While the rain outside caused others to stress and fret, inside Etcetera Etcetera it was dry and warm, and a great environment to sing and talk about the things that make us go "unnnggggghhhh!" The theme was "High Anxiety," and our Co-Host for the evening was a 2018 Mama’s Next Big Act Finalist, Justin Nastro! In his black-rimmed glasses, shiny suit and black tie, Justin confidently stepped out on the stage to sing the title song "High Anxiety" from the Mel Brooks movie of the same name, complete with a palm-sweating panic attack in the middle. Justin is youthful, with a rich bari-tenor that fluidly expressed both his anxious emotions and his wry sense of humor. For the middle set, he went in an angsty and regretful "Again", then swung into "For Once in My Life," which matched his 50's eyeglasses and suit. With Valentine's Day coming up, Justin then crooned the ultimate 50's warning-to-the-silly-lovers with "Fools Fall in Love." To round out the evening, Justin brought us into his movie theater routine and belted out "Same Old Saturday Night."
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| Justin Dylan Nastro, courtesy of 54 Below |
Justin Dylan Nastro's show "The Good Life" will take place on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 (use the "JDN5" discount code!) at 9:30pm at Feinstein’s/54 Below – 254 West 54th St, NYC 10019 – For more information: www.54below.com
Salon Spotlight
Bill Dyszel was the spotlight performer, although if you had ever read any of the "Microsoft Office for Dummies" books of the past, his name would already be familiar to you. Bill took to the stage to sing an excerpt of his show, "The Internet Ate My Brain," which revealed Bill's savvy humor and geek insights. After all, "when the Internet eats your brain, you're the last to know." Bill started his spotlight by taking a selfie before gushingly sang "What's the Fuss About?" in a deep baritone, all the while snapping shots of himself (and us!). It was clear what the fuss was all about after all those selfies! Bill had us get our cell phones out and admit to ourselves that we all have pretty strong feelings about them. So strong, they could also lead to love, as he admitted thru song that he fell in love with his "GPS Lady." We then texted him some of our feelings about our cell phones, and Emily won a big yellow "The Internet Ate My Brain" tote bag. Bill then went into the idea of online shopping, the ups and downs of it, and mainly into the kingly power- parody of "Camelot" called "King of Shopping."
Bill Dyszel stars in "The Internet Ate My Brain" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC, on Sunday, February 18, 2018 at 4pm.
Bill Dyszel was the spotlight performer, although if you had ever read any of the "Microsoft Office for Dummies" books of the past, his name would already be familiar to you. Bill took to the stage to sing an excerpt of his show, "The Internet Ate My Brain," which revealed Bill's savvy humor and geek insights. After all, "when the Internet eats your brain, you're the last to know." Bill started his spotlight by taking a selfie before gushingly sang "What's the Fuss About?" in a deep baritone, all the while snapping shots of himself (and us!). It was clear what the fuss was all about after all those selfies! Bill had us get our cell phones out and admit to ourselves that we all have pretty strong feelings about them. So strong, they could also lead to love, as he admitted thru song that he fell in love with his "GPS Lady." We then texted him some of our feelings about our cell phones, and Emily won a big yellow "The Internet Ate My Brain" tote bag. Bill then went into the idea of online shopping, the ups and downs of it, and mainly into the kingly power- parody of "Camelot" called "King of Shopping."
Bill Dyszel stars in "The Internet Ate My Brain" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC, on Sunday, February 18, 2018 at 4pm.
Quick Wrap - Classical Corner
Nothing creates high anxiety more than performing, whether one is in the creative arts, stepping up to the plate at a Baseball game, or giving a presentation in front of the CEOs. Anxiety can be experienced by singers and pianists and musicians and speakers alike for a number of reasons, including a lack of technique or lack of preparation. Mark Janas started the conversation by playing a simple section of a sonata which contained a series of double-thirds; while simple to hear, this opening few bars are actually quite anxiety-producing for a pianist. Mark went on to tell us about his experience at the LA Philharmonic workshop of conductors, which included Leonard Bernstein and Herbert Bloomstead, during which Mark naively raised his hand to choose to conduct Beethoven's 5th. This piece is written in 2/4 and allows only one beat per bar, meaning that the tempo has to be communicated by the conductor in 1 beat only! Mark exemplified this by trying to get us in the room to start the 5th with only a beat of introduction, and it was hard! Imagine getting 95 musicians together in one moment - it an indeed be anxiety-inducing! Matthew Martin Ward also chimed in about his anxiety-ridden leg that controlled the volume of the keyboard for "Blood Brothers" on Broadway. Mark also told us about some anxiety-filled story about one particular Julliard teacher who in practice played the Schuman Concerto beautifully, but when it came to performance, she played the piece (which starts in E with the orchestra and then features a cascading piano part) in a clanking of chords before fainting off the piano bench. Woof. Mark then gave us some great advice; in his knowledge, anxiety is almost always created when you fixate about how you're doing something, not why you're doing it. His advice was always to stay with lyrics, stay with the story, keep the imagination running, and be fully committed to what you're saying, singing and/or playing. Mark then performed a Mendelssohn scherzo piece in E minor (scherzo is a piece played quickly with no room for thought) which he has played since he was a small kid, but which nonetheless still gives him a bit of agita! Many of us recognized this work as the Flying Monkey Theme from "The Wizard of Oz" but we were thrilled to hear the intricacies played in full!
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.
Co-Host: Justin Nastro
Bobbie Horowitz
Rian Keating
Ann Kittredge
Christopher Whipple
Frans Bloem
Angela Leone
Frances O'Flynn (with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano)
Matthew Martin Ward (self at piano)
David Ballard
Sierra Rein
Marnie Klar
Salon Spotlight: Bill Dyszel
Classical Corner: Mark Janas
BREAK
Co-Host: Justin Nastro
Tanya Moberly
Joshua Lance Dixon
Emily Ellet (with Jeff Cubeta on piano)
Ruperta Nelson
Encores:
Bobbie Horowitz
Frans Bloem
David Ballard
Frances O'Flynn (with Matthew Martin Ward at piano)
Angela Leone (with Matthew Martin Ward at piano)
Sierra Rein (with Matthew Martin Ward at piano)
Matthew Martin Ward (self at piano)
Co-Host: Justin Nastro
Special thanks to David Ballard on lights and sound, the amazing waitstaff - Joey and Alex - and management at Etcetera Etcetera, and our videographer Steve Bustamante.
Performances coming up by guests of this evening's Salon:
Ongoing Shows
Monday nights (7pm): Opera Open Mic at Shanghai Mong with Mark Janas and Matthew Martin Ward, 30 West 32nd Street, NYC.
Upcoming Shows
Saturday, February 17, 2018 (4pm): Marnie Klar performs "Bedtime Stories" (directed by Tanya Moberly with Stephen Ray Watkins at the piano) at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, February 18, 2018 (4pm): Bill Dyszel in "The Internet Ate My Brain" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, April 29, 2018 (7pm): Sierra Rein's solo debut show, "Running in Place," with Bill Zeffiro, Music Director, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
Sunday, February 18, 2018 (4pm): Bill Dyszel stars in "The Internet Ate My Brain" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Thursday, February 22, 2018 (7pm): Emily Ellet (with Jeff Cubeta on piano) brings "Uncharted" to Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, February 23, 2018 (7pm): Emily Ellet (with Jeff Cubeta on piano) brings "Uncharted" to Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Saturday, February 24, 2018 (6:30pm): Lisa Viggiano is performing her show, "Lisa Viggiano Sings Bruce on Christopher" (with Tanya Moberly directing) at The Duplex, 61 Christopher St, NYC.
Saturday, February 24, 2018 (7pm): Emily Ellet (with Jeff Cubeta on piano) brings "Uncharted" to Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, February 25, 2018 (4pm): Emily Ellet (with Jeff Cubeta on piano) brings "Uncharted" to Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, February 25, 2018 (6:30pm): Lisa Viggiano is performing her show, "Lisa Viggiano Sings Bruce on Christopher" (with Tanya Moberly directing) at The Duplex, 61 Christopher St, NYC.
Monday, March 5, 2018 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings "Six Different Shows, Six Different Musicians, Six Monday Nights" with Mark Janas on piano at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, March 9, 2018 (8pm): David Ballard sings with the NYC Gay Men's Chorus in "Big Gay Sing X" at NYU Skirball Center for the Arts, 566 La Guardia Place, NYC.
Saturday, March 10, 2018 (4pm): Angela Leone has a CD release party at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Saturday, March 10, 2018 (8pm): David Ballard sings with the NYC Gay Men's Chorus in "Big Gay Sing X" at NYU Skirball Center for the Arts, 566 La Guardia Place, NYC
Sunday, March 11, 2018 (3pm): David Ballard sings with the NYC Gay Men's Chorus in "Big Gay Sing X" at NYU Skirball Center for the Arts, 566 La Guardia Place, NYC
Sunday, March 11, 2018 (5pm): Joshua Lance Dixon returns with "Pack of One" to Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC - 50% of proceeds will go to TBD charity.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018 (9:30pm): Justin Nastro's show "The Good Life" (use the "JDN5" discount code!) at Feinstein’s/54 Below, 254 West 54th St, NYC.
Tuesday, March 18, 2018: Matthew Martin Ward and Janice Hall in "Opera Show with No Opera" at Urban Stages, 259 W 30th St, NYC.
Monday, March 19, 2018 (7pm): Ann Kittredge at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018 (7pm): Matthew Martin Ward plays for the monthly MAC Open Mic at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
Saturday, March 24, 2018: Matthew Martin Ward and Janice Hall in "Opera Show with No Opera" at Urban Stages, 259 W 30th St, NYC.
Monday, March 26, 2018 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings "Six Different Shows, Six Different Musicians, Six Monday Nights" with Ian Herman on piano at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Monday, April 9, 2018 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings "Six Different Shows, Six Different Musicians, Six Monday Nights" with Jon Weber on piano at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018 (7pm): Christopher Whipple's debut NYC show with Bill Zeffiro, MD, at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Thursday, April 12, 2018 (7pm): Sierra Rein's solo debut show, "Running in Place," premieres with Bill Zeffiro, Music Director, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
Saturday, April 14, 2018 (7pm): Frans Bloem in "Beyond Borders" at The Triad, 158 W 72nd St, NYC.
Monday, April 16, 2018 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings "Six Different Shows, Six Different Musicians, Six Monday Nights" with Steven Ray Watkins on piano at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, April 20, 2018 (6pm): Christopher Whipple's debut NYC show with Bill Zeffiro, MD, at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, April 22, 2018 (6pm): Sally Darling sings Beatrice Lillie with Matthew Martin Ward at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Monday, April 23, 2018 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings "Six Different Shows, Six Different Musicians, Six Monday Nights" with Sean Harkness on guitar at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018 (7pm): Rian Keating in "When You Go Down To The Sea" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, April 29, 2018 (4:30pm): Sally Darling sings Beatrice Lillie with Matthew Martin Ward at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, April 29, 2018 (7pm): Sierra Rein's solo debut show, "Running in Place," with Bill Zeffiro, Music Director, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
Monday, April 30, 2018 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings "Six Different Shows, Six Different Musicians, Six Monday Nights" with Ritt Henn on bass at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Saturday, May 12, 2018 (2pm): Sierra Rein's solo debut show, "Running in Place," with Bill Zeffiro, Music Director, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
NEXT SALON!
This coming Sunday, February 18th, will bring about the theme "Everybody's Got a Hungry Heart" with Co-Host Lisa Viggiano! Hope to see you there to feed your heart with music, joy, and some great cocktails at Etcetera, Etcetera!Nothing creates high anxiety more than performing, whether one is in the creative arts, stepping up to the plate at a Baseball game, or giving a presentation in front of the CEOs. Anxiety can be experienced by singers and pianists and musicians and speakers alike for a number of reasons, including a lack of technique or lack of preparation. Mark Janas started the conversation by playing a simple section of a sonata which contained a series of double-thirds; while simple to hear, this opening few bars are actually quite anxiety-producing for a pianist. Mark went on to tell us about his experience at the LA Philharmonic workshop of conductors, which included Leonard Bernstein and Herbert Bloomstead, during which Mark naively raised his hand to choose to conduct Beethoven's 5th. This piece is written in 2/4 and allows only one beat per bar, meaning that the tempo has to be communicated by the conductor in 1 beat only! Mark exemplified this by trying to get us in the room to start the 5th with only a beat of introduction, and it was hard! Imagine getting 95 musicians together in one moment - it an indeed be anxiety-inducing! Matthew Martin Ward also chimed in about his anxiety-ridden leg that controlled the volume of the keyboard for "Blood Brothers" on Broadway. Mark also told us about some anxiety-filled story about one particular Julliard teacher who in practice played the Schuman Concerto beautifully, but when it came to performance, she played the piece (which starts in E with the orchestra and then features a cascading piano part) in a clanking of chords before fainting off the piano bench. Woof. Mark then gave us some great advice; in his knowledge, anxiety is almost always created when you fixate about how you're doing something, not why you're doing it. His advice was always to stay with lyrics, stay with the story, keep the imagination running, and be fully committed to what you're saying, singing and/or playing. Mark then performed a Mendelssohn scherzo piece in E minor (scherzo is a piece played quickly with no room for thought) which he has played since he was a small kid, but which nonetheless still gives him a bit of agita! Many of us recognized this work as the Flying Monkey Theme from "The Wizard of Oz" but we were thrilled to hear the intricacies played in full!
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.
Co-Host: Justin Nastro
Bobbie Horowitz
Rian Keating
Ann Kittredge
Christopher Whipple
Frans Bloem
Angela Leone
Frances O'Flynn (with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano)
Matthew Martin Ward (self at piano)
David Ballard
Sierra Rein
Marnie Klar
Salon Spotlight: Bill Dyszel
Classical Corner: Mark Janas
BREAK
Co-Host: Justin Nastro
Tanya Moberly
Joshua Lance Dixon
Emily Ellet (with Jeff Cubeta on piano)
Ruperta Nelson
Encores:
Bobbie Horowitz
Frans Bloem
David Ballard
Frances O'Flynn (with Matthew Martin Ward at piano)
Angela Leone (with Matthew Martin Ward at piano)
Sierra Rein (with Matthew Martin Ward at piano)
Matthew Martin Ward (self at piano)
Co-Host: Justin Nastro
Special thanks to David Ballard on lights and sound, the amazing waitstaff - Joey and Alex - and management at Etcetera Etcetera, and our videographer Steve Bustamante.
Performances coming up by guests of this evening's Salon:
Ongoing Shows
Monday nights (7pm): Opera Open Mic at Shanghai Mong with Mark Janas and Matthew Martin Ward, 30 West 32nd Street, NYC.
Upcoming Shows
Saturday, February 17, 2018 (4pm): Marnie Klar performs "Bedtime Stories" (directed by Tanya Moberly with Stephen Ray Watkins at the piano) at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, February 18, 2018 (4pm): Bill Dyszel in "The Internet Ate My Brain" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, April 29, 2018 (7pm): Sierra Rein's solo debut show, "Running in Place," with Bill Zeffiro, Music Director, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
Sunday, February 18, 2018 (4pm): Bill Dyszel stars in "The Internet Ate My Brain" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Thursday, February 22, 2018 (7pm): Emily Ellet (with Jeff Cubeta on piano) brings "Uncharted" to Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, February 23, 2018 (7pm): Emily Ellet (with Jeff Cubeta on piano) brings "Uncharted" to Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Saturday, February 24, 2018 (6:30pm): Lisa Viggiano is performing her show, "Lisa Viggiano Sings Bruce on Christopher" (with Tanya Moberly directing) at The Duplex, 61 Christopher St, NYC.
Saturday, February 24, 2018 (7pm): Emily Ellet (with Jeff Cubeta on piano) brings "Uncharted" to Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, February 25, 2018 (4pm): Emily Ellet (with Jeff Cubeta on piano) brings "Uncharted" to Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, February 25, 2018 (6:30pm): Lisa Viggiano is performing her show, "Lisa Viggiano Sings Bruce on Christopher" (with Tanya Moberly directing) at The Duplex, 61 Christopher St, NYC.
Monday, March 5, 2018 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings "Six Different Shows, Six Different Musicians, Six Monday Nights" with Mark Janas on piano at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, March 9, 2018 (8pm): David Ballard sings with the NYC Gay Men's Chorus in "Big Gay Sing X" at NYU Skirball Center for the Arts, 566 La Guardia Place, NYC.
Saturday, March 10, 2018 (4pm): Angela Leone has a CD release party at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Saturday, March 10, 2018 (8pm): David Ballard sings with the NYC Gay Men's Chorus in "Big Gay Sing X" at NYU Skirball Center for the Arts, 566 La Guardia Place, NYC
Sunday, March 11, 2018 (3pm): David Ballard sings with the NYC Gay Men's Chorus in "Big Gay Sing X" at NYU Skirball Center for the Arts, 566 La Guardia Place, NYC
Sunday, March 11, 2018 (5pm): Joshua Lance Dixon returns with "Pack of One" to Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC - 50% of proceeds will go to TBD charity.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018 (9:30pm): Justin Nastro's show "The Good Life" (use the "JDN5" discount code!) at Feinstein’s/54 Below, 254 West 54th St, NYC.
Tuesday, March 18, 2018: Matthew Martin Ward and Janice Hall in "Opera Show with No Opera" at Urban Stages, 259 W 30th St, NYC.
Monday, March 19, 2018 (7pm): Ann Kittredge at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018 (7pm): Matthew Martin Ward plays for the monthly MAC Open Mic at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
Saturday, March 24, 2018: Matthew Martin Ward and Janice Hall in "Opera Show with No Opera" at Urban Stages, 259 W 30th St, NYC.
Monday, March 26, 2018 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings "Six Different Shows, Six Different Musicians, Six Monday Nights" with Ian Herman on piano at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Monday, April 9, 2018 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings "Six Different Shows, Six Different Musicians, Six Monday Nights" with Jon Weber on piano at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018 (7pm): Christopher Whipple's debut NYC show with Bill Zeffiro, MD, at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Thursday, April 12, 2018 (7pm): Sierra Rein's solo debut show, "Running in Place," premieres with Bill Zeffiro, Music Director, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
Saturday, April 14, 2018 (7pm): Frans Bloem in "Beyond Borders" at The Triad, 158 W 72nd St, NYC.
Monday, April 16, 2018 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings "Six Different Shows, Six Different Musicians, Six Monday Nights" with Steven Ray Watkins on piano at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, April 20, 2018 (6pm): Christopher Whipple's debut NYC show with Bill Zeffiro, MD, at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, April 22, 2018 (6pm): Sally Darling sings Beatrice Lillie with Matthew Martin Ward at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Monday, April 23, 2018 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings "Six Different Shows, Six Different Musicians, Six Monday Nights" with Sean Harkness on guitar at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018 (7pm): Rian Keating in "When You Go Down To The Sea" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, April 29, 2018 (4:30pm): Sally Darling sings Beatrice Lillie with Matthew Martin Ward at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Sunday, April 29, 2018 (7pm): Sierra Rein's solo debut show, "Running in Place," with Bill Zeffiro, Music Director, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
Monday, April 30, 2018 (7pm): Tanya Moberly sings "Six Different Shows, Six Different Musicians, Six Monday Nights" with Ritt Henn on bass at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Saturday, May 12, 2018 (2pm): Sierra Rein's solo debut show, "Running in Place," with Bill Zeffiro, Music Director, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St, NYC.
NEXT SALON!
-Sierra Rein
Blogette for The Salon
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