Laminal Animal, a Madison-based trio consisting of Luke Leavitt (piano and electronics), Tim Russell (percussion and electronics), and Ari Smith (bass, percussion and electronics), utilizes improvisation to investigate emergent, complex social interactions in order to create and navigate new sonic landscapes.
Adult Swim at Madison Children’s Museum honors the public pool tradition of kicking the kids out so adults can have the space to themselves (without the water or need for a swimsuit). This 21-and-up event series offers adults the opportunity to play like a grown-up for the evening—crawling, sliding, crafting, and dancing their way through the museum.
Adult Swim is presented by the Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co.
Feb, 3rd is Bandcamp Friday, which means that 100% of album sales on bandcamp go straight to the artists! So I’d like to share some of my recent releases with you – if you’d like to support my career, consider buying one of these albums!
“Birds of North America” original soundtrack
This is my original soundtrack from the Third Avenue Playworks October 2022 production of “The Birds of North America” by Anna Ouyang Moench! It was composed for guzheng Chinese zither & cello, using both instruments to imitate the specific bird calls and songs that appear in each scene of the play. The cues are short because music was utilized during transitions only, to help show the passage of time between each scene – so unlike most of my work, it’s very concise and a quick listen! “Birds of North America” is a story about the relationship between a father and daughter over the course of a decade, set within the backdrop of our global climate crisis and political division. There are extensive liner notes available on the GrimmusiK Records website, along with links to environmental organizations in Door County, WI that you can donate to! I really love how this production turned out and am excited that I now get to share these compositions with you. 🙂
Original Score composed, performed and recorded for React (Indianapolis, IN) filmed production of “Before the 19th” written and directed by Georgeanna Smith Wade. Released in support of women’s rights on the November midterm election day, read the full liner notes here.
Though our process for releasing this album was severely disrupted by the pandemic… it’s finally out and it’s some of our best work yet, so please please go buy this album. It has some of my favorite pieces that I’ve ever composed (like “The Drift” and “Gratitude”) and it features stellar performances from the whole band. If you’re a Socialite fan, you already know. If you’re not already, you’re about to be one!
Sunday, Dec 11: Pay-What-You-Will Preview Wednesday, Dec 14: Final Preview (ticketed) Thursday, Dec 15: Opening Night
Wednesday – Saturday evenings at 7:30pm Sunday matinees at 2:00pm Special Friday matinee, Dec 23 at 2pm Special Tuesday performance, Dec 27 at 7:30pm No performance on Dec 24 or 25
A New Holiday Tradition for Door County!
You’ve never experienced Charles Dickens holiday classic quite like this. The five WFBR Radio Players bring to life scores of characters, live sound effects and musical underscore to create an authentic 1940’s radio experience all in front of a live studio audience. In A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE LIVE RADIO PLAY hear and see how Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas in this charming, family friendly production.
Photos of the foley setup in the rehearsal room
CAST
ELYSE EDELMAN as Sally Applewhite CASSANDRA BISSELL as Lana Sherwood RAY JIVOFF as Freddie Filmore DAN KLARER as Harry Jazzbo NEIL BROOKSHIRE as Jake Laurents BRIAN GRIMM as “Chet” the Foley Artist & Musician
ARTIST TEAM
Director: Mikael Burke Production Stage Manager: Kelsey York* Set Design: Alex Polzin Costume Design: Kärin Kopischke** Lighting Design: Eric Watkins** Sound Design: Brian Grimm
Live Foley!
For this 1940’s radio play adaptation of the Charles Dickens holiday classic, I’ll be performing music underscore written by Kevin Connors as well as my own arrangements of traditional Christmas tunes on cello, tenor viola da gamba, glockenspiel, bell set and chime tree. One of the most exciting parts of this play for the audience is that the cast will assist me in performing live sound design aka “foley” on small doors, bells, pans, skeleton keys, chains, boots, books, coins, sheets, plates, silverware, a wind machine and more (see photos above)! The cast is super goofy – this is the most I’ve ever laughed during a rehearsal process! We’ve had such a blast putting this production together and can’t wait to share the fun with you!
Feed and Clothe My People, the Community Partner for this year’s A Christmas Carol
For every show of the season, Third Avenue PlayWorks collaborates with a Community Partner. I believe this is a wonderful practice and for A Christmas Carol, they couldn’t have found a better match. At the December 11th “pay-what-you-will” preview, all ticket proceeds went to an organization called Feed and Clothe My People:
Feed and Clothe My People (FMP) is a charitable organization formed in 1982 by Bev Hogan, Bev Knutson and Reverend Burke Johnson for the purpose of providing sustenance to local residents in need.
The program was initially designed to meet emergency needs only. As the number of residents in need of food and clothing increased, so had the scope of required services. As a result, it was decided that having a single location for the operation was necessary to coordinate activities between the various programs. In addition, the Board of Directors was expanded and the search for a new location commenced to increase operational efficiency and bring all facets of the program under one roof. After an exhaustive search, the Board purchased the old skating rink on 14th Avenue. With a few bequests and donations specifically designated for permanent relocation as down payment, the FMP organization was able to secure a mortgage and the new building opened for business in July of 2000. In summer of 2004, FMP of Door County joined Second Harvest, now known as Feeding America, which is a national food distribution center that sells food to pantries like ours at far below market prices. On August 31, 2004, due to a generous donation, the mortgage debt was officially retired. The building now belongs to Feed and Clothe My People.
Our mission is as strong as ever! A great share of our success depends on donations from those who can assist us financially, as well as through various food and clothing contributions. We wish to thank all those who have supported FMP in the past and we look forward to meeting and exceeding expectations and keep our founder’s dreams alive and well.
Here are some video teasers of music cues from the show! I’ll be updating this section each week, enjoy!
“A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play” coming soon, live at Third Avenue Playworks in Sturgeon Bay, WI! December 11-31st, 2022, tix and info here: https://thirdavenueplayworks.org/
