Living In The Bonus Round

The Bonus Round Sessions CD will go online.

2012-03-01T08:31:00.001-08:00

Made back in 2000, BRS consists of a live performance of most of the songs from The Last Session, plus a few demos and some early versions of songs that made their way into both The Big Voice: God or Merman? and New World Waking. The CD, a benefit project for Youth Guardian Services, has mostly been only available as a physical disc.

However, with the preponderance of people getting their music through streaming, I finally registered the album with Tunecore, which will then distribute it to both paid download and streaming services: iTunes Mexico, VerveLife, Rhapsody, Zune, MediaNet,Amazon MP3, Spotify, Google Music, iTunes U.S., iTunes Latin America(incl. Brazil), iTunes Australia/N.Z., iTunes Canada, Nokia, eMusic,iTunes UK/European Union, iTunes Japan.

I always found it very frustrating that I could find just about every artist in the world except me. And, for a guy who was an original Net pioneer, that's embarrassing!

It says it will take a few weeks for everything to be in place.

I'm particularly interested in the streaming services, such as Spotify, because a still mostly unknown artist like myself can become available immediately to people who might be reading about me for the first time.

And, given the fact that The Last Session is about to be revived, -- possibly in TWO internationally known theater cities (announcements soon) -- I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that people will come looking for the source!

I wish I had a full recording studio at my beck and call, so that I can make more albums. But I don't. Friends are suggesting I might enough support to do a Kickstarter campaign, but I don't know. Asking for money is so icky.

So, in the intervening years, I've mostly written for the stage or concert hall, hoping that, some day, I can revive, or at least revisit, myself as a solo performer. Singing last month in Olympia, Washington, lit a fire for me because I felt so at home with this folk audience. It was a similar feeling to singing at Kulak's Woodshed in Los Angeles.

As much as I enjoy dressing up and singing in a cabaret or theater, I feel so much more at home in a relaxed environment, where everyone's laid back, maybe having some tea, and wearing a few hippie patches on their jeans.

Maybe I'm just a simple folk singer, after all. Who knows? I'm too young to start labeling myself.

My Health Regimen Is Working.

2012-02-29T04:38:00.003-08:00

Health.

It's such a funny fragile thing.

When you're young, you really don't give it much thought. Everything just works, and it's all very resilient. Hurts get kissed away. Broken things mend.

I don't think, as a young person, or even in my prime, in my 30s, was I ever concerned about my health. Maybe it's just not in the DNA of the my generation. Given much, we just consumed. And being from the South, it was usually fried.

So, as my diabetes has become more out of control, I've been testing my blood constantly. With Jim gone, I've had a chance to really focus on what I eat, and how much. I've also been doing light exercise. Squats and push-ups. And brisk walking.

And it's all working. My blood sugars had been hitting in the 180s and 190s.

This week, it was in the 80s - 110s, pre-meal.

In fact, it's been so good, that last night it was 68, which is borderline too low. In fact, 70 is where the doctor wanted me to start lowering the insulin dosage.

I've stayed mostly close to home. Cooked every meal myself, except for one night when I ate ONE piece of pizza (as opposed to devouring half the pie), and food off the Halal cart down on the corner -- chicken over rice (to which I add broccoli).

I've also been doing food prep work in the mornings. I've never thought about "food prep," to tell you the truth. But the fact is that since I'm a writer, I'm typing or playing the piano, and totally lose sense of time. Then, when I want to eat, I don't want to think about it. I just want to reach out, eat, and go back to my writing pod.

So, since, from the TV cooking shows, I learned about blanching, I go out and get fresh broccoli and asparagus from the farmer's market down the street. And each morning, I blanch it and keep it in the fridge alongside the chicken breasts, chopped turkey, and lean meats. I also chop up the salad mixings, which consist of dark colored lettuces and spinach. And I got some non-fat, non-sugar dressings.

It's really nice to have it at my fingertips when I don't want to pull myself away from my project.

But the time invested to carefully think about my diet is a new thing for me, even now at the age of 58. And my whole being is fighting against it.

How I want to just pig out on pizza.

Adele's 60 Minutes Interview.

2012-02-15T10:32:00.003-08:00

In this interview, Adele -- who is the biggest-selling singer/songwriter in the world right now -- said she wrote the songs from this last album for herself. It was stuff she needed to write to make herself feel good. It was not calculated, in terms of "trying" to write "hits." It was just a sincere cry from the heart, so to speak.

And that took me right back to the day I wrote "Connected," which was the snowball that created the avalanche called "The Last Session." (Big announcement coming soon. I promise.)

I remember that day so vividly, even as sick as I was because, after all the workshops and seminars I ran at National Academy of Songwriters, with "professionals" telling everyone to eliminate as much "personal detail" as possible, "so Whitney Houston can sing it," I said to myself, "I'm going to write a song that breaks every rule they've been laying down. I'll fill it with details that only my family and friends could possibly get.

IOW, I made a conscious effort to not write a hit song.

It became the biggest song of my career, except maybe for "Going It Alone," another song written purely and completely from the heart, with no regard for how anyone else might take it.

For years now, I've been giving this advice to young writers who approach me. Basically this: Don't write what you think other people might like. You'll be wrong every time. Instead, sit in a quiet room and ask yourself, "What would I most like to hear?" And then, write that.

It's tragic and sad what Whitney Houston did to herself. I don't know what demons haunted her, or what pain she was feeling that she could allow her life to fall so completely apart. Adele, who is a hilarious and witty woman, seems to have figured out how to get over things. Write about it and then purge it with the healing power of music.

Whitney Houston's death seemed more like the anticlimax of a play for which we already knew the ending. Even alive, she wasn't the Whitney her fans knew or recognized. I genuinely hope Adele is as real as she seems to be. I love that she is uninterested, in her shows, of doing anything but standing there and singing. That, for her, it's all about the music, and only the music.

I contrast that with Madonna's half-time show, where it wasn't about the music; it was about the spectacle. A body double could have been doing that routine and I bet we would have gotten the exact same show.

But, no double could stand on a stage and do Adele's show. Only Adele. She's the real thing. She's not famous for being famous, or for being naked, or for being a press whore. This is the first time I've even seen a full interview with her -- and she's as wickedly ballsy in the best Brit way as I was hoping. Shy, petrified of being on a stage, I think she rare and wonderful. Because her music is rare and wonderful.

My Valentine's Day Gift.

2012-02-14T11:43:00.002-08:00

Being alone in New York on Valentine's Day is not something I gave much thought to. As I've mentioned before, Jim and I aren't that sentimental about dates, holidays, birthdays, etc. Not that we don't acknowledge them -- even if just on the morning they occur -- but this policy has kept us both of us out of trouble, and free from the last minute panic of trying to think of something.

So, it wasn't like I was feeling forlorn on this cold New York City night, as I stepped into the 2 train heading uptown to 96th, where you change to the 1, get off at 116th St., and walk four blocks north. Okay, maybe a little bit I was wishing Jimmy would be here to see and hear this, the Discover Opera! group from Manhattan School of Music singing a Valentine's Day cabaret.

And, BTW, it's ironic that on this night a heterosexual couple would be singing our personal love song from "The Big Voice: God or Merman?" because the press release was going out announcing Jim's participation in a benefit concert called "Broadway Backwards," where he'll be partnering with Harvey Evans, to sing a song made famous by women -- which is how "Broadway Backwards" works. Women sing men songs, or gay couples sing love duets from classic musicals.

Wouldn't a straight couple singing "How Do You Fall Back In Love?" qualify?

Well, it did for me this night.

A Valentine's Day concert where two young people would be singing a song I wrote for Jim. How much more romantic could life get?

And, btw, Brad Lassiter and Maren Clair Weinberger were INCREDIBLE this night. They sang magnificently. I should add that the rest of the cast were also spectacular. Mark Janas, the musical director, and Andy Gale, the director, really outdid themselves. Lucky, lucky kids to have such great professionals so early in their careers.

How do *I* get into Manhattan School of Music??

Entrance to Columbia University, near the Manhattan School of Music.

A quick chicken gyro before the show.

Steve with Maren Clair Weinberger (who sang the "girl" part of "How Do You Fall?")

Steve with Brad Lassiter (who sang the "boy" part of "How Do You Fall?")

Steve with Matt Montana.

Steve with Rachael Hirsch.

I would have taken more photos with the other cast members, but it was too dark at the restaurant for my camera. It doesn't have a flash.

New Diabetic Meds and Regimen.

2012-02-14T06:59:00.001-08:00

Saw a new endocrinologist last week because my blood sugars were out of control, again. So, they changed me from pills and two shots a day, to a single shot of the basal insulin, plus three shots a day of regular insulin. And I have to test constantly.

So far, I've been doing well. But, man, it feels like more and more chains are being put on me. I can't leave the house without insulin in my pocket, testing equipment, watches, etc.

But, every time I start to bitch and moan about it, I think back to a time when people did not have insulin. Or when insulin had to kept cold until usage. Or measured out in syringes.

Now, with these fabulous new pen devices, all one has to do is stick the insulin in your pocket, twist the end to measure the amount, and go for it.

So, I will not bitch about my new circumstances.

Much.

Photo album: Restaurant Row NYC

2012-02-10T04:43:00.000-08:00

46th street, also called restaurant row.
We're on a quest to find Jake!

Russian restaurant.

Several Italian restaurants.

Here's where Jake works.

And there he is!

Manhattan School of Music (again)

2012-02-10T03:58:00.000-08:00

So, after I sent Jim off to Toronto, I was sitting here wondering what to do. Not that there isn't always another song to write, or another arrangement to put together, but I kept thinking about my time at Manhattan School of Music a couple of weeks ago, and how much I enjoyed the students.

Not just because they have spectacular voices -- they do, and that's no joke -- but I just love the whole academic atmosphere. It probably comes from having negligible formal training, myself. Two years at a Baptist college doesn't impress people much, especially those who've graduated from places like Julliard with doctorates, etc.

But, all my life I've been an inveterate learner. I always want to know more. I am always seeking a way to educate myself, especially if I can do it by trading out favors for mentoring.

So, I called Mark Janas and asked if I could just sit in again on his class. I knew they were putting together a cabaret show, to be performed this coming Monday, and I wanted to see how they were doing.

Well, when I walked into the room, wearing my new hat, of course, they all applauded spontaneously! I felt so honored!

Mark's curriculum, as I stated before, is to get them out of their comfort zone as opera singers and teach them to bring those skills to popular music, such as the American songbook in a special community outreach program.

He's brought in the great Andy Gale to direct and coach. Usually, opera singers have a great deal of trouble "down-shifting" into pop music. It's a completely different technique, to turn window-rattling power into the more conversational art form that cabaret and pop singing demands.

Well, unbeknownst to me, two of the singers, a male and female, Brad and Maren, decided to sing "How Do You Fall Back In Love." Somehow, through links that I thought were long dead, they got a copy of the song in a much lower key -- probably one I had thrown together for someone else -- and were already learning it.

Unfortunately, the piano part is all wrong because, down about a 3rd, the piano part needed to be re-voiced to make any sense. It was all too muddy. Mark, being the musician that he is, was figuring it out on the fly, but that motivated me to come home and see if I could re-voice this thing and get it into better shape. A tedious, time-consuming act. But one that needed to be done.

For one thing, the piano part that was on there was basically a directly transposed transcription of what I improvised six years ago, when I wasn't sure how to write out score. The part itself was already messy and inconsistent. Also, some of it was just plain wrong. For instance, I had copy/pasted some of one of the verses into the wrong measure, so everything was off by one measure about halfway through. If Mark didn't know the song, he'd have been totally lost.

So, I began rewriting yesterday afternoon. Fell asleep. Woke up early and kept at it, finally finishing about 10 AM.

I got on the subway and took the 2 train up to 96th, then the 1 local to the 120 block of Broadway, back to the school. Mark had already signed me in, so I raced up to the room 607, which was a much larger studio, with a Bechstein piano. They were already in the midst of rehearsal -- Andy doing the staging and directing.

Andy Gale directing.

Got there just in time to deliver the new arrangement, but not in time to hear it. Luckily, tonight, Friday, they are going to do a full rehearsal. (I would go again this morning, but I have a doctor's appt.).

For those in the NY area, I think the Monday night performance is open to the public. I don't have the details as I'm writing this. But please let me know if you'd like to come. I think it may even be free. You will not find a better collection of singers on a single stage (esp. at this price).

What I wanted to tell all the students in this class is that I've rarely seen the combination of extraordinary voices combined with a willingness to learn, and an openness to being molded, devoid of diva-ism, that I've seen in this group. I want to sit them down and say, "Hey, look around. This only happens a few times in one's lifetime. Mark it. Grab it. Remember it."

Thanks to Mark and Andy, who are coaching them to performances far beyond their years of experience. And, because they're put in those thousands of hours of learning how to sing, learning the mechanics of their vocal instruments, they'll be able to audition and get work immediately. I'm so thrilled to be a part of it.

Theater District NY. 7 FEB 2012

2012-02-07T19:11:00.000-08:00

Talk about a cast.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is possibly the greatest living American actor.
Andrew Garfield, one of the hottest.

This is a trimmed down version for Broadway. The original opera is 4 hours.
They use most of the songs, but turn the recitatives into connecting dialogue.
It's worth it just to see Audra.

And on the same street, this new production is opening.
It's apparently a new musical using lots of Gershwin music.

She works a lot.

Ricky Martin is the reason this is happening.
Ricky Martin as Che Guevara? Gotta love Broadway.

A musical version of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is here at the Palace.
Coming soon: Ghost, the musical.
Back to the left, Phantom is still running, but the new color is blue.
Godspell just reopened with a Glee-like production.

The thing I notice the most, walking around, is that most everyone you run into is a tourist. The atmosphere is like a carnival. The created a big plaza in Times Square, and now everyone goes there. All the Broadway theaters are within walking distance of Times Square.

I believe they had a big successful run in London.

This is new.

Oh my lord. Look at THAT cast!

Another new musical adaptation of a movie.

Meanwhile, after Daniel Radcliffe's long, successful run,
they put hot boy Darren Criss from GLEE into this.
The girls were stacked up for blocks.
Now, Nick Joans has settled in for a long run.

This is where you get the discounted Broadway tickets.

New World Waking. Miami. April 28, 2012.

2012-02-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

Miami Men's Chorus select group, Insignia, will be performing New World Waking at the spectacular Aventura Arts and Cultural Center on April 28, 2012. Click here for more information.

The Last Session Call-Out.

2012-02-04T04:05:00.000-08:00

I've been asked to put together a little history of The Last Session. It's for an upcoming project that I cannot discuss officially, but can discuss privately. And I'm looking to verify some facts. So, people who were around back then, especially 1996 and 1997, will ya be a witness?!

The Green Gunk.

2012-02-04T03:53:00.000-08:00

I know it when it hits, and every time it hits, I go into denial. And I chase it off with tea and soup, victorious.

Until I finally give up and call the doctor.

So, I have my meds. I'm resting.

And Steinbeck loves it when I feed him the wet food. Which I did this morning.

All is well.

Dear Harvey... A Call For Submissions.

2012-02-02T06:22:00.001-08:00

Two Sold-Out Shows at TRADITIONS FAIR TRADE Cafe.

2012-01-30T03:45:00.000-08:00

I'm about to get on a plane, but I wanted to thank PFLAG-Olympia for the chance to sing with the hilarious and talented Righteous Mothers (warning: link automatically plays music) this weekend. The Traditions Fair Trade was packed to the rafters for both shows, and I don't think I've ever experienced a more moving and loving concert than we had this night. And when the Righteous Mothers joined me for my three finale songs, we KILLED. Wow, did we sound good.

TRADITIONS FAIR TRADE Cafe and gift shop from the outside at night.
"Fair Trade" means clothing and crafts from poor, indigenous peoples all over the world,
bought directly from the makers and not through a middle man.
This way more money goes to the ones who make the items.

Peeking in the window of TRADITIONS in Olympia, Washington.

The Righteous Mothers and I played this room.
They have music and food every night.

The pianos was beautiful. And in tune!
More indigenous folk art on the walls for sale.

Here's a poster explaining "Fair Trade."
It's a creative way to use capitalism, isn't it?
On this page is a selection of items they feature.

Here's the "kitchen."

I loved the big pot of soup boiling. You order there at the counter.
They bring you your order.
It has a great turkey sandwich, but they also have vegan and vegetarian offerings that were quite tasty.
The black bean enchiladas were savory and delicious.

Gabi threatened to sing.

Tibetan singing bowls.
Cup one in your hand, Then use the mallet to create a ringing sound.
Many massage therapists use this to kind of clear the mind,
using music to create a healing environment.

The Righteous Mothers do a sound check.

We did a show together two nights. I'll describe them in another entry. They've been singing together for 30 years, I think. Their folk sounding songs use a lot of narrative and usually comment on social issues.

I found them on Spotify this morning. Check The Righteous Mothers – Louise And Roger I tweeted it this morning under #SongsIWishIHadWritten.

This clothing lasts forever. Nothing shoddy or worn.
It may not look fashionable, but it's as couture, in its own way, as anything
else hand stitched.
There's an idea for the TV show, Project Accessory.
Design a look using only Fair Trade clothing.

You could spend hours in this store and still not see everything.

I saw this stack of hats.
I've never worn a hat -- or, if I did, it was for short periods of time.
I'm so tall, that hats just look stupid on me, usually.
Also, my head is very big, so most hats don't fit.
But when I see a stack of hats...

I don't know. I might be rockin' this hat.

Hmmm.

Q likes it!

The brown one fits a little better.
Maybe the black one is a little too Herman Cain.

That's one of the Righteous Mothers, Clare Meeker.

I was walking all over Hell's Kitchen last night after I got home and I was wearing at least one of these hats. I saw myself in a mirror and I think I look like a hillbilly but my friend said it looked dashing, very Indiana Jones.

Hmm. A Hillbilly Indiana Jones. I can do that.

Article in The Olympian.

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

Wonderful article by Molly Gilmore about my close relationship with Olympia, Washington.

“I have a special emotional connection to Olympia,” said Schalchlin, a lyricist, composer, pianist and actor who’ll perform this weekend at two benefit performances for Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays.
Read more here:

Tonight in Olympia.

2012-01-27T07:59:00.001-08:00

Had a great rehearsal yesterday with the Righteous Mothers. Am feeling a bit under the weather, though. So, some to the show if you're in the Olympia area and we'll see if my froggy throat will survive!

My Day At Manhattan School of Music.

2012-01-24T05:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I witnessed a number of impromptu mini-cabaret performances that left me riveted in my seat, tears just streaming down my cheeks.

It was the birth of something remarkable. Sadly, I do not have video.

Oh, I brought the camera. It was lying on the turned-around piano, fired up and ready to go. But it I had turned it on, the magical things that happened wouldn’t, and couldn’t, have happened.

When I say impromptu I mean that I didn’t know it was going to happen, and neither did the singers, themselves.

It wasn’t some cabaret convention with ladies in gowns and men in tuxes. I went to that, and it was great and all, but this was not that. It was on the sixth floor of a faded-mansion Manhattan school room on the west side “in the hundreds.” Something called the Manhattan School of Music, and I was the guest “lecturer.” I even wore my good suit and pretty red tie, decorated with music staffs. A man in the elevator tried to sing it.

“This used to be Julliard, you know. Until they built Lincoln Center. The people who have walked these halls.” Mark Janas, escorting me down the hallway lined with framed pictures of men in tuxes and women in gowns, all playing cellos or violins or pianos. Or singing. Did that say Toscanini?

We pass a room where the door is open. I peer in and I’m looking at an orchestra tuning up.

Mark says, “It always it thrills me to see that.” I immediately thought of those old cartoons where someone opens a door, and whole city appears. I wondered how big is that room and what it must sound like to sit and listen to your own private orchestra.

We get into an ancient elevator. At first, it won’t move, so Mark forces the doors open and lets them shut again. It moves. 6th floor (the top floor).

The room is large and airy. Walls bare and aged. Tall windows. Shades drawn halfway down. Chandeliers with tiny lights, glaring. Outside, it was gray and cold. A beautiful church spire, probably Episcopal, was near.

Mark again, “You’re gonna like this piano. It’s big.”

At the other end, a concert sized Steinway on a small stage, elevated just a foot above the main floor. Parquet. Facing sideways.

We piled our coats beneath the piano to dampen the sound a bit.

“Let’s turn the piano,” he says, “and put the students around you.”

I recall another time when I was invited to a class, where the students were there, mostly, because it was an easy credit they could report to their parole officers.

Young people are tricky.

Sometimes they look bored at you, or like you’re going to tell them their family just died in a car crash.

But when they’re open and available, when they’re eager and responsive, when they look hungry and curious, it all has to happen so spontaneously and unselfconsciously, that you don’t know it’s happening until it’s happening.

A few of them are already there. 9:30 class.

They don’t know I’m coming. Mark didn’t invite me until yesterday morning. I had performed a song Sunday morning in church that I had worked on with him and Andy Gale this past Saturday in their “Acting the Song” workshop.

“At A Hospice, In The Atrium” is one I had actually sung before, and posted on YouTube. Back then, it was when the song was first written, and I was unsure of the lyrics, stumbling over them a bit, making up the chords as I went along. But the song is so meaningful to me -- one I mulled over for years before finding a way to write, that I posted it anyway. It’s gotten less than a hundred hits, so it doesn’t matter anyway.

(As I write these words, I am preparing to do a concert in Olympia, where I will be singing in a folk cafe. I have always felt like I”m more folk singer than theater or cabaret artist, but really, in an auto-tuned world, these are lines are dissolving.)

I asked Mark what it was that he was teaching, what’s the curriculum? He said the class is a kind of outreach program to the community, but it’s more than that. He’s teaching these opera students to sing jazz and standards, and then do programs for some senior centers, plus they actually write a children’s opera, parodying themes from various operas that teach about opera, and they perform it to school kids. It’s a lot of work.

I’m more than sure there are some students who might feel something like this is a little beneath their dignity, to sing standards? But more than that, as a listener, opera people singing standards can be nails on the blackboard.

Everyone piled their coats under the piano to help muffle the sound. Then we took all the chairs and put them around the piano in an arc.

What Mark wanted from me was simply tell my story and sing some of the songs, illustrating the healing power of music, and the fact that it’s a calling. That lives are changed. Even if you’re cast in the worst show, in the stupidest part, someone will have needed to see that.

I began with “Connected,” the song that saved my life. The song that gave birth to The Last Session. The score that kept me alive. I told them about my online diary, among the first of its kind, about performing with an IV port stuck in my arm.

Then, I started “Lazarus.” I wanted to hear them sing. And, frankly, if I were one of them, I’d be wanting to sing, too. They caught on pretty quickly, with Mark’s help. But it felt only okay. I think we were all just feeling each other out, trying to figure out what it was we were trying to learn from another.

At one point, though, as I was singing “Going It Alone,” one of the girls bounded out of the room in tears. She told me later that it had to do with her mother and cancer, and needing to be strong.

Finally, after about an hour, we took a break and Mark had the idea to tell them to think of a story from their own lives, and then tell that story as an intro to a song.

Well, they came back. One girl got up and told a story about wanting to find her birth mom. How she had registered her name and was hoping someone from the family was also registered. And then she opened her mouth and sang... “Skylark, have you anything to say to me.”

And I was done.

Tears streaming down my face. And then, to top it off -- how well we can be moved by performers with nice intentions but no real singing skills -- she could sing. She could really, really sing. So, I couldn’t escape. She had me in her thrall.

Then, another girl. She remembered being a young girl, in the car. Her mom tells her that she’s pregnant and that this girl will have a brother. She remembered being angry and petulant at the intruder who would take her place. But when the baby brother came, he became the number one person in her life. Then she started singing, “There were birds on the hill but I never heard them singing...”

And, once again, I totally lost it.

And on THAT SONG? Geez, I’ve heard that song so much in my life, if you had told me what she was going to sing, I would have exited the room. A chestnut!

After a few notes, though, Mark stopped her. It was very operatic sounding in the original key. He said, “Let’s lower it and put it in a conversational key.”

Now, that was a term I had never heard before. Maybe he made it up on the spot.

A conversational key.

And, whoa. Phenomenal. Moving. Gut wrenching.

Lesson learned. Any song can work if you give it context. And great cabaret singing is really about telling a very real, personal story. The truth.

I had said to them earlier, “You live in a world that is filled with bullshit. Everything runs on bullshit. Tell the truth, sing the truth, and heads will snap in your direction.

Well, next it was one of the boys. Then another. Each one more emotional and amazing than the last, but all equal on their own terms, if you know what I mean.

One girl, a blond, very pretty. Raises her hand. I feel that I don’t have anything special to say. I mean, especially compared with your story.

“Well,” I told her. “Feelings aren’t facts. You are enough. What you’re experiencing is what everyone experiences who tries to get into the arts. ‘Who would care about me or my story?’” Mark told her she could stand up and use that feeling as an intro to a song.

The experience of the whole morning was so singular and, frankly, transcendent, that I never thought to pick up a camera, not even to just do a group shot. That’s when you know you’ve had a special time, like when audiences would let “Going It Alone” fade into silence.

At the end, I told them, very honestly, that what I heard that morning was as good as anything I have ever heard on a New York City stage. And that’s saying a lot. And I meant it. And I’m so grateful that Mark gave me the opportunity.

I believe all of their performances this year are going to be more or less open to the public. And I believe they’ll be singing at the open mic at Mark Janas The Salon on Sunday nights. I honestly cannot wait to hear them sing again.

But that birth. Yesterday morning. While it was unique, and couldn’t be replicated exactly, it will happen again. As Mark and I both emphasized, nothing they did was hard or complicated. In fact, the idea of stepping onto a stage and being honest is as obvious a notion as drinking water.

But, from experience, he and I knew that the ease with which these students made that transition was both remarkable and inevitable.

Like life should be. Remarkable and inevitable.

At A Hospice.

2012-01-24T04:12:00.000-08:00

The Wikipedia Definition of an Actor.

2012-01-23T03:18:00.000-08:00

Jim's agent called the other day and said, "Go to Wikipedia and do a search on the word 'actor.' See what you find."

Naturally, our thought was that there would be the standard definition and history, as well as some examples of great actors, such as Edwin Booth or Lawrence Olivier, Merle Streep or Liz Taylor.

Instead, there was this:

I swear I had nothing to do with it and I have no idea how it got there. But there we are, the Wikipedia definition of "actor."

Our actor friends here keep asking, "How did you pull that off?"

But then, my friend, Linda, reminded me that we had actually seen this page before, years ago. But I guess it just didn't register with me at the time. And, of course, anyone can change Wikipedia. So, maybe it will be gone tomorrow. Who knows?

But, how "universe is trying to tell you something" is that?

Jim Brochu's Zero Hour. Toronto Feb 8-Mar 11.

2012-01-23T02:49:00.000-08:00

Jim Brochu is bringing Zero Hour back to Toronto for four weeks. Bathurst Street Theatre. Get ticket info here.

Heading to Olympia.

2012-01-23T02:38:00.000-08:00

JANUARY 27-28, 2012 8PM
TRADITIONS CAFE
THE RIGHTEOUS MOTHERS andSHACK
OLYMPIA, WA

I'm getting very excited about singing Olympia. I think I mentioned that I have been a student again, taking classes with Andy Gale and Mark Janas. I honestly think I've never met anyone with as good an eye as Andy, for helping singers loosen up and deliver a song with intimacy and conviction.

I began the classes at the end of last year, and have continued them through the new year. It's a pretty simple set-up. Mark on piano. Andy and the other classmates in front of you. And you get up and sing. The terrifying thing for me, at first, was just getting used to someone else playing my songs for me. I'm so used to setting the tempo and created the whole moment.

But it's also limiting to be sitting at a piano, so it's a great exercise. I had never thought about auditioning for anything until this class. I would never have had the courage. But now, I think I could probably go into any audition and nail it, meaning have a terrific audition. (Getting the role, itself, is a whole 'nother thing that depends on factors not in one's control, such as height, looks, age, size, vocal quality, etc.)

I wish I had had the forethought to tape these sessions -- and I've even been carrying my camera around with me but I'm so caught up in the moment, I forget it's in my pocket.

What has happened, though, over the two months of training, is that my confidence is building. I don't know whether it's being southern or small town or what, but I tend to be really shy when singing. I can fake it pretty good, usually, like when I got nominated for a best leading actor in a musical in Los Angeles -- what was up with that?? -- but sometimes I can't. I never had this kind of training, the kind of intense training that good actors undergo as they work to get their break in the biz.

But, in Olympia, I get to just be myself at the piano. I'm gonna bring a list of songs and then just go for it.

The Internet Blackout

2012-01-18T04:26:00.000-08:00

I went to Wikipedia and, instead, found my congressman.

I hope others will do the same.

The media spokespersons say they only want to ban sites that only do "illegal" sharing. But how long till ideas become "illegal" and suddenly, like China, you have a long list of government people sitting at desks deciding which sites can stay open and which will be blocked.

The Internet must be free. Freedom of speech. Freedom of the press. Freedom of religion.

Here's to Mel White on MLK Day. (Edited)

2012-01-15T05:52:00.000-08:00

(This entry has been edited. See below. But the original language is intact.)

Mel White, Soul Force.

I have been enjoying conversation with some political types who are very passionate about their beliefs, that the system needs to be replaced. Interestingly, some of these are hard core right and some are hard core left. I like drifting between worlds. You learn more that way. I, myself, have been called an activist, but I prefer to think of myself, because of my health limitations, a musical tactical support system.

If there's a hospital set up between warring camps, you'll find me at the out of tune piano, singing for the patients.

But in these discussions, too often the talk is violent. The words violent. The anger misdirected to people, rather than to injustice itself. "They are evil" is meaningless in a world where any of us in that position might be acting exactly the same way. Conservative Christians consider this evidence of a fallen world. Naturalists will simply say that it's animal instinct. A distinction without a difference, I fear.

The other morning, one fellow was particularly angry and he was speaking so harshly, I kind of corrected him on having "violence of the tongue" toward his opponents. I sent him to this link, called an Activist Guide, Mel White's soul force.

On this day, celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King, I thought it might be useful to bring forward the set of principles of non-violence that guided me when I participated in a March on Lynchburg to stand up against what we believed was an incorrect and damaging image that Rev. Falwell was painting of us.

Looking back, it seems absolutely bizarre. Jerry, at the last minute, refusing us the meal he had offered. Us sitting at round tables for 10, with nothing but bottles of water, interspersed with members of his congregation. I wonder what ever happened to the girl sitting at my table that day? The one who loved her estranged gay brother so much -- "He's the one who led me to the Lord." -- but who felt torn between her angry parents and her resentful brother.

Victims of the culture war.

Mel doesn't get a lot of attention. He is a humble, kind man. His work synthesizing the principles of Gandhi and King to create "Soul Force" is an outstanding achievement.

That some activist group furthered his work is a testament to his devotion to justice and his Christian faith.

EDIT UPDATE

This essay has been criticized by people from both the right and the left. Someone on the right said that I was playing the victim card, especially using language like "culture war," etc. And someone from the left agreed with him that in using this terminology as a metaphor for what is, essentially, social and political differences, I was cooperating with war.

And, you know what? I totally agree. Now, should I change the essay above or just let this edit speak for itself?

Quietude on the Blog.

2012-01-09T07:18:00.000-08:00

I have been rather quiet on this blog because a lot of what I used to do here I now just do at Facebook. Pointing to articles, linking, etc.

Back in the Old Days of the blog -- back in 1996 -- when I was trying to narrate my death, I would reach moments of reflection and suddenly declare and "end to book" two or whatever. I divided my life into volumes which I can now go back and examine, something I haven't done yet.

But the point is that I have been personally attending to some health issues, nothing serious. But I've also been writing some music. It's a new song that I'm submitting to someone, so I don't want to jinx it by talking about it and then getting rejected. My RT friends know about it and have heard various versions of it.

Additionally, I've been taking performance classes with Andy Gale and Mark Janas, and preparing for the concert with the Righteous Mothers in Olympia.

We have kinda been going out a lot, but it's mostly to meet people and network. We'd already rather be home plopped in front of the TV, but business is business.

Anyway, a great new year to you, dear reader. And may we all survive survival.

Christmas in New York Photos.

2011-12-31T04:09:00.000-08:00

Jim Brochu, looking awfully dashing in his beret.

The crowds were enormous, so we decided to just walk around the outside and not go into the plaza.

And, of course, the mandatory Christmas tree shot.
Only took two shots to get it right.

These Christmas lilies have lasted and lasted.

Christmastime With Shack

2011-12-26T06:53:00.000-08:00

At church yesterday this morning, I was set to sing “He’s Coming Back” but there was something in the air. Father Jeff seemed a little downcast, and I said to him, “Look, there’s this song that I wrote for a children’s musical. It’s a little simplistic, but I could make it into a little sing-along -- and it’s a happy “up” song!
I felt like I knew the lyric. All I had to do was remember that the “poles to the equator” bridge is first. Then, “forests of Westphalia,” second.

I performed it after the "Peace." That was Father Jeff’s idea, to do it right after the Peace instead of after the Gospel. And it was a perfect placement because the Peace is where everyone greets everyone else in the congregation and wishes them “peace.” So, it’s a more informal moment.

I have always been a bit uncomfortable when the congregation applauds after the song when it's placed before the sermon.

Another moment that was strange was when we were singing “Go Tell It On The Mountain.” The choir was just perfect. Then, they said for the congregation to sing it on their own -- and, almost nothing. It was either too early or they were just listening -- which could be the case, given how good this choir is.

So, when it was time for the Peace, everyone from the choir went into the house and all the congregants stood up and greeted each other. I drifted over to the piano, Fr. Jeff announced me -- “our resident composer, Steve Schalchlin.”

And, given the warm informality of the moment, I felt like I could really be myself. Before, the Gospel was read and I was between the Gospel and the sermon. A very sacred moment, really.
But this, everyone was calming down, talking to each other, having a little fun, and I said, “This is from a children’s musical I wrote, and it has a little sing-along. So, sing this...”

I stumbled a bit at the opening since I hadn't planned on singing this song -- and it has a LOT of words, but I survived...

Merry Christmas-ukkah

2011-12-25T03:45:00.000-08:00

Last week, I was invited to a holiday brunch with the parents, teachers and school children at Adelphi Academy in Brooklyn. They performed Christmas carols, and then the younger kids all performed "A Charlie Brown Holiday," which included the story of Hannukah, since so many of the children are Jewish. It was just wonderful to see all those tiny faces dressed up like Snoopy, Linus, Christmas trees and all the rest. In deference to the privacy of the kids, I won't post their faces without permission, but I did take one snap of Santa that I totally love. And notice the blue menorah in the foreground.

I have a feeling a lot of parents are gonna need that booth after two weeks of holiday.

STAGE PORTRAIT: Jim Brochu in The Man Who Came to Dinner - Playbill.com

2011-12-09T03:41:00.000-08:00

STAGE PORTRAIT: Jim Brochu in The Man Who Came to Dinner - Playbill.com

AIDS drugs are safe.

2011-12-08T12:49:00.001-08:00

Study shows longterm use of AIDS drugs is safe.

Michael CarterPublished: 08 December 2011A large international study has provided persuasive evidence of the long-term safety of antiretroviral therapy. Writing in the online edition of AIDS, investigators from the EuroSIDA study report that prolonged use of antiretroviral therapy did not increase the risk of death from non-AIDS-related illnesses.

“The main finding of our study was that there was no evidence of an increase in the risk of any non-AIDS-related death with prolonged exposure to cART [combination antiretroviral therapy],” comment the authors. “The results are reassuring that so far prolonged use of cART does not appear to be leading to increased risk of death due to some previously identified cumulative effect, or a drug effect whereby there is a long induction period before disease appears.”

Gavin Creel singing "NOISE" for equality.

2011-12-07T11:36:00.001-08:00

What a terrific song and video this is:

The Craving - Coleman & Shack

2011-12-06T14:50:00.001-08:00

I've been posting songs from our cabaret on 11/11/11 at Don't Tell Mama. This one is called "The Craving," a song about addiction.

Two New Songs.

2011-12-05T15:36:00.001-08:00

Opening Night Portrait of Cast of "The Man Who Came To Dinner."

2011-12-05T07:28:00.001-08:00

Photo by Rick Stockwell.

Opening Night of The Man Who Came To Dinner.

2011-12-05T04:32:00.001-08:00

It's been an amazing learning experience for me, watching this cast find all the beats of this complex farce, and especially Jim, putting some blood into the role of Sheridan Whiteside. I've seen every preview and, now, opening night. What most people don't know is that this production is on an Equity Showcase contract. There was a maddeningly brief rehearsal time, three previews to get it on its feet, then the critics in the audience, and then the opening night -- which was a fantastic show, their best performance.

But those early shows were previews. It's the place you figure out what's not working. A large budgeted show would have a much longer time to work out all the kinks -- which is, of course, what this run will do. Jim got some great notices, but also got punched a little, mostly for not being mean enough or something.

Well, just stand back. I don't mean that Jim is going to let others direct him, but I know that the show they saw is not the show that will run forward. Really what they were witnessing is Jim finding Sheridan's beating heart. Why would a person do the horrific things he does?

Now they'll all start having some fun -- and it is a very fun show. I sit up behind everyone -- some seats are roped off because they can only allow 99 seats per performance.

What's great is that the people watching this play, even when they're not laughing out loud, they have huge grins on their faces, and their body language is forward and attentive. They are having a very good time.

But to get to this point, Jim is tired. I'm keeping him in all day, rested and warm. I took a lot of snapshots, so I'll post them over on Facebook, so the other cast members can tag themselves.

But here is a snapshot from the party, where they're all getting ready for the big cast portrait.

Music For World AIDS Day.

2011-12-01T04:03:00.001-08:00

My most recent song about AIDS -- a true story about singing in an AIDS hospice.

Stephen Bienskie live on stage in 1997 in the Original Off-Broadway performance of "Going It Alone."

Here is "The Group" in our TLS reunion concert a couple of years ago.

Kevin Wood rehearsing "Save Me A Seat".

The LA cast of The Last Session singing "When You Care".

Julie Reyburn singing "Going It Alone" for The Spirit of Broadway Awards, in Norwich, CT.

"Connected" is the first song I wrote about living with AIDS.

Miracle on 34th Street, The Musical -- Artwork

2011-11-28T11:19:00.001-08:00

Theatrical Gems presents Miracle on 34th Street, The Musical by Meredith Willson

with Jim Brochu as Kris Kringle, plus Kimberly Faye Greenberg, Tony Yazbek & Rachel Resheff
(and yours truly, Steve Schalchlin, as the Judge).

A Few Pics from the Weekend Previews.

2011-11-28T05:02:00.001-08:00

David Staller of The Shaw Project, Jim Brochu & Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies.

Jim Brochu receives copy of rare photograph from Anne Kaufman Schneider.
It's of her father, George S. Kaufman with Alexander Woollcott,
upon whom the character of Sheridan Whiteside (Brochu) was based.

The show has now played to full houses at three previews. Doing a classic 40s comedy like this takes precision and style, which can only really be discovered in front of audiences. So, a few little hiccups here and there aside, the cast is terrific, but now the real adjusting begins. It's just part of the process and it's arduous, but necessary.

Today is a day off, so I'm gonna keep Jim warm and pampered today. Next week, the critics begin to arrive.

TheaterMania Interviews Jim Brochu

2011-11-25T07:46:00.001-08:00

http://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/news/11-2011/jim-brochu-makes-a-dinner-date_45144.html

Jim is interviewed by TheaterMania.

TM: Do you have specific memories of this play?

JB: Well, I have another connection with The Man Who Came to Dinner. My mentor was David Burns, who played Banjo in the original production.

Thanksgiving Dinner with Friends.

2011-11-25T07:41:00.001-08:00

Steinbeck was guarding the door.
He finally let us pass when we promised to bring leftovers.

Rick Stockwell at his carefully decorated table.

Jim Brochu, Rick Stockwell, Ira Denmark
(Ira is in "The Man Who Came To Dinner" with Jim.)

Jim and me on Thanksgiving 2011.

Rick and Ira made a gorgeous turkey, stuffing, and lots of extras. So, I ate until I popped.

My Thanksgiving Prayer -- Free Download from SFGMC

2011-11-24T04:19:00.000-08:00

My Thanksgiving Prayer

In gratitude to all.

Happy Thanksgiving.

2011-11-24T00:37:00.001-08:00

Jim Brochu as Sheridan Whiteside just as they are about to broadcast the Christmas radio program.

Yesterday, I took "unofficial" snapshots during the dress rehearsal of "The Man Who Came To Dinner" and it just feel holiday-ish. It's an absolutely gorgeous production. And the fact that it's in a tiny theater inside a church, you are right onstage in the middle of the action. Some of the best character actors in town are in this. Official opening is December 4. Tickets at The Peccadillo website.

Casting Complete for Meredith Willson's Miracle on 34th Street Benefit - Playbill.com

2011-11-23T16:08:00.000-08:00

Casting Complete for Meredith Willson's Miracle on 34th Street Benefit - Playbill.com

I am confirmed!

Olympia Concert Jan 27-28

2011-11-22T05:33:00.001-08:00

I will be appearing with The Righteous Mothers, a hilarious and wonderful band of singers and songwriters in Olympia, Washington on Jan. 27-28, 2012 at Traditions. (Here's the graphic I designed for our concert).

Actors Temple Benefit was a Triumph

2011-11-21T11:47:00.001-08:00

Jim and I had a blast singing for the event last night. We did a medley from The Big Voice: God or Merman? and the response was overwhelming. All the other performers were begging me for sheet music.

I love when that happens.

Press release for Actors Temple Benefit.

2011-11-17T14:08:00.001-08:00

BROADWAY & CABARET COMMUNITY SALUTE THE ACTORS
TEMPLE IN SECOND ANNUAL FUNDRAISER!!!

The Best of Broadway & Cabaret will come out in support of the Actors Temple, (est. 1917) on Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 7 PM. This theater district historic landmark (339 West 47th Street) has fallen on hard times in recent years & is in dire need of help. According to event producer, Randie Levine-Miller, "Part of the sanctuary ceiling fell down just after Yom Kippur. Thank God, no one was hurt. I said to our wonderful Rabbi, Jill Hausman that we should once again get the theatrical community to come out & do what they did for the temple last year -- so this has just become our second annual benefit!"

Performers generously donating their time & talent include: Brent Barrett, Anna Bergman, Jim Brochu, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, John DeMarco, Jackie Hoffman, Lisa Lampanelli, Sue Mathys, Sidney Myer, Jill O'Hara, Brad Oscar, Lee Roy Reams, Steve Schalchin & Rena Strober. Michael Lavine will musical direct. Producer Levine-Miller will also host the event.

Tickets which are totally tax deductible are $125 for the concert only; $250 which includes a VIP/Cast After-Party at Tony's di Napoli Restaurant; $500 which includes the VIP After-Party as well as brunch at the NY Friars Club; $1,000 Benefactor ticket includes VIP/After Party, Brunch at the Friars Club plus a Leaf on the Actors Temple Tree of Life. Carol Ostrow, theater producer & group sales executive is underwriting the VIP/Cast party.

For ticket information, contact: accentonbcast@aol.comor call 212-362-3616 or send check to The Actors' Temple, PO Box 2620, New York, NY 10108 -- Credit Cards also accepted. Tickets held at the door.
Legendary members of the congregation included: Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Red Buttons, Eddie Cantor, Sophie Tucker, George Jessel, Al Jolson, Sandy Koufax, Jack E. Leonard, Joe E. Lewis, Tony Martin, the Ritz Brothers, Edward G. Robinson, William B. Williams, Shelly Winters, Henny Youngman, amongst many others.

# # #

Broadway & Cabaret salute... The Actors Temple

2011-11-17T04:49:00.001-08:00

As you may know, Jim and I "opened" the Actors Temple, a historic temple in the Times Square area, as an Off-Broadway house with "The Big Voice: God or Merman?" We will be performing a medley of songs from Big Voice in tribute. And look at the other stars on the bill! If you know anything about the Broadway and Cabaret scenes, you will know these names. And if you don't, then just find a way in and be prepared.

It's THIS SUNDAY.

Digital Executives Excited, Optimistic About Google Music | Billboard.biz

2011-11-17T04:33:00.000-08:00

At an event in Los Angeles on Wednesday the company unveiled a new MP3 store that is integrated with its existing cloud storage service. The company showed off social features that allow purchased songs to be shared with friends, and it debuted a new platform for independent artists that allows them to sell music without a middleman.

But most notable aspect of Wednesday's announcement was the very fact that such a major company is now intimately involved in digital music and working with rights holders. "It's positive to see that level of investment coming into the music industry," Merlin CEO Charles Caldas tells Billboard.biz.

"The launch of Google's music service is a good thing, a very good thing," TuneCore CEO Jeff Price says via email. Price believes Google is helping shift the focus from the label to the artist. "The goal here is to allow artists to get heard, shared, discovered and paid. I am thrilled to have TuneCore be in a deal with Google."

Written by Glenn Peoples, Nashville.

Business Matters: Digital Executives Excited, Optimistic About Google Music | Billboard.biz

I love his prescription at the end. Paul Zak: Trust, morality -- and oxytocin

2011-11-14T06:57:00.000-08:00

The augmented reality of techno-magic: Marco Tempest on TED.com

2011-11-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

The augmented reality of techno-magic: Marco Tempest on TED.com

REMINDER: Coleman & Shack, Fri. Nov. 11, Don't Tell Mama 9:15PM

2011-11-10T11:46:00.001-08:00

COLEMAN & SHACK will debut at Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street) Friday, November 11th at 9:15 pm. COLEMAN & SHACK are two-time Back Stage Vocalist of the Year Amy Coleman and GLAAD/Ovation Award-winning Steve Schalchlin (SHACK-lin), composer/lyricist of Off-Broadway's The Last Session and The Big Voice: God or Merman? as well as the song cycle New World Waking, a musical insurrection for peace.

The duo will perform songs from all three of Schalchlin's scores plus a few new songs written by both Coleman and Shack. Steve Schalchlin and Amy Coleman have joined forces to become COLEMAN & SHACK, a new show which not only revisits the music they're know for, but compares and contrasts their personal stories.
A "country preacher's kid," Steve Schalchlin is a longtime AIDS survivor who has extensively documented his odyssey of survival. His pioneering blog Living in the Bonus Round was established in 1996. Intended to be a memoir of a dying man, it has instead become a testament to courage, perseverance and rebirth. Prior to blogging, Schalchlin wrote a series of songs that he now credits for saving his life. These songs provided the bedrock for his award-winning Off-Broadway musical The Last Session, in which he eventually starred after being brought back to life through means of a luck-of-the-draw lottery for a revitalizing new AIDS medication. Schalchlin's other works include the recent New World Waking, which debuted in 2008 at Davies Symphony Hall featuring the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, Women's Community Ochestra, with soloist Jennifer Holliday and actress Piper Laurie.
Amy Coleman has played the lead role of Vicki three times in The Last Session, and it was at that New York audition that she first met "Shack." They were later cast together in several productions. A Jewish girl from Brooklyn, Amy's very New York career was a mix of theater and rock bands, including the role of Janis Joplin in the original production of Beehive at the Village Gate. Schalchlin says, "In The Last Session, Amy tore the roof off every night when she performed ‘Somebody's Friend.' Since then, we kept up a long friendship, always vowing to someday just put a show together on our own. When I moved back to New York City from L.A. two years ago, it all became possible."
C. Todd White, author and cultural anthropologist (Pre-Gay L.A.: A Social History of the Movement for Homosexual Rights) says of GLAAD Media Award and PFLAG Oscar Wilde Award recipient, Steve Schalchlin, "He is a living testament to the healing power of music. He is a national hero, a true role model and inspiration for gay men from east coast to west."
There is a $10 music charge for COLEMAN & SHACK, with a two-drink minimum. For reservations, call (212) 757-0788 after 4 pm or visit donttellmama.com.

Read more: http://broadwayworld.com/article/COLEMAN-SHACK-To-Debut-at-Dont-Tell-Mama-1111-20111031#ixzz1dKpmhrCn

I've Lost My Husband to Meredith Vieira.

2011-11-09T05:29:00.000-08:00

Jim Brochu pondering a show biz question.

My friend Bud wrote:

Meredith loved Jimmy and hung onto to him every chance she got and what a big kiss !!!

It's true. She was a giddy school girl in love!

And the Raisin dance!

And he felt totally mortified that a question about a playwright stopped him.

He said on the way home, "I feel so stupid. Neil Simon wrote a play about Chekhov called 'The Good Doctor.' I knew this! And now I'm sitting here thinking about what they're going to say about me on All That Chat. I'll get crucified." I told him no he wouldn't. That people might poke at him and laugh a bit, but everyone knows that the tension of the moment -- in the spotlight -- drains the brain of all its blood.

He said, "It's truly like an out of body experience. The board with the questions is really big, and your brain doesn't quite take in what it's seeing. Not like a home."

Ah, but this question! Like Einstein forgetting how to do simple math. And it's a secret we've been keeping ever since it was taped back in October. The shame, the humiliation.

(One person there noticed it and made a comment, but then said it wasn't meant in a catty way.)

On the other hand, you can't argue with this:

As for his performance on air, I think he's really likable, totally at ease with himself, funny and engaging.

As good a stage actor as he is, he's TERRIFIC on camera. He's spontaneous and witty. Come on, big time producers! Youse gots a star here, ripe for the picking!

He hated the beard, though. He needed it long and kinda ragged for "Zero Hour" (which he did in San Francisco that month). Now it's trimmed back a bit for Sheridan Whiteside, the most perfect role ever for Jim Brochu. (He gets to sit in a chair the whole time, devising chaos).

Jim Brochu in Times Square yesterday.

One friend was amazed at how well he knew the rules of the game, and how quickly he made his mind up on the questions. Well, Jim loves games. And he has watched "Millionaire" relentlessly.

It occurs to me that his love of games has changed both our lives (I love games, too).

It was through Backgammon that we met Lucille Ball. It was through charades that he sang along with Liza Minelli, with Stan Freeman -- or was it Michael Feinstein? -- on the piano.

People genuinely like Jim. He laughs easily and has a fantastic sense of humor. I think it comes from always about around witty, educated adults when he was young. He picked up the old school art of conversation, which is really about being at ease with yourself and keeping things light and joyful.

Of course, my side of the story is that I make Jim likable by being the sweet little Baptist boy which leavens the blackout cake of the New York Brooklyn boy.

And yes, when they asked me how I "was," my true answer was, "TERRIFIED!" Oh, my gawd, I was gripping my hands together tightly, and they were sweating. My heart was thumping. And I was so proud of him. He really came off as intelligent and fun.

BTW, Meredith sent him a HAND WRITTEN NOTE.

Okay, Miss Vieira, I'll be keeping a close eye on you. I know you said you're coming to see "The Man Who Came To Dinner." Bring it on, bitch!

Jim Brochu, Steve Schalchlin, Meredith Vieira at the end of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire."

Photos: Coleman & Shack at Incognito Bistro

2011-11-08T06:29:00.000-08:00

Reminder: Friday Nov. 11th at Don't Tell Mama

2011-11-08T05:11:00.001-08:00

Rochester Diary.

2011-11-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

NOV. 4, 2011FRIDAY
On the train back from Rochester

Amy and I are sitting in the coach class cabin and I can’t find my video camera, which I know I brought on board because I took some pictures using it. Dammit. Even went back to our seats -- we changed because there was no wifi on our car. Too bad, cuz there’s none here, either. Will post when I get home.

We’ve just done three shows in Rochester and have met a guy named Eddie Urish, who was on staff at Downstairs Cabaret Theatre, who directed the show. Eddie is from Peoria and had come to Rochester to work with Chris. We got him to help us with the show and he really brought it to life.

Amy and I began our journey last Monday at 1pm from Penn Station. I took the “magic” bus, the one that goes down 9th ave. and takes an eastbound turn on 34th st. I kept waiting for Amy and waiting for Amy, finally giving up when they called the train, only to find her already ahead of me in line.The 6-hour trip up was nice and relaxing -- and beautiful with all the leaves in their fall colors.

The wifi was working the whole time, so I played Words With Friends, and was able to cheat a lot using the Scrabble page. Doesn’t help. I lose every game anyway.

We were put into HAL (House At Lyndhurst), a rather spartan arrangement, but fine for short term lodging.On our way to the house, we dropped by the grocery store and bought items -- apples, cottage cheese, turkey, pita chips, oatmeal,, Truvia, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, two broiled chickens and a few other odd items. This is my first time in HAL rather than HAL2. I think HAL is a bit nicer.

I set about washing dishes and making us some lunch. There are six or seven others in the house in various rooms. They’re doing a show called “Disenchanted” or something like that. So, I decided to be the dishwashing fairy, and clean up after everyone else until we leave to see if they miss me when I'm gone.

The lighting designer, Greg, had just gotten there that day, and our stage manager, Hannah, was also new. We kind of ran through the show to set the lights and stuff. But we didn’t know what we were doing, so it really helped to have Eddie's eyes out front.

One thing we came away with was a group of pictures shot by a self-described "amateur" photographer -- Van Meter. They’re just terrific, so I’ve been spending this trip designing a new poster design for us.

One nice thing that happened was being taken out for a steak dinner -- the calamari had corn meal batter, which tasted weird to me, but I still enjoyed the meal and the conversation. On our way out the door, there were two guitarists standing there. I hadn't heard them.So, I approached them and sang, “Helpless”. Then Chris Burley -- who was in TLS with us there at the Downstairs Cabaret Theatre back in 2002 -- grabbed one of the guitars and we did “Moondance.” That was fun.

Oh, and I never did find my video camera.

Our New Graphic.

2011-11-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

On the way in from Rochester, I put this together with photos taken during our performances by Van Meter Photography.

More Coleman & Shack photos from Rochester.

2011-11-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

PHOTOS: Coleman & Shack in Rochester

2011-11-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

Brent Barrett, Steve Schalchlin, Lisa Lampanelli, Jill O'Hara, Brad Oscar Set for Actors Temple Benefit - Playbill.com

2011-11-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

Brent Barrett, Jim Brochu, Steve Schalchlin, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Jackie Hoffman, Lisa Lampanelli, Jill O'Hara, Brad Oscar Set for Actors Temple Benefit - Playbill.com

The Nov. 20 concert, which will be held at the Actors Temple, is currently scheduled to feature the talents of Brent Barrett, Anna Bergman, Jim Brochu, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, John De Marco, Jackie Hoffman, Lisa Lampanelli, Sue Mathys, Sidney Myer, Jill O'Hara, Brad Oscar, Lee Roy Reams, Steve Schalchlin and Rena Strober. Show time is 7 PM.

A host of Broadway and cabaret talent will join forces for an upcoming musical celebration to benefit the Actors Temple.

BroadwayWorld Announces Coleman & Shack

2011-10-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

On BroadwayWorld Today.

COLEMAN & SHACK will debut at Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street) Friday, November 11th at 9:15 pm. COLEMAN & SHACK are two-time Back Stage Vocalist of the Year Amy Coleman and GLAAD/Ovation Award-winning Steve Schalchlin (SHACK-lin), composer/lyricist of Off-Broadway's The Last Session and The Big Voice: God or Merman? as well as the song cycle New World Waking, a musical insurrection for peace.

The duo will perform songs from all three of Schalchlin's scores plus a few new songs written by both Coleman and Shack. Steve Schalchlin and Amy Coleman have joined forces to become COLEMAN & SHACK, a new show which not only revisits the music they're know for, but compares and contrasts their personal stories.

A "country preacher's kid," Steve Schalchlin is a longtime AIDS survivor who has extensively documented his odyssey of survival. His pioneering blog Living in the Bonus Round was established in 1996. Intended to be a memoir of a dying man, it has instead become a testament to courage, perseverance and rebirth. Prior to blogging, Schalchlin wrote a series of songs that he now credits for saving his life. These songs provided the bedrock for his award-winning Off-Broadway musical The Last Session, in which he eventually starred after being brought back to life through means of a luck-of-the-draw lottery for a revitalizing new AIDS medication. Schalchlin's other works include the recent New World Waking, which debuted in 2008 at Davies Symphony Hall featuring the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, Women's Community Ochestra, with soloist Jennifer Holliday and actress Piper Laurie.

Amy Coleman has played the lead role of Vicki three times in The Last Session, and it was at that New York audition that she first met "Shack." They were later cast together in several productions. A Jewish girl from Brooklyn, Amy's very New York career was a mix of theater and rock bands, including the role of Janis Joplin in the original production of Beehive at the Village Gate. Schalchlin says, "In The Last Session, Amy tore the roof off every night when she performed ‘Somebody's Friend.' Since then, we kept up a long friendship, always vowing to someday just put a show together on our own. When I moved back to New York City from L.A. two years ago, it all became possible."

C. Todd White, author and cultural anthropologist (Pre-Gay L.A.: A Social History of the Movement for Homosexual Rights) says of GLAAD Media Award and PFLAG Oscar Wilde Award recipient, Steve Schalchlin, "He is a living testament to the healing power of music. He is a national hero, a true role model and inspiration for gay men from east coast to west."
There is a $10 music charge for COLEMAN & SHACK, with a two-drink minimum. For reservations, call (212) 757-0788 after 4 pm or visit donttellmama.com.

For more information, visit www.bonusroundblog.blogspot.com.

Read more: http://broadwayworld.com/article/COLEMAN-SHACK-To-Debut-at-Dont-Tell-Mama-1111-20111031#ixzz1cOBpbTiv

Theatermania announces Coleman & Shack

2011-10-31T12:24:00.001-07:00

http://www.theatermania.com/new-york/news/10-2011/amy-coleman-steve-schalchlin-to-play-dont-tell-mam_43838.html

New WTC Pic 10/30/11

2011-10-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

It keeps growing and growing.

NY at Dawn.

2011-10-29T13:37:00.001-07:00

Yes, that's the new World Trade Center in the middle lit by work lights.

Hudson River. Lincoln tunnel.

October Surprise.

2011-10-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

It's snowing today.

Peccadillo/St. Clement's

2011-10-26T05:53:00.000-07:00

It feels good to come home to St. Clement's Church,
where Zero Hour made its New York debut.

I like their red banner.
And I can get my airbrush tan next door.

"Meet & Greet" for "Man Who Came To Dinner".

2011-10-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

Dan Wackerman, the artistic director of Peccadillo Theater Company warned all the cast members at the "meet and greet" today that if they wanted their friends and family to see "The Man Who Came To Dinner," they should tell them to get tickets IMMEDIATELY.

Because it's an Equity Showcase contract, there are limited seats and limited nights, as well as a limited number of days that this can run. An extension is possible on the next higher up contract, but with a cast of 24, it's very complex, economically. So, I'm warning you, reader, that if you plan to see this, get your ticket as quickly as you can. This classic American play -- even though it's one of the most produced plays in the world -- has only been done in New York three times. This is the fourth.

Anne Kaufman Schneider and Chris Hart, the children of Kaufman and Hart.

Yesterday, also, was the "table read," where everyone just read the play out loud for the first time -- and all I can say is that this is an incredible cast.

When I spoke with Chris Hart afterward, he said what he loved was how down to earth these actors are. They bring a realism to their roles already, and we haven't even had the first rehearsal yet.

So, if you think you are going to be in the NY area for the few weeks this is going to run, get tickets now.

I'm gonna judge Santa Claus Dec 12.

2011-10-25T03:35:00.000-07:00

I will be the judge. Dec. 12, in the "Miracle on 34th Street, the musical," formerly known by the generic title "Here's Love". And guess who plays Santa Claus? Hint: He once played Zero Mostel and he's currently rehearsing as "The Man Who Came To Dinner."

Here's the letter I received from the director, Jacob Shoesmith Fox:

Mr. Schalchlin,

I am the Director of the Actors Fund benefit performance of Miracle On 34th Street: The Musical (formerly titled Here's Love) starring Jim on December 12th, and I wanted to offer you the role of Judge Martin Group, a featured character in the second act. The judge feels compelled to see the trial that occurs in the second act to the end, despite the pressure he receives from all sides. He sings in the song "My State".

If interested we would also like you to appear in the final scene of Act 1 as Mr. Gimble, the owner of the rival department store.The benefit will be held at the St. Luke's Theatre at 308 West 46th Street in Manhattan on the evening of Monday, December 12th. Tony Yazbeck (Chicago, Gypsy) will be playing Captain Fred Gaily, Kimberly Faye Greenberg (One Night With Fanny Brice, Danny and Sylvia, co-founder of Broadwayblogspot.com) is set for the role of Doris Walker and Brian Childers (Danny and Sylvia, co-founder of Broadwayblogspot.com) is set for the featured role of Marvin Shellhammer. Daniel Greenwood, a lead tenor with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, will be playing Tammany O'Halloran, a political boss who is close with the judge. There are currently offers out for some of the other roles. Seth Bisen-Hersh will be our Music Director.

Now, how can I turn that down? Is this my first professional acting role not based on a character based on myself? Hmmm. Maybe I could just pretend the judge has AIDS.

Sunday in New York

2011-10-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today was the kind of spectacularly Fall, brisk, clear delicious coat-weather day that reminds me why I love living in this city.

I walked past the new purple-lit brand new Yotel which is in the "MiMA" building, where the street was just repaved. (Everyone hates that name. MiMA is for Mid-Manhattan). The name Clinton failed, too. Forever, it will be Hell's kitchen.

Walked east on 42nd street to the subway. Not a lot of action on an early Sunday morning in Times Square. It's one of my favorite times to be walking around. Took the 1 train down to Christopher and made it to the Starbucks, which is becoming increasingly more crowded. The comfy chairs were already claimed.

I had a great conversation with a member of the choir who told me he grew up Roman Catholic, but was hired to sing for Jewish services, and had actually converted to Judaism. I told him my stories of singing for Jewish congregations, and how I am of the opinion that they are the same religion, but just don't know it.

The choir at Christ Church, about 14 on a typical Sunday consists mainly of young vocal students -- theater and/or opera, along with a few older veterans. We also, because of people's schedules, have a revolving membership. We sometimes have two guys singing alto. But the thing is that everyone reads really well. We're at the point that when we rehearse the hymns, we can sing them almost perfectly the first time through. Second time through and it's like we've been singing forever.

Today, Mark Janas said, "You do know that this is a very unusual circumstance in a church choir. You don't usually have the luxury of people who can read instantaneously. (We all felt very proud). "Even," he said, "as we move people around from part to part, our voice is very consistent. I think it's time we can tackle some anthems."

And it's true. Our blend, especially in that big church echo, with a truly gifted pipe organist from Finland, is about as good as anything I've ever heard. The several pieces we repeat from week to week are increasingly more subtly dynamic.

But the ensemble, as an entity, has been together long enough that, today, Mark Janas, the conductor felt we were ready for some anthems. And he pulled out "Hallelujah" by Virgil Thompson.

This is a difficult piece of music. It also has sections with serious dynamic phrasing, the kind of stuff you can spend months perfecting. He asked how many had sung it before. Luckily, three or four had.

So, he pulled us over around the piano and we started to sing through it. I stood next to Arn, a guy with a beautiful, seriously trained voice, and we started reading this thing. And we were totally getting it!

I felt sometimes like I was hanging on by the tips of my fingers, but hold on, I did. We all became very excited and Mark brought us back to a section toward the end where the "hallelujahs" get faster and faster, and then crash back down again. The notes are challenging enough, but to know HOW to sing something you're still reading? Almost impossible.

And we did it! Exhilarating isn't the word. To be in the presence of transcendent genius, meaning Virgin Thompson's elegant, propulsive music, is to be in the presence of God. To be singing Virgil Thompson with a group of great singers, being led by a protege of Leonard Bernstein is to be in choral singing heaven. It's both inspiring and humbling.

Oh, to have written that piece! It was like seeing the statue of David.

Mark, Jake and I then went to see "Moneyball." I sure like that Brad Pitt retains all his wrinkles. He was so good in this. And such an interesting story, about how received wisdom about anything is just ripe to be disproved and turned over.

I'm in the process, now, of writing a press release for our New York appearances. So, I'll sign off. Jim comes home tomorrow. I should probably wash the dishes.

It's Official: Jim Brochu in The Man Who Came To Dinner

2011-10-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

Sondheim Unplugged (with Jim and Steve) Oct. 30

2011-10-18T04:22:00.000-07:00

Here's the official press release:

The 2011 Bistro Award-winning cabaret series

SONDHEIM

...UnPlugged

CONTINUES....

The worlds of Broadway & Cabaret unite to present treasures from Broadway’s most beloved composer, accompanied by piano only!

CLOSING NOTICE!

Following an unprecedented seventeen month run,

Sondheim Unplugged will close on Monday, November 28

Come help us celebrate our final two performances:

Sunday, Oct 30 @ 7pm

Monday, Nov 28 @ 7pm

Featuring (on Oct 30):

Christina Bianco, Jim Brochu, Joshua Cruz,

Steven Harrison, Hunter Herdlicka,

Julie Reyburn, Steve Schalchlin, Lucia Spina

& Stephen Wallem

with special guest...

The original Jenny in Company, & the original

Mrs. Nordstrom in A Little Night Music,

TERI RALSTON

Hosted by Phil Geoffrey Bond

Musical Direction by Mark Hartman

“Sondheim Unplugged is creating something entirely new and worthwhile.

It has, in fact, given us a hat, where there never was a hat.”

- The Wall Street Journal

Following eighteen sold out shows, the hit cabaret series, SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED,will continue for an nineteenth installment, Sunday, October 30 at 7pm at The Laurie Beechman Theatre. Sondheim Unplugged is currently celebrating the second year of it’s smash run, having begun this journey of celebrating Sondheim in July of 2010. The series will close, following an unprecedented 17 month run, with it’s 20^th performance onMonday, November 28 @ 7pm.

Pics of #ows in Times Square.

2011-10-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

Didn't realize I had caught the ABC News scroll about the event as I was passing next to it.

The Police have penned everyone onto the sidewalks so traffic can get through.
I was jammed into a crowd and had no way to move until a little Jewish woman with orange hair
got behind me and, using me as a battering ram, pushed us to 44th street

Looking back south toward 43rd street.

This little kid is having blast in the crowd.

New Poster Idea for Coleman & Shack.

2011-10-15T03:37:00.001-07:00

New Photo: Coleman & Shack

2011-10-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

Finally, Amy and I take a publicity photo. Click to make larger.

Leading "Ex-Gay" Makes Stunning Admission.

2011-10-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

"I’ve never met a man who experienced a change from homosexual to heterosexual."

He's not the first to finally tell the truth of these so-called "change ministries," which have been wreaking havoc in the lives (and pocketbooks) of GLBT persons for decades. But to come from someone this prominent is meaningful, reminding me of when the head of Exodus International in England made the exact same admission.

Reported by Wayne Besen, who refuses to let these untruths lie unchallenged.

John Smid’s Stunning AdmissionPosted October 12th, 2011 by Wayne Besen(Weekly Column)For decades, John Smid had been the leader of Love in Action, the infamous “ex-gay” ministry that took away the underwear of clients if the undergarments appeared too gay. The strict Memphis-based ministry also used an egg timer in the bathroom to make sure its clients would not masturbate while showering.

Of all the “ex-gay” ministries this was the most cult-like – with Smid keeping tight control over the social lives of his clients, who paid a pretty penny to live in the residential program.

Actually I’ve never met a man who experienced a change from homosexual to heterosexual.Wow. If the “ex-gay” myth did not work for Smid, then it won’t work for anyone. After all, he had incredible dedication, adhered to a hardcore form of fundamentalism, and enforced a strict cult-like regimen on his charges. Yet, years later, he is faced with the daunting reality that “ex-gay” programs are a Religious Right marketing program, not a legitimate movement..

Middle of the Night Report.

2011-10-14T02:25:00.000-07:00

Actually, it's the middle of the morning.I couldn't sleep because a song I've written for Coleman & Shack, the little concert series we've been asked to perform, has taken possession of me and I must rewrite again.

WHY SHACK

(I guess I'm now Shack. But I should probably spell it with a number. Well, we did it because Amy wants to step away from her "Flamin' Amy" past; like a legit actress hiding her porno days. And my last name is impossible. People have called me "Shack" all my life, anyway. Usually Steve, but I like Shack. It's great on a basketball court. "Hey, Shack! You the kid who likes giving massages to the team?" And it's friendly sounding, and kinda country, which, at heart, is really what I am.).

Problem is that everyone in my family gets called Shack at some point or other by friends. So, I cannot claim it exclusively. One of my brothers sings, so he can be Shack too, if he wants.

WHY I AM AWAKE

This song was just too long, and also has some unearned sentiment. So, after I woke up from falling asleep after Big Bang and partway thru Project Runway -- about 1:30am -- these two verses going over and over in my mind -- I realized I could combine the information in the verses into a single verse. Condense. Condense. Condense.

And then I realized, Oh wait. This song isn't about what I thought it was about. It's about this, this new thing I just added. That's why songs are not so much written as discovered. That's why it wasn't "landing" in rehearsal. It wasn't finished.But I'm not troubled.

Even though the change didn't completely fix it, and now it looks like a mess on the page, I feel like I know where I'm headed, and I like the new direction very much, because it accomplishes what I had set out to do from the beginning.

COLEMAN & SHACK DATES:

NOV. 1, 2 and 3. ROCHESTER, NY at the Downstairs Cabaret Theatre. (Does anyone there even remember us? We did The Last Session there, together, twice).

NOV. 6. NEW YORK CITY
Benefit concert for New Yiddish Rep of New York with very special guests, Rich Bloch and Piper Laurie. Location and Details to be announced soon. $18 suggested. No one turned away.

Nov. 11, 2011NEW YORK CITY
9:00 PM
DON'T TELL MAMA on 46th St.
$10 plus two drink minimum. (The drinks will help immensely.)

Going It Alone - Rehearsal with Amy Coleman

2011-10-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

Amy finally gets to sing "Going It Alone."

Caregiver Village, a new social media site.

2011-10-12T04:18:00.000-07:00

I received an email promoting a new social media website for caregivers called "Caregiver Village." It's based on the fact that caregivers need downtime. They also need contact with other caregivers.

Many, for their downtime, play games because they require the least amount of effort. You don't have to think. You push a button and it's there for you.

So, the "village" is based on a game that everyone plays complete with avatars and a virtual world, and which has plot-lines that will be extended and written as you follow different characters in the game, all of whom are part of a support group.

A virtual soap opera game.

But while you play the game, you begin to meet other people who are also playing the game. Send messages to each other. Make comments on the behavior of the people in the game. Connect to other caregivers through a story and puzzle related directly to what it feels like to be chained to another human being (or beings) -- a chain that exists whether out of love or duty.

I haven't gone into any of the virtual worlds yet, so I don't know if I'm ready to actually join Caregiver Village. But I am happy to make the referral. There's a free period to let you test it out. Here's the email from Sheila Watson. If you do try it out, please let me know what you think.

As you may be aware, the number of unpaid family caregivers in North America is 50 million and growing every day. I’d like to introduce you and the readers of Living In The Bonus Round to Caregiver Village, an online community designed exclusively for those who provide care for anyone with special needs. Caregiver Village members connect with friends, participate in book clubs with celebrity authors, journal, play mystery games, solve puzzles, and learn valuable information about caregiving. The founders of Caregiver Village have also just put aside a portion of the launch funding to support caregiving organizations. For every person that joins Caregiver Village, they will donate $1 to that persons organization of choice. I've created a page which explains everything:
http://www.caregivervillage.com/social-media
I would love it if you would join Caregiver Village and let your readers know about it.

Secrets of Success - Radiolab

2011-10-12T02:05:00.000-07:00

Lefsetz recommended this Malcolm Gladwell discussion on "genius" and "talent" shows, and the 19th century "myth" of "talent," that it's some innate magical force, on RadioLab.

Secrets of Success - Radiolab

RESCUE and the Blessing of the Animals.

2011-10-05T05:57:00.000-07:00

If you like this song, a brand new studio recording, produced by Peter Link, is now available for download, along with the sheet music. You will find it here at the WatchfireMusic.com website. (And thanks to Jake and Fr. Jeff).

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-10-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

My Birthday Is Coming Up.

2011-09-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

And it's St. Francis animal love day.

I never knew this.

Growing up, we Baptists rejected the religious office of "Saint" designation. So, there were no stories of any "Saints" of any kind unless they were in the Bible. Same as in the designation "Mother Teresa." She was just seen as a weird-looking old broad who made Catholics feel self-satisfied that she was one of them.

St. Francis. I don't think I really knew about him. And if I did, it was only in the most generic way possible.

I particularly like this image of St. Francis with a St. Bernard.
The verisimilitude alone renders the raccoon unnecessary.

It was to my great pleasure -- the kind of cosmic gift that can only be appreciated when one is an adult.

And the Franciscan robe costume! How sexy is that when turned into beach attire?

Wait. No. Those are Jedi bathrobes.

There we go.

Which brings me to my birthday...

Coleman & Shack are born.

2011-09-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

Jamming With Amy Coleman

2011-09-23T05:34:00.000-07:00

Amy Coleman and I met down on 17th street in the basement of this building being renovated. She has a little keyboard, so we set it up near a back door that leads out to a courtyard covered with glass. It was hot in there, so I took off my shirt.

(We've been invited to sing a concert together up in Rochester, NY at one of our old haunts, the Downstairs Cabaret Theater -- which is what has precipitated this session. But we still had no idea for a show, or what songs we'd sing or anything like that.)

When she arrived, we just chilled a little talking about music and about other people, just hanging together and getting a little loose.

We had already met this past Tuesday (on another hot, muggy day) and though had I played her of my new songs and she showed me some of hers -- chord charts which I tried to decipher -- we were musically awkward, not sure what we were doing -- until the end, where a couple of times we connected. But still, neither of us were sure what we might do. It's one thing to say you'll sing a show. It's quite another to design it and execute it.

This day, however, was different. I had had a chance to listen to some of her CDs. I especially like this one called "Goodbye New York" Here's the Spotify link: http://open.spotify.com/user/steveschalchlin/playlist/5DzyQ40TALamrvwommLuu7.

So, we kept running over this one song, over and over. It’s called Sad Old Blues. The chords are really complex, so it took me a few tries to get the voicings and spellings. But when I finally started to feel it in my fingers, and she started singing, it all really came alive -- and then, almost without warning, we were genuinely jamming and singing at the top of our lungs.

I said to her, “Hey, it’s like we’re making real music here.”

Amy, like me, though she is a terrific actress and theater performer, really comes from a tradition of singing in front of a band, singing blues and rock -- I'll never forget the day I saw her standing in the basement of some club in the Village, barefoot in pool of spilled beer, screaming into this mic, while backed by a band of Russian expatriots, playing their faces off. We have both paid tens of thousands of hours of dues in crappy clubs and lousy hotels.

Our relationship started with The Last Session, where she was in both the NY and LA original casts.
But in a theatrical situation, it's more structured and more formalized. It's a composer showing an actor how to sing the music, and an actor delivering what the director and the writer have in mind. You don't jam out in the middle of a piece of theater. Well, not usually, anyway.

Which reminds me of her audition for the role of the rock and roll singer, Vicki. She came in that day with a crumpled up piece of paper with the chords to "House of the Rising Sun" scribbled in pencil. The poor guy playing the piano for the auditions had no idea what to do with that, and so I came over from the table, sat at the piano and the two of us connected immediately.

So, really, this new session we were having yesterday was just an extension of that first musical contact we made with each other.

Another thing we have in common is that we like to practice. We kept doing "Sad Old Blues" over and over as I worked to my fingers to really feel that complex progression of bluesy jazz chords -- flat 5ths and 7ths rotating down the circle of fifths a few notches. But when I got it, I got it.

Then I would pull out one of my new ones -- "Southeast Texas Blues" or "Country Preacher's Kid" or "When The Old Lady Died" -- and we'd work on them. At this point, they're still in the process of being edited and reshaped, so it was great to have another musician in the room helping me think them through and giving feedback, and, best of all, singing along.

She said, “I see what’s happening here. We’re just telling our own stories, sharing back and forth.”

Musically rootsy and earthy, with songs that relate to our personal lives. Music WE want to sing.

She has written several really nice songs, by the way, and they seem to fit with mine, hand in glove.

By the end of the afternoon, I was covered in a layer of sweat -- taking off my shirt helped only a little -- but we were really jamming hard.

The shows are now scheduled: OCT. 14, 15, 16. Two evening shows and a Sunday matinee.

And yes, we will rock the house. Why? Because it will be about the music. Not about putting on a show. Not about "entertaining." It will be about the music. And when we make it about the music and the storytelling, it will turn into a show and it most certainly, god willing, may even be entertaining.

But first, the music.

New Song: "At A Hospice, In An Atrium."

2011-09-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been on a retreat, writing and writing and writing -- mostly songs about my home town. As I was working long and hard on them, this other song just kind of popped out. It was all I could do to write it down fast enough to catch it.

Based on an experience I had singing at a hospice in Los Angeles. Longtime readers of this diary might remember it. Anyway, this is what happened that day...

When War Ends With A Shrug.

2011-09-17T04:57:00.000-07:00

I listened to a General doing a lecture about how the world has changed and how the nation-state is becoming a thing of the past -- how all the power is going trans-national to either corporations or militant groups. And how all the money for defense is being directed at a military plan that is still in the 60s.

At one point he said, "And I'm neither Republican nor Democrat. I've given up on both parties."

And that received the biggest, most spontaneous ovation of all. I saw a woman who was just walking by, who caught that. She leaned in and applauded as hard as she could.

He said he never realized how fragile civilization was until Somalia, "which, when I was there, had a pretty well functioning government. And now it's Mad Max."

He described a long term high level strategy meeting of top commanders in Berlin. It was his first. He was in a group of newly-arrived Brigadier Generals to Berlin. They had a driver take them directly from the airport.

But, earlier that day, the Berlin wall fell. He said everyone just stood around shrugging. No one had a clue what to do next.

The Soviet/US-NATO stand-off had been so set in stone, this was pretty much unprecedented.

So, the little group of Generals asked the driver if they could drive into east Germany, a border that for decades had been all barbed wire and concrete, towers and guards.

He said they drove up to Brandenburg Gate and no one was there.

So, they just drove in. And drove around.

Puzzled and fascinated, they even drove to a military camp -- no guard -- and looked around. "All the Soviet military families were walking around just like at an American camp, and the soldiers who saw them were startled, but they didn't know what to do, either.

Had they drove in the day before, they'd have been taking prisoners or killing each other.

After wandering around a bit, with nothing left to do, they got back in the car and drove back over to West Berlin.

Thus, the cold war ended in a whimper and a shrug.

A Little Big Voice.

2011-08-23T02:24:00.000-07:00

"Tonight, we have in our audience, Jake LaMotta."

Those words came out of Jim Brochu's mouth as he introduced celebrities in the audience after our performance of "The Big Voice: God or Merman?""

The first thing that went through my mind was, "Oh, man. All my straight friends will be so impressed!"

See, we here at the bonus round are still a very small private club. "Go out on the street and ask the first ten people you meet if they've ever heard of you. I promise you. They haven't." That's what the big PR agents representing The Big Voice said at our first meeting back six years ago.

And, now, here we were down on 42nd street, a few blocks from Times Square.

"And here, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the great songwriters in the world. Fiddler on the Roof. She Loves Me. Sheldon Harnick is here tonight."

The club was jam-packed. They had been laughing almost non-stop at us for 90 minutes.

Just before the performance, Jake came in and got my video camera and we did a little interview. I told him I was terrified.

The stage of the Laurie Beechman Theater is very small, and though we had a sound and light check, a sound and light cue to cue, Nick the tech guy and Don Myers, as stage manager, were flying by the seat of their pants with the sound and light cues, especially when we veered off book along the way. Which we did.

I must say, too, that I saw them invent some terrific lighting designs during the songs.

The Laurie Beechman is used mostly as a cabaret space in the basement of the very elegant West Bank Cafe on 42nd street that seats about 90 or 100, if you really squeeze. The sound and lights are excellent and it even has a grand piano, which we didn't use because we need stage space to move around, and the food is great, not overly expensive, and the entertainers are usually superb. It hosts everyone from veterans like Joan Rivers to the hottest up and coming acts on the New York cabaret scene, to special nights featuring Broadway veterans and stars from movies and tv.

However, as far as I know, I didn't know if anyone had actually staged a musical in there.

But, that made it even more fun. What's the worse that could happen?

Jim and I had three talk-through rehearsals to get it back into our heads, just enough to have the courage to step out there and go for it, knowing we might go up at any moment, and that, if we did, it wouldn't matter.

I remember the night, during the off-Broadway run, I turned into the spotlight of the incredibly black nothingness and totally forgot the first line of the play. It was totally gone. Poof. I just stood there sweating and turning hotter and hotter on the inside.

But somehow, I stumbled out of it and the audience just thought it was part of the act.

In case you're just joining us, this was a special 65th birthday performance for Jim of "The Big Voice: God or Merman?" a homemade musical about the amazing future pope, Jim Brochu and his friend Little Steve.

It's easy to work with Jim. He does all the hard stuff! All I have to do is play the straight man during his comic routines, and sing a few songs. Easy peasy. Oh! And to try not to act. in fact, I did a lot less acting this night than I ever did before. I used to try to illustrate everything with my hands while playing the piano. You know, entertain a little!

Sheldon Harnick said something to me after the show. He said he had forgotten -- and I don't remember his exact words -- forgotten how real life is entertaining on its own. He said as a songwriter, he's always trying to entertain. But that you don't have to do that if you have a good story.

I do remember one thing he said, "You've inspired me."

Well, Mr. Sheldon Harnick you inspired me and continue to inspire me. I did, in my Baptist childhood, see the movie of "Fiddler on the Roof." I saw you at Jerry Bock's memorial service and you sang your heart out, and you sounded fantastic.

Anyway, I knew Sheldon was in the audience. I also know that his songs are meticulously crafted. He comes from the old school, where every word is perfectly placed, perfectly rhymed, perfectly meaningful. It's the school I aspire to.

So, that night, when I started any song, I was trying to remember them and rewrite them as I sang them. "Oh, God, I hope Sheldon didn't that little fake-out." I played "One New Hell" a whole step too high, which made it impossible for Jim to sing his last notes up in the right range. I sang the wrong version of one of the verses of "Sometimes When I Pray," the one with the half rhyme instead of the full rhyme.

And then there was dialogue. And just being present. It takes a lot of work to just be present. When a thousand things are going through your head and you're trying not to look at faces pressed up into the nightclub spotlight, you remind yourself that all you have to do is listen.

I remember a lot of laughter. A lot. Of laughter. In fact, the only time they weren't laughing was when they were listening to a song or crying. I heard sobs!

I felt like a Jake LaMotta up there. Punch 'em once with a surprise! Knock 'em down with a punchline. Disarm them with truth. Set 'em up. Knock 'em down.

Until, suddenly it was over. It happened in a flash.

Only one time did I totally freeze, trying to remember my next line. So, Jim left me out there to hang, we had a great laugh, and moved right along.

After the bows, when Jim told everyone to sit for a moment, calling for the house lights so that he could recognize celebrities in the audience, there was Marge Champion, world famous magician Rich Bloch, theater, TV producer and writer David Rambo. Sheldon Harnick.

We received another call from someone we both love and admire. His name is Harvey Evans. He was in the original cast of Sondheim's "Follies." We had invited him up to the apartment afterward, but he said he couldn't do it -- that he was so taken by the show, he didn't want to "leave" it. He said, 'I felt like I was watching the Lunts. You guys have set the bar very high for this kind of show."

So, all in all, it was a great night. Hopefully, one they'll let us repeat.

And Jake LaMotta. That was cool.

2011-08-15T04:09:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow night we celebrate Jim's 65th birthday with a special performance of The Big Voice: God or Merman?

I made up this graphic because I love that photo. Of course, it makes it look like he's the star of the show. Well, I don't mind. After all, it is his birthday.

A Note from Canadian Steve!

2011-08-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

His real name is Michael Rawley and he just finished a run of "The Big Voice: God or Merman?" up there in Canada in a small town called Bobcageon. It was a rather daring move by the producers because gay themed musicals and plays don't always, well... you know.

Hey Steve,

So we are closing tomorrow night. What a whirlwind. This contract has gone so fast and we both wish we could run the show for at least another week.

It has been going great. We have learned so much doing this show - how to play it, how to gauge the audience, things like that.

I would have to say it's been a roaring success out here in rural Ontario. The audiences seem to really be loving it. We have had almost universally good response with only a very few dissenters.

Opening night was great. The audience laughed and really made us feel warm and welcome. We had 2 things from that night: a young man with what we think was CP came because he was really into music and LOVED it!!! He happened to be sitting right where Geoffrey points during the Lourdes section (I felt horrible for him) but the young man laughed louder than anybody about the kid falling when he got out of the wheelchair. We also had a preacher from Pittsburgh attend and he thanked Sarah for programing the show - he loved it and said there was lots of food for thought.

Last Friday a young couple sat in the front row and were gone in Act 2 but they won the tix from the local country station and they really didn't look like theatregoers - let alone muslcal theatregoers or ones ready to deal with the content.

On Saturday, there were 5 women in the front row and I pegged one as not going to stick it out and I was right. From the outset, when anything mildly controversial came up - ANYTHING!! - she looked nervously at her friends. And, with this show, that would be a lot of looking. She was gone after intermission.

And on Wednesday night past, a couple - man leading the way - left during The Closet. How disheartening. Except he went downstairs and started yelling about how dare they not let an audience member know about a show with a 'queer Pope and a queer preacher'. !!!!!!!!!!! Sarah had to escort him from the building. Apparently, he was quite loud - thankfully we didn't hear it.

Other than that, we have had great response. A few people getting to their feet to applaud at the end. 19 at the matinee yesterday (Thursday) and 19 in Act 2 and at the end - including a family of 6 - grandparents, parents and 2 teens.

A woman with AIDS - we had our own Annette. A number of gay men - we're everywhere apparently. And a lot of laughter and tears too. Someone who saw Ethel in Gypsy in Detroit and Ethel sat beside them waiting for the 'Sing out, Louise' moment - so the show meant a lot to him.

A lot of churchgoers who praised James and Sarah for bringing it to Bobcaygeon and applauding the message. Not to mention the superb skill of the 2 performers ;) ....

The guitar works great in The Closet as I get to move all over the stage and play to different areas of the audience and, by the time I whip out the uke for Christmastime, well .. we can do no wrong. Christmastime sounds so great on the uke. And when G breaks into his hula in the second chorus, smile erupt everywhere and great applause is the result.

I listen to Long As I Can See The Light before every night before we leave for the theatre to get all Creedenced up in prep and you will always be the embodiment of them for me, Steve.

I think that's about all for now. I hope Olympia is going great. The internet is clearly working better now.

We head home after the show tomorrow night and I shall give you a call next week and we can chat more about it. Don't know if there will be a vid :( . but I'm thinking that G and I should get the ol' Garage Band program going and record a few songs for you so you will have an idea of what we were up to here in the wilds of Ontario.

much love to both of you

Michael Rawley - Canadian Steve xo xo xo

Olympia New World Waking Pt. 3

2011-08-10T07:12:00.000-07:00

All I could think, in my mind, was "Look what we did!"

And we did. From our bumpy first day, it all came together in an emotional, glorious concert experience.

All afternoon that Friday, I worked with soloists. They were so great. They'd come in and work with me. Then they'd go into the lobby and listen to the songs, memorizing, memorizing, memorizing.

To be honest, it was probably expecting WAY too much, asking them to sing by memory. But the truth is that you cannot sing a song with full conviction if you're reading it as you sing. A song isn't just words that line up in a row.

I was so focused on getting them in shape, I forgot to spend adequate time on my own show. And that night, I got into the middle of "The Closet," a song I haven't sung in forever.

And I totally went up. I had no idea what to sing next. So, I just stopped in the middle of the song, chuckled to myself and started "Connected." I always remember "Connected."

Then it hit me that I had printed the words for "The Closet" and had them on the piano! I'm such an idiot!

So, without taking a breath, I said, "Oh! Here's that song I started."

And I started right at the point where I left off. Thankfully, everyone laughed. Afterward, some of the students were talking about it and laughing. I told them if they forgot words to the show that night, to just look over and me and I would take up the slack, that my job was to be there for them.

Several times, it worked perfectly. A few times, I wasn't looking at the words and totally goofed it all up.

But, for the most part, we had a sensational night of theater. Alec wrote about it being a bit "rough" on his blog.

I wrote Jim a note and described it as a "triumph." It wasn't, really, if perfection is necessary for triumph. But after the first day, when I was so concerned whether anyone would even show up for the show, the group that came was totally committed to the project, and said to they were also profoundly moved.

Saturday night, I let a few of them hold music so that we could have a smoother performance. And, now that the chorus had heard the entire piece for the first time, they really got passionate into the staging and harmonies. Alec, again, remarked that it seemed as if we'd rehearsing for months.

There was one really nice thing that happened. One of the chorus members, an adult student who seemed, at first, less engaged than the others, came up to me and suggested a change in the staging of "Lazarus Come Out." She said, "I think it would look really good if you had all the chorus members stand up one at a time."

My initial reaction was negative, that it would look everyone was missing their cue. Some of the others in the room cited similar fears.

But something whispered in my ear. It was the first rule of improv, that you never say no to something. You just go with it.

I said, "Yes. Let's do that." And I told everyone to just stand up randomly in the song. I had no idea how it would look, but I also thought that it won't hurt anything, either.

As we got into the last third and "Lazarus" started, I could see the choir members behind me, at my left hand. And out of the corner of my eye, I could see them starting to stand. One at a time.

Chills went up my arm.

The effect, rather than looking like nobody knew when to stand, looked like people were making their minds up, one at a time. It was really dramatic.

I didn't see her afterward, so I told Don to thank her and to tell her that it's staying in the show from now on.

Here is a brief video with snippets from the workshop and the performance:

New World Waking Olympia, Day Two

2011-08-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

Thursday, after running through the songs with the selected soloists, where I did a few adjustments on the selections and gave them notes about the songs and how to sing them, I told each of them that I didn't want Friday night's performance to be a dress rehearsal. I wanted them off-book and into a full performance.

I wanted them to imagine that they were opening in New York and that the audience expected their money's worth.

That night, we went to a restaurant downtown to have dinner with people from the PFLAG-Olympia board of directors.

By now, I was feeling very weak. I still wasn't feeling the kind of intense pain yet, so I kept my fingers crossed that this would be a mild attack, but knowing I had a full day of rehearsal ahead of me followed by a performance that night and one the following night, I was definitely scared.

I tried not to relate this to Gabi and Alec as we drove around, but they knew I wasn't in good shape.

At the dinner, I found myself needing to pee about every five or ten minutes. After a few times, though, it started to feel different. I began feeling a familiar tickling. Wait. I knew this feeling.

This is what it felt like, before, when the stone was exiting. It's hard to describe but it's very specific.

By this time, I was at my weakest, but a glimmer of hope was starting to pop up.

At the table, I kept slugging back water, WILLING this all to be true, that the worst was actually over and that I would not have to be hauled to the ER.

Every five or ten minutes, I'd get up. Go pee. Get back. Get up. Go pee. Over and over.

Somewhere in the middle of all that -- I was sitting next to a very kind lady who was aware of my distress and worrying about me -- I returned from the bathroom and felt a slight wave of relief. Could it be? Dare I hope?

But, yes, I felt better. I was afraid to declare the emergency over, but I was hopeful.

The next morning, Friday, when I woke up, I felt totally normal and back to full strength! I had done it!

Later, before rehearsal, we took a walk through the Farmer's Market down near the port of Olympia.

You can see the state capital building on the left.

Even better view of the state capital building.

My heroes, Gabi & Alec Clayton.

Look! Starfish!

Mushroom starter kit!

NEXT: The Friday night performance.

Review of New World Waking Olympia

2011-08-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

Alec Clayton, putting on his critic's hat, reviewed our weekend. He gets a bit ahead of the story I'm telling, but I loved what he wrote.

Olympia New World Waking, Day One.

2011-08-04T05:12:00.000-07:00

Two days.

That’s how much time we, a group of students and local celebrities had to cast, rehearse, stage and perform New World Waking. Twice.

We had Thursday from 1 to 5. And then possibly 1 to 5 on Friday. But, essentially, we had the one day.

I stayed with Gabi and Alec Clayton, as usual. They have four cats that circled me suspiciously the whole time I was there. Finally, they let me feed them fish flakes, AKA kitty crack. So, I got a few chin scratches and ear tickling.

Wednesday night, I was tired and went right to bed.

Thursday morning, my stomach was hurting. I hit the bathroom a few times, but it wasn't helping. It wasn't pain exactly. But it had a very familiar feel. (kidney stones again). No. I refused to believe it. I even tried using my will to make it go away.

I also started drinking a lot of water.

Our set was the black box theatre inside the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts on the campus of the South Puget Sound Community College, nestled in the richly forested, rolling hillsides surrounding the small, beautiful port city of Olympia, Washington.

I had a mandate from Don Welch the professor: Show the students how you put on a show.

Well, the only way I know how to learn anything is to just do it.

“We can do New World Waking," I announced. "I’ll come in the day before, cast the solos, rehearse it and we’ll do it in two days.”

I spent the whole plane trip to Olympia wondering what I had talked myself into, and where I would even start.

I didn’t really have a specific plan, but I thought the best way to handle this was to simply treat them as if they were a professional cast and that we were there to put on a show. I'd use the script and scores from the New York production.

I also felt confident because I had a safety net. I, myself, could sing any song that we couldn’t find a soloist for. (Don had pre-chosen the soloists from his advanced class, and they had those solos in advance). So, no matter how much or how little the group learned, the show could still go on!

At least, that was the theory.

Everyone was assembled in the block box theater at South Puget Sound Community College. Before I even said a word, I hit a G on the piano and started singing, “Time to come out...” and then I gestured to the students to repeat it.

They did. A bit tepidly at first; caught everyone off-guard. So, I repeated it, “TIME TO COME OUT!” And they responded a bit louder, looking confused, but definitely joining in. Since the background vocals are simple, just call and response, we finished it in just a few minutes. So, I proudly looked at everyone and said, “There! Now we’ve already learned out first number.”

The response to that was still very tepid and their attention seemed a bit off. Some were texting. Others were looking away, bored. I became a bit annoyed and immediately told everyone to put their phones away.

We got through a few more songs, but I still didn’t feel like most were really present.

So, assuming everyone one here was wanting to get into theater, I gave them a rather -- shall we say -- passionate speech about how much theater means to me, how it saved my life, how I've seen it save the lives of others, and that it's a calling and not an idle hobby.

I said, "Right now, there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of actors in New York living in roach-infested closets, working two jobs to pay for acting classes and dance classes, and going to auditions. If you think you can compete with their dedication by texting during a class or not paying attention, you are out of your minds. That's your competition: People who really care. So, anyone who doesn't want to be here, then please leave. Now. I don't want you." (I might have used stronger language than that).

Then, it dawned on me that maybe there was something wrong because I knew I wasn't really connecting with everyone.

So, I said, “Does anyone know why I’m here?”

There were five sitting in the front row on the left with printed-out music on their laps. They all nodded enthusiastically.

But the larger group, about 15 or so, sitting higher up on the right hand side looked at me blankly and then shook their heads.

“So, you don't know why I'm here or what we're trying to do?”

"No."

Suddenly, I felt my back starting to throb. Yep, that kidney stone was definitely there. And it was going to be a problem. I leaned over for a moment to gather my thoughts.

"Okay," I said. "Here's the deal. You're in the cast of a new musical and we open tomorrow night."

(To be continued).

Olympia Story Coming Soon.

2011-08-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

The Olympia weekend was an amazing experience, one I'm only now starting to appreciate. So, I want to take some time to digest it. Also, I do have some video. But I have to give it to the "kids" in the show, at least one of whom was my age. They worked their hearts out and they delivered complex, emotional performances. And to have done it all in two days just astounds me.

So I thank them with all my heart.

Olympian Volcano!

2011-07-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

Great article by Molly Gilmore in the Weekly Volcano about my return visit here to Olympia.

I arrived yesterday after a long day of travel and basically slept the whole day. The time zone difference is difficult enough, but I had to get up at 4am to get the bus to the airport.

Thankfully, the plane was on time and though I was wedged into a very full aircraft, right in front of a crying baby, I was happily immersed in a new book called "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World." (We are given this impression that the Western world was so much more civilized than the east, but he actually implemented freedom of religion, meritocracy and open trade while the western world was still bowing down to kings and living in filth).

Ah, but then, we always the "the other guy" is so much less civilized than we are.

Buy tickets here.

Pittsburgh

2011-07-24T05:22:00.000-07:00

I took a few pics of the theater where Jim is doing Sound of Music. It's a restored movie palace called the Benedum Center and the inside is stunning.

My camera couldn't really get the details on this spectacular chandelier.

We take a little shuttle from the corporate apts. where the cast is housed and though I walked all around yesterday afternoon I had forgotten my camera, so I'll get better shots today, but what a beautiful city this is. It sits on a promontory on the Allegheny river and there are many bridges, all painted yellow leading into the downtown area.

Sadly, there are also a lot of closed stores. You can tell it needs an economic lift.

I also noticed that there do seem to be a lot of shirtless young men walking around with the pants on the ground. And I mean not just showing a glimpse of brief, but actually showing their entire underwear-covered butts, and waddling like ducks. We get some of that in New York, but I don't even know why they bother wearing jeans here.

I'll take a lot more pics today.

The show is terrific. What a cast! And it's fun seeing Jim in a big show with a full orchestra. I'm so used to seeing him alone on stage with Zero, or with me doing Big Voice, I forgot he can do all that big stuff.

And he does love singing to a big orchestra!

Quick Update.

2011-07-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

Had a great recording session with Peter Link this past Sunday. He has so much experience as a producer and as an engineer, it feels safe to be in his hands. We did lead vocals on "Every Day A New Amen."

The song has morphed a bit since its inception. After I performed it a few times, both at Christ Church Bay Ridge and at the Mark Janas Salon, I finally began making a demo using my rather crude set-up here. It occurred to me that it was too long and needed a section removed.

The patient is fragile, you know.

Songwriting is like a balancing act. An listener today gets bored within five seconds. I don't really like to talk about the process of songwriter that much. Most people find it boring. And, also, who am I to tell anyone how to the write a song? The song you loved the most while writing turns into the song you can't believe you were ever talentless enough to write.

Speaking of fragile, singing a vocal in a booth scares a lot of people.

Singing is emotion. Music is liquid emotion. If you're scared when you sing, then it will sound scared on playback.

And while I can play around making demos on my $100 mic, getting behind a mic that cost thousands of dollars is a whole 'nother game.

But we made it through without any battle wounds.

Got blood tests back. My cholesterol is down in the normal range. (Victory!) And triglycerides are getting better and better, almost in normal range, which is a miracle!

However, my vitamin D levels are very low. My doc said it was a new side effect they're discovering about Sustiva. He said, "I hate giving you yet another pill, but we need to get that back up."

Weirdly, since then, I keep seeing articles about vitamin D deficiencies.

CD4 count was down a bit -- 340 -- but the percentage was up to 28%, which is almost in the normal range. (The CD4 count goes up and down a lot, even in one day).

My blood sugar A1C count was down to 7 from 9. This means it's headed in the right direction. Still too high, but getting better.

And that's about it. Good news, for the most part!

In Praise of PFLAG.

2011-07-01T03:20:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've mentioned, lately, how much I love PFLAG.

During the Pioneer Days of the Internet, it was the first real life example of how families could talk to each other about what it means to have a gay kid.

The email list PFLAG-Talk wasn't officially "of" the central office. It was just a bunch of folks from various towns, both large and small, talking together, worrying for their children and helping, especially, "new" parents who had just been delivered the news.

Sometimes it's a mom just trying to understand, saddled with a husband who is about to blow through the roof, trying to figure out how to keep her 17 year old -- who is now dressing like a Goth -- from sneaking out at night.

As culture warriors continue to dominate the religious debate over homosexuality, parents and their kids, and their extended family, are all caught in the crossfire because war is easy. It's the first thing you learn in improv, violence is easy.

But when that parent is told by his kid, when that parent's world suddenly turns upside down, who do you call?

Conservative Christian parents, especially. Who do you call?

I remember confronting the protester in Kentucky. I asked him point blank, "Now that you've told me I'm going to hell, what do I do? Do I come to your church? Do you have a program for homosexuals who want to not be gay anymore?"

The look on his puzzled face. He snapped, "No!"

Who does anyone call? Or better, who can you call who doesn't have a religious or political agenda to shove down your throat?

PFLAG does advocate, naturally, for gay people. But, on this list, people of all stripes exist. The rule is No Religion, unless you're asking an informational question about a certain group's beliefs.

By keeping to the personal, each parent can get necessary information and emotional "been there, done that, here's what might happen net" comfort and advice.

I've sung for many PFLAGs and was even honored, twice, with the Oscar Wilde Award by the PFLAG in Los Angeles.

But, Olympia is a particularly personal destination because of Gabi and Alec Clayton, who live there. If I'm not mistaken, the very first song I wrote after The Last Session was "Gabi's Song."

In fact, the first concert I sang after 9/11 was Olympia. It was that first weekend of flights. We considered canceling. But no way. And we had a most miraculous night. More like church, really.

So, it's good to be coming back. And how great that we'll be presenting New World Waking, which was born, as an idea, there in Olympia. Only this time, we bring in all the local college kids and make a musical together! And what's the first song of New World Waking?

Of course. Gabi's Song. "Will it always be like this?"

Olympian Heights!

2011-06-28T04:44:00.000-07:00

It takes just as much effort and energy to make a small event as it does to make a big event. So, you might as well make a big event. And yes, I'm talking about Olympia.

The fact that it's where the concept of New World Waking was born. The fact that the professor wants the students to have the full theatrical experience of putting on a show, including auditions for solos, etc.

The fact that we have two days to make it work.

The fact that it's in a place called Olympia.

(You go to Olympian heights in Olympia!)

The fact that everyone wants to get involved and make it great, this project evolved from the original "We should get Steve here to sing" Steve concert to full scale community event, raising money for PFLAG-Olympia, growing and changing before my very eyes, with a cast of thousands!

I can't just show up and do a couple of numbers. We have to put on a show! So, I have been scrambling through all my folders looking for sheet music, and adding it to scripts, mp3s,etc. into a virtual folder -- thank you, google docs -- and everyone participating in the show can access it.
(
I'm so glad I spent all last year putting together newer arrangements for different vocal ranges. Given the fact that the first incarnation was a male chorus, most of the arrangements I had before were for male voices.)

The structure of the piece is simple. Songs connected by relevant quotes, or background material setting the context for the next song.

How the songs are sung, what the stage looks like, what costumes should or shouldn't be worn, what choreography should or shouldn't be added, lights, multi-media -- all of that is up for grabs. We can do as little or as much as the material will support. Key being just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD.

And maybe some enterprising young filmmaker will tape it all and make a movie. Any volunteers? Or maybe have everyone in the room shoot footage at different times. Crowdsource it and edit that together.

It'll be terrifying that first day. I remember how the songwriter workshops used to terrify me. Creating in front of others!

So, the next question is, when they ask me to write a press release, what exactly do I say? How do I describe, in advance, what I don't know is going to happen?

And how do I let the students know that from this point on, there are no rules?

The Movable Feast.

2011-06-22T04:05:00.000-07:00

I love music.

Oddly (or not), I don't obsess over music. I don't sit over a keyboard for hours and hours. I don't set a time every day where I will write only music or songs. I know people who do, and I envy that kind of concentration, but, for me, the writing of the song never stops. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, the writing never stops.

This next Sunday I will be going into the studio to finish up "Rescue." Peter Link and I are still searching for the exact right sound for the album. I've been orchestrating, over-orchestrating, stripping everything down to the bone and back again.

Right now, there's a temp vocal track. It's one I cut during the time I had the kidney stone. I think that particular Sunday, it had just passed but I was still very weak and in a lot of pain. Maybe we should keep it.

The next song is going to be "Every Day A New Amen."

I had a long talk -- by phone! -- with my dear friend, D. Whitney Quinn, who is, for me, one of the greatest songwriters on this planet. But you've probably never heard of him because he isn't 19, pretty and on a reality show.

Whitney and I bonded at Kulak's Woodshed, where I was the volunteer camera guy and he was the quiet, somewhat fragile looking person who sat meekly at the piano and then tore your guts out as he chain-sawed through family pain, existential pain, my pain, your pain, and did it with a wicked little half-grin letting you know this shit hurts but it ain't gonna defeat me.

Since Whitney more or less thinks the same about me -- and he has said so on many occasions; usually we're trying to out-compliment each other. (Your turn, Whitey!) -- it feels great to just talk music with him.

But that conversation reminded me that while a musician can live a life hunched over an instrument, a songwriter has to be out in the world, listening, trying, crying.

He said, "You've been singing a lot in churches."

I said, "It was to my great surprise that the songs from my three theater pieces can also be sung in churches." Then I told him how, by volunteering at Christ Church Bay Ridge, I now have a professional choir filled with young opera and musical theater singers and world class musical director, Mark Janas. So that has led me to singing in church a lot, which love to do.

We were discussing the current sad state of affairs with regards to music because now it's all about selling out for money. Music used to be our salvation. Now it's a get rich quick scheme, where the younger you are, and more aggressive your parents are, you can become a teen sensation for a few minutes.

The emptiness of the relentless culture -- like a person dying of thirst at sea -- can be depressing, but for an artist who actually believes in the music, like Adele, it's a land of opportunity. It may seem like the corporate monopoly is in full force, but with YouTube, anyone can be found.

And I believe in my my music. As fragile as my body may sometimes be, music still comes out. And it's thrilling for me to know that next month, I'll be heading back to Olympia to work with college students. I haven't done this in years.

And that's why "The Movable Feast," title of the blog entry.

Because I'm now going to extend the experiment of "New World Waking," which, as a performance piece, is a modular, flexible piece of theater. I've sung it solo. I've sung it with actors. I've heard it with choirs. And now we're going to do it with students.

After the great success of trying the "modular" theory here in New York -- i.e. rehearse each cast member individually and then hear it all together, for the first time, along with the audience, thus giving everyone an "opening night" experience, where both audience and cast essentially are one because the cast becomes part of the audience and, with the sing-alongs at the end, the audience becomes the cast -- I thought it might be fun to try it with college students.

When Gabi and Alec contacted me about singing a concert in Olympia next month, and told me I'd be doing workshops with theater students there, it hit me that instead just talking about theater, we could create a theater piece ourselves. Then they can go through the process and see how shows get put together.

What gives all of this resonance, of course, is the fact that it was in Olympia that I encountered John Lennon's Imagine Piano -- I remember the reporter to sidled up to me, asking me I felt his "energy" or "anything" in the piano when I played it. And I remember laughing to myself at how much John Lennon would have hated the thought of anyone turning it into some kind of supernatural shrine.

But something was born that day. A song cycle called "New World Waking."

If I can engage the students right from the start, maybe even video our work, or find some aspiring filmmaker student who wants to make a film, we could share this with the world.

But that won't be the point of it. The point will be to sing the songs and create a moment.

Church. Theater. If you're singing or telling truth, it doesn't matter if it's church, theater, a cabaret or the corner bar.

We'll create something unique and meaningful and passionate.

And then we'll do it again the next night. All for PFLAG. All for Bill Clayton.

We're also going to be doing it again here in New York very soon. No exact dates yet. No performers to announce. But it is going to happen.

I've already been asked.

Olympia July 29 & 30. Save the Date.

2011-06-18T04:20:00.000-07:00

Olympia is Holy Ground for me.

It's where I played John Lennon's Imagine piano. (My brother ridicules me on this, saying he touched Ian Anderson's flute or something). But forget them! Onward we go.

That moment fired a musical insurrection in my soul which turned into a free-form piece called New World Waking, a kind of folk theatrical even that, like Spider-Man costume, conforms to the talent at hand.

This time around, I will be conducting a workshop for students from South Puget Sound Community College, some or all of whom will be joining me on stage.

We also plan to have at least one great local guest artist, depending on which persona he thinks is most appropriate.

WHAT: A "Steve Schalchlin & Friends" concert.

WHEN: Friday July 29th and Saturday, July 30th at 8 p.m.

WHERE:
The Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts Black Box Theater,
South Puget Sound Community College, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia, WA 98512

WHY: a benefit for PFLAG-Olympia http://pflag-olympia.org/

Tickets: $20 general admission, $10 SPSCC students.

I will have more info, like how and where to get tickets, soon.

Korea's Got Talent Singer Tells Tear-Inducing Story.

2011-06-08T05:10:00.000-07:00

From Asylum:

Warning, this video had me, and everyone in the room, crying like a baby. Just makes you appreciate the human spirit.

Takin' Over Boston.

2011-06-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm not actually taking over Boston, but Jake and I are singing at the annual meeting of the Christian Science church #TMC2011, right there at the mother church in Boston, along with our friends, Peter Link, Julia Wade and a number of others.

Posing dramatically in front of the mother church in Boston.

I don't really know that much about the Christian Science religion except that they believe very strongly in the healing power of the mind and prayer. And any doctor or nurse will tell you in that if a patient does not want to live, and gives up mentally, the chances of survival are nil. But if a person really does want to live, and puts his whole mind and being into surviving, it makes a world of difference. I am witness to this.

I have sung in synagogues, orthodox Christian churches, liberal Christian churches, conservative -- you name it. I will go anywhere I'm invited because I believe in the healing power of music.

Jake Wesley Stewart and me.

Jake and me.

Peter Link is producing the event we are a part of,
called Expanding Our Music.