Melody But News

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the greatest theatrical works (non-musical) from 1920-2020; see if your favorites made the list!

With the world in growing turmoil, what we need is Music, Tales and Magic, which is just what the ASPECT Chamber Music presented on March 11, 2020.

Quartet 131 will be featured on the Arion Chamber Music Series on Friday February 21, 2020, from 8:00 - 9:30 PM. The concert will take place at Christ & St. Stephen's Church located at 120 W. 69th St., NYC. Tickets are $30. Students under 25 with ID are $15 at the door. Tickets may be purchased at arionchambermusic.org.

Linda Eder indisputably has one of the greatest voices of our time. As a masterful interpreter of song with an awe-inspiring belt, Eder - who was launched into Broadway fame originating the role of Lucy in Jekyll & Hyde -has recorded an incredible 17 solo albums, and has been wowing audiences from concert stages since she began performing professionally at 19.

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts today announced that legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor will perform at the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival on Friday, June 19th with special guest Jackson Browne.

Legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor releases his new album, American Standard on February 28TH, 2020 via Fantasy Records.

Minihorse are sharing the third single, 'King Of The Concrete', from their debut LP Living Room Art, out July 26th on Park The Van Records, with The Alternative who liken the band's debut to 'the brittle hooks of Elliott Smith, the dynamic progressions of Grandaddy, and the textural girth of My Bloody Valentine' and say that 'Collins' songs are incredibly well-produced and meticulously performed, with tons of space in the mix for distorted guitar leads and gravelly basslines to float alongside one another like stardust...[King Of The Concrete] is over and done in a blink, but there's enough going on in that brief moment to go back and dissect multiple times.'

Be a Good Little Widow starts previews as a guest production at the Odyssey Theatre May 18. Actress Sandy Bainum, who has delighted audiences for several years in both musicals and plays in Los Angeles and her friend, director Brandon Baer recently sat down to talk about the play and what makes it tick as a dark comedy.

Composer / Songwriter Chris Lennertz writes nine original songs along with Tony-Award winning Lyricist Glenn Slater for STX Entertainment's first animated musical film UGLYDOLLS starring the acting and singing voices of Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton and Pitbull. The film is inspired by the unique and beloved global plush toy phenomenon. In the adorably different town of Uglyville, weird is celebrated, strange is special and beauty is embraced as more than simply meets the eye. The film opens May 3rd and soundtrack is available now on Atlantic Records

Composer / Songwriter Chris Lennertz has written nine original songs along with Tony-Award winning Lyricist Glenn Slater for STX Entertainment's first animated musical film UGLYDOLLS!

On June 14 Chris Gale will release his new album A Cloud (pre-order). Chris Gale shared the official video for the album's first single 'Last Time I Heard Rock and Roll' with We All Want Someone To Shout For. The video which was directed by Minneapolis filmmaker James Christenson can also be shared at YouTube. On the making of the video Gale says, 'James and I tried to echo the chaos of my record-making process with how we made this video, allowing inspiration to lead us by the nose. We ended up filming in Miami because of a documentary from 1968 about bible salesmen called Salesman. And cheap round trip tickets in the middle of a Minnesota winter.'

minihorse have announced their debut LP, Living Room Art, coming on Park The Van Records in the Summer of 2019 with what Stereogum calls the 'catchy as hell, introspective enough to provoke existential thought, yet somehow calming all at the same time' single 'Drink You Dry', which features Anna Burch on guitar and vocals. The 'reverb-drenched layering [that] adds to that disembodied sense of drifting into another dimension' is a perfect introduction to the sludgy, My Bloody Valentine meets 90s indie-rock that comprise the minihorse's 10 track debut record. Not to be saddled with a throwback label Ben Collins' (whose side hustles include, but are not limited to, handler for Sophia the AI robot, engineering a meditation app and producing records for the likes of Bonny Doon and Stef Chura) lyrics ring clear through a haze of modern anxiety, veritable mantras that speak to personal and collective experiences of trying to survive under the weight of the world and ones own experience of it. The balance of beauty and strain, both musically and lyrically, make for an engaging and, at times, psychedelic listen, replete with soundscapes, wall of sound guitars and a cat's meows set against Collins' poignant lyrics.

Billy Stritch, continuing his 'My Winter Valentine' at The Birdland Theater had his long time friend Sally Mayes as his special guest last night. It's too bad only about 100 or so lovers could be in the room to hear their version of the signature Valentines Day song My Funny Valentine.

Music by Bay Area composer Mason Bates, libretto by Mark Campbell, originally premiered at Santa Fe Opera in July 2017

Peter Mulvey has been a singer, songwriter, road-dog, raconteur, and an almost-poet since before he can remember. With a career spanning nearly three decades, eighteen albums, and countless live performances worldwide, Mulvey has built his life's work on collaboration and on an instinct for the eclectic and the vital. On February 15th, he'll release his most vivid album yet titled There Is Another World via Righteous Babe Records. Today he unveiled the first look at the new record with the lead song 'The Fox,' a hypnotic pulse of altered guitar within a swirl of sounds: wineglass rims, the long breaths and clatter of a bass clarinet, and icy accordion tones underneath Mulvey's gravel baritone vocals.

The intersection of Broadway/opera and sacred music seems like a natural fit. Both are often larger than life, both speak to a very specific message, and both use a wide range of instrumentation and vocals. On Sarah Brightman's new album, Hymn, she combines the two genres to mixed effect. While the more traditional sounds are lovely and suit her voice well, the contemporary songs tend to be overwrought.

The Philadelphia-based group Dry Reef release their new music videotoday for the single 'Start It Up' from their forthcoming new full-length album Daychange, available October 5 via Free Dive Records. Last week they shared the new track 'The Wash', coming after their other recent single 'Come Away', which has been featured on iHeart's Radio alternative 104.5 FM in Philly on the New Music Discovery Show.

This is one hell of a show, one of the best of the year, so you better get your tickets now.

Imagine 'Hamilton' as a juke box musical. It's a mess at times, but it's an entertaining mess with an abundance of heart and talent.

The world premiere performance of SANCTUARY ROAD (subtitled “An Oratorio Based on the Writings of William Still, a Conductor for the Underground Railroad”), by composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell, performed by the Oratorio Society of New York under Kent Tritle, burst forth from the stage of Carnegie Hall the other night, with energy, humanity and, of course, great musicality from all involved.