Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Update from Producer, Tanya Moberly - July 31, 2013

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, August 4th from 7-10:30PM! (Sign-Up Begins at 6:15.)

The optional theme for the evening is “What You Don’t Know About Women.”

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

Our Guest Host will be MAC & Bistro Award Winner Barry Levitt! Broadway: “Catskills On Broadway” & “Swinging On A Star”. Off-Broadway: “Little Shop Of Horrors”, “Taking My Turn”, “Back In The Big Time” & “A Match Made In Heaven”. Cabaret clients include Ben Vereen, Bernadette Peters, Faith Prince, Eartha Kitt, Nell Carter, Margaret Whiting, Rosemary Clooney, Melba Moore, Julie Wilson, Connie Francis, Marilyn Michaels, Pia Zadora,Alysha Umphress, Gabrielle Stravelli, Marcus Simeone, Terese Genecco, Deb Berman & Dana Lorge.

Guest Host, Barry Levitt.
Our Co-Host will be 4-Time MAC Award Winner Dana Lorge! Dana will be bringing her Monthly Variety Show with Barry Levitt back to The Metropolitan Room – 34 West 22nd St, NYC 10010 – Wednesday, August 7th at 7pm. Her guests will include Mark Nadler, Sidney Myer, EggCream & Co., Nicholas Tamagna, Sue Matsuki & Richard Skipper. Future dates are September 8th, October 2nd, November 6th & December 4th. For more information: www.metropolitanroom.com.

Co-Host Dana Lorge.
Salon continues every Sunday…

August 11th:
Theme: Blood, Sweat & Tears – Summer in New York
Guest Host: Steven Ray Watkins
Co-Host: Lennie Watts
Salon Spotlight: Lois Morton

August 18th:
Theme: Guilty Pleasures
Co-Host: Gretchen Reinhagen

August 25th:
Theme: Anniversaries – 8 Years of Salon & 95 Years of Leonard Bernstein!
Co-Hosts: The Etceterettes

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 Facebook!

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


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

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly
Salon Producer

Monday, July 22, 2013

The Salon Wrap-up for July 21, 2013 - "Coming Home"

Singers, musicians and composers of all oeuvres came to The Salon on Sunday night to enjoy their musical "home" of sorts.  The theme was "Coming Home," and it certainly inspired us to bring in our interpretations of what "home" truly meant...and was a great excuse to sing some fantastic pieces of all genres and styles.  The classy and scintillating Co-Host of the evening was Lianne Marie Dobbs, who sashayed with a bit of Southern charm and 1940's swing throughout the evening (not to mention stellar vocals to boot).  Lianne's credits include the National Tour of Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Goodspeed Musical's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and can be seen this coming Sunday, July 28th, at 7pm with her show "Everything Old is New Again" at the Metropolitan Room, with Bill Zeffiro at the piano.  Speaking of Bill...as Mark Janas was traveling from Tennessee (holding a Church Music workshop) to his relatives in Alabama, Bill Zeffiro commanded the piano as Guest Host that evening.


Lianne and Bill brought us into the festive mood of the evening with a cute duet by Cohen and Heusen entitled "Fancy Meeting You Right Here," a song originally written for Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney.   Zach Wobensmith - who will be the Salon Spotlight next week! - then sang Bernstein's "Lonely Town," a sweeping and goosepimple-inducing song.  Zach will be performing his solo debut show "Stiff Upper Lip: Songs of the Brits" at The Duplex on September 12th and 14th with Musical Director Matthew Martin Ward.  Lawrence Florek then sang Rod McKuen's "A Man Alone," a tender ballad.  Lawrence is part of the MetroStar Challenge tonight at the Metropolitan Room and hopes to make it to the next round!  Another MetroStar Challenge-r,  Sue Hodgdon, then belted out the swinging yet bittersweet "Heartbroken" by Ebb and Springer. Always one to bring in new material, Lou Iacovino sang the torch song "Since I Fell For You" and regaled us with information on the concert of "Aida" on August 24th, in which he'll play the Oldest Chorus Boy in New York City.  Then MAC and Bistro Award winner (and stunning in red), Janice Hall, sang George and Ira Gershwin's "Someone to Watch Over Me." She just closed "Hamlet" at the Seeing Place Theater (whose members include Marnie Klar and Erin Cronican) and is looking forward to future theatrical exploits!

Music Director/Pianist Matthew Martin Ward (Guest-Host of next week's "All Pent Up"-themed Salon) then came to the microphone - not at the piano! - to sing the R Vaughn Williams and Robert Louis Stevenson song "Whither Must I Wander," a poem filled with imagery set to folksy-classical music.  Etceterette Marnie Klar, with Jeff Cubeta at the piano, sang the sunny and sweet "I'm Alright" by Phil Vassar - her show "Accidental Happiness" will return to Don't Tell Mama on July 24th at 9:30pm.  Next, composer Nicholas Levin grabbed the piano keys to accompany Adam Shapiro, who sang Levin's brand new (and comically bittersweet) piece, "I Used to Be From New York." Matthew Martin Ward returned to the stage, this time to accompany next week's "All Pent Up" Co-Host, Elizabeth Tryon, who trilled and swished her way through the flirtatious "Chacun le Sait" by Donizetti.  The next treat of the evening was the guitar and the man playing it, Sean Harkness, who brought in his beautiful original guitar-only composition "Coming Home."  Sean showed off his expert guitar mastery, and made us chuckle when he explained that he wrote this song before his Mom passed away and during a time when it was great to recharge his batteries at home...before he remember why he left in the first place.    

Victoria Rae Sook next brought in the (no this isn't a typo) song "Oklahoma?" by David Yazbek, which proved to be a rollicking exploration of the title state's people, practices, and culture.  Victoria is performing and Directed the the Midtown International Theatre Festival's show "Envoy" which will enjoy more performances on July 25th and 27th and August 4th.  Our Waiter Extraordinaire and proud Advanced BMI Lyricist David Ballard then sang a piece from his musical My Man Godfrey (music by Britt Bonney) entitled "It Must Be Wonderful," a song Lianne immediately grabbed from David for her own use.  David will present his debut solo cabaret show, Directed by Tanya Moberly, this coming Fall! Your Blogette for the evening, yours truly Sierra Rein, sang "Nothing Really Happened" from Craig Carnelia's Is There Life After High School?  I just came from my NYMF debut, singing for the developmental reading of The Gingerbread Pimp, and am looking forward to singing in "Broadway By The Letter: Act One" with Marquee Five at South Orange Performing Arts center on August 4th at 7pm. 

Salon Spotlight 

The Salon Spotlight for the evening was the 2010 MetroStar Winner and both Julie Wilson and Noel Coward Awards Winner Marissa Mulder.  With her sultry-sweet voice, immense storytelling ability, and charming ease onstage, Marissa has become one of the staples of the Cabaret scene here in New York City.   She started in the spotlight with the upbeat "It's Nice to Go Traveling," a song recorded by Frank Sinatra by Cahn and Van Heusen praising the experience of coming home above all others.  She followed that with the gorgeous and soft "But Beautiful," which will be featured in her Jimmy Van Heusen show August 15th and 18th at the Metropolitan Room.  She finished her set by informing us that Jimmy Van Heusen used to fly as a test pilot at the age of 16, all the while writing music for Paramount...the company asked him to find a "stage name" other than his birth name Edward Chester Babcock.  She then brought in the very underused verse to "Come Fly With Me," and sang the rest of the song with very tempting eagerness.


Zeffiro's Corner

It was then time for Zeffiro’s Corner!  Bill Zeffiro is a songwriter and composer of Musicals and stand-alone numbers, filled with the classic grace, modern wit and a wry feel-good mode (even when he's self-depricating).  He started out his corner celebration by singing two of his compositions, the first being the hilarious "Lower Your Expectations," perfect for any man looking for a comedy song.  He then switched moods to sing his introspective "I Still Got New York," which will be featured in Lianne's show.  This song, about the consistent timelessness of his Home city, is Bill's favorite and "means more every time I sing it," as he stated.  To complete Bill's set, he invited me, Sierra Rein, to sing the title song to his NYMF-celebrated musical The Road to Ruin, which was a hell of a lot of fun to sing!

Second Set

Our beautiful and gorgeously-voiced Co-Host, Lianne Marie Dobbs, then got a chance to really strut her stuff in a short set featuring songs from her show "Everything Old is New Again."  She began by showing off her sassy side with the honky-tonk country song "Home Lovin' Man."  She then told us about the two CD's she stole borrowed from friend-in-the-audience Nathan (more on him later), Barbara Streisand's first-recorded albums, which Lianne then used as inspiration for years.  From one of those CDs, she sang the heartfelt "Have I Stayed Too Long At the Fair."  She finished her co-hosting set by bringing the wistful Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II song "The Folks Who Live on the Hill."  So, please check her show out this coming Sunday, which will feature Bill Zeffiro and his music on the piano!

Producer Tanya Moberly hopped to the mic, eager to sing the extremely appropriate Carole King song "Home Again."  In addition to directing David Ballard's upcoming debut, Tanya is Director of Marnie Klar's "Accidental Happiness," will perform in the next Concert for City Greens Concerts on August 7th and September 11th, and will introduce a new show come November 1st...so she's not busy at all.  Next up was Bobbie Horowitz, who performed her song (lyrics by her and Spector, with music by Ben Martini) "Planning a Vacation," another rousing love letter to New York.  Bobbie will next be seen in a "Great Songwriters Up Close" show at the Metropolitan Room on October 14th (featuring music by Irving Drake and John Meyer), at a Unity Cabaret matinee on September 21st, and at Dana Lorge's variety show on October 7th at the Metropolitan Room.    Simone Streeter next sang the uber-sweet title song "Alfie" by Bacharach and David, comically introduced as the perfect reflection of the conversation one may have in one's head...when one should just say "Screw you, Alfie."   Remember the mention of Nathan Peterman?  A castmate of Lianne's from long ago, Nathan sang the hot number "Reefer Man" in an expressive and lovely tenor voice.  Richard Eisenberg then dedicated his original song "I Will Still Love You" to Tanya Moberly, for as he said "Family is having common DNA...we all share the love of music as our common DNA here at The Salon...and Tanya with her love and support and care is our Mama!" Adam Shapiro then sang another love song to New York, the Cole Porter piece "Take Me Back to Manhattan."  Adam won the 2013 MAC Award as Musical Comedy Performer and is just beginning rehearsals for NYMF's Barcode: The Musical.  He also provides Cabaret promo video services for those looking for more online exposure.

To complete the end of the evening, we brought some brand new faces along with some familiar ones.  One consistent face at Salon, that belonging to Barb Malley, came up to the microphone to sing "Up On The Roof," which reflected her attitude about the New York crowds at home.  Her show, "Out of Order" will have a final show tomorrow night, Tuesday the 23rd, at Don't Tell Mama. MAC nominee Joey Infante, who sang with Mike McDonald at the piano, performed the lovely ballad "I Wish You Love," and we were happy to hear he's working on a new show for the Fall. Mike McDonald stayed at the piano and, in a turn of events (for me) sang his own composition, the fun "Wearin' My Shoes."  Next up was Angela Leone singing "We'll Be Together Again" by Lane and Fischer.  She is currently completing the second half of her CD and can be seen in the 2013 MetroStar competition tonight!   Moriah Angeline then stepped to the mic to honestly and beautifully sing "Midnight Train to Georgia," expressing that home can become anywhere you follow your love to.  Moriah was last seen as Sophie in Mama Mia in Las Vegas and her show "Hopeful Romantic" at The Duplex; she is currently working on "Cabaret #2," as she puts it. Jamie Salzano then sang Randy Newman's "Feels Like Home," a simple and lovely country ballad from the movie Michael.  Jamie will perform her debut solo show - quirkily titled "Stardust and Other Sparkly Things" - at The Metropolitan Room on Saturday, November 9th.  To close out our show, singer-actress Heather Klobukowski (to pronounce, she explained, think "you club a cow and then you ski away") sang Gershwin's "I've Got a Crush on You."  When not auditioning for So You Think You Can Dance, Heather is a model and a dancer throughout New York and other venues.  Bringing it back to the beginning, our wonderful Co-Host Lianne Marie Dobbs sang "Gypsy In My Soul" with a powerful belt and seamless transitions between moments.

NEXT SALON!

July 28th, 2013 the theme will be "All Pent Up," so bring your music about those longing, claustrophobic or emotionally stifled feelings - or maybe about those moments when containment failed you!  With Guest Host Matthew Martin Ward, Co-Host Elizabeth Tryon, and Salon Spotlight Zach Wobensmith, it will prove to be an explosive evening!

'Til next time...keep singing!

-Sierra Rein
Blogette for The Salon
Please email me if I got anything wrong

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Update from Producer, Tanya Moberly - July 16, 2013

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, July 21st from 7-10:30PM! (Sign-Up Begins at 6:15.)

The optional theme for the evening is “Coming Home.”

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

Our Guest Host will be 4-Time MAC Award Winner Bill Zeffiro! Bill has been playing and singing around town since the Reagan Years. You can catch him every Tuesday from 8-11pm at La Mediterranee Bistro - 947 Second Avenue, NYC, 10022 (btw’n 50th & 51st).www.billzeffiro.com

Guest Host, Bill XZeffiro
Our Co-Host will be Lianne Marie Dobbs! Lianne will be returning to The Metropolitan Room - 34 West 22nd St, NYC 10010 – Sunday, July 28th at 7pm with her critically acclaimed show EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN. For more information: www.liannemariedobbs.com
Co-Host Lianne Marie Dobbs
Our Salon Spotlight will feature this year’s Julie Wilson Award Winner Marissa Mulder! Marissa will be at The Metropolitan Room - 34 West 22nd St, NYC, 10010 – Tuesday, August 13th at 7pm & Sunday, August 18th at 7pm in ALL THE WAY - A 100TH BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO JIMMY VAN HEUSEN. For more information: www.marissamulder,com

Salon Spotlight: Marissa Mulder
Salon continues every Sunday…

July 28th:
Theme: All Pent Up
Guest Host: Matthew Martin Ward
Co-Host: Elizabeth Tryon
Salon Spotlight: Zach Wobensmith

August 4th:
Theme: What You Don’t Know About Women
Guest Host: Barry Levitt
Co-Host: Dana Lorge

August 11th:
Theme: Blood, Sweat & Tears – Summer in New York
Guest Host: Steven Ray Watkins
Co-Host: Lennie Watts
Salon Spotlight: Lois Morton

August 18th:
Theme: Guilty Pleasures
Co-Host: Gretchen Reinhagen

August 25th:
Theme: Anniversaries – 8 Years of Salon & 95 Years of Leonard Bernstein!
Co-Hosts: The Etceterettes

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 Facebook!

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

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

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly
Salon Producer

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The Salon Wrap-up for July 14, 2013 "Celebration!"

After a roaring return last week, tonight’s full house proved that The Salon is back in full swing and better than ever! And what better way to celebrate than to erect the night’s theme, “Celebration!” Not only is this one of the hottest summers, we’re also celebrating Father Hamblin’s 60th Birthday! Father Hamblin is one of The Salon’s fearless sponsors, and we’re so thrilled to be honoring him tonight.

Our Co-Host was the 4-Time MAC, 2-Time Bistro, Nightlife and Julie Wilson Award Winner Julie Reyburn! Julie will be appearing with MAC Award Winning Vocal Group MARQUEE FIVE on Sunday, August 4th at 7:00pm at South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC). For more information: www.juliereyburn.com / www.marqueefive.com

To start the show, Julie sang a rousing rendition of “Celebration” by Jones & Schmidt, with Founder and Host, Mark Janas, on backing vocals and piano.

Our Co-Host, Julie Reyburn
To start off the open mic portion of the evening, we had the award-winning Elaine St George who sang a lilting, “Don’t Fence Me In.” Elaine teased us by saying that this song may just be in her next cabaret show - I sure hope so! Up next was the MAC Award winning, Adam Shapiro, with “a song about an uninvited party guest” - “Don’t Bring Lulu.” Don’t Bring Lulu? You can see him next in the Fringe show, “Barcode: The Musical.” He’s also just finished shooting HBO’s “The Normal Heart” - I cannot wait for the premiere of these two amazing projects! Kevin McMullan, clad in a signature hat, bounded to the stage with the charming “She Had To Go And Lose It At The Astor.” Kevin will be headed back in India in September for 6 months, and is writing a book talking about his adventures. After reading his amazing blog, I can assure you that this will be a book you won’t want to miss.

Mark Levy, in a “semi-classical corner,” told us all about the British War College’s humble transition to a liberal arts college, via Gilbert & Sullivan’s “I Am The Very Model of a Modern Major General.” With encouragement by Mark Janas at the piano, the entire audience participated in the call-and-response at the end of each chorus. It was delightful! Mark is also looking forward to a celebration - he has his 78th birthday next week! Stephanie Zagorin was next with a very lovely version of “La Vie En Rose”, in honor of another celebration - Bastille Day! Charlotte Patton brought Barry Levitt with her to the stage, and he accompanied her on a sultry and swinging medley of “You Can Leave Your Hat On” and “Peel Me a Grape.” Charlotte is bringing back her show, “Looking for Love in the 21st Century” for two more special performances at The Duplex: Saturday, July 20 (7pm) and Thursday, August 15 (7pm.) Barry Levitt stayed at the piano as Lou Iacovino gave us, “One For My Baby”. Lou tells us he’s doing a benefit performance of Verdi’s Aida at a church in Little Italy on August 24. How wonderful!

Susan Jeffries, gorgeous in black, partnered with Barry Levitt on a deep and soulful “Paris Is A Lonely Town.” Not only was this Susan’s first time at The Salon, but even though she’s a professional actor she admitted has never sung in front of a crowd before! It was just lovely, and we’re thrilled that she felt safe enough with us to try it out. Welcome. Susan! Next up was one of our veteran Susans, Susan Hodgdon, who asked Bill Zeffiro to join her at the keys, for “Heartbroken.” Susan is working on a new show with Bill, shooting for dates in the late fall. Can’t wait to hear about it! Marissa Mulder (who was just named by BroadwayWorld.com as one of the 20 Best & Favorite Show of 2013 AND won the Noel Coward Award!) sang a simple and gorgeous, “You Are There,” beautifully accompanied by Bill Zeffiro. Marissa is doing her Tom Waits show tomorrow night at 9:30pm at Joe’s Pub. She’s also bringing back her Jimmy Van Heusen show at the Metropolitan Room in August and October. Check out their website for full details. In a fun and classic duet, Sally Darling and Matthew Martin Ward traded fast-paced barbs and innuendos with a medley of classics like, “Crazy” and “Never Swat a Fly.” Sally revealed that she is a successful audio book narrator - so many hidden talents in this room!

In his first visit to The Salon, Matt Scharfglass came up with his guitar and asked Marnie Klar to join him on vocals, wowing the crowd with Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors.” What an auspicious start - welcome, Matt! You can see Matt in all kinds of shows around town, not the least of which is Marnie’s solo show, “Accidental Happiness” (which I am also singing in!) You can see that show this Tuesday, July 16 at 7pm and next Wednesday, July 24 at 9:30pm, both at Don’t Tell Mama. Speaking of, yours truly Erin Cronican came up next with a song about the celebration of new romance, “I Will Be Loved Tonight” from the Off-Broadway hit, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. I just finished a run of two shows in rep - Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (co-directing and playing Ophelia.) Next up, I have two musical projects that I’m developing and I’m also bringing back my Winter Rhythms solo show for a set of public performances in the fall! Stay tuned for that. In honor of Bastille Day, MAC and Bistro Award winning Janice Hall (accompanied by pianist and songwriter, Nick Levin) sang Nick’s amazing and hilarious, “The Night They Bathed in Paree.” Janice also just finished Hamlet/R&G and is now contemplating her next set of projects. Let us know ASAP, Miss Janice!


Classical Corner

In speaking about our special and generous friend, Father Jeff Hamblin, Mark Janas reminded us that not only does Father Hamblin lead at Christ Church Bay Ridge, but he also is a psychiatrist and counsels youths through his work at Kings County Hospital. In his “off time” (if there is such a thing) he helps artists and groups like The Salon to bring music to the people. Mark said, “I wanted to put something together for Father Hamblin’s birthday. When I think of the depth I feel for this composer and his music, I looked a piece that would be perfect for tonight, and found it.” He then introduced the wonderful violinist, Nicholas Perry, and they together played a haunting and gorgeous, “Brahms Sonata in G Major” the 134 year old piece for violin and piano composed during the summers of 1978 & 1979 (and was performed for the first time November 1879 in Bonn, Germany.) This sonata consists of 3 movements and is nicknamed “The Rain” because the middle section of the second movement has the rhythm of a rain motif - which Mark told us is often adapted to a funeral march (who knew?) The audience was on the edge of its seat as these two virtuoso musicians played through this gorgeous music.


Salon Spotlight

We continued the celebration with tonight’s Salon Spotlight, with special guests Julie Reyburn, MARQUEE FIVE (Julie Reyburn, Mick Bleyer, Adam West Hemming, Vanessa Parvin and Sierra Rein) and Steve Schachlin.

For the first song of the set, Steve Schachlin started by singing & playing a song that he wrote which commemorates Father Hamblin’s arrival to Christ Church Bay Ridge - “Fill It With Music” (which included a sing along!) Next, Julie Reyburn came to the stage to thank Father Jeff for not only being so giving his time, but also his resources for artists to do what they love. She acknowledged him for helping her to produce her very first CD, and sang one of the tracks from the album, “When I Was A Boy.” Last up, singing one of Father Jeff’s favorite songs was Marquee Five, a fabulous group of 5 artists that Father Jeff has nurtured and supported. They took on a stunning mashup of “Hallelujah” and “Bird on a Wire” called “The Irreverent Leonard Cohen.”

With that, our trusty server David Ballard brought out a beautiful cake for the room to share while we took our intermission break!


Second Set

Tonight’s hot mama (ehem…co-host) Julie Reyburn welcomed our guests back from a rousing 3-song set. Her first song was a snap-inducing, “The Song Is You.” You can see Julie in two shows at 54 Below - July 28 she’ll be in “Sondheim Unplugged” and during the month of August they’re bringing back their Joni Mitchell show. You definitely should get out to see them. Next, Julie invited back her team from Marquee Five (Julie ReyburnMick BleyerAdam West HemmingVanessa Parvin and Sierra Rein) and started with an amazing Jerry Herman medley, including “Wherever He Ain’t/When Mabel Comes In The Room” (Mack and Mabel) and “Bosom Buddies” (Mame), among others. They finished their set with an emotional and moving arrangement of “Still Hurting” from Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years. You can see Marquee Five in “Broadway by the Letter, Act One” at the South Orange Performing Arts Center, Sunday August 4 at 7pm (right off the train station!) Tickets are only $20 - one of the cheapest tickets to see this amazing group.

Marquee Five, with (from left) Julie, Mick, Vanessa, Adam and Sierra.
Producer Tanya Moberly sang a gorgeous and touching, “A Quiet Thing” from Flora the Red Menace. Not only is she directing Marnie Klar’s current show (recently extended at Don’t Tell Mama, see above for details), she’s also directing David Ballard’s solo show in the fall AND is putting together he next solo show celebrating some of New York’s best composers. More details coming soon! Barb Malley was next with a song chosen specifically for Father Hamblin’s birthday, “It’s A Good Day / Great Getting Up Day” (and she sang it directly to him!) Barb has been asked to bring back her show, “Out of Order”, once a month at Don’t Tell Mama. July 23 is the next show - be sure to get out to see it. Richie Eisenberg, on vocals, led a jam session on one of his original pieces with Mark Janas on piano and Nicholas Perry improvising on violin - “Color Blind Blues.” This song sounded like the perfect accompaniment for a Woody Allen movie!

Bobbie Horowitz was next with her charming, original tune, “Never A Freshman Again.” She’s teaching a 2 hour workshop on color style for performers - for only $80 (rate low this time only.) She’s also going to be in Dana Lorge’s variety show in October 14 and she’s putting together a show at the Metropolitan Room honoring different songwriters. Stay tuned for more info! David Ballard, our server who flawlessly handled this HUGE sold out crowd tonight, sang one of the songs from his original musical adaptation of the film, “My Man Godfrey” (which he’s developing through the BMI Workshop.) The song is entitled, “I Matter.” He’ll be giving us details on his solo cabaret debut as soon as he has them. Janet Mandel came to the stage with the impressive aria “Un Bel Di” from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. She told us about a wonderful organization that supports helping young men get off of the streets by providing nice, clean clothes for them to wear - 100 Suits for 100 Men. She says they often have events where she donates her time as a singer - brava, Janet!

Lynda D’Amour was next (fresh in from Boston, with Barry Levitt on keys) with a swinging medley of “On The Street Where You Live” and “Green Dolphin Street.” Lynda has a show coming up at Don’t Tell Mama - “The Hungry Years”, playing Sundays July 28, August 11 and 25th (all at 4pm, so you’ll be out in time for Salon!) Next, the dynamic trio, Jeff Cubeta (piano), Matt Scharfglass (guitar) and Marnie Klar (vocals) came to the stage to perform a song from Marnie's show, “Accidental Happiness” - the song entitled, “Glitter in the Air.” Aside from Marnie’s show, you can see Jeff doing his own show(!!) at Don’t Tell Mama on September 6, 7, 8 & 10. You can also see him at 54 Below (with Eric Michael Gillett) on August 1. Jeff Cubeta then stayed at the piano to play & sing one of his original tunes, “Remedy.” Speaking of the 54 Below gig, Eric Michael Gillett next joined Jeff on the stage, singing an beautiful “Angel” also written by Jeff Cubeta. See EMG as he returns to 54 Below on August 1!

Angela Leone was next with Bill Zeffiro on keys, singing a warm and lovely, “We’ll Be Together Again.” Not only is she producing a CD (coming out in the fall) but she’s competing in the MetroStar competition - get out there and vote for her! Bill stayed at the piano and brought up Lea McKenna Garcia, who sang a song about “celebrating too late” - “Last Night When We Were Young.” She told us a fun story about a huge celebration she had that day (ok, maybe not huge but kind of teenage-like!) - when she ran into Bria D’Arcy James on the street. I'm always stunned when I see artists I admire, so I can understand her glee. :) Rosemary Loar brought us “Between the A Train and the Rainbow” a song that she wrote for her show “When Harry Met The Duke” (ably accompanied by Barry Levitt.) It was incredible! Oh, and PS: Rosemary Loar was also just named by BroadwayWorld.com as one of the 20 Best & Favorite Show of 2013. Brava, Rosemary! Amy Beth Williams, with her beautiful soprano tones, gave us, “On My Way To You.”

Lisa Yaeger came to the stage with a beautifully told story song, “Amanda Sang.” Lisa is also competing in MetroStar - get out there and support these fabulous singers! Steve “The Whistler” Herbst came up and whistled a flawless “You Do Something To Me” followed by several verses with his lovely baritone voice. Not to mention Mark Janas improvising on piano - amazing talent in this room tonight! Bill Zeffiro finally came up to the piano to sing his own tune - “As Long As We’re Loaded.” As we barrel toward the end of a long, jolly evening it seems appropriate that he asked the audience to sing along. Every Tuesday you can visit Bill at La Mediterranea on 2nd Avenue 50th & 51st. You can see him as music director for Marissa Mulder’s Jimmy Van Heusen show on August 13 & 18 at the Metropolitan Room, as well as Lianne Marie Dobbs’ show “Everything Old Is New Again” at the Metropolitan Room on July 28 at 7pm. Matthew Martin Ward told us that he decided about a day ago to actually learn the song, “Here’s To Us” - and then he fed us the lyrics in bulk so that we could sing along! By this time of night we seemed like chums in an old pub, singing drinking songs.

Birthday boy, Father Jeff Hamblin, came up to the mic to address his adoring fans. He talked about how he used to sing to his boys when they were falling asleep. He then shared with us one of his favorite lullabies, “The White Cliffs of Dover.” And to close out this evening rich with love, acceptance and music, Julie Reyburn sang a tearful and heartfelt, “When You Wish Upon A Star” medley punctuated with segments of The Velveteen Rabbit. Not a dry eye in the house…

And speaking of houses…

Salon continues on with Sunday, July 21st from 7-10:30PM! (Sign-Up Begins at 6:15.)

The optional theme for the evening is “Coming Home.” Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.

Our Co-Host will be actress/singer Lianne Marie Dobbs, with Guest Host, multiple MAC Award winning songwriter Bill Zeffiro! Lianne will be appearing in an encore presentation of her rave show, “Everything Old Is New Again” July 28 at 7pm at the Metropolitan Room. For more information: http://www.liannemariedobbs.com.
Next week's Co-Host, Lianne Marie Dobbs
- Erin Cronican
Blogette for The Salon
Please email me with any corrections

Friday, July 12, 2013

Update from Producer Tanya Moberly: SALON - July 14th: Theme: Celebration! / Co-Host: Julie Reyburn / Salon Spotlight: Happy 60th Birthday Father Hamblin!

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, July 14th from 7-10:30PM! (Sign-Up Begins at 6:15.)

The optional theme for the evening is “Celebration!”

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

Our Co-Host will be 4-Time MAC, 2-Time Bistro, Nightlife and Julie Wilson Award Winner Julie Reyburn! Julie will be appearing with MAC Award Winning Vocal Group MARQUEE FIVE on Sunday, August 4th at 7:00pm at South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC). For more information: www.juliereyburn.com / www.marqueefive.com

Our Salon Spotlight will feature Julie Reyburn, MARQUEE FIVE (Julie Reyburn, Mick Bleyer, Adam West Hemming, Vanessa Parvin and Sierra Rein) and Steve Schachlin celebrating Father Jeffrey Hamblin’s 60th Birthday! 

Julie Reyburn
 July 21st:
Theme: Coming Home
Guest Host: Bill Zeffiro
Co-Host: Lianne Marie Dobbs

July 28th:
Theme: All Pent Up
Guest Host: Matthew Martin Ward
Co-Host: Elizabeth Tryon

August 4th:
Theme: What You Don’t Know About Women
Guest Host: Barry Levitt
Co-Host: Dana Lorge

August 11th:
Theme: Blood, Sweat & Tears – Summer in New York
Guest Host: Steven Ray Watkins
Co-Host: Lennie Watts
Salon Spotlight: Lois Morton

Salon will then continue every Sunday…

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

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 Facebook!

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

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

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly
Salon Producer

P.S. If you would like to remove your name from or add a name to our mailing list please email Tanya.

-Sierra Rein
Blogette for The Salon
Please email me.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

The Salon Wrap-up for July 7, 2013 "The Great White Way – Songs of Broadway"

The Great White Way was calling singers and composers back within its realm Sunday, as multiple MAC-Award winning Mark Janas' The Salon welcomed guests back to Etcetera Etcetera Restaurant for yet another evening of music, laughter, high notes, and quite a number of swingin' tunes.  Sunday was also my first day back after a long hiatus away with Disney Cruise Line, so it was encouraging that the theme of Broadway would lure me down to the Times Square area once again.  And once again, The Salon did not disappoint - it continues to be a safe place of discovery, polished craftsmanship, humor, learning, and expression.  On the other hand, I was amazed how some of the "regulars" who performed that night showed a gorgeous amount of growth since last year - obvious signs to me that The Salon leads to creative integrity and maturation.

Lee Roy Reams
First Set:

After Mark Janas welcomed everyone back to The Salon - and after plugging Cabaret Scenes' lovely writeup of the Salon in the July/August 2013 edition by Rob Lester (see page 49) - he introduced co-host Lee Roy Reams to the stage.  Go click on his name there (I'll wait) and read his list of Broadway roles; it was no wonder that Mark said that rehearsing with him was like "taking a course in musical theater history" from the point of view of someone who lived it...'cause Lee has!  Throughout the evening, Lee was a gracious and funny host who was able to insert his own anecdotes of performing in this show or that.  He opened the evening with Jerry Herman's "It's Today," a peppy and "live life positive" classic Broadway tune, as only Herman can write them.  He then introduced Natasha Castillo, who sung the moody, smooth "Easy As Life" from Elton John's Aida.

Lou Iacovino came with his trademark gusto, singing "What A Difference a Day Makes" and exclaiming excitement about the chance to stay alive 'til his next Birthday (his last was a few days ago!). Lou is also excited to be singing in a concert version of the opera "Aida" for a church benefit in Little Italy. MAC and Billboard Award-winner Bobbie Horowitz was next, singing her hilarious hunger-inducing lyrics to a Spector melody entitled "Boiled Chicken." On October 14th, she will host the Metropolitan Room's "Great Songwriter" show and will perform at the Unity Cabaret matinee on September 12th. Ruth Carlin, along with Paul Greenwood at the piano, then sang "Irving" from The Broadway Revue of 1949, a sweet old-fashioned ballad with a funny tweak to it. Ruth recently launched her new CD, Moonsong, with two live performances and will bring back her show in the Fall. Then, six time MAC...nominee (love ya Nick!) Nicholas Levin brought in why he brings about attention with his scathing and sometimes dirty lyrics to a Cole Porter tune from Kiss Me Kate, "Brush Up Your Mamet," which bemoaned the constant changing nature of Broadway. Grande Dame Dana (rhymes with banana) Lorge then graced the stage with some hilarious patter into "Is There a Straight Man in the House?" She hosted Wednesday July 10th at The Metropolitan Room and hadThe Ink Spots (including an original member!) plus Tony Middleton as special guests. Richard Skipper then grabbed the audience by psyching us out with the seeming lead-in to "Before The Parade Passes By," only to slide right into "Broadway Baby" from Sondheim's Follies. Richard made his way through the crowd mic-less, wooing and belting, and afterwards recommended the "Screw You Revue" at The Duplex August 2nd at 9:30pm.

Ronnie Giles, slick in a Sinatra-style black hat, brought in a swinging version of "Where or When" from Babes in Arms; he'll be performing in "Something Jazz" with Maria Ottavia and friends at the Metropolitan room, and is also going to be the "token straight" performing at the Bronx Gay Pride.  Maureen Taylor next sang one of the most glorious of classic Broadway songs, "And This Is My Beloved" from KismetBob Diamond then sang a hauntingly joyous rendition of "What More Can I Say?" from Falsettos, a show he said he used to be afraid to tell people that he was going to see when it first arrived.  Bob is a 2013 MAC nominee working on a February show or perhaps a revival of one of his earlier hit shows.  Our wonderful and excited-that-Salon-has-restarted waiter, David Ballard, then stood with lyric sheet in hand and a cappella sang "Give Me New York," a song he wrote himself just three days before!  David is a member of the Advanced Class of BMI and is going to have a debut cabaret at Don't Tell Mama late September and early October.  He is one of these "leaps and bounds" of growth people I wrote about earlier, folks! 

Then I, Sierra Rein, sang "By Strauss" by George and Ira Gershwin (recently from the show Nice Work if You Can Get It" and plugged my return to Marquee Five at SOPAC on August 4th at 7pm...and that Marquee Five will make an appearance at the June 14th Salon with Julie Reyburn as co-host.  Sarah Rice, perfectly prepared with prop cigarette case in hand, beautifully sang "Love's Cigarette" by Harold Fraser-Simson, Haray Graham and Adrian Ross.  She will be performing at the MAC, Bistro, and Theatre World Awards as well as "Sondheim Unplugged" at 54 Below on July 30th. 

We next had Classical Corner with Mark Janas (oh how I missed it!) with the glorious MSM student Maria Fernanda Brea, who often graces the opera open mic at Ido Sushi where Mark first heard her amazing soprano voice.  She is young, beautiful, and with a wonderful rich voice with range and superb articulation - a true Opera singer on her way to make waves in the Opera world.  Her next public performance will be "L'elisier D'amore (The Elixir of Love)" July 12th at the Kaye Theater Playhouse.  She first sang Giacchomo Rossini and Carlo Pepoli's "L'Invito (An Invitation)", which is in a Spanish musical form of a Bolero...it was a very persistent call for love, and with Maria's raised eyebrows it got very persuasive.  She then switched moods to sing the plaintive "Ah non credea mirarti" from Vincenzo Bellini and Felice Thomani's La Sonambula, with bottomless emotion surging through her voice.  And finally, to show the fireworks that she can really set off, she sang "Ah non giunge" from the same opera, a joyous finale solos with impressive high notes and almost limitless vocal runs.  She left us at the end of the first act with the sound of her voice pleasantly bouncing in our ears.

Second Set:

After the break, Lee Roy Reams grabbed the performer's mic again to sing the Sondheim piece "Pretty Women" from The Ballad of Sweeney Todd.  He then softly segued into a story about Irving Berlin's love for his wife, and the number of beautiful songs written with her in mind, of which he sung a medley of "All Alone," "What'll I Do?", " Remember" and "Always."  The then roused up the audience with a fantastic medley of Hello, Dolly! songs (he played Cornelius Hackle in the first revival on Broadway in 1978!).  With "Put On Your Sunday Clothes," "It Only Takes a Moment," and "Before The Parade Passes By," you couldn't get a more upbeat reaction from the crowd!  Lee Roy will be seen at 54 Below on November 10th, so if you want to catch even more of his Broadway songs and memories, go see it!

Producer Tanya Moberly then sang "West End Avenue" (which crosses Broadway at 107th Street by the Way) from The Magic Show.  She has a list of work coming up, including the Director of both Marnie Klar's show July 16th and 24th and David Ballard's September 24th and 25th, October 11th and 12th at Don't Tell Mama, and will be performing at the Concert For City Greens August 7th and September 11th...and is working on a new show!  Annie LeBeaux grabbed the 88's to sing from Is There Life After High School?, the song "The Things I Learned in High School."  She'll be seen at the Key Largo Anglers Club, a consistent gig that is always pulling her away from us. Angela Leon, along with Bill Zeffiro at the piano, sang Sammy Kahn's "All The Way."  Angela is completing her CD in the Fall and is part of the 2013 MetroStar Competition on July 22nd.  With her low, rich voice we wish her well!

Another "woah leaps and bounds" singer I saw that night was Lea McKenna Garcia who, with Bill Zeffiro playing the keys, sang "Night Song" from Golden Boy.  She was haunting and bittersweet and took care to tell that song's story extremely well, with vocals to match.  Lea is also part of the 2013 MetroStar Competition, so catch her July 15th.  Bill Zeffiro stayed at the piano and sang Noel Coward's biting "Why Must The Show Go On?" of course referring to the Great White Way he loved and hated so well.  Bill continues his stint at La Mediterranee each Tuesday night from 9-11:30pm.  We then got a big heaping two-fer, with Richie Eisenberg and Adam Shapiro performing Eisenberg's "Good Old American Hamburger."  Adam Shapiro then stayed on stage to lay his guts out on the floor with "And I Am Telling You" - yes, THAT one from Dreamgirls - it was awesome.  Adam will next be seen at the Fringe show Barcode The Musical, is currently filming the big-screen adaptation of The Normal Heart (yes, he's a movie star now), and provides video promo services for anyone interested in putting a reel together!

Kevin McMullan brought in the title song to Kiss of the Spider Woman, and educated us that when he saw the original workshop (when Chita Rivera was not even part of the picture), the song was sung by a man in a Matador outfit!  We next heard from Kathryn Allyn, who has a unique show entitled "Victory Disc," a journey through songs recorded during the musicians strike of 1943 (which I had never heard of) - she sang "That Old Black Magic," a song written by Arlen/Mercer for the musical movie Star Spangled Rhythm, originally only produced for use by the military.  Her show will be at Stage 72 on July 25th and August 1st.  Barb Malley next sang Sondheim's "Who's That Woman?" from Follies; she's working in commercials, has taken and recommends Lennie Watts' Arrangement Experience class, and has four shows of "Out of Order" to perform in the next months, starting on July 23rd.  We then heard Lawrence Florek sing the upbeat "Take Me To The Church On Time" from My Fair Lady, and was excited to announce that he is one of the few males in the 2013 MetroStar Challenge, and he has a "Mafia"-themed show in development.  Bill Zeffiro grabbed the piano to play for Susan Hodgdon, who sweetly sang the Harburg-Arlen song "Little Drops of Rain," as sung by Judy Garland in Gay Purree.  She is also part of the 2013 MetroStar challenge and will present a Judy Garland show in late Fall.  Zach Wobensmith then took the complex "When the Air Sings of Summer" by Giancarlo Menotti (who's Birthday it was!) and sang it in his honor simply for us - the song is from a radio opera,  The Old Man and the Thief.  Zach is bringing his debut cabaret show "Stiff Upper Lip: Songs of the Brits" to The Duplex on September 12th and 14th each at 7pm, with Salon favorite Matthew Martin Ward at the piano.   Jaye Maynard next fiercefully but honestly sang "Don't Rain on My Parade" from Funny Girl and exclaimed "Welcome back to The Salon!" to high applause.  Her Blossom Dearie show will be brought to Sterling's Upstairs, Los Angeles, in September, and will teach a "Cabaret as the Bi-coastal Biz" class, for anyone interested in making this career more than just an East coast or West coast thing.

After the thank-you's, our wonderful co-host Lee Roy Reams had just one more song to sing to complete the evening, and did so by performing Jerry Herman's "The Best of Times is Now," bringing the audience to a joyful conclusion of a wonderful evening back!

And speaking of conviviality...

Salon continues on with Sunday, July 14th from 7-10:30PM! (Sign-Up Begins at 6:15.)

The optional theme for the evening is “Celebration!” Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.

Our Co-Host will be 4-Time MAC, 2-Time Bistro, Nightlife and Julie Wilson Award Winner Julie Reyburn! Julie will be appearing with MAC Award Winning Vocal Group Marquee Five on Sunday, August 4th at 7:00pm at South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC). For more information: www.juliereyburn.com / www.marqueefive.com

Julie Reyburn
Our Salon Spotlight will feature Julie Reyburn, Marquee Five (Julie Reyburn, Mick Bleyer, Adam West Hemming, Vanessa Parvin and Sierra Rein) and Steve Schachlin celebrating Father Jeffrey Hamblin’s 60th Birthday!

Marquee Five: Julie, Mick, Vanessa, Adam & Sierra
-Sierra Rein
Blogette for The Salon
Please email me with corrections