By Rusty Nixon Correspondent
PLYMOUTH – So what is it about welding and performers?
Jennifer Beals’ character in “Flashdance” was a welder by day and dancer by night. Plymouth grad and trumpet player for Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, Adam Beck, knows what that’s like, too.
“I started out after high school as a welder at Titus,” said Beck. “I had convinced myself that music — and the trumpet — was something that I had fun with, but it wasn’t something that adults did to support a family.”
That doesn’t mean it ever really left the back of his mind.
“I stayed in touch with Denver (Bierman) and after awhile one of his trumpet players moved to Houston so there was an opening in the band,” said Beck. “I was persistent and called and would say ‘hey, let me come down and play this gig with you this weekend. Just let me play’ and I guess that was how I kind of worked my way into the band. And they let me stay.”
That must seem like ancient history now that the band has ended its nine-week run on Fox’s Next Great American Band. Beck was in town Friday to watch the finale with a house full of family and friends, getting together one last time to support the band that won so many new fans from the show.
“We’re used to being away from family and together on the road but this was different,” said Beck, adding with a smile. “The guys in the band — we like to say we’re experts at forgiveness. Bands are just dysfunctional families — that’s all a good band really is. You have to get over things and forgive.”
The band also made new friendships over the two-month stay in Los Angeles for the show. The winner of the Next Great American Band, the Clark Brothers, developed ties with DMHO, a lot of it based on the two groups faith in Christ.
“Their dad was a traveling evangelist and if they wanted to get on the bus with dad, they had to play at least one instrument,” said Beck. “There was a real bond there between our groups; our foundation is the same.
“We also got to work really closely with Ricky Minor, who’s the music director for the show, and also for American Idol and the Grammys. When we’d rehearse, he’d come in and say ‘OK guys what have you got?’ and then he’d critique us. You couldn’t buy those lessons. Spending time under his instruction was incredible.”
Beck related that the moment of realizing that DMHO was not the winner of the competition was a tough one, but the band still had to perform the rest of the show, and knew how they wanted America to remember them.
“Just like somebody goes to work and sits behind a desk, they do their job,” he said. “It was an emotional moment but you’re a performer, you’re a professional and you can’t afford to deliver a poor performance.”
So just what does the future hold for the band? Beck who does web design and teaches rock climbing in Tennessee and Kentucky (you can visit www.becknology.com to find out more) to help ends meet, hopes that he might be able to quit “the day job” soon, but really has no real idea what the future may hold.
“Since we didn’t win the contract we’ll probably have to go track it and kill it ourselves,” he said. “I’m just the trumpet player; I don’t make any decisions. Corporately I don’t know what’s going to happen. It will be interesting to see.”