Getting to Work

It has been a long time since the last post.  Very much like me to go through phases of retreat.  I really don’t know where it comes from or why it happens, but it usually leads to a big chunk of lost time.

The fog seems to be clearing which is a great thing because there is work to do.  Starting to learn lines for Unnecessary Farce, preparing for a few DC auditions and trying to get a little writing project off the ground.

Discipline goes out the window when these phases hit, though, and it’s hard to get down to it.  Hoping to make some progress tonight.

View From the Band

Sara Story as Patsy Cline

Haven’t had much to say on the blog lately. I’m playing fiddle and guitar in the band for the Patsy Cline show at Wayside Theatre. The reviews have been pretty good and it has been selling very well. Great news for Wayside, which is still feeling the crunch from the renovation.

It has been a gratifying challenge to be in the band. Patsy’s songs, which seem fairly simple and straightforward, are actually very difficult to play well. There is a musical precision necessary to create an uncluttered backdrop for Patsy’s vocals (I guess that means I should back off of the death-metal distortion pedal, eh?)

There’s nothing better than when we are all in the same groove, though. It’s easy and it flows and for a few brief, shining moments we can lean back and quietly be rock stars. Everyone should feel like that at least once in their lives.

[photo by Westervelt - from Warner Crocker's flickrstream]

Sale on G Strings

As a fiddler, I was delighted to see that an online music store called Wet Seal had a sale on G Strings.  I bought 10, but I’m not sure how to tune them.

Always Patsy Cline Is Open

We had a wonderful opening for Always Patsy Cline at Wayside Theatre in Middletown, VA on Sunday, July 13.  A triumphant return to the newly renovated space.

Some photos by John Westervelt, courtesy of Warner’s Flickr stream.

Thomasin Savaiano as Louise and Sara Story as Patsy Cline…

And the band

The Seats Are Here!

Wayside Theatre’s brand new seats finally arrived.  A day and a half late, but they arrived.  Here is a photo essay of the day courtesy of Artistic Director Warner Crocker.

3pm - The boxes arrive outside our door, almost reaching into the street.  Feverish loading begins.

6pm - The armrests are installed first into the pre-drilled floor (has sort of a sci-fi vibe going).

8pm-ish - The installation crew clearly know what they are doing and it is starting to come together.

10pm - The inaugural sit-down with Warner Crocker, Malia Arguello and David Artz’s neck.

The new seats are very comfortable.  And these probably won’t lose an armrest during a performance.  Yes, I am knocking on wood.

Where Are The Seats?

We are days away from opening Always Patsy Cline and our theater seats are still on the way. They were supposed to arrive on Monday. The workmen were there, but no seats. Standing room only!

The good news is that the Wayside staff had planned on this possibility so we still have a little wiggle room timewise. And apparently the electrical work is moving along really well. Still it makes the nerves quiver a little.

[Photo by imagemkr1]

Being In The Band

We have begun rehearsals for Always Patsy Cline over at Wayside Theatre. I am performing in the band for this show on fiddle and rhythm guitar.

Musically, we are already a pretty tight combo. We were already freely jamming on the first day! Now that we’re starting to dig in to the music we’re really starting to feel each other’s style.

The cast is just two female actors. Sara Story playing Patsy and Thomasin Savaiano playing Patsy’s friend Louise. It’s early in the process, but they already seem to be inhabiting the characters nicely. They are both very grounded and are still having a lot of fun.

It has been quite fun to just sit back and play music while somebody else talks for awhile! And we are all looking forward to getting back into our Middletown space again.

Looking forward to these next few weeks!

Back In The Proverbial Saddle

Hello!  Travels are done and there will be stories to tell.  That is for another post another time.

Today we start band rehearsals for the Patsy Cline show and I can’t wait to get back to work.

Some Traveling

I’m doing a bit of traveling so I probably won’t be blogging for the next week or so.  I hope to return to the keyboard after Monday, June 23rd.

But to make it up to you, here is an adorable picture of a puppy.  Enjoy this for the next week or so.

[special thanks to Mike & Rosemary for the picture of Darla]

Singing Elvis

I’ll be heading out of town tonight for a gig down in Stuart, VA with rockabilly band Johnny and the Vault Cats.

We’ll be performing an all Elvis show (Fifties-Elvis, not Seventies-Elvis) at the beautifully restored Star Theatre.

I’ll be singing back-up. Quite a lot of doo-wops and autistic repetitions (”That’s all right…That’s all right…That’s all right now mama), and it should be great fun.