By Diana 

Doing phone interviews from my desk at home gets old sometimes. I like going out for my assignments. Just recently, I headed over to Strasburg to see The Joe Baker Trio perform their first gig at a coffee shop called Merenda Zug. It was all very cool and a lot of fun despite not being familiar with the place or the people (except for the friend of a friend from McCaskey that I ran into).

When I got there, I forgot how awkward I can be when thrown into unfamiliar situations or places. It didn’t help that an amp and guitarist Joe Baker was blocking the front door either. Once I found my way inside, I started taking photos because I didn’t know what else to do. The music was too loud for interviews and owner Cindy Baker wasn’t around. Many of the photos, I think, didn’t even turn out that great. Frankly, it sucked. However, I have never bailed out on an assignment simply because I was uncomfortable and I wasn’t about to start.

I finally got around to introducing myself to some people and doing interviews. Everyone was really friendly. The band was cool. I’ve interviewed only four so far – two high school bands and two bands signed with major record labels – and The Joe Baker Trio had to be the most fun. The signed bands were professional of course, and the one high school band was pretty quiet. The Joe Baker Trio, on the other hand, was pretty outgoing and joked around bit. I liked that they didn’t take themselves too seriously.

When Cindy Baker arrived, she had the usual “Wow, you’re young!” reaction. Yes, I know. I suppose being a high school student working for a real newspaper has its pros and cons. It makes you more approachable, but at the same time, some people don’t take you seriously. Later that evening, I was interviewing a group of teens at one of the tables outside. They had the other common reaction where they weren’t sure what to say or what to make of the interview.

I usually don’t stand out in a crowd much, but I must have been attracting some attention because when I looked up from my notebook, there was a small crowd of teens forming around me. One guy held out his hand and in confusion, I shook it. He introduced himself. Eric Weaver. He asked if those were quotes I was scribbling and if I could interview him too, so I did. Afterward, he and his friend, Brandon Arechavala, thanked me for interviewing them and including them in the student paper. Student paper? No, this is for the Lancaster New Era. It’s a county paper. COUNTY! COUNTY! I think he started jumping up and down around then. That was new.