Additional reporting by Stephen Tortora-Lee

Mini Fridge was a qualified success this year, with seven shows and seven ways to beat the heat, be dazzled by a variety of entertainers and cross your fingers in the hopes that some of these great shows will be returning bigger, better and badder.  Hopefully you read the Elevenses so you had your pre-show snack  … and even more hopefully you caught some of the ‘fridge.  But if you didn’t, here’s what was in that tiny box (besides beer of course!) —

Bare.  Stripped down and honest, in your face and not making any excuses, Bare. was a riviting collaboration between paired teams of burlesque performers and seriously stimulating storytellers.  The idea was to deliver stories which were uncomfortable for everyone –  audience and performer alike.  But sometimes what gets revealed in the uncomfortable moments is actually more familiar than we’d like to admit, and Bare. offered the unique opportunity to experience something difficult in the universally safe environment of theatre.

It was the juxtaposition of unveiling while weaving – taking away while creating – salty and sweet: the best use of your senses. The result was unconventional and groundbreaking.  Issues included having sex for the first time, initial attraction to girls and one memorable performance which was the reenactment having a hymen broken. This was sensuality and strangeness … all living up to the straightforward title and leaving nothing hiding undercover.

The intention is for Bare. to go on from here; three more performances are in the works: September, November and capping off with a final show in December. For those interested in a REALLY different set of circumstances, the September show will feature a switch up: the burlesque performers will write the stories and the writers will strip down.

Curated and hosted by Peter Aguero this special Mini Fridge volume starred Adam Wade, Sarah Jenness, Diana Spechler, Magdalena Fox, Francine, Amelia Bareparts, and Mary Cyn as The Kraken.

Written by Alexis Roblan and Rachel Kerry, Bible Burlesque is what happens when your FRIGID show, Daughters of Lot, needs to raise money to get to the Edinburgh Fringe.  Whereas Daughters of Lot was the story of the two bible gals told through the eyes of feminist burlesque performers, Bible Burlesque goes behind the scenes to tap into the funnier side of what goes into creating a show  - especially one with a premise that tries to marry Bible with Burlesque.

“The events depicted in this show are real … at least the parts about fundraising” states the program … and so, without pulling any punches, begins the meta telling of this journey.  Equal parts storytelling and burlesque (with maybe a little more storytelling) Roblan and Kerry are portrayed by Marelena Kalm and Victoria Longwell who re-enact the process of how one (or in this case, two) exactly go about creating a unique burlesque show built on biblical themes.    Everything from a Noah’s Arc theme to “What if God F*cked one of us?” crossed thier minds and crossed the stage with often hilarious results.

The good news is that as of the time of the show they raised enough money for Daughters of Lot to get to Edinburgh … just not enough money for any of them to eat during their overseas stay.  Let’s hope when they’re abroad they meet a dude who can work a miracle or two around some loaves and fishes.  Hey, it worked once, right?

Bye Bye Bombay was full of the sights, sounds and personalities of India, all channeled through Gauri – a young woman who makes the trip to follow in her mother’s footsteps.  Cara Yeates – who wrote and performed – channeled many different characters convincingly and used screen projections and a driving soundrack to bring the world of Bombay – and Bollywood – alive.

Most impressive among talents such as puppetry, mimicry and storytelling was the way Yeates  performed a showstopping dance as she lip-synched to a dazzling Bollywood production number, bringing the lavish world of Bollywood to UNDER St. Marks.  Yeates also notably embodied an arguing couple who fought with each other in one of the many languages spoken in India.  When Ms. Yeates says she lived in India for a year, there’s no doubt about it.

By turns both forceful and delicate, Bye Bye Bombay was a true delight.   As a New Yorker I thrilled to the fact that, through this one-woman-show, I was given confirmation that a place exists which appears to be crazier, more crowded, and more chaotic than New York.  However, what India also appears to have is a plethora of spirituality and a means to find your center if only you can break away from the hypnotic Bollywood beat … something else which Ms. Yeates was able to capture and manifest beautifully.  Bye Bye Bombay may be bye bye for now, but I’m hoping we have another chance to meet again soon.

A striking combination of futuristic noir, multimedia and music ranging from lounge to complex ambient initium/finis  is a gripping story that pulls you through many layers of a world that represents – as the title implies – the beginning and the end, melding past with future.

Metropolis fans will find an echo of that world here.  Ellery Royston embodies two clones who are experiencing two sides of a story which involves murder, intrigue and a journey toward self discovery in an alien future.

initium/finis was mezmerizing, with deep themes  that were well executed with a stunning multimedia component which alone was worth the price of admission.   It depicted an overlay of lush city scenes as well as short movies.  These shorts captured Royston’s stunning range —  for while she’s expressive on stage she’s even moreso in the filmed sequences.
Possibly most compelling were scenes executed in shadow play where much of the “real” action happened at times – the intrigue of this heightened version of the characters offered an extra note of theatricality and dimension.

Back after a successful FRIGID run, initium/finis shows that there seems to be no end in the near future for this deeply affecting story.

As usual Killy Mockstar Dwyer and her talented band delivered an inside-out performance  – crowds who know and love KTB should know better than to expect run of the mill when it comes to this bunch!  Kill the Band: Mock Bottom  started off with a dark theatre – extremely so – as we’re all trapped in the darkness with Killy who gropes about and tries to figure out where she is.

Of course it’s a relief when she comes to find she was simply lost in a closet after a night of drunken debauchery right after recording Kill The Band’s new album, Mock Bottom.

Killy then launches into a strong opening performance which got the crowd pumping.  What followed was 60 minutes of pure energy and frenetic joy delivered in typical Kill The Band style as Killy and her loyal (and seriously talented) musicians- Joe Yoga, Mike Milazzo, Blair Frowner and The Human Drum Machie- delivered one song after another that was both funny, thoughtful and catchy.

No simple concert, though, the songs were couched in the centeral theme of Killy at her shrink’s office with each of her band members representing one or more of the stages of grief.   A monologue of the creative process would then seque into a Mock Bottom song.

And if you found yourself loving these catchy songs (which include favorites Ben Kingsley, Girl Balls, Clone U, See Something Say Something and Famous Baby) an album was included with the price of admission.

If you weren’t able make the show that doesn’t mean you have to be empty handed with no Kill The Band songs to sing – never that.

• To order the hard copy CD (with 12 page art/lyrics/liner notes booklet!)  visit www.KILLYTHEKID.com.
• To buy the album on ITunes click here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mock-bottom/id530564603.
• To buy on Amazon http://amzn.com/B0086JZTHQ

Legendary: A Man-tasia was first described to me as a drag show without the drag, but Legendary: A Man-tasia wound up being much, much more.  Sure, there was superb lip-synching with so much sass, attitude and choreography that at times it was impossible to sit still in your seat.  But the story was expertly woven through the showstopping numbers – finely crafted to tug at your heartstrings.  Not simply a backed-into plot to accomodate the songs, this story of two men: Larry (Michael Awusie) and his love Stev (Mark O’Connell) trying to define their relationship as they try to define themselves was heartwarming, bittersweet, loving, sexy, and a triumph.  But oh, let’s talk about those lip-synch numbers!

Larry’s rendition of Sheree Whitfield’s – “Who Gon Check Me Boo?” was absolutely inspired (and I can’t stop YouTubing it.  Not for the original, but in memory of  Michael’s version). The show was filled with moments of pure, joyful production numbers like this. To watch O’Connell and Christopher Burris as Bishop Eddie Long (who has a naughty, nasty hold over Larry) duke it out in a battle with musical fireworks worthy of those spewed forth by Harry Potter and Voldermort as they channeled superdivas Whitney Houston & Aretha Franklin for “It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be” to underline the point that “he aint never, ever, never never, never gonna be your man” gave me goosebumps.  In fact,  it made me wanna go out and steal someone’s man just so I could re-enact this scene on my own.  I mean … seriously boo.

Cap this all off with a stupendous Jennifer Holiday channeled by Kimberlee Walker who had me shaking and, well – could you want more? Oh … wait … a fantastic story. All this lucious lip-synching is draped over the terrific bones of a strong story of one man who is trying to shake off the past (Bishop Eddie Long – who is actually there in spirit, but what a spirit it is) and embrace his present: Stev, a tall drink of water who loves him like Islands In The Stream (aww! Sweet!) but can’t quite come out of the closet far enough to shout it from the mountains. Well, not yet.

And, I did mention Jennifer Holiday, right? This was A Man-tasia in the truest sense of the word -and while I actually don’t KNOW what the truest sense of the word ‘Man-tasia” actually is I will say it’s a  fantasy, told from the heart, set to a driving soundtrack of amazing songs (and a little Babs in there too of course). This was no show – this was an experience. I want it back again, ASAP. Weekly if possible – with surprise guests! Pleeeez???

 

Xmas in July?  You bet your buttons!  Or, in the case of Lord Gregory & Mademoiselle Godin’s miniXMAS Spectacular - you bet your bouton!

This french brother and sister act have it all.  Charm, style, talent … and what friends they have!  Greg Levin and Michelle Leona Godin don the outfits of a bygone french era and the personalities of french twins to create a salon in which their charming circle could congregate to celebrate  miniXMAS for our enjoyment.

One after another their talented friends came to the stage to kick up their heels with the crowd.  So many! Joe Yoga was there and you know what a fan I am of his!  Leslie Goshko did the most inspired version of Frosty The Snowman I ever heard … If Frosty was actually that guy whom Alanis Morrisette wrote about in You Oughta Know.  (WHY did no one ever do that mashup before?  No matter … Leslie did – and it’s brilliant).  AND imagining FROSTY is a lot better than imagining that guy from Full House putting it to Alanis, non?

Michael Birch reminded everyone that We Need A Little Christmas … and also reminded us that the whipping sound in Sleigh Ride (1:07 in this beloved Boston Pop version) is actually … you know ... a horse being whipped.  Still, it didn’t keep us from merrily participating whip and all.  After-all, miniXMAS is all about tradition!  Then Beezy Douglas weighed in with an anti-christmas song because it is JULY after all.

But there were skits too!  Lord Gregory himself wound up playing the Santa who got caught in a sting set up for a pedophile … though he digs himself deeper and deeper (But Becky wrote me a letter!  I brought this bag of toys!  Children write their fantasies to me!!!)  Later after Chromatic Stampede sang about wanting nothing more for christmas than consumer debt forgiveness Peter DeGiglio flipped the script on Twas The Night Before Christmas and pulled out an aresenal of voices from his bag of tricks as he told a Mook miniXMAS story — in verse.  C’est Manifique

With a Krampus making an appearance via shadow puppet master Ceili Clemens the whole evening was pretty much complete.

Like any good miniXMAS there were a few other little surprises under the tree, but the real present was the great feeling of joy and good will toward men and … oh forget it.  It’s JULY.

Thanks Lord Gregory and Mademoiselle Godin for sharing your love of miniXMAS – and your love of each other  … and sharing your friends with us!  See you next miniXMAS!  Whenever that may be!

And that’s it for Mini Fridge this year.  Good job everyone.  See you next year, starting with Elevenses.

Related Posts:

• Grab A Snack From The Mini-Fridge
• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With Kill The Band – Mock Bottom Mockumental CD Release Experience!
• Last Looks At The Happiest Medium In 3-D – Pull Your Glasses Out
• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With Bible Burlesque!
• Daughters Of Lot – A Lot Going On (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

 The Mini-Fridge Elevenses*

11 Questions, 11 Answers … ZERO calories, and 100% YUMMY!

 *Elevenses is a snack that is similar to afternoon tea, but eaten in the morning and might consist of some cake or biscuits with a cup of coffee or tea. The name refers to the time of day that it is taken: around 11 am. 

Kill The Band – Mock Bottom Mockumental CD Release Experience

Produced  by: Killer KIlly Productions
Directed by: Killy Dwyer + Bill Chambers

KILL THE BAND presents a surreal, multi-media theatrical experience to celebrate the release of their triumphant second comedy rock album, MOCK BOTTOM. Part CD release party, part psychodramedy, MOCK BOTTOM mockuments the farcical cycle of the band’s breakdowns and break throughs. *A 13-song CD with a 12-page art/lyrics booklet is INCLUDED in the price of each ticket*

Show Times:

• Thursday June 27th and Saturday June 30th at 10pm

Answers by: Killy Dwyer and Bill Chambers
(The Wonder Twats)

 1. Your tag line is featured above, so we know the PR version of what this play is about. But when you talk to your family and friends, how do you explain the show to them?
I barely know how to explain it to the cast and crew – it’s pretty off the wall as my productions tend to be. It’s comedy. It’s a surreal, multimedia play. It’s performance art. It’s a mockumentary! It’s a CD release! It’s a party! At the heart, It’s a story about a band. It’s an accessible avant grade, expressionist, mostly live mocumentary of the journey towards making our new album, Mock Bottom.

2. Here’s a scenario: After the show some audience members go have a drink. What’s the part of the show you hope they’re discussing?
If it had to be one thing, hopefully it would be the music.  When they leave the show, they will have a copy of our new album in their hands. The whole show revolves around Kill The Band’s new CD, which is something we put a lot of time and passion into over the last 2 years. The show is ultimately about that: the process and the people, and above all, the musical result.  It’s the show you can take home!

3. What drives your show – character, theme or plot?
Character. I have lots of character. Too much, probably. Wait. No. It’s theme. The play is conceptual in theme and is told (comically) through the 7 stages of grief. Yes. I said 7 stages. You may think there are 5 but KILL THE BAND needs 7. Trust me. Although, when I think about it, the plot is how the album developed over the last 2 years. Simply put: the thing that drives this show is the music from the album. And Jameson. Obviously.

4. What’s the one thing someone said about the show so far that made you the most proud?
Holly Hunter wandered into the theater one afternoon during rehearsals, and said “Oh sorry, are you guys rehearsing something?” Then she left. But she totally said that. *beams with pride*

 5. Let’s fantasize for a moment. Let’s take the “off-off” off. Imagine this show is on Broadway. What would that change about the production itself?
Not much, except that my part would be played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman in a blonde wig and a tutu.

6. Taking that one step further – after paying everyone what they’re worth of course, what is the most lavish, luxurious, frivolous thing you would spend money on if there was no constraints? (Think of the helicopter in Miss Saigon).
There would be a scene in the middle of the show where we all go see Miss Saigon, and watch the meticulously recreated “helicopter scene.” Then suddenly out of nowhere, a guy dressed like Spider-Man falls from the rafters and seriously injures himself. And Holly Hunter would randomly walk in and say “Oh sorry, are you guys rehearsing something?”

7. Is there a scene, a moment, anything that gets a completely different reaction depending on the audience that night?
 This is the first time this show will be seen, but at one point, I will bring an audience member onto the stage and force them to be the band therapist in that particular scene. Audience participation can be a huge pay off or a huge disaster and I love the unpredictability of it. Risk is my favorite. Honestly? The whole show is a risk. Who releases an album like this? KILL THE BAND does. BOOM!

8. What’s your favorite line from the show?
“Most of them are little animals made out of glass, the tiniest little animals in the world. Mother calls them a glass menagerie!” 
Oh wait, did you mean MY show?
“Don’t attack me with your happiness, I want you all to suffer for my art”. Which is the lyric of one of our songs.

9. Is the world of this play sustainable outside a theatre? In other words … do you think people live the way the characters do? Would you want a world where they do?
Absolutely, this IS my world.  It’s a wild, weird, weird world. The characters are real people that I know and love, playing themselves… it’s all essentially true. The narrative is definitely up for interpretation in many ways, an attempt to illustrate what’s going on in my own head… but the story is something that everyone can understand.  Breakdowns vs. break throughs.  Tragedy + time.  Issues with my mother.  I mean sure, one of the characters is a house plant, but that’s what my world is all about.  Join me.  Let’s let go of reality for a bit, eh?

10. You scan the audience and you see a face that stops you dead in your tracks – who is it? And why are you shocked?
Oh my God, it’s ME! Is this all some sort of weird dream? Why am I the only one in the audience? OH NO!! IT’S A NIGHTMARE!!!

11. Time for Elevenses! Go to the mini-fridge of your fantasy hotel. What’s your dream 11:00am snack?
Sherried figs, on an extra-plain bagel. The rest is filled with mini-bar bottles of Jameson and a tiny Holly Hunter dressed as a leprechaun.

Thanks, Killy and Bill, for having your Elevenses with us here at THM!  We can’t wait to see Kill The Band – Mock Bottom Mockumental CD Release Experience!

If you’d like to catch Kill The Band – Mock Bottom Mockumental CD Release Experience at The Mini-Fridge Festival find out more by clicking this link.

~~~

HORSE TRADE THEATER GROUP IN ASSOCIATION WITH FRIGID NEW YORK PRESENT THE 2012 MINI-FRIDGE

JUNE 28 – JULY 4 @ UNDER ST. MARKS The mini-festival will play at UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Avenue and Avenue A) June 28-July 4. Tickets ($15/$12 students & seniors) are available online  or by calling 212-868-4444. 

Related Posts:

• 2nd Season Mini Fridge – Tasty, Filling And Leaving Audience Wanting More! (Jun 28, 2012 – Jul 04, 2012 )
• Last Looks At The Happiest Medium In 3-D – Pull Your Glasses Out
• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With Lord Gregory & Mademoiselle Godin’s miniXMAS Spectacular!
• Mike Milazzo — Open Mike
• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With Bye Bye Bombay!

What’s in this year’s Mini-Fridge?  Some tasty treats you won’t wanna miss – and in honor of the mini-festival which highlights a small but savory platter of hors d’oeuvres made up of FRIGID and FRINGE deliciousness we here will be presenting Mini-Fridge Elevenses.  What is Elevenses?  If you were too lazy to follow that link we’ll tell you: In the United Kingdom and Ireland, elevenses is a snack that is similar to afternoon tea, but eaten in the morning. It is generally less savoury than brunch, and might consist of some cake or biscuits with a cup of coffee or tea. The name refers to the time of day that it is taken: around 11 am.

But here at The Happiest Medium Elevenses is Eleven Questions for our Mini-Fridge participants.  So, grab a snack out of your own fridge and sit back because in the next few days we’ll be featuring some great Q&As with:

Kill the Band: Mock Bottom Presented by Killy Dwyer and Kill the Band

KILL THE BAND presents a surreal, multi-media theatrical experience to celebrate the release of their triumphant second comedy rock album, MOCK BOTTOM! Part CD release party, part psychodramedy, MOCK BOTTOM mockuments the farcical cycle of the band’s breakdowns and break throughs. Free CD included with your ticket!

Thu 6/28 & Sat 6/30 @ 10pm

 ***

Bye Bye Bombay Written & Performed by Cara Yeates

A multimedia adventure to Bollywood and beyond! Join Gauri and her puppet guides as she dodges rickshaws, Russian dancers and lecherous directors. A foreigner lost in a maze of masala, will this lost traveler learn more than just the art of crossing roads in India?

Thu 6/28 @ 8:30pm, Fri 6/29 @ 7pm, & Sat 6/30 @ 7pm

 ***

Intium/Finis Presented by Theatre Reverb

A sensual tale of violence and revolution born in a futuristic metropolis. Theatre Reverb combines media, red-light cabaret, live music, Judeo-Christian and Hindu myth, and classical Indian dance-theatre to envelop spectators in a lush sci-fi noir. This unique, total theatrical experience is the result of a cross-discipline collaboration between artists from the US, Central Europe and Asia.

Sat 6/30 @ 5pm & Sun 7/1 @ 7pm

  ***

Bare. Presented by Peter Aguero

Raw stories paired with raw burlesque. Curated and hosted by Peter Aguero (The Moth, The BTK Band), Bare. will rip the heart out of your chest, place it lovingly back in, and proceed to do it all over again. This special Mini-Fridge volume stars Adam Wade, Sarah Jenness, Diana Spechler, Magdalena Fox, Francine, Amelia Bareparts, and Mary Cyn as The Kraken.

Sun 7/1 @ 9pm

  ***

Bible Burlesque Presented by Brain Melt Consortium

To raise money for the Edinburgh production of their biblical feminist burlesque-themed play, Rachel and Ali have decided to put on a night of hot, lurid bible stories – but they’ve got very different ideas about what that means. An hour of comic meta-theatrical sexy-time. In Biblical proportions. From the creators of the 2012 FRIGID hit, Daughters of Lot.

Sat 6/30 @ 8:30pm

  ***

Lord Gregory & Mademoiselle Godin’s mini XMAS Spectacular  Hosted by Gregory Levine and Michelle Leona Godin

Xmas - What an awful word, non?! And everything so shabby nowadays. Well, perhaps you’ve been going to the wrong parties… Aristocratic siblings Lord Gregory and Mademoiselle Godin — whose twisted bond of love and jealousy has only grown stronger since the terrible day their zygote split in the womb — cordially invite you to the unseasonable soiree of the year: a splendid Xmas gala showcasing the stars of the 2012 mini-FRIDGE, and featuring the marvelous musicians, comedians and performance artist of the Horse Trade family. You will be sadly gauche if you are not in attendance!

Fri 6/29 @ 10pm

  ***

Legendary: A Man-tasia Written & performed by Kevin R. Free Directed by Christopher Burris

What becomes a legend most? Is it truth? Is it fantasy? Is it a sequined gown and pearls? In Legendary: A Man-tasia three gay men explores their love affairs with each other, themselves and – of course – Jennifer Holliday.

Thu 6/28 @ 7pm, Fri 6/29 @ 8:30pm, & Mon 7/2 @ 7pm

Related Posts:

• 2nd Season Mini Fridge – Tasty, Filling And Leaving Audience Wanting More! (Jun 28, 2012 – Jul 04, 2012 )
• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With Bible Burlesque!
• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With Kill The Band – Mock Bottom Mockumental CD Release Experience!
• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With Lord Gregory & Mademoiselle Godin’s miniXMAS Spectacular!
• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With Bye Bye Bombay!

interview done by Karen + Stephen Tortora-Lee

Mike Milazzo – The Show from Mads Jeppesen on Vimeo.

If you’ve ever seen Mike Milazzo play the guitar then you already know what an amazing experience it is to watch him – his fingers fly effortlessly over the strings producing almost unbelievably complex sounds that are not only beautiful and powerful but raw and real.  As a songwriter Mike has the ability to find the core of what connects us all and finesse it into thoughtful words and haunting melodies.  As a singer, Mike’s voice is earnest and true; evocative and filled with emotion.  He takes you on a journey with every line he sings, and it’s not until he’s strummed his last note that you’re able to break the hypnotic spell which his music has cast over you. You only have to sit through one of Mike’s performances to know that he is one of the best musicians around.

For those not lucky enough to be able to see Mike perform in person, he’s working on getting a new album out called “The Show”.   Mike Milazzo took some time in between gigs to chat with us about what inspired him to write these songs, what the differences are between collaborating and going solo, and he finally solves the mystery of who, exactly, “Mr. Barry” is.  Read on …

You’ve got an album coming out called “The Show”. Tell us a little bit about the songs that you chose to be on that album. What do they mean to you?

MM: All these songs came out of the Manhattan experience of being at Under St. Marks and hanging out with the open mic crowd.  A lot of the songs were developed at Penny’s Open Mic.  A couple of the songs besides “The Show” (which is really the core of this album) that I like a lot are “Love is A Cage” and “Angels”.

“Angels” started out as a song about how friends of mine were having some problems and struggling with their singing voices, but how they could start finding their confidence. The rest of the song veered off into my own spirituality, and my spirituality, as if angels were singing to me, representing the angels in my life. But my songs are about a lot of different things, and mean different things to different people. I think songs should be like that.

The title of the album is very evocative … it can mean The Show as in “The performance”, or The Show as in … “the big reveal”. What does “The Show” mean to you?

It means a little of both. Yes a performance, but on another level Life itself  is The Big Show.  The most important message of the album is “just make it happen“.  It’s the lesson I’ve gotten from working at Penny’s – that if you have an idea you should start out with what you have and build on it … the more you work on it the better it becomes.

A lot of people ask me what some of the lyrics of “The Show” mean.  For instance, there is a line in”The Show” about Mr. Barry, that everyone ask me about.   “Mr. Barry” as a phrase just rolled off the tongue well. He’s really the composite of a lot of people in my life. So “Mr. Bary” is really whoever you want him to be. It originally was from Barry Manilow but “Mr. Manilow” just didn’t roll off the tongue as well. When people listen to the song I imagine them adding their own layers of meaning and experiences for their own versions – their own “Mr. Barry”s of what they see in the song.

How long has The Show been in the works?

I’ve been putting it together from a lot of pieces since the last album (The World Outside) came out.  So for a couple of years now.

The few songs that I’ve heard from that album are amazingly complex as well as deeply thoughtful. Where does your inspiration come from?

In general most of my songs are from my relationships, with women, girlfriends, but also relationships in general. Many of the new songs on this album came from me workshopping and performing in front of people. For example, the song “The Show” is about my experiences with those performing at Penny’s Open Mic. I like story songs, songs about characters and people, which helps me to get out of the relationship box. I tend to write about relationships, I just take a slice of life and tell a story about it and it’s those stories that people seem to be able to relate to.

You’ve got a solo career as well as a collaborative career. How do you find yourself working differently alone than with other people?

I get a lot out of working alone, I can definitely go deeper when I’m working on a solo project, but sometimes it’s hard examining your own emotions so intently all the time for months and months and months without taking a break. When I collaborate I can get out of myself and go in a different direction than I would on a single project. It keeps me from getting too self absorbed and keeps me fresh.  I have more breakthroughs while playing in my other bands (Broken Arrow, Cutleri, Kill The Band, The Boardlords, Anacoustic Mind) and come back to my own material refreshed.

With The Boardlords, I get to satisfy my lead guitar jones, playing lead guitar in a punk band. With Kill the Band, I get to express my comedic side, playing a character, and its more of a cabaret act. With Cutleri and Anacoustic Mind, I get to play mandolin, which is an instrument I don’t get to play a lot. I love using different instruments, and playing different styles of music.

I get a chance to do things I wouldn’t normally do all on my own. I can move into a direction musically which I wouldn’t move in by myself and so it helps expand my range as an artist. I feel like I began to be a part of a lot of bands because I’m inherently lazy, but I’ve discovered by balancing my collaborative work with my solo work its really helped me become more of a storytelling songwriter. Now I have a lot more range from all the work I do and it shows in the songs I write.

As far as collaboratively, I know you’re doing a lot of work with Killy Dwyer and Kill The Band. That’s got to be a lot of fun for you. Tell me about that experience.

Yeah, that experience really helped pull me into this whole scene.  Joe Yoga and I went from just being sort of backup for Killy to being a part of this comedic cabaret with Killy as this mock rock icon battling against the boardrooms of America.  It’s really a lot of fun, and Kill the Band has become one of my regular gigs.   My work with them has given me a lot of breakthroughs that I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t been part of that experience.

You’ve got an IndieGoGo campaign going right now that’s got around a week left.  I know how important it is for a solo artist to gain support form the community. How can people learn more about you and support your upcoming album?

This campaign is something I learned from being part of this community of artists over the last few years.  It’s about not only making art, but making art the way you want to.  With so many people in this scene having the same sort of goal, it just seems like IndieGoGo or KickStarter is now the smart way of doing these sort of projects.  It becomes sort of a “pay it forward” sort of thing. Mads Jeppesen From Finland is using IndieGoGo for his film Somewhere In The Dark and it’s a great example of how these things can work to take artists’ concepts to a whole other level with this method of making projects happen on a bigger scale than they could have before things like KickStarter and IndiGoGo existed.

I felt it was really important to do it for myself, and also do it for my other friends. I’ve contributed to a lot of projects and being part of these communities it just make sense to pitch in a little where you can to make it happen or find people outside of the community and see if they can help.  Sometimes it just becomes a problem of finding a patron. Other times patrons are looking for people they want to support and IndieGoGo and other campaigns are a great way to build awareness with new people who might not have heard of us before.

Bonus Question! You can tell me anything you want. Tell me a joke, give me your favorite quote or lyrics … or recipe … promote a cause … tell me something else about The Show that I may have not asked … anything! The mic is yours …

Through Horse Trade Theater Group, Under St. Marks Theater, and Penny’s Open Mic, a community opened up that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I’d never have known them without them creating this space for artists to come together.

So many good groups of musicians and performers got their start at Under St. Marks Theater. It’s a great place for a lot of networking with supportive people. Right now, it is in risk because the building is for sale. There’s a campaign for Horse Trade to save the theater from being another venue destroyed in NYC. I Just wanted to get that message out again because it’s a really good thing that has really changed my life.

Mike!  Such a pleasure to learn more about the man behind the music.

For those of you who want to help this amazing man get his album realized you can go to his Indie GoGo page  … for a donation of just 25 bucks you can get a copy of his first album “The World Outside” and you’ll also get that warm fuzzy feeling of knowing that you helped the amazing Mike Milazzo get his next album out there for the world to enjoy.  In a world of Britneys couldn’t we all use a little more Mike Milazzo?  So go there now!

Related Posts:

• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With Kill The Band – Mock Bottom Mockumental CD Release Experience!
• Following The Path Of Yoga
• 2nd Season Mini Fridge – Tasty, Filling And Leaving Audience Wanting More! (Jun 28, 2012 – Jul 04, 2012 )
• Early Risers / Night Owls … Come With Me – Help Save UNDER St. Marks
• Last Looks At The Happiest Medium In 3-D – Pull Your Glasses Out

Linda Evangelista is the source of the oft-quoted line “I won’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day.” I’ve often paraphrased and said that I won’t get out of bed before six a.m. unless a number like that is mentioned. Yeah, well … how about a number like over 5 million?

Let me explain …

Regular readers of The Happiest Medium know that UNDER St. Marks Theater is one of the theatres that I return to time and time again.  It’s where I first laid eyes on Killy Dwyer and Kill The Band, it’s where Alex Bond did her staged reading of Late Nights With The Boys, it’s where Penny Pollak holds Penny’s Open Mic and where Gigi LaFemme holds Revealed Burlesque. It’s where I saw Heidi Grumelot make a sock puppet into something much more in Donnie and the Monsters.  UNDER St. Marks is home to not only an army of downtown theatre artists but also to countless people who sit in the audience and shower them with love.  People like … me.

Well, this news had hardly hit the grapevine before all of downtown took it as a call to action — and very quickly Save UNDER St. Marks was formed.  Please join the group and throw your support behind this if you value all the precious gifts Horse Trade Theater Group has been able to funnel through this space.

So what does this have to do with getting up early?

Well, on Thursday, April 7 · 6:30am – 8:30am Save UNDER St. Marks is having a televised breakfast Event -

We want to invite you all to come out on Thursday morning at 6:45AM (yes AM) to join us in Showcasing the Horse Trade Talent at UNDER St Marks on NY1. Roger Clark will be there to interview us about UNDER St. Marks.

There will be two segments shot, one at 7am and the other around 8am, between the two segments we will run it open mic style with folks jumping up to do short 5 minute sets, the theme will be OWN IT.

We need a good turn out to show NYC that this is so important that even Artists are willing to get out of bed at 6AM and represent.

So if you can stay up all night and get there early — or if you can get out of bed, get yourself purty and look alive — please come join me at UNDER St. Marks on Thursday, April 7 · 6:30am – 8:30am.

Do it because there are moments when you need to join your voice with others in order to make a difference.  And this is one of those moments.

I’ll see you there.  Right?

~~~

More Info about UNDER St. Marks:

UNDER St. Marks is a downtown performance venue with a rich history. An experimental theatre space since the 1970’s, this 45-seat basement theater is now home to a wide variety of performance artists including The BTK Band, Penny’s Open Mic, Revealed Burlesque, Thank You Robot, Adam Wade, Tanya O’Debra, The Management, Little Lord, the Rising Sun Performance Company, No Tea Productions, Wide Eyed Productions, Animal Parts, Subjective Theatre Company, The Pumpkin Pie Show, and the FRIGID New York Festival.

Related Posts:

• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With Kill The Band – Mock Bottom Mockumental CD Release Experience!
• Mike Milazzo — Open Mike
• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Heidi Grumelot
• Following The Path Of Yoga
• 2nd Season Mini Fridge – Tasty, Filling And Leaving Audience Wanting More! (Jun 28, 2012 – Jul 04, 2012 )

For those of you who attended the Happiest Medium’s 1st Anniversary Party (in 3-D) you may have seen these slide shows already. They feature the great performers we had there, and some of their upcoming projects. Here is the main slide show with the normal as well as 3-D-ified images that will jump out at you if you look at them with ChromaDepth 3-D glasses.

And let me thank all our performers and sponsors one last time -

Ahmond, Monica Bauer, Charites, John Fico, Jeff Grow, Paolo Javier, Kampfire PR, Kill the Band, MTWorks, Karen Tortora-Lee, and  Franca Vercelloni,

Now to look at the slides…

Because we loved Kill The Band so much we made a slide-show just for them. It can be enjoyed with or without glasses, but if you went to the party, pull your glasses out now!

Don’t forget to catch their monthly show – Alter Ego.

Related Posts:

• 2nd Season Mini Fridge – Tasty, Filling And Leaving Audience Wanting More! (Jun 28, 2012 – Jul 04, 2012 )
• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With Kill The Band – Mock Bottom Mockumental CD Release Experience!
• Mike Milazzo — Open Mike
• Following The Path Of Yoga
• It’s A Double Header Of Our Favorites – BALLS! And KILL THE BAND!

We’re still coming down from the amazing party that was held (in 3-D!) on Monday night – celebrating The Happiest Medium’s first year.  If you were lucky enough to be at the party you saw some wonderful performances.  If you missed it – I’ve got some great news for you.

This weekend you can get you fill of BALLS! The Testosterone Plays of Monica Bauer . . . and afterward you can get your Girl Balls fix with Killy Dwyer and Kill The Band as they open and close ALTER EGO with their avant garde comedic punk rock performance art and antics!!  If you don’t have enough balls in your life, this is the weekend to get your fill . . .

BALLS! The Testosterone Plays of Monica Bauer will have a limited 16 performance run at the Workshop’s Main Stage Theatre (321 W. 36th Street, 4th Floor between 8th and 9th) from November 19th – December 5th.  That’s starting tonight, kids, so if you didn’t have plans for a Friday night – you do now!

The evening features two one-act plays with all-male casts: Made for Each Other (a bittersweet romance written specifically for actor John Fic0) and Two Men Walked into a Bar (two Marine veterans from very different wars [Vietnam and Iraq] meet in a seedy Alabama bar at 3am for drinks, revenge, and maybe even murder as they face off over their wives) starring  Aaron Gonzalez, Nick Ruggeri, and John Fico.

Tickets are $18 and can be bought online at www.BrownPaperTickets.com.  For more information please visit www.TheaterWithBalls.com

~~~

THEN, as if that wasn’t enough, you can spend Sunday night at ALTER EGO: VAUDEVILLE SURREAL!  (Ignore the information on the card at the right – Alter Ego is being held at: Fontana’s Bar // 105 Eldridge St New York, NY)

Alter Ego is monthly alternative performance show which features an array of juicy variety for you to sink your teeth into.  Hosted by Killer Killy Dwyer and A SECRET SPECIAL SCOTTISH BEARDED GUEST WITH OODLES OF MANPAIN!, this performance party offers up a steaming serving of alternative dance, music, comedy, performance art and burlesque acts! Get out of the chill and into the hot hot heat of ALTER EGO!

I’m going to rock out my Sunday by doing both – but you can do any combination.  AND if you can’t get to Alter Ego this week – don’t worry.  It’s going on EVERY 3rd Sunday of the month. It’s free and it will blow you away.

Hope to see you there!

Related Posts:

• Last Looks At The Happiest Medium In 3-D – Pull Your Glasses Out
• 2nd Season Mini Fridge – Tasty, Filling And Leaving Audience Wanting More! (Jun 28, 2012 – Jul 04, 2012 )
• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With Kill The Band – Mock Bottom Mockumental CD Release Experience!
• Mike Milazzo — Open Mike
• Early Risers / Night Owls … Come With Me – Help Save UNDER St. Marks

Killy Dwyer, Joe Yoga, Mike Milazzo and Bamboo Silva

I thought it was a very good sign that my latest obsession, Lady Gaga’s pulsating, driving song Teeth, was blaring as I entered Under St. Marks to get ready to see Killer Killy Dwyer’s latest offering “Kill The Band” which is not just the name of her band, but which is also the name of the show that’s part of Frigid Festival 2010.  I saw it as a good omen not just because I haven’t been able to get the song out of my head these last few weeks, but more because the song is the type of song that gets down into you and makes you bop in your seat and I figured a gal who was serving up Gaga as the appetizer must have the all-you-can-eat-buffet to back it up.  Musically speaking, of course.

Kill The Band (photo by Craig Schober)

Kill The Band is a little real, a little rehearsed, and a whole lotta rockin’ out.  If you’ve come to Under St. Marks to laugh … you’re in luck.  But if you’ve come to laugh AND to see a great live show performed by a great band, you’ve hit the trifecta (or the thing that comes before the trifecta).  Killy Dwyer, along with band-mates Mike Milazzo (on guitar), Joe Yoga (on base), and Bamboo Silva (beat-boxing) do an incredible job of balancing smart with funny with catchy (THERE’s your trifecta).  With songs like Girl Balls (I’m not your f*ckin GPS, bitch find your own way) and Clone U I was sold.  But nothing could have prepared me for the Kumbayah moment when the whole audience joined in on the chorus of Ben Kinsley (no one respects an Indian or a Jew unless they’re played by Ben Kingsley!).  Trust me, it was touching.

Aside from the songs themselves, Killy does a spot on “Dear Future Killy” note to herself from a very young “Past Killy” (To be opened 20 years in the future in March 2010) where she gushes about the wonders of Times Square (and how she will spend EVERY SINGLE NEW YEAR’S EVE THERE when she moves to New York) and notes how she will mark the passage of her career as a Broadway Actress by which Les Miserable character she is going to be playing.

With her very talented band backing her up, and playing the fall guys for many of her routines one is reminded of a sideways-world Spinal Tap where all the other band members are Derek Smalls, constantly being under appreciated.  Of course, again, it’s all in good fun and the joke’s on Killy as she’s left to work out Girl Balls against an unfinished track when she pushes her band just a little too far.

While there’s no doubt that each of the quartet serves as an invaluable member of this show, as well as this band, I must say that the addition of sound effects from the beat-boxing Bamboo Silva (both to the musical numbers as well as to some of the comedy routines) elevates this band into a whole other stratosphere.  Silva is able to bind everything together in a way I’ve never quite seen done before, and it’s an amazing thing to watch him work with these talented musicians.

The evening is outrageous, infection and raucous.  On a scale of 1 to 10, this group goes to 11.

~~~

Related Posts:

• It’s Time For Mini-Fridge Elevenses With Kill The Band – Mock Bottom Mockumental CD Release Experience!
• Mike Milazzo — Open Mike
• Early Risers / Night Owls … Come With Me – Help Save UNDER St. Marks
• Following The Path Of Yoga
• Brrrrrr! Temperatures Are Dipping! Must Be Time For FRIGID 2010!