By Drew Holmes Watching Timothy on the soccer field I can’t help but be proud. Last season, his first playing organized team sports, he struggled. Every goal against his team was an annoyance and each loss was unacceptable. …

by Drew Holmes Sitting behind the trumpet players, I feel at home. It has been decades since I was in high school and sitting where these students are, listening to their director and adjusting their playing. But I am not there today to rehearse alongside them. I am attending rehearsal…

by Drew Holmes Years of memories flooded my mind as we took the field one last time. A senior at East Bridgewater High School, I was marching in my final band competition. The squish of Astroturf underfoot, I thought back to how I got here. Three years prior marching band…

by Drew Holmes Tragedy struck Louis Feinberg at an early age. His father owned a watch repair and jewelry store in Philadelphia and kept acid on hand to test the gold content of pieces. …

Getting out of your comfort zone to discover new opportunities by Drew Holmes “It looks like the interview will last 20 minutes. What do you think they will ask me?” “Tell the story of how you found the listing. Just be yourself.” Jamie, my wife, was interviewing for a job…

Published as “Combatting Chains” in Music Inc. Magazine, October 2023 by Drew Holmes My heart sank when I heard the news. A large national music store chain was finally moving into my city to directly compete with my store. We had enjoyed decades on a virtually uncontested island starting with…

By Drew Holmes “Read to me, dad!” came the urgent request. Sam, my five-year-old, was ready for his bedtime story and, just like each night for the last few weeks, wanted a story from Winnie the Pooh. “Of course, buddy! I’d be glad to.” I had last read A. A…

by Drew Holmes “Hey dad, guess what?” Timothy, back in Colorado, was on the other end of the phone while I was on a brief trip to see my dad in Massachusetts. “What’s that, buddy?” “My team won!” came his excited response. The cool weather and constant New England rain…

by Drew Holmes Bleary eyed and not quite awake, I heard the phone buzzing on my nightstand. This was odd for two reasons — first, it was 6:00 am, an hour before my phone would exit night mode and start notifying me of new calls and messages. Second, it was…