Didn't get a chance to make it out to see the Nick Blaemire and Danica Dora concert last Thursday, the Kerrigan-Lowdermilk performance on Friday, or the Joe Iconis show on Saturday? Honestly, me neither. But though I'm still awaiting videos for Joe's show, the formers already have youtube clips up and running (and some of these are pretty awesome). Rather than describe them, I'll let you see for yourself.
Nick Blaemire singing (somewhat) original tune "Empty Handed":
Danica Dora singing "Slowin' Down":
And, though not an original tune but because it makes me incredibly happy, a cover of Justin Bieber's "Baby":
From the Kerrigan-Lowdermilk set, David Goldstein singing "Living the Dream":
Skylar Astin and Emma Hunton singing "Run Away With Me":
Showing posts with label Danica Dora. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Danica Dora. Show all posts
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
A Whole Lot of Concerts Going On
As much as I want to keep doing new posts of composer/writer profiles, so many things are happening this summer with many of my favorite writers that it's hard to focus on the past when so many exciting events are coming up in the near future.
First of all, I can't stress enough how great it would be to snag a $12 ticket, drink some coffee, and gear up for a late (but well worth it) night at Joe's Pub on Thursday to catch Nick Blaemire and Danica Dora (and friends!) do their thing. From a few performances I've seen of both talented songsters, you'll be doing yourself a favor.
Also, with Monday's free performance at the Astor Place cube still in the rearview of the Iconis vehicle, go revel in the Bloodsong love as Iconis performs at the Duplex this Saturday at 7. It's set to be an intimate evening with familiar faces and lots of whisky-soaked goodness.
In speaking of Joe, he and many other stars are set to perform at the Laurie Beechman's Sondheim Unplugged. And while Sondheim is hardly up-and-coming, the show features many great Broadway, Off-Broadway, and cabaret talents from around the city, including writers Joe Iconis and Katie Thompson, who I've mentioned a few times on this site. The show will be running every Monday through July at 7:00, and to be honest, any excuse to hear Katie reinvent a tune with her gorgeous voice is money well spent in my book.
Lastly, check out Amanda Green & Friends in concert at The Birdland (one of my favorite venues in New York) on July 19. As a descendent of musical theatre legend and the lyricist for short-lived High Fidelity on Broadway, she's worked with Pulitzer-winning Tom Kitt and is currently developing Bring It On the musical with Kitt and Lin Manuel Miranda which will premiere at The Alliance Theater in Atlanta in January 2011. The concert is set to feature Jenn Colella, Ann Harada, Andy Karl and Howard McGillin and should be a ton of fun, and read more about her on her website here.
And to end with a song, here's Will Chase singing one of my favorite songs from High Fidelity, "Desert Island Top 5 Break Ups":
First of all, I can't stress enough how great it would be to snag a $12 ticket, drink some coffee, and gear up for a late (but well worth it) night at Joe's Pub on Thursday to catch Nick Blaemire and Danica Dora (and friends!) do their thing. From a few performances I've seen of both talented songsters, you'll be doing yourself a favor.
Also, with Monday's free performance at the Astor Place cube still in the rearview of the Iconis vehicle, go revel in the Bloodsong love as Iconis performs at the Duplex this Saturday at 7. It's set to be an intimate evening with familiar faces and lots of whisky-soaked goodness.
In speaking of Joe, he and many other stars are set to perform at the Laurie Beechman's Sondheim Unplugged. And while Sondheim is hardly up-and-coming, the show features many great Broadway, Off-Broadway, and cabaret talents from around the city, including writers Joe Iconis and Katie Thompson, who I've mentioned a few times on this site. The show will be running every Monday through July at 7:00, and to be honest, any excuse to hear Katie reinvent a tune with her gorgeous voice is money well spent in my book.
Lastly, check out Amanda Green & Friends in concert at The Birdland (one of my favorite venues in New York) on July 19. As a descendent of musical theatre legend and the lyricist for short-lived High Fidelity on Broadway, she's worked with Pulitzer-winning Tom Kitt and is currently developing Bring It On the musical with Kitt and Lin Manuel Miranda which will premiere at The Alliance Theater in Atlanta in January 2011. The concert is set to feature Jenn Colella, Ann Harada, Andy Karl and Howard McGillin and should be a ton of fun, and read more about her on her website here.
And to end with a song, here's Will Chase singing one of my favorite songs from High Fidelity, "Desert Island Top 5 Break Ups":
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Coming to Joe's Pub
If you look at the events on the calendar this month at Joe's Pub, there are a lot of exciting offerings, but the two that most get my attention are this week's The Civilians' "Let me Ascertain You" and the Nick Blameire/Danica Dora concert on June 24th. With tickets well under $20 each, I can't think of a better way to spend your night.
The Civilians' have already been mentioned here in reference to Michael Friedman, but I highly recommend checking out their cabaret-style show on Friday to hear the debut of new music from their upcoming porn musical about the adult entertainment industry. Having just finished writing a play last year about a porn-related adventure of four best friends (a play I tried to convince my writing partner to subtitle "A Play of Epic Pro-porn-tions"), I've been anticipating this project for a little while now. But in addition to Michael Friedman's musical talents, it will also feature music by singer-songwriter Jill Sobule. With the intimate space of The Public, I definitely think this will make for a thought-provoking night of entertainment. Also, for more Civilians goodness, watch this series of videos from their latest venture into the subject of divorce, which begins with this video about objects that were fought over:
You can find more videos here, ranging other topics and questions relating to the itemization and deconstruction of divorce.
Then on June 24th, Nick Blaemire and Danica Dora will be performing some songs with some friends at 11:30. While Danica Dora is not necessarily a musical theatre composer, her voice and music are beautifully complex and have produced this video which I absolutely adore:
The Civilians' have already been mentioned here in reference to Michael Friedman, but I highly recommend checking out their cabaret-style show on Friday to hear the debut of new music from their upcoming porn musical about the adult entertainment industry. Having just finished writing a play last year about a porn-related adventure of four best friends (a play I tried to convince my writing partner to subtitle "A Play of Epic Pro-porn-tions"), I've been anticipating this project for a little while now. But in addition to Michael Friedman's musical talents, it will also feature music by singer-songwriter Jill Sobule. With the intimate space of The Public, I definitely think this will make for a thought-provoking night of entertainment. Also, for more Civilians goodness, watch this series of videos from their latest venture into the subject of divorce, which begins with this video about objects that were fought over:
You can find more videos here, ranging other topics and questions relating to the itemization and deconstruction of divorce.
Then on June 24th, Nick Blaemire and Danica Dora will be performing some songs with some friends at 11:30. While Danica Dora is not necessarily a musical theatre composer, her voice and music are beautifully complex and have produced this video which I absolutely adore:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Me and My Three Best Friends
Besides sheer talent and a wicked sense of humor, a funny through line that seems to string together some of my favorite up-and-composers over the past couple of years seems to be none other than Nick Blaemire, the composer of Broadway's Glory Days and a fantastic actor in his own right. In fact, I joke that the young New York theatre scene could easily be linked through "The Six Degrees of Nick Blaemire," since he always seems to have a hand in my own theater-going experiences.
Aside from his own writing, I was first captivated by his performance as Chris in Joe Iconis' The Black Suits at The Public's SPF. Ignoring my sheer love of Iconis's music and his merry band of faithful singers/actors, it was Blaemire's gut-wrenching portrayal of a Long Island garage band leader that really got my attention, bringing gravity to what could have easily been a comically crude coming-of-age story. Much of the show's transcendence is due to Joe Iconis and Robert Maddock's quick-paced (despite 3+ hour run time) book and Iconis' hilariously poignant songs. But I can't possibly think of that musical without thinking of this song and that moment of being in that theater, transfixed by the immediacy of what was going on in front of me.
I just remember thinking to myself:
Shit.
This is good stuff.
And since then, he seems to pop up in a ton of projects that I absolutely adore. From performing in Kerrigan and Lowdermilk's The Unauthorized Biography of Samantha Brown, to singing pretty songs in Ryan Scott Oliver's Rated RSO, to singing the hell out of more Iconis tunes in Things to Ruin, to appearing yet again at SPF in The Departure Lounge and singing a couple of songs in that year's Composure Exposure event.
And as though that's not enough, at the tender age of 23, he had a musical up on Broadway—albeit its opening night was also its closing performance—still a feat that has contributed to my determination to have some kind of successful creative project by 23 (well, him and Lady Gaga anyway).
Despite the fact that he's played a character in at least a couple of "Bro Musicals" over the past couple years, Glory Days remains its own animal, a heartfelt send-up to "generation apathy" and the inevitable disillusionment of growing up and apart from childhood friends. The music is modern with lyrics that roll off the tongue in a frenetic but relentlessly tuneful way. And even the most clichéd of male sentiments finds its own sophistication as the show tells the story of four high school buddies who reunite a year after graduation to find that their relationships aren't the same as their glorified memories of what they used to be.
This song is brilliant in its startlingly observant view of the world (written, as James Gardiner, the book writer of Glory Days, mentioned at the cast recording release concert, within the span of a few hours):
And this song never ceases to amaze me in way the music weaves through space and time:
There's something about both his songs and performances that is so admirably in the moment and self-aware. There's a sense that his characters are always aware of their flaws and fears, and they push them aside so that they can continue living, pushing through the moments of introspection with a little bit of wordplay and mustered confidence. I can only see even more success in Blaemire's future, and his current project Finding Robert Hutchens already looks incredibly promising. No matter what is on the horizon for him, on stage or off, I will be excited to be a part of it… and with my luck, I'll probably be in the audience whether or not I know he's involved beforehand.
…And did I mention his voice is like buttah?
Aside from his own writing, I was first captivated by his performance as Chris in Joe Iconis' The Black Suits at The Public's SPF. Ignoring my sheer love of Iconis's music and his merry band of faithful singers/actors, it was Blaemire's gut-wrenching portrayal of a Long Island garage band leader that really got my attention, bringing gravity to what could have easily been a comically crude coming-of-age story. Much of the show's transcendence is due to Joe Iconis and Robert Maddock's quick-paced (despite 3+ hour run time) book and Iconis' hilariously poignant songs. But I can't possibly think of that musical without thinking of this song and that moment of being in that theater, transfixed by the immediacy of what was going on in front of me.
I just remember thinking to myself:
Shit.
This is good stuff.
And since then, he seems to pop up in a ton of projects that I absolutely adore. From performing in Kerrigan and Lowdermilk's The Unauthorized Biography of Samantha Brown, to singing pretty songs in Ryan Scott Oliver's Rated RSO, to singing the hell out of more Iconis tunes in Things to Ruin, to appearing yet again at SPF in The Departure Lounge and singing a couple of songs in that year's Composure Exposure event.
And as though that's not enough, at the tender age of 23, he had a musical up on Broadway—albeit its opening night was also its closing performance—still a feat that has contributed to my determination to have some kind of successful creative project by 23 (well, him and Lady Gaga anyway).
Despite the fact that he's played a character in at least a couple of "Bro Musicals" over the past couple years, Glory Days remains its own animal, a heartfelt send-up to "generation apathy" and the inevitable disillusionment of growing up and apart from childhood friends. The music is modern with lyrics that roll off the tongue in a frenetic but relentlessly tuneful way. And even the most clichéd of male sentiments finds its own sophistication as the show tells the story of four high school buddies who reunite a year after graduation to find that their relationships aren't the same as their glorified memories of what they used to be.
This song is brilliant in its startlingly observant view of the world (written, as James Gardiner, the book writer of Glory Days, mentioned at the cast recording release concert, within the span of a few hours):
And this song never ceases to amaze me in way the music weaves through space and time:
There's something about both his songs and performances that is so admirably in the moment and self-aware. There's a sense that his characters are always aware of their flaws and fears, and they push them aside so that they can continue living, pushing through the moments of introspection with a little bit of wordplay and mustered confidence. I can only see even more success in Blaemire's future, and his current project Finding Robert Hutchens already looks incredibly promising. No matter what is on the horizon for him, on stage or off, I will be excited to be a part of it… and with my luck, I'll probably be in the audience whether or not I know he's involved beforehand.
…And did I mention his voice is like buttah?
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