Musician info page for Cabaret Flambe at the Lincoln Theater – Fri October 12 and Sat October 13, 2007.
REHEARSALS:
Tuesday October 2nd – 9-11pm – Band only at TAG rehearsal space
Thursday October 4th – 9-11pm – Band only at TAG rehearsal space
Friday October 5th – 6-10pm band w/cast at Conway Muse
Since most players are also in the RHS band, we’ll combine some rehearsals as needed.
SONGS:
1) Cabaret – Jennings Watts
2) Dance me to the end of love – Peggy Wendel
3) Making Whoopee – Key Eb – Ria Peth
4) Piano solo – Conrad Askland
5) La Vie en Rose – Key C – Jennings & Lynnette?
6) Móðir mÃn à Kvà Kvà – Elfa Gisla
7) You Can Leave Your Hat on – Jennings Watts
8) Kiss of Fire – Peggy Wendel
9) Hernandos Hideaway Key Cm – Elfa Gisla?
10) Rock me baby – Key E – Ria Peth
11) Halleluiah – Lindsey Bowen
12) Transvestite – TAG – Rocky Horror Picture Show?
Theater Arts Guild presents the ageless cult classic, The Rocky Horror Show, live on stage! Brad (Matt Riggins) & Janet (Karen Pollack) take a wrong turn and arrive at the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (James Padilla). Uh-oh, here come Riff-Raff (Nathan McCartney), his sister Magenta (Joey Van Pelt), groupie Columbia (Martha McDade) and Frank’s delicious creation, ‘Rocky’ (Morgan Witt). Brad & Janet, dazed in sexual confusion, are saved by Dr. Scott (Randy Pratt). Did I mention Eddie (Joe Johnson) gets euthanized?
Costuming is welcome- grab your fishnets & stilettos. RHS contains mature themes, sexual situations, and strong language! Parental discretion is advised.
Rocky Horror Show
Lincoln Theater
712 S. 1st St. – Mount Vernon, WA 98273 http://www.lincolntheatre.org
Oct 26, 27, 31
Nov 1,2,3,8,9,10
8:00 pm
$20 All Seats; All Shows
$1 Preservation Fee
Reserved Seating
Watch the CNN video of Cirque Du Soleil’s “KA” show behind the scenes. A look at some of the technology behind one of Cirque’s shows. Moving platforms and vertical drops controlled by performers. Moving stage pieces that have the appearance of being automated, but fully controlled live by the performers. If you’re on stage crew I think you’ll really enjoy this.
My first official Cirque Du Soleil post in plain english (I’ve done several posts in binary code, much to the delight of my fellow geek friends). So here’s the quick run down. Yes, I will be joining Cirque Du Soleil to open their new resident show in Macau, China at the Sands Venetian (Macao I) . I leave in January 2008. Scheduled opening for the show is May 2008.
Many people have trouble enunciating the company name – it’s “SIHRK DOO SOHLAY”, for regular English speaking folk. In French it means Circus of the Sun. There are a lot of knock-off companies that have chosen similiar sounding names – Cirque Du Soleil is the “real” one.
When people find out I’m joining CDS, I know immediately if they have seen a Cirque show before or not. The ones that haven’t seen CDS say something like “Oh, that’s cool”. The ones that HAVE seen a Cirque show before go into an uncontrolled frenzy and froth at the mouth, they go crazy. I’m not joking. I’ll tell you why: Cirque Du Soleil is the absolute coolest thing in the whole entire world. In this great wild world, there is nothing I would rather do more than work on one of their resident shows. To me, it is also the best music in the world – period.
Cirque Du Soleil is absolutely intense and ultimately demanding. It is the one thing I have seen in performance that eliminates all cultural boundaries and expresses takes on the human condition like no other art can. It is the ultimate voice of the artist demanding sense in the midst of insanity.
I have always loved the CDS music, and in the studio often used elements of their production styles in my work. But several years ago I saw Mystere and “O” live in Las Vegas with my mother and sister. After the Mystere show my mother asked me what I thought – I paused for a good while and said “I feel like my life has been changed, but I don’t know how.” I have never said anything like that about any other show. It woke me up. And since then it raised my bar of expectation for what can be.
So how did I get the gig? I auditioned in Las Vegas back when I was touring with Freddy Fender and producing for Road Records. We’ve gone back and forth on several different shows and productions, but nothing was quite the right timing or fit. This show is the perfect timing and the perfect fit.
I’ll tell you how perfect it is for me. My preference is to work for a resident show, meaning it has a theater built for it and stays in one place. My preference is also to work overseas (I spent MANY years playing in Vegas, it was fun but I already did that). The other great element is I get to experience the show in development from the beginning – to me that is the greatest part of it all – to see the Cirque magic unfold.
Theology aside – I think Cirque Du Soleil is the greatest thing this world has to offer. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.
How many of you can say you love going to the dentist? I can. Thanks to Pavarotti and Nitrous Oxide. I don’t know how many dentists do this now, but I put it on my top 100 of life experiences.
My dentist asked me if I wanted Nitrous and I said to do whatever made it less painful. Then they ask if I want an IPOD to listen to music. I don’t own an IPOD and I’ve really missed the boat on this one – the sound is INCREDIBLE! I dial through the selections and they have a Pavarotti folder of songs so I dial it in. Then they put on the Nitrous Oxide mask and ask me if I feel anything. Nope….
This nitrous stuff kind of creeps up on you real slow like….
In a couple minutes Panis Angelicus comes in with Luciano Pavarotti and a boychoir. My personal choice for one of the most beautiful songs ever written. And there I am sailing on Pavarotti’s vocal lines – like I’m surfing on a wave. It was absolutely beautiful. I try to remember feelings like that so I can recreate them later “sober”. The strongest feeling I get from it is disassociation. A disassociation of the boundary between listener and performer – as if you become a point (like a hanging microphone) in the middle of the performance.
Over an hour went by. I guess they were working on my teeth, I don’t know. I was listening to a concert. And very sad when they were finished – I wanted to listen to more music! At one point the dental tech tapped me, smiled and started conducting wildly – she knew I was having the time of my life.
My nephew tells me that they let him play video games at the dentist. Hey, when did dentists start doing all this and become so hip and cool? When I was a kid do you know what the big gimmick of dentists was? The Treasure Box. When you were done, you could choose one toy from the treasure box. And I took this task very seriously. Sometimes I would sit in front of the box for twenty minutes, because you could only choose one toy – and I didn’t want to make the wrong choice. Hey Doc, keep the toy – give me the Nitrous.
Now before anyone jumps on my case for talking about how great Nitrous is; do you remember the old days where you had to sit there for an hour at the dentist hearing constant scraping and gurgling. And if you still have a problem with it, I’ll be happy to go with you on your next visit to the dentist and sit next to you while you request no pain killers of any kind. Think of the fun we’ll have.
Until then: I LOVE MY DENTIST!
ABOUT NITROUS OXIDE
Nitrous oxide, dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide, is a chemical compound with chemical formula N2O. Under room conditions, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a pleasant, slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anaesthetic and analgesic effects, where it is commonly known as “laughing gas” due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it.
History of Nitrous Oxide
The gas was first synthesized by English chemist and natural philosopher Joseph Priestley in 1775, who called it phlogisticated nitrous air. Priestley describes the preparation of “nitrous air diminished” by heating iron filings dampened with nitric acid in Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air, (1775). Priestley was delighted with his discovery: “I have now discovered an air five or six times as good as common air… nothing I ever did has surprised me more, or is more satisfactory.” Humphry Davy in the 1790s tested the gas on himself and some of his friends, including the poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey. They soon realised that nitrous oxide considerably dulled the sensation of pain, even if the inhaler were still semi-conscious. After it was publicized extensively by Gardner Quincy Colton in the United States in the 1840s, it came into use as an anaesthetic, particularly by dentists, who do not typically have access to the services of an anesthesiologist and who may benefit from a patient who can respond to verbal commands.
Inhalant Effects
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a dissociative drug that can cause analgesia, depersonalization, derealization, dizziness, euphoria, flanging of sound, and slight hallucinations.
Use In Medicine
In the 1800s, nitrous oxide was used by dentists and surgeons for its mild analgesic properties. Today, nitrous oxide is used in dental procedures to provide inhalation sedation and reduce patient anxiety. In small doses in a medical or dental setting, nitrous oxide is very safe, because the nitrous oxide is mixed with a sufficient amount of oxygen using a regulator valve. However, extended, heavy use of inhaled nitrous oxide has been associated with Olney’s lesions in rats, though it is not necessarily possible to extrapolate it to humans.
Previously, nitrous oxide was typically administered by dentists through a demand-valve inhaler over the nose that only releases gas when the patient inhales through the nose; full-face masks are not used by dentists, so that the patient’s mouth can be worked on while the patient continues to inhale the gas. Current use involves constant supply flowmeters which allow the proportion of nitrous oxide and the combined gas flow rate to be individually adjusted. The masks still obviously cover only the nose.
Because nitrous oxide is minimally metabolized, it retains its potency when exhaled into the room by the patient and can pose an intoxicating and prolonged-exposure hazard to the clinic staff if the room is poorly ventilated. Where nitrous oxide is administered, a continuous-flow fresh-air ventilation system or nitrous-scavenging system is used, to prevent waste gas buildup.
Nitrous oxide is a weak general anesthetic, and so is generally not used alone in general anaesthesia. However, it has a very low short-term toxicity and is an excellent analgesic. In addition, its lower solubility in blood means it has a very rapid onset and offset, so a 50/50 mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen (“gas and air”, supplied under the trade name Entonox) is commonly used for pain relief during childbirth, for dental procedures, and in emergency medicine.
In general anesthesia it is used as a carrier gas in a 2:1 ratio with oxygen for more powerful general anaesthetic agents such as sevoflurane or desflurane. It has a MAC (Minimum Alveolar Concentration) of 105% and a blood:gas partition coefficient of 0.Α46. Less than 0.004% is metabolised in humans.
Rumor has it the Cocky Bull Saloon in Victorville, CA is reopening. This country bar has gone through several owners the last 15 years. When the Southern California country circuit was in full swing for full time bands, the Cocky Bull was the most remote “A List” club with Allan Barbish running sound. All the strong country bands played there at one time or another. Many moons ago I gigged there quite a bit and I still remember feeling proud when I joined an “A List” country band and got to play the Bull for the first time. If you haven’t been there before, let me tell you….the Cocky Bull was a major party scene.
Located at 14180 Highway 395 at the corner of Palmdale Rd in Victorville, California
The original building has gone through many changes and alterations since Tom Hopkins and Tim Coppins built the Opry Hall as an addition to the Ribhouse restaurant and “Bull Pen” lounge back in the 80’s.
Many of the unique features were removed, (like the huge open BBQ Pit), and the Opry Hall has lost some seats because of DJ Booth and Bar additions, and they removed the balcony!?!… But the Spirit of The Cocky Bull has never changed.
But, thanks to the generosity of a prominent local business woman, the Cocky Bull is undergoing a “restoration” to it’s “original” glory, and we are “undoing” as much of the previous renovations as possible.
VICTORVILLE COUNTRY BANDS
Southern Spirit country band. Jaye Sooter plays about the meanest bass guitar you’ll ever hear. Awesome vocals too.
“ED SULLIVAN” song – At “C” where full chorus enters, the high notes for the altos are a bit extreme (up to F). Would recommend splitting sopranos and have 2nd sopranos cover alto part, then switch altos to tenor part. The high Ab notes in the soprano can easily sound shrill and overpower other parts – be careful and selective in which singers you have go for the top notes on this song.
Yet more old archives going through ancient boxes. This is a letter to me January 28, 1980 from Steve Stevens, director of the Northwest Boychoir (Mr. Stevens currently directs the Columbia Choirs http://www.columbiachoirs.com). I was in the Northwest Boychoir (Seattle, WA) from around 1976-1979. In late December 1979 my voice had changed and I finally had to leave the group. He is referring to my final concerts as Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors with Seattle Opera in December 1979. I have great memories of that show working with Archie Drake and Shirley Harnett.
I think I blogged about this once before. The final show my voice was full throttle in it’s change and I was starting to crack on some of my high notes. It was very embarrassing for me the last show, which was the one that Steve Stevens attended. I still remember the feeling of disappointment knowing he was in the audience. For a boy soprano it is the strangest experience to go from having full control over an agile instrument, to suddenly losing control here and there without notice. I read recently that even Pavarotti stopped singing for a year after his voice changed. It’s very tramautic for boy sopranos.
So here’s his letter. Thank you to Steve Stevens for your wonderful training and coaching I received in my youth, and also to the previous NWBC director George Fiore. The Northwest Boychoir website is at http://www.northwestchoirs.org/
Why is the letter of any significance? For me it was the bell tolling a confirmation that a time I knew would never be again….
Begin letter:
Dear Conrad:
It is always a hard thing to say “good-bye” to important members of the choir. All choirboys are important to me, but there are some like you who are even more important because they are leaders and because they show over and over that they genuinely care about their involvement with the boychoir. You were one of those, Conrad. I am very proud of what you accomplished in the choir. Your earning of the Touring Choir Boy of the Year award is a fitting tribute to your industriousness and your creativity.
It was a big thrill to me to see you in Amahl, even though I could hear it was a strain on your voice. I was struck by your acting ability, Conrad. I feel that you have really good possibilities in that area and would encourage you to pursue that for a while.
You and the other boys who went on tour last summer will always have a special place in my memory and in the history of the choir because you were the first to travel internationally representing the choir.
Please keep me informed of any and all future accomplishments. I will always be pleased to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Steve Stevens
(Director – Northwest Boychoir)
STEVE STEVENS – COLUMBIA CHOIRS
Steve Stevens currently directs the Columbia Choirs of Metropolitan Seattle. Visit their website at http://www.columbiachoirs.com
STEVE STEVENS: Founder-Artistic Director Columbia Choirs
Columbia Choirs founder-artistic director, Steve Stevens, started the choirs in February, 1985. He conducts the Boys Choir, the Concert Choir (boys and girls), Vocal Ensemble (Youth Choir) and Con Brio Women’s Choir. He is one of the most experienced conductors of community based children’s choirs in the United States. A native of Texas (Fort Worth), he began his musical studies at age 6 with the study of piano (studied 14 years). The turning point in his life came with his successful membership in the famed Texas Boys Choir of Fort Worth (the group Igor Stravinsky called “the best boys choir in the world.”) It was in those boyhood years he discovered his gift for singing and decided to pursue music as a career.
Mr. Stevens is a professional singer and conductor. He earned a BA (voice and all-level music education) from Houston Baptist University. Following the study and performance of opera in Europe, he completed his post-graduate studies at Southern Methodist University, achieving a M.Mus. in Choral Conducting. He has conducted the Texas Boys Choir (1971-77), the Northwest Boychoir (1977-84), founded and conducted the Northwest Youthchoir (1982-84). He founded the Columbia Boys Choir (February, 1985 to present), Columbia Girls Choir (1988 to present) and Columbia Vocal Ensemble (formerly Columbia Singers 1989 to present), “Con Brio” Women’s Choir (formerly Young Women’s Ensemble 1989-) and Columbia Men’s Ensemble (2004). He is also the choral director at Woodinville High School (since 1992; Northshore School District). Choirs under his direction have consistently won international acclaim for their high standard of singing artistry and musicianship. His choirs have performed in United States, Australia, British Isles, Canada, Europe, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Scandinavia. They have also appeared on national network television in the U.S.A., Europe, Japan and Russia and have sung for a President of the U.S., the Pope, and for members of the British Royal Family.
