Former Sylvester Middle and Highline High student Trevor Ras headed south to Huntington Beach, California to chase his dream-- a musical career.
That dream turned into a nightmare, but could have been worse. He dodged a bullet, well, his surfboard, on a tricky wave. Now he says his dreams are coming true back here in calmer West Seattle waters.

"I grew up in the Fauntleroy area and my parents still live by the ferry docks," Ras noted. "I went to Arbor Heights, and also bused to Van Asselt, then Sylvester Middle School and Highline High School."

His mother, Connie Rasmussen, is a retired health and PE teacher at Sylvester in Burien.

Ras recalls his accident.
"I was going surfing off Huntington Beach Pier with a couple of friends," said Ras, short for Rasmussen, who is 35 and moved back about four years ago. "I was messing around on this longboard I don't usually surf (on). A freak little wave came from behind and threw me off the board and I took a header right into the sand in shallow water.

"I waited a couple of days, then went to urgent care and they sent me to the emergency room as a precaution. As soon as I got there the neurosurgeon on call said, 'You are the luckiest man alive to be walking around. You could have severed your spinal cord.'

"Because I had broken my neck, I did feel very lucky.

"Over the last year I haven't had much pain and I exercise daily to regulate the pain. The accident itself was really devastating, but everything that happened after the accident was a godsend.

"Playing guitar and saxophone can be hard on your body," he continued. Ras is primarily a mellow-sounding alternative /acoustic rock / soul/R&B musician who plays solo, in a duo, trio, and with his full band, Boomerang Summer. Band members include Dave Milne, Michael Herrman, Ian McKamey, Ben Johnston, and John Studamire.

Milne, and record engineer Jeff Earle were buddies of Ras from his Burien school days.

In February, he released "Blue Sky," his first solo album in five years, commemorating his journey since his surfing accident. Milne helps with background vocals.

"On the one hand I have been a musician since college, and did a bunch of touring with different groups. The accident changed the course of my life. I decided that it wasn't my path to be a professional musician my whole life, and that the most important thing was my family. They came out of the woodwork. Out of anybody, those were the people who really cared about me, and were there for me.

"My sister moved back here, too. I got into the vortex of West Seattle. I started working here, and now own a house near the Alaska Junction. This is a great place to live."

Ras is engaged to Casey Hicks who owns a West Seattle skin care business. They will marry later this year.

"I don't know what happened on this record but it really goes back to the roots of who I am, where we started playing music around the campfire and our living rooms, and the songs speak to the changes going on in our 30's with love, life, death, all those things," he said. "It hit home for me. I'm really excited it all came together.

"James Taylor, Dylan, Chicago Transit Authority, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Beatles and Van Morrison really influenced me," he said. "We have Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Miles in our ears," Ras said of his band.