Violinist explores a whole new world.

Byline: Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard

Alittle more than 10 years ago, Aaron Meyer found himself in a sadly common position after earning a degree from a liberal arts college: He wasn't trained for a profes- sion.

Although it had been six years since he'd estranged himself from his violin, the need for a paycheck drove him back to his most marketable skill. So the classically trained musician started free-lancing.

The Philadelphia transplant, who came to Portland to attend Lewis and Clark College, soon picked up a steady gig with Pink Martini. The job changed his whole idea of what he could do with his instrument.

"When I started playing with Pink Martini, it was like a huge light bulb went on and a brand new universe opened up for me," Meyer said from Portland after the final day of his annual youth music camp.

Pink Martini "crossed it over. The world music component I found really interesting, and that's a big part of what I do now."

Zoom ahead to the present. Meyer fronts a high energy show with five other musicians. They play originals and cover tunes that mix a classical influence with world rhythms and rock instrumentation with piano and a lighthearted stage presence more common in pop entertainment than chamber music.

Meyer and his band have played private events in Eugene before, but he said this is their first public concert. For local listeners, the price is right; the free show is courtesy of the summer outdoor concert series from the Willamalane Park & Recreation District.

Meyer played on Pink Martini's breakthrough 1997 release, "Sympathique," then worked with the group for a year and a half before striking out to do his own thing.

Pink Martini band leader Thomas Lauderdale was one of Meyer's early mentors as he took small steps toward "classical crossover."

Meyer did not expect to burn out on classical music the way he did. When he started at Indiana University in 1990, he was a violin performance major.

As a kid, music was all around. His father was a violin teacher, and Meyer had been playing since he was 5, including a solo debut at age 11 for the Philadelphia Orchestra.

"I quit the violin because I was playing strictly classical and I felt like I was trapped in a box," he said. "I was really, really frustrated, and also bored. Not because I had mastered all that material, but because there were so many other really good players and it was extremely competitive and I didn't feel that much room for creativity or innovation."

That's why his experience with Pink Martini was so influential. He's taken his act in a much different direction, performing almost exclusively instrumentals, unlike Pink Martini, a band that owes much of its success to the vocal prowess and star charisma of China Forbes.

"If a violin were a voice, we would be a standard rock band," Meyer said.

He admitted that it's difficult to describe what he does, and so he relies on his live performance to win new converts.

"It's a nice niche, because there are definitely opportunities for this kind of music," he said. "It's relatively undefined; it's open for interpretation.

`And that's where I feel really free to explore and develop as an artist. It's kind of like pioneers coming out West for the first time, all this open land."

Making the classics palatable 

Aside from the performance aspect of his career, Meyer has carved out another niche: as a liaison between young students and music that can't be found on commercial radio.

He's not trying to wrangle kids into liking classical music. His technique is more akin to a mother slipping ground flax seed into her child's applesauce because it's good for him.

For "a lot of kids, some of the traditional classical stuff is hard for them to relate to - maybe they haven't been exposed to it, or maybe it's not that exciting," he said. "What I do is more of a modern approach. I do play a lot of classical music, but I integrate it with drums or guitar or electric bass.

"I think they connect easier with something that has rhythm. I can kind of sneak in the classical stuff sometimes and they might not know it."

During the summer program he just finished, campers got to work on original songs.

They also experienced a recording studio and what it takes to produce a piece of music from start to finish.

This year, the kids attended a CD release show for Meyer's latest, "From the Beginning," a solo project.

Meyer wrote his own grants so he could visit schools for a three-day artist-in-residence program. The idea was to augment the music curriculum at no charge to schools, which face reduced funding for the arts, he said.

In recent winters, Meyer has toured Southeast Asia. He presents a modified version of his Portland program for children there, and he said he learns as much as he teaches.

"That kind of stuff really excites me," he said. "I love learning about music from other cultures and finding ways to incorporate that into my music."

For Meyer, working with children came easily after witnessing so many students come through his own home for lessons. His father still teaches violin in Philadelphia and is proud of what his son is doing - unconventional as it may be.

"He's happy that I'm doing something that I enjoy doing," Meyer said. "It can be really difficult to make a living (as a musician).

`Fortunately, it's fun and it's working and it's continuing to move forward."

CONCERT PREVIEW

Aaron Meyer

What: Six-piece rock band led by a concert violinist

When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: South end, Island Park, 200 West B St., Springfield

Admission: Free

On the Web: Hear Meyer's music and find a link to his Web site at www.registerguard.com /ticketfiles

You can call Serena Markstrom at 338-2371 or e-mail her at [e-mail].