"Nothing Bad - A Werewolf Rock Musical"

We closed out our final show of "Nothing Bad - A Werewolf Rock Musical" at the Hollywood Fringe Festival the last weekend in June.  My Dad was in town to see our final show and we sold out most of our performances which as a new theater was so exciting!

"Nothing Bad" was ranked one of the Top 5 Musicals to see at the Fringe Festival this year and also a 'Pick of the Fringe.'  Our small cast of 10 people really brought it and Erik Blair created a really great script and show.  Dan Sugimoto wrote the music for the show which was a mix of 50's and 80's rock and SO catchy. Thea Rivera was Producing and doing pretty much anything she could to promote the show and make sure that we had people in the seats.  It was a success on all levels.

'Nothing bad happens here, nothing bad that we can see or hear and we've been living here all our lives!'

I play Mayor White, the Mayor of the town who holds a dark secret I don't share until the end of the show.  We've got a couple different stories going on throughout the show that all tie together.  I was so glad Rachel decided to join the show because I had a buddy at rehearsals and I couldn't have done my part without her.  She helped me run-lines before every show and supported me when I felt over-whelmed with everything going on.  Thanks so much, Rach <3

We found out we did get a Fringe Extension Award and I hope at some point my friends who couldn't come to see the show while the festival was going on but wanted to will be able to check it out in the future.

I also got my first ever review, and it was a positive one!  I love what I do but it's really great to hear that other people enjoy your performance and portrayal as well.  It feels really nice when someone waits for you after the show to tell you how much they loved my character.  You can read one of the reviews here: Indie Voice Blog

Mayor White in Perfection, California

Unfortunately we weren't able to pick-up an extension date because our whole cast wasn't available for any of the specific dates they had but this is certainly not the end for "Nothing Bad!"  Thanks to the cast and crew of our show.  This was a different role for me to play and I really enjoyed the challenge of playing such a strong-willed, very political character with a wild turn-around.  You were right, Erik ;)

Catwoman for a 'SuperSHEro Show' and Party!

This past Sunday I got to be Catwoman for Creating Arts Company.  It was Lielle's 7th Birthday so Shannon wrote a show just for her, including all the characters she wanted, songs and more!  A SuperSHEro is a female Superhero and we were all very excited to celebrate with Lielle and her friends!

With the beautiful gold mask!

The SuperSHEroes were Batgirl, Bumblebee, Wonder Woman, Super Girl, and Hawk Girl, while the Villian's were myself as Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn!  We got the kids up and dancing like we usually do and I sang 'Stressed Out' by 21 Pilots for my entrance into the party.  Of course, by the time we get to the end of the show, it's all about the dancing, so we sang 'Celebration,' 'Uptown Funk' and 'Happy.'

After we finished the show we played games with the party guests.  Then it was time for the real party so the parents had a Pizza Party going for Lielle and her friends upstairs.  We all sang Happy Birthday (got to partake in the yummy food as well) and then said Goodbye to Lielle and her friends.  

One little girl told me a joke and said I was 'Cat-Tastic' and that is probably my favorite part of these shows.  It's the interaction with the kids after and getting to talk to them that's so awesome  Some of the kids are far more talkative than others but it's the ones you bring out of their shells that make my heart melt.  Especially when you make them change their mind about you!  As a villain, it's easy to scare off the kids, so when you can bring them back to your side, you've won them over :)

Catwoman for a day...meow!

As always, I look forward to my next Children's Show with Creating Arts and hopefully it'll be soon!

October Karaoke

While October was a really productive month it was far less productive for me, Karaoke-wise.  I took a couple weeks off to deal with a sore throat and vocal rest since I was still doing Thenardier's Inn and wanted to keep my voice strong for that.  This gave everyone else more opportunities to sing and that always makes for happy singers!  We did not have a Halloween Karaoke Theme this year since Halloween fell on a Monday, although we've got a great group costume already in mind for next year :)

Gretchen Wilson - 'Here For The Party'

Amy Winehouse - 'You Know I'm No Good' 

Pat Benatar - 'Heart Breaker'

Alanis Morissette - 'You Learn'

Melissa Etheridge - 'I'm The Only One'

Sir Mix-A-Lot - 'Baby Got Back'

En Vogue - 'Shoop'

Britney Spears - 'Hit Me Baby One More Time'

Fleetwood Mac - 'Dreams'

Toto - 'Hold The Line'

Journey - 'Separate Ways' 

The Temptations - 'My Girl'

The first week of Karaoke was Ashley's last night in LA so we had a lot of people visiting and celebrating!  Plus, Ashley, Carolyn and I had a couple group songs including our go-to, 'Baby Got Back' and 'Shoop!'  My new song of the night was 'You Learn' by Alanis Morissette and I can't wait to sing that one again.  I also had to sing Pat Benatar's 'Heartbreaker' by Ashley's request.  Overall, it was a really fun night with everyone!  The next week we were celebrating Carolyn's Birthday and we were packed with Karaoke singers.  That was also the last day I drank that month...I had one Campari Press and haven't drank since.  More on that below!  I didn't do a whole lot of singing for Carolyn's Birthday but I did dedicate my new song of the night to her by doing 'My Girl' by The Temptations, another song I will definitely sing again.

Two of my longest LA friends <3

I've done 29 days of no alcohol and going for a full month-long break or more to reset and get some clarity!  It's actually been so much easier than I thought (even over Halloween weekend) and my creativity has been thriving.  I'm not sure if that's because I'm not drinking or I've just been inspired lately, but I'll take it either way.  I can already tell you that Karaoke is back to normal for November and my Dad will be in LA for Thanksgiving, so we'll have a fun Pre-Thanksgiving Karaoke celebration!

September Karaoke

We had a couple busy nights at Karaoke in September and I even skipped a week to protect my voice since I had "One Night Stands," the play I was in, running for three Friday nights, and also "Thenardier's Inn" re-opening for three weekend performances in September and October!

Fleetwood Mac - 'Go Your Own Way'

Bush - 'Comedown'

Nancy Sinatra - 'These Boots Are Made For Walking'

Bryan Adams - 'Everything I Do, I Do It For You'

Alanis Morissette - 'You Oughta Know'

Macy Playground - 'Sex & Candy'

Guns & Roses - 'November Rain'

Destiny's Child - 'Independant Woman'

Ace of Base - 'All That She Wants'

Jewel - 'Don't'

Seal - 'Kiss From A Rose'

Fuel - 'Falls On Me'

Stone Temple Pilots - 'Interstate Love Song'

Cher - 'If I Could Turn Back Time'

Stevie Wonder - 'I Just Called To Say I Love You'

Toni Braxton - 'Unbreak My Heart'

Tonic - 'You Wanted More' 

That first Wednesday night was the closing night at Afterbuzz TV for "Hard Knocks" and I also had "Real Housewives of New York" so it was a busy day of running around, and I actually took Marty up on his shot offer, immediately, which is unlike me!  I wanted to add some songs to my history and sing some songs that brought the emotion, and also tried Macy Playground's moody, 'Sex & Candy,' which was fun to sing.  I skipped the next week and for that third week, I had Rachel & Giana at Karaoke with me so we opened with 'Independent Women' which was new for me and fun to sing as a trio.  I kept the 90's music going all night long and included another new song, 'Kiss From A Rose' by Seal, which was interesting to try, but Giana really can rock it!  That last week in September was pretty quiet so I opened with 'Interstate Love Song' as my new song of the night and kept it chill for the rest of the night.  

I knew October would be a big month with Ashley visiting and Carolyn's Birthday, plus Halloween at the end of the month!  It was nice to take it a little bit easy in September!  Happy Halloween Month :)

August Karaoke!

It's been pretty quiet at Karaoke this past month except for one week in August.  I've been nursing a cold for nearly a month (don't you just hate that Summer cold that sticks around) so I was trying to take it easy and one week I didn't even sing to rest my voice.  I've felt much better in the past two weeks so I'm just keeping it low-key and getting back into the swing of things!

Bush - 'Comedown'
Whitney Houston - 'Saving All My Love'

Duffy - 'Mercy'

Pat Benatar 'Promises In The Dark'

Aladdin - 'A Whole New World'

Peabo Bryson & Celine Dion - 'Beauty & The Beast'

Stone Temple Pilots - 'Plush'

Red Hot Chili Peppers - 'Dani California'

Garbage - 'Special'

Roxette - 'It Must Have Been Love'

Tom Petty - 'You Got Lucky' 

Alanis Morissette - 'You Oughta Know'

Britney Spears - 'Lucky'

Tracy Chapman - 'Give Me One Reason'

Bon Jovi - 'You Give Love A Bad Name'

 

Fleetwood Mac - 'Say You Love Me'

The Spice Girls - 'Say You Will Be There'

Christina Aguilera & A Great Big World - 'Say Something'

Allison Krauss - 'When You Say Nothing At All'

Weezer - 'Say It Ain't So' 

Destiny's Child - 'Say My Name'

I can always count on Adam to sing
some awesome songs at Karaoke!

That first week I thought I better protect my voice but as I was singing my first song I realized I had the Phoebe voice from 'Friends' when she sounds "so sexy."  I didn't sound sexy but the cold had cleared my sinuses so I was able to hit all the high notes that my deviated septum keeps me from singing on a regular basis.  I had to sing some Whitney, so one of my new songs (I think it was new) was 'Saving All My Love' which went really well and also sang 'Beauty & The Beast' with Ace.  Just in case my Whitney had been sang before I sang that second new song of the night and we kept the Disney theme going!  I kept it a little alternative and 90's in that second week and my new song was 'Dani California' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  For the third week of singing it was really busy but Adam gave me a great suggestion to do 'Lucky' by Britney Spears, and it was actually a lot of fun!  The last week in August it was much more chill and I ended up setting a little challenge and theme for myself after singing two songs in a row that had 'say' in the title.  That Spice Girls song reminds me of my 8th Grade Graduation when a bunch of us got on stage at the reception and I sang Sporty Spice's part.  It's actually a really nice memory.  I also realized that a year ago on that Wednesday I had posted on Facebook about starting college years earlier and my Mom had left a comment on it talking about the one time I told her to turn around and come back to spend another night with me in Winona after I had been cheering (I was a College Cheerleader) at a Basketball Game.  I got a little sentimental so I sang 'When You Say Nothing At All' which Mom had suggested I sing for a Cabaret my senior year in High School.  My new song was Weezer's 'Say It Ain't So' and I was able to keep my 'say' theme going all night long!  

I'm looking forward to school being back in session and hopefully Karaoke will pick up too!  Plus, I think it's time for another theme night.  I've got a new theater production opening this weekend and another one in a couple weeks so I'll do some prep for that too and get some of the cast members in to sing!

July Karaoke!

Talk about a heatwave in July here in LA!  I think people didn't want to leave their air-conditioned homes to come out to Karaoke because we had a couple fairly quiet weeks.  We still had a lot of fun so thanks to my friends and regulars for joining the party weekly!

Badfinger - 'No Matter What' 

Maroon 5 - 'She Will Be Loved'

Norah Jones - 'Don't Know Why' 

Kim Wilde - 'Keep Me Hanging On'

"The Little Mermaid" - 'Part of Your World' 

Pat Benatar - 'Love is a Battlefield'

The Eagles - 'I Can't Tell You Why'

The Supremes - 'Baby Love'

Dion - 'Runaround Sue' 

Jann Arden - 'Insensitive'

Oasis - 'Wonderwall'

Edwin McCain - 'I'll Be'

Jewel - 'Who Will Save Your Soul'

Judy Garland - 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'

Toni Braxton - 'Unbreak My Heart'

Shania Twain - 'Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under'

Cheap Trick - 'I Want You to Want Me'

Amy Winehouse - 'Rehab'

3 Doors Down - 'Here Without You'

Adele - 'To Make You Feel My Love'

That first week in July, my Dad and brother went back to Wisconsin and it was just a couple days after Fourth of July so I think it was a little slower because of that.  I wanted to add some music to my History so I did a couple songs I hadn't sang in a while and my new song was 'She Will Be Loved' by Maroon 5.  That next week we had a Super-Set to start the night with some Eagles music.  I kept it classic for the first couple rounds and my new song was Dion's 'Runaround Sue' that always makes me want to dance!  During the third week in July I was prepping for a Princess Show that weekend so I wanted to take it easy on my voice but also practice my song for that weekend, so my new song was 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow.'  It was nice to be able to prep it, and thanks to some vocal tips from Dan and my fellow cast-mates I was able to go out there and make them proud!  We had another quiet week at the end of the month but we also had another Super-Set of Amy Winehouse music, and I think we sang every song we had in our Karaoke List from her!  It was also my first time singing 'Rehab,' which seems crazy since it was such a popular song.  

I'm looking forward to the month of August when the students are getting back to school and hopefully the bar will pick up a little more!  In the meantime, my friends and the regulars can sing all night long, and I don't think there are any complaints there ;)

June Karaoke!

It was a little slower in the month of June for Karaoke but that just meant my friends got to sing more when they came in to visit!  Plus, we celebrated my Birthday at Karaoke and had some fun with that!

Journey - 'Open Arms'

Staind - 'Right Here Waiting'

Three Doors Down - 'When I'm Gone'

Nirvana - 'Heart-Shaped Box'

Richard Marx - 'Shoulda Known Better'

Fuel - 'Falls On Me'

Patrick Swayze - 'She's Like the Wind'

Seether - 'Broken' with Ace

No Doubt - 'Sunday Morning'

Blessid Union of Souls - 'Standing at the Edge of the Earth'

Tracy Chapman - 'Give Me One Reason'

Fleetwood Mac - 'Gold Dust Woman'
Pat Benatar - 'Invinceable' 

Bruno Mars - 'When I Was Your Man' 

Journey - 'Separate Ways'

Aerosmith - 'Cryin''

Fleetwood Mac - 'Go Your Own Way'

Garbage - 'I'm Only Happy When It Rains'

Liz Phair - 'Why Can't I'

Nirvana - 'Heart-Shaped Box'

Jewel - 'Don't'

Natalie Imbruglia - 'Torn' 

Marty and I singing some Karaoke
on my Birthday!

That first week in June we had a bunch of Super-Sets of songs, including Journey, Staind, Three Doors Down, and Fuel, meaning at least three of us sang songs by that specific artist or band.  It adds a little challenge to Karaoke, making things more interesting and a lot of fun.  That also meant I opened the night with my new song by Journey, 'Open Arms' and closed out the night with 'She's Like The Wind' by Patrick Swayze since I hadn't sang it in forever!  The second week I was back in Wisconsin so when I got back for the third week I kept things low-key.  I took some suggestions from the Karaoke audience throughout the night and ended up doing 'Standing at the Edge of the Earth' by Blessid Union of Souls, one of my favorite bands from back in College, as my new song that night.  I'm going to end the blog with my Birthday Week so in closing out June it was another chill night so my new song was 'Why Can't I' by Liz Phair, which I had been trying to do for a couple weeks but the vibe wasn't right until that night.  It's one of those songs you hear and think it would be great for Karaoke, and it is!  I actually kept my songs all 90's (minus my opener) that night; once again, another way to add some excitement and difficulty to the evening!

My Birthday was on June 19th, so the following Wednesday I had some Themes set for the party.  Everyone had one warm-up song but I made sure to follow the themes after that.  The second song was from the decade you were born in, so I did Pat Benatar's 'Invinceable' as my 1980's song.  Next up was a #1 or Party song, so I did Bruno Mars' 'When I Was Your Man,' which was also my new song that night.  It's a really great song to sing, even for a girl!  Next up was Gender Bender, meaning the guys sang songs by female artists and vice versa, so I did 'Separate Ways,' my favorite Journey song.  We all closed out the night with our Guilty Pleasures, or in my case, the last song I sing on a night because my voice is completely shot after I do it.  That could only mean Aerosmith's 'Cryin'' for me!  If you've never sang it, sing it.  It's a blast!  It was actually a really great Karaoke Birthday :)

Carolyn & I...Photo Bomb compliments of Marty!

Summer is always hit or miss at Karaoke because people aren't in school anymore but it also means people are moving to the neighborhood and checking out Gabe's or are on vacation.  I'm just glad to see some new people coming by and I always welcome my favorite regulars!  Thanks for making my Birthday month so fabulous!

Broadway LA Style

CAC Studios put on a Broadway Cabaret LA Style show at the beginning of February to celebrate Valentine's Day with songs of Love.  I was singing in the show which was at Three Clubs in Hollywood and it was so great to be a part of this fun Cabaret with some beautiful music and even more fabulous performers!

Before Showtime...Kerstin, Kenni, Cassandra, Max, Giana, Elizabeth, Hadiyyah, myself, and Dani :)

 The show opened with 'Elephant Love Medley' from "Moulin Rouge" and we all had some solo's throughout the song and were spread apart in Three Clubs so our voices were coming from any open space we could find.  I love that movie and I love that song so I was really excited to be a part of it.  Adam also sang from "Moulin Rouge" doing 'Your Song,' which he just kills every time he does it!  Elizabeth played Patsy Cline, while Cassandra did 'Let it Go' from "Frozen."  Milton did one of my all-time favorite songs, 'Lady' by Kenny Rogers, and Hadiyyah sang 'One and Only' one of my favorite Adele songs.  Kenni showed us a different side to Peggy Lee's "Fever" by doing it as Anna from "Frozen."  I did 'Time After Time' by Cyndi Lauper (had a little costume change from our opening number) and changed into my New Year's Eve dress, and Julia complimented it by turning on the disco ball during the song!  We closed out the Cabaret with 'Seasons of Love' from "Rent."

Thanks to Adam for jumping in and singing back-up for me during 'Time After Time!'

Songs of love, happiness, tears of joy, and more were shared by the audience and all of the performers.  Thanks to Neil for coming and taking pictures!  We had a packed house and I was so glad to be a part of such a great show and sing in honor of my Mom!

Halloween Karaoke at Gabe's

Bring back the 90's!  We always celebrate Halloween at Gabe's with costumes and fun, at least my friends and I do.  This year's theme was 90's musician's and artists, and in all actuality, we welcome anyone coming in costume to the bar, especially when we're still a couple days away from Halloween!

I decided to go as Paula Abdul who broke out in the late 80's and early 90's.  'Forever Your Girl' was my personal theme, tights, pumps, leather jacket, and crop top.  I was actually pretty proud of my look and just slightly changed it up for a couple of the songs that I did.  Jamie had come as Alanis Morisette doing her 'Ironic' hairstyle and 90's flair.  Rachel came as Lady Gaga, and she served a healthy dose of her Poker Face in that amazing costume!  Neil had dressed as Billy Corgan, channeling his 'Zero' days and then swapped to 2Pac but might have been mistaken for Sir Ben Kingsley or Edward Norton in "American History X."  We also had a couple other costumes, Steve Jobs, Charlize Theron's character from "Mad Max," and then got some people into the theme of singing some great 90's music.

Costumes for Halloween Karaoke at Gabe's!

My songs for the night were 'Opposites Attract,' 'Cold-Hearted Snake,' 'Straight Up,' and my new song was 'Rush, Rush.'  It was nice that everyone knew all her songs and got my Paula vibe.  Neil stuck to the Smashing Pumpkins doing some of their hits including 'Everasting Gaze' which I had never heard before but yet again, another great Pumpkins rock song.  Jamie and Rachel both sang in their artists book but then stepped out and did some other songs as well.

Overall, it ended up being a pretty busy Wednesday night, and I think we all got more excited that Halloween was just a couple days away.  It was a great beginning to the Halloween festivities and got us in the mood for the party we all were going to that weekend!  I hope everyone else had a really fun Halloween as well and I apologize for the late post :)

You can call me Madame Thenardier...

It's been nearly a year since I auditioned to be in 'Thenardier's Inn - A Les Miserables Cabaret' and little did we know our fabulous show would still be running a year later!  From extensions at CAC Studios, where it all began, to being a part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, WINNING the 'Best Cabaret & Variety' at the Festival, having another extension at 3 Clubs, to bringing in a mostly new cast to our sixth extension, once again, back at 3 Clubs!

We are opening this Saturday and running for four weeks on the 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th at 8 pm!  Doors open at 7 pm and trust me, you don't want to be late to this one ;)

If you want to laugh, cry, drink heavily, and anything in-between, this is the show for you!  I'll be playing Madame Thenardier, and you'll want to watch your purses and wallets around me, and I can't promise to keep my hands to myself, but you can bet that I'll be making fun of my husband, making you drink more, and having a grand old time!

Tickets are available at: www.cacstudios.com and go ahead and use the promo code NOTLESMIS for up to 50% off tickets.  Tickets are going fast so jump on it and check out our wonderful story that will be sure to melt your heart <3

The Summer Freeze Princess Show :)

After a busy week of rehearsals for 'Thenardier's,' 'Project Mayhem' (which I'll be writing a blog about soon), and Improv, I was also rehearsing for our 'Summer Freeze Princess Show & Sing-Along!'  A couple weeks ago we had two shows on a Sunday with a bunch of Princesses joining in on the fun!

We had two very sold-out shows with tons of boys and girls singing along and creating magic with us.  Pocahontas led us on the adventure this time and was joined by plenty of Princesses from Rapunzel, to Anna & Elsa, Belle, Tiana, and more, including Jasmine, whom I was playing that weekend.  We had just gotten a new dress for Jasmine and it was absolutely beautiful and perfect for my character.

Princess Jasmine with Rapunzel, Elsa, and Pocahontas!

As soon as I got on-stage I was mobbed by children who wanted to tell me I was their favorite Princess, they had just watched my movie, or could they sit with me.  I'm sure they say that to all the Princesses but I always feel so special as soon as I start talking to them.  So while we got the kids up and dancing for a bunch of the songs, we also had them sit down so the Princesses could move about and tell our story that day.  When I was sitting, without fail, a little girl would come to sit in my lap, and another would try to fit in as well, and then one would hold my hand.  Best feeling in the world!

Princesses for the Summer Freeze Sing-Along :)

At the end of the show, we taught the kids 'The Princess Song' which is our original Princess Song written by Dan, our Musical Director at CAC.  It's so magical to hear the kids singing along with us on a song that is all our own.  At our second show, a bunch of the guys who normally play our Princes and Pirates came to the see the show and support us Princesses; that was so nice of them to show their enthusiasm for the Summer Freeze!

The Princess Shows are always a blast and revitalize my feelings on how much I love children.  One eight month old baby got her first photo with a Princess, with me!  All those dreams as a little girl of being a Princess one day and they're all coming true <3

'Plaid Flannel' Music Video

Neil's Dad turned 60 this past week and in honor of this very special Birthday he put together a music video that was dedicated to his Dad's love for plaid flannel.  He got friends and family of his Dad to send in 'video selfies' of themselves dancing and singing to add to the personalization of the video and this is the final product!

Not only did Neil rap and sing in this video but he was the creative mind behind the lyrics, scenes, and editing!  I had a fun little cameo as well, so if you want to see my old-school dance moves make sure you check it out :)

'Babes' Opening Show!

This Saturday was the opening of the show I'm in, 'Babes In Toyland' at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica.  It is a Children's Play for ages 11 months to 6 years and families, and we sing, dance, and act, getting the children involved in the fun.  It's running for the next 5 weeks on Saturday's and starts at 11 am and lasts just a little over a half hour.  You can find all the information on the Creating Arts website at: Babes In Toyland

Our cast is small with just 5 people but I really felt like we all lit up the stage once the show started and we heard the kids yelling out answers to what time of year it is and how one would get through snow.  After that, the rest of the show is a blur for me because I felt like my adrenaline went through the roof and the amount of energy I exerted took over and I just remember seeing the happy smiles on the kids faces, and smiling proud parents as their children were dancing and singing along with us.

Showtime for Little Bo Peep, The Toymaker, Mother Goose, Tom Piper and Mary Contrary!

We sing some Christmas songs as well as children's favorites, and a few songs from Nursery Rhymes and I have a couple solo's as well.  Maya was our director, choreographer, and singing coach and she pulled all of us together to bring an amazing show that will continue to improve week after week!  It was almost a let down after the show was over and I went back home and went about my day but thankfully I have 5 more weeks of performances to get my acting fix.

This is definitely a great company to be a part of and I can't wait for what else I can get involved with in the future :)

'Babes In Toyland'

I got it!  I auditioned for the role of Mary Contrary in 'Babes In Toyland' a week and a half ago and found out a couple days later that I booked the role!  When I first saw they were holding auditions I was super excited because I used to watch the movie with Drew Barrymore, Keanu Reeves, and Eileen Brennan all through the Christmas season (and Summer, guilty pleasure) and now I was getting to audition for it.

The audition consisted of a cold-read and song.  When I got to the audition and saw it was a scene from 'Music Man' I got a little nostalgic remembering I had played the role of Amaryllis when I was 14, and sure enough, the cold-read scene was one I did in that exact play, except this time I would be reading as Marian Paroo.  Since the play was a musical, we all had to sing so I chose 'Baby Love.'  I felt great about the audition and knew that it was a waiting game but I was really hoping to be cast.  I sent out a thank you for having me in to audition on Monday and by Tuesday I had confirmed the role of 'Mary Contrary' and was sent the rehearsal schedule, script, and music.

 

My hardly can contain myself smirk...
and this headshot reminds me of Christmas!

'Babes In Toyland' opens in a week and a half, as they have a very quick turn-around and prep for this show especially since it's for The Twinkle Theater.  This show is recommended for children 11 months to 5 years old accompanied by their family's as an introduction to theater.  As soon as I found out the show was for babies, I was totally in!  Of course, I would love for all of my friends in LA to come and see it as well because it is a Christmas/Holiday Show; there's singing, dancing, and acting, and will just be a fun experience, plus I might nuzzle you with a Teddy Bear :)

We've had a couple rehearsals already, meeting the rest of the cast, whom are mostly from the Midwest, ran through the script a handful of times, along with the music, figured out the blocking and this weekend we will probably be running through the entire show considering the following Saturday, November 30th, will be our first performance for the public.  The show runs on Saturdays at 11 am at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica on Lincoln & Wilshire Blvd and goes until January 4th.  So we will be performing 6 shows (one of which I will be in Wisconsin for, so someone will be filling my role that week) put on by the Creating Arts Company who will also have other shows running in the same weeks just on different days.

I'm so excited to be a part of a theater show again as it's been 8 years since the last time I did theater.  Singing to each other in rehearsals makes my ears smile, that's how happy I am, to be doing exactly what I love!  I can't wait for our first show in just 10 days!!

You can find out more information about the show and get tickets here:
Babes In Toyland Tickets

'The King Of Halloween' Music Video

Halloween is here and it's the perfect time to bring out the Halloween Music Video 'The King Of Halloween' that Neil and I had worked on the past few weeks!

Neil had told me he was going to record a Halloween Rap and make a video for it and then asked me to sing on it, in the style of Eminem and Dido.  He recorded his rap part and then we recorded my vocals in his studio and I was able to play around with my final part which was fun!  Then a couple weeks ago we recorded my scenes in a set that Neil created.  He put so much time and effort into making this video really special and totally Halloween.  His rap is smart and very quick; super impressive for a singer/songwriter :)  There's even a cameo by Diego who plays the piano solo for the song!  You can see the video right here!

The video was a blast to shoot and it came out awesome!  I can't imagine editing all those images and scenes into the video, matching up the vocals with the singing shots, and the video is seamless from beginning to end.

90's Hip Hop Artists ready for the shoot!

Hope you enjoyed and Happy Halloween!

Karaoke!

I've finally been able to catch up on my blog as it's been really busy and I can't believe we're already half-way through the month of May.  I've been keeping up with my resolutions of doing something new and different each month, including singing my new song at Karaoke each week and it's now been over a year and a half of that tradition!

Last month's new activity was hitting up an Open Mic Night in Sherman Oaks with my friend, Kristina, as well as my first ever Hair Modeling gig for Salon Sessions in Pasadena.  This month, Emily and I made our way to Vegas for a spontaneous mini-vacay out of LA.

Since yet again, I've gotten behind on posting about Karaoke I'll do a quick catch up for this blog.  Starting a few weeks ago I opened the night with 'Here Comes the Rain Again' one of Bob and CC's favorite songs for me to sing, followed by my new song of the night, 'King of Anything' by one of my favorite's, Sara Bareilles.  Then, because I sang that, one of our regulars asked me to sing 'Gravity' so I did the Acapella version of the song (once again by Sara Bareilles) and was really happy with it, and trying it differently.  It had been a while since I sang Kim Wilde's 'Keep Me Hanging On' and then I closed the night with 'It Will Rain' by Bruno Mars.

Last week's Karaoke was a really busy night and after getting back from Vegas I was totally fine with just singing a couple times and resting my voice.  I kept it Gender Bender Night for me, only singing songs by male artists or groups, starting with 'Oh Darling' by The Beatles and then my new song was Tonic's 'You Wanted More' which was a lot of fun to sing.  I capped off the night with 'Disarm' by Smashing Pumpkins considering I was wearing my Smashing Pumpkins T-Shirt from their most recent Tour and from the show I saw in LA at The Gibson.

Ready to sing along with Sara Bareilles at her concert
this week :)  Been in a singing mood lately!

I also got to sing at The Garage on Friday for Karaoke Night because I was working in The Motor Club and even though we were slammed busy my guests were asking me to sing, so I sang a little Supreme's doing 'Baby Love' and it was fun to sing in a different setting with people that only see me in work mode and Bartending :)

This past week at Karaoke I had so many friends in, which was awesome; I love catching up with everyone and I was so proud to see everyone trying new songs!  YAY!  I can't remember the last time I sang Pat Benatar's 'Heartbreaker' so I opened with that and once again my second song was my new song, and since I had just seen Sara Bareilles in Concert on Tuesday night, I sang 'Love Song' which I had always been afraid of but decided to challenge myself to it!  It had also been quite some time since I had sang 'Sunday Morning' by No Doubt but I felt like my voice was able to handle some higher notes today which was why I was going to back to some of my favorites like 'I Dreamed a Dream' from "Les Miserables" which was one of my best takes on the song that night.  Marcus was there and he asked if I wanted to do a duet, so I got to sing another new song that I've always wanted to sing which was 'Don't You Want Me' by Human League.  It's that song that starts...you were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar (and it always reminds me of Saint's & Sinner's because Big Brother Mike used to always play the song while he was DJ'ing and I was Cocktailing)...great memories :)  Next up I did 'Gold Dust Woman' for McCracken and our whole crew closed out with 'Belle' from "Beauty & The Beast."  It was an awesome Karaoke night!

It's been a lot of working lately but every once in a while it's nice to go out play, and I'm thankful I was able to head to Vegas for a couple days, get to see Sara Bareilles this week, and just catch up with friends on my days off.  Life is good :D

Weekend Auditions!

It's been a busy work week and on top of that this weekend brought my first two Auditions of 2013!  My first was on Friday morning for the new Myspace and the second one was this afternoon for the role of Mimi in the musical 'Rent!'

 

Myspace is doing a re-launch this Spring and it will no longer just be a social media platform it's going to be focused on Artists in all fields.  My Audition on Friday morning was in Hollywood at a Casting Studio and after filling out a long questionnaire about myself including my background, skills, aspirations, inspirations, and other fun info I was ready to do the on-camera Audition.  It wasn't actually an Audition, more of an interview from the questions I had answered, and like usual, I was being filmed and had to slate, but this video is actually going to go up on my new Myspace page once it re-launches this Spring!  Basically, they're editing the interview into a 1 minute video that will sell you and try to get sponsorship from producers looking for new talent.  I pitched one of my ideas for my own show that I want to film and put up on Youtube, and also talked about Hosting Karaoke, Cooking and making up Recipes, as well as Acting.  The interview seemed to go by quickly and about 10 minutes later they told me I was all set.  The totally random part of the whole thing was that the cameraman was from Wisconsin and the Interviewer's brother lived in Wisconsin and worked at Epic, which is where my brother used to work.  I love how small LA can be at times!

 

Today I had an Audition for the role of Mimi in 'Rent.'  I've been fighting off a cold for the past couple of days because everyone has been getting sick and to be perfectly honest, I knew I would catch it at some point because I come into contact with hundreds of people when I'm working at the bars or Hosting Karaoke.  I just hoped it would wait until Monday when the Audition and Call-Backs were over and as fate would have it, I woke up this morning and could barely speak.  I've been taking good care of myself all week, not drinking, eating healthy, and trying to get sleep even though I've been so busy with work.  So this morning as soon as I got up, I made this Immunity Boosting Tea, took a nice hot shower, had a healthy breakfast of oatmeal and tried to practice my two song selections which were 'Another Day' from "Rent" and 'Gravity' by Sara Bareilles.  I figured if I couldn't sing my absolute strongest at least I would look the part of Mimi and put on some patterned tights,  my combat boots, left my hair wavy, and did more Latin looking make-up, to try to look as close to her as possible.  There was a dancing portion so they had told us to dress appropriately for that and I was comfortable but still looked the part.  I grabbed some hot tea from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on the way and had a packet of Emergen-C in my bag for my water bottle when I finished the tea.  I prepared myself as best as possibly, trying to rest my voice and only sing when I had to.

 

Channeling Mimi from 'Rent'

When I arrived at the Audition it was in a 2 hour block and there were about 20 people that were auditioning for the Musical.  Everyone got to sing their songs first and then there would be a Dance portion at the end.  Most of the girls at the Audition were auditioning for the role of Mimi so I also said I would consider Maureen because it would give me another opportunity but I really wanted the role of Mimi.  We were told we only had to sing one song and to pick our best one and if they wanted to hear the other one they would tell you.  People went in one by one and I went outside to practice one last time before I auditioned.  I decided on 'Another Day' and when I got called into the room, the Casting Director told them my name and I went in with energy and smiles, got my starting note from the accompanist and sang my song.  My voice wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be but there was nothing more I could do about that and I had done my best to be able to make it through the song, so I sang with emotion, love, hopefulness, and strength as Mimi did.  I felt the part, I felt the song, and as they thanked me when I finished up, I knew that I did my best but that this time it just wasn't good enough.  Once everyone finished we went downstairs to learn the choreography and that was pretty easy and a lot of fun.  We got partnered up and worked through the choreography a few times, rehearsing it in front of the Directors and Producers and then doing it in small groups.  I felt a lot stronger in my dancing because of my theater background and my ability to have fun with the steps and add some flair to it.  I also knew, no matter how well I danced, they had already made their decisions for call-backs, so I had fun, smiled, and flipped my hair with sass.  

 

They announced the names of those who would attend call-backs tomorrow and I was not one of them.  I'm definitely bummed but there's nothing I can do.  I did my best and I got to Audition for a show that I've always wanted to be a part of and hopefully I'll get another opportunity when I'm not sick with a cold.  I'm proud that I went to this audition and gave it my all, no regrets, and they'll be more challenges and opportunities in the future!  As for my Myspace Interview, that'll be up in the next few weeks and I'll post that link as soon as I have it.  

 

Stay warm everyone and keep your eye on the prize!

Just don't know what to do with myself...

Don't know just what to do with myself...

That's how I felt on Friday night when I didn't have to Host Karaoke for the first time in a month!  Go figure I would end up singing somewhere ;)

While I was out in Hollywood earlier this week for a Birthday Party I ran into an old friend of mine, who produced a demo for me and another girlfriend of mine that was going to be shopped to big record labels.  Plans fell through, but I ended up with 4 really well-produced, very original songs, and some studio recording experience.  He's still playing music and mentioned he was going to be at Red Rock in Hollywood performing on Friday and said he pulls up people to sing with his band and told me to come.  It sounded fun and interesting and since they only play covers, mostly 80's or new pop music, I thought it would be really different since I'm used to singing Karaoke, and there, I would have a live band behind me.

I haven't been to Red Rock in years and it ended up being pretty busy in there.  Neil came with me to support my live singing Hollywood debut, and I was glad he was there.  He does this all the time, so he was a great person to have around.  They were playing for a couple hours that night and told me I would be singing a whole song on my own, 'Separate Ways' by Journey, and I would be right before their set break.  In hindsight, I should have just looked at the lyrics before I went on-stage, but I saw my friend reading from a music stand so I figured I could glance there if I needed to.  When it came time to sing my song, I was a little nervous, as it was a pretty big crowd, and I wasn't in my normal setting; this was definitely out of my comfort zone.  The music started and I loosened up and just rocked out with the 2 man band!  I was so proud I hit all the high notes and it was a lot of fun, aside from me forgetting the first line of the 2nd verse (DOH)!  It's strange how when the words are in front of me at Karaoke I don't even rely on them, but when I don't have them, and there's a billion distractions going on around me, I forget a line.  I guess the lesson here is be prepared!  All in all a really great experience that I can hopefully do more often!

There were no words for me on that music stand!

After the show, Neil and I went over to Gabe's, because what Friday night would be complete without some Karaoke.  It was a 'Manic Monday' kind of night, and a good close to the evening.  It was definitely a creative day!

As for tonight, I'm relaxing after a very eventful day.  I frosted cupcakes, made appetizers, and spent time with good friends at Malibu Wines for my roommate's Birthday Celebration.  There was a wide array of food and goodies, plenty of wine to go around and lots of laughs.  But after spending a few hours in the sun drinking some vino it's amazing how knocked out you feel!  I declare a Movie Night :)

Cheers!

Macy's Star Spangled Banner Sing Off!

Hey Everyone!!

Please vote for me on Facebook to sing The National Anthem at the Macy's 4th of July Parade!  You can vote at the link below.  Please 'Like' Macy's, then click 'Go To App' and VOTE for my video :)  You can vote once per day and the voting will close on April 30th so make sure to vote for me and help me become one of the Top 10 Finalists! 

You can click on the link below or copy and paste the web address to VOTE:
Vote for Lyndsey!
https://www.facebook.com/Macys?sk=app_173491372709944&app_data={%22currentvideo%22%3A%2230%22%2C%20%22pageno%22%3A%222%22%2C%20%22eid%22%3A%222162759%22}

I always appreciate everyone's constant support and now your votes :D

A College Goal

My Freshman Year at Orientation to the Theatre Arts Department we were told to write 50 goals we wanted to achieve in our life in accordance with our career and interests in life and I found it fairly easy to come up with my 50.  On that list was Singing the National Anthem at a Pro-Sporting Event or something that would have Nationwide Coverage and I got one step closer to doing that on Friday evening.

I saw last week on one of my Casting Websites they were looking for someone to sing the National Anthem for the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks in New York City.  I've had a cold for the past week, so I've been trying to get healthy so I could submit a clear and great video of me singing.  I'm still not back to normal with this lingering bug but the deadline was on Sunday so I made a video last night before I went into Gabe's to Host Karoake.  I had to start pretty low to make sure I could hit all the notes but was actually surprised that I was able to do it in any capacity and even my performance was something I would be proud of.  

This morning I listened to the couple versions I recorded and settled on the best one, made it a high quality video and submitted it today!  As I was reading through the rules and regulations I saw that it was up to the discretion of Macy's, but that I might be able to attend a Mets Game and then sing the National Anthem at it!  That would be so cool.  The voting will start on Tuesday and everyone is allowed one vote per day and I would love to be one of the Top 10 People!  I'll be sure to post a link so everyone can vote and hopefully you can help make one of my goals happen!  Big smiles here :D

Karaoke started off slow again last night but got pretty busy and before 10 pm we had a full rotation going!  I had a couple friends come in to visit so that was nice and even sang 'Lucky' by Jason Mraz and Colbie Callait for the first time in over a year and a half with Jonathan.  My new song of the night was Reba McEntire's 'Why Haven't I Heard From You' which is such a fun country song, so I was really excited to sing it.  The crowd was really receptive to everyone and very supportive all night which is always awesome to see because some people love to sing and others love to entertain.  Carolyn sang one of my favorite songs, 'Love Will Lead You Back' by Taylor Dayne which was incredible!!  It ended up being a very late night but a good one!

All in all, Friday was a very singing heavy day, and hopefully my Hosting Karaoke will help me get myself out there because I'm consistently keeping up my voice and working and rehearsing on a regular basis.  Fingers crossed!!