Sawyer’s Dream guitarist: Music bridges the age gap

Northrop's Music on the Plaza concert series kicked off Wednesday, Jun 6. The second band to perform as part of the series is Sawyer's Dream, starting at noon on Jun 13. We asked guitarist Erik Newman, a University of Minnesota graduate, to tell us about the band. Here's his reply: Sawyer’s Dream is a rare band. It’s a 7-piece band that contains members who are in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. It happened that way organically, over time. Members came and went and the ones who stuck chose to because they liked the talent and the collective vibe.As the senior member, at age 56, I feel pretty lucky to be accepted by the younger band members. I’m sure for Buster and Ryan, in their 20s, it might be a bit weird being in a band with a musical dinosaur. But I think they appreciate the knowledge that myself and Sky (also on the older side) can share. Having been in successful bands in the past, we know the work ethic and attention to detail that it takes to be successful and can show them the ropes. They however, have to put up with our weird musical references. “Who the heck are the Go Gos, Bostonand Spanky and Our Gang?” they wonder. For me, it’s nice to be around young positive energy and the bright-eyed aspirations of young musicians. It keeps things fresh and fun! And our three female singers--Monique, Tina and Adrianne--are simply amazing. When the harmonies gel, it’s a real honor to be in their presence.With a talented backing band mixed in, the whole thing becomes magical! All in all, Sawyer’s Dream is a strange rag-tag bunch. Different ages, different walks of life, but we share mutual respect and a common goal to be a great band. Everybody is pretty cool with each other and I think it’s symbolic of where I hope the outside world can get to--a big melting pot of people learning cooperation, developing a spirit of kindness and creating something better.