Meet the Z Team: Ray Noel, video production manager

I really dig web coding. That sounds way nerdier now that I've said it out loud. I design and code sites for a bunch of the festivals in Sebastian, and for both of my musical projects. Oh, yeah! I am also a full-time musician. I guess playing music for a living isn't technically a “hobby,” but I have been lucky enough to turn my hobby into something that keeps the lights on. One of the musical projects is a jump/swing/rockabilly band in which I am lucky enough to share the stage with our boss, Ken Zeszutko.

I am pretty diverse in my musical tastes. I have always loved classical and jazz, but I started my musical career as a heavy metal guitarist. So I find myself cranking Dio, Pantera, Nine Inch Nails, etc., as often as I do Mozart, Chopin, Vivaldi, Oscar Peterson, Mel Torme, or Tuck and Patti. Then there's jump, swing and rockabilly. Those are very close to my heart as well. And, of course, who doesn't love a good rockin' rock ‘n’ roll tune? I guess what I'm saying in a very long-winded way is this: If the musicians are playing from their souls, then I'm in!

I LOVE “the Princess Bride”! I am also a big fan of the original “Star Wars” trilogy. “Scrooged” is an annual favorite, although I think that one is watchable any time of year. I also will stop and watch “Groundhog Day” any time I find it. Then there's the cult classic “Flash Gordon,” the one that Queen did the soundtrack for.

When I was 12 or 13, I took the family car for a joyride in the middle of the night in the snow. A friend and I took turns driving and sliding out of control on snow-covered, icy roads. We had a few close calls but made it home safely. In hindsight, it was a pretty dumb thing to do, but that's not why I got in trouble. I got in trouble the next weekend when another friend came to sleep over and wanted to do the same thing. We tried, but we only got about a block away and the car died. We couldn't get it restarted, so we snuck back into the house and went to sleep. 

When I woke up in the morning, the cops were at my house because my mom thought the car had been stolen. After about an hour or so of them going through the motions of filing a report, they found the car where we left it. Then shortly after that, my mom found the keys in my jacket pocket. Again, we were kids and didn't think about things like, "Maybe we should put the keys back where we found them." Needless to say, trouble ensued.

People who aren't nice. Period. Oh yeah, and thoughtless drivers. Under the “not nice” umbrella are the self-centered drivers who don't use turn signals, cut you off every chance possible and tailgate. So, people who aren't nice. Period.