My Story

My name is Eric Chappell, and I have discovered that I love bringing musicians together to play. I stumbled upon this by accident. I work for a software company that employs about 10,000 people. I am a manager with a tech background who happens to be a musician. I came up with this crazy idea to gather up the musicians within my part of the company and get them to play some songs together at a work conference. I thought it would be fun.  It was magical! It was life-changing. (That's me in the center of the photo above).​

 

This wasn't an open mic - it was pre-planned and coordinated. We all knew what we were playing before we got there, and we had time to prepare and practice. We played about 30 songs with lots of different groupings of musicians. The veteran musicians had a blast because they got a chance to do what they love. The amateur musicians realized actual dreams because they got to play their instruments in a live band setting in front of people. The crowd had a blast because they saw their friends and co-workers rocking out on stage. These people were from different states, in some cases different countries, and with some good coordination, were able to play these songs together even though they'd never rehearsed together. And they did it well!​

 

I have now repeated this event 8 more times at my company, and every time, it's the same thing. It's a blast, it's special, it's magical.​

 

So, why not do this in my community?

 

I know there are tons of great musicians in Hanover County and the surrounding areas; I know many of them personally. I also know a few amateur/hobbyist musicians of different ages, and I'm sure there are many more out there.  All of these folks love one thing - to play music.​

 

So, Hanover Jam Night is born! My vision is for this to be a regular gathering of musicians, young and old, aficionados and amateurs, with one goal: to enjoy playing music together. And while we're doing it, let's lift each other up and encourage each other - especially the youngest and most novice among us. We could be the spark that starts someone down a lifelong path of enjoying music as a player.​

 

I also know there are lots of folks in the area who don't play but love and appreciate live rock music. We'd love to see you there too!​

 

I'm not in this for the money, my plan is to make this a non-profit after we've done a few Jam Nights and I figure out how to do that. Like I said, I get a real kick out of bringing musicians together and seeing the magic happen. Will you help me do this by participating or supporting Hanover Jam Night?​