RSO Songbook Winner

Thanks for all the great entries, guys! Really enjoyed seeing everyone's favorite performance videos!

So I drew a name from a hat, and the winner of the RSO songbook is... Chase, who posted this video as being a favorite:



Congrats! Email me your address at emergingmt@gmail.com, and I'll be sure to send the book your way!

Even if you didn't win, you can order your copy from RSO's website here -- you can even get a sneak peek at what's inside. Also, concerning Crazytown, I highly suggest reading his newest post "I Love My Dead Gay Song," which discusses musical theatre songs, their contexts and cultures, and being able to maintain those values when the content you're representing is in the minority.

Aren't we all a little crazy when it come to love?

I first heard of Drew Gasparini when I saw this video from Emma Hunton's concert at (le) Poisson Rouge where he smoothly finesses a cover of Damien Rice's "Volcano" (with the always lovely Emma):

So imagine my excitement when I found out that he also writes music. And it's good.

Two of his musical projects (with books co-written by Louis Sacco) Crazy, Just Like Me and Circles, both explore human relationships, examining love, hope and human connection and feature gorgeous songs that slow big moments and emotions, prodding and finding greater meaning in them.

A couple of my favorites from Circles includes "What Remains" (sung here by Jennifer Damiano and Matt Doyle):

"Two Little Lines" (sung by Anna Ty Bergman):

Drew is also a recent addition to NewMusicalTheatre.com, where you can download his sheet music for songs like the following "My Year" (sung by Alex Ellis) and the hilarious "The Text Message Song" (performed in Cait Doyle's Hot Mess in Manhattan):

No Holiday When It Feels This Way

In recent news, I have become absolutely enamored by the songs of Peter Lerman as of late. Lerman is the recent recipient of the 2010 Jonathan Larson award, and from the sound of his music, it was well-deserved. There is definitely a pop sensibility in many of these tunes, but are grounded in hints of history and nostalgia. The energy is easy to get lost in -- and I have been spending a lot of time doing so. Watch his concert at the Kennedy Center here and be sure to check out the music at his website. Here are some of my favorites:

Steven Booth singing "Netherlands Carillon":



Peter Lerman himself singing "How to Write a Song":



Matt Doyle singing "No Holiday":



Brandon Victor Dixon singing "Washington to New York":

Tracy's Behind the Wheel of Every Passing Car...

Since I've been on a total Miller & Tysen kick as of late, just thought I would share this awesome video from Matt Doyle's recent Joe's Pub concert of their song "Passing Tracy":

Not a Love Story

I’m still reeling after an amazing night of performances last night at the Kerrigan and Lowdermilk concert, Under the Influence, at the Birdland. As I’ve raved about this songwriting duo before, the night was an incredible combination of some sweet tunes. I was impressed with the kind of narrative they set up through their song selection—an amalgam of their well-known songs with stories of the pop music that influenced them, as well as some covers of songs that impacted their musical style.

Perhaps the thing I loved most about the concert though was their decision to re-orchestrate and rearrange their most popular songs. In fact, the highlights included a (gasp!) male version of “Two Strangers,” a revamped version of “Runaway With Me” with the eclectic and whimsical Spring Standards, and a re-orchestrated “Not a Love Story” with Kait Kerrigan at the violin. There’s something very admirable in a musician’s willingness to play around with their music, and the beautiful new creations that came out of that play showed how malleable their music is.

Hearing their influences was also powerful. I’ve always felt that their music has such a distinct female voice and has a contemporary sound that is distinctly theirs. Ironically, this comes from the fact that they borrow from contemporary pop musicians, building a musical theatre reflections of popular hits.

So, through the power of youtube, I leave you with some videos of my favorite performances of the night: Jay Armstrong Johnson, Morgan Karr, and Matt Doyle singing “Two Strangers,” Katie Thompson singing “Five and a Half Minutes,” and Jenni Barber, Kait Kerrigan, and Brian Lowdermilk singing "I'm Sorry."










EDIT: Got a few more!

"Run Away With Me" with the Spring Standards:


"My Heart Is Split" with Vienna Teng:


In fact, go watch them all here.