Graveyard Club's new album Goodnight Paradise is out today and available to stream and purchase everywhere including Spotify and Bandcamp. The twin cities band are thrilled for the world to hear the whole album, and they will celebrate its release with a hometown show at Fine Line Music Cafe on July 26th. Having just completed a west coast tour, Graveyard Club will play dates across the midwest this July as well, with east coast dates to be announced in the coming weeks. Upcoming tour dates are below.
We can placate a certain segment of society by providing 'enrichment' courses in the arts, but it should no longer be a mystery that you can't achieve holistic education without a strong emphasis in the arts. The US Bureau of Economic Analysis recently released an astounding statistic that reports over $763 Billion of contribution by the arts sector to the US economy. That's around 5 million workers in the industry, which accounts for hundreds of billions of dollars in compensation. Yet here we are, still waiting for an increase in financial support for arts programs in the schools. You can talk about Broadway, Hollywood, and TV culture all day, but young people are tomorrow's audiences and we owe it to the industry to develop an enlightened culture of young participants and consumers of the arts.
It should come as no surprise that Fun Home, therefore, that the aforementioned Broadway hit featuring music by Jeanine Tesori, with book and lyrics by Lisa Kron based upon Bechdel's graphic novel, is one of my favorite works in the canon of contemporary American Musical Theater. What some readers might find surprising, however, is that I fell absolutely and deeply in love with the show once over, thanks to a production from, of all places, Murfreesboro Little Theatre, where the show completes its much-too-brief run today with its 2 p.m. matinee.
Graveyard Club (Matthew Schufman (vocals, synths), Michael Wojtalewicz (guitar), Cory Jacobs (drums) and Amanda Zimmerman (bass, vocals)) began inspired by a unique list of shared interests: the classic short stories of sci-fi author Ray Bradbury, the music of Ryan Gosling's little-known band Dead Man's Bones, and a fascination with both 50's crooners and 80's pop music. 'My parents played a lot of oldies in the house as I was growing up,” recalls Matthew. “Some of my earliest musical memories were of hearing Roy Orbison, Everly Brothers, and Buddy Holly blasting out of the living room speakers. The melodies and emotion of those songs captivated me instantly. I was transfixed. As a teenager, I fell in love with the dark, synth-heavy sounds of The Cure and New Order. Since then, I have been frequently drawn back to the 1950's and 80's as a source of musical inspiration.”
BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature Clay Aiken in GREASE, ROCK OF AGES in LA, Rachel York in 42nd Street & More!
An all-male Twelfth Night and a Romeo and Juliet comprised of female and non-binary artists have been cast for Seattle Shakespeare Company's free Wooden O productions which start performances on Thursday, July 11.
Today, Kelly Moran shares the stunning video for 'Love Birds, Night Birds, Devil-Birds'—the result of collaboration between Moran and close friend Cassie McQuater. The two artists have known each other for the better part of a decade and speak the same beautiful, haunting language in this piece, which initially debuted as an immersive three channel installation spanning three 18ft walls at Transfer gallery during this year's Frieze in Los Angeles. Check out her music here!
Fairfield County native, and winner of season one of "The Voice," Javier Colon, will be starring as one of Bridgeport's favorite sons this summer when he portrays the Greatest Showman on Earth in the musical Barnum at the Fairfield Museum Commons the weekend of June 27 - 29.
Once in a blue moon there is a musical for the generations that speaks to people of all walks of life. It brings a tear to your eye, a smile across your face, a relatable sense of realism and purpose. The cultural phenomenon that is the musical Dear Evan Hansen burst onto the scene and quickly gained a huge following. It grew to higher success after being nominated for a total of nine Tony awards, winning six of them including Best Musical. It truly is changing the game on how we view musical theatre and I couldn't be happier that I got a chance to see it and witness the power it has over audiences.
I used to hate Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim's "West Side Story". My only exposure was the movie and I found the story flat and unconvincing. I mean, an entire song just repeating her name? Geeze, learn how to write a lyric. But then a touring production came through town and they got it. They understood what they were singing about and knew how to convey it. And then I got it too. He only needs the one word because it's all he wants to hear. And I fell in love with the show but only when it's done well. Since then I've seen many productions of varying levels of quality. Now comes the current production from the 5th Avenue Theatre and Spectrum Dance Theatre and while it has some moments and some good dance sequences thanks to choreographer Bob Richards who did his darnedest to reproduce the original Jerome Robbins choreography, it lacks the ability to convey the story and the love thanks to some lackluster lead performances and staging and intent from director Bill Berry that just didn't get it.
Hoboken is about to open at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Director Fritz Brekelller took time from a busy schedule to talk with us about the show.
Fritz Brekeller has worked extensively in the soap opera world, winning multiple Daytime Emmy Awards, most recently this past May, as part of the directing team at CBS's The Young and the Restless. THEATER: He received a 2016 NY Innovative Theater award for Outstanding Direction of Scott C. Sickles' Composure at the Workshop Theater. Among his many other theater credits, includes two past collaborations with playwright Laura Rohrman: My Life as You and The Elevator: Secret Thoughts. He also conceived the musical revue Foxy Ladies Love/Boogie 70's Explosion, which played to sold-out crowds at the legendary Duplex in Greenwich Village. TV: ABC's All My Children. FILM: What Would Bear Do? and the short, Through the Morning. WEB: season 4 of the indie soap, Empire and the pilot for the off-off Broadway spoof, Off-Off Kilter.
If you are of a certain age, Jagged Little Pill was a large part of the soundtrack of your teens and twenties. It was loud, raw, and felt like a glimpse inside the pages of a young woman's journal. Even if it wasn't an album that impacted you personally, you certainly understood the cultural significance of it.
Today, Graveyard Club share their new single “William” from the forthcoming album Goodnight Paradise, out June 28th (Pre-Order). Debuted via Consequence of Sound's “Origins” feature, the band describe how the single was inspired by, among other things, Ben E. King's classic “Stand By Me”, the St. Paul, MN neighborhood of “Cathedral Hill”, and author Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine.
THE ARMOR PLAYS: CINCHED & STRAPPED by Selina Fillinger, rounds out the 2018-2019 Theatre Three season with a new play that would likely be banned in Alabama based on today's headlines. From the madcap composure of the dining room to the dank wonder of the underground, women fight to escape futures laid out for them. THE ARMOR PLAYS, directed by Leslie Swackhamer, is produced by Theatre Three and runs June 6 through June 30, 2019 (2800 Routh St., #168 Dallas, TX 75201).
Lila Drew has released her stunning debut EP, locket (side one) accompanied with an official video for her lead single 'take it back,' out today. What began as journal entries, the shimmering 6 track collection reflects the mind of a teen beyond her years. Whimsical, sultry, self-assured; each song reflects more than the changing moods of a teenage girl.
The band of brothers will celebrate the release of their new record with a release show at Sam's Town Point in Austin on Friday June 7, followed by The Heights Theater on Saturday, June 8 in Houston. Both are supported with John Evans; tickets are on sale now and the links are below.
Talented country singer/songwriter Olivia Lane has just revealed her latest single - a feel-good song about young love titled “So Good It Hurts,” available today on all digital service providers at the link provided HERE. The playful track sees Olivia bragging about her man while throwing a little fun-loving objectivity his way, boasting about his pearl snaps, his GQ looks, and how he draws attention wherever he goes. “So Good It Hurts,” along with “Hey 3AM” and “You Got Me” will be included on Olivia's upcoming EP The One, due out August 9th.
Abbe Levine, an alumna of Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), has received the 2019 Outstanding Arts School Alumni Award from the Arts Schools Network (ASN), the nation's largest professional membership organization of specialized arts schools. Created to foster artistic and academic achievement in talented young people, this honor is bestowed annually upon one former student of an ASN school whose commitment to excellence is demonstrated through outstanding accomplishment in the areas of citizenship, arts and academics. The award will be presented at the annual ASN Conference, October 22-25, 2019, in Jacksonville, Fla.
