PERFORMING ARTS
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orchestra when he was 11 years old (he switched to violin,
which is very similar, when he was a junior in college), and
soon he and his 18-month-older brother Noel, who played
the flute, formed a band called the Celtic Rogues. The siblings
were heavily influenced by their father, who was an aficionado
of Celtic music, growing up as he did close to Ireland
in Cornwall, England. The Celtic Rogues played at numerous
local events, including Fort Pierce’s annual St. Patrick’s Day
celebration, and when the boys were in high school, they
toured Ireland for the first time.
When Noel graduated from high school he pursued a
career in the military, attending the United States Air Force
Academy in Colorado Springs and eventually becoming a
captain. But Brian wanted to make music his career, and he
did so with ample support from his family. Trew’s Uncle
Billy makes his fiddles and is a musician himself, playing the
guitar in two Fort Pierce groups, Moon Shadow and Out on
Bail. Trew’s mother, a former high school English teacher at
Lincoln Park Academy, and his father, owner of Trew & Sons
Jewelry store in Fort Pierce, are also very big fans of their son.
“My mom supported all of my musical dreams and
endeavors,” he said. “Between her support and my father
buying me whatever instrument I wanted, this was a great
background to have.”
When Trew graduated from Lincoln Park he went to Florida
Atlantic University in Boca Raton on a music scholarship
for his talent with the viola. At FAU, he honed his classical
music skills, but he never forgot his father’s Celtic influence.
It was this Irish sensitivity that he brought to the musical
table that fateful evening at the bar in Boca when he first met
his bandmates. The “lads” as they call themselves, instantly
liked the Celtic touch, which has become a part of
Uproot’s identity.
In kind, Trew, who is the youngest band member by almost
a decade, has been influenced by his fellow musicians,
including Brian Bolen, who plays acoustic and bass guitars
and sings, and who has served as a mentor. Although nearly
a decade younger than Bolen, Trew has proven he is every bit
as mature when it comes to professionalism. “As a bandmate,
Brian is very dependable, driven, disciplined and objective.
He comes from a wonderful family that has instilled in him a
good set of values,” says Bolen. “Everyone warns you about
how difficult it is to work with friends, but Brian somehow
makes that very easy, and that says a lot about his character.”
Today, Uproot Hootenanny still plays all over South Florida.
About once a month the band appears at Waldo’s in Vero
Beach. They recently returned from a tour in Ireland, where
they go every summer for a few weeks. They made connections
through a popular Irish rugby team thanks to Trew, who
set them up in the Emerald Isle.
While Uproot keeps Trew, who is now a lead vocalist in
the band, busy with several gigs a month, he still needs to
supplement his income by teaching private lessons, where he
incorporates classical violin with bluegrass and Celtic. “I try
to mix it up for the kids,” says Trew.
Most of Trew’s students are too young to worry about a
career, but for those who do and ask him for advice, he has a
few key things to say. “You’ve got to stick with it. There will
be hard times financially, but as long as it makes you happy,
go with it,” says Trew. “And find a good group of guys …
You’re going to be bad for a long time, but eventually you’re
going to get better.” >>
OCT 28 – NOV 16
The 60’s
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CREATED & WRITTEN BY RAY RODERICK & JAMES HINDMAN
MUSIC ARRANGEMENTS BY JOSEPH BAKER
ADDITIONAL MUSIC & LYRICS BY JOSEPH BAKER & RAY RODERICK
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