Monday, March 28, 2011

The Salon Wrap-Up for March 27, 2011: "The 8-Track to the iPod: Songs on the Go since 1965"

WARNING: It will be physically and emotionally impossible for me to blog about last night's Salon with any sense of Objectivism...you have been warned...thank you!

It was a magical night for myself and the rest of the members of Marquee Five, who co-hosted the evening's mix of tunes from 1965, before, and beyond.   Marquee Five had just performed our show "8-Track Throwback" at the Laurie Beechman the day before, and in four days had a deadline to complete our Kickstarter.com CD fundraising.  Mark, wearing an enviable Skywalker Sound tshirt, introduced the concept of the evening: the 8-Track was the first audio equipment that allowed one to program one's own music entertainment and take it on the road.  After the 8-Track was introduced in 1965, it was preceded by the cassette player, then the discman, then the iPod (and now our phones are our own traveling jukebox!).  Throughout the evening, we celebrated the songs we remember listening to on these modes of playback, or those that reminded us of any time we plugged in our earphones and got lost in the music on the way somewhere.

Marquee Five started the evening with "Wonder Love," a mashup arranged by Adam West Hemming of Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke," "Superstition" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours," and we were accompanied by the dance interpretations of Layla Fields (Reyburn), who busted some moves on the floor.  Sierra (myself) then grabbed the co-hosting mic to introduce Elaine St. George, who sweetly and slowly sang her interpretation of "I Only Want to Be With You."  Elaine will be performing her Ray Charles show "InspiRAYtion" on April 27 and three dates in May at the Metoropolitan Room.  Make reservations now, and you'll be entered in to win a copy of Ray Charles' autobiography!  After Elaine, we had the amazing Adam Shapiro, who can be funny one moment and endearing the next: last night, he sang one of the first songs he ever learned (he had it on vinyl, cassette, and CD, and it's currently on his iPod) which reminds him of his mom - "Somewhere Out There" from An American Tail (a huge "Awwww!" came from the audience within the first bar of music, I kid you not.)  After Adam, Barb Malley sang a lovely connection of Charlie Chaplin's "This is My Song" with "I Do Not Know a Day I Did Not Love You" (apparently she heard a bride and groom sing these songs to each other at their reception!).   Barb is planning a show in September, benefitting the Jackie Robinson Foundation and celebrating Brooklyn.

Next, Tony Imgrund brought the ballad "Not Like the Movies," written by current culture icon Katy Perry...a reminder that beautiful songs are still being written by pop stars, and to experience an artist's entire album (don't just buy the hit song on iTunes!).  Tony will be performing in a stage reading of the musical "All the World's a Stage" as the role of Orlando in Donna Stearns.  Then, the lovely Shana Farr sang a pre-1965 song: "Many a New Day" from Oklahoma with sass and spunk.  Then Maureen Taylor stood up at the microphone and sang "Gifts of Love," which was published after 1965 in the musical The Baker's Wife.  Stephanie Zagoran then brought in the first sing-along song, Paul Simon's "Feelin' Groovy," which inspired hums and "la da dee daa daah's" from the audience to accompany her choruses and verses.  I then had the honor of introducing co-M5'er Julie Reyburn, who sang James Taylor's "Enough to Be On Your Way" (off of his "Hour Glass" album) in honor of a number of friends she has lost in past months.

After that beautifully emotional musical offering, Mick Bleyer took over co-hosting duties and introduced Marnie Klar to the microphone - she sang her lovely version of Cindy Lauper's "Time After Time," once again instigating multi-harmony choruses from the audience to accompany her.  After Marnie, Dani Erin Rhodes introduced her experience with 8-Tracks: she remembers her friend owning one, only Dani misstook it for a video game player and thought that "Kiss Destroyer" was a new album.  However, once she learned what an 8-Track player was, she became eager to get one.  Dani then sang Crystal Gayle's "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" (and the answer was, yes, Dani, it did!).  After Dani, Richard Eisenberg sang his song "The First Time," which he definitely can say was written after 1965.  He revealed to Mick and audience members that he likes to write the music to his compositions first, then the lyrics.

Our Etceterettes were then up!   Jan Brennan did a belted, full-voiced Johnny Mercer song (arranged for Bette Midler and always on Jan's iPod), "Drinking Again."   Then Arianna stepped away from the opera-diva veil and surprised us all with Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit," a song which she learned in her youth to sing for her father.  Then Steve Schalchlin handed out music and invited members of the audience to sight-read backup vocals for his sweet, inspirational song "Every Day A New Amen." You can watch video of this performance here!  And Steve revealed that he writes lyrics first, then music!

We then had a unique and totally unexpected Classical Corner.  Unbeknownst to us, Mark Janas chose to open up his time to "auction off" requests from him and from Marquee Five to raise money for our Kickstarter fund.  Now, at the beginning of the evening, we had a little over $600 to go, but by this time we had checked our emails and were shocked to realize that we only had a little left to go due to some online backers suddenly coming out of the woodwork.  Mark called the bidding to start, and immediately the shout of "COPACABANA" rang out.  So, we ran up and sang this goofy, wonderful song from our show (arranged via who-knows-what-part-of Adam West Hemming's-brain).  Then, we had a shout out for "Frankie and Johnny," a song from Julie Reyburn's Feinstein's show.  She jumped up to the mic, pear martini in hand, and hilariously brought the song forth (with Mark playing piano from memory).  Then, a request for "Simon and Garfunkel," came out, and at that moment we realized that the Salon had come through for us; we added their donations to our online backers, and we unofficially had achieved our $15,000 CD fund goal! With lumps in our throats (sniiiiiif!) we sang "The Sounds of Simon and Garfunkel" and then took a break to thank our amazing Salon family.

Marquee Five returned to do our official 3-song set after the break, starting with "All That Jazz," the opening number from our 2010 MAC Award-Winning show "We Can Make It: The Songs of Kander & Ebb."  Vanessa then took a moment to reveal how The Salon itself was a huge part in introducing the members of Marquee Five together (Vanessa introduced Julie to Adam during an Algonquin-located Salon, and Vanessa introduced The Salon to me almost three years ago!...and Mick just naturally endeared himself to us later on).  With that, the three women of M5 sang our rendition of "Jolene" (in which the titular lady is painted as a much busier woman!).  Then, Marquee Five sang our mashup of  Leonard Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" and "Hallelujah" entitled "The Reverend Leonard Cohen," and dedicated to the mother of Producer Father Jeffrey Hamblin, Opal Pearl Hamblin, who would have been 96 that day (sniiiif sniiiif!).

Julie Reyburn then took over the co-hosting responsibilities for the rest of the second half.  Producer Tanya Moberly then brought in something special, truly special.  People might know that Tanya sang with Paul Vasquez in a duo called "Pickadilly Circus." Paul played guitar and sang, and apparently hated it when Tanya recorded him so she could practice singing at home.  Well, Paul passed away almost a year ago, but Tanya was still able to sing with Paul via her collection of rehearsal cassettes.  So, last night she brought Paul back into the Salon and sang to his taped guitar recording of a Jethro Tull trio of songs; "Cheap Day Return," "Mother Goose," and "Wondering Aloud" (sniiif sniiif sniiif!).

Joan Jaffe, funny lady extraordinaire, kept the heartfelt memories of yesteryear alive and sang "It's Not Easy Being Green" (another "awwwww!" arising from the audience), written in 1970 by Joe Raposo, who once was the assistant conductor to a show Joan Jaffe was in!  Joan is currently shooting a short film entitled "Keys, Wallet, Phone" by director/writer J. Ravine.  Then...um...I can't really type in the actual spelling of the next song, but it was written by Tenacious D, transcribed by Adam West Hemming, and brought out of the karaoke world and into The Salon hilariously and fearlessly by Mick Bleyer...yes, I'm speaking of "**** Her Gently."  After that lovely song, Bill Zeffiro (who can be seen co-hosting at San Martin with Marissa Mulder each Tuesday night, 8-11pm) sang his witty "The Final Daze."  Bill's Houdini musical will be in one of the theater fests in October, and his play "The Backseat of the Lincoln" recently received great response.  We then heard Marissa Mulder, with Bill at the piano, sing "It's Nice to Go Travelin'" in sweet and sultry jazzy tones.  Her Jimmy van Heusen show will take place at the Metropolitan Room in June (4th, 8th, and 16th all at 9:30pm).

We then heard from a few encores and I experienced my fourth emotional moment of the night (sniiif sniiif sniiif sniiif) as Tony Imgrund brought in "The Role of a Lifetime" from bare, the musical I introduced him to via The Salon (and which he's had on repeat on his iPod for weeks now - I had to run up and hug him!).  After Tony, Shana Farr retuned to sing "Living in the Shadows" from the musical Victor/Victoria, and from her own Julie Andrew's show.  Shana is going her show in Missouri next month!  Then, Adam Shapiro whipped us towards the funny by singing "One More Minute" by Weird Al Yankovic (an artist Adam remembers collecting obsessively on cassette tape in his youth).  Then, Elaine St. George simply and honestly sang "Still Crazy After All These Years," recorded by Ray Charles, Richard Eisenberg sang his Clinton-era parody to "Officer Kruptke," and Barb Malley brought the beautiful ballad "It Amazes Me" recorded by Blossom Dearie, written by Cy Coleman (music) and Carolyn Leigh (lyrics).  Barb will perform on April 8th and 9th in a multi-cultural and ASL-infused version of "The Vagina Monologues" - contact her for details.  After Barb, our Door Etceterette, Arianna, belted through "Tell Me on a Sunday."  Marquee Five then performed two pieces from "8-Track Throwback":  Vanessa Parvin, with the rest of M5 doing a cappella backup, sang Joni Mitchell's "Case of You," and then we all sang "Ain't No Sunshine, Jack," our combination of "Hit The Road, Jack" and "Ain't No Sunshine."  That concluded this emotional and (for me) incredibly memorable evening. 

NEXT WEEK NO SALON!!!! A break will be taken for one week, but in TWO week's time, April 10th, the theme will be "It's a Country Thing" with co-host Roger Anthony Mapes! So bring your country songs, or songs from other countries, or things that remind you of the country (or big hats, or cowboy boots!).  See you then!

Marquee Five


-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Update from Producer Tanya Moberly - March 28, 2011

THERE WILL BE NO SALON SUNDAY, APRIL 3rd.

SALON, that unique, Bistro & MAC Award winning Weekly Open Mic Event created and hosted by Mark Janas will return to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 - on Sunday, April 10th from 7-10:30PM.

Salon continues every Sunday! (Except April 24th)

April 10th:
Theme: It's a Country Thing
Co-Host: Roger Anthony Mapes

April 17th: We will be at SAN MARTIN, 143 East 49th St, NYC 10017, 212-832-0888, www.sanmartinrestaurantny.com, for this evening. There will be a $10 cover and a $10 minimum!
Theme: The Great Escape
Co-Host: Donna Coney Island

April 24th: NO SALON

May 1st:
Theme: Not Just For Kids
Co-Hosts: Sierra Rein & Kay M. Pringle

PLUS!  Catch the latest installment of Mark Janas and his Manhattan School of Music Students' Discover Opera! Series: 'The Secret Music Garden' an original entertainment, at Manhattan School of Music's Greenfield Hall, 120 Claremont Avenue, NYC 10027, 212-749-2802, Sunday, April 10th at 2:30pm (before Salon) and Tuesday, April 12th at 7:30pm. Call (917) 493-4428 to reserve free tickets!

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

Here's some important information about the Salon you should know. The Salon is an ongoing open entertainment event in which singers, writers and musicians share their talent with each other and audience members. We are currently enjoying our new venue, Etcetera, Etcetera where there is a $10 COVER (cash) AND a $15 FOOD/BEVERAGE MINIMUM (cash or credit). You may sign up to perform starting at 6:15 by seeing one the evening's 'Etceterettes' to fill out a card with your name, the name of your song, whether it's a ballad or an up tempo,(up tempos and comic songs are greatly encouraged!) and any upcoming events you'd like the co-host to announce. Please remember that we do not present performers in order of sign-up and, due to our time restraints and other variables, filling out a card does not guarantee you will perform, but we do our very best to get you up! It is usually a good idea to bring a few different song choices to avoid duplication. All types of material including spoken word are welcome at the Salon but please limit your selections to three or four minutes in length and please bring clear, complete charts for Mark to read. Sitting on the piano is not allowed, nor is flash photography. If you would like to add a (or remove your) name from our list, e-mail me at tanya@tanyamoberly.com

Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday, April 10th !

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly
Producer

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Salon Wrap-Up for March 20, 2011: "It's In the Stars"

If Sunday was a deck of Tarot cards, the future would be deemed full of music, laughter, and friendship! It was a special night: The theme was "It's in the Stars" and was the cusp of Winter turning into Spring, co-hosted by the gloriously-voiced Maureen Taylor, who also showed off her numerology skills. The room at Etcetera was decked out with four tables, each corresponding to the four Element signs (Fire, Air, Water and Earth). People sat with their fellow Element sign members (although there was some crossover), and were asked to fill out their signup card with their birthdate. At the table were bowls of colored paper (the "color" cards) and bowls of descriptive words (the "angel" cards). The stage was decorated with scarves, decorations, and a glowing ball of electricity. The electricity in the room started when Maureen took to the microphone to sing an opening number, then blindly pointed a flashlight towards the Water table and asked the lucky person she landed on to pick a color and an angel card - she then interpreted the results with their Element sign. The then segued into "Never Judge a Book By It's Cover" and "I'd Like Someone to Know Me Well."

Maureen Taylor on stage
 Adam Shapiro opened up the concept of "It's in the Stars" with the hilarious "Tom Cruise Scares Me," and was excited to be singing at the official moment Winter tred into Spring! Next, Madelaine Warren sang "When I Fall in Love," and Joel Harrington (playing for himself on piano) sang his original piece "Robin's Song," a soulful ballad written for his friend. Kelly Nowik joined Joel (her voice teacher) on the stage to sing his opera comique (written for star divas like her) entitled "Sing." And speaking of divas...no, Michael Colby isn't a diva, but he did sing the engaging "More Than Just a Movie Fan" (lyrics: Michael Colby, music:Paul Katz, from Slay It With Music). We then switched gears to hear Liana Kambouris rock "Out Tonight" from Rent.

Maureen Taylor
 Next, we had a duet treat: Ivan Miller (previous Classical Corner soloist!) sang "Dream a Little Dream of Me" with the stylish Lea McKenna-Garcia. Dan Furman then sat at the piano and played what he later told me was an "Untitled Improvisation on 'Swingin' On a Star'" - but the way Dan played it, it had jazzy overtones and a funky walking beat...very cool! Dan stayed at the piano to play for Natasha, who sang "Can't Fight The Moonlight." Next, the lovely Julie Reyburn sang "These Foolish Things" with Bill Zeffiro at the piano. Speaking of numerology, Julie informed us that her daughter Layla was born as a birthday present for Mark Janas. She also informed us that the show she was meant to sing that night had been cancelled due to low reservations - just a reminder to respect some Cabaret reservation policy and make reservations ahead of time if you mean to attend a show!

Barb Malley brought the stars out again by singing Hoagy Carmichael's classic "Stardust." Our favorite blue-eyed, dancing, smiling, waitering singer David Ballard sang "The Old Red Hills of Home" and made Layla in the front row make noises as he changed the lyrics to reflect her name (so funny!). Then, composer Brian Allan Hobbs (who is becoming a regular!) sang his original song "The Star" (lyrics by Robin Chung) with backup by myself (Sierra Rein). Brian plugged his voice teacher, Steven Stein-Grainger, who is starting a monthly Master Class series with a $25 singing fee, and a $10 only audit fee. Then the roles were switched, and Brian played for me - I sang "Spring," an appropriately titled but inappropriately spirited song for the new season, from the musical bare. My vocal group, Marquee Five, is showing off our stuff in one performance only, this Saturday the 26th, at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 4pm. It'll be one of the only chances for MAC members to hear and see this quintet sing this Spring! However, another chance to hear us sing is the next Salon - March 27th, we'll be co-hosting! And we have a week left to our Kickstarter campaign (with just a few thousand dollars left to go)! To close the singers for the first half, Marnie Klar (who will perform at the Afterglow series tonight at 9pm!) sang the powerful "I'd Give My Life For You" from Miss Saigon.

Mark Janas' Classical Corner grabbed the concept of Astrology by the tail. Those who poo-poo Astrology and those who ardently believe in it could talk forever about the subject, although Mark reminded us that scientist Sir Isaac Newton once chastised Edmond Halley (yes, of the comet) for depreciating the art by saying “Sir Halley, I have studied the matter, you have not!” Regardless of one's belief, you can apply the same tenants one would give to Numerology/Astrology to Classical music: those tenants of Mathmatics and Interpretation. On the page, a song is marked down almost to every beat, every measure, every breath and phrase mark. However, it is up to the artist to interpret this and add his or her "voicing" to a piece. "Voicing" is when a musician interprets the music to sound like the pieces of an orchestra. Melody is portrayed in each hand and the countermotion is placed into the bass. Mark thinks of an orchestra in his head as he plays a piece, and lets each "instrument" have a different voice as their "solo" comes out. In terms of Astrology, music can be described in Element signs (Chopin was a definite water sign: emotional, robato, stole time; Fire would have bravura, Earth would be robust, and Air would be communicative and analytical). However, any overdone element is dangerous; Mark understands that he must have intellect and heart/emotion and passion in balance when he performs. Like any singer, he has to ask himself if he can get "out of his head" enough but still be true to the original composition and perform as he rehearsed! Mark then played Chopin's Ballade from memory for the first time, exemplifying what he spoke about and raising the audience to a standing ovation.

The second set started out with Maureen Taylor singing a definite "Leo" song, "The Price of Fame," after asking a Fire element member (okay, it was me!) for my angel and color cards (which were Red and Inspiration). Next, she asked the Earth table, which included those inquisitive Capricorns, what they want with "How Can I Win" from The Goodbye Girl. Finally, Maureen stepped over to the Air table and serenaded their tendencies with the lovely "I Hear Bells."

Producer Tanya Moberly then sang with Dan Furman on his popular and hilarious Astronomilogical sob story, "Pluto," and made sure that we knew that - as a Pieces - she's truly a softie on the inside. We then had good friend of Maureen, the effervescent Meg Flather, shine through "I Will Wait With You," an original piece about unconditional love. Meg will be at a songwriter's roundtable exchange with Jennie Litt, Rosemary Loar, and Sue Matsuki on April 22nd (Facebook info here). Next, Steve Herbst sang and whistled through one of his parent's favorite songs, "Moonglow" and touted his "Broadway And Beyond" CD (available here). We then heard from the winner of UCG's talent contest (Tanya and Stephen Hanks were guest judges), Sean Pearson, who played guitar and sang "Universe We Made," inspired by tonight's theme and dedicated to his friends in the TV industry. Stephen Hanks himself then got up and sang "Starry Night" by Don McLean, and admitted that it will be hard to objectively review McLean's upcoming Town Hall performance on Friday for Cabaret Scenes (him being a huge fan and all). PLUS! The next Musical Mondays showcase is tonight at The Snapple Theater on Broadway, 6:30pm.

Tanya Moberly - "Pluto"
Sean Pearson
 Stephanie Zagoren then brought in a snazzy and toe-tapping "Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead," and Shana Farr sang "My White Knight" in a glorious romantic soprano. Louisa Poster bounced wonderfully through "Orange Colored Sky," and Carolann Sanita honestly soared through the Jason Robert Brown favorite, "Stars and the Moon." Then, perennial son (I have no idea what that means) Richie Eisenberg sang and played "On a Night Like This," referencing romantic cues and scenes. Sue Marcus Rauch sang "Who's That Woman" from Follies and let us know that her show "In No Time at All" will perform at the Metropolitan Room on April 16th at 7pm - Miles Phillips Directing and musically directed by Jason Wynn.

Meg Flather
By around 10 o'clock the evening might have been winding down, but the singers were winding up their talent!!! Newcomer Katie Zaffrann tickled our funny bones and teased our imaginations with a hilarious song "Without A Stitch On" (music and lyrics by Mike Pettry), from her newly released EP available on iTunes and Amazon.com! Elaine St. George sang "Simple as That" by Daryl Sherman with Dan Furman at the piano - her Ray Charles show "InspiRAYtion" will perform at the Metropolitan Room on April 27th! "Pianah playah" Bill Zeffiro sang another Randy Newman song about the Big Boy in the Sky, "I Think He's Hiding," and reminded us that he'll be playing at San Martin's Restaurant every Tuesday (check out this venue ahead of time, before Salon moves there for one night only, the evening of April 17th!). Stacy Ward McAdams then created another singalong with "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off," and make sure we yelled out "ERSTERS!" as loud as we could. Stacy will be going off on a gig outside the New York area - he will have a Farewell show on March 30th at the Metropolitan Room at 7pm!

Katie Zaffrann
 Maureen Taylor closed the evening with the beautiful "Take The Moment," her silvery soprano soaring above the crowd. And she made sure to make it clear that although we have astrological labels, we as humans still have free will to craft our lives, our loves, and our creative endeavors no matter what the stars tell us!

THIS WEEKEND! The Theme is "The 8-Track to the iPod - Tunes On the Go Since 1965." Bring the music you used to sing via 8-Track player, or songs you love to hit "repeat" on your iPod. Or perhaps travel songs, those songs that keep you going on the ride to work, or the songs that inspire you to save up for a trip! OR, any music written or published from 1965 to March 27, 2011...all is welcome! Yes, even Lady Gaga...!

And speaking of slightly gaga, our Co-Hosts will be the MAC Award winning Marquee Five! Julie Reyburn, Mick Bleyer, Adam West Hemming, Sierra Rein & Vanessa Parvin are hoping to record their debut album “8-Track Throwback” with the help of their Kickstarter.com campaign.  Please go to: www.Kickstarter.com/profile/MarqueeFive to watch video, read more about the project and the tiered list of rewards, and check their progress updates. They thank you for your support!

There will be a $10 cash cover collected at the door by Blogette, Arianna, and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further information visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141). There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission.  Doors open and sign up begins at 6:15pm with Etceterette, Danielle Grabianowski.

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Update from Producer Tanya Moberly - March 21, 2011

SALON, that unique, Bistro & MAC Award winning Weekly Open Mic Event created and hosted by Mark Janas returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 – on Sunday, March 27th from 7-10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is “The 8 Track to the ipod – Tunes On the Go since 1965!”

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

Our Co-Hosts will be the MAC Award winning Marquee Five! Julie Reyburn, Mick Bleyer, Adam West Hemming, Sierra Rein & Vanessa Parvin are hoping to record their debut album “8-Track Throwback” with the help of their Kickstarter.com campaign. Kickstarter.com is a micro-funding site with a built-in "reward" structure, meaning you receive rewards for certain levels of pledge amounts. Their goal is to get $15,000 total (and it's all or nothing) in pledges by March 31st.  Please go to: www.Kickstarter.com/profile/MarqueeFive to watch video, read more about the project and the tiered list of rewards, and check their progress updates. They thank you for your support!

Vanessa, Mick, Sierra, Adam, Julie: Photo by Steward Noack.
There will be a $10 cash cover collected at the door by Blogette, Arianna, and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further information visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141). There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open and sign up begins at 6:15pm with Etceterette, Danielle Grabianowski.

Salon continues every Sunday! (Except April 3rd & April 24th)

April 3rd: NO SALON

April 10th:
Theme: It's a Country Thing
Co-Host: Roger Anthony Mapes

April 17th: We will be at SAN MARTIN, 143 East 49th St, NYC 10017, 212-832-0888, www.sanmartinrestaurantny.com, for this evening. There will be a $10 cover and a $10 minimum!
Theme: The Great Escape
Co-Host: Donna Coney Island

April 24th: NO SALON

May 1st:
Theme: Not Just For Kids
Co-Hosts: Sierra Rein & Kay M. Pringle

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

Here's some important information about the Salon you should know. The Salon is an ongoing open entertainment event in which singers, writers and musicians share their talent with each other and audience members. We are currently enjoying our new venue, Etcetera, Etcetera where there is a $10 COVER (cash) AND a $15 FOOD/BEVERAGE MINIMUM (cash or credit). You may sign up to perform starting at 6:15 by seeing one the evening's 'Etceterettes' to fill out a card with your name, the name of your song, whether it's a ballad or an up tempo,(up tempos and comic songs are greatly encouraged!) and any upcoming events you'd like the co-host to announce. Please remember that we do not present performers in order of sign-up and, due to our time restraints and other variables, filling out a card does not guarantee you will perform, but we do our very best to get you up! It is usually a good idea to bring a few different song choices to avoid duplication. All types of material including spoken word are welcome at the Salon but please limit your selections to three or four minutes in length and please bring clear, complete charts for Mark to read. Sitting on the piano is not allowed, nor is flash photography. If you would like to add a (or remove your) name from our list, e-mail me at tanya@tanyamoberly.com

Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday, March 27th!

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly
Producer-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Friday, March 18, 2011

The Salon Wrap-Up for March 13, 2011: "Blues In The Night”

The Blues...The Night...The Moon...it was all a bluesy evening on Sunday (even the stage lights were blue) as funny jazz chick Joan Crowe co-hosted the evening. Dan Furman was on piano, replacing rehearsing Mark Janas, and a better pair of hands for the jazz/blues evening could not have been found! Joan began the evening with what has become her hilarious signature tune "White Girl Blues"- a Sue Matsuki original with personalized lyrics which were, in Joan's point of view "unfortunately true." Mark Levy followed the funny with more funny and sang "You Won't Suceed On Broadway" from Spamalot, complete with a Hava Nagila dance. Barb Malley then brought the mood down to the effective blues with Cy Coleman's beautiful "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life."

 Joan Crowe

Then, Tony Imgrund - who is too young to have ever experienced the blues - sang "Midnight Pillow," a new song from the musical All The World's a Stage by Donna Stearns. This is a brand new musical farce based on Shakespeare's As You Like It, and features all new music by Stearns with lyrics by ye olde Will himself. A reading for of this will be April 23rd (Shakespeare's Birthday!) at 1pm at the Inwood Library - go to www.ShakespeareSaturdays.com for information on the reading and information on auditions March 26th! After Tony, the lovely Maureen Taylor sang "Gifts of Love" and filled us in on her plan for co-hosting this Sunday's "It's In The Stars" theme (more details here). It's going to be a very unique evening!

And speaking of unique, we next heard a one-of-a-kind rendition of "Blue Moon" by Steve "The Whistler" Herbst, who whistled and proved why he'll be at a whistling contest in a few weeks - amazing! Dan Furman also performed a hot piano solo in the middle of this well-known standard. Stacey Perlman then robustly sang the Styne/Cohn song "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry," a piece I had never seen before, and let us know that she'll be singing at Otto's Shrunken Head on April 16th. Rob Langeder (always snazzy, always classy, always with the amazing scatting) scooted, whipped and flipped his way beautifully through "Blue Skies," and then Stephanie Zagoran reminded us how the blues came about with "Birth of the Blues." Donna Stearns then came up to the mic to sing original music called "Love Burn." Then we heard from Elaine St. George, who sexily and hilariously sang Keb Mo's "Whole 'Nutha Thang." Her Ray Charles show will return to the Metropolitan Room on April 27th - more information to come!

To keep the theme of the evening alive and well, Richard Eisenberg sang his original piece, "Color Blind Blues." Then, to switch the evening from a blue to a distinct green color, as Ryan Knowles came to the mic, glass in hand, to sing Peter Saxe's appropriate holiday song "On Saint Patrick's Day." Peter was at the piano to play and hear the roars of laughter emanating from the audience...it is a hilarious song, and Joan asked for it immediately in the key of Bb as soon as the song was over. Next, Blogette Sierra Rein (myself, with Brian Allan Hobbs on piano) sang "A Quiet Night at Home" from the musical bare, written by Damon Intrabartolo and Jon Hartmere. Her group, Marquee Five, will be at the Laurie Beechman Theater on March 26th, will co-host The Salon on the evening of March 27th, and has until March 31st to raise money for their upcoming CD (check it out!). Etceterette Arianna then demanded the mic and had a proper onstage fit with "Diva's Lament" from Spamalot (no really, it was just an act...Arianna is a sweetie!). We then had a treat from the piano man himself, Dan Furman. He brought up four singers - Rob Langeder, Dani Rhodes, Chris Gunn, and Christopher Vettel - to sing through a few songs from his very own musical, RIP!, based on the American Rip Van Winkel fable (additional lyrics by Mary-Liz McNamara).

Dan Furman

After the break, our co-host Joan Crowe broke her own "2-ballad maximum" rule to sing through a few blues-based songs. She started with Dolly Parton's effective "Jolene," ripped through the cleverly-lyric'd "Blood Shot Eyes" by Wynonie Harris, and then connected the current feelings associated with the earthquake and tsunami in Japan with the lyrics of Randy Newman's heartaching "Louisiana 1927."

Producer Tanya Moberly then sang "The Diner" and was serenaded to a full-voiced "Happy Birthday" by the entire Salon audience...happy birthday, Tanya! Leah McKennah Garcia then vamped lustily through "Lost and Found" from City of Angels. Leah will perform "Dr. Faustus" at Columbia April 21st - 23rd. Then, Marnie Klar sang the emotional "Portrait," Vienna Carroll showed us how it's done with Robert Johnson's "Come Into My Kitchen," and Bill Zeffiro sang his original comedy song "Lower Your Expectations." Stephen Wilde then showed his soul with Hoagy Carmichael's "Baltimore Oriole" and then explained why he won't be at Salon for a while - he's performing in The Music Man in Rochester for a number of months!

Jumping behind the keys, we then had Dani Rhodes passionately sing her original song "Take Me To a Place" initially written as soon as she landed in New York City for the first time. Then, Stacy Ward McAdams brought everyone into the mix by asking us all to jump in on verses and choruses of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." To round out the evening, we had two more original works of music: David Ballard (yup, he sings, dances, waits Salon tables AND writes music) sang his William Finn-esque song "Stood Up." Then, Jordan Siewick got behind the piano to play and sing his song "One Big Mess," a "baby blues" song, as it had just been written. Jordan, with his beyond-his-years piano abilities, will be at the piano bar of Martino Vitman on March 25th.

Joan Crowe closed out the evening with "Since I Fell For You," once again accompanied by Dan Furman (who again displayed his piano prowess with another gorgeous piano solo).

NEXT WEEK!
Baby, what's your sign? And are the stars out tonight? Maureen Taylor co-hosts "It's In The Stars." In honor of the Spring Equinox and to celebrate all of our Sun Signs, people will be seated with their own element. Fire (Aries, Leo & Sagittarius), Earth (Taurus, Virgo & Capricorn), Air (Gemini, Libra & Aquarius) and Water (Cancer, Scorpio & Pisces) will all have their own sections in the audience. If you don't know your sign, don't worry. All you need to know is your birthday, and you will be guided. If you do know your sign, bring in a song that has something to do with the qualities of that sign!

But remember, all material (on or off theme) is welcome at The Salon!

See you there!

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Update from Producer Tanya Moberly - March 17, 2011

SALON, that unique, Bistro & MAC Award winning Weekly Open Mic Event created and hosted by Mark Janas returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 – on Sunday, March 20th from 7-10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is “It's In The Stars!”. In honor of the Spring Equinox and to celebrate all of our Sun Signs, people will be seated with their own element. Fire (Aries, Leo & Sagittarius), Earth (Taurus, Virgo & Capricorn), Air (Gemini, Libra & Aquarius) and Water (Cancer, Scorpio & Pisces) will all have their own sections in the audience. If you don't know your sign, don't worry. All you need to know is your birthday, and you will be guided. If you do know your sign, bring in a song that has something to do with the qualities of that sign!

(Taken from Eso-Garden.com)

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

Our Co-Host will be the Magical, Mystical Maureen Taylor! Maureen is a Diva of Opera, Theatre & Cabaret as well as an expert on Astrology, Numerology & Tarot. For more information: www.maureentaylornyc.com.

There will be a $10 cash cover collected at the door by Blogette, Sierra Rein, and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further information visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141). There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open and sign up begins at 6:15pm with Etceterette, Marnie Klar.

Salon continues every Sunday! (Except April 3rd & April 24th)

March 27th:
Theme: "The 8 Track to the ipod – Tunes On the Go since 1965"
Co-Hosts: Marquee Five (Julie Reyburn, Mick Bleyer, Adam West Hemming, Sierra Rein & Vanessa Parvin)

Please help this 2010 MAC Award-winning vocal group with their Kickstarter.com campaign. Kickstarter.com is a micro-funding site with a built-in "reward" structure, meaning you receive rewards for certain levels of pledge amounts. Their goal is to get $15,000 total (and it's all or nothing) in pledges by March 31st in the hopes of recording their debut album, “8-Track Throwback.” Please go to: www.Kickstarter.com/profile/MarqueeFive to watch video, read more about the project and the tiered list of rewards, and to check their progress updates. They thank you for your support!

April 3rd: NO SALON

April 10th:
Theme: It's a Country Thing
Co-Host: Roger Anthony Mapes

April 17th: We will be at SAN MARTIN, 143 East 49th St, NYC 10017, 212-832-0888, www.sanmartinrestaurantny.com, for this evening. There will be a $10 cover and a $10 minimum!
Theme: The Great Escape
Co-Host: Donna Coney Island


April 24th: NO SALON

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

Here's some important information about the Salon you should know. The Salon is an ongoing open entertainment event in which singers, writers and musicians share their talent with each other and audience members. We are currently enjoying our new venue, Etcetera, Etcetera where there is a $10 COVER (cash) AND a $15 FOOD/BEVERAGE MINIMUM (cash or credit). You may sign up to perform starting at 6:15 by seeing one the evening's 'Etceterettes' to fill out a card with your name, the name of your song, whether it's a ballad or an up tempo,(up tempos and comic songs are greatly encouraged!) and any upcoming events you'd like the co-host to announce. Please remember that we do not present performers in order of sign-up and, due to our time restraints and other variables, filling out a card does not guarantee you will perform, but we do our very best to get you up! It is usually a good idea to bring a few different song choices to avoid duplication. All types of material including spoken word are welcome at the Salon but please limit your selections to three or four minutes in length and please bring clear, complete charts for Mark to read. Sitting on the piano is not allowed, nor is flash photography. If you would like to add a (or remove your) name from our list, e-mail me at tanya@tanyamoberly.com

Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday, March 20th!

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

The Salon Wrap-Up for March 6, 2011: "ROCK ON!"

Dude, it was totally rocking' in a knarly way last Sunday at The Salon! I don't know if I spelled knarly right…ah well…in any event, the rafters of Etcetera Etcetera were shaking last Salon, as Hey Guy (Boris Pelkh, Leo Pelekh, Tommy Shull and Daniel Jakubovic) co-hosted an evening of rock-inspired work.  They brought two guitars, an electric bass, and a percussion box with them to blast out songs of their own, and to accompany anyone who wanted to throw them into a piece.  They began by singing two tracks from their brand new CD "hey guy" - "In My Head" and "Always Wanted."  Their sound (at least with the current set up), mixed with Boris Pelkh's lead vocals, reminded me of Trent Reznor, Nirvana, and The Beatles all in one.

Raissa Katona Bennett then took the mic and, with Charlie Lindberg at the piano, swung her way effortlessly through "Make Someone Happy."  Another songstress with a classical style, Maureen Taylor, took the Carly Simon song "Coming Around Again" and artfully wrapped her silver tones around it.  Taking advantage of a familiar tune, Adam Shapiro next blasted through "Eat It!" (music by Michael Jackson, parody lyrics by Weird Al Yankovic) with Hey Guy and Mark Janas accompanying him - it was hilarious, but rocked my world at the same time!  Barb Malley then sang a beautiful folk-rock song (one I'd never heard before) entitled "Strong Woman Number" by Gretchen Cryer.  Next, another newly-becoming-a-Salon-regular Elaine St. George sweetly sang the Beatles' "I've Just Seen a Face."

We were then attacked by a series of singer-pianists, starting with Charles Lindberg, who created an instant singalong with "Build Me Up Buttercup" (how can you not try to sing the echo and harmony with this number?).  Throwing a touch of class into the mix, Stacey Ward MacAdams accompanied himself on the title song to Woody Allen's film "Everyone Says I Love You."  Stacey can next be seen in "Stacey Ward McAdams and Friends" at the Metropolitan Room  on March 30th at 7pm.  Next, Bill Zeffiro brought in yet another Randy Newman song, "I Want You To Hurt Like I Do."  Bill will be hosting his very own open performance venue each Tuesday night, 8-11pm, at San Martin on 49th Street!

Then, in a blatant attempt to thumb her nose at the whole proceedings, Etceterette Jan Brennan threw her arms up and defiantly belted out "I'm Singing Broadway," which...well...rocked!!!  Blogette Sierra Rein (that's me) then invited Hey Guy up to swing the pendulum back with Janis Joplin's "Move Over."  This song is from Marquee Five's show, "8-Track Throwback," which will perform at the Laurie Beechman Theatre on March 26th, 4pm, and will hopefully be a CD (pre-order and help us fund the CD at Kickstarter.com by March 31st!).  Hey Guy stayed onstage as Producer Tanya Moberly ripped through "Black Dog," a perfect song for her vocal prowess - it was sexy and absolutely rockin'.

For this week's Classical Corner, Mark invited Hey Guy and Stephen Wilde (who arrived just in time from a long plane trip) to explore how rock has been inspired by classical music over the past 50 years or so.  The Beatles, obviously, came from a classical approach, and often utilized harmonies, orchestrations (think of the string quartet in "Eleanor Rigby"), and other elements from classical origins in their rock songs.  Mark pointed out that songwriters like Barry Manilow would steal...uh...be inspired by entire chord progressions from Classical composers like Chopin.  He played a bit of Chopin's "E minor Prelute" and then tied it into the modern rock band Radiohead.  Stephen Wilde then took the guitar and lead vocals and, with Hey Guy, sang Radiohead's "Breathe" from the film version of "Romeo and Juliet" - a song that quotes the same Chopin prelude!  It was a beautiful rendition, and closed the first half of the evening.

After the break, Hey Guy rushed the stage, grabbed their guitars, and smashed them against the piano! Nah, they didn't but they did play an excellent set of three songs. They started out with "How Long" from their new CD "hey guy." Then, Boris replaced Tommy at the piano and sang through a new song not found on the CD, "You." They completed the set with "Something's Coming" from their CD. One thing I noticed was that the guys were able to switch instruments effortlessly - Boris sang lead vocals, played guitar and piano, and Daniel and Leo switched from bass to guitar to percussion without hesitation!  You can find the CD "hey guy" on iTunes!!!

After Hey Guy, the tall and lovely Marnie Klar brought in some 80's rock/pop nostalgia with Cindy Lauper's "Time After Time," in a lovely slower piano ballad version (and Daniel jumped in on percussion right at the lyric "The drum beats out of time"- it was great!).  Marnie will showcase her work in a full set at the University Glee Club's "Afterglow" next Thursday, March 24th. After Marnie, Adam Shapiro returned with "When Will I Hold You Again?" by Barry Manilow (p.s. "soon" was Boris' answer...). Maureen Taylor, with Bill Zeffiro at the piano, sang "To Make the Boy A Man" from Goodbye Charlie, then Barb Malley (again with Mr. Zeffiro playing) sang "I Get Along Without You Very Well" by Hoagy Carmichael. Bill then stayed at the piano to sing his work, "The Final Daze," a song that should always be accompanied by something on the rocks. Stephen Wilde, again with Hey Guy backing him up, sang a full-bodied "Fake Plastic Trees" by Radiohead

Next, the second Janis Joplin song of the evening, "Piece of My Heart," was rocked out by Elaine St. George, and Sierra Rein sang Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich's rock comedy song "Fifteen Pounds (Away From My Love)." Marnie Klar returned to vamp through Tori Amos' "Leather" (imagine Betty Boop singing Tori Amos, sexy and cute!). Hey Guy grabbed their instruments and did two final songs for the end of the evening - the first, an amazing cover of late R&B singer Aliyah's "If I Let You Go." The second, the track "Let It Out" from their CD, was a great rock anthem, and the band encouraged the audience to sing in multi-harmony with the chorus - a fabulous, huge and totally rockin' sound to end the night on!

TONIGHT! Sunday the 13th, funny jazz lady Joan Crowe and uber-jazz pianist Dan Furman will co-host the evening. The theme is "Blues in the Night" so anything having to do with the night, the moon, the color blue, having the blues, or singing in the style of the blues will be great! But remember, off-theme material is always welcome too! See you then!

Tanya Moberly - "Black Dog"
Hey Guy and Stephen Wilde
Boris and Daniel
Tommy at the piano
Leo on bass

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Update from Producer Tanya Moberly - March 7, 2011

SALON, that unique, Bistro & MAC Award winning Weekly Open Mic Event created and hosted by Mark Janas returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 – on Sunday, March 13th from 7-10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is “Blues in the Night!”

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

Our Co-Host will be the Fabulous MAC Award winning Joan Crowe! Joan is appearing with Sue Matsuki and Splenda Mamas, her all "Hot Mama" band, every Friday 9pm-1am at PORT 41 - 355 West 41st St, NYC, 10019, 212-244-4408. For more information: www.joancrowe.com.

Our Guest Host/Pianist will be the Wonderful Dan Furman! Dan will be appearing with his trio on March 24th 7-11pm at Cleopatra's Needle - 2485 Broadway (at 92nd St), NYC 10025, 212-769-6969. For more information: www.danfurman.com.

There will be a $10 cash cover collected at the door by Blogette, Sierra Rein, and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further information visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141). There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open and sign up begins at 6:15pm with Etceterette, Arianna.

Salon continues every Sunday! (Except April 3rd & April 24th)

March 20th:
Theme: It's In The Stars
Co-Host: Maureen Taylor

March 27th:
Theme: The 8 Track to the ipod – Tunes On the Go since 1965
Co-Hosts: Marquee Five (Julie Reyburn, Mick Bleyer, Adam West Hemming, Sierra Rein & Vanessa Parvin)

April 3rd: NO SALON

April 10th:
Theme: It's a Country Thing
Co-Host: Roger Anthony Mapes

April 17th:
Theme: The Great Escape
Co-Host: Donna Coney Island

April 24th: NO SALON

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

Here's some important information about the Salon you should know. The Salon is an ongoing open entertainment event in which singers, writers and musicians share their talent with each other and audience members. We are currently enjoying our new venue, Etcetera, Etcetera where there is a $10 COVER (cash) AND a $15 FOOD/BEVERAGE MINIMUM (cash or credit). You may sign up to perform starting at 6:15 by seeing one the evening's 'Etceterettes' to fill out a card with your name, the name of your song, whether it's a ballad or an up tempo,(up tempos and comic songs are greatly encouraged!) and any upcoming events you'd like the co-host to announce. Please remember that we do not present performers in order of sign-up and, due to our time restraints and other variables, filling out a card does not guarantee you will perform, but we do our very best to get you up! It is usually a good idea to bring a few different song choices to avoid duplication. All types of material including spoken word are welcome at the Salon but please limit your selections to three or four minutes in length and please bring clear, complete charts for Mark to read. Sitting on the piano is not allowed, nor is flash photography. If you would like to add a (or remove your) name from our list, e-mail me at tanya@tanyamoberly.com

Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday, March 13th!

Thanks,

Tanya Moberly
Producer

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

The Salon Wrap-Up for February 20, 2011: "That's Historical!”

Miles Phillips

Hello Saloners! Took me a while to hit "post" on this blog entry - for some reason, I've felt a bit woozy ever since I hung out with James Franco backstage at the Oscars...

What occurred on February 20th at Etcetera Etcetera Restaurant was one for the history books, as the theme was "That's Historical!"  The co-host of the evening, who has a looooooong history with Mark Janas, was award-winning director and cabaret singer Miles Phillips!  Miles began the evening by singing "I Can't Tell A Lie" from Holiday Inn, and the lovely "Take Care of This House," sung by the character of Abigail Adams in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  Next, Mark Levy jovially reminded us of "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo," a song from 1892 France (probably the oldest song sung that night).  We then heard from beautiful voice teacher and performer Carolann Sarita, who heartfully sang through "A Way Back to Then" from title of show.  Richard Eisenberg then gave us a little history lesson about the clarification of when Washington's birthday actually was, then gave us a rousing rendition of his original piece "All Good Things Must Come to an End."

Newcomer Joel Harrington then came to the mic and, in a rich baritone, sang and dedicated the song "I Leave The World" from Good Time Charlie to his mother.  Then, one of Joel's voice students, Kelly Nowik sang "But Where Can We Go From Here?" with Joel at the piano.  Next, Stephen Hanks brought the Mayflower-themed Paul Simon song "American Tune" and Chris Kelley Karel sang "My Man's Gone Now" from Porgy and Bess.   Chris is excited to be shooting Episode 5 of a new web series "Sherry's Kitchen," in which she plays both the roles of "Connie" and "Tina."  We then got to hear from her husband, Chuck Karel, who is a Broadway Babe incarnate: he was in numerous Jerry Herman musicals on Broadway (Hello Dolly, Milk and Honey, Dear World), was in the Metropolitan and City Operas, and understudied Anthony Quinn in Zorba!  He graced us with a swinging "Rockabye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody."

Janice Hall, the songstress currently performing her Marlene Dietrich show for the "Musical Legends" series at Urban Stages, brought in Marlene's audition song for Blue Angel, "You're the Cream in My Coffee."  Then, Michael Colby sang "I Know Everybody's Business," a very cute lyric he wrote with Gerald Jay Markoe for Delphi or Bust. He's having several shows in June and July coming up, so keep an eye out for them!  We then were treated by Barb Malley, who switched from funny to poignant by singing Jacques Brel's "I Loved" - she'll soon be announcing her benefit performance for the Jackie Robinson Foundation soon.  To round out the final singers for the first act, we heard David Ballard (who was fabulous at Sue Matsuki's "People You Should Know" series on Saturday!) sing "Way Ahead of My Time," Erin Cronican flawlessly vamp her way through "A Call from the Vatican" (Nine), and Sierra Rein (me!) sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables (watch video) with composer/pianist Brian Allan Hobbs at the piano (FYI, my group Marquee Five is raising funds for a CD).

The Classical Corner with Mark Janas that night concentrated on the concept of how composers of yore would write "machines" of accompaniment to support the overlying main melody.  Leonard Bernstein once said of Sondheim that he was not merely a composer, but a writer of "perpetual machines" - these running machines can be heard supporting the music in Sweeney Todd, Company, Into the Woods and many others.  However, the inspiration for these compositional machines goes back throughout music history to include Franz Schubert (who was a genius according to Beethoven).  Schubert wrote machines to reflect the physical action of the subjects he wrote for, including the clip-clop of horses hooves, rushing water, or the spinning wheel of "Gretchen am Spinnrade."   Mark then asked opera singer Ivan Miller to sing through a section of Schubert's "Der Erlkönig (Elf King)," which required him to voice four different people, and Mark Janas to maintain steady 8th notes all the way through.  Ivan sang with a booming voice (no mic needed) in a fantastic baritone - it was magnificent!



Ivan Miller

After the break, Miles Phillips returned to sing a short set! First, he sang the theme-appropriate "Today is Tomorrow's Yesterday" (a song featured in Kevin McMullan's show "Twist of Fate," which Miles directed and which he is bringing back to the Beechman Theatre in April).  Then, he simply and beautifully sang "As Long as He Needs Me" from Oliver.  Next, he invited Raissa Katona Bennett to sing the duet "Too Many Mornings" from Follies.  Raissa stayed on stage as Miles introduced her husband, Dr. Garrett Bennett (co-Producer for The Salon), to the stage.  Garrett grabbed a microphone and sang the Raoul to Raissa's Christine in "All I Ask of You" (The Phantom of the Opera).  Garrett even included a whipping off of the glasses and a romantic dip of Raissa into a kiss!  Hearts were certainly a flutter and a lot of "awwwwww"'s were audible!

Producer Tanya Moberly (a special spot guest for the "People You Should Know" concert), was ever to reinterpret classic musical theater on her terms and sang the Medieval fable-made-history-based "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood" from Camelot.  Ross Lacy sang "On The Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady, and Joan Jaffe brought in an inquisitive piece from 1923 entitled "Red Riding Hood."  We then heard Lea McKenna-Garcia, a newcomer to Salon, who richly sang "It Never Was You," and Salon regular Elaine St. George performed the clever lyrics of "Napoleon" - Elaine's Ray Charles show "InspiRaytion" will return in April and May of this year!  Stephen Wilde energetically roused us with "Streets of Dublin," and painted each picture of what it felt like to be there.  To complete the evening, Miles Phillips returned to sing "Some Other Time" by Bernstein.

THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 6th - the theme is "ROCK ON!"  The co-hosts will be rock band Hey Guy, which features our very own sound engineer Tommy Shull!!! So wear your leather pants, bleach or tease your hair, and come in with your interpretation of what it means to ROCK!

PS! For our MAC members, please consider The Salon and many of our regular performers in the preliminary ballots! We appreciate it.

PPS....for anyone who's ever thought "What would it looks like if Mark Janas went back thru history to battle Nazis on a train?", here's your answer:


Burt Lancaster in "The Train"
-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.