assumed I was remembering the band as "good" through the filter of nostalgia. We were it seems, listening today, better than OK, which set the bar pretty high for subsequent experiences. I'm grateful to have made music with such good people and hope everyone is doing well.

 

Please feel free to post my email on your site. I've been completely out of touch with everyone from MRE for decades, but if I chance across anyone from the era, I'll let them know. If you're in touch with anyone, please send my best.

 

Dave Bruenger

Tom Watson, Guitar

With the Midwest Rock Ensemble until early 70’s

Contact Info:

Email: tbwla@yahoo.com

Skype: modernguitars

Website: http://www.modernguitars.com/

Brief Post-band Bio:

What a delight it was to find this site that Ron's put together. My time with MRE was a major influence in my life, one that grows stronger as the years go by. I doubt that over the 30-some years since those band days a month's gone by that I didn't think about MRE. Odds are it's more frequent than monthly, especially now that most of my time is spent writing about music. Even when not thinking specifically about MRE, the experience deeply influences my approach to listening to, thinking about and writing about music and musicians.

 

I now live in a small town in the north of Portugal and make a living writing about mostly guitar-related music, but the road here included a long stretch away from the music business. I left MRE in the early '70s, probably '71 or '72, to go back to school full time. Stayed in school until 1978 and collected a couple of degrees - undergrad in philosophy, a year of grad school in philosopy, then three years of law school. A few weeks after graduating from SLU law, moved to the Los Angeles area where I stayed until coming to Portugal in 2002. Have worn quite a few hats since 1978, ranging from cab driver to screenwriter. Did a stint as a concert promoter in L.A. and South Korea in the '80s (then found better ways to waste time and money), but otherwise, didn't find a comfortable place in any business related to music until I started writing about it since moving to Portugal.

 

While I have a couple of guitars, several years usually pass before I hold one and work up a little callus. After a week or so I remember why I quit and it goes back on the stand. I don't need to play, but sometimes I miss that touch.

 

More important, though, are the lessons MRE taught me about the pleasures, love and reality related to music. I'm partial to live performance recordings as opposed to studio work, I'm a sucker for just about any group that has a horn section and I learned a very valuable lesson about the difference between player-centric and listener-centric music - what good players want to play and what sells beer are rarely the same.

 

Last week I spoke to Ron Carr for the first time in 30-some years. What a pleasure that was. He's a thinker and a man with heart. The question of regret came up - did I ever think about what might have been had I persisted with MRE or related projects. My answer was yes and no. I like things the way they are. I can fantasize about what might have been without having to pay the price for what would have been.

 

I look forward to watching this site grow and catching up on the lives of my bandmates. Hats off to Ron!