Jessika Brust
Pumping Gas at the Strip Club
My gig went until 2am, and striking the stage before I could leave the nightclub took longer than usual. By the time I got on the road...
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Jessika Brust
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Jessika Brust
Nov 21, 20173 min read
Loose Lips
It was a slow day at the music store, one of those strange days where multiple students forgot they had a lesson or called out sick. We...
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Jessika Brust
Nov 17, 201711 min read
Halloween Milonga in Shanghai
Partner dancers are a special kind of addict. We congregate at strange social meetings, not to escape our addictions, but to indulge in...
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Jessika Brust
Oct 23, 201710 min read
Have It All, Lose It All, Part IV
Click for Part I. Click for Part II. Click for Part III. Rehearsals for the new shows started right as I finished being installed in the...
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Jessika Brust
Sep 30, 201713 min read
Have It All, Lose It All, Part III
Click for Part I. Click for Part II. David and I were trying to bond, to feel less like we were singing opposite a stranger. We wanted...
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Jessika Brust
Sep 21, 20178 min read
Tutu Grams
**adult topics discussed** Cabin fever is a very real and powerful force, and no one is entirely immune. Sure, we had our production...
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Jessika Brust
Sep 13, 201716 min read
Dick Van Dyke's Daughter
*occasional adult language* That's me. Didn't you know? On ships, rumors evolve at back breaking speeds, but this was one rumor I made...
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Jessika Brust
Aug 25, 201721 min read
Have It All, Lose It All, Part II
Click for Part I. Who ever heard of a millennial with a college degree earning a salary as a musician, who was debt free, with financial...
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Jessika Brust
Jun 17, 201714 min read
Have It All, Lose It All, Part I
Six months paid vacation a year, a starting salary higher than anyone dreamed possible, traveling to all seven continents via all the...
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Jessika Brust
Jun 8, 20177 min read
The $8,000 Gown
Steven Mallard's showband was in Miami again for a biannual corporate convention with Mr. Mallard's favorite client. By some unexplained...
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Jessika Brust
May 31, 20177 min read
The Swinger MeetUp
He who shall be last shall be first, we joked -- Nolan was one of my jazz professors and ensemble leaders in college. But now the tables...
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Jessika Brust
May 25, 201714 min read
My First Marriage Proposal
There was a new lead at the salsa social one Tuesday. He was tall, dark, and handsome, well-dressed, and a fantastic dancer who...
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Jessika Brust
May 19, 201712 min read
Don't Call Me Baby
*heavy adult language* Chasing bats with telemetry was my part-time day job, while I spent the summer rehabilitating my voice after a...
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Jessika Brust
May 12, 20173 min read
Send a Headshot
My third cruise contract had just been terminated, and it looked like I was out of work for the long haul. I had a bit of money in...
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Jessika Brust
May 8, 20172 min read
The Practice Room
Nobody walks away from college thinking, "That cafeteria was a fantastic dining experience." Everybody remembers the learning curve of...
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Jessika Brust
May 7, 201714 min read
Snow in April
November 2, 2008, was easily the worst night of my life. To this day, I still have to suppress it from memory because merely the thought...
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Jessika Brust
May 4, 20173 min read
The Rainbow Connection
It was recital time, and my students had to complete a full rehearsal run of their segment in each lesson before we could proceed with...
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Jessika Brust
May 1, 20173 min read
Was it raining...?
"Point your scroll at the music stand." "No more peekaboo thumb!" "It starts down bow." "Do you hear a ringtone yet?" "Wait for my...
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Jessika Brust
Apr 26, 20177 min read
Unlike a Stripper
Our cover band's future was on rocky ground. They had just hired me in the spring, filmed a promo video in the summer, and began to pick...
169 views0 comments
Jessika Brust
Apr 24, 20175 min read
Y.M.C.A.
Day five of our six day tour with Steven Mallard's showband, and we hadn't paced ourselves too well. We had a gig coming up that night,...
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