Ok, so there is NOTHING about Plinko in this blog, I just wanted to mess with the search engines....bwa ha ha ha!
I had the great pleasure of attending the Tuesday night Jam at King Biscuit this week. It was truly a joy! A laid back bar with a spacious patio, a room full of musicians and artsy types, a friendly bartender named Rich, and my first experience with Jameson Whiskey on the rocks, (yum!) all equals a great time. Add to that getting to make music with some awesome old friends, and meeting some awesome new friends, plus a bar full of enthusiastic music lovers an patrons, and you have a recipe for hooking me like a sad working girl on smack. I will definitely be a regular there!
I was thrilled that so many singers were out that night. I had the HONOR of hearing the FABULOUS Sheri Lavo tell us how it is to have Georgia on [her] mind. Apparently it is gut-wrenchingly intense and heartfelt. That woman is truly a treasure and a talent. More people in this town need to hear her; she is fantastic!
The owner of the joint, Roger, is a lovely man; he is full of heart and good will and this comes through in his business. His employees are all happy and enjoying themselves, which in turn leads to the patrons enjoying themselves, and keeps them coming back week after week. The key to successful business practices? Chill OUT!
I also made an all too brief appearance at Legends last night. Something came up and I couldn't stay long, but the room has promise if we could get the word out! I look forward to going back next week when Paul co-hosts the jam!
The recording session is set for this Friday, provided we can find a bass player! (hint hint everyone!) I am very excited about the endeavor. It should be a lot of fun, provided we keep the atmosphere light and undemanding. We can work and be efficient, without being stuffy and overly business-like. (that means YOU, Devin!) A friend (a good friend? maybe soon...) is generously allowing us to use his space and equipment. I owe him some MAJOR favors for this! Let's see, I make a mean scrambled egg sandwich...somehow it doesn't seem enough...
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Theo Jansen and other art guys...
This is amazing. What an interesting and innovative art form!
then there are these guys: The Art Guys. They are part dadism, part comedian, and part WTF? I lOVE them.
Amplified Sideburns
These guys will be at U of H in May! wOOt!
They seem like the kind of guys that could easily fit into my circle of bizarre artsy friends and bohemians...I am officially extending an invitation to them for a beer and darts at Rudz after their May performance. Think they'll come?
then there are these guys: The Art Guys. They are part dadism, part comedian, and part WTF? I lOVE them.
Amplified Sideburns
These guys will be at U of H in May! wOOt!
They seem like the kind of guys that could easily fit into my circle of bizarre artsy friends and bohemians...I am officially extending an invitation to them for a beer and darts at Rudz after their May performance. Think they'll come?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
feast or famine
So true.
It is Tuesday and I (sadly) have nothing to blog about in relation to the pro-musician lifestyle.
The weekend's concert series was lovely. Saturday night was particularly memorable. I got chewed out for having water on stage on Friday. Granted, I NORMALLY would not take water onto the stage during a performance, but this nasty cough has plagued me during every rehearsal, thanks to the scream fest that is Carmina Burana. My logic: better to surreptitiously sip a bit to quell the tickle rather than lose it during the pensive quiet moments in the soprano's Carmina solo. Of course, I was caught on the big screen cameras. My luck. I was NOT the only one with water on stage by a very long shot. I was just the one that got caught in 20 foot glory. I was informed I should not have sung at all if water was necessary. Not by the director, but by the self important chorus manager. In hind sight, perhaps she was right. Needless to say, I had a far better remedy for Saturday night. I am STILL rolling my eyes in unabashed self righteousness about this. I have a problem, people.
Upcoming excitement:
Going in the studio with Devin Collins, Glen Ackerman, (hopefully) Chuck Payne, and Paul Peacock. Assuming we can fit all our open days/booked nights schedules into the studio's engineer's opposite schedule.
I was crazy busy the last few weeks and now I am staying in bed until noon and in my pajamas until I have to leave for HSC rehearsal.
Oh well.
Devin has almost finished my first ever commissioned arrangement for the new mini big band I am putting together this Spring. I am very excited about the whole project and really look forward to what this group will be capable of!
Paul has begun an arrangement of an obscure tune that Ella Fitz sang on an album with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, a gem of an album with several GREAT tracks that are NEVER done. I am learning every one of them and adding them to my book. I LOVE singing the lost jewels that no one does anymore!
It is Tuesday and I (sadly) have nothing to blog about in relation to the pro-musician lifestyle.
The weekend's concert series was lovely. Saturday night was particularly memorable. I got chewed out for having water on stage on Friday. Granted, I NORMALLY would not take water onto the stage during a performance, but this nasty cough has plagued me during every rehearsal, thanks to the scream fest that is Carmina Burana. My logic: better to surreptitiously sip a bit to quell the tickle rather than lose it during the pensive quiet moments in the soprano's Carmina solo. Of course, I was caught on the big screen cameras. My luck. I was NOT the only one with water on stage by a very long shot. I was just the one that got caught in 20 foot glory. I was informed I should not have sung at all if water was necessary. Not by the director, but by the self important chorus manager. In hind sight, perhaps she was right. Needless to say, I had a far better remedy for Saturday night. I am STILL rolling my eyes in unabashed self righteousness about this. I have a problem, people.
Upcoming excitement:
Going in the studio with Devin Collins, Glen Ackerman, (hopefully) Chuck Payne, and Paul Peacock. Assuming we can fit all our open days/booked nights schedules into the studio's engineer's opposite schedule.
I was crazy busy the last few weeks and now I am staying in bed until noon and in my pajamas until I have to leave for HSC rehearsal.
Oh well.
Devin has almost finished my first ever commissioned arrangement for the new mini big band I am putting together this Spring. I am very excited about the whole project and really look forward to what this group will be capable of!
Paul has begun an arrangement of an obscure tune that Ella Fitz sang on an album with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, a gem of an album with several GREAT tracks that are NEVER done. I am learning every one of them and adding them to my book. I LOVE singing the lost jewels that no one does anymore!
Friday, February 22, 2008
eating crow
The orchestra certainly changed their tune (pun intended) at last night's rehearsal. A smiling, warm, stage full of musicians greeted the Maestro with good humor and pleasantries. I suppose they feel he is worthy to hold the baton after Wednesday night's passionate and productive effort. It couldn't hurt that he released us a full half hour early, either! The man is gracious and light hearted while being professional and intense. The perfect combination for any conductor. He is truly a marvel.
Got to hear the tenor Christopher Pfund last night for the first time. He performs his intense solo from the orchestra seating level in the audience. It is powerful, to say the least.
Tonight, the show opens...is that what you say in orchestral situations? Or is that only for theatrics?
Well, toi toi to me, any how.
Got to hear the tenor Christopher Pfund last night for the first time. He performs his intense solo from the orchestra seating level in the audience. It is powerful, to say the least.
Tonight, the show opens...is that what you say in orchestral situations? Or is that only for theatrics?
Well, toi toi to me, any how.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
the Glory of Orff
Just a quick note about the surrealistic evening I had last night:
After the Mermaid Gig, I had rehearsal at Jones Hall with the Houston Symphony Chorus under Maestro Claus Peter Flor.
We rehearsed Carmina Burana by Carl Orff.
Granted I was VERY tired and more than a little over medicated, but the sheer magnitude of sound, the incredible musicianship of the orchestra, the angelic sound of the Houston Children's Chorus, the contagious excitement of the Maestro, and the magnificent voices of the two soloists, Ilana Davidson, soprano and Hugh Russell, baritone, were enough to bring me to tears. I am at peace in the concert hall. I am home on that stage. I had the private honor of being early enough to rehearsal that I sat alone on stage and merely basked in the quiet magnitude of the hall. I then had the pleasure of witnessing the maestro prepare his score for rehearsal, again, just the two of us were in the room (there may have been an ambitious clarinettist or two but it FELT like we were alone!) I was breathless, speechless, and transported to my happy place; a European stage, a small regional opera company, my daughter in the wings, reading her textbooks while I rehearse this weekend's production. It makes me sad to think that this is a dream I will likely never realize. Che sera...
Tonight, we rehearse Chichester Psalms, by Bernstein. Tomorrow, I reveal to the world (or at least my 20-odd readers) the poor behavior of the snotty symphony artists. UGH!
Tickets for this extraordinary concert here.
After the Mermaid Gig, I had rehearsal at Jones Hall with the Houston Symphony Chorus under Maestro Claus Peter Flor.
We rehearsed Carmina Burana by Carl Orff.
Granted I was VERY tired and more than a little over medicated, but the sheer magnitude of sound, the incredible musicianship of the orchestra, the angelic sound of the Houston Children's Chorus, the contagious excitement of the Maestro, and the magnificent voices of the two soloists, Ilana Davidson, soprano and Hugh Russell, baritone, were enough to bring me to tears. I am at peace in the concert hall. I am home on that stage. I had the private honor of being early enough to rehearsal that I sat alone on stage and merely basked in the quiet magnitude of the hall. I then had the pleasure of witnessing the maestro prepare his score for rehearsal, again, just the two of us were in the room (there may have been an ambitious clarinettist or two but it FELT like we were alone!) I was breathless, speechless, and transported to my happy place; a European stage, a small regional opera company, my daughter in the wings, reading her textbooks while I rehearse this weekend's production. It makes me sad to think that this is a dream I will likely never realize. Che sera...
Tonight, we rehearse Chichester Psalms, by Bernstein. Tomorrow, I reveal to the world (or at least my 20-odd readers) the poor behavior of the snotty symphony artists. UGH!
Tickets for this extraordinary concert here.
more marilyn
Here are the pro shots I bought from lastnightpics.com
If you clicked on the link in this blog you already saw these...
read about the gig here...
If you clicked on the link in this blog you already saw these...
read about the gig here...
shark bait
*
Yesterday's afternoon gig at the Downtown Aquarium went...er...swimmingly.
I was thrilled to be singing with the oh-so-talented-and good-humored David Craig and Henry Darragh. Both were stand up guys about the whole fishy affair.
I personally had a blast with them, fins and all, despite the excessive amounts of dextromethorphan in my system (thus the oddly glazed-over look on my face). I THOUGHT I was smiling, I swear! A friend of mine who was idiot enough in his younger years to use DM as a recreational drug (seriously the stupidest thing I have ever heard of) explained to me that it is a dissociative hallucinogen...um...scary. Mainly I was jittery and paranoid and had a few moments of phasing out--Henry and David probably think I was just the typical spacey chick singer, sigh. But by golly I wasn't coughing!! I will in the future be more careful with my Delsym. Oy.
The mermaid dress was a tad scanty for my taste. Yes, it was pretty, yes, I get the whole aquatic theme for the employee appreciation cocktail party for the Aquarium, but personally, I felt it undermined the band's credibility. Call me a wet blanket. But the client was pleased and J&D were happy with the end result, so I really shouldn't be so "flip" about the whole thing! (OK, last fish-pun, I promise! Maybe...)
The band and I were a tad disturbed to see the live goldfish swimming in the table decorations (fish bowls filled with orchids). Especially when we realized they were serving fish as an entree as well...hmmm...a little morbid for my taste. David wondered how many expired decorative fish the Aquarium disposes of daily, excluding the poached/grilled/fried/baked varieties served in the restaurant, of course.
The rain was a bit of a nuisance as the valet drop off is a good hike from the actual door to the restaurant. This makes no sense to me whatsoever. I caught a brief glimpse of Henry getting thoroughly soaked as he ran to his car after the gig. Sorry man! Of course, it lent a sense of authenticity to the mer-theme, I looked like I had recently emerged from the watery depths upon arrival.
I know, I know: quit yapping and bring on the seashell brassiere...
The band and Mer-babe: (note the blue velvet draped dais...sheesh)
HA! I didn't notice until just now that they had draped Henry's keyboard with fish net! Wowser! I LOVE it!
And the Aquatic Hollywood Call Girl herself...
Bet you'd like to be a part of MY world....
or,
Bet you'd like a piece of that tail!
or,
Tartar sauce anyone?
or,
Would you like fries with that?
or,
Oh I could go on and on...there are fathoms of pun possibilities...Anyone want to continue the fun? Just keep away from calling Gwendolyn overdeveloped caviar...I'll take THAT personally!
*title credited to Alexis Swartley and her uber-wittiness.
Yesterday's afternoon gig at the Downtown Aquarium went...er...swimmingly.
I was thrilled to be singing with the oh-so-talented-and good-humored David Craig and Henry Darragh. Both were stand up guys about the whole fishy affair.
I personally had a blast with them, fins and all, despite the excessive amounts of dextromethorphan in my system (thus the oddly glazed-over look on my face). I THOUGHT I was smiling, I swear! A friend of mine who was idiot enough in his younger years to use DM as a recreational drug (seriously the stupidest thing I have ever heard of) explained to me that it is a dissociative hallucinogen...um...scary. Mainly I was jittery and paranoid and had a few moments of phasing out--Henry and David probably think I was just the typical spacey chick singer, sigh. But by golly I wasn't coughing!! I will in the future be more careful with my Delsym. Oy.
The mermaid dress was a tad scanty for my taste. Yes, it was pretty, yes, I get the whole aquatic theme for the employee appreciation cocktail party for the Aquarium, but personally, I felt it undermined the band's credibility. Call me a wet blanket. But the client was pleased and J&D were happy with the end result, so I really shouldn't be so "flip" about the whole thing! (OK, last fish-pun, I promise! Maybe...)
The band and I were a tad disturbed to see the live goldfish swimming in the table decorations (fish bowls filled with orchids). Especially when we realized they were serving fish as an entree as well...hmmm...a little morbid for my taste. David wondered how many expired decorative fish the Aquarium disposes of daily, excluding the poached/grilled/fried/baked varieties served in the restaurant, of course.
The rain was a bit of a nuisance as the valet drop off is a good hike from the actual door to the restaurant. This makes no sense to me whatsoever. I caught a brief glimpse of Henry getting thoroughly soaked as he ran to his car after the gig. Sorry man! Of course, it lent a sense of authenticity to the mer-theme, I looked like I had recently emerged from the watery depths upon arrival.
I know, I know: quit yapping and bring on the seashell brassiere...
The band and Mer-babe: (note the blue velvet draped dais...sheesh)
HA! I didn't notice until just now that they had draped Henry's keyboard with fish net! Wowser! I LOVE it!
And the Aquatic Hollywood Call Girl herself...
Bet you'd like to be a part of MY world....
or,
Bet you'd like a piece of that tail!
or,
Tartar sauce anyone?
or,
Would you like fries with that?
or,
Oh I could go on and on...there are fathoms of pun possibilities...Anyone want to continue the fun? Just keep away from calling Gwendolyn overdeveloped caviar...I'll take THAT personally!
*title credited to Alexis Swartley and her uber-wittiness.
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