Archive for August 17th, 2011
Amoeba Hop and Both Sides Now: Singable Picture Books at DC Cabaret Network Open Mic
Posted on: August 17, 2011
Monday night I got to join the DC Cabaret Network’s monthly Open Mic.
These are delightful and warm community events, beautifully organized and hosted by local cabaret artist, and fellow DC Cabaret Network board member, Terri Allen.
Last night’s open mic was held at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Jeff Tucker masterfully engineered the sound and Mary Sugar masterfully accompanied each singer who sang forth with an amazing variety of style.
I’ve decided to put two Singable Picture Books into my regular cabaret repertoire and worked on those last night:
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Amoeba Hop
Words and Music by Christine Lavin
Illustrated by Betsy Franco Feeney
This book features a study of amoeba life, printed music and a live recording of “Amoeba Hop” by the amazingly hilarious and talented singer/songwriter Christine Lavin.
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Both Sides Now
Words and Music by Joni Mitchell
Illustrated by Alan Baker
ISBN 0-590-45668-7
I tried the medley last night and “Both Sides Now” will make a lovely pairing with another of my favorite songs, “Here’s to Life.”
It was a lot of fun to get both songs up on their feet for the first time in front of friends. Both will require quite a lot of work, but I have faith that work will result in some really nice songs and stories to share.
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Related Links
Link to Michael Miyazaki’s CabaretDC blog post with the lineup of songs from all the singers:
http://cabaretdc.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/dc-cabaret-network-august-open-mic-2/
DC Cabaret Network website:
http://dccabaretnetwork.org/
Current DC Cabaret Network Newsletter:
http://dccabaretnetwork.org/newsletter.html
SongSpeak.wordpress.com, the blog of the DC Cabaret Network:
http://songspeak.wordpress.com/
Join DC Cabaret Network on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/55932118139/
