Archive: Jul 2012

1. Megan Cox – Music That Makes You “Feel Feelings”

   July 30, 2012 10:29 am 1 Comment

   For all you Starkids out there and for anyone else who has not yet discovered the unique yet enthralling sound of musician Megan Cox. Megan’s enthusiasm for her music and her relaxed, refreshing attitude to just make her art has left me dumb-founded! Not many young people share this kind of realism, she is an admirable young lady!

   I’m from Shelby Township, Michigan.  I started playing piano when I was 3, eventually I picked up the violin. I studied voice at the University of Michigan.  Music has always been my primary focus, so after I graduated I moved to NYC knowing that I wanted to pursue a career playing music.

   It took me a few years to get on track but now I’m a freelance musician in the city.  I play with several bands, including Charlene Kaye and the Brilliant Eyes, Cesspool, Jared Saltiel, Go Go Ghost and Jay Stolar to name a few.

   Did you study with Darren Criss and the rest of the Starkids at Michigan?

   I studied at the same time as everybody but since I was in a different program I didn’t meet any of the StarKids until the SPACE tour.  The only person I had met in college was Nick Lang.

   Which has been your favourite gig? (more…)

2. Telly Leung – Broadway and Television Star Supreme

   July 28, 2012 6:19 pm 1 Comment

   I recently had the great pleasure and honour to interview the talented and gorgeous theatre and television star, Telly Leung. You may have recently seen Telly’s activity on Twitter, advertising an album in which he also appears. Read on to find out more.

   I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Both of my parents are immigrants from Hong Kong. I grew up in New York with Broadway only a short subway ride away, so you can imagine where all my saved-up allowance money used to go: the TKTS booth, the RENT lottery, student rush tickets, cast recordings. Growing up in NY was a major influence on me. My first exposure to Broadway however, was not a live experience. It was GREAT PERFORMANCES on PBS when they showed the telecast of INTO THE WOODS when I was 8.

   How does live theatre compare to television?

   On stage, I have a lot more control over my performance. Every show is different and there are so many factors that influence a particular performance (the audience, your fellow scene partner, the unexpected things that happen with live theater). The story telling is a little different every night.

   In TV, the actor has very little control of the story telling. The performance is shaped by editing, cuts, close ups and reaction shots. My sole responsibility on set is to just “be” as truthfully and honestly as I can and trust that all the folks around me are getting what they need for editing in “post” to tell the story.

   Which have been your favourite roles and why? (more…)

3. Michael Patrick Walker – Music Man Extraordinaire

   July 26, 2012 6:21 pm 3 Comments

   

   All Broadway and music enthusiasts should know the name Michael Patrick Walker. Not only has he produced, played and conducted music on and off Broadway as well as music for television, he also has a superb album ready for your listening pleasure. Join me in enjoying this enthralling interview spanning the life and tribulations of this enthusiastic and extremelly sweet young man.

   Can you tell me about when you decided to focus on music and what inspired you?

   Well, I actually began to play piano at the age of 4, I’ve been told that I asked my mother to take piano lessons, I made the request out of the blue and we didn’t have a piano in the house at the time. To humor me and to be supportive they arranged to rent a piano for 3 weeks and took me for some lessons. Long story short, that same piano is still in my parents’ house.

   I assume it is now non-rental and well used.

   Oh yes! They got it on “rent to own” quite quickly.

   I got into theatre because I was asked to play one of two pianos for my high school’s production of “The Sound of Music” when I was in 8th grade. I really enjoyed it and also was, for the first time, exposed to this way of story-telling involving integrated music and lyrics. From there, I experienced all aspects of theatre, as most people do, I acted a little but I also played in pit orchestras, conducted, music directed and, eventually, in university I began to write for original shows. While I’ve played and conducted on and off Broadway and on national tours of the United States, I eventually began to write more full time and, with a little bit of luck, ended up partnering with Gary Adler and began creating and writing “Altar Boyz” in 2001.

   Believe it or not, that’s the “short” version of my pre-full-time-composer/lyricist” history. (more…)

4. Moa Bergström – Our Dapper Days

   July 24, 2012 2:27 pm 1 Comment

   Whilst attending the latest Starfury G2 Glee Convention I met a talented young Swedish singer/songwriter who was one of the winners from the events talent competition. I was able to take the opportunity to speak to Moa about her past experiences with music and her future goals of being a part of the music industry.

   Hi, my name is Moa and I will be 20 in October. I have been playing music since I was 11 years old.  I listened to Green Day and became a huge, huge fan.  I decided that I wanted to play like that so I picked up a guitar and decided to learn. When I started upper secondary school (as it is called in Sweden) we were able to choose the program, I went to music school and chose a guitar as my main instrument. When I was in my third year we were allowed to choose another instrument so I chose singing and started singing lessons.  I joined the school musicals and that’s when I decided that singing was the best thing ever which was good because where I had the guitar in the background, I could do my own stuff.

   Did you have the main part in the musical?

   Yes I did and that was a chance to develop my singing which I did not think I could do at first but my teachers decided I could. I have always been in bands since I was 15 years old until last year when the singer moved to America. So I used my acoustic and started playing song covers and last January I got into Glee and discovered Darren (Criss) and thought he was an amazing performer when he did Teenage Dream so I checked him out and found out about his musical about Harry Potter (AVPM), which I loved. I have never been into YouTube before and downloaded his EP,I loved the way he does his arrangements, he always makes the songs his own and that inspired me to write my own arrangements of covers and write my own songs, I am having a hard time writing alone as I am used to being with other performers.

   What is the hardest part of getting your music heard? (more…)