Rockwood Music Hall is one of the premier music venues in NYC. It was also one of the first venues that took a chance on me and gave me a slot for a full show, and I've been grateful ever since. Over my years in NYC I've been able to get to know the staff, other great musicians, and see this tiny, intimate, great-sounding room, expand to open an adjacent larger stage (Stage 2), and add two bars. It would appear that Rockwood is taking over the block on Houston between Allen Street & Orchard Street, but no matter how large they're becoming, their main focused hasn't changed: creating a great listening space for artists in New York to express their creativity on stage.
I'm excited to announce that tonight, I will be one of the first of many artists to come to get the opportunity to perform in their newest space: Rockwood Stage 3, and I can't wait! This new space is a mid-range space for a bigger room with still an intimate feel. The stage has a baby grand piano, and will be downstairs, almost like a hidden gem in the city. I'm honored to be performing there tonight and I hope you'll come join me.
Event Details:
What: The VIP Gala of the American Cancer Society
When: Tuesday, September 17th
Time: 6:30pm
Hey Friends, Fans, and family,
I am so excited to announce that I have been chosen to be the performer for the upcoming VIP Gala for the American Cancer Society taking place this Tuesday, September 17th. This is such an honor because of the great work that they do and because it is another way I can have the opportunity to honor the legacy of both of my grandmothers, who unfortunately passed away due to complications from cancer. I'm looking forward to a great evening. I will be sharing the experience with you on FB, Twitter, and Instagram. You can follow the hashtags #normanvladimir and #nvacsgala to see pics & video from the evening! Click on my social media links below.
(Posted by a fan: June 1st, 2013 at my Solo performance at The Living Room, NYC)
Hey everyone!
First of all, many, many apologies for being away for so long. Much has happened since my last post, and I really look to getting back to a more consistent stream for you. So, as you may or may not know, last time we spoke, I had initiated an Indiegogo campaign for $5000 for funding to do an Spring European tour...and it was a complete success. The tour went from April 15th-May 15th, and I performed to awesome audiences in Berlin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne, and Hamburg. My audiences grew, I had some features on radio and tv, and I had some stellar meetings with industry leaders who I hope to translate into a wider reach for my music. Can't wait for what's to come.
So, today's post is centered around being "unfiltered". I will say, first off, that I think it's impossible to be unfiltered...because we are, at our core, filtered. What we say and do, hopefully has a thought process behind it. What that means to me in today's music landscape to me is simply being okay with the idea that, though I'm a creative person who, in some way, has to pay more attention to my statements and how people view me (I'm clearly not at Kardashian levels of exposure...thank god!), that it is important to also be fine with the idea of not always being perfect. It's something I think we all struggle with, with our friends, our family, and in our relationships. Creativity thrives on connectivity. Today, with social media being as strong as it is in shaping our perceptions, perception IS reality, so what we hear, though it may be unfounded or bent in some way, can completely shape the lens with which we view a person. There will be no doubt, that along the way, I will say or do something that will be viewed either positively or negatively, but it ultimately comes down to not letting the ideas of perfection get in the way of the people we are or how we are relateable. It's always a balance of wanting to show your heart, but keeping some things just for yourself - sometimes you can control it, sometimes you can't.
I was checking YouTube to see if anyone at one of my shows had posted any new video that I hadn't seen because I'm INCESSANTLY curious how I sound to an audience and how I'm coming off from the stage. It's great for me because I can take notes on the things that I'd like to improve. Was my voice off? What was I wearing? Are my songs making statements that my audience can, if not relate to, at least, understand? It's all about connection, so when this morning, I found this clip I was excited. I love that someone, who doesn't personally know me, would be compelled to post a video from my show. It's such a cool thing to be able to see from the audience since, I never get to...because I'm the one performing. haha! Let me know your thoughts! Message me on FB or twitter to let me know what you think about perception as reality? Is it the case? What about Paula Deen? (yeah I had to ask that too!)
So, it's here! I was featured on CBS News and I'm still reeling. Huge thanks to a wonderful crew at CBS for making the experience super relaxed and enjoyable. I had an awesome interview and my show was even better than expected. I could safely say, that night, I was on cloud 11! But then comes the day after, when you start trying to rewind & playback the night to see if there were any glaring mistakes you made vocally, any statements you didn't mean to make in the interview, and so on. As a creative person, you're constantly picking yourself apart, not for any masochistic purposes, but because you want to make sure you're learning from each experience, and you want to get it right, or at least, get it better each time.
So, when the producer of the CBS News piece sent me the link to the completed feature, I was overcome with equal parts of excitement and sheer fear. What if I said something I didn't mean to say? What if I had spinach in my teeth during the whole interview? What if they only chose parts of my performance that weren't, in my opinion, my best moments vocally or performance-wise? So, pensively, I clicked on the link, and what do I see: "Norman Vladimir: A Pop-Soul Artist with "depressingly hopeful" lyrics". AHHH!!! Depressingly hopeful?! Did I really say that?! And, I remember, I totally did. LOL!
There was a moment during my interview where I was asked how to describe my writing style, and I referenced an interview I did on Radio 2 for the Netherlands in which I joked with the radio host that my music sounds happy, but it's actually quite depressing...but at least it's hopeful. So, in a nervous twitch of sorts, I combined that idea, and said that my music was "depressingly hopeful". Let me say for the record, that there is nothing depressing about being hopeful - my statement just awkwardly combined two ideas. Basically, I just goofed! So, I thought it was funny that the statement became the hook for the piece, but I think it's good because people will want to know what is meant by "depressingly hopeful". Eh! Live and learn...at least the statement is true! I'll work on my on-air polish, but I'm so happy about the feature overall. Huge thanks to a wonderful crew at CBS for making the experience super relaxed and enjoyable. I felt like a rockstar. I'm looking forward to more of these features.
I had a big show on Saturday... and it was awesome!
So, I signed up to perform in the 7th Annual Winter Jam at Sullivan Hall, arranged by good friend/fellow musician Paul Hudson. Paul asked me a couple months in advance to see if I'd be down to perform for it, especially since I had performed at Winter Jam the past two years. Both times had been good nights of fun music and dancing. But, this year, there was more at stake. This year, I found out that I was to be getting a feature and that a major TV network was coming in to interview me and film my show...this could be a potential gamechanger!
So, as luck would have it, I would find myself after the first week of January with no voice and no shows set up for the month. Couple that with the weather dropping well below freezing and no cuddle buddy in sight, and you have a recipe for a depressingly cold month. What was that you ask? What crazy rager of a party did I go to to lose my voice for about 2 1/2 weeks straight. Well, the answer is NONE! I literally woke up one morning and I didn't have an upper register when I tried to sing. I FREAKED out!! My voice is what my whole journey has been about and now when I finally get a chance to show the world what I've been working, my voice is gone and for no reason! ugh!
Well, after going to see a top-of-the-line ENT voice doctor for a couple of consultations, it was good to hear that my vocal chords (which I got to see for the first time) were healthy and normal, but just swollen, possibly due to all the weather changes. So, lots of rest, some anti-inflammatory medication, and gallons of water were to do the trick, and I'd be good to go for my big debut. Well, I'll admit: it was an hour before going on on stage, and my voice still wasn't back...so, I did what any other reasonable musician in my position would do...I ordered a Jameson on the rocks! ;)
I think it worked well enough - most of my voice came back, and I had a great show. I've been getting so much awesome feedback since the show, I can't wait to do it again - sharing that energy and connecting to you guys is the best drug I could ever take. Look out for my feature coming soon!
I'm
starting a small series for my next few post called "Songwriting with
NV" (get it, NV = envy). I thought I'd take the opportunity to do a
little of what most people want me to do anyway as a songwriter and
explain a few of the songs I've written. Now, don't worry, I'll do
that...at least a bit - I can't give away all my secrets, you know. Some
of it's still for me. ;)
Photo by Don Razniewski
So, below is my song "Crazy", and it is also on my EP Sounds...which you can purchase on iTuneshere (shameless plug!). So, confession: I LOVE playing this song! (yeah, I know - it sounds kind of self-aggrandizing, but it's true!) It's such a departure from my more serious explorations of the tougher situations we find ourselves in: it's fun, it's upbeat, it's danceable, it's sexy, it's about admiring the one you love, and it's that other side of me that I think the people who know me get to see the most. I tend to save that more melancholy, introspective side of my personality for myself - not on purpose: it's just the way I am.
Anyway, I remember when I wrote this song how good it felt. It was actually one of the first songs I'd ever written, and it was at a time when I had just stopped seeing this very awesome, beautiful girl...and yes, I said girl. My, oh my, have the times changed! ;) She was smart, charismatic, fun, jovial, hot...yes, hot, and just an all-around awesome girl. I had made the decision I was going to pursue a music career, and I had just started trying to figure out how I was gonna get started, since I honestly knew nothing about the music business (truth be told...I still don't. It's an ever changing headache of a beast!) I was sitting around one day, and I was just thinking about how awesome this girl was and how I was so glad that, for whatever happened between us, I was able to have been a part of her life.
Now, I know you're thinking: why did the word "Crazy" come to be the title of the song if this girl was so awesome. Short answer: I love juxtaposition.
Well, I was playing around on my keyboard (that I still have and use to write songs...thanks to my awesome friend JBR) and this very rhythmic comping feel came to me, and it felt like a smoky jazz club in Paris in the 1940s, St. Germain, with well mixed drinks clanking in the background. If I ever re-record this song, it WILL have horns dammit! So, I got this rhythm going and then these words started flowing: "Woman your hips, and your lips, and your kiss on my cheek, makes my body so weak, that I can't seem to think, about anything else". I wanted to interplay the physical beauty with her inner beauty in the second verse: "You pique my curiosity, and you challenge me, with your brain, I refrain, from those games that those other guys try, but still I have to say..." So, as I kept playing and thinking about this girl, and more broadly, about how overwhelmingly cool it is to be smitten, the more kept coming. It was the first time I realized, "I'm turning ideas into songs. I'm a songwriter. This is CRAZY!" So, between putting out those feelings and being proud of my success at writing what I felt to be a good song made it simple: this song had to be called "Crazy". Pretty crazy huh?
So, tell me. Do you have anyone in your life that you love that's, for good or bad, got you goin' "Crazy"? Leave a message or post your thoughts on twitter @normanvladimir. Thanks for listening.
I'm starting a small series for my next few post called "Songwriting with NV" (get it, NV = envy). I thought I'd take the opportunity to do a little of what most people want me to do anyway as a songwriter and explain a few of the songs I've written. Now, don't worry, I'll do that...at least a bit - I can't give away all my secrets, you know. Some of it's still for me. ;)
Official Music Video for "120 Volts"
Directed & Edited by Mary Anderson Casavant
So, this is my song "120 Volts", and it is also on my EP Sounds...which you can purchase on iTuneshere (shameless plug!). So, to begin, I literally woke up one morning at around 4am, which is when my brain is its most creative, with the majority of this song already written. How, you ask? Well, I'm always, always, always, thinking about song lyrics and melodies - I can't help it. Literally, I woke up and I just had this driving, 4-on-the-floor beat in my head with these lyrics about how sometimes you just need some PASSION in your life, good or bad. A shock of energy, a jolt to wake you up. Yes, my friends: the lies, the distrust, the frustrations someone can bring into your life can be just as much of a turn-on as flowers, chocolate, and remembering your birthday. Passion gives you feelings, emotions, things to laugh about, things to cry about, things to let you know you're living and that your life is dynamic. Why this song was in my head at 4am...who knows! I'd like to think my life has a good amount of passion, but maybe there was room for more, as I stated in my previous post: I've never been in love, so perhaps subconsciously, I needed more. Anyway, I had this song and this melody in my head, and I needed to QUIETLY play it out on my keyboard at 4am and write down those lyrics before I forgot them...I had roommates that were still sleeping, you know. HA!
What I love about this song is the juxtaposition of this happy march-like beat interspersed with all these major (happy sounding) chords, but the lyrics are so damaged, defeated, and pleading. I also like how the chorus builds into this frenetic, chaotic sound with a few sound effects and EQ effects (even with a faint robotic voice in the background), and once it's out of the chorus, it's back to that steady 4-on-the-floor beat.
A few fans have said to me that they wished the song was longer and that I repeated the chorus a few more times, but I personally like the idea that you leave a song wanting more...that's what the "repeat button" is for! ;) Another one of my fans abroad said, "Will you change the song when you're in Europe?" I asked "Why would I do that?" And they responded, "Well, Europe is on the 240 volts system!". I said, "HA!Good point!".
Thoughts? What do you think about this song? What do you do to break your daily routine to find passion? I'd love to hear your thoughts Hit me up on twitter: @normanvladimir
I'm starting a small series for my next few post called "Songwriting with NV" (get it, NV = envy). I thought I'd take the opportunity to do a little of what most people want me to do anyway as a songwriter and explain a few of the songs I've written. Now, don't worry, I'll do that...at least a bit - I can't give away all my secrets, you know. Some of it's still for me. ;)
Feelin' Up by Norman Vladimir from "Sounds"
Performing "Feelin' Up" Live @ The Living Room, NYC
So, the song above is my song "Feelin' Up", and it's on my EP "Sounds"...which you can purchase on iTunes here (shameless plug!). To date, it's one of my most requested tunes to perform, and currently, there are two friends of mine who are literally fighting over who gets it for their wedding song. I love it! :)
When you first hear the title, you probably expect it's gonna be one of those R. Kelly-esque, body worshipping, steamy, sultry songs that dominate current Hip-Hop and R&B, and I'll admit, I gave it this title on purpose. Yeah, I'm sneaky. There are a few elements of that "steaminess" in there. For example, one line of the song says "we swim the sheets, to our favorite beat, till we find the one that we need...", but what I wanted to do with this song was play with the concept of love vs. lust, and to see whether or not the two could co-exist. There are many people we love, that we don't lust over, and there are many we lust over that we don't love, right?! So, I mixed and interplayed those feelings and emotions you get from someone you love with that "jump your bones" physical response you get in both the first and second verse, with the second verse being a bit more introspective about how this person makes you feel inside. So, by the time you get to the chorus after each verse, the concept of "Feelin' Up" becomes a double-entendre of feeling happy and feelin', ahem, horny (up)!
All that being said, I have a confession: I can't say that I've ever truly been in love. Yes, I've loved people, but I can't say that I've ever been in love. From what I hear it's debilitating and awesome! I wrote the song at a time when I wasn't in a relationship, and frankly, I'm just a big ol' hopeless romantic, so I was literally sitting one day, thinking about what it would be like to finally find that person that makes you ignore everyone else at the party, that person that has this otherworldly illumination or "halo" around their face that has nothing to do with the lighting of the room, that person that you can't help but do anything when you see them but smile and feel completely powerless, yet completely complete. It's a feeling, I believe, we all aspire to have. That's why I wrote this song.
So, who knows: maybe one of these days I'll be "Feelin' Up"...
What's your story? Do you have someone who has you "Feelin' Up"? I want to hear from you. Write me on twitter: @normanvladimir
At least that's what Ebony Magazine called me for my latest feature in their "Introducing..." series. See my feature in Ebony Magazine here.
So, who IS Norman Vladimir? I've been getting this question a lot lately - and, trust me, I'm glad people are asking. Perhaps he's the "New Millennium Soulman".
Perhaps he's a Pop & Soul singer/songwriter. Or perhaps he's a musician
who grew up in small town Tennessee, who, through his blend of acoustic
soul, storytelling songwriting, and his goal to connect, has let his music guide
his journey around the world to Europe, Australia, South America, and Asia, and has landed him in the center of the New York music scene. Check out my song "120 Volts" here, proudly featured on Hypeli as "Video of the Week" :
Let's be honest: it's difficult to define yourself! But as an artist, it's the question that everyone wants to ask you. The reason it's difficult to answer is because when you're an artist, the last thing you want to do is put yourself in a box, or limit the scope of your work - you always want to expand your reach. As an artist, you want to constantly be growing, changing, improving. But, people want to know YOU. They want to know your story. They want to know what makes you tick. They want to know what inspires your work. And, let's be honest, we artists do this all the time to other artists who excite and intrigue us, so it's only fair, right?!
So, check out more of me on my website here, and let me know your thoughts on twitter @normanvladimir . Who is Norman Vladimir to you? I'd love to hear from you!
That's right! I said LUCKY number. I know there are many theories and superstitions about how UN-lucky the number "13" is, but for this year, I'm sticking to the positive!
It is only the 2nd day of this year, and already I've seen the pieces coming together for a great year - all evidenced by the incredible love shown by my friends and family here and abroad, the positive words I've received from fans who've heard my music for the first time, the opportunity to work on new projects, and the fact that my love of music has not waned in the least...AND the simple fact that the Mayans were WRONG.
In this year, and every year, you gotta do what you love.You're on the right track when you're doing what you love. When you're doing what you love, all those worries in life that you have fade away and those puzzle pieces of uncertainty fall into place. When you're NOT doing what you love, you fight against yourself, your intuition, and your potential - and you get frustrated that you're not progressing. I mean, it's science. ;)
I'm looking forward to so much this year: more national and international tours in even crazier places as well as returning to the places I've already been, a wider audience of friends/fans to listen to and pass along my music, bigger shows, putting together the official "NV TEAM", writing many more songs!, releasing my next studio project as well as some other projects I've been working on, strengthening my already established friendships as well as new friendships, and gaining a deeper understanding of the person I am and the person I want to be.
"2013 is our year". It's not my year, and it's not your year. I say this because we can do nothing alone. Every fiber of our being comes from a shared experience. So, we should always remember those around us who lift us up and keep us going. So...What are you looking forward to this year?
Yes, I know. Most people automatically say The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, James Taylor, Aretha. And, don't get me wrong - they are DEFINITELY heroes of mine, but Robyn offers something more current and unique.
To many this pop star is known for her light, fun, edgy infectious electronic dance and hip-hop influenced pop hits, but if you dig a little bit deeper beneath the flashy clothes, the bleached out blonde hair, and the instrumental pyrotechnics that are her punchy productions, you will see a highly skilled singer-songwriter who has a real understanding of the conditions, nuances, joys and sorrows of love.
Robyn does something that I dream of doing in my music career: she writes a song that works as well on the dance floor in a 4-story EDM club in Berlin as it does in an acoustic format on a tiny stage in the middle of Kansas. That's some transcendental shit!...and a sign of real songwriting. Just take a look/listen at the lyrics of her songs, and you'll see why. I'll use her song "Be Mine" as one of the examples. I love that it works so strongly in both formats. In one, she's pleading (the acoustic version), and in the other, she's screaming the unfortunate truth (the dance-pop version). See below:
("Be Mine" - Robyn. This is the punchy dance-pop production)
("Be Mine" - Robyn. The acoustic version)
Beyond that, Robyn's just a badass...and she has single-handedly kept my cardio workout in top shape. I hope to travel to her native Sweden in the next year to perform, and it would be a dream to meet her and talk about her approach to music. You never know: anything's possible!
I always love getting suggestions of new artists to listen to from friends, from blogs, everywhere. It's a constant inspiration not to compare what I'm doing to other's work, but rather to see what is coming from other artist from the U.S. and abroad.
I just recently heard and was really drawn to the feel of the song "Stay" by Rihanna, which she wrote and performed on her latest album "Unapologetic" with an artist I had not heard of before: Mikky Ekko. I really liked the delicacy of his voice and how it coupled with Rihanna's along with the very stripped down production - something quite new and fresh from an artist know for her heavy, bassy, electronic dance club sound. It drew me to want to know more about this "Mikky Ekko" guy and how collaborations like these come together. So, off to Google, and it's interesting to see that there's not too much out there about him other than a few releases he's done in the past 2-3 years...and that he really got started with music in Tennessee, my home state! Plus, I was pleasantly surprised that he was from the U.S., since I typically find his style more from European artists.
There does seem to be one consistent thing with his style: it's very lush, and though I don't typically take this approach to my own writing, but I do love a good lush track - thus my adoration for artists like Jonsi and Imogen Heap. Who knows, maybe I'll incorporate some of these elements in one of my new tracks! Check out "Feels Like the End". Might I add, it's very beautifully shot, too.
What do you think about this artist and what the next year holds for him?
As always, go to www.hopstop.com for walking/subway directions
Hey Friends, Family, and Fans,
I'm sure you're wondering why I started out this blog post with "Show Details". As you guessed, I am playing a show - but this is more than just any show. I wanted to do something to give back, to honor and remember those families and children from Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT who will never see their lives, and this time of year, the same again.
You see, when I was 14 years old, I too, survived a school shooting. On that cool, clear, November day in 1995 I walked into school just as I always did, aloof, awkward, and as happy as any other Freshman in high school, not knowing that the events that would follow in the next couple hours would forever change my life. To read the full story of the event that unfolded on that day, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richland_High_School_shooting
I was just a kid trying to go to school, to get an education, to better myself and hopefully the world around me. That morning, when I headed to my homeroom class a friend stopped me and reminded me that I had a meeting in the auditorium, so I went back down the hall not knowing that coming down the opposite end of the hall was the student who would come in with a semi-automatic rifle and shoot my homeroom teacher (she survived), the teacher across the hall, and a student/friend of mine in my class. My world was shaken to the core and my sense of safety was simply gone.
And so, I will be donating the $10 cover for my show to the United Way of Western Connecticut to help show solidarity and bring a little comfort to those families and other families across the nation who will be mourning their needless losses instead of celebrating the joys of this season. If you cannot make it to the show, I ask that you please still donate what you can. May you all be safe, happy, and remember those families.
For those of you who do not know him, Bill T. Jones is one of the most prominent & preeminent American dancers, dance choreographers, and artistic directors. To learn more about him, see his Wikipedia page here: Bill T. Jones. One of his most recent works "Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray" discusses the life of Abraham Lincoln.
See Bill T. Jones discuss Abraham Lincoln & his work "Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray"here:
My Audition with Bill T. Jones (August 2010):
It was the end of August 2010, and at the time I was working a full-time day job at an art company. I was performing shows at small venues around New York City, but I had had no "big breaks", and I was mainly engrossed in trying to gain more recognition around the city through my shows, honing my craft as a songwriter, and looking for that next step in my career. By this point, I had been very fortunate to get to meet and work with some great musicians in the music scene - people whom I had started performing with consistently at my shows and theirs. Two of those friends mentioned to me that there was an audition for a theatrical performance and that they thought I would be perfect for the male lead role. I literally laughed! I had taken one musical theater class in college and I didn't even know which direction was "Up Stage" & which was "Down Stage", but after some talks they told me I really should audition, if anything, to see the process of auditioning first hand.
So, they forwarded me the email they had received about the audition, and on that email were two songs attached that I would need to have learned. Now, here's the tricky part: I received that email on a Wednesday...and the audition was on Friday! So, I practically had two days to learn these two songs...which would have been okay, except they were both these long classical pieces that I would also possibly have to learn on guitar. My thoughts in general are, if you're gonna do something, do it the best you can, and if you're gonna fail, fail BIG! So, I put those two songs in my iPod and for the next 48 hours I listened on repeat, while praying for osmosis to take place. I needed those songs in my bones!
Friday arrived, and I asked to leave work early for some "blah blah blah" reason (we musicians have to be stealthy!), and I headed straight to the audition. When I arrived, there was a room filled with people who looked like they meant business - not many smiles at all. This was serious. They introduced themselves and told me that the director/choreographer, Bill T. Jones, was unable to make it to the auditions today, but that they'd be taping the auditions for his review since he ultimately would have the final say.
So, the first question I got was from the Production Manager of the show: "So, do you have the 5 songs prepared for the audition?" I froze and immediately panicked! I told her that I only received one email that had 2 songs attached, and they respond by saying that there were 2 emails, and the second email had the other 3 songs. After an awkward pause, they said that I should just sing the two songs that I know. In my mind, I'm thinking, "How well do I even know these two songs? I just got these two days ago!".
I sang as best as I could, and I looked around the room, and there were no signs of expressions of excitement or of disappointment - just blank stares. The two composers for the show and the current lead for the show then ask me to try to sightread one of the songs I hadn't received, which was also nerve-wracking since I hadn't sightread since my time at University! So, again, I did the best I could, and after I finished they told me "thank you for your time, and we will let you know if you have made the short list". In my mind, it was the classic, "Don't call us, we'll call you!'.
After I left the audition room with sweaty palms and a belly full of butterflies, I called one of my friends who told me to audition to tell her about the epic FAIL that just happened. She assured me that I probably did fine, and to not give up so easily because you just never know. While I was talking to her, I got an incoming call from an unknown number, so I took it, thinking, hopefully, it was the Production Manager calling to tell me I made the short list. Well, my intuition was right...sort of.
It was the Production Manager from the show. She said, "Hi Norman. Thank you for your audition. We recorded it as you know, and we let our director, Bill T. Jones, listen to it, and he said, "You're our guy!"" [pause] I was speechless. She then said, "Hello?? Are you still there?". I returned to reality, and responded, "Yes! I'm here!". She then said, "So, he says you're our guy. Would you like to accept the role?". Not taking into account that I could actually get the role, I realized that this was a big moment: if I said "YES", then I would need to quit my job immediately to go on tour with the company and once that tour was over, I would have to start the job search all over again - but I would have an amazing 3 week international tour under my belt, but if I said "NO", then I would be in the exact place I was in before the audition, and frankly I will have wasted my time and theirs so...
I said YES! As my dad always says, "Chance takers are profit makers". She said, "Great! Rehearsal begins on Sunday." I now had to learn about 13 songs, including parts on guitar and parts on an Irish lute instrument called a Bazuki, and in two weeks I would be on tour in Lyon, France opening the central show, our show, "Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray" for the Biennale de la Danse (the largest Dance Biennial in Europe) in front of about 2,000 audience members and international press.
That Monday, I put in my two weeks resignation, and I began rehearsal with the company. That first full rehearsal I finally met Bill T. Jones, and I immediately understood why he is so honored and recognized. It's simple: he's a genius!
