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The BLT Q&A: Bob Dorough by Kaitlin Fontana

The BLT Q&A: Bob Dorough

By Kaitlin Fontana

How to sum up a man like Bob Dorough? He’s lived at least a dozen lifetimes in one go, played with great performers from Miles Davis to Allen Ginsberg and many more besides and—oh yeah!—he’s the brain and the voice behind the indelible Schoolhouse Rock! animated musical shorts of all of our childhoods (even a Canadian kid like me, who had no business learning about just bills, only bills, sitting there on Capitol Hill). But that’s but a small part of a man whose heart and sense of humour is a large as his talent. He has vocal tricks and jazz style to spare, and he can play the hell out of a piano. Did we mention he’s a two-time BLT guest? And that he’s 88 years young? Yeah, Bob Dorough is kind of our hero.

We asked him a few questions before his guest spot on the upcoming BLT show, this Thursday at 8pm at the PIT.

Tell us something you think is beautiful.

A newly-spun spider web, bejeweled with dewdrops and sparkling in the rising sun.

Tell us a lyric of yours that includes the word love.

But for now I’ll just say, “I love you.” Later on there’ll be time for so much more…. (From “But For Now,” words and music by Bob Dorough, copyright Sincere Music Co.)

Tell us a truth from your lyrics.

When the day is through I suffer no regrets; I know that he who frets loses the night. From “Devil May Care,” words and music by T. P. Kirk and Bob Dorough, copyright Sincere Music Co.)

How did you become a musician? Why do you keep doing it?

Playing 3rd clarinet as a beginner in the high school band in Plainview, Texas, I discovered that my part was essential to the overall effect, as were all the other parts being played around me. The satisfying feeling that came from the total achievement drove me to inform my parents [of my intentions]. “I’m going to be a musician,” I said. This after one week of rehearsing with the band. I keep at it, as do all musicians, because, well, you never get it perfect; you just keep trying.

I know this is your second time playing BLT—what made you want to do it again?

I have a feeling of affinity for and with improvisors, whether it be hot jazz or comedy/drama. During my California wanderings I became friendly and conversant with members of [famed seminal ‘60s improv troupe] The Committee, and, later, of course, I watched some performances by Second City. My first show with BLT was quite enjoyable and in fact I wanted to return and bring Garry Goodrow to the stage. Garry, who was in the audience that night, is a Committee veteran and an old friend of mine. I saw him playing “The Connection,” Off-Broadway, long ago. This time I am bringing another Committee veteran with me (Bruce Mackey), to reunite with his colleague, Garry and to enjoy the performance on July 26th.

What do you love most about making music?

Moving the listener to some emotion or other.

Everyone lies, but what is something  you always tell the truth about?

My age.

When did the truth get you in trouble?

Never. I lie.

Who do you love?

My wife and daughter and family and other musicians and – huh? – pretty much – the human race.

Many people know you as the voice and pen behind Schoolhouse Rock!. How do you feel about that distinction, given you have lots of other songs as well?

I am very proud of my success in reaching so many young people, through the power of television and the value of those songs, and yet I have felt some slighting of my other songs. However, that seems to be changing lately; sometimes one must simply wait.

Catch Bob and the rest of BLT live on stage this Thursday at 8pm at the PIT. 

(Please help us spread the word via the Facebook event, and link to Facebook Fan Page, Twitter,Tumblr, or your preferred buttons below.)

Kaitllin Fontana is a Beauty Love Truther who is also the author of “Fresh at Twenty: The Oral History of Mint Records,” out now on ECW Press.

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Beauty Love Truth: Thursday, July 26 at 8pm with Bob Dorough, Garry Goodrow, Sara Schaefer at PIT

The PIT 123 E 24th BTW Park & Lex (new location!)

Tickets here.

BOB DOROUGH (Miles Davis, Allen Ginsberg, Schoolhouse Rock!) will play his music to inspire improvised scenes. Nothing is planned; it’s all improvised. You will never see this show again!

Featuring an INTRODUCTION by SARA SCHAEFER (“You Had to Be There,” MTV, Fallon) who will speak on the subject of Beauty Love AND/OR Truth.

This month’s IMPROVISERS include:

Matt Higgins (Centralia, Burn Manhattan)
Terry Jinn (UCB, The Project)
Bradford Jordan (Story Pirates, PIT)
Shannon Manning (Second City, IO, UCB, “Conan”)
Louie Pearlman (Story Pirates, The Spidey Project, Buckshot N Benny)
Mark Sam Rosenthal (“Blanche Survives Katrina in a FEMA Trailer Named Desire“)
Alexis Saarela ( Someday the Cake, Taco Supreme)
Lauren Sharpe (NeoFuturists NY and Chicago “Too Much Light Makes Baby Go Blind,” “The Complete and Condensed Stage Directions of Eugene O’Neill, Vol. 1.” The New Victory Theater, Big Apple Circus Clown Care.)

and special guest improviser GARRY GOODROW (The Committee, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Connection, Dirty Dancing, National Lampoon’s Lemmings, Honey I Blew Up The Kids -writer)

 

The Committee on Dick Cavett: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCDahC7sdjw

Garry Goodrow and John Belushi sketch: http://youtu.be/r-pl-TkXwAE

The Connection trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BsfBomthhc

Future casts, special guest actors, and musicians might not be publicized so join the mailing list on the website if you want the scoop.

JOIN THE FACEBOOK EVENT

July BLT with Bob Dorough Press Release

MORE ABOUT BOB DOROUGH:

BOB DOROUGH, born in Arkansas and “raised” in Texas, immediately fell in love with music upon joining the Plainview Texas High School Band. He served three years in a Special Services Army Band Unit, gaining much professional experience as arranger, clarinetist, saxophonist, pianist, and entertainer (1943-45).

After earning a Bachelor Of Music degree at the University of North Texas (1949), he made a bee-line for New York City where he took classes at Columbia University and immersed himself in the volatile jazz scene then taking place there -the BeBop revolution.

In 1952 he turned his back on the academic scene to devote himself to jazz performance, specializing in piano/vocals. After years of accompanying, conducting, arranging, and playing, he made his first recording as a leader (1956) for the Bethlehem label….DEVIL MAY CARE, having written the title tune three years earlier. He is known as “the only singer to record with Miles Davis”. While this may not be 100% true, he did record two vocals with Davis, in 1962, “Nothing Like You” and “Blue Xmas,” both of which he composed.

Davis also recorded an instrumental version of Bob’s classic song, “Devil May Care,” that same year.

In 1971 he received a commission to “set the multiplication tables to music.” This led to a small industry, being the beginning of ABC-TV’s SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK, Saturday morning cartoons that entertained and instructed unsuspecting children during the years 1973-1985. The impact of this media exposure was unpredictably immense. The show came back for another five years in the 90’s and is now enjoying its 30th anniversary with a DVD edition of the entire, five-subject series, for which Dorough worked as the Musical Director.

In 1995 he signed a contract with the prestigious jazz label – Blue Note Records – and has done three CDs for them (“Right On My Way Home,” “Too Much Coffee Man“ and “Who‘s On First“).

Now residing in Pennsylvania, he has received honors from that state (the Governor’s Artist of the Year Award) and from his native state (the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame.)

In 2002 his trio was chosen to represent the State Department and Kennedy Center, as an Ambassador of Jazz and Blues. The one-month tour saw them play some 22 workshops and concerts in thirteen cities in six different countries.

Currently recording on Arbors, Candid and his own label, Bob Dorough continues to perform, often for children too, in Jazz Clubs and Schools, wherever he can.

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Next shows:

→ THURS, AUGUST 30 at 8pm with musical guest Ko-Lition K.O. (Check out their new album on iTunes.)

→ THURS, SEPTEMBER 27 at 8pm with musical guest Stephan Said

Check out recent radio program Cat Radio Cafe with Janet Coleman and David Dozer on WBAI.  PART II mp3 download or listen online (starts at 5 minutes in.)

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Beauty Love Truthers on WBAI Cat Radio Cafe on Monday, July 9, 2012

Garry Goodrow, Ed Illades, Shannon Manning, Chris Mills will be on Janet Coleman and David Dozer’s radio program Cat Radio Cafe on WBAI on Monday, July 9, 2012 2-3pm. We will be talking about Beauty Love Truth, Del Close and improv theater in general!

Garry was in The Committee, which created Harold with Del and will improvise in the next show Beauty Love Truth with Bob Dorough at Peoples Improv Theater. Ed Illades is a regular cast member of Beauty Love Truth who studied at IO Chicago. Chris Mills is a regular BLT musician and now improviser, having just performed in UCB’s Del Close Marathon. Shannon Manning studied with Del and is the creator and coproducer/codirector with Louie Pearlman of the current run of Beauty Love Truth.

http://catradiocafe.com/

http://www.wbai.org/

Cat Radio Cafe with Janet Coleman and David Dozer on WBAI.
PART II mp3 download (starts at 5 minutes in.)

 

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Beauty Love Truth at UCB’s Del Close Marathon Sunday, July 1 6:45pm at Urban Stages

Del Close was my teacher in Chicago after I stumbled into improv because I met Janet Coleman through Charles Mingus’ widow Sue. Janet had written a book called The Compass: The Improvisational Theatre that Revolutionized American Comedy. I read the book because it was about my college and I was in a post collegiate float/freefall, fancying myself a stealth indie academic, doing field work in the service class, waitressing, baggage handling, reading books in bars. So I started taking classes at Second City hoping to find the contemporary versions of the characters in the book: Severn Darden, Barbara Harris, Elaine May, Mike Nichols, Paul Sills, David Shepherd, Teddy Flicker, but I was totally lost being pimped into scenes about mainstream pop cultural stuff I was oblivious to (I’ve since somewhat caught up) and being asked to play a character named “Honey,” whoever that is. I spent more time drinking at Old Town with my teachers. Not that there was anything wrong with that- -shout out to Don De Pollo who told me he’d never had a worse class than mine and cracked me up (“if you’re going to do it again, which you’re not….”) –I just didn’t think improv or comedy was for me.

One night at the Second City afterhours improv set, I saw Adam McKay playing Noam Chomsky teaching a kindergarten class and Tina Fey belittling a group of men while stripping for them (I might be confusing nights but man did those Chicago boys like to see strippers and girls jump out of cakes.) While my classmates hated this new style and pointed out all the improv mistakes made, I stalked Adam at the bar after and asked him how one gets to do THAT. He said, “go study with Del.”

I hadn’t heard of IO, or Del. But I’m so glad I did. At the end of Level 1, Charna had our class doing the Horror, which was a longform about something tragic in the news. I played Susan Smith who drowned her two kids and said a black man hijacked and kidnapped them. I knew about all this because I had just spent a few months taking care of my dad after he broke his neck bodysurfing, and getting to know him, and we were really into THIS OTHER bad parent story. He also got me hooked on Homicide which inspired me to buy a TV when I got home. The Horror ended with Susan looking at her kids in the rear view mirror and telling them it was going to be okay, they just needed to be quiet, for once, shhh, I think I sang a lullaby, as she drove into the lake, while on one side tv cameras trampled one another and on the other a family in their own tragic home consumed it all. We did that after a Level 1 class and I WAS HOOKED.

I got a little unhooked after my dad suddenly died, but when I came back to improv, Charna let me go right to Del. I was a dark and morbid mess and Del loved that. I mostly did uncomfortable monologues about inappropriate dreams and death and weird initiations and god bless anyone who tried to do scenes with me then. Del was so protective. “Stop. Listen to her. Sit down.” Later my sister joined us and Del joked that he’d taught the Murrays, the Belushis, the Farleys and now the Mannings. Despite my protestations that I actually HAD gone to college, Del would brag that the smartest improvisers around were a baggage handler and a prison warden. (what was his name?) I am not bragging. Very few people liked me, except Del. I didn’t know what I was doing, which I think was the only reason I could do anything. Del would talk an hour and then have us get up on stage and just improvise for an hour. Or two. Sometimes he’d make some adjustments, he compared it to a ship’s captain making a slight turn and then, not right away, but in a few hours, the course would change. He was healthy and inspired then and couldn’t wait to work with our class, explore new forms and ideas that he’d been thinking about all week. Later when I taught workshops I tried to do the same thing. I don’t think improv is something that you teach, you are just working with whatever boat is in front of you, giving it a safe place to discover what is possible. I mean we’re all grown-ups….kinda…. I guess the metaphor of musicians is that you can learn scales and such, but we are the instrument and if you haven’t learned some scales from your own life you probably aren’t going to be able to do improv that is very interesting. It’s just life, slowed down. Regular conversation, with a spotlight. My point is that Del never taught us improv. No rules. No games. No warmups “if you aren’t warmed up from life you shouldn’t be doing this work.” He assumed we knew everything already and he was just there to help us find it. He yelled at us when we got in the way of our own poetry and genius, like not knowing Pilgrim’s Progress, or when I said that patterns build. (They don’t. They repeat.) He told us we were light years beyond what anyone in the past did, that we shouldn’t look back. Stand on the shoulders of giants to see further, all that.

One time we improvised in one scene so long that my scene partner Molly left the stage to get her cigarettes and lit up and I was so engaged in the scene, I forgot I had quit years before and smoked. And then I was a smoker again. Just like that. Improv took over my life like that, and that quickly, because of Del. I drove him home after class which turned into an internship running errands. So then the drug was free. And then when it was time to move on, I did. Because he taught me that, too. Why stay in a scene that isn’t working. Just let it go. It happened. Don’t bring it back. Don’t force it to work. We all saw it and will all remember it. Maybe something will get used, maybe it won’t. It’s not a failure but just leave it there, move on. Later my sister and I wrote a play called Dead Dads and were absolutely surprised when people laughed. We were just telling the truth. Del had taught us to make darkness laugh.

In college, my whole body would shake when I raised my hand in class. I would fall apart when challenged, and since I was a kid, I would shut down or give up if ignored. I could only ever be assertive on paper or drunk. Del made me believe that the world was filled with people who might be interested in what I had to say. Or fuck em if they weren’t interested, say it anyway. And more importantly, that it is my job to listen to and celebrate others. To treat everyone like poets and geniuses- audiences, fellow players, students.

So that’s why I am doing improv again, and why every year I am so grateful for the chance to celebrate Del’s life –fuck it, let’s celebrate his death, too– by doing a show in the Del Close Marathon. Thank you UCB, and thank you to every person who has been in a good scene or a bad scene with me. It’s been a great journey and there are some great things we can use from it.

Love,
Shannon

Beauty Love Truth at UCB’s Del Close Marathon Sunday, July 1 6:45pm at Urban Stages

As part of UCB’s Del Close Marathon. At Urban Stages 259 West 30th Street, btwn 7th and 8th Ave

Cast for this show:

Alan Fessenden
Kaitlin Fontana
Matt Higgins
Terry Jinn
Bradford Jordan
Shannon Manning
Chris Mills
Louie Pearlman
Mary Regan
Jed Resnik
Marian Rosin
J.B. Roté

And a special guest musician who we can’t say who it is!

http://www.delclosemarathon.com/dcm14/shows/view/699

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Beauty Love Truth Thurs June 28 at 8pm at PIT with Amazing Jellies and Rolo the Pirate!

The PIT 123 E 24th BTW Park & Lex (new location!) Tickets here.

Thursday, JUNE 28 at 8pm with musical guests AMAZING JELLIES  who will play their music to inspire improvised scenes. Nothing is planned; it’s all improvised. You will never see this show again!

Featuring an INTRODUCTION by ROLO VINCENT  from the STORY PIRATES who will speak on the subject of Beauty Love AND/OR Truth.

This month’s IMPROVISERS include:

Brigid Boyle (Imposters, Taco Supreme, the Baldwins)
Greg Kotis (Urinetown: The Musical (writer),  Neo-Futurists and Cardiff-Giant)
Birch Harms (UCB)
Matt Higgins (Centralia, Burn Manhattan)
Ed Illades (IO Chicago)
Shannon Manning (UCB, IO Chicago, “Conan”)
Louie Pearlman (Story Pirates, The Spidey Project, Buckshot N Benny)
Lauren Ashley Smith (Story Pirates, Silver Fox, LD50)

JOIN THE FACEBOOK EVENT!

Beauty Love Truth Press Release for June 28, with Amazing Jellies!

This show is produced and directed by Shannon Manning and Louie Pearlman of Sparkle Television.
Future casts, special guest actors, and musicians might not be publicized so join the mailing list on the right sidebar if you want the scoop! Please help us share the love by clicking on the social media buttons below!

 

MORE ABOUT AMAZING JELLIES:

The BLT Q&A with Amazing Jellies by Kaitlin Fontana

 

NEXT SHOWS:

→ THURS, JULY 26 at 8pm with musical guest BOB DOROUGH (Schoolhouse Rock! & Miles Davis) and special guest improviser GARRY GOODROW (The Committee, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Connection, Dirty Dancing, National Lampoon’s Lemmings, Honey I Blew Up The Kids-writer)

The Committee on Dick Cavett: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCDahC7sdjw

Garry Goodrow and John Belushi sketch: http://youtu.be/r-pl-TkXwAE

The Connection trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BsfBomthhc

→ THURS, AUGUST 30 at 8pm with musical guest TBC

→ THURS, SEPTEMBER 27 at 8pm with musical guest Stephan Said

 

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Meet the cast! June 2012

Cast profiles are being posted to tumblr. Check out link below to see them!

Tumblr:  http://beautylovetruththenworldpeace.tumblr.com/tagged/GTKJune

 

Hello Beauty Love Truthers. It&#8217;s time for the final Get to Know Your Cast for this month. The show is today! Let us know if you enjoyed this new feature when we see you today at the show, 8PM at The PIT (123 E24th St). Get tickets for the show here. OK, time for Matt Higgins to inspire us to no end:<br /><br /><br /><br /> 3 things I have done, invented, thought • On a very personal level, I am most grateful for my relationship with Tracie, my beautiful and gifted wife. Tracie is, hands down, the funniest person I have ever known. And I have known a million hilarious people. The luckiest/ smartest thing I ever did was, 21 years ago, to commit myself forever in love and friendship to Tracie. Because of this, I experience a profound truth; with commitment comes freedom. • Another thing that I did, for which I am so happy, was to say yes to Todd Stashwick when he asked me to be part of an improvisation group he was forming. I have such fond and vivid memories of breaking into an abandoned Hell’s Kitchen apartment on hot summer nights with Todd, Kevin Scott, Jay Rhoderick, John Theis, and Shira Piven. It was our theater laboratory. We loved it. It’s all we wanted. Then one night, as we were hanging out on the fire escape laughing our asses off, Shira said, “I know you guys said you don’t want to, but I really think we should do this for an audience”. Todd named us Burn Manhattan. • I’ve often thought that many, many more people, maybe most, are artists of some kind or other, but they may never have the means or opportunity to reveal it, or have it revealed. 3 things in the future I am looking forward to • I am whole-heartedly looking forward to July 14, 2012; my daughter Kierstin’s wedding day. • I am looking forward to Beauty Love Truth rehearsals and performances, Jam Man Stables Friday July 27, 2012 The PIT Underground, and Up Theater Company’s fall production of “K Coma Joseph” by Kirby Fields. • I am so looking forward to jumping waves this summer with my daughter Oona. What Springs to mind when I hear… • Beauty o Tracie o Oona o Kierstin o New York City • Love o It’s the ultimate goal of all we do, isn’t it, to have a more loving life. • Truth o Openness o For some reason, as I know think of “truth”, I think of something Keith Johnstone wrote in Impro; “It’s no good telling the student he isn’t to be held responsible for the content of his imagination, he needs a teacher who is living proof that the monsters are not real, and the imagination will not destroy you. Otherwise the student will have to go on pretending to be dull.” o The truth is I feel profoundly grateful to play with Beauty Love Truth.

Hello Beauty Love Truthers. It’s time for the final Get to Know Your Cast for this month. The show is today! Let us know if you enjoyed this new feature when we see you today at the show, 8PM at The PIT (123 E24th St). Get tickets for the show here. OK, time for Matt Higgins to inspire us to no end:

3 things I have done, invented, thought
• On a very personal level, I am most grateful for my relationship with Tracie, my beautiful and gifted wife. Tracie is, hands down, the funniest person I have ever known. And I have known a million hilarious people. The luckiest/ smartest thing I ever did was, 21 years ago, to commit myself forever in love and friendship to Tracie. Because of this, I experience a profound truth; with commitment comes freedom.

• Another thing that I did, for which I am so happy, was to say yes to Todd Stashwick when he asked me to be part of an improvisation group he was forming. I have such fond and vivid memories of breaking into an abandoned Hell’s Kitchen apartment on hot summer nights with Todd, Kevin Scott, Jay Rhoderick, John Theis, and Shira Piven. It was our theater laboratory. We loved it. It’s all we wanted. Then one night, as we were hanging out on the fire escape laughing our asses off, Shira said, “I know you guys said you don’t want to, but I really think we should do this for an audience”. Todd named us Burn Manhattan.

• I’ve often thought that many, many more people, maybe most, are artists of some kind or other, but they may never have the means or opportunity to reveal it, or have it revealed.

3 things in the future I am looking forward to

• I am whole-heartedly looking forward to July 14, 2012; my daughter Kierstin’s wedding day.

• I am looking forward to Beauty Love Truth rehearsals and performances, Jam Man Stables Friday July 27, 2012 The PIT Underground, and Up Theater Company’s fall production of “K Coma Joseph” by Kirby Fields.

• I am so looking forward to jumping waves this summer with my daughter Oona.

What Springs to mind when I hear…

Beauty
Tracie
Oona
Kierstin
New York City

Love
It’s the ultimate goal of all we do, isn’t it, to have a more loving life.

Truth
Openness
For some reason, as I know think of “truth”, I think of something Keith Johnstone wrote in Impro; “It’s no good telling the student he isn’t to be held responsible for the content of his imagination, he needs a teacher who is living proof that the monsters are not real, and the imagination will not destroy you. Otherwise the student will have to go on pretending to be dull.”

The truth is I feel profoundly grateful to play with Beauty Love Truth.

The BLT Q&amp;A<br /><br /><br /><br /> By Peter Russo and Kaitlin Fontana<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo Vincent is the head-honcho of the nationally respected education and media organization The Story Pirates. Founded in 2003, Story Pirates believes every child has a story to tell that deserves to be heard. By pairing world-class teachers with first-rate actors and comedians, Story Pirates offer a variety of tools to make learning more engaging and effective. Dually based in New York and Los Angeles, they are best known for the Idea Storm Program, a master-class writing workshop that brings teaching concepts to life, followed by a musical sketch comedy show featuring stories by students and performed by professional artists. Story Pirates&#8217; acclaimed programs and professional development services for teachers are in place at over 200 schools from coast to coast.<br /><br /><br /><br /> When Rolo isn&#8217;t sailing the seven seas looking for stories written by kids to be turned into songs and sketches, he enjoys playing with his pet dinosaur Amber, remodeling his ship and macrame. You can check out Rolo&#8217;s vlog here: http://youtu.be/QvL5er53vpM, or come see his special guest starring turn at Beauty Love Truth at the PIT on June 28th at 8pm. We sat Rolo down for a chat.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: Rolo are you there? Can you hear me?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: (garbled)<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: Hello? Rolo, It&#8217;s Peter, I&#8217;m trying to get in touch with you about Beauty Love<br /><br /><br /><br /> Truth the show you are doing.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: —why can I never get this thing to—oh, here we go—Hello? Am I coming in?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: Yes I can hear you Rolo. It&#8217;s Peter, I have those questions to ask you.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: Who has questions for me?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: Uh, Kaitlin, remember? She&#8217;s Louies friend that is doing interviews for<br /><br /><br /><br /> Beauty Love Truth, you know, for the show&#8230;<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: Oh that sounds great! She knows that I&#8217;m not a real Pirate right?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: Yes, she knows that you are a Story Pirate, not a bloodthirsty Buccaneer or<br /><br /><br /><br /> anything like that&#8230;<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: Good, I wouldn&#8217;t want her to think that I would come to get her or anything if she<br /><br /><br /><br /> misquoted me or whatever:<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: I am sure that she doesn&#8217;t think that, Rolo. So, the questions?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: Right, go ahead.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: OK, Here goes. Tell us something you think is beautiful.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: I&#8217;ll tell you what is beautiful: watching the sun rise and set out on the open sea;<br /><br /><br /><br /> hearing the laughter of an old friend; the smell of a Honeysuckle Rose; the taste of a good<br /><br /><br /><br /> sandwich; a perfectly round cannonball&#8230;<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: Wow Rolo, that&#8217;s a lot of things.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: And that&#8217;s just the beautiful stuff that&#8217;s nearby! You know, I have two lazy eyes, so<br /><br /><br /><br /> I see beautiful stuff all around me, all the time<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: Ok let&#8217;s stick to these questions. Tell us a lyric of yours that includes the word<br /><br /><br /><br /> love.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: Wait but I don&#8217;t write songs! I am not a musician, I am a Story Pirate&#8230;we take<br /><br /><br /><br /> stories written by kids and turn them into songs and sketches for the whole family to enjoy&#8230;<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: What&#8217;s your first memory of something beautiful?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: When I first opened my eyes and saw my mother&#8217;s long flowing moustache.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: What&#8217;s something/someone you love that it would surprise people?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: Actually I did write a song once, to help people write&#8230; it&#8217;s kind of like an old sea shanty&#8230;the chorus goes: Think with your head/feel with your heart/put them together and then you can start/to write your story/you&#8217;re bound for glory/if all that you do is be true to you/ you&#8217;ll succeed in all that you do!<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: That was kind of nice, Rolo! Ok, Tell us something true.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: I am not a lyricist.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: What&#8217;s one thing in your life that is beautiful, you love and is true?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: I guess it&#8217;s when I get to see a kid who deserves it get celebrated for their<br /><br /><br /><br /> achievements, in front of family and friends.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: Have you ever performed at a live theatre show before? What are you<br /><br /><br /><br /> expecting?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: Oh yeah all the time. I am expecting a nicely dressed crowd, and cake. There IS going to be cake right? Or Pie, I also love Pie.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: When did the truth get you in trouble?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: Maybe in this interview! Does Louie know I am not a musician? How embarrassing if he finds out in the interview! Oh no, maybe he won&#8217;t want me in the show anymore!<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: Just relax. Who do you love?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: Anyone that is not afraid to make and take love is OK by me.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: The aliens have landed and one asks you to explain beauty/love/truth [choose one]. How do you explain it to them?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: Wait the Aliens have landed!!! I hope they look like E. T. or Gizmo and not the Predator or the Alien from Aliens.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: Have you known other people who have done Beauty Love Truth, what are<br /><br /><br /><br /> you expecting? What are you looking forward to?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: Yes! My musician friend (and fellow Pirate) Heather Robb is a singer/songwriter and her band The Spring Standards performed on the show and had a great time. You know maybe I will start a side project with her. Kind of like a Zooey Deschanel/M. Ward kind of thing. But more like Louis Prima and Keely Smith. Now that I&#8217;m a musician and all&#8230;<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: And, what are you looking forward to again?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: The pie.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Peter: Of course. Thanks Rolo.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Rolo: Over and out.

The BLT Q&A

By Peter Russo and Kaitlin Fontana

Rolo Vincent is the head-honcho of the nationally respected education and media organization The Story Pirates. Founded in 2003, Story Pirates believes every child has a story to tell that deserves to be heard. By pairing world-class teachers with first-rate actors and comedians, Story Pirates offer a variety of tools to make learning more engaging and effective. Dually based in New York and Los Angeles, they are best known for the Idea Storm Program, a master-class writing workshop that brings teaching concepts to life, followed by a musical sketch comedy show featuring stories by students and performed by professional artists. Story Pirates’ acclaimed programs and professional development services for teachers are in place at over 200 schools from coast to coast.

When Rolo isn’t sailing the seven seas looking for stories written by kids to be turned into songs and sketches, he enjoys playing with his pet dinosaur Amber, remodeling his ship and macrame. You can check out Rolo’s vlog here:http://youtu.be/QvL5er53vpM, or come see his special guest starring turn at Beauty Love Truth at the PIT on June 28th at 8pm. We sat Rolo down for a chat.

Peter: Rolo are you there? Can you hear me?

Rolo: (garbled)

Peter: Hello? Rolo, It’s Peter, I’m trying to get in touch with you about Beauty Love

Truth the show you are doing.

Rolo: —why can I never get this thing to—oh, here we go—Hello? Am I coming in?

Peter: Yes I can hear you Rolo. It’s Peter, I have those questions to ask you.

Rolo: Who has questions for me?

Peter: Uh, Kaitlin, remember? She’s Louies friend that is doing interviews for

Beauty Love Truth, you know, for the show…

Rolo: Oh that sounds great! She knows that I’m not a real Pirate right?

Peter: Yes, she knows that you are a Story Pirate, not a bloodthirsty Buccaneer or

anything like that…

Rolo: Good, I wouldn’t want her to think that I would come to get her or anything if she

misquoted me or whatever:

Peter: I am sure that she doesn’t think that, Rolo. So, the questions?

Rolo: Right, go ahead.

Peter: OK, Here goes. Tell us something you think is beautiful.

Rolo: I’ll tell you what is beautiful: watching the sun rise and set out on the open sea;

hearing the laughter of an old friend; the smell of a Honeysuckle Rose; the taste of a good

sandwich; a perfectly round cannonball…

Peter: Wow Rolo, that’s a lot of things.

Rolo: And that’s just the beautiful stuff that’s nearby! You know, I have two lazy eyes, so

I see beautiful stuff all around me, all the time

Peter: Ok let’s stick to these questions. Tell us a lyric of yours that includes the word

love.

Rolo: Wait but I don’t write songs! I am not a musician, I am a Story Pirate…we take

stories written by kids and turn them into songs and sketches for the whole family to enjoy…

Peter: What’s your first memory of something beautiful?

Rolo: When I first opened my eyes and saw my mother’s long flowing moustache.

Peter: What’s something/someone you love that it would surprise people?

Rolo: Actually I did write a song once, to help people write… it’s kind of like an old sea shanty…the chorus goes: Think with your head/feel with your heart/put them together and then you can start/to write your story/you’re bound for glory/if all that you do is be true to you/ you’ll succeed in all that you do!

Peter: That was kind of nice, Rolo! Ok, Tell us something true.

Rolo: I am not a lyricist.

Peter: What’s one thing in your life that is beautiful, you love and is true?

Rolo: I guess it’s when I get to see a kid who deserves it get celebrated for their

achievements, in front of family and friends.

Peter: Have you ever performed at a live theatre show before? What are you

expecting?

Rolo: Oh yeah all the time. I am expecting a nicely dressed crowd, and cake. There IS going to be cake right? Or Pie, I also love Pie.

Peter: When did the truth get you in trouble?

Rolo: Maybe in this interview! Does Louie know I am not a musician? How embarrassing if he finds out in the interview! Oh no, maybe he won’t want me in the show anymore!

Peter: Just relax. Who do you love?

Rolo: Anyone that is not afraid to make and take love is OK by me.

Peter: The aliens have landed and one asks you to explain beauty/love/truth [choose one]. How do you explain it to them?

Rolo: Wait the Aliens have landed!!! I hope they look like E. T. or Gizmo and not the Predator or the Alien from Aliens.

Peter: Have you known other people who have done Beauty Love Truth, what are

you expecting? What are you looking forward to?

Rolo: Yes! My musician friend (and fellow Pirate) Heather Robb is a singer/songwriter and her band The Spring Standards performed on the show and had a great time. You know maybe I will start a side project with her. Kind of like a Zooey Deschanel/M. Ward kind of thing. But more like Louis Prima and Keely Smith. Now that I’m a musician and all…

Peter: And, what are you looking forward to again?

Rolo: The pie.

Peter: Of course. Thanks Rolo.

Rolo: Over and out.

</p><br /><br /><br /> <p>Hello Beauty Love Truthers. Louie here with another edition of Get to Know Your Cast. Today - Ed Illades! Ed will be in our June 28th, 8PM show at The PIT (123 E24th St). Get tickets for the show here.</p><br /><br /><br /> <p>3 things you have done, invented and/or thought! </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>1. Done:  I&#8217;ve been to a cock fight in Mexico.  <br /><br /><br /><br /> 2. Invented: a way to unsliced sliced bread.  <br /><br /><br /><br /> 3. Thought: apparently no one&#8217;s interested in investing in a bread deslicer.  </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>3 things in the future (immediate or far) that you&#8217;re looking forward to: </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>1. Trip to Turkey next spring.  <br /><br /><br /><br /> 2. My wife driving on road trips now that she has a license.  <br /><br /><br /><br /> 3. The burrito I&#8217;m having for lunch.  </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>What springs to mind when you hear: </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>1. BEAUTY!  Art <br /><br /><br /><br /> 2. LOVE!  No half measures <br /><br /><br /><br /> 3. TRUTH!  Deeper than fact.  </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>Anything else you want to share with your adoring public? </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>If you adore me you don&#8217;t know me well enough. </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>

 

Hello Beauty Love Truthers. Louie here with another edition of Get to Know Your Cast. Today – Ed Illades! Ed will be in our June 28th, 8PM show at The PIT (123 E24th St). Get tickets for the show here.
 

3 things you have done, invented and/or thought!
1. Done:  I’ve been to a cock fight in Mexico.
2. Invented: a way to unsliced sliced bread.
3. Thought: apparently no one’s interested in investing in a bread deslicer.

3 things in the future (immediate or far) that you’re looking forward to:
1. Trip to Turkey next spring.
2. My wife driving on road trips now that she has a license.
3. The burrito I’m having for lunch.

What springs to mind when you hear:
1. BEAUTY!  Art
2. LOVE!  No half measures
3. TRUTH!  Deeper than fact.

Anything else you want to share with your adoring public?

If you adore me you don’t know me well enough.

 

<br /><br /><br /><br /> Hello Beauty Love Truthers. Louie here with another edition of Get to Know Your Cast. Today - Brigid Boyle! Brigid will be in our June 28th, 8PM show at The PIT (123 E24th St). Get tickets for the show here.</p><br /><br /><br /> <p>3 things you have done, invented and/or thought! </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>1. Cheerios with peaches make the best breakfast (DURING PEACH SEASON ONLY).<br /><br /><br /><br /> 2. A flat iron for hair is a great way to iron shirts while you are wearing them.<br /><br /><br /><br /> 3. Is there someone out there whose favorite food is ice cream cones? Like just the cone portion? </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>3 things in the future (immediate or far) that you&#8217;re looking forward to:</p><br /><br /><br /> <p>1. Lunch.<br /><br /><br /><br /> 2. Getting it together.<br /><br /><br /><br /> 3. Heaven.</p><br /><br /><br /> <p>What springs to mind when you hear:</p><br /><br /><br /> <p>1. BEAUTY! Colors!<br /><br /><br /><br /> 2. LOVE! Moms!<br /><br /><br /><br /> 3. TRUTH! A big book!&#8230;??</p><br /><br /><br /> <p>Anything else you want to share with your adoring public?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Truly love you, beauties.</p><br /><br /><br /> <p>Next Up: Matt Higgins!
Hello Beauty Love Truthers. Louie here with another edition of Get to Know Your Cast. Today – Brigid Boyle! Brigid will be in our June 28th, 8PM show at The PIT (123 E24th St). Get tickets for the show here.
 

3 things you have done, invented and/or thought!
1. Cheerios with peaches make the best breakfast (DURING PEACH SEASON ONLY).

2. A flat iron for hair is a great way to iron shirts while you are wearing them.

3. Is there someone out there whose favorite food is ice cream cones? Like just the cone portion?

3 things in the future (immediate or far) that you’re looking forward to:

1. Lunch.

2. Getting it together.

3. Heaven.

What springs to mind when you hear:

1. BEAUTY! Colors!

2. LOVE! Moms!

3. TRUTH! A big book!…??


Anything else you want to share with your adoring public?

Truly love you, beauties.

 

</p><br /><br /><br /> <p>Hello Beauty Love Truthers. Louie here with another edition of Get to Know Your Cast. Today - author of Tony winning Urinetown: The Musical Greg Kotis! Greg will be in our June 28th, 8PM show at The PIT (123 E24th St). Get tickets for the show here.</p><br /><br /><br /> <p>3 things you have done, invented and/or thought!</p><br /><br /><br /> <p>1.   Travelled atop busses in the himalayas. </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>2.  Administered intravenous antibiotics to my pregnant wife. </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>3.  Stopped drinking alcohol for a year - then started again. </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>3 things in the future (immediate or far) that you’re looking forward to: </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>1.  Directing my first nautical drama on a pond in New Hampshire. </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>2.  Relearning how to enjoy writing. </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>3.  Regaining my strength. </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>What springs to mind when you hear: </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>1. BEAUTY!  The joy of life made visible, somehow. </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>2. LOVE!  We are not alone. </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>3. TRUTH!  No vanity, no pretense, for as long as is endurable. </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>Anything else you want to share with your adoring public? </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>I did improv twenty odd years ago, then I stopped.  Now I’m trying it again to see what’s what. </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>Next up: Brigid Boyle</p><br /><br /><br /> <p>

 

Hello Beauty Love Truthers. Louie here with another edition of Get to Know Your Cast. Today – author of Tony winning Urinetown: The Musical Greg Kotis! Greg will be in our June 28th, 8PM show at The PIT (123 E24th St). Get tickets for the show here.
3 things you have done, invented and/or thought!
 
1.   Travelled atop busses in the himalayas.
2.  Administered intravenous antibiotics to my pregnant wife.
3.  Stopped drinking alcohol for a year – then started again.

3 things in the future (immediate or far) that you’re looking forward to: 
1.  Directing my first nautical drama on a pond in New Hampshire.
2.  Relearning how to enjoy writing.
3.  Regaining my strength.

What springs to mind when you hear: 
1. BEAUTY!  The joy of life made visible, somehow.
2. LOVE!  We are not alone.
3. TRUTH!  No vanity, no pretense, for as long as is endurable.

Anything else you want to share with your adoring public?

I did improv twenty odd years ago, then I stopped.  Now I’m trying it again to see what’s what.
Hello Beauty Love Truthers. Louie here with the second edition of Get to Know Your Cast. Today - Birch Harms! Birch will be in our June 28th, 8PM show at The PIT (123 E24th St). Get tickets for the show here.3 things you have done, invented and/or thought!1. Recently invented a system for making cheap but functional knock-offs for those overpriced Sonicare toothbrush replacement heads we all hate paying so much for. <br /><br /><br /><br /> 2. Recently invented a system for inexpensively repairing the relatively common Sonicare handle problem of a broken die-cast metal internal vibrating armature.  3. The armature broke BEFORE I started using knock-off replacement heads. 3 things in the future (immediate or far) that you&#8217;re looking forward to: </p><br /><br /><br /> <p>1. Having a baby.2. Seeing next month&#8217;s Beauty Love Truth.3. Feeling like I am getting a good teeth brushing experience without paying an arm and a leg.What springs to mind when you hear:1. BEAUTY! All butts.</p><br /><br /><br /> <p>2. LOVE! Candy.<br /><br /><br /><br /> 3. TRUTH! Arab Spring.Anything else you want to share with your adoring public?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Instructions for both the Sonicare knock-off heads system and armature repair system are available for FREE - just ask - but some materials are needed: a strong adhesive, a wide flat-head screwdriver, a Phillips size #1 screwdriver, and a little saw or Dremel tool.Monday: Greg Kotis!

 

Hello Beauty Love Truthers. Louie here with the second edition of Get to Know Your Cast. Today – Birch Harms! Birch will be in our June 28th, 8PM show at The PIT (123 E24th St). Get tickets for the show here.3 things you have done, invented and/or thought!1. Recently invented a system for making cheap but functional knock-offs for those overpriced Sonicare toothbrush replacement heads we all hate paying so much for.
2. Recently invented a system for inexpensively repairing the relatively common Sonicare handle problem of a broken die-cast metal internal vibrating armature.3. The armature broke BEFORE I started using knock-off replacement heads.3 things in the future (immediate or far) that you’re looking forward to:
1. Having a baby.2. Seeing next month’s Beauty Love Truth.3. Feeling like I am getting a good teeth brushing experience without paying an arm and a leg.What springs to mind when you hear:1. BEAUTY! All butts.

2. LOVE! Candy.

3. TRUTH! Arab Spring.

Anything else you want to share with your adoring public?

Instructions for both the Sonicare knock-off heads system and armature repair system are available for FREE – just ask – but some materials are needed: a strong adhesive, a wide flat-head screwdriver, a Phillips size #1 screwdriver, and a little saw or Dremel tool.

Monday: Greg Kotis!

 

Hey gang. Louie from Beauty Love Truth Headquarters here with a new, regular BLT feature: Get to Know Your Cast. Over the next few days, get ready to hear some excellent answers to questions posed to the cast for our upcoming show! You can see these splendid folks improvise on June 28th, 8PM at The PIT (123 E24th St), inspired by our musical guests Amazing Jellies. Get your tickets here!<br /><br /><br /><br /> First up, BLT newcomer Lauren Ashley Smith drops us some knowledge:<br /><br /><br /><br /> 3 things you have done, invented and/or thought!<br /><br /><br /><br /> 1. When I was 15, I ziplined through the rain forest in Costa Rica. That was pretty rad.<br /><br /><br /><br /> 2. For the past few years, I&#8217;ve written some pretty involved recaps of the trainwreckiest show on television, &#8220;Teen Mom.&#8221;<br /><br /><br /><br /> 3. Everyone deserves to be treated with fairness and love. Everyone. This is what I think.<br /><br /><br /><br /> 3 things in the future (immediate or far) that you&#8217;re looking forward to:<br /><br /><br /><br /> 1. The weekend! Doesn&#8217;t matter which weekend. Any weekend will do. They are the bomb.<br /><br /><br /><br /> 2. Seeing my favorite artist, Robyn, perform live again sometime soon. She is beauty, love, and truth rolled into one platinum blonde pop star.<br /><br /><br /><br /> 3. What is this, a trick question? The Beauty Love Truth show, of course!!<br /><br /><br /><br /> What springs to mind when you hear:<br /><br /><br /><br /> 1. BEAUTY! My grandparents. They&#8217;re in their 80s, have been married for 56 years, and met during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. They are two of the coolest people on planet earth. Their love for family and each other and their service to the community is beautiful.<br /><br /><br /><br /> 2. LOVE! My puppy, Jelly!! He loves life and the world with no filter or bias. It&#8217;s amazing to wake up to every morning.<br /><br /><br /><br /> 3. TRUTH! Love. You can&#8217;t have real love without total truth.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Tomorrow: Birch Harms.

Hey gang. Louie from Beauty Love Truth Headquarters here with a new, regular BLT feature: Get to Know Your Cast. Over the next few days, get ready to hear some excellent answers to questions posed to the cast for our upcoming show! You can see these splendid folks improvise on June 28th, 8PM at The PIT (123 E24th St), inspired by our musical guests Amazing Jellies. Get your tickets here!

First up, BLT newcomer Lauren Ashley Smith drops us some knowledge:

3 things you have done, invented and/or thought!

1. When I was 15, I ziplined through the rain forest in Costa Rica. That was pretty rad.

2. For the past few years, I’ve written some pretty involved recaps of the trainwreckiest show on television, “Teen Mom.”

3. Everyone deserves to be treated with fairness and love. Everyone. This is what I think.

3 things in the future (immediate or far) that you’re looking forward to:

1. The weekend! Doesn’t matter which weekend. Any weekend will do. They are the bomb.

2. Seeing my favorite artist, Robyn, perform live again sometime soon. She is beauty, love, and truth rolled into one platinum blonde pop star.

3. What is this, a trick question? The Beauty Love Truth show, of course!!

What springs to mind when you hear:

1. BEAUTY! My grandparents. They’re in their 80s, have been married for 56 years, and met during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. They are two of the coolest people on planet earth. Their love for family and each other and their service to the community is beautiful.

2. LOVE! My puppy, Jelly!! He loves life and the world with no filter or bias. It’s amazing to wake up to every morning.

3. TRUTH! Love. You can’t have real love without total truth.

 

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The BLT Q&A with Amazing Jellies by Kaitlin Fontana

The BLT Q&A with Amazing Jellies by Kaitlin Fontana

Boy + girl = music. Like 2 + 2 = 4, it’s an equation that has been potently true since the dawn of time. Boy/girl harmonies are scientifically proven to be the sweetest, and the love of two people (or the loss of love, see: Fleetwood Mac) can make the saddest music beautiful, and the most beautiful music the saddest.

In the grand tradition of boys and girls who love one another and make music together comes Amazing Jellies. Made up of husband-and-wife team Eli Bolin (music director for the Story Pirates, bandleader for the new WNYC variety show King’s County hosted by Kurt Andersen, composer for TV shows like Sesame Street and Comedy Central Presents: Kristen Schaal, and who you might recognize as a member of the Woggels on last season’s 30 Rock) and Allison Posner (an actress with a dynamic, music-peppered resume long enough to unfurl like a red carpet, including Into the Woods, Equus and Factory Girls), Amazing Jellies’ songs are raucous, upbeat and melody-driven odes to two people finding each other and fighting to make it work. And hey, isn’t that what two-part harmony is all about?

BLT sat Allison and Eli down for a Q&A before their special guest appearance as the live musical act for Beauty Love Truth on June 28.

Tell us something you think is beautiful.
The love between a dog and a really fat baby.

What do you love most about making music?
Creating new stuff is fun, but we also enjoy the simple pleasures of harmonizing together.

Tell us a truth from your lyrics.
“I take direction awfully well.”

What’s your first memory of something beautiful?
Allison: Being on the beach as a child in Melbourne, Florida.

How did you become a musician? Why do you keep doing it?
Eli: We had instruments in our house all the time, and my dad sang in barbershop quartets and played a lot of folk guitar. I got hooked on the Beatles at three (the only rock in my dad’s collection) and couldn’t keep my hands off any instruments I could find.

Tell us something true.
Allison was the Blockbuster Video Genesis/SNES Video Game Champion of Ocala, FL, and went to Orlando for the state championship.

Who do you love?
Each other, our families, friends, and Allison’s late dog Kipper. Also, fat babies.

What’s something/someone you love that it would surprise people?
Allison: Cownose stingrays.

Have you known other people who have done Beauty Love Truth? What are you expecting? What are you looking forward to?
We know a bunch of the comedians, not the musicians. We know how talented our funny friends are, so we can only assume the experience will be amazing!

Everyone lies, but what is something you always tell the truth about?
Food allergies.

Amazing Jellies (with Brendan O’Grady and Jake Alrich) join Beauty Love Truth live at the PIT in NYC June 28 at 8pm.

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The BLT Q&A with Warren Malone by Kaitlin Fontana

Manchester-born, NYC-based singer-songwriter Warren Malone’s bio is something else. Not only does he source his musical beginnings at four years old to hearing a Hank Williams record, he also drops—buried there in middle—that his parents met while his father was in prison. It’s a fact of his past that, he says, “is a whole other story. It would be a great movie, actually.”

Unique beginnings make for unique doings, and so it’s no surprise that Malone strays from a common path in his life and work. While the town of his extraction more readily brings to mind the sounds of the almighty Factory Records (Joy Division, et al), Malone’s music—like its maker—flies far from that scene. Malone makes lovely, immediate, folk music; his latest record, And the Ants Ate the Bee, came out last October. BLT sat him down for a Q&A before his appearance in Beauty Love Truth at the PIT on May 31 at 8pm. Even after answering all our favorite questions, he’s still a mystery. We like that about him.

Tell us something you think is beautiful.
The sound of guitar and mandolin together.

What’s something/someone you love that would surprise people?
Dolly Parton

Tell us something true.
I own 57 copies of Grapes of Wrath. One day I will have a party for the book, and I will use them as invitations. And everyone will come in work clothes. The band at the party will be called The Angry Raisins String Band.

What do you love most about making music?
It makes me feel like I have something to offer, and it makes me feel good.

When did the truth get you in trouble?
Today, yesterday and probably tomorrow.

Have you known other people who have done Beauty Love Truth? What are you expecting? What are you looking forward to?
I know a couple of people who have done it. They speak highly of it. I only expect to have fun playing to new people in a different setting.

Tell us a truth told in your lyrics.
“Daddy was a singer, Daddy was a drunk/ Just a drunken singer, he was murdered in a flophouse/ Broke and drunk, now he’s broke and drunk forever.”

Do you still think of yourself as English? What part of you?
No, I never did. I saw Elvis on a beach in the movie Blue Hawaii when I was four years old, in Manchester, with the rain falling hard and thought to myself, “This is not right.”

Finally: The aliens have landed and one asks you to explain beauty, love, and truth. How do you explain?
I’d say: “A whop Bop a Loobop A Whop bam Boom,” and they will know instantly what I’m talking about.

Warren Malone joins Beauty Love Truth live at the PIT in NYC on Thursday May 31 at 8pm.

(Please help us spread the word via the Facebook event, and link to Facebook Fan Page, Twitter, Tumblr, or your preferred buttons below.)

Kaitllin Fontana is a Beauty Love Truther who is also the author of “Fresh at Twenty: The Oral History of Mint Records,” out now on ECW Press.

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Beauty Love Truth Thurs May 31 at 8pm with Warren Malone

The PIT 123 E 24th BTW Park & Lex (new location!) Tickets here.  Beauty Love Truth with Warren Malone Press Release May 31 (PDF)

WARREN MALONE will play his music to inspire improvised scenes. Nothing is planned; it’s all improvised. You will never see this show again!

This month’s IMPROVISERS include:

Bradford Jordan (Story Pirates, PIT)
Leslie Korein (Trike, Story Pirates, Girl Camp! The Musical)
Shannon Manning (Second City, IO, UCB, “Conan”)
Doug Moe (UCB’s MOTHER, “30 Rock,” “Conan”)
Justin Moran (Spidey Project, Pope the Musical, Miranga Island)
Louie Pearlman (Story Pirates, The Spidey Project, Buckshot N Benny)
Mary Regan (UCB, Magnet, PIT)
Natasha Rothwell (Oh Boy!, Hodapp and Rothwell, The Story Pirates)

Featuring an INTRODUCTION by STEVE HEISLER (Onion AV Club) who will speak on the subject of Beauty Love AND/OR Truth.

JOIN THE FACEBOOK EVENT.

Beauty Love Truth with Warren Malone Press Release May 31 (PDF)

MORE ABOUT WARREN MALONE:

New York Based Singer/Songwriter Warren Malone
Is Originally From Manchester England. He Loves To Sing,
He Loves To Write Songs And He Loves To Play Guitar.
He Loves Traditional Folk Music As Much As He Loves A Great Pop Song.
He Loves His New Album And He Doesn’t Care Who Knows It.
He Does Not Love Writing Bios And Pretending To Be A Third Party.
He Loves A Good Audience, He Hates Stupid Pop Stars With Shades,
He has A Fear Of Being Falsely Accused, He’s Done Some Bad Things,
He Tries To Be Good, He Loves To Sing, He Sings All Day Everyday,
The First Record He Ever Put On Was A Hank Williams Record He Was 4 Yrs Old,
As A Kid He Loved Elvis, He Used To Draw And Sometimes Still Carries A Sketchbook.
He Loves Mexican Food, He Lived In San Francisco For 5 Years And It Changed Him Forever,
He Can Cook But Only If It Involves Just 1 Pan, He Loves Beer But Tries Not To Drink It
He Loves Fiddle Tunes, He Loves Duets With Mandolin And Guitar,
He Loves To Hear Great Harmony singers And Has Fantasized About Being The High Lonesome
Singer In A Bluegrass Band, He Has Been High and Lonesome
He Has Made Some Promises He Knew He Couldn’t Keep
He Knows He Has Some Secrets But He Can’t Remember What They Are
He Hates Cool People, He Will Let You Know If He Likes You
He Loves His Family
He Remembers Things From His Past But Doesn’t Know If They Really happened,
He Loves To Sing
He Can’t Believe he Didn’t End Up In Jail, He’s Played A Lot Of Gigs, He’s Played A lot Of Street Corners
He’s Had To Talk To A Lot Of Strangers, His Parents Met When His Father Was In Prison
That’s A whole Other Story, It Would Be A Great Movie Actually
Youth, Violence, Crime, Singing, Prison, Love, Jealousy, Family, Murder And More Singing
He Loves Repetition, He Loves His New Album And He Doesn’t Care Who Knows It.

http://warrenmalone.com

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/warrenmalone2

http://www.youtube.com/user/Malone67?feature=watch

http://warrenmalone.bandcamp.com/

This show is produced and directed by Shannon Manning and Louie Pearlman of Sparkle Television.
Future casts, special guest actors, and musicians might not be publicized so join the mailing list on the right sidebar if you want the scoop! Please help us share the love by clicking on the social media buttons below!

NEXT SHOWS:

JUNE 28 at 8pm with musical guests THE AMAZING JELLIES and intro by ROLO VINCENT  from the STORY PIRATES

JULY 26 at 8pm with musical guest BOB DOROUGH (Schoolhouse Rock! & Miles Davis) and special guest improviser GARRY GOODROW (The Committee, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Connection, Dirty Dancing, National Lampoon’s Lemmings, Honey I Blew Up The Kids-writer)

The Committee on Dick Cavett: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCDahC7sdjw

Garry Goodrow and John Belushi sketch: http://youtu.be/r-pl-TkXwAE

The Connection trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BsfBomthhc

Posted on

Beauty Love Truth in regular monthly run!

We are thrilled to announce that Beauty Love Truth will be the last Thursday of every month at 8pm at PIT starting May 31!

NEXT SHOWS:

THU MAY 31 @ 8PM – Mainstage
THU JUNE 28 @ 8PM – Mainstage
THU JULY 26 @ 8PM – Mainstage
THU AUG 30 @ 8PM – Mainstage
THU SEPT 27 @ 8PM – Mainstage