Subject #9: Secret Highways

Filmed December 6, 2007
At their Seattle home after a show in
Olympia, WA

Meade Krosby and Eric Bruns, Washington D.C. ex-patriots, are 2/3 of the Seattle trio Secret Highways. Meade is an ex-member of Diastemata, the only band I was never a member of whose record I released. Eric is a member of EBSK and a former member of the now-defunct avant duo Heth.

In the year 2000, I decided to purchase a bass clarinet. I researched bass clarinets on the internet and in the physical yellow pages. In the latter resource, I came upon an advertisement for band instruments. The advertisement said, “Need a Horn? Dial 1800USAHORN.” I dialed 1800USAHORN and talked to a 1800USAHORN representative.

“Do you have any bass clarinets?” I inquired of the 1800USAHORN representative.

“Yes,” the representative replied. “It is $600.”

“Let’s seal this deal!” I exclaimed.

Two weeks later, a bass clarinet arrived at my doorstep. The clarinet’s former owner had emblazoned his name on the case: “Brad Batz.” From that day, I referred to my bass clarinet as “Brad Batz.” Then, some years passed and I decided I did not play Brad Batz enough to warrant owning him any longer. I was aware that Eric Bruns played clarinet and cornered him at the first opportunity.

“Hey, do you want to buy my bass clarinet?” I asked.

“Maybe,” Eric replied. A few days later, he came by my house to see the bass clarinet. When I showed him the case, he asked, “Who is Brad Batz?”

“For $600, you can find out,” I replied.

Brad Batz, a Washington, DC ex-patriot, is alive and well and living in Seattle.

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