Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Update from Producer, Tanya Moberly - October 31, 2012

SALON – that unique, MULTIPLE AWARD WINNING, Weekly Open Mic Event, created and hosted by Mark Janas returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 – on Sunday, November 4th from 7-10:30PM! (Sign-Up Begins at 6:15.)

The optional theme for the evening is “Lowered Expectations.”

Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.

Our Co-Host will be 2-Time MAC Award Winning Songwriter & Entertainer Extraordinaire Bill Zeffiro! You can catch Bill at La Mediterranee – 947 Second Avenue (50th/51st), NYC, 212-755-4155 - every Tuesday night from 9–11:30pm through the year 2046. For more information: www.lamediterraneeny.com.

Our Salon Spotlight will feature 2-Time MAC Award Nominee Stearns Matthews! Stearns will be at Don’t Tell Mama – 343 West 46th St, NYC, 212-757-0788 / www.donttellmamanyc.com – November 6th at 8:30pm. November 19th at 7pm & December 16th at 6pm. For more information: www.stearnsmatthews.com.

Salon continues every Sunday …

November 11th:
Theme: Making Arrangements
Co-Host: Lennie Watts with Steven Ray Watkins

November 18th:
Theme: Animal Magnetism
Co-Host: Sarah Rice

November 25th: NO SALON (Thanksgiving)

December 2nd:
Theme: It’s Instrumental
Co-Host: Ed Gilmore

December 9th:
Theme: Happy Hannakwanzmas!
Co-Hosts: Edd Clark & Sue Matsuki

December 16th:
Theme: A Family Affair
Co-Host: Melissa Errico
Salon Spotlight: Kim Grogg & Jim Speake w/Steven Ray Watkins

December 23rd: NO SALON (Christmas)

December 30th: NO SALON (New Year’s)

Melissa Errico will be at 54 Below – October 30th, October 31st, November 1st & November 2nd. All shows at 8:30pm.www.54below.com (storm damage permitting)

ALSO – Mark Janas & Andy Gale are once again offering their class ACTING THE SONG. There are 3 Saturdays left - Nov 3rd, Nov 10th & Nov 17th - 1-4pm at Etcetera, Etcetera. The price is $80 per class and you can take one or take all. For more information and registration, contact Andy Gale atandy.gale@rcn.com / 646-526-4376.

Salon is an ongoing open entertainment event in which singers, writers and musicians share their talent with each other and audience members.

There is a $10 cash cover collected at the door and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For more information about Etcetera, Etcetera's delicious menu: www.etcetcnyc.com. A 20% gratuity is added to all checks.) There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/first served basis, Doors open and sign up begins at 6:15pm. The evening begins at 7:00, has a 15-minute break at 8:30 and ends promptly at 10:30. If you would like to sign up to perform, see one the evening's 'Etceterettes' to fill out a card with your name, the name of your song, whether or not Mark will be playing for you and any upcoming events you'd like to promote. We do not present performers in order of sign-up, however, indicating requests as clearly and as early as possible as far as time restraints are concerned always makes everything much more possible. ALWAYS BRING SEVERAL SONG SELECTIONS to avoid duplication. All types of material, on or off theme are always welcome at Salon. We enthusiastically welcome instrumentalists, poets, playwrights, essayists, comics, illusionists and performance artists. Please limit your selections to three or four minutes in length (including introductions). Please also bring clear, complete charts for Mark to read. Sitting on the piano is not allowed, nor is flash photography. Please turn off all noise making devices and give performers your undivided attention.

Visit our website at www.markjanasthesalon.com and look for us on Face Book!

Thank you to our sponsors Dr. Garrett Bennett & Father Jeffrey Hamblin, MD!

Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday, November 4th!

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly
Salon Producer

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Salon Wrap-Up for October 21, 2012 "L, M, N, O, P - Songs From The Middle Of The Alphabet."

I came into Sunday night with the alphabet running through my head. And not because I was coming from the East side of the East Village, but because of tonight’s theme at this week’s Salon - 
“L, M, N, O, P - Songs From the Middle of the Alphabet.” From entering our space at Etc Etc, I would tell that the evening promised a ton of fun!

Co-host, Nina Hennessey
Our co-host was Broadway Veteran Nina Hennessey. Nina has been seen in the Broadway casts of WOMAN OF THE YEAR, DREAMGIRLS, CATS, LES MISERABLES and the revival of BYE, BYE BIRDIE. She started by saying that without the letters L, M, N, O, P , you wouldn’t have the lyrics to a song - and followed that with “Without a Song” from the musical play, Great Day.

Edie Stokes started off the open mic portion with the Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg classic, “Last NIgt When We Were Young.” Last year, Edie’s show was named one of the top 10 shows of 2011 by the Times Square Chronicles. We were excited to welcome back Tony Imgrund, who sang “Maria” from West Side Story, which he sang for his mother who was in town from Nebraska.

Jackie Kristel sang an adorable “The Alphabet Song.” She has a debut show at Don’t Tell Mama called “A Girl You Should Know” with 2 more dates October 26 and December 7, with Tracy Stark as her music director. Barb Malley was next, and true to her word she came dressed up for Halloween (since she’ll be missing next week’s Salon due to a hi replacement surgery.) She sang a medley of “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights / Your Cheating Heart” as Wendy, the Tavern Maid. Barb will be back in about 6 weeks when she will be able to climb that stairs again. We wish you a speedy recovery!

Carly Ozard brought in a contemplative telling of “Landslide” made famous by Stevie Nicks. Natasha Castillo was next with the pop infused anthem from Footloose - “Let Hear It For The Boy.” Natasha has a show, “Anything but Ordinary,” coming up at The Duplex - November 2, 10, and 16 with Steven Ray Watkins and directed by Lennie Watts. Richie Eisenberg was next with “Now That I Know,” a beautiful and lilting waltz. We’re proud to announce that Richie’s music was just featured in The Salon’s cabaret series, Salon Presents, on October 24 - if you missed it, you have one more chance at Winter Rhythms at Urban Stages on December 13. Come out and show some love to these wonderful singers (Erin Cronican, Rob Langeder, Stacie Perlman and Adam Shapiro.)

Lou Iacovino was next (with Barry Levitt on the keys) singing “Learning the Blues.” On December 1 at 2pm, Lou will be the special guest performer at his friend, Jeannie’s, show at Don’t Tell Mama. Stay tuned for more details! Barry stayed at the piano and invited up Sunny Leigh, who sang a swinging “Lucky To Be Me.” On Tuesdays, you can see Sunny at 8pm at Dana Lorge & Barry Levitt’s new home - The Iridium!

Julia Klot, our youngest guest at The Salon tonight (12 years old!), took her seat at the piano and played & sang her original composition, “Apologies.” It was incredible. Julia has a show, “Introducing Julia Klot” coming up at the Metropolitan Room on November 4 at 1pm. She also has a CD available. Please get out there and support the next generation of singer-songwriters!

Annie LeBeaux brought in “Speed Dial,” an original song which explained what Joni Mitchell’s career would have been like if it started now instead of in the 1960s (in a tune very similar to “Woodstock.”) This might be my favorite song I’ve heard Annie do. Classic and wonderful! David Ballard, our dedicated server, sang a haunting “Losing My Mind” from Follies. Yours truly, Erin Cronican, sang “Quiet” from Jonathan Reid Gealt’s Forward. Adam Shapiro introduced us to “Never Before, Never Again” a song from The Muppets. He’s singing it at his sister’s wedding next weekend. Adam has a show coming up - “Adam Shapiro’s Guide to the Perfect Breakup” November 8 & 15 and December 30 at The Duplex. Can’t wait to see it!


Classical Corner

Mark Janas started Classical Corner by emptying his pockets into two silver buckets. He then talked about all of the ideas he had related to the theme. He’s always wanted to do something on pedaling. He also thought about teaching us about the golden mean, as well as covering composers that matched the letters in the theme - Liszt, Mendelssohn, Offenbach, Puccini, etc. He then came up with the idea of pairing a musical type with a composer, and allowing the audience to choose which one they wanted to hear. So, he wrote down a bunch of words on pieces of paper, and separated types of musical compositions into one group and composers into another group. He took those pieces of paper from his pocket and put them in the buckets. From there, he asked Salon members to draw from the bucket, and he would play something related to what was on the piece of paper.

Here’s what he did:

1st Choice
Composer: Chopin
Type: Nocturne
Song: Mark blended the two ideas and played Chopin’s C Minor Nocturne (with a very dramatic middle section)

2nd choice
Type: Mazurka
Mark played a Mazurka Polish dance - Mazurka in B Flat by Chopin. He explained that this type of music is in three, but one of the beats is always stretched (usually the 2nd)

3rd choice
Composer - Mendelssohn
Mark played, “Songs Without Words” which was considered a hunting song because it was full of horn sounds from fox hunts.

4th choice
Composer: Schubert
For this, Mark played “Moment Musical, Number 3 in F Minor.”

5th choice
Composer: Puccini
For the final piece, Mark played Che Gelida Manina’s “What Cold Hands,” the big tenor aria at the end of Act One of La Boheme.


Second Set

Nina Hennessey our fearless co-host, was back with a warm and earnest 3-song set, opening with, “Sometimes I’m Happy.” She followed that with a charming, “Girl Talk” and finished her set with “Morning” by Al Jarreau.

Salon Producer, Tanya Moberly was next, with a beautiful “Just Once” from The Fantasticks. David Gillam did a reading of his brand new children’s book, “Gingertown” a non-religious story about a little girl at Christmastime, which Mark Janas underscored beautifully. If you’re interested in buying this amazing hardcover, 215 page fully illustrated book, you can buy it at The Salon every week ($28), or buy it online at www.gingertown.com.

William T Zeffiro, Jr was next (overly format, n’est pas?) bringing in his original “My Kind Of Guy” (a song he wrote for Marissa Mulder.) After the song was done, Nina quipped, “It’s kind of bleak” to which Bill retorted - “Bleak! You ought to hear my bleak stuff!” Bill can be seen every Tuesday at La Mediterranee at 7pm, and he can also be seen at The Salon as co-host on November 4! (Lucky us!)

Matthew Martin Ward started by playing a song from The Electric Company, “Without an S, a song would be an “ong,” - which the audience really enjoyed. He then said he didn’t remember anything else, and moved on to the wonderfully complex and dramatic 1940s standard, “The Midnight Sun” by Lionel Hampton. You can see Matthew on October 27 at Birdland with Sarah Rice, Mark Janas and Janice Hall. Matthew is also doing musical direction & arrangements for a show called, “Hopelessly In Love: The Lyrics of Tom Toce” directed by Peter Napolitano - Oct 28, Nov 3 & 10 at 4pm at the Metropolitan Room. Be sure to check it out!

Parker Scott sang a rousing and powerful “The Streets of Dublin” from A Man of No Importance by Stephen Flaherty and Lynne Ahrens. Jaye Maynard was back with the hilarious and jazz infused, “I’m Hip” (made famous by Blossom Deary) which had all kinds of “hip” improv-ed which really suited Jaye’s acting chops. Jaye has a show "Bird Amongst the Blossom," a tribute to the first Blossom Dearie Songbook, on Oct 28 at 1pm at the Laurie Beechman.

Father Jeff Hamblin, The Salon’s generous sponsor, sang a rousing, “There Will be Bluebirds Over the White Cliffs of Dover.” Father Hamblin acknowledged that Thanksgiving is coming up and many people don’t have a place to go to share the holiday. So, his church, Christ Church Bay Ridge (Brooklyn) has a Pre-Thanksgiving celebration that everyone is invited to. On Saturday, November 17 at 6:30pm, folks will be having a family gathering around the fireplace, and our very own Mark Janas will be playing some tunes on the piano. More details can be found here.

In honor of Barbara Cook’s birthday this week, Tyler Kent sang “Nearness of You” a Hoagy Carmichael tune. The last song of the evening was by none other than our co-host, Nina Hennessey, who sang a tribute to Marvin Hamlisch, a dear friend and mentor since she was the age of 25 - “Through the Eyes of Love: The Theme from Ice Castles.” It was touching and emotional end to a wonderful night.

Special Thanks to Gil Alexandre for his help on lights and sound tonight!

Next week’s theme is “All Souls Night” - please feel free to come dressed up for Halloween! Our co-host will be the illustrious, Janice Hall.
Next week's co-host, Janice Hall!
We’ll see you then! In the meantime, if someone video recorded your performance and you’d like us to know about it, please post the link in the comments section of this blog post. Thank you!

-Erin Cronican
Blogette for The Salon
Need anything? Please email me.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Update from Producer, Tanya Moberly - October 23, 2012

SALON – that unique, MULTIPLE AWARD WINNING, Weekly Open Mic Event, created and hosted by Mark Janas returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 – on Sunday, October 28th from 7-10:30PM! (Sign-Up Begins at 6:15.)

The optional theme for the evening is “All Souls Night.”

Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.

Our Co-Host will be MAC and Bistro Award Winner Janice Hall! Janice will be appearing in ALL SOULS NIGHT with Sarah Rice and David Vernon at Birdland – 315 West 44th St, NYC, (212) 581-3080 – Saturday, October 27th at 5:00pm. For more information: www.birdlandjazz.com.

Salon continues every Sunday …

November 4th:
Theme: Lowered Expectations
Co-Host: Bill Zeffiro
Salon Spotlight: Stearns Matthews

November 11th:
Theme: TBA
Co-Host: TBA

November 18th:
Theme: Animal Magnetism
Co-Host: Sarah Rice

November 25th: NO SALON (Thanksgiving)

December 2nd:
Theme: It’s Instrumental
Co-Host: Ed Gilmore

December 9th:
Theme: Happy Hannakwanzmas!
Co-Hosts: Edd Clark & Sue Matsuki

December 16th:
Theme: A Family Affair
Co-Host: Melissa Errico
Salon Spotlight: Kim Grogg & Jim Speake with Steven Ray Watkins

December 23rd: NO SALON (Christmas)

December 30th: NO SALON (New Year’s)

Melissa Errico will be at 54 Below – October 30th, October 31st, November 1st & November 2nd. All shows at 8:30pm.www.54below.com 

AND – On Wednesday, October 24th SALON PRESENTS: “SMILE ON MY FACE: THE SONGS OF RICHARD EISENBERG” featuring Erin Cronican, Rob Langeder, Stacie Perlman & Adam Shapiro. The evening is directed by Peter Napolitano with musical direction by Barry Levitt. Shows at 7pm & 9:30pm. (Doors will open at 6pm & 8:30pm) $20 cash cover at the door ($10 for MAC) / $15 food/beverage minimum – cash or credit. For reservations: tanya@tanyamoberly.com / 646-637-2806.

ALSO – Mark Janas & Andy Gale are once again offering their class ACTING THE SONG. There are 4 consecutive Saturdays left - Oct 27th, Nov 3rd, Nov 19th & Nov 17th - 1-4pm at Etcetera, Etcetera. The price is $80 per class and you can take one or take all. For more information and registration, contact Andy Gale at andy.gale@rcn.com / 646-526-4376.

Salon is an ongoing open entertainment event in which singers, writers and musicians share their talent with each other and audience members.

There is a $10 cash cover collected at the door and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For more information about Etcetera, Etcetera's delicious menu: www.etcetcnyc.com. A 20% gratuity is added to all checks.) There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/first served basis, Doors open and sign up begins at 6:15pm. The evening begins at 7:00, has a 15-minute break at 8:30 and ends promptly at 10:30. If you would like to sign up to perform, see one the evening's 'Etceterettes' to fill out a card with your name, the name of your song, whether or not Mark will be playing for you and any upcoming events you'd like to promote. We do not present performers in order of sign-up, however, indicating requests as clearly and as early as possible as far as time restraints are concerned always makes everything much more possible. ALWAYS BRING SEVERAL SONG SELECTIONS to avoid duplication. All types of material, on or off theme are always welcome at Salon. We enthusiastically welcome instrumentalists, poets, playwrights, essayists, comics, illusionists and performance artists. Please limit your selections to three or four minutes in length (including introductions). Please also bring clear, complete charts for Mark to read. Sitting on the piano is not allowed, nor is flash photography. Please turn off all noise making devices and give performers your undivided attention.

Visit our website at www.markjanasthesalon.com and look for us on Face Book!

Thank you to our sponsors Dr. Garrett Bennett & Father Jeffrey Hamblin, MD!

Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday, October 28th!

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly
Salon Producer

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Update From Producer, Tanya Moberly - October 20, 2012

SALON – that unique, MULTIPLE AWARD WINNING, Weekly Open Mic Event, created and hosted by Mark Janas returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 – on Sunday, October 21st from 7-10:30PM! (Sign-Up Begins at 6:15.)

The optional theme for the evening is “L, M, N, O, P – Songs from the Middle of the Alphabet.”

Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.

Our Co-Host will be Broadway Veteran Nina Hennessey! Nina has been seen in the Broadway casts of WOMAN OF THE YEAR, DREAMGIRLS, CATS, LES MISERABLES and the revival of BYE, BYE BIRDIE. She will be appearing in Cabaret Cares 7 with Eric Michael Gillett and Friends on Wednesday, October 17th at 7pm at the Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 West 42nd St, NYC, 212-695-6909. For more information: www.ninahennessey.com.

Salon continues every Sunday …

October 28th:
Theme: All Souls Night
Co-Host: Janice Hall

November 4th:
Theme: TBA
Co-Host: TBA

November 11th:
Theme: TBA
Co-Host: TBA

November 18th:
Theme: Animal Magnetism
Co-Host: Sarah Rice

ALSO – On Wednesday, October 24th SALON PRESENTS: “SMILE ON MY FACE: THE SONGS OF RICHARD EISENBERG” featuring Erin Cronican, Rob Langeder, Stacie Perlman & Adam Shapiro. The evening is directed by Peter Napolitano with musical direction by Barry Levitt. Shows at 7pm & 9:30pm. (Doors will open at 6pm & 8:30pm) $20 cash cover at the door ($10 for MAC) / $15 food/beverage minimum – cash or credit. For reservations: tanya@tanyamoberly.com / 646-637-2806.

AND – Mark Janas & Andy Gale will once again be offering their class ACTING THE SONG for 5 consecutive Saturdays 1-4pm at Etcetera, Etcetera beginning October 20th. The price is $80 per class and you can take one or take all. For more information and registration, contact Andy Gale at andy.gale@rcn.com / 646-526-4376.

Salon is an ongoing open entertainment event in which singers, writers and musicians share their talent with each other and audience members.

There is a $10 cash cover collected at the door and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For more information about Etcetera, Etcetera's delicious menu: www.etcetcnyc.com. A 20% gratuity is added to all checks.) There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/first served basis, Doors open and sign up begins at 6:15pm. The evening begins at 7:00, has a 15-minute break at 8:30 and ends promptly at 10:30. If you would like to sign up to perform, see one the evening's 'Etceterettes' to fill out a card with your name, the name of your song, whether or not Mark will be playing for you and any upcoming events you'd like to promote. We do not present performers in order of sign-up, however, indicating requests as clearly and as early as possible as far as time restraints are concerned always makes everything much more possible. ALWAYS BRING SEVERAL SONG SELECTIONS to avoid duplication. All types of material, on or off theme are always welcome at Salon. We enthusiastically welcome instrumentalists, poets, playwrights, essayists, comics, illusionists and performance artists. Please limit your selections to three or four minutes in length (including introductions). Please also bring clear, complete charts for Mark to read. Sitting on the piano is not allowed, nor is flash photography. Please turn off all noise making devices and give performers your undivided attention.

Visit our website at www.markjanasthesalon.com and look for us on Face Book!

Thank you to our sponsors Dr. Garrett Bennett & Father Jeffrey Hamblin, MD!

Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday, October 21st!

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly
Salon Producer

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The Salon Wrap-Up for October 14, 2012 "Freedom Songs"

We had a reprieve from the cold this Sunday evening as we welcomed in the 2nd Salon of October 2012. The theme was “Freedom Songs” - songs that make you want to stand up and fight for your beliefs or just open up and allow thoughts and ideas to flow freely.

Co-Host Natalie Douglas
Our Co-Host was Bistro, Nightlife and Seven-Time MAC Award Winner Natalie Douglas! Natalie will be appearing in The 23rd Annual Cabaret Convention at Rose Hall at Lincoln Center – Broadway at 60th St, NYC – Friday, October 19th at 6pm. www.mabelmercer.com She will also be bringing her show FREEDOM SONGS: ELECTION EDITION to Birdland – 315 West 44th St, NYC – Monday, October 22nd at 7pm: www.ticketfly.com 

Natalie Douglas started with Neil Young’s classic tune, “After The Gold Rush.” She recounted someone once asking Mr Young what his inspiration for the song was, and he said he had no idea. So, Natalie proposed that the song was about “the freedom that you find when you…uh… light up a joint?” Ha!

Sunny Leigh started by saying, “If you really want to be free, you have to tell someone what’s on your mind.” She then kicked off the open mic portion of the evening with the original tune,“This Can’t Go On” - written by Sunny Leigh and Barry Levitt. You can see Sunny at “Tuesdays @ The Iguana” happening on Tuesday at 8pm at the Iridium. Barb Malley was next complete in spiritually gorgeous gown with the spiritually gorgeous song “Wade in the Water.”

Stephanie Zagorin brought us a lovely “A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing.” Adam Shapiro is back from doing Ragtime in Boston, and sang one of my favorite songs of his, “One More Minute” by Weird Al Yankovic. He explained that sometimes freedom can be a really, long-time-coming, break up. Adam has a show coming up - “Adam Shapiro’s Guide to the Perfect Breakup” November 8 & 15 and December 30 at The Duplex.

Kesinee Haney, a newbie to The Salon and visitor to New York City, brought us a classic song about finding salvation - “Blow Gabriel Blow” from Anything Goes. Mark Cotter, with his music director, Christian Duhamel, introduced us to “Morris Was Nice” by Murray Brand “about equality, of sorts.” Mark has a show coming up at the Metropolitan Room on October 17 & 25 at 9:30pm.

Annie LeBeaux started her song by saying, “This song is about freedom from a cruise to hell” - her very own, “Let Me Off The Boat.” Annie is music directing a new show called Digital Dilemmas at Theatre For The New City through October 21. Erin Cronican, your Blogette, sang “Come Down From The Tree” - a song that was cut from Once On This Island. Your Etceterette for the evening, Shana Farr (and Julie Wilson award winner) sang the Kern & Hammerstein classic, “All The Things You Are.” She has an album coming out in November - visit her website (linked above) for more details!

Our next singer, Richard Skipper (known for his 20+ tribute show for Carol Channing) is writing about his experiences in a brand new book. To whet our whistles, he gave us a brief history lesson on Hello Dolly and those who have played her. He dedicated tonight’s performance to all of the Dolly’s and his new friends, and especially Mark Janas - with “Before The Parade Passes By.”

Richard then introduced us to our Salon Spotlight for the evening, Pamela Luss! Pamela will be appearing with Houston Person at The Metropolitan Room – 34 West 22nd St, NYC, 212-206-0440 /www.metropolitanroom.com – Saturday, October 20th at 7pm, Thursday, November 15th at 9:30pm and Saturday, November 17th at 9:30pm.

Pamela came to the stage with pianist, Brandon McCune. For her first song of the set, she sang “Baby, Don’t You Quit Now” by Mercer & Rowles. Delightfuly, her next song was the theme from the TV series, “Bewitched” - with an amazing jazz interlude by Brandon. Pamela finished out her set with the Leslie & Michael Gore’s touching and simple, “Out Here On My Own.”


Classical Corner

Tonight at The Salon we welcomed musician, Kalle Toivio, a doctoral student in Manhattan School of music and organist at Mark’s church. We were lucky enough that, for Classical Corner, he’s going to played a piece by Jean Sibelius “Finlandia.” Kalle explained that he has two important ladies in his life that were turning 95 this year - his grandmother, and the country of his heritage, Finland. The musical piece was written at a time of oppression, about 20 years before Finland became an independent country in December 1917. This piece is so popular in Finland that it is like a 2nd national anthem, so how fitting a tribute for tonight’s theme. It was wonderful!


Second Set

To usher in the second set, Mark Janas welcomed to the stage our charming co-host, Natalie Douglas, and her esteemed music director, Mark Hartman. They began her set with a classic Nina Simone “show tune for which there is no show yet” - “Mississippi God Damn.” For her second song, she encouraged the audience to join in with her as she sang the 60s era anthem, “Get Together.” For the last song of the set, she brought us an audience participation medley of “Look for the Union Label” and “If I Had a Hammer.”

Salon Producer, Tanya Moberly, brought in the lovely Sondheim ballad, “Anyone Can Whistle” from the musical of the same name. Tanya just opened her show, “Tanya Lorraine Moberly sings Barbra Joan Streisand with Steven Ray Watkins” at Don’t Tell Mama - 3 more shows are coming up Oct 18, Nov 14 and Dec 4. All shows are at 7pm. There are discounts for Salon members - be sure to make reservations in advance.

David Ballard brought in the hilarious, “Way Ahead Of My Time” by Peter Mills. Parker Scott sang a gorgeous, “Amazing Grace”. Parker will be doing the Metropolitan Room again in February - keep your eyes peeled for the date in the new year! Kevin McMullan was next with something “uptempo and off topic” - the fun and dramatic “Chubby Charlie” by Andy Preiboy.

Marvin Parks was next with the iconic Barbra Streisand song, “Smile.” Marvin has a CD out called, “The Very Thought of You.” We were delighted to invite up Nina Hennessey, who just so happens to be next week’s co-host! She sang a tender, “Quiet Thing” from Flora The Red Menace.

We were thrilled to witness the next musical number - 2 Marks, 4 Hands: Mark Hartman started the improvised session with a one-fingered “Mary Had A Little Lamb” which Mark Janas caught on with right away, making it more classical in nature. Mark Hartman then took it in more of a honky-tonk direction. It went back and forth in theme, from Pachelbel, to something more patriotic, to something that even sounded a bit Billy Joel inspired. It was amazing!

For the final song of the evening, co-host Natalie Douglas brought the house down with, “American Tune.”

Special Thanks to Gil Alexandre for his help on lights and sound tonight!

Next week’s theme is “L, M, N, O, P - Songs from the middle of the alphabet.” Have fun with this one - make it creative! Our co-host will be Nina Hennessey.

Next week's Co-Host Nina Hennessey
We’ll see you then! In the meantime, if someone video recorded your performance and you’d like us to know about it, please post the link in the comments section of this blog post. Thank you!


-Erin Cronican
Blogette for The Salon
Need anything? Please email me.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

The Salon Wrap-Up for October 7, 2012 "Anything Goes"

It was the first chilly night of the season, but it was all warmth at The Salon, where the quirky theme, “Anything Goes” was fully in effect! Our co-host was the illustrious and silky-voiced, Tanya Holt.

Co-host Tanya Holt
Tanya kicked off the evening with a playful rendition of, “Frim Fram Sauce” made famous by the Nat King Cole Trio. Luckily, we have amazing food at venue, Etc Etc, because I got pretty hungry after hearing that song! Salon regular, Lou Iacovino, was the first to the mic, singing the charming classic, “I Can’t Believe I’m Losing You.” Lou will be singing a few songs with his friend Jeannie in a new show at Don’t Tell Mama on December 1 - stay tuned for more details!

Bobbie Horowitz said there were lots of mommies in the audiences that should listen closely to her original song: “Shows Ta Go Ya” - as usual, her lyrics were clever and had the audience in stitches! Natasha Castillo sang a heartfelt, “Brave.” This newcomer is growing and growing as a performer, and it has been wonderful seeing it happen here at The Salon! Natasha has a show, “Anything but Ordinary,” coming up at The Duplex - November 2, 10, and 16 with Steven Ray Watkins and directed by Lennie Watts.

Dana Lorge started by saying that her song, a rare love song, was being dedicated to “a man in the back who I’ve been flirting with, and then bait and switched us with the hilarious, “No Shit.” Bob Diamond sang the beautiful waltz, “When I Grow Too Old To Dream.” In December, Bob will be performing at The Mansion in NJ, and in February he’ll be bringing back his show to Don’t Tell Mama. Jackie Kristel, accompanied by Tracy Stark, sang the charming, “Joshua Noveck.” Jackie just did debut show at Don’t Tell Mama called “A Girl You Should Know.” She has two more dates: October 26 and December 7.

Tracy stayed at the piano and Gretchen Reinhagen came to the mic, introducing us to the charming original song, “Little Saturn,” with music by Tracy Stark / lyrics by Michael Quinn. We love it when writers & talented performers show off new material at The Salon. Thanks, ladies! Jennifer Sheehan came up to show off “You Make Me Laugh,” a tune that she’ll be performing at the Metropolitan Room this month in “Hopelessly In Love: The Lyrics of Tom Toce.” The show is directed by Peter Napolitano and musically directed by Matthew Martin Ward (who played for her this evening.)

Janice Hall wowed the crowd as always, with a simple and charming, “Have You Ever Crossed Over to Sneden’s.” Janice is having a great time in DC rehearsing “James Joyce’s The Dead.” Wish we could take the whole Salon crowd to see it! Erin Cronican, you very own blogette, sang “Someone Else’s Story” from the musical, Chess. Your Etcerette, Maureen Taylor, was next with a glorious, “Migratory V” from Myths and Hymns by Adam Guettel.

Salon Spotlight - Corinna Sowers Adler
We were thrilled to have Corinna Sowers Adler with us as tonight’s Salon Spotlight. She has a show coming up next week “By Request” - the way to works is that people could email her with a special request of what to sing, and include a reason why the song was important to them. So, Corinna decided to sing two songs from the show (but you have to see the show to hear the stories!)

Corinna started with “The Singer” - a unique and quirky song, much like the career of many singers! The next song was a song that can only be sung a couple of weeks out of the year - Frank Wildhorn’s “When Autumn Comes.” As Corinna started the final song of the set, she explained she got 3 requests for this song, so she says she pretty much had to do it! So, for her first time ever, she performed “Meadowlark” for an audience -- and it was for us!


Classical Corner

Salon founder and host, Mark Janas, started Classical corner by saying he thought it would be fun to see what happens if we invent Classical Corner together. He started by asking folks in the audience to name their favorite composer.

The first that was shouted out was “Pachelbel’s Canon” a composer AND piece of music. Mark said that, for him, this piece brings up the idea of variations… but since it also reminds him of weddings he’d opt out for this classical corner. Barber was suggested next. Mark said that he studied the Barber concerto in college but got severe tendonitis so he wouldn’t try it today. Chopin was next, and at first mark said that he played Chopin too often at The Salon, but he said he might play something later. I suggested Wagner, and for a bit he talked about the Ring Cycle.

Finally someone suggested Erik Satie, someone whose music he happened to bring with him. Satie used to get together with a french composer in a sort of artist’s salon. Satie was one of the first minimalists before Phillip Glass, his music was avant grade for its time because of it’s spareness. To illustrate, Mark played, “Three Gymnopedies No 1.”

Next up, Mark talked about Chopin’s Etudes (French for studies, technical exercises for pianists) and how they got nicknames based on how they sounded. Mark played the “Octave” Etude in B Minor, the “Ocean” Etude in C Minor (that sounded so much like the ocean) and the playful “Butterfly” Etude in G Flat.

For the final piece of the evening, Mark brought us Bach’s “The Well Tempered Clavier” Fugue in D Major. Like our theme ”Anything Goes”, there was a time when rhythms and keys were less strict. Mark mentioned that he learned from Christopher Hogwood that if baroque music didn’t dance, it died. It was oriented to the music of the dance, and if you can find THAT, you find the heart of the music. The dotted notes (1/8th and 1/16ths) were often taken with a grain of salt- they were a little bit longer with the shorter note even shorter (with a little lift), which caused the people in powdered wigs to get up and do pirouettes - the music mimicking the lifts of dance and changing positions. Mark admitted that his interpretation would probably be seen as going to far, but as the theme is Anything Goes, he decided to ‘er rip! And the piece was phenomenal. :)


Second Set


Tanya Holt, an amazing vocal storyteller, started her set with “The Very Thought Of You” with amazing accompaniment by Mark Janas. Next up was the classic, “Mr Bojangles “- a touching story song about a homeless man. Her final song of the set was “Daddy-o” - the song promises to “teach Daddy-O, gonna teach you the blues” - Tanya certainly taught it to us tonight!

Salon Producer, Tanya Moberly, brought in the classic, “I Get A Kick Out Of You” from Cole Porter’s Anything Goes. Tanya just opened her show, “Tanya Lorraine Moberly sings Barbra Joan Streisand with Steven Ray Watkins” at Don’t Tell Mama - 3 more shows are coming up Oct 18, Nov 14 and Dec 4. All shows are at 7pm. There are discounts for Salon members - be sure to make reservations in advance.

Stephanie Zagoren was next with “Autumn in New York” - one of the lovelier songs I’ve heard Stephanie do. We’re so glad to have her with us! Barb Malley charmed us with the adorable, “It Amazes Me.” She gave us a special warning - she bought a Halloween costume before discovering that she would be having hip surgery on October 25. So, she’ll be wearing her costume to The Salon on October 21 - I can’t wait!

Joann Sicoli was next with the classic, “The Birth of the Blues.” She’ll be visiting family in Italy and while there she will be doing two shows - how I wish I could be there with her! David Ballard with a lovely ballad, “You Walk With Me.” Teresa Fischer Invited up her accompanist and arranger, Andrew David Sotomayor and they performed the original tune, “Crayola Doesn’t Make A Color For Your Eyes.” This song is on her Debut CD, called Let It Go.

Bill Zeffiro, Salon Board member and all around jolly man, started out with one of the classics, “Imagine” by John Lennon… but then it morphed into a sardonic derivation of that classic. Lianne Marie Dobbs brought her classic, deep tones to “Plenty of Time” by “Kander & Ebb”. Lianne has her debut solo show coming up - “Everything Old is New Again” October 22nd, 9:30pm at the Metropolitan Room. Be sure to check it out!

Marissa Mulder, 2011 MetroStar winner, sang, “It Never Was You.” She is bringing back her show “Illusions” one more time, October 25 at the Metropolitan Room on Tuesday at 7pm - it’s also a CD release show, as CDs of the show will be available after the show! Jaye Maynard was next with “Hey John”, a song written for John Lennon. She is doing a show, “Bird Amongst The Blossom- A Tribute to the Blossom Dearie Songbook” at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, October 23 at 7pm and October 28 at 1pm. What a wonderful idea!

Joan Jaffe was next with “Too Old To Die Young.” Joan has a show coming up - “Joan Jaffe’s Manha-ha-ha-ttan” at the Abingdon Theater as a part of their Sunday Series, October 14 at 7pm. Our final song of the evening was sung by our amazing co-host, Tanya Holt - “Laughing Masters.”

News: We were excited to have from friends from Cabaret Scenes with us for the evening, writing up some thoughts on our Open Mic for their readers. We'll post the article when it publishes. 

Special Thanks to David and Samuel for their fabulous service at Etc Etc, Tommy Shull on lights/sounds, and all of our awesome Salon family members.

Next week's co-host, Natalie Douglas
Our Co-Host will be Bistro, Nightlife and Seven-Time MAC Award Winner Natalie Douglas! Natalie will be appearing in The 23rd Annual Cabaret Convention at Rose Hall at Lincoln Center – Broadway at 60th St, NYC – Friday, October 19th at 6pm. www.mabelmercer.com She will also be bringing her show FREEDOM SONGS: ELECTION EDITION to Birdland – 315 West 44th St, NYC – Monday, October 22nd at 7pm. www.ticketfly.com For more information: www.nataliedouglas.com.

Our Salon Spotlight will feature Pamela Luss! Pamela will be appearing with Houston Person at The Metropolitan Room – 34 West 22nd St, NYC, 212-206-0440 /www.metropolitanroom.com – Saturday, October 20that 7pm, Thursday, November 15th at 9:30pm and Saturday, November 17th at 9:30pm. For more information: www.pamelaluss.com.

Next week's theme is, “Freedom Songs.” Sing a song that makes you feel free or makes you yearn for freedom. Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.

We’ll see you then! In the meantime, if someone video recorded your performance and you’d like us to know about it, please post the link in the comments section of this blog post. Thank you!


-Erin Cronican
Blogette for The Salon
Need anything? Please email me.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Update from Producer Tanya Moberly, October 9, 2012

SALON – that unique, MULTIPLE AWARD WINNING, Weekly Open Mic Event, created and hosted by Mark Janas returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 – on Sunday, October 14th from 7-10:30PM! (Sign-Up Begins at 6:15.)

The optional theme for the evening is “Freedom Songs!”

Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.

Our Co-Host will be Bistro, Nightlife and Seven-Time MAC Award Winner Natalie Douglas! Natalie will be appearing in The 23rd Annual Cabaret Convention at Rose Hall at Lincoln Center – Broadway at 60th St, NYC – Friday, October 19th at 6pm. www.mabelmercer.comShe will also be bringing her show FREEDOM SONGS: ELECTION EDITION to Birdland – 315 West 44th St, NYC – Monday, October 22nd at 7pm. www.ticketfly.com For more information: www.nataliedouglas.com.

Our Salon Spotlight will feature Pamela Luss! Pamela will be appearing with Houston Person at The Metropolitan Room – 34 West 22nd St, NYC, 212-206-0440 /www.metropolitanroom.com – Saturday, October 20that 7pm, Thursday, November 15th at 9:30pm and Saturday, November 17th at 9:30pm. For more information: www.pamelaluss.com.

Salon continues every Sunday …

October 21st:
Theme: L, M, N, O, P – Songs from the Middle of the Alphabet
Co-Host: Nina Hennessey

October 28th:
Theme: All Souls Night
Co-Host: Janice Hall

November 4th:
Theme: TBA
Co-Host: Jennifer Sheehan

ALSO – Mark Janas & Andy Gale will once again be offering their class ACTING THE SONG for 5 consecutive Saturdays 1-4pm at Etcetera, Etcetera beginning October 20th. The price is $80 per class and you can take one or take all. For more information and registration, contact Andy Gale at andy.gale@rcn.com/ 646-526-4376.

AND – On Wednesday, October 24th SALON PRESENTS: “Smile on My Face – The Songs of Richard Eisenberg” featuring Erin Cronican, Rob Langeder, Stacie Perlman & Adam Shapiro. The evening is directed by Peter Napolitano with musical direction by Barry Levitt. Shows at 7pm & 9:30pm. (Doors will open at 6pm & 8:30pm) $20 cash cover at the door ($10 for MAC) / $15 food/beverage minimum – cash or credit. For reservations: tanya@tanyamoberly.com / 646-637-2806.

Salon is an ongoing open entertainment event in which singers, writers and musicians share their talent with each other and audience members.

There is a $10 cash cover collected at the door and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For more information about Etcetera, Etcetera's delicious menu: www.etcetcnyc.com. A 20% gratuity is added to all checks.) There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/first served basis, Doors open and sign up begins at 6:15pm. The evening begins at 7:00, has a 15-minute break at 8:30 and ends promptly at 10:30. If you would like to sign up to perform, see one the evening's 'Etceterettes' to fill out a card with your name, the name of your song, whether or not Mark will be playing for you and any upcoming events you'd like to promote. We do not present performers in order of sign-up, however, indicating requests as clearly and as early as possible as far as time restraints are concerned always makes everything much more possible. ALWAYS BRING SEVERAL SONG SELECTIONS to avoid duplication. All types of material, on or off theme are always welcome at Salon. We enthusiastically welcome instrumentalists, poets, playwrights, essayists, comics, illusionists and performance artists. Please limit your selections to three or four minutes in length (including introductions). Please also bring clear, complete charts for Mark to read. Sitting on the piano is not allowed, nor is flash photography. Please turn off all noise making devices and give performers your undivided attention.

Visit our website at www.markjanasthesalon.com and look for us on Face Book!

Thank you to our sponsors Dr. Garrett Bennett & Father Jeffrey Hamblin, MD!

Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday, October 14th!

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly
Salon Producer

Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Salon Wrap-Up for September 30, 2012 "Amour, Amore, Liebe & Love"

There was love in the air at Sunday’s Salon, and appropriately so - for the theme for the evening was, “Amour, Amore, Liebe & Love” or, Love in Several Languages. We were so excited to introduce Co-Host, international soprano sensation Anna Bergman with her nimble-fingered music director, Alex Rybeck. Anna is the star of upcoming Feinstein’s show, “You & The Night & The Music- An Evening of Musical Imports and Exports” - the shows run October 15, 21, 22, 28 & 29 at 8pm.
Co-host, Anna Bergman
To start the evening, this lovely lady gave us a jazzy, Spanish infused medley of “Something Tells Me” and “You & Night.” Kicking off the open mic portion of the evening, Natasha Castillo brought us a song about how love gives her strength, “I Won’t Last A Day Without You.” She has her solo debut coming up - “Anything by Ordinary” on November 2, 10, 16 at The Duplex at 7pm, directed by Lennie Watts, musical direction by Steven Ray Watkins.

Richie Eisenberg was next with his charming & upbeat original tune, “Now That I Know.” We’re proud to announce that Richie’s music will be featured in The Salon’s cabaret series, Salon Presents, on October 24 at 7pm and 9:30pm - “Smile On My Face: The Songs of Richie Eisenberg.” Email tanya@tanyamoberly.com for reservations. Harold Sanditen gave us a truly unique and hilarious rendition of ”Me and Mrs Jones” with some choice lyrical changes. Harold has a show coming up October 4-5 at the Metropolitan Room called, “Shades of Blue” which originated in London and is now in NYC!

Lou Iacovino bounded to the stage with a swinging, “Learning The Blues.” Did everyone know that Lou is an attorney in his “daytime” life? He says he’ll be in court tomorrow - best of luck with everything, as always. Joann Sicoli brought in an ode to her favorite love, the great city of New York with “New York State of Mind.” MAC Award Winner Bobbie Horowitz was next with a do-wop inspired “Flatbush Serenade.” Bobbie told us about a new open mic opening up Saturday October 27 at 2pm at Unity Center of New York on East 58th St.

Sunny Leigh came up to the stage with Barry Levitt at the piano, singing the classic “If You Could See Me Now.” 2012 Bistro ward winner (and last week’s co-host) Parker Scott gave a haunting “I Won’t Send Roses” from Mack & Mabel. Parker’s show, “No Expectations”, is running at the Metropolitan Room Sunday, October 7 at 4pm. I highly recommend checking it out - click here to see a promo.

Annie LeBeaux sang a medley of tunes about two kinds of love (one you have to pay for and one you want to pay for) where she shared German, French & English lyrics - “Schone Gigolo” and “Hynme a L’Amour.” Erin Cronican, (your blogette- hello!) sang a song about those times when love cannot ever be spoken: “Take The World Away” from Little By Little. Erin is the managing director of The Seeing Place Theater and is excite to announce their 4th Season next week! Click here to sign up for updates. MAC and Bistro Award winner, and tonight’s Etceterette, Janice Hall started with a beautiful essay, and followed up with an even more beautiful, “Nana’s Lied” by Kurt Weill and Bertold Brecht.

Our Salon Spotlight this week was the always hilarious Joshua Desjardins & Joshua Warr. At the piano was the multi-talented Kenneth Gartman. Their first number was the duet “What Is This Feeling” from Wicked. Kenneth Gartman kicked off their second song, the exciting trio “Heart & Music” from William Finn’s A New Brain. Their final number was an imaginative Friendship Medley including songs like “Thank You For Being a Friend” “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” “I’ll Be There For You (Theme from “Friends”) and “Bosom Buddies.” The Joshes have a show, “Joshing Around” at The Duplex on November 7 at 7pm ($5 MAC discount). Be sure to check it out!


Classical Corner

Mark Janas spent the evening talking about great love themes - how their romantic peel, lyricism, sense of positive harmony and arch make up the romantic movement in classic theater. He played a few examples from Puccuni (Turendot) Bernstein (West Side Story), Ravelle, and Rachmaninov, to name a few. He then reintroduced us to a piece he’s been in love with because it was so full of love and emotion. And we we lucky enough to hear him play the piece fir us - Chopin’s “A Flat Ballade.”


Second Set

Anna Bergman, our glorious co-host, started the second set with the song, “I Am In Love. “ She followed that up with a very touching and emotional “Mean To Me” by Marlene Dietrich, complete with English & German lyrics. Anna told us a story about Marlene renouncing her German citizenship and used her voice in the musical propaganda recordings designed by the US to “demoralize the enemy” during World War II, which I found fascinating. Read more here. She finished her set with a comedic duet with Alex Rybeck, “Museum.”

Salon Producer, Tanya Moberly, sang the wistful ballad “All The Things You Are” from the little0known musical, “Very Warm For May” by Hammerstein/Kern. Tanya just opened her show, “Tanya Lorraine Moberly sings Barbra Joan Streisand with Steven Ray Watkins” at Don’t Tell Mama - 3 more shows are coming up Oct 18, Nov 14 and Dec 4. All shows are at 7pm. There are discounts for Salon members - be sure to make reservations in advance. She’s also appearing in the closing performance of The Concerts For The City Greens, where she’s singing the opening song with Bill Zeffiro and another surprise tune with Mark Janas. More details: www.TudorCityGreens.org

Salon newbie, Tyler Kent, sang Bobby Darin’s snappy, love song, “Dream Lover” with a bunch of “yeah yeah”s from the audience. He’s working on two shows right now, one being a set of Bobby Darin tunes, with dates/location TBD. Carly Ozard brought us Queen’s powerful, “Somebody To Love.” She was named Best Cabaret Performer in San Francisco in 2009 - were glad to have her in NYC!

Joey Infante was next with a one of his favorite love ballads, (complete with tango flair!), “Cumbanchuro.” Barb Malley came to stage and brought her voice teacher with her - Salon regular, Gretchen Reinhagen, who ably accompanied her on “As Times Goes By.” Gretchen stayed at the piano and accompanied for herself on the lovely “A Quiet Thing” from Flora the Red Menace. Gretchen is directing two cabarets coming up: Irenka Jakubiak in “I Love Rock and Roll” at Don’t Tell Mama on Thursday, October 25th at 7:30pm; and Julia Klot in “Introducing Julia Klot” (a 12 year old dynamo!) at the Metropolitan Room on Sunday, November 4th at 1pm.

6 time MAC nominee (and Salon Board Member) Nicholas Levin was next singing & playing his own tune, “Olives of Regret” - the audience simply ate up his lyrics! (pardon the slight pun…) We were excited to welcome back Jim Speake, who sang a tender, “…” by Peter Allen. You can see “Jim Speake Sings ’Til The Cows Come Home” directed by Lennie Watts, musical direction by Steven Ray Watkins, with special guest Sidney Myer at Don’t Tell Mama - 1 more show October 10 at 7pm.

Susan Hodgdon was next, who talked about her love life in Connecticut but her love for being in New York as well, and then sang a lonely. “As Long As He Needs Me” from Oliver. Susan has one more showing of her cabaret, “On The Bumpy Road to Love” at 4pm on December 8th at Don’t Tell Mama. Next up was Joe Regan with “The Dummy Song” - welcome back to the Salon, Joe!

The final song of the evening, sung by our gorgeous soprano co-host, Anna Bergman, was a song from the original production of Rent… just kidding! It was “Quando Men Vo” from Puccini’s La Boheme, where Anna seduced the audience (including Salon Board member, Roy anded, who got a kiss and rub on the top of his head.) Those lucky front row audience members!

Special Thanks to Gil Alexandre for his hep on lights and sound tonight!

Next week's co-host, Tanya Holt!
Next week features Co-Host Tanya Holt. The Salon Spotlight is Corinna Sowers Adler. The theme is, “Anything Goes.” I’d venture to say you could bring something by Cole Porter, or absolutely anything else. Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.

We’ll see you then! In the meantime, if someone video recorded your performance and you’d like us to know about it, please post the link in the comments section of this blog post. We'll then add it to our YouTube Playlist. Thank you!

-Erin Cronican
Blogette for The Salon
Need anything? Please email me.