My friend Suzann just sent me this montage of some shows I’ve conducted while in Mount Vernon, WA. I can make out Elton John’s AIDA, Seussical, Disney’s High School Musical, Rocky Horror Show and Brigadoon. (The penguin outfit is what I wore in Seussical).
In a couple days I leave for Montreal, Canada to join the creation process for Cirque Du Soleil’s new show in China. Thanks Suzann for the good Mount Vernon, WA memories!
One of Suzann’s favorite sounds (and mine too!) is the sound of an orchestra tuning. I got extra brownie points with her when I had her brought down into the pit to sit in the middle of the Brigadoon orchestra while they tuned.
“A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.”
– Donna Roberts
Whidbey Island, WA was recently listed in a top 10 of international top romantic retreat locations. That’s pretty much in my backyard right now and should be no surprise to locals. People raised in this area of Washington State can easily take for granted the beautiful landscape and slower pace that is lovingly referred to as “God’s Country”.
It IS a slower pace up here compared to Los Angeles and there is a little bit of a Mayberry vibe up here – but in all the best of ways. People are still hard workers and focused – they just take the time to make strong relationships. I think it’s partly because there’s so much natural outdoor beauty up here. It keeps everyone thankful and in check. Ok, maybe a bit sappy, but I really think it might be true.
Does this laid back attitude affect the economy? Well…..Microsoft is located about 50 miles from here, so I’d say we’re doing ok.
Excerpt:
Whidbey Island, Washington
Stress starts to melt away as you step off the ferry onto this Washington island, just one hour north of Seattle. Rich in natural beauty, Whidbey Island is also home to picturesque towns and romantic B&Bs. Spend the day in Langley (for a special treat, pick up a picnic for two from the Chef’s Pantry). Journeying north, drop by Greenbank Farms for wine and cheese before climbing the Admiralty Head Lighthouse for a gorgeous view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Toast to your travels at the new Frasers Gourmet Hideaway in Oak Harbor; whidbeycamanoislands.com.
Through a strange turn of events I ended up late on a Friday night hanging out in Sedro Woolley, WA at a local pub called Boondocks. Sedro Woolley is known internationally as a center of refined art and world culture. *cough*
It happened to be a band’s CD release party – the band Fortune 500. I’m pretty burned out on hearing slacker original bands so it was nothing I was looking forward to. But this band rocks.
Fortune 500 is my new favorite band. The drummer is TIGHT and rockin’ with a great back beat. Most drummers in unsigned bands slop through the fills and let the groove slide all over the place. Not this one. Fortune 500’s drummer had the grooves locked up tighter than a….well…he grooves.
The live mix was great – good thump on the bass and kick with the vocals thinned out over the top of the mix – kind of a Green Day sound. The music was loud but no obnoxious frequencies jumping out. Their songs were very accessible and easy to digest. Because I’m an old fogey, I especially liked their cover of “Ring of Fire” – great feel on that one.
And you know what – I liked the Sedro Woolley crowd at Boondock’s too. Now if you walk down the street then you are on your own. SW is a bit frightful downtown on the weekends.
Through their entire set, there was not a single thing that jumped out that I didn’t like. Fortune 500 should get signed.
Influences: Green Day, Weezer, Rufus & Chaka Khan, The Who, Bluegreen, J.P. Patches, Steve Guttenberg, Pavlov Jones, Rip Taylor, Hindu Grass, Partridge Family.
Sounds Like: Pete Townshend introducing Green Day to Weezer
Visit Fortune 500 on MySpace.com at:
http://www.myspace.com/f500music
As we reported in May, the new Boondocks restaurant has opened with a bang, packing in crowds on Friday nights for live music and establishing a family restaurant in the historic Liberty Cafe location where several restaurants have come and gone in the interim since the Liberty closed back in the ’90s. We have more good news: the owners are about to reopen the connected Townsend Club/Independence Hall that faces Ferry Street. If all goes well, they will host an opening party on Friday, October 26, to celebrate Halloween.
The new Boondocks opened in the 700 block of Metcalf on April 23, 2007, then celebrated its grand opening with Nick Vigarino’s blues band on May 18 and the have already restored the old Liberty spirit of George Bellos, who opened the Liberty in that spot in 1929. Partners Ensol and Arcelia Borreli and Wesley Drake have invested in a totally new interior, but the response to their live music was so substantial that they immediately encountered a problem: the central wall that separates the bar from the dining room.
“We needed more room for live music and larger crowds,” Wes explained as he led us through the old Townsend Club and pointed out how they have already stripped it down to the bare brick walls and dismantled the false ceiling that was installed decades ago. The new room will have an 1890s decor in keeping with the history of the merged cities of 1898. As part of the process, the owners ripped out the old false ceiling, expanded the small bandstand at the front, laid new wood flooring for a large dance floor and a rustic seating area and they installed sound baffles to contend with the 14-feet ceiling.
Inside cover of Bye Bye Birdie Program – November, 2007
For two and a half years, local music and theatre communities have benefitted from the talents of Conrad Askland. Conrad is the consummate professional: creative, precise, able to balance high expectations with encouraging words and humor.
“Bye Bye Birdie” will be Conrad’s final show in the Skagit Valley for the next few years as he heads out to the far horizons of another continent and culture.
“Friends of Conrad Askland” contributed to a co-sponsorship of “Bye Bye Birdie” as a tribute to the man who has given so much to our community.
Alex Hollingsworth
Andy and Donna Golub
Barbara Askland
Bryan and Kathryn Kay
Cally Johnson
Carol Ann Askland
Clarence Holden
Dan Denny
Dr. Gary Brown
Elfa Gisla
Geoff and Susan Arthur
Kate Kypuros
Kyle Blevins
Jerry Moa
Lindsey and Joe Bowen
Lynette McCormack
Lynn and Frank Handi
Stewart and Lacey Woods
Mount Vernon, WA – Our own (dare we admit it?) Roger Ragusa has made good on his promise and strolled the length of Downtown Mount Vernon in his costume to generate donations for the Theater Arts Guild. He was a good sport about it and did not try to weasel out of it in anyway. By doing so he has earned $500 for the TAG general fund.
Roger Ragusa – Modern day superhero and defender of good citizens against evil. Do not let outward appearances fool you. Mr. Ragusa is rumored to be a highly trained Navy Seal and international martial arts expert. Here we see him undercover on a secret mission. He blends in with his surroundings so as to not give away his identity.
Can you spot him in this photograph? Look carefully. I’ll give you a hint – he might be between the trees.
This is not just a picture of a street corner. Roger is also camouflaged in this picture. Hint – Look between the cars. If you don’t see him at first, try blurring your eyes a bit and look deep into the picture.
Two women walking a dog on a rainy day. Or is it? Yes folks, Roger is also in this picture. This time I give you no hints, you are on your own.
During our walk a local shop owner says hello. Or is it? Yes, tricked you again. That’s no shop owner, that’s Roger Ragusa. The “invisible man” and “man of a thousand faces”.
Another street shot. Roger might be in this photo and he might not be. I’ll let you decide…
Last stop at the Lincoln Theater with a lady working at the ticket booth – HEY WAIT! That’s no ticket lady, that’s Roger again? How does he do it? We do not know…
Mount Vernon, WA – The Theater Arts Guild announces auditions for Oscar Wilde’s Salome. Salome is based on the biblical character and story – an unforgettable story of love, lust, betrayal and revenge.
Performance Dates: February 8 – 16, 2008
Audition Dates: November 6 & 7, 2007
Location: Lincoln Theatre, Mount Vernon, WA
Audition Times: 6, 7, or 8 PM
(Please check in 10 min. prior to your audition time)
Cast Call
There are parts for 16 adult actors (17 years +).
Cristina Villareale and Scott Rittenhouse as Josephine and Ralph
Skagit Opera Presents:
Gilbert and Sullivan’s
HMS Pinafore
Extreme silliness and beautiful music on the high seas!
Information at www.skagitopera.org
At Beautiful McIntyre Hall, Mount Vernon
Tickets (toll-free) 866 624-6897
Fridays and Saturdays, October 5, 6, 12 & 13 at 7:30 pm
Sundays, October 7 & 14 at 2:00 pm
Please join us for an
Opening Night Gala – Oct. 5 at 6 pm at McIntyre Hall
Refreshments, Specials Guests
$5 donation – free for season ticket holders – no-host bar
Discounted Season Tickets for Skagit Opera’s 2007/2008 Season
Buy HMS Pinafore, Amahl and the Night Visitors & La Bohème tickets and get the October 28 Seattle Opera Young Artist show for free . Now at the McIntyre Hall ticket office
Individual non-discounted tickets available
on the telephone or at www.mcintyrehall.org
The intention of the show is to excite the imagination and nurture acceptance and a lifelong passion for the theatre arts.
The production was inspired by New Orleans, created by Elfa Gisla as a show to raise funds for the 200.000 people that are still homeless as well as the Conway Muse, opening in the fall, so it can continue to help New Orleans.
With Special Performances by
Elfa Gisla, Jennings Watts, Lindsey Bowen, Ria Peth, Peggy Wendel, Sarah Simmons, Sarah Webber, Kate Kypuros-
Conrad Askland & Orchestra.
Tickets $16, $19, $22
NANDA –four extremely creative young men who are destined to greatness and this is a unique opportunity to see their performance before they hit it BIG!
“Following on the footsteps of the wildly popular Rick Epting Benefit for the Arts in September, producer Elfa Gisla creates a similarly dazzling presentation of amazing local talent and whimsical comedy. This is a show you won’t forget & you won’t want to miss!” Rusty Robertson.
If you look at this picture and just see a guy standing next to an organ – I must inform you it is MUCH more than that. I have exciting news for any fans of the Lincoln Theater in Mount Vernon, WA – fans of Wurlitzer organs and fans of the Rocky Horror Show.
What are are looking at on the left is one of the oldest original functioning Wurlitzer organs in the United States. It is the house organ of the Historic Lincoln Theater in Mount Vernon, WA. The organ to the right of that is a custom built remote control organ that can control the keys and stops of the main organ from up to 70 feet away. On the right is Fred Beeks, one of the men who custom built this new functional work of art.
With the sepia tones of the photograph and old world craftsmanship you might think this picture was taken in the 1920’s – but it was taken September 18, 2007.
Several months ago I went down to the Lincoln Theater to jam on the Wurlitzer a bit. I met Fred Beeks who gave me a tour of the backstage where all the Wurlitzer pipes, cables and bellows are housed. It was an amazing thing to witness. You just don’t see that kind of complex machinery for organs much any more. If a note goes out, Fred climbs up to the rafter and hand solders the connections back in place for the organ. It’s amazing.
When I was jamming on the organ I had mentioned to Fred how much fun it would be if I could play the Wurlitzer during our upcoming production of the Rocky Horror Show. One big problem – for stage shows at the Lincoln Theater companies usually utilize the extended thrust of the stage – which covers up the Wurlitzer organ. The organ becomes under the stage and cannot be played. For me that would be a done deal, can’t be done. But not for Fred.
Fred Beeks mentioned they could make a master control unit I could use onstage to control the Wurlitzer. At the time he said I would be limited to preset stops on the Wurlitzer – just one setting. So when I walked in to see the new controller I was naturally expecting a small keyboard, perhaps on aluminum legs. I was totally blown away by what I saw.
Gene Peden, longtime organist at the Lincoln Theater, custom built a cabinet for the new controller organ. Complete with rounded legs. See the picture below for a close-up. It’s absolutely beautiful.
Then Fred Beeks did all the custom wiring into the cabinet that Gene Peden built. The master organ now controls most all of the stops on the Wurlitzer. Now I may have the fine details a little off, Gene and Fred worked together on the project as a whole.
Here’s what you may not know about the Wurlitzer organ at the Lincoln Theater – It’s not just an organ, it also controls all sorts of live special effects on the wings and throughout the auditorium. (Details on stops and fx listed further down on this post). There are chimes down each side of the auditorium, a player piano on the stage left wing, mallet instruments on the stage right wing (all three fully visible to the audience). In the top stage left box there are percussion fx with drums and cymbals. And now all of those can be controlled remotely with this new unit – and integrated into any live stage show at the Lincoln.
So I said to Fred, “Do you realize that most of the people attending our Rocky Horror Show have never even heard of a theater organ, don’t even know they exist?” – He smiled the smile of an all-knowing sage and said softly “We know. That’s why we did it.”
A big thank you to the Lincoln Theater for making this happen. Fred Beeks, Gene Peden and facilities manager Roger Gietzen – they just don’t make ’em like you guys any more. You are the best.
And I should tell you another thing about the Lincoln Theater. Before I moved to Mount Vernon, WA I was visiting my family here and we went to see a local stage production at the Lincoln. I walked into this place and thought to myself, “What kind of community has the commitment to keep a place like this going?” – It was a theater straight out of the 1920’s – beautifully preserved. I knew there must be some big hearts in Mount Vernon, WA and Skagit County. I was right.
It takes a VERY committed community to keep the Lincoln going, and it tells tons about the passion for the arts in Skagit County. It was one of the things that made me want to move here – I hope people in City Hall pay attention to that and keep it going.
Lincoln Theater Volunteer Organists
Fred Beeks
Ruth Ann Burley
Glen Desjardins
Gene Peden
About the Wurlitzer Organ at the Lincoln Theatre
Wurlitzer magic keeps tradition alive
Of the 98 Wurlitzer organs remining in their original theaters in the U.S., the Lincoln Theatre’s Wurlitzer is one of only two 2-manual, 7-rank D-2 Full Unit Orchestra models. It has a full set of organ pipes, as well as a set of ‘toys,’ the mechanical sound effects for silent movies, as well as marimbas, drums, glockenspiel, xylophone, cathedral chimes, celeste, etc., and an original Wurlitzer piano.
The Lincoln Wulitzer features seven ranks of pipes, a remote piano, and a complete sound effect system for silent films, including beats, castanets, drums, cymbals, glockenspiels, and marimbas, as well as a set of silver chimes mounted on the auditorium’s painted columns.
The Lincoln’s Wurlitzer Organ
Much work has been done by our pool of volunteer organists and technicians to maintain and repair our musical treasure.
The console has been pulled, cleaned, and rewired; several ranks have been gone through, with new leathers and blocks installed; and the “toy box” for sound effects has been rearranged for easier access and repair. All the work has been done by dedicated volunteers, including Gene Peden, Bob Martin, and Keith Thompson.
The volunteer organists who perform before each film showing are Dusan Mrak, Jeff Fox, Gene Reden, Glen DesJardins, and Ken Fenske. Thanks to all of them for keeping the theater organ tradition alive at the Lincoln!
This was my view while conducting Brigadoon at the Kirkland Performance Center in September 2007. Several people asked me for an explanation of the wired contraption you see in the middle of the photo. One child in particular spent most the show trying to figure it out and had some great guesses about it.
The item lying on top of the stage is a stage microphone used to capture overall ambience from the chorus. There are normally three of these across the stage – Left, Center, Right. The sound designers will use these to bring up ambience during large crowd scenes or chorus musical numbers.
The grey item taped in the center with the larger cord extending from it is just a camera. For many scenes in Brigadoon the choir sings from backstage and it was difficult for them to see me for timing. So the sound techs put the remote camera in place and the choir watched me backstage on a monitor. The chorus said the monitor had a little of a fisheye lense effect and made my hands look gigantic, but for keeping time it worked very well.
We had used the same concept during another run of Brigadoon, but the lighting was poor and the chorus couldn’t see me well in the monitor – and boy could I tell from the pit. Timings were not together. You can use a simple computer camera to do this – make sure to check lighting under show conditions so viewers can easily see directions from conductor.
And to the boy who was convinced it was not just a camera – well…..MAYBE it’s actually a launch button I can press to launch a spaceship.
MORE BRIGADOON PHOTOS
View from Conductor’s podium looking at audience
Kirkland Performance Center, Kirkland, WA.
Musicians in the orchestra pit (read Dark Scary Cave of Doom) at Kirkland PAC
French Horn and Trumpet in Kirkland Orchestra Pit.
