Rebecca Spencer and Philip Fortenberry

So today was a great day on SO many levels!  First of all, its Father’s Day and we are so happy to be Mommy and Daddy!  But today, Gramma and Poppa took the Little Man for the afternoon and we got to have an adult afternoon of conversation and fabulous performing!

Rebecca Spencer, (on the roster of KMP Artists) formerly of “Phantom, the Las Vegas Spectacular” and quite frankly, formerly a plethora of other cool things, performed her new cabaret show “Waitin’” at one of my fave places in town to perform, the Flamingo Library Theatre.  

It was so completely thrilling and inspiring to have what I would call “straight ahead New York style cabaret” right here in our little town of Vegas!  The stage was set beautifully with flowers and candles and decor.  Rebecca opened with the title of the show, “Waitin’”, a song I didn’t know but now love!  Rebecca is a beautiful singer, which I fully expected, but I was also hoping to see how she handled the “cabaret” experience.  The cabaret experience for me is one that does several things.  First it lets the audience in on some intimate moments of the performer’s life. Secondly, makes them feel something that relates to their life and finally gorgeous singing and music, which, of course, makes you feel something inside, as well.  

Well, feel something, we did!  Rebecca is a masterful storyteller.  There were times when I felt like we were having our own conversation and I was learning more about her life, as if we were new friends having a conversation about the past.  I just loved how the songs were interwoven into her patter.  It was a seamless transition from spoken word to sung.  Of course, this was due in part to her BEYOND fabulous collaborator and pianist, Philip Fortenberry.  The way her followed her and wove his own musical story around hers tells me that theirs is a relationship of some depth.  He even took a couple of moments in the show to new heights with his spectacular playing, my favorite being when he put the Mozart Piano Sonata No. 16 in C right in the middle of the Ragtime Medley!  Clever!  For her, my favorite musical moments were “The Wildhorn Years”, the original song by Nicole Pryor (wow, I have talented friends!) ”The Mirror Holds the Key” and the original song by Keith Thompson (just the director and conductor of Jersey Boys!) “Eat, Drink and Be Mary!”  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Bruce Ewing ( a local amazing talent) who sang “Sarah” during “The Wildhorn Years”.  I haven’t had the opportunity to hear him recently and it was a real treat.

After the show, Rebecca was gracious and warm with her group of fans and friends alike. Many of Vegas’ supporters and performers of live music were there including Susan Haller, Tina Walsh, KMP Artists and the super sweet and sassy Esther Lynn of the Claire Voyant column.  

I think cabaret is the perfect way to spend an afternoon or evening.  And, Rebecca Spencer and Philip Fortenberry certainly did give us a perfect afternoon!

Do you need fabulous entertainment for your next event, wedding or party?  Let me help you make your next event unforgettable!  You can find me at Gigmasters, LinkedIn and Twitter and of course, at karenmerstikmichaels.com!

"Girl Talk" and Courage

Its funny when things are really in sync.  The last 2 weeks have been absolutely brimming with activity for my vocal trio, Dangerous Curves, which means I have been one busy Chicksinger.  

Last night we performed to a nearly full house at the Starbright Theatre in Las Vegas.  It was a completely self-written, self-produced and self-promoted show.  Now, this is not to say we didn’t have help.  Of course, we did!  The theatre has a number of regulars, so they sent out a press release, our families and friends who ran errands or helped that day with backstage or filming, a few of our super talented friends wrote arrangements for us, things like that.  But for the last 4 months, the girls and I have met 2-3 times a week, rehearsing songs, working on new ideas, staging, doing all the social media marketing, etc.  Then, in the last 2 weeks, in addition to rehearsals which now included our musical director and band, we did 2 live performances to promote ourselves as well.  Holy Moly!  What a huge amount of work and sacrifice, time and money.   It also took a great deal of courage, which happens to be the Sunday Scribblings writing prompt for the weekend!  Synchronicity!  You gotta love it.

Funny thing is, now that this project is over, we (the girls)are taking 2 weeks off to catch up on our personal lives and bask in the glow of our awesome endeavor. I am so happy with the work we did (I even did a comedy song!) and very proud of the girls as they were absolutely fantastic!  

I have several pet projects waiting in the wings and now that I will have the time, I am wondering,  will I have the courage to pursue these personal and oh-so-important dreams and goals?  

I would have to say, based on the accomplishment just realized, all I need to do, is jump in with both feet and all my curves and success will be inevitable!  Here’s to a rockin’ summer! 

Do you need fabulous entertainment for your next event, wedding or party?  Let me help you make your next event unforgettable!  You can find me atGigmasters, LinkedIn and Twitter!

Menopause the Musical, Dangerous Curves and more!

It was my distinct pleasure along with Dangerous Curves to perform as the spotlight guest on Thursday afternoon with some of the ladies from Menopause The Musical (currently playing at the Luxor Hotel) at the lovely Suncoast Hotel and Casino.  The Curves love performing there as the audience is welcoming and fun and the stage is beautiful.  

There was certainly a lot of chicksingers present as the hostess for the afternoon was Ms. Skye Miles and the featured performers were some of the ladies from her cast of Menopause.  Laura Lee O’Connell, Annette Verdelino and Lori Legacy rounded out the talent filled afternoon.  These girls are not only great singers, but also fabulous actresses and awesome girls and loads of fun backstage.  And, let me tell you, Ms. Skye Miles is one helluva singer and did a wonderful job hosting. 

On Saturday, we had a great rehearsal with one of our special guest stars, 5th Ave.  Rob Hyatt has arranged an absolutely killer version of God Bless America for us and them to perform at our show on Saturday, May 8th.  Yes! It’s 6 parts!!! OMG, people, it is gorgeous.  Rob is like arranger extraordinaire and I am so excited to have him around us!

It’s now just 6 days until our show at the Starbright and I can’t wait!  Next post, I’ll fill you in on all the happenings!

Check me out on Twitter, karenmerstikmichaels.com and my vocal trio at dangerouscurveslasvegas.com.

Gigmasters!

I am thrilled to write a quick word on the fact that I have joined the ranks of performers at the online booking site called Gigmasters!  Click to see my fabulous new profile and all the shows I offer.  I am really excited!

They are organized by type of entertainment, type of event, place of origin, etc.  I am listed primarily as a “jazz singer” with sub-categories like, “big band singer”, “40’s singer”, “cabaret singer”, you get the picture.  You may upload video and audio and of course, a bio about the type of entertainment you offer.  I have been working on it all afternoon.  I have a lot done, but my husband is going to help me with video clips this week, so they’ll be up later.  They have a huge database that comes up quickly and easily in Google, so people can find you to entertain for their event!  

I am really put things to the Universe that I am ready, willing and able to do what I was put here on Earth to do. Perform, of course!  Gotta go!  I’ve got to get my new gig book put together!  

I must give a big huge shout out to Lisa Smith, who has been MOST encouraging and most helpful and all around the kind of friend you would be lucky to have.  Not to mention, talent-Full!!!  :-)

Check me out at karenmerstikmichaels.com and Twitter too!  

Deadlines.......

I was surfing the web this weekend and actually putting off my writing (my goal is to post 3-5 times a month) when I came across this fabulous website called Sunday Scribblings.

Every Saturday, they post a “word prompt” to help those with their writing.  The word that day was deadline.  Mmmm-how apropos is that?!  I have so many deadlines at the moment, it is actually causing me to have stress!  The funny thing is, obviously, most of these are self-imposed in order to accomplish the things in my life that are important to me.  Clearly, when you have too many, they all seem to fall to the wayside as you don’t know where to begin.  So, I decided to just start anywhere and see what would happen.  Honestly, the Universe opened up so many windows of opportunity that day!  The little man TOLD me he wanted to take a nap and poof!  He was on the couch and asleep before the episode of Caillou was over!  I grabbed my IPhone and headphones (multi-tasking girl that I am) ran upstairs and headed straight for my closet.  An hour later, things were put away and set aside for cleaners, shoe repair etc.  Plus, I rehearsed all the songs I needed to 3 times each!  Seriously?!  I did that in 1 hour?!  OK!  What’s next?!  I finished a few emails, did a couple of yoga poses (learning a sequence for weight loss, more on that later) and even relaxed and read more of my current book, The Writer’s Diet (see previous post).  Sang thru songs a few more times and then poof!  Little Man was up and ready to go have fun!

When I set too many deadlines for myself, none of them get done.  Plus, flexibility is the key.  What really needs to be done?  We have a friend whose 3 day hospital stay has turned into 8 days!  What should I do?  Tell him, sorry, I have a blog to write and a show to rehearse and dishes to put away so I can’t come visit you?  Maybe the Little Man needs extra love and attention, so what do I tell him?  Sorry, honey-too busy for you.  Of course, not!   Better planning, flexibility and knowledge of what’s really important is the key to making my deadlines!  Thanks to Sunday Scribblings for the inspiration!  Do you need some fabulous music for your next event/party/wedding reception?  Check me out at Twitter and karenmerstikmichaels.com for lots of entertainment choices!  Enjoy your week, work those deadlines and live your life to the fullest! 

A Salute to Bill Fayne!

It was great fun last weekend to be a part of honoring and performing in a benefit for a man, not only filled with huge talent, but obviously so beloved by the performing community of Las Vegas and beyond.  Bill Fayne, who is probably best known as Clint Holmes musical director and founding member of the Las Vegas Tenors, had some serious medical issues recently.  You can read more about his story here.

Clint Holmes & Kelly Clinton not only hosted the show, but performed as well, along with the likes of; Terry Fator, Louis Anderson, Rick Faugno(Jersey Boys), Jerry Lopez (Santa Fe & the Fat City Horns), Pete Barbutti, Robin Leach, Lance Burton, Mark Giovi (Bite at Stratosphere),Michelle Johnson, Domenick Allen (former lead singer of Foreigner) and his daughter Cayleigh Capaldi, Susan Anton, Cast members fromMenopause the Musical (Skye Dee Miles, Sandra Benton, Vida Corimbi),Lena Prima, Voce Vegas, Frankie Scinta, Las Vegas Tenors, Tina Walsh(Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular), Gayle Steele, Vinnie Falcone, and so many more! It was absolutely crazy to be surrounded by the talent of Las Vegas!  My vocal group, Dangerous Curves, my sister, Lori and Michelle sang back up for the one and only Mark Giovi.  The song was called “Young Angels” and was written by Mark and Bob Grimes.  It kinda felt like we were in a rock concert!   

Now, this weekend is filled with building blocks and cooking and farmers market and cleaning and well, you know, Mommyland!  Maybe even a bit of rehearsing-the perfect weekend!  The sun stayed out until 647pm today, it was awesome! Have a fabulous week, friends!  Check me out at twitter and karenmerstikmichaels.com and dangerouscurveslasvegas.com!  

Spring cleaning-in my head, heart and home!

It’s been a rough couple of weeks in Karenland.  Which, of course, means I did learn a few things.  There has been quite a bit of pressure at the straight gig, and although I do sing there, its not like a regular gig.  Very corporate is the best explanation I can give without going into what’s happening to me there.  Everyone has tough weeks at their straight job, I know.  But , it doesn’t make it any easier to get through.  And, I have decided to use what’s going on as impetus to get my booty in high gear!  

Now, the good news is that all of this is my choice!  I can choose to stay unhappy in this or I can take all the steps I need to take to get out and move on and still take care of my family!  Obviously, that doesn’t mean all these choices are easy.  I can already think of a few that are tough.  Perhaps its those tough choices and challenges that will make the winning so very sweet.  

One of the best things I heard this week was from a friend who, while we were enjoying a glass of one of our favorite Chardonnay said, “You are the average sum of the 5 people you hang around the most”.  Her boyfriend heard this quote at a seminar he was attending.  Wow.  We sat there determining who we spent the most time with and we had to account for the people we work with and ugh!  Not really spending time with loving, caring and uplifting people as much as we thought!  Back to those hard choices!  

Tomorrow is the first of March and the signs of Spring are everywhere here in Las Vegas.  Time to make great choices, do some Spring cleaning in the head and heart and home and spend time with those who lift us up!  

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