Dear Turtle

"Hey Tom,
       Saw an email about Turtle Underground and was wondering what it was?  Heard it has something to do with music."
       Sincerely,
            John Howland

        Tom Cadrin played an hour long opener up in Turtle the other weekend; the email above is one I sent to him four years ago when I was a freshman.  I came to St. Mikes in the fall of 2009 with a nice acoustic and some terrible skills.  I took music classes in high school, sang in the accapella group and loved to go see shows, but I couldn't get myself to do what I really wanted.
       Like most I got to school ready to do new things, escape the social confines of my high school life and start new. I saw an email during the first week of school asking people interested in helping out with Turtle to email this guy, Tom Cadrin. I had heard something about it being an open mic night space and was really excited about finally getting the chance to not freak myself out and do what I had always wanted with music.  He hit me back the next day, told me what it was all about and then offered me a 30 min acoustic set for the following friday.
       My life has changed because I sent that email freshman year.  I'm graduating in a few weeks: I've gotten over my fear of playing music with other people, I got over the fear of preforming, I started a band that played sets at Higher Ground and Nectars, I got into music writing with Big Heavy World and I was the president of Turtle this year.  Being apart of Turtle Underground is one of the most important things that's happened to me; it has given me the opportunity to grow as an individual, it's given me a community to feel apart of and its all lead to me discovering and developing a passion and a set of skills that I never would have thought I had.
      Maybe something else would have come along if I hadn't sent that email to Tom, but if it wasn't for Turtle Underground, I wouldn't be ready to step out of the safe haven this 20 year long learning journey has provided.  I am going to miss St. Mike's, I'm going to miss going to class and bouncing around Turtle; but because of this school and TU, I'm stoked to try and go figure out what I'm going to do with it all.  I have no plans or job offers, but I know what I love to do.  Listen to music, do what you love, go to Turtle shows!