Dr. Alan Bradshaw has been a professor at Lipscomb for 15 years and is used to having eyes on him. Whether he is in his classroom teaching or playing a gig with his band, he has the audience’s attention.
Chances are if you have a schedule with Dr. Bradshaw’s name on it, you are heading to McFarland to attend a physics class. Students will find that his classroom is a pretty different setting than most teachers would use. Constant experiments and entertainment happen in an everyday class period.
Just like the entertainment in his classroom, Dr. Bradshaw won’t just have a piece of chalk in his hand- it could be a guitar.
“Foxfire Newgrass is the name of the band I’m in,” Bradshaw shared. “A friend at church heard me play the guitar and asked if I had interest in being in a band.”
The versatile professor has been in the band now for nine years. Bradshaw says he might have learned a few things from his Physics class that he uses when he plays his music. According to Bradshaw, in Physics, equations are something you learn to use; his style of music is something similar as he is usually plugging one type of music into a different equation.
“Our music is new grass style, but it’s set to bluegrass. We could take a normal Beatles song and set it to the bluegrass style,” Bradshaw said.
Just being a student in a physics class can be stressful; however, Bradshaw says there is a whole different kind of stress being the professor.
Dr. Bradshaw says, “Being in the band is a good diversion away from the stress that comes from the professional life.” Considering Foxfire Newgrass was the opening act for the Duck Commander at Freed Hardeman University in May, it seems to be a good outlet for the physics professor.
“We don’t play at any bars. All the members of the band are church people. You could see us at places such as a state park or at small festivals,” Bradshaw added.
Firefox Newgrass has not only been an outlet for Bradshaw to cut loose, but the relationships he has developed over time is also a benefit for him.
“My favorite part of being in the band is all the great friendships that I have made,” Bradshaw said. “Playing in the band is a lot of fun.”