The live capture of the Broadway production of Waitress the Musical will be available on digital platforms on January 9. Continue reading “Broadway: ‘Waitress The Musical’ Available Jan. 9”
Broadway: ‘Waitress The Musical’ Available Jan. 9
Trailer: Sara Bareilles & Company In ‘Waitress: The Musical’
I cannot wait to see the upcoming filmed capture of the Tony-nominated Broadway hit, Waitress: The Musical, when it comes to the big screen on December 7. Continue reading “Trailer: Sara Bareilles & Company In ‘Waitress: The Musical’”
Broadway’s INTO THE WOODS Extended To October 16
Cast of Into the Woods (Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made)
Kelly Clarkson Serves Up ‘She Used To Be Mine’ From WAITRESS
The Twitter team for the Broadway musical Waitress (whose gorgeous score was written by the oh-so-talented Sara Bareilles) asked out loud if Kelly Clarkson could serve up her take on the show-stopping “She Used To Be Mine” before the production ends this weekend. Continue reading “Kelly Clarkson Serves Up ‘She Used To Be Mine’ From WAITRESS”
Pride Music: June 27, 2020
It’s the last weekend of Pride 2020, and since we can’t get out on an actual dance floor here’s new music to bop to from Lizzo and the Fab 5, Ariana and the Rose, The Aces, GRiZ and Sara Bareilles. • Self-care queen Lizzo teams up with the men of Queer Eye for the music video for her hip-hop/pop tune, “Soulmate.” The colorful video is an animated Pride-themed romp with the Fab 5 as Lizzo picnics with Bobby, throws a corgi party with Antoni and throws down a pole dance with Karamo.
• Ariana and the Rose serve up an inclusive, colorful celebration of all kinds of love with “True Love.” The synth-pop dance track is a bouncy bop, and the video features six diverse, real-life couples spanning the diverse spectrums of race, age and sexuality. Ariana DiLorenzo, the band’s frontwoman, is a “proud and fierce ally for the LGBTQ community,” and told NewNowNext that performing at Pride events, lending her voice as a soundtrack to the celebrations, “is an honor.”
• “Daydream” is the latest single from Utah-based all-girl pop/rock band The Aces. While the infectious track is about long-distance lovers, the tune can easily relate to the distance many of us are feeling during the ongoing pandemic. The band, launched by queer sisters Cristal and Alisa Ramirez, decided to make the video about the crew out on a summer adventure rather than a too “on-the-nose” tribute to romance.
• Multi-instrumentalist and producer GRiZ releases his new single, “Medusa,” featuring DJ and producer Wreckno. What he coins his ‘queer anthem banger’ is a bass-fueled, hip-hop-laden slice of empowerment, created to uplift the underrepresented LGBTQIA+ voices in dance music. In celebration of Pride Month, “Medusa” is a message to queer kids encouraging them to embrace exactly who they are. (Explicit lyrics).
• And finally, Sara Bareilles covers the title track from the Grammy/Emmy Award-winning TV special, “Free To Be…You And Me.” Bareilles’s pure, soulful voice is perfect for the folk/pop tune. Created by actress and activist Marlo Thomas (That Girl) in 1972, the iconic album, book, and television special was the first anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-judgment entertainment for children. All proceeds for the project will benefit NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Fans of the song will notice the new version of the includes two lyric changes. The word “children” has been changed to “people” in one of the song’s main refrains. And, in order to better embrace the non-binary community, a lyric that referred to ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ growing up to be ‘men’ and ‘women’ was rewritten: “Every child in this land, may you all understand, that you’re proud and you’re strong and you are right where you belong.”
Out Music: Matt Zarley “He Used To Be Mine”
Out singer/songwriter Matt Zarley’s new music video takes on Sara Bareilles’ masterwork, “She Used To Be Mine.”
As we all know, life is not neat, life is not a straight line.
The road may stretch out in front of us, but every now and then, we do glance at the rearview mirror:
He’s imperfect, but he tries
He is good, but he lies
He is hard on himself
He is broken and won’t ask for help
He is messy, but he’s kind
He is lonely most of the time
He is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie
He is gone, but he used to be mine
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| Matt Zarley |
Coming from this introspective viewpoint, Zarley finds himself weighing some past decisions.
Zarley writes:
Before I started recording, I spent several really wonderful years doing theatre in New York. When I first heard this song, it reminded me of those experiences and how close I hold them to my heart.
I miss them.
I think any of us can relate to this song and it’s message. I think most of us have regrets to an extent. I know there are times when I reflect on my life and think to myself that this is not where I envisioned myself. Not to say that I am not grateful for my life… cuz I am.
But, if I could go back and have a do-over, there are definitely some things I would change.
There are days when I really miss the guy I used to be…he used to be mine.
The guitar-driven approach to the track, with a lovely yet pensive viola at just the right time, makes a perfect frame for Zarley’s muscular vocals.
The track is available on iTunes here. Hit play below.
Tony Award Winner Leslie Odom Jr. Sings Sara Bareilles’ Ode To This Election – “Seriously”
When public radio show This American Life asked singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles to write a song envisioning the subtext of our outgoing President Barack Obama as he views this election cycle, and specifically Donald Trump’s ‘deplorable’ behavior, Miss B delivered in spades.
Titled “Seriously”, Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. for Hamilton provides the depth, acuity and appropriate irony. Watch below.
Text of the song:
Let’s start with hope
I threw it in the middle like a skipping stone
The ripples won, son of a gun
Some would not have thought so
But I stand here Commander in Chief
And I take that seriously
But along the way
A rogue ripple turned tidal wave
In reaction to what I tried to do
A rebirth of a nation’s hatred
Red, white and blue
Is black in there too?
Seriously?
One man
Rewriting the book on bad behavior
Maybe cheats the neighbors
Feels he gets what they pay for
We can’t
Pat him on the back and send him on through
No man’s ignorance will ever be his virtue
Is this the best we can be?
Seriously?
Let’s talk of fear
And why I don’t bring it in here
It’s a dangerous word, it spooks the herd
And we all bleed in the stampede
Fear makes a false friend indeed
And I take it seriously
So hear me now
Before the truth gets drowned out
By a demagogue flexing
A demagogue flexing
He’s history repeating
Angry?
Am I angry?
You ask am I angry?
And I’m at a loss for words
After all we’ve done
Every battle hard won
Every hair gone gray
In the name of this place
In a history plagued
With incredible mistakes
Still I pledge my allegiance to these
United divided States
Seriously
Let’s end with “why?”
It’s a question I
Want to ask of us as a populace
Why not take our time or the weight of this story
Seriously?
Cyndi Lauper & Sara Bareilles mashup “Truly Brave” for American Cancer Society
TODAY’s Hoda Kotb teamed up with Cyndi Lauper and Sara Bareilles, who mashed up their hits ‘True Colors’ and ‘Brave’ to create a song to raise money for the fight against pediatric cancer.
At this writing over $285,000 has been raised – keep it going.
Check out Hoda’s fundraising page and if you can, please donate. All proceeds will go to grants for pediatric cancer research via the American Cancer Society.
If not able to donate (times can be tough, trust me I know), go visit some kids in the hospital and incite some fun.
The music video for “Truly Brave” features young cancer patients from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
You haven’t seen ‘brave’ until you’ve seen kids kick cancer’s ass. Regular readers know about my personal cancer journey in 2009, which is why this touches my heart so powerfully.
So, since the kids here are doing the bald thing, let’s call this a “Throwback Tuesday” thing. Check the last pic, my bald 2009 self with “Bumpy the Chemo Pump.” Although, I gotta say the kids in this music video have a whole lot more spirit than I did. They rock.
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| Sara Bareilles |
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| Cyndi Lauper |
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| Me back in 2009 pretending to be “Truly Brave” |
Day off in Las Vegas
Hot hubby gets a day off after hosting fun celebs (Kristen Wiig, Carson Kressley, Sara Bareilles, Kym Johnson) in Vegas this weekend. I know – tough gig…
Sara Bareilles – “Brave”
“You can be amazing. You can turn a phrase in to a weapon or a drug. You can be the outcast or be the backlash of somebody’s lack of love or you can start speaking up.”
Sara Bareilles latest album, The Blessed Unrest, sees it’s release this coming Tuesday.
The album’s first single was “Brave,” an LGBT anthem about coming out. Co-written with fun.’s Jack Antonoff, the song is a declaration to live for yourself. “I think there’s so much honor and integrity and beauty in being able to be who you are,” Bareilles says of the song.“It’s important to be brave because by doing that you also give others permission to do the same.”
Plus, the fun video features people dancing like no one’s watching. But of course, people are. People watch and listen to us in life all the time. For the folks watching, listening, standing by, nspiration sometimes comes when “you say what you want to say and let the words fall out.”
“I want to see how big your ‘brave’ is.”
The album comes out on Tuesday. Check it out on iTunes.