The Salon Wrap-Up for January 24, 2016 - "Guilty Pleasures"

Winter Storm Jonas? Take this song and shove it! Diehard music fans wouldn't let a little weather keep them from warming at The Salon. We welcomed back a healthier Mark Janas, founder and host, who had been out with a cold. He introduced us to his co-hort, producer Tanya Moberly, who cheerfully gave us the Salon's rules, and we were off with the show under the theme, "Guilty Pleasures"!

Our Co-Host was Bistro & 2-Time MAC Award Winner Stearns Matthews! Stearns, sharp in a dress vest and crisp colorful shirt, kicked off the evening with a charming version of "King of the Road." For his mid show set he started with a contemplative and gentle, "Back To Before" from Ragtime. He followed that by singing a touching, "With One Look" from Sunset Boulevard after which he admitted that his true guilty pleasure is singing songs written for the ladies. With that, he finished the set with a powerful, "So Long, Dearie" from Hello, Dolly. To close the evening, he brought back a crowd-pleasing, "Sing."

Our Co-Host Stearns Matthews!

Stearns’ Award Winning CD SPARK is available on CDBaby.com & iTunes. For more information, visit www.stearnsmatthews.com

Our Salon Spotlight included no other than Bistro & 2-Time MAC Award Winner Raissa Katona Bennett & Kenneth Hartman! Raissa & Kenneth will be bringing 3 DECADES IN THE DARK – RAISSA & KENNETH GO TO THE MOVIES back to The Laurie Beechman Theatre – 407 West 42nd St, NYC 10036 – February 17th at 7pm & February 21st at 4pm.

For their three song set, they started with "Moving Right Along" with new lyrics by Lennie Watts. They continued with an stunning duet mashup of, "I Will Always Love You" and "I Have Nothing," both from The Bodyguard. They ended with a song from their "Wonderful World" show - a medley of "Put On A Happy Face", "Smile", and "Make Someone Happy."

Salon Spotlight Kenneth Gartman and Raissa Katona Bennett

For more information about Raissa and Kenneth's upcoming shows, visit www.raissakatonabennett.com / www.kennethgartman.com

Quick Wrap: Classical Corner

As a special treat this evening for Classical Corner, Mark welcomed pianist Markus Kaitila and violinist Sachiko Uchida to the stage to play some Prokofiev for us, a Russian composer considered to be one of the most prolific Russian composers, with 7 (or more) symphonies and many, many ballets. These talented musicians played the 1st and 2nd movements of the Violin Sonata in D Major, (written in 1943) to chilling perfection. Worth the price of admission, alone!


Roster of performers for the evening (in order of appearance):
Click link to visit the performer’s website or other links, when available.
All piano accompaniment by Mark Janas unless otherwise noted.

Stearns Matthews
Bob Diamond
Carly Ozard
Joel Harrington
Nicholas Levin (also on piano)
Patty Nieman (with Kenneth Hartman on piano)
Steve Bustamante (also on guitar)
David Ballard
Rob Davis
Erin Cronican
Kathleen France
Raissa Katona Bennett & Kenneth Hartman (Kenneth on piano)
Tanya Moberly
Sally Darling (with Matthew Martin Ward on piano)
Matthew Martin Ward  (also on piano)
Zach Wobensmith
Emily Briggs
Natalie Arneson
Richard Eisenberg
Lauren Stanford
Thaddaeus Abbott


Special thanks to tonight’s musicians: Mark Janas, Kenneth Hartman, Markus Kaitila, Sachiko Uchida, Nicholas Levin, Matthew Martin Ward, and Steve Bustamante.

And thank you to Gil Alexandre on lights and sound, our amazing waitstaff who always handle the demands of a full house with grace and style, and Steve Bustamante who is providing video footage for people interested in that service!


Upcoming shows:

Sunday, January 31, 2016 (Victorian Tea at 1pm, Performance at 2:30pm): Bob Diamond and Stearns Matthews will be performing at Music at the Mansion's 5 Year Anniversary Celebration, Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center, Bloomfield, NJ.

Sunday, January 31, 2016: Natalie Arneson will be performing in Sondheim Unplugged at Feinstein's/54 Below, 254 West 54th St, NYC.

Thursday, February 4, 2016: Rob Davis encores his show, "Frank and Billie, and Me" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Monday, February 8, 2016 (8pm): David Ballard is singing with the NYC Gay Men's Chorus in Alan Cumming's show "Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs with Friends" at Carnegie Hall, 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, NYC.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016 (7pm): Raissa Katona Bennett & Kenneth Hartman will be bringing "3 Decades in the Dark – Raissa & Kenneth Go To The Movies" back to The Laurie Beeckman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.

Sunday, February 17, 2016 (4pm): Raissa Katona Bennett & Kenneth Hartman will be bringing "3 Decades in the Dark – Raissa & Kenneth Go To The Movies" back to The Laurie Beeckman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.

Saturday, February 27, 2016 (5pm): Rob Davis hosts "Cabaret Beats Cancer: Songs about Courage, Healing and Love" - a benefit cabaret to aid yours truly (Erin Cronican) with her breast cancer treatments) at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Sunday, April 17, 2016: Sally Darling is bringing her brand new show, "Totally Noel" (with music director, Matthew Martin Ward) to Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, April 22, 2016: Sally Darling is bringing her brand new show, "Totally Noel" (with music director, Matthew Martin Ward) to Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.


We'll be back next week, January 31 with the theme: "Breaking Cupid's Arrow - An Evening Venerating The Beginning, Middle & Death Of Love." We're proud to welcome Guest Host Steven Ray Watkins with Co-Host Amorika Amoroso and Salon Spotlight Marissa Mulder & Bill Zeffiro.

Hope to see you there!


Erin Cronican

Blogette for the Salon
(Updates? Changes? Email me!)