June 29, 2009– Next Happy Hour Salon@D-Lounge, 7PM.

D-Lounge: 101 East 15th Street, just East of Union Square.

New works featured by artists of different genres:

Broadway actress and writer/lyricist Cheryl Stern.
Stand-up comic Eric Kirchberger.
From The Liar Show, storyteller Andy Christie.
Performing from his tell-all solo show “Talk Show Confidential,” television personality Bill Boggs.
From the beloved ukulele band The Moonlighters, Cindy Ball and Bliss Blood.

And Joanna performs with her accordion-wielding “Outcasts and Angels” co-star, Michael Hicks.

A really exciting line-up– see you there!

$10 plus two fully reasonable drinks buys you inspiration and titillation to last you through July.

Happy Hour Salon Wrap-Up May 26

Theatre Askew discovered the most interesting old time-y manuscript, and then had it translated from the French and Chinese into English, and then performed an excerpt of it at the Salon. It’s called “The Tale of the Good Whistleblower of Chaillot’s Caucasian Mother and her Other Children of a Lesser Marriage Chalk Circle,” and it just may have you re-thinking everything that ever happened in the world. With myself, Brandon Uranowitz, Sara Alvarez, and Matt Steiner, with words and music from Stan Richardson and Rachel Peters (and a cast rounded out by Tim Cusick and Deb Troche). Please take a look at http://www.bricktheater.com/antidepressant– and learn.

Ryan Britt, smarty funny writer from Nerve.com, the Liar Show and the Moth, has been working on a daily short story project: www.sideaffects.wordpress.com. That’s a story a day, folks, a story A DAY. His salon story, “Indoor Nebula”, tells the tale of a pesky nebula that disrupts domestic bliss by taking up its intergalactic residence in his shared apartment. Annoying!

Kambri Crews told us all about how learning the birds in the bees is a little bit – different – when your entire family is deaf except for your brother Kyle , when you live in a trailer, and when in any relevant discussion, the Rapture is involved. I guess the fact that we can all relate to everything that comes out of this girl’s mouth is a testament to the power of good delivery, great writing, and the fact that we’re all a little deaf, trailer, and crazy. See http://www.lovedaddy.org/.

Today the California courts ruled against gay marriage, so I felt the need to discuss my own personal pet project, “When Cousins Marry,” because I feel that pretty soon all semi-interesting marriage rights are going to be taken away, and then I won’t be able to make really bad choices and marry an a-hole, or someone I’m related to, or men who tell me I do, indeed, look a little fat in those jeans. Get out of my relationship choices, haters!

The awesomeness that is Becca Ayers came to perform a song from the upcoming film “Clear Blue Tuesday,” in which 11 New York singer-songwriters worked with director Elizabeth Lucas to create a new story about life in NYC after September 11^th. Becca’s song lyric “Paint a brand new sky” made it onto the gorgeous movie poster http://clearbluetuesday.com/, so we have high hopes for the world. You can learn more about Becca’s music and other doings at www.beccaayers.com.

Finally, Adam Gwon, the talented writer of “Ordinary Days,” a full-length musical about young New Yorkers recently announced to be on Roundabout’s fall season, accompanied songs from the show performed by recent University of Michigan grad Olli Haaskivi and Wicked’s Erin Mackey. Fantastic performers, Olli and Erin did great work showcasing this exciting new writing—about young love, and New York, and choosing wine as a window into relationship troubles—or squabble-y perfection. Really, a fantastic showcase and we can’t wait to see the show!

Happy Hour Salon Wrap-Up April 27

Dave Jay’s been performing his Beatles show JohnPaulGeorgeRingo all over the place and in April he was at the Happy Hour Salon. Dave is all of the Beatles incarnate, as he answers questions thrown at him by the audience—we want to know about Ringo’s name and he chats about his rings; we want some dirt on Paul’s recent divorce, and he tells us the relationship just didn’t have the [insert joke here]. We’ll go out on a limb and sing along to Yellow Submarine with Dave Jay any time! www.davejay.com

Next, the fiery , hilarious Michele Carlo told a story about the old days when she found herself caught between Kill Whitey Day and Kill Puerto Rican Day—either way she was running away from “girls named after jewels or positive attributes—Precious, Ruby, Unity.” A great storyteller, check out more at www.michelecarlo.com.

I had a little something to say about my experience canvassing for President Obama. And I said it in song, with rhymes and reverence… sigh.

Maddy Mann, 15 Junior at Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow, was crushing on James the Swimmer, and tried to show up his deaf girlfriend with the most hilarious and communicative dance routine we’ve ever seen. I’m sorry if you missed Maddy’s show at Terranova’s Solanova Festival, but I know if you go to her Web site at www.maddymann.com, you can write her a mash note—we certainly will.

Finally, Ash Gray and the Girls brought their thoroughly fun, well-coordinated retro pop-rock, with songs like “Your Gun is Out,” and “I Love My Rock and Roll Record” they reminded me of Tracy Ullmann’s first album— and if you don’t know that, go buy it. And then visit www.myspace.com/ashgraymusic, and laugh and smile and rock out.

Next Happy Hour Salon TUESDAY, May 26@7PM

We’re taking Monday off for Memorial Day, and busting out the Happy Hour Salon on a Tuesday this month. The Salon is New York City’s new works venue for a variety of genres, and we’re so excited to have some of our bestest most favorite performers (Becca Ayers!) coming in to work out new pieces, along with some newbies, some stories, some theatre– I can’t wait.

I’ll be performing a special excerpt from Theatre Askew’s project for this summer’s Antidepressant Festival at the Brick Theatre, with talented fellow cast members Tim Cusick and Deb Troche. Lyrics by Stan Richardson, music by Rachel Peters.

Nerve.com favorite and rising novelist Ryan Britt (The Liar Show, the Moth) reads his witty best.

University of Michigan grad Olli Haaskivi and (youngest Glinda ever in “Wicked”) Erin Mackey will perform the music of rising star composer Adam Gwon (ORDINARY DAYS, Fred Ebb Award, many upcoming regional productions).

The lovely Kambri Crews soundly defeats the “but I don’t have anything to write about” memoirist’s quandary with her hilarious and poignant work-in-progress, “Love, Daddy– Letters and Stories from My Jailed Deaf Dad.”

The aforementioned Becca Ayers, who just returned from Dallas Theatre Center where she played the title role in the world-premiere of the full-length musical, “Sarah, Plain and Tall,” is a talented singer-songwriter and a cast member of the upcoming cast-written filmed musical “Clear Blue Tuesday”– we’re betting she sings some of those songs, but we’ll take whatever she decides to dish out.

$10 at the door, super-reasonable 2 drink minimum. 101 East 15th Street, just East of Union Square, NYC

So to reiterate, May 26th LINE-UP of new works:
Singer-Songwriter Becca Ayers
Writer-storyteller Ryan Britt
Olli Haaskivi and Erin Mackay perform Adam Gwon
Kambri Crews reads from “Love, Daddy”
Theatre Askew performs new work

The wrap-up of last month’s Salon will be coming soon, stay tuned!

See you on TUESDAY May 26th!

Joanna

April 27, 2009 Happy Hour Salon line-up @ D-Lounge 7PM

We’ve got a great line-up for the second Salon at D-Lounge (101 E. 15th Street, just East of Union Square), this Monday at 7PM!

Dave Jay performs from JohnPaulGeorgeRingo, his smash hit Beatles solo show– come prepared to interact. This is your chance, hammy hams. Liverpool it up.

Michele Carlo gives us a slice of the storytelling that landed her her book deal: “Red Sheep: The Search for my Inner Latina”.

Maddy Mann, everyone’s favorite non-Catholic school girl who just likes the uniform, performs from her upcoming Terranova full-length solo show– rockin’ out with the tweens, yo.

And Ash Gray brings his ’60s and ’70s-style vocal pop from Austin, Texas, to us… with the help of his Girls.

Everybody loves D-Lounge, and I’m thrilled to be there– see you all on Monday.

Happy Hour Salon Wrap-up, March 30th

Aaah, so nice to be up late at night, once again pounding out a vaguely amusing Happy Hour Salon wrap-up so that people who managed to stay away from the event of the social season could, once again, feel they were there, and people who were there could remember who they left with. March 30th was no exception to the seasons-long tradition of excellent talent and desirous glances, from on stage to off– people, mark your calendars for the next Salon on April 27th. And follow me, to a time not long ago…

(That picture was NOT taken at the Salon. But I swear, we’ll sneak some video and cameras in there next time.)

We mingled in the new space while curator JD Carter and I got our acts together, along with the excellent technical staff and bartenders– thank you, all. We got the show on the road with the Happy Hour Salon Theme Song. And then…

• Ali Wong opened the performance slots — she, the stand-up comic with the “huge cult following” and the San Francisco sass. We were lucky to have her, as she herself informed us that she’s so busy she brushes her teeth while she poops.  I happened to notice certain people in the back snorting and pounding on the table during Ali’s how-to-pleasure-a-woman section– may no one at my Salon make bubble-blowing faces e’er again again. Check out www.aliwong.com.
• Monologuist James Braly got called cruelly back from his pre-show meditative preparation ritual– as I’d given him the wrong running order– and magnetized the audience quickly and powerfully with tonight’s story of  his job at the office of a Goebbels-loving motivational speaker.  James’ words of wisdom and chronicles of embarrassment are unparalleled, and you must get in on it early as he develops his new full-length monologue, “The Monthly Nut.”  www.jamesbraly.com.
• I did a new piece of guitar comedy material that could get me in trouble someday, about a certain person who leaves posters all over the city decreeing that he will, in fact, teach you to play guitar. You know who I’m talking about. And if you’re out of town? I strongly believe there’s a Dan Smith in every city. There’s. Always. A Dan.
• Singer-songwriter Julie Foldesi sang her face off. And brought in a the ghost of good friend, Salon regular, and “South Pacific” castmate Becca Ayers right off the bat with a song they wrote together– “Don’t go Searching.” She followed up with “Full of Grace” and ended her set with “This Part of Town”, the title song on her funky bluegrass CD you can find at www.juliefoldesi.com.  (Note to future Salon slot-owners: Three-song sets only available to singer-songwriters whose Ds above Cs make us weak in the knees.)
• Robin Gelfenbien presented an excerpt from her Fringe 2008 hit “My Salvation Has a First Name” acting the scene of her father’s reaction to her heavy interest in a job driving the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, and her interview at the local Howard Johnson’s Fred MacMurray Conference Room. Haven’t we all been there, really? Hilarious and touching, and filled with song and dance!– see www.robingelfenbien.com.
• Finally, singer/songwriter composer Jeremy Schonfeld whipped out a sheet of note paper to give the Salon its special new works-y edge, and blew us all away with the rich beauty and pulsing mood of a song from his piece in development with Daisy Prince. Fresh Hebrew lyrics, ladies and gentleman, have never been so rockin’. Check out 37 Notebooks, Jeremy’s material recorded by Broadway greats, at www.jeremyschonfeld.com.

That’s it! We’ll see you on April 27th, at the next Happy Hour Salon @ D-Lounge! And please do save some Monday performance love for “Reddy or Not: A Musical Comedy Tribute to Helen Reddy” on April 20th at the Connelly Theatre. 

Best,

Joanna

The Happy Hour Salon’s new venue– next Salon 4-27-09

The Happy Hour Salon ran for over five years and now is back– we give away six ten-minutes slots to new works of different genres, and have taken over at D-Lounge the fourth Monday of every month at 7PM.  Broadway stars, stand-up comics, singer-songwriters and national journalists, among others, mix and mingle and work out developing pieces, and you with a beer and a grin…

D-Lounge is located at 101 East 15th Street, just off of Union Square.