I am a little late on sharing this feature, but it showcases our reliable member Arne Fogel among others. It turns up surprisingly in the Twin Cities Business Journal. So often we are engrossed in the creative aspect of what we do as cabaret artists, hell - any sort of artist - that we neglect the business side of what we do. This is well owned by our Marketing Committee. Great product; but what if no audiences come?
The article focuses on a small handful of musician/ singers from genres of pop, R&B and even Arne with his crooning repertoire. All of these artists would certainly be considered successful on a local level. But that does not guarantee much in terms of a steady paycheck or even regular bookings around our very vibrant scene. It talks about reinventing yourself, day jobs and fleeting fame. I think it would be a great topic for our Education Committee to explore; even though this article points out that there is nothing close to a formula for figuring it all out. Read the full article below.
In scouring feeds daily, there are always a few sweet finds. This one is "barely" connected to the work we do. But I still found it so precious that I wanted to share it. His name is Iain and he is a precocious youngster in the NYC area who has his own video channel. He posts reviews of the many Broadway shows he sees, and actually has some valid and colorful things to say about each. Animated and well spoken. This is a recent clip of him singing one of his favorite showtunes. And NO it is not from Annie, Matilda or Billy Elliot. It is a very studied and heartfelt rendition of Sondheim's Finishing the Hat. Amazing work - with drawing et al.
In related national news, a monumental event in New York coming up in October that should grab our attention. Sponsored by the Mabel Mercer Foundation and celebrating 25 years now, the tag line is Four Magical Nights. It is from Oct 20-23 and will be hosted at Lincoln Center. Each night has it's own star-studded roster and a host very much like our own Salons. Night 1 is dubbed I Love a Piano and celebrates the tradition of great singing pianists. It features notable songsters like Jason Robert Brown, Mark Nadler, Steve Ross, Nellie McKay and many others who are cabaret double threats. Night 2 is a gala tribute to legend Julie Wilson hosted by Ann Hampton Callaway. Those two names should pack marquee value alone, but the list goes on to include 20 other artists. It is titled Quiet Please, There's a Lady on the Stage and celebrates her 90th Birthday! Night 3 is Something Sort of Grandish and will be a tribute to the music of Lane & Harburg hosted by Andrea Marcovicci and Jeff Harner. The festival closes with Come On and Hear - the songs of Irving Berlin hosted by Klea Blackhurst. Altogether, an amazing collection of talent all devoted to our world of cabaret. Just in case you wanted to use up any frequent flyer miles.
Three separate tidbits in this posting. All are related to regular colleagues in our TCCAN community. The first is an addition to the upcoming Salon on Sept 20th. Lori Dokken, performer extraordinaire, will be on hand as our cabaret accompanist for the evening. Over the last several months she has been generous to share her stage at the Town House with us for our Saturday Salons, but this will be her debut alongside our roster of singers. We are excited to finally have this chance to collaborate and she brings a special artistry that is all her own. Please plan to join us if you are not already.
And in an abundance of wealth, regular musical director Steven Hobert has his own special gig on that very same evening. He has been at work on a project called "Ocean Eyes" for a long while and is having his CD Release Party also on Sept 20th @ the Friends Meeting House at 6:30 on 1725 Grand Ave. So it is indeed possible to catch both events in tandem if you are wanting. He is also featuring it on 10/4 at the new Matties on Main in Minneapolis from 9:00-11:00 if you are needing to take a rain check on that date. Lastly - David Cummins who is a staunch advocate of TCCAN and does regular coverage of our Salons, has told us that his station KFAI is having their pledge drive on Sept. 22nd while he is on air. So feel free to give him a call and support the great work they do in bringing our alternative music to the airwaves.
Attached is a podcast from a day masterclass a year back that just found its way to my feeds. It is sponsored by the Dramatists Guild - so expectedly, the focus is on the structure of writing. Of course I am a huge champion of his work. I was first mesmerized by his score when I saw him conducting the National Tour of his show Parade. Because of my background in theatre, it is no surprise that his songs are character driven. His primary aim is to "tell a story" and the "best what to do that is to sing it." Trust that a song is one moment for a character. Certainly how I approach a song. Worth a listen. In The Room - JRB
Another cabaret offering; this one from a theater in Eastern VA and the Washington DC area. As we keep talking about expanding the genre of "cabaret" in the Twin Cities, it seems other parts of the country are doing so as well. Granted this festival falls under the guise of a fully supported non-profit theater. Maybe that is the type of partnership we need to nurture?
Anyway - they just wrapped up their Summer Cabaret Series during the months of both July and August. On a small thrust stage, much more intimate than the Guthrie from the pictures on the website, each weekend featured a smorgasbord of vocal talent. They used major star power like Karen Mason, Sally Mayes and Jim VanSlyke to anchor the calendar. But digging deeper, it looks like they also have a roster of venerable locals that including their own Artistic Director, Evan Hoffman. (thus the connection) The selections looked like a great mix of Broadway, pop and true cabaret and concluded with - need I say it - a "showcase" of the DC Cabaret Network. Planting a seed for us to pursue here as well. NextStop Cabaret Series
In honor of last night's telecast; which I did not even watch. I am more apt to take in a live concert or a piece of theater than to watch television. Occasionally a bit of binge watching on Netflix, but the appeal is just not there for me as much. Television certainly does not do much to include our genre of music. Yes there has been Glee and Smash which can either be a guilty pleasure of a train wreck of sorts. But I can hearken back to the golden days of the Variety Show and how it exposed me to new music. Donny & Marie; Sonny & Cher; the Hudson Brothers; Carol Burnet - the list had tons of options that are long gone. I
guess we get the obligatory holiday special with Michael Buble or Kelly
Clarkson when they have a new disc coming out. But for the most part
they are now relegated to Vegas acts. So by chance I stumbled onto these 2 video clips by the Divine Miss M who seemed to be able to navigate several mediums with ease. The 1st is from one of her personal television specials in 1977. This is her opening number where she bursts out of a clam shell and launches into Oklahoma! I have no idea what sort of brain cell hatched it but it is certainly entertainment.
The 2nd is a musical mash-up from the Sonny & Cher show with both Bette and Cher camping it up doing a Trashy Ladies medley featuring everyone from Sweet Georgia Brown to Lulu's Back in Town. Total camp. And both are performed live which is an anomaly these days. So in some sense they are theatrical cabaret work being broadcast to a large viewing audience. I include both because they were Emmy Award winners in their category. (I could not embed - so follow the link)
