Husky Tracks
A city boy goes COUNTRY
George Fletcher, BA'90, a Long Island native, might seem to have crossed
a cultural divide when he joined the staff of Country Music Magazine upon
graduation from Northeastern. Now he lives in the country heartland of
Nashville, Tennessee, attending rhinestone-studded parties and taking in
the showcase acts.
But Fletcher sees no reason why country music shouldn't appeal to Yankees
as well as Southerners. Country conveys a universal message, he says; people
relate to the honesty embodied in the music, the realness of it, the integrity
of it. "It's real songs about real people," he says. "That's
what most people like."
"Folk and country music blend together," he adds. "We
like to put things in little boxes. But most people's minds are open and
their ears are open to all sounds. So it's not outrageous for someone from
the Northeast to appreciate this kind of stuff."
The thirty-year-old Fletcher developed his love for country songs long
before Garth Brooks helped popularize the genre and move it into the mainstream.
Always attracted to earthy, folksy music, Fletcher early on became hip
to the "edgy, cool stuff" coming from the likes of Steve Earle,
Joan Armatrading, and k. d. lang.
In Nashville, Fletcher has an insider's view. New York and Los Angeles
may be the hubs for other forms of music, but for country, Nashville is
the mecca. "This is the center of business," he says. "This
is where everything is happening." There are tons of "listening"
parties and clubs to frequent to check out who's hot and what's not. "Hearing
a great song from an up-and-coming singer and songwriter is a great joy,"
he says.
Now a senior editor of Country Music Magazine, Fletcher values his role
in shaping the glossy consumer publication, a bimonthly with a circulation
of almost 650,000. "The materials that I am writing about and editing
are interesting," he says. "They are about human beings. They
are about things that touch people. It's really thrilling to see the magazine
coming together."
At Northeastern, Fletcher cultivated his interests in the music, publishing,
and railroad industries, getting a business degree with concentrations
in transportation and logistics management. Today, he manages to dabble
in all his loves. In addition to his main job, Fletcher is also a contributing
editor, freelance writer, and photographer for the railroad publications
RailNews and Railpace Newsmagazine.
- Meghan Irons
Hobby horse a breed apart
As a child she was horse-crazy, a fan of the movie My Friend Flicka
and Misty of Chincoteague books. She went to horse shows and took riding
lessons. Now Regina (Cavallo) Brown, BB'79, is a horse owner immersed in
producing a rare purebred Azteca horse.
It's no small task. The job involves hefty stud fees, horse semen shipped
in heavy-duty containers, and a lot of nail-biting. Brown hopes that her
seven-year-old Andalusian mare, Especia (Spanish for "spice"),
who is being mated with a quarter horse, will produce a pure Azteca foal.
Brown thinks the Azteca-a versatile, intelligent horse that's good for
riding, rodeo, hunting, and jumping-is poised for popularity in the United
States.
While breeding pure Aztecas is a relatively new pursuit in this country,
the breed is common in Mexico, where it has been designated the national
horse. Part Andalusian, part quarter horse, the breed was created in that
country about twenty-five years ago. Through its Andalusian blood, though,
the Azteca's roots can be traced as far back as the Moorish invasion of
Spain.
Born mostly brown or black and turning gray at adulthood, Aztecas are
known for show-stopping qualities. They can leap sideways in the blink
of an eye. They can dance on their hind legs as youngsters. And they're
a mellow, social breed, preferring humans to horses and forming strong
bonds with their owners.
Brown never owned a horse until about six years ago, when she moved
to Peterborough, New Hampshire, after living in Florida for many years.
She went through several different breeds but finally acquired her dream
horse two years ago-the Andalusian. "Especia is definitely the most
intelligent horse I've owned, and the most personable," says Brown.
"She's a real companion."
Taking on the breeding project was a big commitment for Brown. In order
to produce an Azteca, she scoured the country for a male quarter horse
to mate with Especia. When she found Wind Dancer in Wisconsin, she had
to arrange to have his semen shipped out by Federal Express.
Brown's long-term goal is to market the Azteca breed, but she also wants
to use her horses, and her breeding project, to put together a horsemanship
program for the Christian academy where she now teaches Spanish. "Breeding,
training, and showing are good learning opportunities for students,"
she says. "It's a good opportunity to train kids to learn the morals
of life-discipline, training, respect. There's a lot of sacrifice and love
involved. It's about character, what it is to work hard. And patience."
- Karen Feldscher
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