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| Roger Mapes |
Barb Malley, sporting a great country-inspired vest and black skirt, sang "Walkin' After Midnight," popularized by Patsy Cline. Her tribute show to Brooklyn will soon take a main stage, so keep an eye out for information about that (which will benefit the Jackie Robinson Foundation). Mark Levy "misinterpreted" (ha ha) the theme to be "choose a country," decided that his country would be England, and sang Gilbert & Sullivan's "It you give me your attention" from Princess Ida...cheeky man! Kevin McMullan, returning to The Salon after a huge trip around the world, had been to enough countries to justify any song, but still sang "I'm Checking Out." He will soon be doing a live recording of his gypsy-band show "Twist of Fate" soon. Welcome back Kevin! You can read his online blog of all his adventures here.
Next, composer Brian Allan Hobbs sat at the piano whilst I, Sierra Rein, sang Brian's original country-inspired musical theater composition, with lyrics by Colin Ebeling and Kristin Hanggi, entitled "Gimme a Loser." This song was an all-Bruin event, as everyone involved once went to UCLA together...mmph years ago! After that, Katherine Burger sang Hank William's "I'm So Lonesome I could Cry," with Barbara Blatner playing piano. She is in the BMI workshop, with two musicals and a play, "Morphic Resonance," currently running and in development in Germany. We then heard from Arje Shaw, singing "Drifter," an original song that matched his low, lovely tones beautifully. His novel, "The Fix" will be released May 10th, and he will be signing copies of this at Borders in Columbus Circle on that day! Janice Hall - sorry, 2011 BISTRO AWARD WINNING Janice Hall - next sang "After the Glitter Fades" by Stevie Nicks. She is in developments for a new show made up of songs about Hollywood!
We then got a treat - Kathy Moberly (mama of Tanya!) then sat behind the piano and showed us her classical piano abilities! She played for visiting singer Maria Maas, who sang "Chianti-Lied", a tarantella operatic drinking song from Germany. Maria is from the Netherlands, visiting her son in New York, and was spritely and fun and had everyone raising our glasses by the end in a toast. Next, we heard Maureen Taylor, who sang the heartbroken "Wanting" from Rags, a song that fits the soul of Country music if not the style. To close out the first half, Sierra Rein (that's me) sang a bluesy version of Huey Lewis & the News' "The Power of Love," which is the closest thing to country I have in my book, and something that reflected the love that Roger Mapes always writes into his songs. My vocal group, Marquee Five, has been nominated for a MAC Award this year, and thanks to the generous donations of our friends, family, and Salon members, we will record our debut CD "8-Track Throback" this summer!
After the break, we heard distressing news that Roger had to be called away on an emergency! Luckily, though, his twin cousin, Yolanda Mapes, was nice enough to arrive and finish the evening. Now, Yolanda is very sensitive about her noticeable facial hair (she's starring as the Bearded Lady at the Carnal Carnival in Claxton, GA), so we were all very polite and thanked her profusely for her last-minute farewell performance tonight. Yolanda, who wore an adorable tutu and sparkly tiara, took up Roger's guitar and energetically sang "I'll Fly Away," which was known to most of the audience and allowed a huge multi-harmony singalong! She then sang a heartfelt and silly-dirty song, "The Only Thing Different," about heartbreak and having her man stolen out from under her. After Yolanda, Tanya Moberly sang "Nothin' Up," an angst-y Country song written for a 16 year old character...yet somehow Tanya put the adult spin on it!
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| Yolanda Mapes saves the evening! |
To complete the evening's joyous and heartbreak-filled Country-themed evening, Yolanda Mapes returned to "the church of Mark and Tanya" to sing a wonderful song "We Are Angels," a lullabye with awe-inspired lyrics ("We are angels and we're struggling' to be human" caught my heart immediately). Roger then explained to us how attending The Salon over the past few years gave him creative strength to get back on his songwriting feet and continue his artistic path...another Salon member success story! Yay Roger! Yay Yolanda!
NEXT WEEK! The Salon will NOT be at Etcetera Etcetera due to a private party - instead, it will be at SAN MARTIN, 143 East 49th St, NYC 10017, 212-832-0888, www.sanmartinrestaurantny.com. (7-10:30pm/sign up begins at 6:15)
The optional theme for the evening is “The Great Escape!” Palm Sunday (April 17th) is the annual opening day of Coney Island. Houdini, the great escape artist - came to fame, fell in love and married in Coney Island. Amusement park, boardwalk and beach all in one and all in Brooklyn. Bring in anything having to do with getting away/escaping/vacation/a change of scene/relaxing/enjoying!!!
Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.
Our Co-Host will be Charter Salon Member - Donna Coney Island! Well known for her Stage, Screen & Voiceover work, Donna portrayed Edna Ferber in “Talk of the Town”, a show about The Algonquin Round Table that ran in The Oak Room and was musically directed by Mark Janas. “Talk of the Town” - along with Mark, a grand piano, Donna and her fellow cast members - is directly responsible for the birth of Salon. We are thrilled to have her as our Pioneer Co-Host in this new venue that we are trying out.
$20 in cash will be collected at the door by Sierra Rein - ($10 for the cover charge and $10 to purchase a food/beverage ticket, covering the $10 minimum and redeemable toward San Martin's delicious drinks and snacks. Any additional food/beverage charges can be paid by cash or credit.) 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 Marnie Klar.
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| Mark Levy on stage |
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| Kathy Moberly at the piano |
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| Maria Maas |
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| Arje Shaw |
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| Janice Hall |
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| Elaine St. George |
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| Mark Janas |
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