Matt Weiner ’89 and Squirrel Butter Perform Daland Concert

On December 10, Roxbury Latin’s anniversary “Men of RL” alumni Hall series continued with some music. Talented bassist, guitarist, and pianist Matt Weiner, Class of 1989, performed a number of bluegrass and country songs to the delight of the students and faculty, in the last week of the marking period. Matt, who resides in the Pacific Northwest, has more than two decades of experience as a highly sought-after music teacher. As a bass player he has been known to perform upward of two hundred shows per year. In Hall he was joined by his friends Charlie Beck and Charmaine Slaven, who comprise the duo Squirrel Butter, an old-time variety duet that performs the genres of early bluegrass, country, and Cajun while adding their own unique perspectives.

Matt and Squirrel Butter’s set list included a single by country duo The Louvin Brothers and the 1928 Eddie Anthony song “Georgia Crawl.” Between songs, Matt shared ruminations on his experience at RL—including a very spectacular leg injury on the soccer field—and encouraged the boys to try out a number of pursuits, passions, and professional paths, remembering that you never truly know if you like something until you try it. Matt is no stranger to the Rousmaniere Hall stage; he last performed there in a Recital Hall on March 2, 1989, with his classmate Jake Shapiro, delivering an original composition “for three synthesizers, drum machine, guitar, and computer.”

This concert Hall was supported, in part, by the generosity of the Andrew Daland ’46 Memorial Concert Fund, established by Andrew’s wife, Pamela Worden, and his family and friends, with the purpose of bringing a musical concert to Roxbury Latin boys each year in Andrew’s memory. We are grateful for the generosity that fuels this musical experience each year.