当克里斯·布里奇30年前来到最靠谱的网赌软件时, 他并不一定是在寻求社区的温暖拥抱或耐心导师的指导.
他是一个自命不凡的年轻贝斯手，出身蓝领家庭，需要大学文凭, and Old Dominion was a school he could afford.
“我是一名进入音乐学校的摇滚音乐家，”布里奇说. “我习惯了在车库乐队里演奏——齐柏林飞艇乐队或果酱乐队之类的. That was my mentality … And I was kind of a punk. Strong minded and definitely hardheaded.”
He adapted and excelled. 在Old Dominion学习演奏爵士乐和其他风格，拓展了他的思维，并打开了无尽的机会之门. 2000年，他获得了音乐教育学位, 他是汉普顿路音乐界公认的存在, 与弗吉尼亚交响爵士乐团以及国家爵士表演和当地明星一起演奏.
Years later, after a descent into drug abuse nearly destroyed him, ODU的朋友们帮助他重新拼凑了破碎的生活.
Today, a drug-free Chris Brydge is hitting a creative peak.
His latest musical endeavor, released earlier this year, 他和退休的Old Dominion英语教授兼诗人Tim Seibles搭档. 这张专辑《网上十大网赌娱乐大全》将朗诵诗歌与低沉的原声低音融合在一起.
He’s also devoted to helping others fight addiction.
布里奇说，老自治领一直有着积极的影响.
“I don’t think I could put it into words,” he said. “I had an unbelievable experience at ODU. 如果不是因为这个地方，我也不会做今天的事.”
A turning point
布里奇在汉普顿路被公认为是一位多产且适应性强的音乐家，他是一位与大名鼎鼎的爵士表演者约翰·阿伯克龙比(John Abercrombie)合作的得力助手, 弗兰克·福斯特和史蒂夫·威尔逊以及流行歌手黛比·布恩, Shirley Jones and Bernadette Peters.
So, it was a shock to some in the local music community when, about a decade ago, 布里奇因毒品指控被捕，被判入狱三年.
在监狱里，他戒了毒，改变了他的人生轨迹. “我总是告诉人们，我必须进监狱才能出狱，”布里奇说.
These days, when he’s not on the bandstand, 布里奇是Up中心的同伴康复专家, 总部设在诺福克的社区服务组织.
“我已经康复了十多年，”布里奇说. “I’m now giving back what’s been given to me.”
No longer the cocky kid, he’s determined to be of service.
“克里斯只是一个美丽的救赎故事的缩影,” said Richelle Burney, associate director of outpatient services at The Up Center. “You see it in how he’s lived his life. 他如此致力于回馈他人，因为他的人生旅程和他所经历的一些事情.”
Keeping faith
ODU爵士教授约翰·图米为布里奇提供了指导, support and friendship — in good times and in bad.
Toomey fondly recalls Brydge’s earliest days at ODU. “从一开始，他就非常有动力，”图米说. “He moved ahead quickly, too.”
The young bass player’s focus was absolute.
“我记得他来到我家，我站在我的前廊上，当时我正在抽烟,” Toomey said. “I would say, ‘let me hear a chorus of blues.’ Or ‘let me hear you solo, really make the changes.’ He was always digging in on stuff like that. I put him on my regular gig down at Bienville Grill.”
After graduating from ODU, 布里奇在弗吉尼亚海滩的塔尔伍德高中教了13年音乐，同时仍然定期演出.
His days with the public schools ended abruptly, however.
2014年，布里奇因分销和持有毒品被判重罪而入狱.
When the bassist hit bottom, Toomey remained loyal, writing Brydge letters and visiting him in prison.
布里吉说，图米的支持是深刻而有意义的. “It’s always been a positive impact,” he said. “I consider him a dear friend. He stuck by me through it all.”
Toomey always had faith that Brydge would bounce back.
“克里斯立刻说，‘我真正想做的是帮助别人. Do counseling. 拿个证书，这样我就可以和那些和我有同样经历的人交谈了.’
“To me, that was a very positive sign.”
Second act
Up中心的伯尼称布里奇非常致力于帮助人们摆脱药物滥用.
A family-focused, community agency, Up中心提供一系列服务——从寄养、收养到信用咨询. 该中心也是联邦政府资助的心理健康和药物滥用咨询的来源.
“克里斯非常真诚和诚实，他真的希望看到人们在康复中取得成功,” said Burney, who hired him in 2021. “他另一个很酷的地方是，他言行一致. You can see that in the way he lives and conducts himself. When people are watching or not watching, he is who he is.”
Rumble and rhyme
通常，贝斯手的角色是支持和合作. For Brydge, innovation is another natural groove.
As an undergraduate at Old Dominion back in the 1990s, he took an English class from poet Tim Seibles. Over the years, when the poet and the jazz musician crossed paths, they would chat about a possible collaboration.
Photo by Jennifer Natalie Fish/ ODU
Idle conversation evolved into an acclaimed art project.
On the recording “Something Like We Did,” released in April, 西布尔斯朗诵着他的诗歌，而布里奇的低音则用轻快的旋律照亮了歌词, slides and rhythmic stabs.
“I don’t like to use the ‘masterpiece’ too loosely, but this record is wholly deserving of the accolade,” wrote Tom Robotham for Veer Magazine. “我想不出比这更好的方式来让人们明白诗歌的意义 heard, like music.”
Seibles is impressed by Brydge’s resilience.
“I think he's always been a person of depth, 但没有多少人能够摆脱毒瘾和禁锢，成为真正帮助他人的人，成为一名出色的艺术家,” Seibles wrote.
A typical day
在音乐和个人方面，布里奇一直在寻找机会伸出援助之手.
“I try to be here for people,” he said. “Just today, I sent a dude off to treatment, 他是我大约一年半前在蒙蒂塞洛和格兰比路口遇到的一个无家可归的人. He was asking for some money. 我告诉他，‘我不会给你钱，但如果你饿了，我会给你买东西吃.’”
布里奇带他出去吃了一个汉堡和一杯奶昔，并分享了自己的故事. They stayed in contact. Eventually, the man was ready to make a change. He asked Brydge to be his peer recovery specialist.
That mental shift took time, but Brydge was patient. He understood.
“He’s hardheaded, too,” Brydge said. “We got him signed up and he left this morning. He’ll be in treatment for the next 25 days.
“如果他想追求这种生活方式，我会在他出来的时候等他，”布里奇说.
“That’s what I do now.”