A conversation about art and other good stuff between Jack White and Conan O'Brian

I spent some down time yesterday listening to this conversation between Jack White and Conan O'Brian who are both bright, talented and who excel at their crafts.  I love an opportunity to learn from the masters and was interested to hear what these fellas had to say about the creative process.  It's a long conversation but something you can have on in the background as you do the dishes. Sitting down with their drinks, this is more a conversation between friends, comfortable and joking around, than an interview. I appreciate how candid and vulnerable they are with each other and their thoughts. It doesn't matter if you are a musician, a comedian, a painter, a writer, or for that matter, anyone trying to bring something to life and share it with others, there are universal truths and connections here for all of us who are creating something. Topics of conversation include back and forth dialog about work, talent, vision, authenticity, success, women, religion, the performer/audience relationship, Bob Dylan, upholstery and the number three.

I bought the newest album, Blunderbuss, by Jack White in July on my first outing with Kaz a couple weeks after he was born. It's been played on regular rotation in my car and it really is a good record. This is my favorite song on the album more for the sound then the lyrics. A great saloon style piano meandering around loud electric guitars with cool chord progressions. And a guitar solo only as Jack White could play it, edgy and loud ... Love it!  Go ahead and have listen...

Kayah and Bregovic...A musical treat with Polish and Balkan flair.

It's leap year, it's snowing outside, I just finished a grilled cheese and cup of tea, and I'm about to head over to my studio in the room next door to begin painting the three new drawings I made earlier this week. February is coming to a close and now off towards March and springtime!

So, why not celebrate with a song? My friends Razvan and Eleana introduced me to an album,Kayah and Bregovic, a couple of years ago and I've been listening to it a lot in my studio while I work lately. Goran Bregovic, born in Sarajevo, is a famous musician who is inspired by the music of the Balkans and Kayah is a very successful, Polish singer/songwritier. Here the two pair up for what became a wildly popular Polish album in 1999. The lyrics, music and video to "Prawy Do Lewego" are fun and entertaining, telling a story about what happens during a rowdy wedding on a boat. 

 

"Prawy do lewego"

W dużej sali duży stół
There is a big table in a big hall
A przy nim gości tłum
There are a lot of quests at the table
Gospodarz zgięty wpół
The host bend in an half *
Bije łychą w szklankę
Is hitting a glass with a spoon

Cisza chciałbym toast wznieść
Quiet! I'd like to make a toast
Jak można to na cześć
If it is possible in honour of
Ojczyzny w której wieść przyszło życie nasze hej
Our homeland in which we lead our life

Racja brachu
You are right my brother **!

(Więc) wypijmy za to
So drink up for that !
(A) Kto z nami nie wypije
[B]And who won't drink with us
Tego we dwa kije
We will took him into two sticks ***
Prawy do lewego
Right one to left one
Wypij kolego
Drink up mate !
Przecież wiemy nigdy nie ma tego złego
We all know that it never happend any bad things...***

A na stole śledzik był
There was herring on the table
Zobaczył go pan Zbych
Mr Zbych saw it
I pojął dobrze w mig
And he figure out in a second
Że śledzik lubi pływać
That the herring likes to swim****
Wstał by nowy toast wniesć
He gets up to make another toast
Za rodzinę świętą rzecz
In honour of family which is a holy (blessed)
No i teściowych też
And in addition for mother-in-law too
Rodzina to jest siła!
Because the family is the power !

Racja brachu..........
You are right mate...

Dzisiaj młodzież już nie ta
The young people of today are not the same (as in the past)
Użalał się pan Stach
Mr. Stach was complaining
Lecz machnął ręką tak
But he waved his hand so hard *****
Że wylał barszcz na panią
That he spill beetroop soup on a lady

Nic to jednak przecież bo
There is nothing to warried, isn't it ?
Sukienkę można zdjąć
She can take off the dress
A toast wznosi ktoś Za dobre wychowanie
But the toast is rising for good manners


Racja brachu.........


Pana Kazia kolej to
This is Mr Kazik's turn
Więc krawat ściągnął bo
So he take off his tie
Przecież postarza go
Because the tie makes him look older
I choć był już na bani
And although he was already drunk

Bez pomocy z gracją wstał
He stand up with a grace
Jąkając się dał znak
Stuttering, he made a signal
By wypić teraz za
To drink now for
Balony pani Mani
Mrs Mani's boobs

Racja brachu............

True Love Grows

Happy Valentines Day! I hope your day is spent doing something you love, treating yourself to something special and spending time with loved ones. I hope you enjoy some chocolate too!

I just finished this new gouache painting, "True Love Grows" this morning. I wanted to post it as my Valentine's Day card to you.

And now a song by Nina Simone that came on as I was painting this piece. It perfectly fits with my idea for the painting and the title of the piece...

True love seed in the autumn ground.
True love seed in the autumn ground.
Where will it be found?

True love deep in the winter white snow.
True love deep in the winter white snow.
How long will it take to grow?

You know true love buds in the April air.
You know true love buds in the April air.
Was there ever a bud so fair?

True love blooms for the world to see.
True love blooms for the world to see.
Blooms high upon the July tree.

. 

"Truth"

To TRUTH both personal and universal.... 

Here is a brilliant song with brilliant lyrics. I can't seem to stop listening to it. It was my anthem this summer while abroad. It seems so timely now, personally in my life, as I slowly struggle to realize my goals and the shadows I face within myself on a daily basis. 

There is a calling out and a need for truth in the world we live in today. I'm amazed and inspired by the activity and demonstrations on Wall Street. Truth, expression...things need to be said, come out in the open and be expressed. I stand in support with the 99%.

The message is universal and always timely...

"Because
Light's blinding
No way dividing
What's yours or mine when everything's shining
Your darkness is shining
My darkness is shining
Have faith in ourselves
Truth."
           - Alexander

A Hungarian Song: Mindig az a perc a legszebb

My friend Laci has been teaching me this Hungarian song, Mindig az a perc a legszebb. It's a beautiful and melancholy melody about longing. Longing for the kiss and the beauty that escapes, that eludes, that one dreams of...

Fortunately the melody comes easily ...the lyrics not so easy. The Hungarian language is so difficult for me to just pronounce and even mimic with fourteen different vowel sounds and strange letter combinations like "gy" making a sound that doesn't seem at all familiar to my English speaking ear or to my mouth. Polish is a hard language but Hungarian makes Polish seem like it will be easier to learn in comparison. With Laci and with my cousin's husband, also Laci, I am learning a handful of songs I can practice and I can try to learn to pronounce the words.  All songs are in minor keys and heart wrenching... my favorite kind of song.

The singer here is Katalin Karady, a famous and very beautiful Hungarian actress and singer who appeared in 20 movies prior to WWII. Both tragic experiences and examples of human goodness are a part of her life during the war years. She was in prison for 3 months where she was beaten and tortured. She was rescued and was in bad shape for awhile. However she did remain strong and went on to rescue numerous families who were waiting to be shot by the Arrow Cross guards on the bank of the Danube. After WWII she became more and more disregarded as a star and moved abroad to various countries spending most of her later life in Brazil then later to New York where she died in 1990.

"Glad Man Singing"

...another song about a river running wide.  Love this song by Iron and Wine.  It's captured me. There is just something about the grove, the synth, the piano, the vibraphone and harmonic whoo's.  It's a a great song for the long, warm days. Enjoy and happy summer to you all!

Lilac Wine

It's that intoxicating time of year again...

My senses are filled with sweet and heady scents, colors and feelings during these misty spring days.  I think I'll go cut a bouquet of Lilacs to bring in the house right now.  I'm off to sing and make music with friends tonight and as always, I'm thinking about music... "Lilac Wine" is a song I sing with Josh from time to time.  I love Nina Simone's elegant version. 

When in Boston...

Last weekend I spent two and a half full and lovely days with my friend, Kate in Boston.  Although it was cold,  you couldn't have asked for a sunnier and more brilliant weekend. 

I was saying in a previous post that Kate is my dream museum companion.  Usually I prefer going to art museums on my own so I can take things in with out feeling any responsibility for the passage of time and other's interest or lack of.  After putting in a good half day at MASSMOCA last December with Kate,  I realized she is "the one" for me when it comes to museum companionship.  That said, I thought we'd spend some time in Boston's art museums.  We had every intention of doing so and going to the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston.  We even spent a half hour or so sitting and talking in the ICA building's outdoor amphitheater admiring this view.  

Something else was in the cards for us last weekend.  We ended up shopping, eating, talking, walking, drinking and being decadent girls together.  What fun!

Here's a view as we walked around the South End of Boston which is home to Kate's art studio.  One highlight of the weekend was treating ourselves to a late day cocktail at one of the best cocktail bars I have ever been to called DRINK in Fort Point.  I had a Cuban:  rum, mint, lime juice and champagne served in a champagne glass. 

 

Friday evening we met up with Kate's husband, Jeff and headed back to their sweet apartment in the South End.  Another guilty pleasure turned out to be listening to Pandora's "Sweet Freedom" radio station which played all the songs that got stuck in our heads back in the late 1980's...Micheal Mcdonald, Stevie Winwood, Tears for Fears...nice.  That night Indian food, good conversation and ice cream sundays were on the menu.

The next day we decided to walk off our food hangovers so we headed out and over to Boston Common where we made friends with this magnificent Redwood tree. 

After a bit of nature it was time for a bit of shopping.  These cuties waited patiently for their humans and drew a crowd of people "awwing" out on the sidewalk of Newbury Street. 

Here's a confession... Kate and I spent a considerable amount of time in Sephora at a mall (gasp) in town smelling and spritzing our selves with perfume.  I don't know what came over us...I don't even wear perfume!  It was a huge treat to bask in the possibilities that lie in something new...  a new scent, a new sparkly make-up color, a new way of being.  In a way,  I felt like I was at the movies but instead of sitting back in a dark room watching a life or story pass by on the screen I was living vicariously through the newness of all the items and objects we looked at, touched, tried on and smelled.  We walked and walked from one place to another looking, touching, smelling.

We never made it to the ICA that afternoon either...we were worn out from all the eye candy, new scents and walking.  Instead we had cups of Chai tea and rested our weary feet and heads in Jeff's office which he offered as a haven for us to collect ourselves and our senses after the day's escapades.

Saturday night I had a date to meet a friend and pianist, Andy Lantz, at The Club Cafe piano bar.  We arranged for me to sing a handful of songs with his accompaniment.  Kate, Jeff and I had cocktails and some food and soaked in the warm atmosphere and the great playing of songs from the American songbook.  I had such a nice time singing with Andy and found it a treat to sing some jazz material with just piano accompaniment and a wonderful pianist.

 zzzzzzzzzz

The sun rose to a new day and after oranges and coffee on Sunday morning we headed over here...

... to Kate's amazing art studio.  She shares a great space where she has room to spread out and work on her oil paintings and charcoal creations.  I LOVE her work and where it is going.  The lines, depth, values and colors create organic worlds which for me conjure up nervous system pathways, kelp sea forest, seed shapes, the circulatory system, feathers, hair...  they seem to be both micro and macro points of view and abstractions.  Here are a few more peeks of her space and her artwork.  Her website is being developed as I write this and will be up in a few weeks.  I will post a link to it in the future when it is up and running. She gave me a preview look at the website and it looks great.  I can't wait to share it with you so you can see her and her work in a more professional light. 

Thanks Kate, Jeff, Andy and Boston for a wonderful weekend!

Jonathan Richman

I saw Jonathan Richman a little over a week ago at the Pearl Street ballroom in Northampton.  He is one of my hero's and I think that the snippet below, written by Mr. Valania from the Philly Inquire, quickly sums him up in words better than I can.  Below is a song for you to check out and pretty much expresses the magic Jonathan Richman represents in a nutshell...innocence, sincerity, playfulness, creativity, expressive and lovely. He is a diamond in the rough. 

A charming, disarming, hope-filled minstrel

By Jonathan Valania

For The Inquirer

If Jonathan Richman didn't already exist, we would never have thought to invent him, which is a testament to his originality and to the shortcomings of our collective imagination. For more than 35 years, Richman has been a tireless advocate of hopeful romanticism, rugged individualism, and unyielding optimism, traveling the world like some postmodern Jimmy Stewart with a guitar, telling anyone who would listen that, despite all the hard-bitten cynicism that surrounds him, it's still a wonderful life.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20110303_A_charming__disarming__hope-filled_minstrel.html#ixzz1Fal41VOW
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Soul

 "And like the sky my soul is also turning."

                                                                            - Ray LaMontagne

I've been having this feeling...just didn't know how to attach words to it.  In nine words Mr. La Montagne sums it up so poetically and perfectly.  Our souls are turning, moving, changing color, becoming light and dark.  The soul is vast, infinite and full of worlds and stars.

I want to share this song with you although it doesn't contain the above lyric.  The sound is Joni Mitchell meets Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and is wonderfully written and sung by Ray LaMontagne here in the 2010's.  It's a song about a soul longing to break free.

The Winter Party at the "Brush Club"

Two weeks ago the Winter Party took place at Sean and Steve's transformed work studio.   The space became a swanky 1930's style music club for an entire evening where around ninety guests were entertained by a group of musicians and a rotating selection of singers performing Cole Porter's music.  I loved that most of the guests played along and decked themselves out in evening jackets and cocktail dresses.  What a special and romantic way to spend the Saturday evening before Valentine's Day. 

I'd like to share some memories and pictures with you since the event was such a highlight for me, creatively and musically, this winter.  I only wish I have some recordings to share with you as well.  So here we go... the following is a visual stroll along with my memories of a magical event created by a group of inspired folks.

Our hosts, Steve and Sean, are the ones who are responsible for envisioning, organizing and creating a platform for these special, themed winter parties.  Steve, using his great eye, created the scene with a sparkly "Brush Club" sign (he said he used five pounds of glitter!), thoughtful lighting, specially designed invitations and show bills.  Sean picked out and arranged the Cole Porter music.  He also gathered and rehearsed a talented group of musicians and singers to bring to life an evening's worth of entertainment.  A number of friends contributed their energy towards a full bar, good food and colorful flowers.  Sean and Steve called the venue "The Brush Club" because their studio is in the Arts and Industry Building, in Florence, MA, which was once a huge toothbrush factory!

 

The stage is set and the musicians gather to begin playing.  Andy Lantz warms up the crowd, twinkling the keys of the piano with his selection of songs.  The Studio 358 Orchestra pick up their instruments.  We have Mike Pfeiffer on upright bass, Jared Libby on electric guitar, Chris Cappello on drums, Yanko Sheiretov on clarinet, Josh Relin on violin and Andy Lantz and Sean Mallari taking turns on the piano.  What a talented group of musicians (and they look great too)!

PJ Helmuth starts off the singing portion of the night with "It's De-Lovely."   He's a class act in his tux with arms raised as he delivers the end to the song.

 

I take the stage for the next song, "Let's Do It," in one of my costumes for the night complete with Darlene's mink and Heather's pearls.  All night long I got to relive the fun I had as a little girl dressing up in costumes to sing and dance.  I find that it's even more fun getting to dress up and perform as an adult! 

 

Whew, the mink is getting hot and it's time to switch gears for my next song.  It's time to "Begin the Beguine." I really like singing this one.  Melody wise, it is the most challenging of all the songs I sang and Sean's arrangement brings a sultry, slow, tropical quality to the music.

Heather Cupo becomes reflective as she asks herself "What Is This Thing Called Love?"

PJ Helmuth, Hank Bingham and I finish out the first part of the show.  Unfortunately, my photographer doesn't capture shots of everyone's performance.  I may get some more shots of the night and if I do I will add photos in the future.  "Let's Misbehave", "I Love You" and "Easy to Love" were performed by PJ.  Hank did a great rendition of "Night and Day".

 

 

Here I'm singing "Love For Sale" ... need I say more?

 

Friends and guests enjoy the show from their candlelit, red clothed tables.

The second part of the night is just as much fun as the first.  I sing "Anything Goes"and "Every Time We Say Goodbye" in my red polka dotted dress.  

I wish I had more pictures because Sean Mallari, Darlene Stone Adair, Hank Bingham, PJ Helmuth and Heather Cupo sing a whole bunch more songs...  "Just One of Those Things", "All Through the Night", "You're the Top","True Love", "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" and "In the Still of the Night."

"Experiment" and "So In Love"  are personal favorites of mine.  For "Experiment" Sean gets all professorial with glasses and tweed jacket.  "So In Love" has glorious three part harmonies sung by Sean, Hank and PJ.

Here's my husband, Josh, dressed to the nines with a top hat.  I'm relaxing and enjoying a scotch and soda after a night of performing.  I don't think the night could have been more fun.  Well, maybe if you were there too!  Cheers!

Tree Top Dance, Wild is the Wind

The wind pulled me from my dreams this morning.  I woke up, poked my head over the pile of pillows and peaked out the window to see the tree tops dancing in the wind.  How flexible and strong trees are!  Trees are a muse of mine; how I look up to trees.  Strong, rooted deep and grounded, flexible and bending to the wind and weather with grace even when the gusts whip their tops about, giving off life sustaining oxygen, creating beautiful green leaves that shade against hot sun, giving us so much valuable and sturdy timber to build with and energy to warm our homes and cook our food.  They take in the sun, the rain, the minerals, CO2.  The yellow birch, pictured above, lives on my land.  It is one of my favorite trees and I visit it from time to time.  It's a living, breathing, strong being that gives, takes and is what it is.  It is one of the oldest trees on our land.  When I woke up this morning I was thinking about this tree, where it stands next to a trickling, musical stream out back in the woods, bending, blowing and dancing in this wind today. And this song:  Wild is the wind...

A Cole Porter Singing Day

Today is going to be a singing day.  I have a rehearsal coming up this afternoon that I'm really looking forward to.   Lately  I've been writing a lot about snow, visual art and the creative process but have neglected to share things about my musical side.  My intention when starting this blog was to write about my creative life so now it's time to balance out the visual with a little sound.

I was asked this fall to sing a collection of Cole Porter songs for a cabaret themed Valentine's Party.  My friend and his partner put on excellent themed parties centered around live musical performance.  They transform their large studio space into whatever environment fits the theme of the party.  My friend picks and arranges the music and gathers many musicians to collaborate and partake for the sheer fun of it!  I can't wait for this year's party!  The space will be transformed to a 1940's style cabaret with rich fabric curtains, tables, drinks, candlelight, art and music.

I've really enjoyed this new and different musical project for a number of reasons. Up until now  I haven't really sung Cole Porter's material and have only dipped my toes into jazz singing and musical theater.  I love new experiences and learning so this project has been perfect.  Also,  I've been nervous about memorizing all the lyrics and pulling off the material in performance because some of the songs are so wordy and tell a story... like "Let's Do It" and "Anything Goes". I have it though, I know the lyrics and it only took a few weeks of consistent repetition to feel like they are really up there in this brain of mine.  I love working with a new group of musicians and singers and enjoy the comradery and team work that's involved with getting ready for the performance.  Finally, I get to dress up for the part...which to me is great fun!  It's all about make-up, clothes, and transforming myself into a sultry cabaret singer.  I found a great evening gown at a thrift store for 10 bucks!  ...and it fits like a glove....I just can't eat any extra helpings of ice cream or mexican food if the zipper is going to go up without a hitch on February 12th.

So far, my favorite songs that I will be singing that evening are "Begin the Beguine", "Love for Sale" and this one as done by the great Ella....  enjoy.

Night Light in NYC

 

 

I do not have a lot of words to share today...just pictures of sparkly winter light taken this past weekend in NYC.  The approaching full moon makes an appearance and gives it's reflection of light, peaking over and in between tall buildings and lighted trees.  Tomorrow is winter solstice, the full moon and a lunar eclipse.  It is a big day to celebrate indeed.

Mountain Man

Mountain Man, a trio of three  beautiful young women, were a unexpected treat and a highlight of my festival experience and I want to share them with you.  They and their voices in harmony (with simple guitar at times) were an authentic breath of fresh air that literally brought tears to my eyes.  I bought their cd, Made the Harbor to take with me so I can try to recreate the magic moment of hearing something so sincere. Go hear them if you ever see that they are in your neck of the woods.

Solid Sound Festival, curated by WILCO

I've been wanting to write about my experience at the Solid Sound Festival two weekends ago but having house guests during the festival then leaving for a whirlwind vacation during the last day totally made it hard for me to sit down and write my thoughts.  I'm home and it's a rainy day.  I can reminisce now.

The festival was unlike any music festival I've ever been to because it was SO multidisciplinary.  It was not just about music.  It was a festival of the arts.  I loved that at any given moment during the program there were so many choices to witness.  It was hard to chose what I wanted to be a part of and I wish I could have been omnipresent and taken it all in.  The galleries at MassMOCA were open for viewing, there were comedy performances, live music performances, live theater, puppetry, special workshops given by some members of WILCO, specially selected movies to view, good food and lots of drinks to choose from.  

For two days I was a part of something big, yet accessible, connected and thought out and I liked that.  I felt like I was living and breathing the arts and I enjoyed being part of a bigger thing that made available the witnessing of other artist's ideas, talents, energy and creativity.  

Usually music festivals are so predictable.  You walk around from stage to stage, pushing through crowds of people, trying to take in different acts and maybe in between musicians and group performances you grab a beer or a bite to eat.  Solid Sound was totally different.  The campus of Mass MOCA was our playground for the entire weekend.  We could be inside one of the redesigned, old industrial buildings, outside at the dining and drinking patio, we could be in a myriad of industrial courtyards with colorful lighting, interesting textures and sculptural installations, there were indoor state of the art performance theaters, an outdoor movie screen, outdoor stages and one big grassy field with a big stage for the headlining acts, Mavis Staples and WILCO. 

Personal highlights for me were....

...seeing Kristen Schaal's live comedy.  I laughed so hard during her last skit I was crying. 

...Mountain Man's exquisite set of three part harmony singing (more to come on them later)

...viewing WILCO's poster art in one of the gallery spaces

...unexpectedly walking past John Stirratt (bassist for WILCO) twice early Friday evening 

...witnessing Mavis Staples own the stage with such grace and power

...being about 20 feet away and dead center in front of Jeff Tweedy during WILCO's killer, over 2 hour long, set.  They put on a fabulous show.  I was thrilled to witness what monsters/masters Nels Cline (electric guitar) and Glenn Kotche (drums) were on their instruments.

THANK YOU WILCO FOR A FESTIVAL LIKE NO OTHER!  I hope you do it again next year!

Here are some photo's from Friday evening before it got dark and the space filled up with people:

 

The Raconteurs "Old Enough"

The other day my friend asked me "If I could see any musical artist, who would I want to see?"  I have too many "want to sees"..., but The Raconteurs came up as one of my answers.  I was lucky to see them open for Bob Dylan a little over three years ago.  They were real good!   And real loud.  I didn't know what I was in for....we were watching the opening band and I was like, "Josh, that's Jack White!"  I hadn't heard of this "super" group up until that night.  What a great surprise.  I've always really admired Jack Whites playing and artistic flair.

I've been digging this song by the Raconteurs called "Old Enough".  It's on heavy rotation on my local radio station.  Only the version they're playing features Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe.  It's a great song with Skaggs on the mandolin and vocals and Monroe singing a great female lead/harmony part.   The song has an old time feel but great dymnamics and a great arrangement.

So I went on the Raconteurs myspace page today and watched this video. It's their version...I assume pre Skaggs and Monroe.  I REALLY like their arrangement here.  I miss Monroe's female vocals but other than that I think they've really welded two musical styles: bluegrassish country and good, hard electric guitar &organ rock n' roll.  I love their harmonies too. 

Enjoy!

The Raconteurs "Old Enough"

The Raconteurs | MySpace Music Videos

Hay Unos Ojos

Some songs just rip your heart out...  Linda Ronstadt's Spanish style records are next on my list to look into when I get back to Turn It Up, the local record store.

For this song, Hay Unos Ojos, they've got the musicians, the atmosphere, her costume, makeup and hair all perfect.  She brings it up a whole level when she sings in such a heartfelt way.

What you once were isn't what you want to be anymore.

"What you once were isn't what you want to be anymore."
This line has been going through my head for awhile now and rings true.  Sometimes we need to change:  reinvent ourselves and who we are in the world.

"Something's in my veins, bloodier than blood."

--------------
Ok, so here's a cool connection.  WILCO is putting on a music festival this August called "Solid Sound Festival" at a very special place I recently posted about...  Yes, you guessed it - MassMOCA in North Adams, MA.  This is happening right in my neck of the woods and I couldn't be more excited!  I hope to go, you want to come?  Here's a link to the event with info.
http://www.massmoca.org/event_details.php?id=553

South Pacific Party

The South Pacific themed party I wrote about in a post a little over a week ago took place this past Saturday night.  It was such a fun evening spent with lots of interesting, talented and creative people.  I believe that most guests and performers felt that our host, Sean,  performed a minor miracle.   He transposed, arranged and conducted all of the songs from the musical. He also enlisted a variety of friends and performers who wanted in on the action to perform the songs and make them come to life in a very real and vibrant way.  Sean gathered players from the Holyoke Civic Symphony and we all enjoyed having a pit orchestra (seriously!) create an authentic musical atmosphere...there was a harpists, flutists, violinists, bass players, drums, clarinet, and basson!

Members of the old time country band Appalchain Still played "Dites Mio" which lead into a gut bucket version of "Filet Gumbo".  They also backed me up on my solo number, "Honey Bun",  and did a great job.  I got to dress down as a navy sailor at the beach with aviator sunglasses, dog tags, sailor's cap, tank top, boots, green military style jacket and cut off jeans and sing about my "One hundered and one pounds of fun"!  

Some members of Boston's Gay Men's Choir formed the "Navy" chorus and performed "Nothing Like a Dame".   A bunch of us women singers came together to form the "Nurse's" chorus and sang "Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair". 

Sean and Steve transformed their studio in the arts and industry building into a Bali Hai like tropical delight.  Every detail was thought of and they both created a wonderful atmosphere for an original party.  I love witnessing how their vision and hard work made all these disparate strings and pieces come together and form such a memorable night of entertainment.   The Guava and Rum punch was fantastic, the leis looked so festive and all in all this party was a truly great way to celebrate the start of spring.