The Album He Would Have Made #IfHeHadn'tDied.

I keep hearing that in my head every day. The Album he would have made if he hadn't died.

It's only an accident that I'm making an album. What I'm presenting is a collection of songs that I like singing at this moment in my life. Plus a few I hadn't done in a long time. For instance, I was kind of shocked to find out there was no recording of me singing Somebody's Friend. 

How I've sung it has evolved much over the years.

When I wrote it originally, with the "radio" audience in mind, we made a big demo that we thought would sound good with a reggae beat. I still love that recording. Ginger Freers nailed that vocal. But that didn't work for the show. It had to be more angry and raw than that. 

I could hear what I wanted in my head, but I couldn't reproduce it until I realized I was hearing a guitar lick. David Robyn helped me with that. 

Since I don't play guitar, what I ended up with was my piano imitation of a guitar lick, which has its own weird sort of authenticity. I have a special relationship with Somebody's Friend, the promise of false cures.

As I was riding the bus the other day, after having had a discussion about "rise from the grave" life experiences, I kept hearing the title phrase in my head: The album he would have made if he hadn't died.

I can't say that this is that album. I don't want to try to live up to that kind of pressure. The pieces I've been composing are more concert/choral/orchestral type. They need a lot more formality. My Mass, for instance, will be performed in the Spring. And I'd definitely want that to be a part of my musical legacy.

But that would make a great title for something. Or even a meme. 

#IfHeHadn'tDied

However, going up to someone on the street and asking. "Hello, what would you have done if you hadn't died?" sounds more like a slasher pic. Ah, ye cynical world.

Olympia New World Waking, Day One.

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.

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!

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.

A Worldwide Choir?

He heard the music in his head and then conducted it in silence on video. Hundreds of singers all over the world sang to his conducting, also on video, and he put them together into a virtual choir.

I want to steal this idea. I love it so much. As the music began playing, and the different faces of the singers began to flash, each in their own little window, I actually got a little teary-eyed. The first video tells how he did it. The second video is the song itself.





h/t: Nevski

A Curious Statistic.

“Apart from playing Steve Schalchlin’s music frequently on my Music Theatre radio show in Australia, Broadway at Bedtime, I find myself drawn to recommending his music for my vocal students for professional auditions in my position as Vocal Coach. A curious statistic is that every student, who has sung one of Steve’s songs in audition, has got the gig!”

WILL CONYERS
Director, Music Director, Vocal Coach, Actor, Singer.
Host, Broadway at Bedtime
Green Room Awards Association Inc, Music Theatre Panel

That was the very surprising email I got in response to request I issued on Facebook. Because we're going to start selling my music online, Watchfire Music asked me to provide some quotes from singers, or other people involved in music who had ever used my songs. Because, honestly, I know you may not believe this, mom, but I'm not that well known. I gotta hawk this stuff!

I'm now the guy in the cyber alley opening by trench coat, sheet music stuffed in all the pockets.

When a distinguished musical director in Australia who's on the board of their theatrical awards says that everyone who auditions singing one of my songs gets the job, this is something I can use! Especially this:

A curious statistic is that every student, who has sung one of Steve’s songs in audition, has got the gig!

I have a sneaking suspicion Mr. Conyers' skill as a teacher probably had something to do with it. But, I've heard this from other actors, how they felt my songs were like a kind of secret weapon. Most people listening to auditions get tired of hearing the same, old songs, time after time.

Which means I'm still a cult figure! And I have secret weapons. In fact, dear reader, I have a lot of songs almost ready for download. And yes, I am going to be asking you to pay me. A worker is worthy of his hire, no?

Gypsy of the Year

Today, sitting with Jake at the Gypsy of the Year competition, Judith Light stepped forward to ask for a moment of silence in remembrance of people who died. She was there at the first one and she said people who weren't alive during that time will never know the kind of extreme loss of that year, when people were dying by the hundreds and thousands.

Having gone through a lot of memorial services, including my own, I tend to be pretty hard to move to tears.

But, without warning, my eyes started just gushing tears. Jake patted me on the shoulder, but I didn't react to him. I wasn't even sure what I was feeling, except loss.

Loss of entire generation of gay men. The ones -- as Fran Liebowitz puts it in the hysterical HBO movie, Public Speaking -- who were the most likely to get laid. That's a punchline, of course, but the underlying truth, she says, is that the smartest, most talented and beautiful died. We're left with third and fourth level talent. Not just the artists, she says, but the audience.

The audience died. The smart, informed audience. As effectively as if they'd been cut down in a war. I would have been one of those victims, too, if my name hadn't been picked in the Crixivan lottery.

I just cried at the enormity of it. The crying turned into weeping and then, when I started gasping, I just took control of it and put it back under control, wiping away rivers of tears.

Honestly? It felt good. I just wasn't expecting it.

I also got an email:

Thank you for your gift of music with MY THANKGIVING PRAYER.  Three congregations that used to be on three adjoining corners in Davenport, Iowa continue meet together annually to celebrate an Interfaith Thanksgiving service:  Temple Emmanuel, the Unitarian Church and Edwards Congregational UCC.  This was our 67^th year of worship and fellowship together.  Each year a speaker is chosen representing a community of need in our Quad Cities.  This year we heard about homelessness and gathered funds for the new youth shelter in Illinois, across the Mississippi River. 

Hosted by the Unitarians, we had a combined choir of male and female voices in November, doing our beset to make the PRAYER sound beautiful…and people were moved by your music which the Unitarian choir director chose.  Thank you for making this music available for our use.  Many have been blessed by your creativity.  May the blessings return now to you.

 Advent Peace to you.

Rev. Jean Norton
Minister of Music
Edwards United Church of Christ
3420 Jersey Ridge Road
Davenport, IA 52807

I wrote her back and asked if anyone recorded it. I also invite readers to see if anything shows up on YouTube.

And Iowa. Hm. Maybe I should run for president. As a third and fourth level guy, I'm at least as qualified as that woman with the reality show.