Rod Miller – Disneyland Pianist

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bFwDkh3sW0

For some reason I was thinking back on when I used to play piano at Knott’s Berry Farm in the Calico Saloon (and sometimes subbing at the old Bird Cage Theater melodramas). We did short Old West themed shows and in the summer the Can Can show. The piano style was so much fun. Barrelhouse and Scott Joplin style music. Lots of improvisation ham.

When you play the ragtime style several hours a day on a regular basis it’s a wonderful feeling. Really gets the chops in place. Add to that the camaraderie and competition of the other pianists doing the same thing in different shifts – and you really get in the zone for that style.

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Cirque Tokyo ZED and KOOZA Employees Evacuated to Macau

As a personal rule I do not post Cirque Du Soleil information that has not already been released to the public. That is not any directive from management. Just a personal guideline. I feel ok to post this since it has already been published publicly at:

http://communities.canada.com/montrealgazette/blogs/stageandpage/
archive/2011/03/15/cirque-du-soleil-japan-update-zed-performers-
evacuated-to-macau.aspx

“Cirque has decided yesterday to transfer all its employees currently in Japan to Macau (China). These preventative measures touch the staff and artists of ZED, presented at Tokyo Disneyland, which is closed for the next 7 days, and artists and staff of Kooza, presented in Fuji Dome in Tokyo, which is also cancelled until further notice. Artists and staff will benefit from the support of the Macau colleagues and will be able to pursue their training at the Macau training centre.”

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Email Q&A: Keyboard Patch Changes

Email question received:

Hello
I’m just starting to play more shows with patch changes and such. Is there computer software that’s best for setting this up and controlling. Right now I control throughout the keyboard pedal. I’ve seen on broadway they have computers hooked up to the keyboards. Any help is great.

Thanks
Matt

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Skagit Herald – March 10, 2011

Thank you to Beverly Crichfield from the Skagit Herald (Skagit County, WA – USA) for writing this article for the Thursday, March 10, 2011 edition. You can subscribe to the Skagit Herald and find local news at http://www.goskagit.com

The article talks about the years I did music and theater in Mount Vernon, WA and Skagit County, USA before moving to Macao, China with Cirque Du Soleil. You can click on the images to enlarge and read.

Below is front page of magazine insert.

2011 Vacation to Mount Vernon, WA and Las Vegas

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2ihkYPpWq4

February 2011 I flew from Hong Kong to visit the USA for a week in Mount Vernon, WA and then a week in Las Vegas. Although I only lived in Mount Vernon, WA for a couple years I consider it “home” because my sister and Mom live in the area. It was also one of my favorite areas to work in doing music and theater shows.

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iMovie and YouTube Video Upload Quality

I keep making the same mistake by uploading iMovie videos with the automated “Upload to YouTube” option. The videos uploaded this way look absolutely horrible. I just did a vacation video with a Canon 5D Mark II and Canon lenses at 24fps with great video quality – but the upload looks worse than my old $300 Casio camera.

So convert the iMovie videos first onto your hard drive then upload through your YouTube account. I mean it’s just a boring vacation video but $4,000 of Canon gear should look better than a $300 Casio right?

Canon 5D Mark II and iMovie 09

I just love my Canon 5D Mark II camera that I bought a few months ago. But there are issues with the footage being jerky when using IMovie 09. I haven’t quite had the time to jump into using Final Cut yet, so until then you can use a free program called MPEG Streamclip to fix the video stuttering.

There’s a great article here that will explain exactly what do to:
http://thedigitalstory.com/2009/04/managing_canon_5d_ma.html

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ZAIA Live Promo – Hunan China TV

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjQwMDU1MzYw.html

Cirque Du Soleil artists from the ZAIA show did a live television promo up in Hunan, China in late January 2011. It featured the acts of Straps, Skate and Hand to Hand.

I don’t know how to embed that link because it’s from a Chinese website – but it’s there if you’d like to watch it. I’ve been told that the spot was seen by several million viewers in mainland China.