Today we’d like to introduce you to Douglas Horne.
Hi Douglas, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Back in the day, before there was any band to speak of, I was a busker. I used to play on Park Avenue on Sundays for some extra pocket money on my off days from Orlando Ballet. It’s worth mentioning that I came to Orlando from the northeast to join the company, where I danced professionally for 4 years.
During my second year at Orlando Ballet, I met a girl who played violin, and she started busking with me on Park Avenue (right here in Winter Park!) in front of what was then a Talbots and now a LuluLemon. Sometimes, she’d hang out at my apartment after work, and we’d talk music. I had a huge crush on her, and I always wished she could stay longer, but she’d inevitably have to go home to make dinner. She was a vegetarian then, and I didn’t know how to make any vegetarian entrees, but I did know how to make a tasty raspberry pie. She was over one night, and I started throwing one together as we talked. As she was getting ready to leave, I was prepared with, “If you can stay for just 20 more minutes, I’ve got a raspberry pie coming out of the oven!”
I thought I was so slick. Anyway, we eventually became an item, and we busked every weekend. It was one of these weekends on which a kid with a camera started taking photos of us. Most people who take photos of buskers tend to do so without asking and have the hall not even leave a tip! This dude, however, was much more courteous. He threw a few bucks in my guitar case as we wrapped up our set. He asked what our band was called, and I told him we were Raspberry Pie. For whatever reason, the combination of my relationship with the girl and the homespun nature of what we did just conjured that phrase. He offered to make us a Facebook page for the band, and while I only took a little stock of it then, I searched for the name ‘Raspberry Pie’ on Facebook when I got home, and shockingly, he had followed through. From then on, we were Raspberry Pie, and it dawns on me that everything that the band has accomplished, in all its various iterations, is all due, in some form, to that passerby who liked what we were doing enough to make us official.
Let’s dig deeper into the story. Has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Every road of great length is never smooth all the way through! Over 10 years, I’ve dealt with lineup changes, heartbreak, financial woes, bad bookings, terrible sound crews, the rigors of touring, and the failures that one needs for the process of elimination that ultimately leads to some form of success. I generally believe that struggle is part of being a professional musician or a component of being a creative or expressive person. The road doesn’t get less bumpy as you drive it down; you learn to take the bumps better.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a guitarist, singer, and bandleader for a funk band based in Orlando. While there are plenty of people who can make similar claims, I feel there are a few key things that set me, and by extension, the rest of the band apart from the pack:
- My general training in classical ballet and dance allows me to perform in ways other bandleaders might not consider. My years of training have given me a bit of a natural stage presence and the ability to reciprocate and multiply the energy of a good audience.
- The band around me is incredibly talented. From the guys in the rhythm section to the girls in the horn section, every single band member is a great musician, but much more; they’re also exciting individuals and stage presences in their own right. I’m fortunate to have the bandmates that I have.
- Our great stage uniforms were almost entirely made by my mom. She’s a real stand-up lady.
As far as points of pride go, my most significant source of pride around my musical career is that I’ve managed to keep at it this long and still find joy (and some profit) in it. So many of us as musicians have a sense of what we’d like to achieve, but no two musicians can succeed via the same career path. What works for one artist with a given audience may need to be revised. Everyone has to forge their path, and no path truly guarantees success, at least from a monetary standpoint, but there’s real success in simply enduring and continuing to be creative. I’m also proud of the progress the group has made overall in the last few years. We played to 1,700 people at PAX West in Boston in March of 2023, and we’ve successfully toured the East Coast, Midwest, and Texas.
So, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you before we go? How can they support you?
Anyone looking to work with me can send a DM to the Raspberry Pie Instagram page or feel free to reach out via our website. Unless the band is on tour, I’m easy to get a hold of. As far as support goes, become a Patreon pledge! I always need to remember to plug in the Patreon page. Below that, just streaming our music or buying merch goes a long way towards supporting what we do.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://Raspberrypieinthesky.com
- Instagram: http://Instagram.com/Raspberrypiemusic
- Facebook: http://Facebook.com/Raspberrypiemusic
- Twitter: http://Twitter.com/TheRaspberrypie
- Youtube: http://Youtube.com/@Raspberrypiemusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2HN90NqeLPhN825NQB0Jxs?si=GaX5KEhKQ6Sjn20muURl5Q
Image Credits
Dabe Alan
