An original musical drama written
and performed by a diverse group of teenagers from the five
boroughs of NYC. I co-wrote and produced beats and tracks
with Todd Almond.
Theater Mitu
and the NYU undergraduate theater program's production
of Hair was without a doubt the hottest stage piece I've
had the privelege of being involved with. Director Ruben
Polendo describes the show thus: "An orchestra
of chaos and order—Hair explores the landscape of
counterculture as history, as fact, as absence and as
force. Propelled by undeniably powerful music—the
piece challenges notions of nostalgia by creating an aesthetic
of memory, of possibility and of resistance."
Musical director Todd
Almond and I reworked the songs to give them a 2006
feel: glitchy drum loops, Björkian synths and punk-rock
orneriness. The production was blessed with a top-flight
band, in addition to Todd and myself: guitarist
Tricia Scotti, guitarist and mellotronist Chris
Anderson, bassist Chris
Luard, drummer Michael Horrigan, and multi-instrumental
utility man Jordan Woods-Robinson (currently appearing
as a Blue Man in the Blue Man Group! Go Jordan.)
Revolution In Progress
Michael Shimmelman Performing Arts Center, 2006
The 2006 City
at Peace production paints a vivid, poignant picture
of life as a teenager in modern-day New York. Written
and performed entirely by City at Peace's 70 young members,
the show tells the true stories of teenage struggles with
sexuality, family conflicts & broken homes, abusive
relationships, parent/teen relationships, and feelings
of betrayal, abandonment and rebellion. Based on the lives
and experiences of the cast, the stories are both eye-opening
and inspiring. Todd
Almond and I turned the score into bumping hip-hop
and R&B tracks, and we performed live with the cast.
Notes In Motion
- Extract
Philip Coltoff Center, 2006
I played various bells, shakers and other ambient percussion
for choreographer Erin Hunter Jennings' modern dance piece
From Here To There.
Rob Bronstein
wrote and performed this tragicomic monologue about his
real-life experiences with emergency medicine in Spalding
Gray fashion, very physically animated on a bare stage.
I accompanied the show onstage with semi-improvised guitar
through a variety of digital effects - delay, ring modulator,
and so on. I was going for a combination of blues and
electronic music.
Franklin Hundley and I co-wrote this original musical
based on the Nibelungenlied, the Norse myth that formed
the basis for Wagner's Ring Cycle. We wanted to add a
contemporary flavor and some much-needed humor to the
story. I also music directed and played guitar in the
show.
