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by Karen Tortora-Lee on March 22, 2011
In early February I did a mini-interview with Eric Sanders knowing that I’d soon have the opportunity to have a much longer conversation with him and his collaborator, Dave Nuss. Together they have created Original Innocence – The Rock Opera and I’m already fascinated by what I’ve seen. This Friday, March 25th I’ll be heading over to ISSUE PROJECT ROOM (At the Old American Can Factory) 232 3rd Street, 3rd Floor Brooklyn, NY 11215 [Telephone: 718-330-0313] to see a workshopped production. There are two shows that night – one at eight and one at ten. I think you should come too.
I always love chatting with Eric Sanders, he’s my favorite combination of brilliant and humble. Not to mention amazingly talented. Now, meeting Dave for the first time I was equally excited; together these guys are an interviewer’s dream. Read on to find out the random thing that brought these two talented men together, find out why they think it’s so important that our culture has a creation myth they can finally get behind, and let them explain why they cast Satan as a woman.
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by Stephen Tortora-Lee on February 27, 2011
According to The Bitter Poet (real name, Kevin Draine) when the audience first meets him, he makes it clear that this is no “show”, and that he has no “narrative”. He has no pretenses, just poetry. He also has a ruffled red shirt as well as a beautiful and rich perspective and the “luck” to “live in interesting times”. He warmly invites us into his life for this hour to hear of everything from a purging of crazy self-help books to a quest to woo many unavailable women who just pulled his heart-strings the wrong way.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on February 9, 2011
I’m always happy when I have an excuse to talk to Eric Sanders – he’s one of the most talented people I’ve run across and I love that doing what I do allows me to periodically get him to update me on what he’s doing. A quick brush up: I first met Eric when he was re-imaging Algernon Blackwood’s The Wendigo (which scared the heck out of me) and then got to see his punchier side during Fight Fest with his crowd favorite: Last Life which was resurrected more times than (wait … I think I made this joke already. Cher’s career? Well, it writes itself so you fill in the blank).
Now, Eric Sanders has teamed up with Dave Nuss to bring forth Original Innocence – a Rock Opera and they’re hosting a “Symposium on Creation Mythology” on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 7 PM at the Anthroposophical Society of New York (138 West 15th Street btwn. 6th/7th Ave.).
This symposium will feature practitioners and scholars from an array of religious traditions discussing how the creation mythology of a religion creates or reflects the context for its ethical structure.
Several songs from the show will be performed, and food from the Holy Land will be served. BYOB.
Admission will be on a sliding scale (‘pay what you wish’) from $5-$50. All proceeds from the Symposium will go towards the first workshop presentation of “Original Innocence” on Friday, March 25, 2011 at 8 PM at the Issue Project Room in Brooklyn.
I asked Eric a few questions to find out a little more about what I (and you) can expect from this symposium.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on February 2, 2011
You may remember Morningside Opera from the Opera Karaoke which I covered in December. They are a NYC-based opera collective, and they will present the world premiere of a new Handel opera entitled Atra, ossia, l’amore ricordato (Atra, or the remembered love) this Friday, February 4 and Saturday, February 5 at 8PM in the Ailey Citigroup Theater, New York City.
Friends of The Happiest Medium are welcome to use the discount code AMICI2011 when purchasing tickets via this link (click here) so be sure to take advantage of this offer!
Atra is a pasticcio comprising a selection of Handel’s best arias and music woven together by a modern plot that evokes themes from traditional opera seria. The multimedia production, designed and directed by Minou Arjomand, draws on projection, film, dance, music, and words to create a new opera, both in content and presentation, that explores connections between operatic conventions and social conventions in America today, in particular those surrounding the controversial topic of gay marriage.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on December 21, 2010
Don’t forget, boys and girls, that there is so much fun to be had at A VERY YOGA CHRISTMAS (3rd annual) you may not want to keep going for REAL CHRISTMAS. Does REAL CHRISTMAS have Coach (the greatest rock band in the world?) Mine doesn’t! Does REAL CHRISTMAS have comedy and music and dark weirdness? Mine doesn’t! Does REAL CHRISTMAS have A Holiday Man-Pain poem by Umberto MacDougal and a Steely Dan dance party from 8-9pm? MINE SURE DOESN’T! What about FREE CUPCAKES? No? Or Killy Dwyer’s world premier video Christmas Card “Getting Clean For Jesus’ Birthday”? No? NO?? What kinda sad REAL CHRISTMAS is that? Forget that! Instead, just make sure to be around for A VERY YOGA CHRISTMAS (3rd annual) where you’ll get all this and MORE.
Just head on down to UNDER St. Mark’s Theater (94 St. Mark’s Place [between 1st and Ave A]) this Thursday, December 23 at 8:00pm – 11:00pm
What? You don’t live in New York??? FIRST of all, there is NO hope for you. NONE. SECOND of all, there is a teensy tiny beam of YOGA CHRISTMAS HOPE for you – because A VERY YOGA CHRISTMAS (3rd annual) will be live-streamed on the Internet at www.neuralimprints.com. So – I’ll either see you there, or you’ll see me there through the magic of the interwebs. I’ll be the cute one having the time of my life. Click Here for more info.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on December 16, 2010
Joe Yoga (photo by Brooke McGowan)
Every now and then an artist comes into your life whose music is so dynamic, powerful and moving that you just have to know the stories behind the songs. When you’re lucky enough to know this artist personally, and he’s someone that you’ve always had a great time hanging out with, you’ve got no choice but to sit down in a noisy bar, buy him a drink (Arbita Turbo Dog), and find out where all this gut punching, heart wrenching, hand wringing music comes from.
Meet Joe Yoga – bass player for Kill The Band but amazing solo artist in his own right who currently has two albums in circulation. You can download (Free! December Only!) his first album The Dreamless Sea which is a compilation of his favorite songs from his earlier days. Life Out East is a full album of new songs that were written over a year and it’s currently available on iTunes.
Over the course of an evening Joe Yoga tells me how he’s able to juggle two different musical personas, how Life Out East will take you on a journey from heartbreak to healing, and even tells me a pretty funny joke. Eventually.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on December 13, 2010
Okay, so – yeah . . . maybe Alter Ego is actually not usually appropriate for children. But you can be there, thinking of them! Because this Sunday – December 19th Alter Ego is having a very special Toys for Tots benefit performance party – at Fontana’s which is exactly the place you wanna be thinking of wee Tots as you knock back your fifth tequila of the night and watch exotic belly dancing, alternative underground comedy, twisted freak folk music, avant garde antics, sultry modern dance, break-dancing straight from the streets, bawdy burlesque and Santa Elvis!
Entrance is free HOWEVER you MUST bring an *unwrapped* gift for a child. Cash donations are also accepted but not as fun.
Doors open at 7:30pm. Show starts downstairs at 8pm. Holiday fun party is upstairs in the main bar directly after the show until the wee wee hours!
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on December 7, 2010
*All photos in this article courtesy of Stevyn Llewellyn.
What do you get when you mix up a bunch of people who can sing karaoke better than the average bar crowd, background tracks that runs the gamut from Bizet’s Carmen to Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, with a smattering of Rogers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin and Handel thrown in, and a gorgeous gal who strips down to her pasties? Not to mention – well, actually – do you need more than that?
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on November 29, 2010
Come to DIVA SEARCH!
What is DIVA SEARCH? It’s open mike opera karaoke! And I say it’s about time!
On Thursday December 2, break out your inner diva and join Morningside Opera for an evening of music and revelry. Besides an opera karoake contest starring YOU, the party will also feature burlesque performances by Medianoche, and danceable electronic beats courtesy of DJ King Ludd.
Just come to Royal Oak, at 594 Union Ave at Richardson, Williamsburg (L to Bedford or Lorimer; G to Lorimer) on Thursday December 2, from 8pm-midnight.
Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door, and include a free specialty cocktail! Click Here to purchase.
Proceeds benefit Morningside Opera’s 2010-11 season project, ATRA, a new multimedia Handel opera.
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by Stephen Tortora-Lee on November 21, 2010
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… Continue Reading…
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