Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The 5-Hour Friendship


That older couple over in the corner of the dance floor…they’re the Johnsons. That’s their corner. Their daughter Amanda went to school with the bride. Every time I play a ballad – especially an old school ballad – something from The Righteous Brothers or The Four Seasons, they head straight to their corner and hold each other tight. They’ve been married for 32 years.

Headed for Disaster…the Show Must Go On


There may be nothing that attracts Murphy’s Law better than live entertainment. That’s part of the thrill of any live performance. The audience knows that the performer could fall flat on their ass at any given time. This has actually happened to me. I was singing with my band when my foot got tangled in a cord and I literally fell on my ass right into one of the horn players’ horns. Not only did I bend this poor guys mouth piece, but I almost ended up with a trumpet up my butt (which would have given new meaning to “tooting”!). But I digress. From the performer’s perspective we know that at any time the electricity could blow (which has also happened to me - of course) or a sandbag could fall on their head. It’s navigating this sort of tight-wire dance between performer and audience and how we handle these potentially armageddonous (yes, I made that up) moments that really makes us entertainmentprofessionals.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

New Video: The Music Man at FPAC!

Here's the promo video I just finished for the Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory production of "The Music Man"!


My latest piece for Mobile Beat- The Art of the DJ: Why DJing is a performing art. Are you an artist?

Is DJing a performing art? If it were considered a performing art by our clients - that is, if DJs were considered artists - our profession could be elevated to a point where we could overcome stigmas of DJs being no more than glorified serving staff or musical bartenders (no disrespect to serving staff or, particularly, bartenders, without whom I’m sure I could not live). Then could corresponding prices be far behind?

When I think of “entertainment”, I think of performances in disciplines that would most likely be considered performing arts. Things like theatre, dance or music performance. I’m a singer in a band as well as a DJ. I consider a band performance a performing art. A band is actually “performing” music live with skills we have worked a lifetime to develop - our “art”. Artists who have practiced for hours each day and spent years perfecting musical talent and skill generally don’t think twice about what to charge a client for their time and talent. But DJs do.

(Click here for the full story on MobileBeat.com)

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Violet walks Pedro

My dogs. Violet the bulldog walking Pedro, the Boxer. She thinks she's in charge.

Friday, February 17, 2012

STAGES: Stories from the BW Music Theatre Program #25

In this episode the Titanic sails! Also tune into see some fascinating and unique auditions for Spring Awakening and Lizzie Borden that rock the B-W campus.