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September 1, 2008 What was I looking for... oh yes - a
search engine! My site's now fully searchable! |
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August 6, 2008 I was honored to share the stage with Anton Chekhov (so to speak) as half of the evening's entertainment over at the Medicine Show Theatre on West 52nd Street, where Peter Tedeschi (one of the evening's organizers) presented "The Proposal," and then joined in with the ever-redheaded Donna Coney Island to 'trotsky' out several of my admittedly-not-at-all Russian songs (unless you count that one about the samovars). I feel justified in this somewhat unorthodox co-mingling, as I do after all share a name with a character in (the actually-Russian) "Anna Karenina". |
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June, 2008 I've just finished writing a new 15-minute musical jointly commissioned by the York Theatre and Marymount Manhattan College for their 5th annual 'Summer Musical Theatre Intensive' program. It's titled "Please Make Your Selection," and it's being directed by the Tony-nominated Charles Repole. |
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May, 2008 I'm pleased to be the first 'Featured Composer' at Jennifer Wren's (left) "Big Night Out" - the new open mic event she's hosting on alternate Thursdays at the equally new Broadway Baby Bistro, on West 53rd. Join me and a bevy of top-notch singers on Thursday May 22nd, beginning at 7pm! (Full details here...) |
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March 25, 2008 (2008 Song of the Year) for my song "Another Christmas"! April 6, 2008 I will be performing "Another Christmas"
with the wonderful Christianne
Tisdale (former 'Belle' in "Beauty and the Beast"
on Broadway) at the April 15th showcase of 2008 MAC Award song
nominees. (Song showcase info
link...) Alas, no luck at the MAC Awards tonight, but what I lose in - well, losing - I gain in my nominations-to-wins ratio, which now stands at a majestic 4-to-0. |
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March 1, 2008 Congratulations
to Marcus Simeone on his new CD "At Last" (title track
co-written by yours truly) being up for a CabaretHotline
Online readers choice award! The winners will be announced on March 31st! The results are in - congratulations Marcus, on scoring a spot on the winner's list! |
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March 24, 2008 The Algonquin Salon is back! Now officially presented by the famed hotel, the Algonquin Salon is impressario Mark Janas' weekly gathering of singers and writers which grew out of impromptu serenading by the cast of the show "Talk of the Town". It meets on Monday evenings from 7-10PM in the hotel's lobby lounge (home of the fabled literary roundtable), and there's never a cover or minimum (which fact Ms. Parker and company would surely toast!). |
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March 2, 2008 My song "The Olives of Regret" will be featured in the Wing & Drop Theater Co.'s upcoming (March, 2008) revue "ROADKILL (And Other Love Songs)" at The Triad Theater on West 72nd street. The show will be directed by Phillip George (Forbidden Broadway, Shout!). |
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January 24, 2008 I'm thrilled to have two new songs in the next installment of the Donnell Library's acclaimed 'Songbook' series this coming Tuesday, January 29th at 6:00 pm. My songs will be performed by Marymount College theater students Alfred J. Cote, Richard A. Derenzis, and Lauren Ashley Orlando. It's free, and you don't need tickets - so come check it out! Read Playbill.com's coverage here... |
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January, 2008 Former Mousketeer Lindsey Alley will be performing my (MAC-nominated!) song "Come Back for More" somewhere on the high seas this month in her cruise ship act... talk about travelling music! 'Key change - right ahead!' |
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I'm happy to have two songs ("That Time of the Year" and "They All Come Home" from the off-broadway revue "That Time of the Year") in the Arts & Artists at St. Paul's "Holiday Songbook" concert. Joining me will be Come Back For More's Florence Levitt, Little Women's Amy McAlexander, Back Home's Danielle Erin Rhodes, Toxic Audio's René Ruiz, Talk of the Town's Stephen Wilde, and The Heights Players Wild Party's Jennifer Wren, with your host for the afternoon, the irrepressible John Znidarsic! Concert details here... |
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That Time of the Year will be performed by Cabaret For Life at The Mill in Spring Lake Heights (New Jersey). |
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Singer Florence Levitt will be performing my song "They All Come Home" at the Barrow Group Theatre Company's 2007 holiday concert and reception. |
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The place was packed tonight for Marcus Simeone's CD release show at the Laurie Beechman theater in NYC, and a personal highlight for me were the backup vocals to "At Last" (the title track of Marcus debut CD, which I co-wrote) sung as they were by Emily Bindiger, who is that voice your hear singing the 'Trust Sleepy's, for the rest of your life.' TV ads! |
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You know, I always bring my camera, then forget to take pictures... but here are a couple of photos from the release event for Marcus Simeone's new CD (see September 20th, below) I did manage to snap. The event as well attended, and Marcus and musical director Barry Levitt did a great job as always. |
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Though I regrettably won't be able to attend due to a prior commitment, I'm nonetheless thrilled to be featured in John Znidarsic's October 30th "Tommorow's Broadway Today" concert at the Donnell Library, where Matt Mancuso will perform my song "Somewhere in this Song..." (details here) |
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 Tuesday October 10th, 6PM Release event at Barnes & Noble bookstore (Lincoln Center) (click for info) Fridays October 12th & 26th, 8PM Live shows with the Barry Levitt Quartet at the Laurie Beechman Theatre (click for info) |
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September
5 No StageNoise gold for me, though I was quite happy to be a finalist, and in some great company. You can read more here... August 30 Added this link to my interview with StageNoise.com's Tim Madden about being a finalist in their current Songwriting Competition... August 22 Having made the cut after more than 20,000 online votes, my song "Somewhere in this Song" is now an official finalist in StageNoise.com's first songwriting competition - many thanks to those whose votes helped get the song to this point! StageNoise's judging panel will now render their final decision in just a couple of weeks... and there'll be only one winner, no runners-up! August 7 My song "Somewhere in this Song" is now a semi-finalist in StageNoise.com's songwriting competition - and your votes will decide which songs proceed to the final round! |
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"Cat on a Leash" comes to Tokyo! More info here... |
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It's shaping up to be an International summer for me! First with performances in Japan, and now Australia, with down under theater website StageNoise's weekly podcast 'StageCast' featuring "Somewhere in this Song", which is currently an entrant in their new songwriting competition. Listen to the podcast to hear the song, and some very nice comments from the show's hosts. |
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See my contact page for more info... |
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My Japanese debut! On June 27th Maki Tsukada will be the special guest at a cabaret event in Tokyo where she'll be performing some of my material. Then in August she'll be performing her own full-length show, also in Tokyo... more on that to follow. In any event, it's the first time my songs will have been performed in Japan! If you crave more details, here's all the info (in Japanese, of course) and here's the website of the venue in Tokyo. Y'all stop by, now! |
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At long last, I've posted video from last month's (21st annual) MAC Awards on the site, specifically the performances in the show of my two nominated numbers. |
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There's a big USO show going on at the Fort Drum military base in upstate New York, featuring my song Higher Ground (written for them last year). The occasion seems particularly significant given the recent revelations concerning New Jersey's Fort Dix, to say nothing of the fact that the three soldiers currently missing in Iraq were stationed at Fort Drum. |
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Added some photos from the United Synagogue of Hoboken's "Casino Night," where I performed a set of material with the ever-controversial Donna Coney Island. The event was a blast, and featured some really talented local acts... |
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Photos from the 21st Annual MAC Awards. My personal highlights from the evening were of course the super performances of my two nominated songs by Julie Reyburn and former Mousketeer Lindsey Alley. I'll be getting video footage from the show soon, and hope to post something on the site shortly. |
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Donna Coney Island and I will be doing a set of my songs on May 5th at the United Synagogue of Hoboken - a 'Syna-gig' if you will - to complete the air of festive irreligiousness at their "Casino Night". Synagogue, indeed... |
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Here's the flyer for the upcoming 21st Annual MAC Awards to be held this May 1st... |
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I've received stereo MAC nominations! Read all about it, and hear the songs in their entirety, here... |
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I'll be performing an assortment of my songs this Friday May 18th, at the "Community Cabaret" series. Details here... |
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The original 2-disc recording of "That Time of the Year" is now available on iTunes via this link. This is a benefit recording made a few years back, the proceeds of which go to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Pediatric Cancer Research. A newer cast album from last December's York Theatre production will be released shortly, and will also be available on iTunes. Watch this space for details... |
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Well, it's in the can! The cast album for the 2006 York Theatre production of "That Time of the Year" was recorded yesterday in Studio A at Clinton Studios, and it sounds great! It'll still be some time of course before it's mixed and available for purchase, but watch this space... |
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Check out this amazing choir and orchestra recording of "Miracles Can Happen" (one of the numbers from "That Time of the Year"), as performed in concert by the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale this past December. They did a fantastic job, and it just sounds awesome. |
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The production photos from "That Time of the Year" are finally up on the site! They look great. |
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The cast of this past December's Off-Broadway production of "That Time of the Year" will be in the studio early next month to record the new cast album, which will be published by Jay Records. |
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Today's the last performance (2:30pm matinee) of "That Time of the Year" at the York Theatre Company. HOWEVER, with any luck the show will be in publication soon, and will spring up at countless (or at least countable) theaters across the land come next December. |
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Rob Lester wrote a very nice article about the York Theatre Company and "That Time of the Year," and was kind enough to cite "They All Come Home" as his favorite number in the show! The article also contains a couple of quotes from yours truly... (here's the article) |
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Pics from Pennsylvania's Meadville Community Theatre production of That Time of the Year! (click here) |
 December 20, 2006 |
"Though most of That Time of the Year was out to amuse - and was wildly successful at it - I was most impressed by a song that was - yes - bittersweet... ..."They All Come Home." The empty-nester told (to Nicholas Levin's excellent music) how [a grandmother] looked forward to her grown children returning for the holidays, along with their own children." (Peter Filichia - TheaterMania.com) |
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You must enter the code "YORK30" when prompted during the ordering process to receive this discount. ($20 Student tickets (with I.D.) are available for all of the show's previews/performances) |
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(Click here or on the image at left for the gallery...) |
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I was honored to share the stage with a plethora of talented writers and performers tonight, in John Znidarsic's "Discovered Treasures: Volume 3" concert. Click the image at left (or here) to read the press release for the concert. |
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Alas, no luck at the MAC awards last night. Do not weep for me, though - click the icon to the left to see the lovely ad which ASCAP ran in last night's program (the centerfold, no less!). |
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I have updated my guest book to a much more streamlined, user-friendly format, and have FINALLY been able to delete the spam that was littering it. There are still a few kinks to work out, but it's a vast improvement. Try it out! |
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I was interviewed today for the "Creative Conversations" webradio show. You can listen to the interview in its entirety here. |
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Posted some photos from the 22 Below Cabaret show this past Saturday night... |
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I'm thilled to be a 'Song of the Year' nominee in the 20th Annual MAC Awards. All of the nominated songs will be presented in concert on Thursday, March 23rd (2006) at The Iridium Jazz Club in New York, with 'special guest' songwriter Craig Carnelia. See the flier for the Iridium event here... | See a photo of Lynelle Johnson, my (superb) vocalist for the evening, here... |
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I was bowled over that Florence Levitt included no less than four of my songs in her John Znidarsic-directed show last night at Etcetera, Etecera. Accompanying her on the keys was "Tales of Tinseltown" composer Paul Katz, and a personal highlight of the evening was meeting the son of the late composer-actor Albert Hague, who wrote the music for (among other things) "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" |
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Posted some photos from recent get-togethers at the Algonquin Hotel of legend... |
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Added photos from 1.20.06 'Community Cabaret' here. |
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I'll be one of three songwriters presenting their material at Rachel Stone's 'Community Cabaret' event on January 20th (2006), and I'm thrilled to be having Donna Coney Island, Chris Gunn and Lynelle Johnson performing my songs. The show runs from 7pm until approximately 9:30, and will be held at 40 East 35th Street. Further info and on-line ticket purchasing can be found at http://www.hometown.aol.com/rsongbird. You can also see the flyer, and performer photos/info for the show here. |
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In addition to performing again today with the volunteer organization VocalEase, I'm pleased to announce that I'll be one of several songwriters performing their work at the '22 Below Cabaret', located at 155 East 22nd Street, between 3rd & Lex. (downstairs, hence the name) this coming March 25th, 2006. Details to follow... |
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I'll be performing three songs (including two brand-new Christmas numbers) in John Znidarsic's 2005 "Holiday Songbook" concert, this Sunday, December 11th, at the lovely Donnell Library Center, located at 20 West 53rd Street in Manhattan. Joining me will be broadway veterans Chris Gunn, Christianne Tisdale, and Melanie Vaughan. (Admission is free, and no reservations are required.) |
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Decorated performer Marcus Simeone will be performing my and Nan Selle's song "At Last" in his show at The Encore this coming December 4th & 5th (two nights only), accompanied by the Barry Levitt quartet. The show is being recorded for a special live CD, and I'm honored that "At Last" will be its title track. |
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I'm thrilled to be featured in John Znidarsic's "Composer's Songbook" series, at the Donnell Library here in NYC. Read all about the upcoming (September 27, 2005) concert here. |
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My and Nan Selle's song "At Last" will be sung by Forbidden Broadway's Valerie Fagan in the MAC/ASCAP Songwriters' Showcase (May 25, 2005) at The Lighthouse, 111 East 59th Street, New York City. |
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Donna Coney Island and I will be heading over to Jim Caruso's "Cast Party" tonight (September 13th) to perform my comedy-Country song "Rootin'-Tootin' (Teuton)." The show starts at 9:30pm, and is always worth catching, so check it out tonight, or some other Monday! |
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I
performed my song "Somewhere in this Song"
before an enthusiastic late-night crowd (as in 1:00am!), at Jim Caruso's "Cast Party,"
held every Monday at "Birdland," on West 44th Street. Earlier in the evening I was at Caterina's (directly across the street from where Regent's used to be) for their pre-opening party, hosted by Caterina herself, and Kelly Briggs, who was in fine vocal form for the evening. There's an open-mic there every Wednesday through Saturday, with piano accompaniment by Gregory Allen. |
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Read more about my recent experience as a participant in the 4th Annual "Mercer Weekend" held at the Sundance Institute... (This linked page is still under construction, but coming soon...) |
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Hearty congratulations to Marcus Simeone on his well-earned 2004 MAC Award for "Best Male Vocalist of the Year," for his show "Cat on a Leash." Way to go, Marcus! And I'm happy to have played some small part, vis-a-vis my title song for the show. |
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I'm thrilled to be presenting for the second time at the New York Sheet Music Society's annual "New Songwriter Showcase," (guess I'm still new!) on Saturday, May 8th, at the Women's National Republican Club (3 West 51st Street) in NYC. Donna Coney Island and I will be performing two songs - "Self-Taught," and the brand-new "Cappuccino." Please visit the New York Sheet Music Society website for further details. |
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My song "Cat on a Leash" will be performed by Marcus Simeone as he reprises his cabaret show of the same name for two nights only on March 14th & 21st (Sundays) at 8:45pm, with Bistro Award-winning musical director/pianist Tedd Firth and fleet-fingered bassist Marco Brehm. Danny's Skylight Room is located at 346 West 46th Street, NYC. Reservations and further info available by calling (212) 265-8133. |
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Donna Coney Island and I will be performing my comedy song "Rootin-Tootin' (Teuton)" at a fundraiser for The United Synagogue of Hoboken on March 20th, to be held at the posh Hoboken Elks Club. No joke. |
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I've added the **full** audio file of my song "Cat on a Leash," as sung by Marcus Simeone, to the site. Hear the song the legendary Julie Wilson dubbed "...worth the price of admission alone!" here. |
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It had been brought to my attention that some AOL users (and others) were having trouble seeing the (red) navigation buttons at the bottom of my site. After having slept with a circuit board under my pillow for a week, I believe I've finally solved the problem. If anyone's still experiencing any technical snafus however, please email me. |
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I will be performing three of my songs with Donna Coney Island ("Rootin'-Tootin' (Teuton)" / "Self-Taught") and Marcus Simeone ("Cat on a Leash") on January 23, 2004 in the "Community Cabaret - an eclectic musical evening," at 40 East 35th Street in NYC. The event runs from 7-9pm, and will feature a variety of talent including "The Chelsea String Band." Tickets (& further info) available here. |
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I'm thrilled to have my new song "Cat on a Leash" featured in cabaret sensation Marcus Simeone's new show of the same title. Performances are scheduled for November 6th & 13th (Thursdays) and November 7th & 14th (Fridays) with all shows beginning at 7pm, at The Duplex (call 212-255-5438 for reservations). |
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I have a new song in this October's limited run of the comedic revue "Now That You've Seen Me Naked" at the Sage Theater on Times Square. And no, it's not that kind of show(!) - just sketch comedy and songs. |
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Power's finally back on for me here in NYC, after the blackout. Nice to get back online! :-) |
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 My and Nan Selle's song Night
Train was presented before an enthusiastic crowd at the Sundance Institute's annual Mercer
Weekend. |
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Donna Coney Island and I will be performing my comedy country song Rootin'-Tootin' (Teuton) tonight, as part of singer Joan Crowe's "Gemini Jazz Jam" at "Ristorante Brunelli," located at 149 York Avenue at 75th Street, in NYC. |
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 I am pleased to have received a second "ASCAPlu$"
Award, this one for my writing activities in 2002. (See 6.28.02
below for more info.) |
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Donna Coney Island will be performing my comedy country song Rootin'-Tootin' (Teuton) on June 29th, as part of a corporate function for Stockmeyer North America at New York's Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, . |
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I will be performing my comedy country song Rootin'-Tootin' (Teuton) on May 30th, as part of Richard Skipper's "Carol's ArtsVan Benefit," at The Soho Playhouse in New York. (Full details/info here.) |
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Added an excerpt from my new song Night Train (lyric by Nan Selle) to the site. |
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Performed my comedy song "Self Taught" at an informal gathering at NY's Friar's Club. |
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I will be presenting three of my songs ("Dir ector's Cut," "Somewhere in this Song," and "Rootin'-Tootin' (Teuton)" at the New York Sheet Music Society's annual New Songwriter Showcase, on May 10, 2003, held at the Women's National Republican Club (3 West 51st Street) in NYC. Showtime is 1:45 pm. |
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Added an excerpt from my new Country song "Good to Be with You Again" (lyric by Dan Rustin) to the site. |
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 Last
december MAC (the Manhattan
Association of Cabarets and Clubs) organized caroling troupes
to visit all of the firehouses in Manhattan, as it did again
this year. I was happy to participate in both these events. Click
the icon to the left for a full-size photo of my caroling group,
with firefighters from one of the upper east side firehouses
we visited this year. |
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Made some minor navigational enhancements to the site. HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all, and HAPPY CHANUKAH too! |
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Added an excerpt from my new Country song "Who You Really Are" to the site. |
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In the studio today with Lisa Asher recording a demo of a new contemporary Country song. (See 10.13.02) |
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Donna Coney Island and I stopped by Brandy's Piano Bar, and performed my Comedy/Country song Rootin'-Tootin' (Teuton). |
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Added an excerpt from my new Comedy song "Self Taught" to the site. |
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 My song
Rootin'-Tootin' (Teuton) (a comedy number
about a German cowboy) was featured in a live Industrial entertainment
for DaimlerChrysler in New York this past week. |
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I am happy to have received an "ASCAPlu$"
Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers,
for my writing activities in 2001. This is a monetary award granted
for performance/publication of works in non-mainstream genres
such as Cabaret. |
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 On a totally non-musical note, if you will,
I submitted the winning entry to this month's Official
U.S. PlayStation Magazine "Caption Competition."
Each month, readers are asked to submit humorous captions to
accompany 'screenshots' from PlayStation games, and mine was
selected for issue #58. If anybody out there actually gets
OPM, it's on page 120 of that issue. |
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All He Does (Is Make Me Sing the Blues) - a jazz/cabaret song I co-wrote with (lyricist) Marcy Heisler - will be performed in Theater Resources Unlimited's annual fundraiser, this year titled "TRU Faces of 2002". The event will take place on June 24, 2002, and will be held at NYC cabaret venue Don't Tell Mama. |
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Did a bit more tweaking to the site: - Added MP3s of all song/music clilps - Added a pretty decent (IMHO) page to help in playing back the clilps on the site. (UPDATE - that page is now offline, as most folks now know how to access audio on the 'Net.) - Added vocalist credits for each song clip, where applicable |
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Did a bit of tweaking to the site: - Clicking on "NicholasLevin.com" on any page will now take you to my home page - New navigation button styles have been instituted - Buttons have been added to allow moving back and forth between visited pages (via JavaScript) - Reformatted this News page |
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Minnesota tenor Paul Greene will be performing my cabaret ballad "Somewhere in this Song" in his April 13th, 2002 recital featuring - alongside classical tenor arias - a selection of contemporary cabaret music. |
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I stopped by Jane Scheckter's pied-à-terre yesterday to hear her run through my cabaret songs "You've Come to the Right Place" and "Somewhere in this Song" with musical director Tedd Firth at the piano. They'll be performing them in Jane's new show at Danny's Skylight Room in May. I was bowled over by the jazz inflections they brought to both songs, and I encourage everyone to visit the preceeding Danny's link (as May draws nearer) to obtain info on performance dates & times, for what's likely to be a highly entertaining show. |
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 The toll-free number
is up and running! I can now be reached from anywhere in the
U.S. (incl. Alaska/Hawaii) & Canada for phoning or faxing.
See my contact
page for details. |
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A toll-free number will be in place to reach me for any and all matters, including faxing, beginning mid-January, 2002. The number will be listed on the contact page once it's fully functional. |
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I upgraded my main computer's memory to 1 Gigabyte. This is good. |
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 (this is a flier about the showcase; click to see full-size) |
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I've created a page relating to the software sampler Unity DS-1.  A free download is available of an octave-and-a-half metal xylophone that I sampled myself. It really works! |
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NEW! A visitor's 
has been added to the site! |
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 http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=209557690&s=143441 (A newer cast recording will also be available sometime in mid-late 2007...) The show is now also available on DVD! See the show's website, That Time of the Year.com for more! |
My song 
