Yo Man...Bust Out Cho CRICKET!

I've developed a new slang term and want to document that I'm the 1st to use it this way.  How do I know I'm the first to use it like this?  Because I said so (and a cursory search in UrbanDictionary.com didn't produce any results)!

The term is "cricket".  Here's the defitinion:

Cricket /ˈkrikit/

1. An insect (family Gryllidae) related to the grasshoppers. The male produces a characteristic rhythmical chirping sound. 
2. An outdoor game played on a large grass field with ball, bats, and two wickets, between teams of eleven players.
3. A low stool, typically with a rectangular or oval seat and four legs splayed out.
   
   and
   
4. A euphemism for a mobile phone regardless of brand, make, and model.  Phones that operate with Cricket Wireless typically are considered of cheap value as the carrier's service and features are limited in many areas across the nation.  The expectation is that any phone used with Cricket Wireless will not be able to perform whatever is asked of it (texting, phone calls, picture taking, GPS directions, web browsing, etc).

For example, let's say you're about to go to a show with your friends but don't know how to get there.  I would say, "Yo man...bust out cho CRICKET!  Getcho CRICKET and look up how to get there, man!"

This normally illicits one of two responses.

1. "Uh, it's an iPhone/Android.  I don't have Cricket."
2. Bust out with laughter because they get the joke.

The time it gets weird is when I say that to someone to be funny and they actually own a Cricket.  This is then followed by everyone else laughing at that person and the Cricket owner looking at me with a sad, pathetic face saying, "Yeah...I know...I need to get a real phone."

I am sure there are plenty of folks out there with Cricket phones who are perfectly happy with them.  Too bad.  The phrase will continue to be pushed!

Power Of Attraction Strikes Again!

My Saturday two weeks ago was intense!  If ever I was to enjoy the direct results of the Power of Attraction, it was that day.

Shouldn't You Be Doing Something?!
I had signed up for some auditions a week before to try to broaden my acting horizons a bit and try something new.  There were 3 auditions to choose from and I signed up for two that seemed like they'd be up my alley.

The day of the audition, I'm driving my kids over to a birthday party when *bam* I realized I had to get over to the northside of Chicago in two hours and wasn't at all prepared (thank gawd for Google Calendar).  I had also booked myself for later that night to jam with some friends in Lombard, IL.  I dropped the kids off at the birthday party and rushed back home to get dressed, put together some headshots and resumes, and get on my merry way to the city.

I knew that the Wifey had wanted to edit a bunch of photos she had taken from earlier photoshoots and needed to get them finished by the end of the weekend.  So, I decided that it would be unfair of my to leave her with the kids all day while I went off and enjoyed myself (man, there's just no nice way of saying that).  So, I volunteered to give my night of jamming with the guys to allow her to go off and begin editing what she needed.  When I offered it up, it just felt really good to do so for some reason so I held onto the feeling for as long as possible.

I got on the phone and called the jam ringleader and apologized for my flakiness, but needed to watch the little ones while Jill took care of business.  Not 5 minutes after that phone call, Wifey calls and tells me to go ahead and go to the jam as she had another commitment she had to attend with the kids later on that wouldn't let her do the editing she needed.   This super warm feeling came over me telling me, "Dude, you just made that happen!"  I thanked her profusely (while asking "Are you sure?" 45 times) and called homie back to tell him the jam was "tentatively" on.  I didn't want to commit again in the even I decided to dislodge something in the Universe to make me miss it.

Make Things Work For You!
I rushed back home, got dressed, printed out resumes, and got my headshots set up.  I zoomed to Chicago as quickly as possible.  Traffic was SUPER light, i.e., I got to the northside of Chicago from Indiana in less than an hour.  I had roughly 15 minutes before my first audition when I realized that the Chicago Air and Water Show was going on (you would think that the zooming planes overhead would've clued me in).  So, I dipped quickly into the adjacent parking garage to Second City Chicago and got to the audition on time.

I had two auditions.  The 1st one I read for went relatively well.  I got the chance to cold read the script.  Man...I forgot how hard it is to do that.  The monologue I read was nothing spectacular but I felt that the scene I did was pretty good and real.  The second audition again was done cold.  While reading the parts it was obvious to me that this play was not right for me.  I left the auditions feeling okay.  Luckily I had this jam sessino to look forward to so I concentrated on that.

As I was getting ready to leave to go grab some dinner, I went to pay for my parking and this number popped up on the screen:

$45
SAY WHAT?!  I was there roughly 25 minute total!  There was no way I could've...

Then looked at the sign under this amount and it read:

EVENT PARKING RATE - $45
Frak.  OK.  Well, I guess that's what I deserved for being in a rush.  I had some time to kill before my jam session so I decided to make that $45 work for me.  I lurked around the halls of the Second City, peeking into rooms, making phone calls from the lobby, and all around waiting for something cool to happen.  So, I sat down on the stairs outside the Training Center doors and just waited for something to happen.

Something Strange Happened On My Way To The Staircase...
About 15 minutes later, a guy opens a door, pokes his head out and sees me.  He walked up and says, "Hey. Are you a student here?"

"Not at all", I responded.

"Can you sing?", he asked.

I found the question completely left field but luckily for him I said, "Yes.  Of course!"

He then walked out of the room and up the stairs with a smile on his face.

"Do you want to audition for a musical?"

"Sure," I said without hesitation.

I was already dressed for auditions and had the skills they were looking for.  I ended up having a killer audition complete with a little showmanship on the guitar and in the scenes they had me read for.  It was magical.  I definitely got my $45 dollars worth that day.

After that, I decided to finally head over to Uncle Julio's Hacienda for dinner, but due to the insane amount of traffic as a result of the Air & Water Show, I decided to forgo trying to drive around for hours looking for parking.  Then I remembered that the other Julio's location was also in Lombard - minutes away from where I was going to jam.  I went west!

I got there in roughly 35-40 minutes and walked in just in time to see the floor manager coming up to the stand.  Luckily, I knew who she was as a result of my numerous years of going to the Chicago location.  We quickly played catch-up and then I got the cool honor of being her guest for the evening.  My meal was comped!  Could any more great things happen to me in this day?!  Hellz yez!

The Same Music Ain't Got The Same Soul...
After my excellent dinner and a few theatre related phone calls, I decided to head over to the jam spot.  Of course, my Cricket (my euphemism for "phone") started crapping out and forced me to restart it; thus, my GPS was out and I was left to my own devices (no pun intended) to get there.  I started driving and trusted I was in the vicinity of this guys house.  I started heading down this one road I had never been down and ultimately decided based on feeling to turn on another road to get me to another street I was familiar with.  As I drove down the road, i got this weird feeling I was really close.  As I came up to the stop sign, homeboy's house was right there!  HOLY SHITE!  That's some "Hand of Gawd" type shite.  We ended up having a ball playing 40-45 song that night.  It was totally fun and laid back.

I felt so blessed this whole day and KNOW that this philosophy works.  I'm going to cook up a blog posting discussing the Law of attraction within the context of particle physics (it will blow your mind).

REVIEW: “Oceania” by Smashing Pumpkins

(Reprinted from http://www.musicalchairspodcast.com and written by yours truly)

The Smashing Pumpkins are a hard act to follow – both as a musical act and as a fan in this day and age.  From the very beginning the band has been a point of controversy by never doing what they were “supposed to do”.  Billy Corgan wore his emotions (and his mouth) on his sleeve.  At the time they were fresh on the scene, Corgan led music that didn’t fit into any existing genre.  They came from a Chicago club scene where they didn’t truly belong and relatively quickly overcame it to join the ranks of helming arenas.  In 1995, they put out a double-album of some of the best work possible when nobody in their right mind would take the risk (ahem, Gun’s ‘n’ Roses didn’t even do it with their Use Your Illusion records being sold separately).  In 2007, Billy reactivates the Pumpkins with long-time bandmate Jimmy Chamberlin, seven years after an acrimonious break-up with their former bandmates (which still hasn’t been commented on by all parties completely) with the music industry that helped make them one of the biggest bands in the world having imploded in the wake of the digital overthrow in music.  New band members, a new record called Zeitgeist (whose subsequent tour found Corgan challenging the fans directly both musically and verbally), unpopular licensing of music to TV  commercials, re-releasing of older material, and the implementation of the Teargarden by Kaleidiescope project all pointed at signs that the captain of this alternative rock juggernaut was willing to take the ship to the edge of disaster if need be.   All of this activity makes it a challenge for the common fanatic to continue throwing their support behind what could be a sinking titan of the 90′s rock scene.

Lucky for us, the Smashing Pumpkins stuck to their M.O. of charting their own course and delivered an incredibly strong effort on their new album Oceania.

This record features what I believe is a first for the Pumpkins – people other than Billy Corgan and the drummer got to play and contribute their parts to each of the songs.  Armed with that knowledge, this record feels much more inspired and cohesive than the last two major efforts along with the singles released thus far from TGBK.  As Billy as stated in interviews, this record sounds focused and directed at forging a new path for the band that honors the legacy of  the Pumpkins but also has something new to say – “we’re doing it OUR way.”

Openers Quasar and Panopticon harken back to overdriven sounds the Pumpkins are known for.  Lyrically these songs visit religion and love – two things Billy has a lot of questions and answers for.  They serve as a good introduction to satiate the appetite for some rock and set up the palate for the more subdued sonic landscapes of  The Celestials and Violet Rays.  The Celestials opens up with a synth line reminiscent of Phil Collins’ Just Another Day In Paradise which sets the listener up to get ready for some heartfelt, thoughtful lyrics, but then it turns into a bit of a rocker halfway through.  Arping synth lines opens Violet Rays which sets the mood to hear the story of a desperate lonely woman awaiting companionship amongst a group of sailors returning home after a long  journey.  This song captures the “new” Pumpkins – storytellers with lush sonic landscapes.  My Love Is Winter also subscribes to this new formula and has always been a fan favorite live.  The synth intro in Pinwheels is a bit lengthy but once you get past it, there’s a song in there which conjures hints of Americana as Billy sings about love once again.

The title track Oceania is basically a 3 part opus clocking in at 9 minutes.  This is song is a challenge to be gaga over.  It’s a song that’s better experienced live vs. listening to on a pair of earbuds.  It may even be cool to listen to on a nice turntable cranked up loudly at home.  None of the songs on the record are singles and Oceania doesn’t disappoint.  It would’ve been nice if the title track could’ve been a bludgeoning array of sound like a SuperChrist or Gossamer.  We’ll just have to take an artsy piece for now.

Pale Horse is a great song and finishes out the “new” Pumpkins showcase.  The most “old school”  Pumpkin songs are at the tail end The Chimera and Glissandra where Billy shows that SP hasn’t forgetten where it came from; however, these songs don’t retread the characteristics of those rock songs they remind us of.  Inkless is the truest to the form here,and as of right now, is my favorite song on the album.

Billy and Co. have made a fantastic artistic statement with this record.  It stands to be the strongest effort from them since 1998′s Adore.  I do wish that Billy’s singing would be more engaging in the songs.  It’s more impassioned on this outing  especially on the non-rockers like Wildflower and One Diamond, One Heart; however, I miss the more emotional singing of the past where I can hear his whiny voice go into screams and whispers.  I also do miss the more intricate drumming of the past as well; however, I am glad to hear what Mike Byrne has to offer in his own collection of songs.  The man plays for the songs just as Jimmy Chamberlin did even if it’s not nearly as busy.

Oceania serves as a good vehicle of making the Smashing Pumpkins relevant again in an age where bands they influenced are able to do older Pumpkins better than they can.  It’s a new band effectively with a new sound and that’s exactly what you’re going to hear.

What Is A Producer?

Not in a million years would I have told you that when I grew up I would hold jobs whose descriptions are ambivalent and nebulous.  For example, I'm an "IT Architect".

"Soooo....what is it that you actually do?" is the number one question I get when I tell people I work for an IT firm.  I then have to resort to drawing from popular culture and quote the (in)famous Tom Smykowski line from Office Space to give people an idea as to what I do:

"Well look, I already told you! I deal with the goddamn customers so the engineers don't have to! I have people skills! I am good at dealing with people! Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?"

 Still don't know what I do?  Don't worry...most people still don't really know what the hell I do for a living.

Another job I have grown into is theatre production.  My aptitude for it is very high; it's not everyday you get to put mundane corporate skills to work.  It's akin to being the quarterback on a football team; when the team loses, it's all your fault; when the team wins, you had absolutely nothing to do with it - it was a "group" effort.

Soooo....what is it that you actually do?

When I tell people that I'm an actor, director, and producer, the first two items click in their minds.  The third one gets me weird looks like when I go to club frequented by 20 year-olds...

...but I digress.   Being a theatre producer means doing a lot of the same things corporate middle managers deal with:

• Contracts
• Personnel
• Budgets
• Promotions
• Politics

To date, I've produced over 25+ productions.  I can only think of one that didn't break even or make a  profit.  And at the end of the production, typically the best I can expect as a reward for my efforts to make it happen is staff and talent walk away saying, "Well, that was fun.  See you next time." as they go off to their next project,  Sometimes the acknowledgement is more and many times it's less.  After 7 years of doing it, I ask myself, "Why do it?"

I'll tell you why.  There is a satisfaction I get when a production of mine goes up, the audience is having a good time, talent is happy, and the venue is happy to have my production there.  Seeing the magic of what it took to get there finally pay off is a huge high for me.  It pays off to see my "baby" at work.  Of course, in my own blog, I'm going to take a ton of credit for these things working (yes, it's a group effort but fawk it ... I am taking my cot damn props for once!).  It's super rewarding.

Today I was on a call where some of my staff openly admitted, "There's a lot more to production than we originally thought".  My response?

"WELCOME TO MY WORLD!!!!"

It brought a big smile to my face and large cackle from my gizzard.  For once, people understood what is that I do as a producer.  If they were to ever ask anyone in theatre the question "Soooo....what is it that you actually do?", they will know what it means when they hear "producer"!!!!

Success Is The Best Way

Lately I have had the (dis)pleasure of understanding what The President of the United States most likely struggles with on a weekly basis; he gets the privilege of making important decisions that affect a lot of other people's lives.   Many times he doesn't have the luxury of taking into account all the aspects of those decisions because things must get done and there isn't time for a committee.  It's a blessing a curse; it's a blessing in that you don't have anyone you really have to answer to to answer on behalf of the people; it's a curse because if the shite goes down, there's no one else anyone will look at to place the blame nor is there anyone above you to let you know what you're doing is the right thing.  It's what being an Artistic Director is like :)

My theatre company Salsation recently had it's 2nd successful fundraiser.  I am only now soaking in what a feat was accomplished by the group as a whole.  For one thing, we had  inexperience in putting together fundraisers in general; granted, we had done one last year at the same place but the logistics of this one were different.  Not only did we need to repeat everything we did correctly last year with a great raffle, pre-sale ticketing, and food & drink for our guests, we had to expand on those items and add new things.  We added our own performance to the night's events, booked disparate supporting acts, provided lights and sound for the performances, instituted our first photobooth", hired photographers, videographers, and DJs, and had to decorate and manage the event.   The logistics were incredible for such a big undertaking.

Last year we decided to not perform or rehearse and instead focus on getting our fundraiser off the ground.  This year, we actually were rehearsing and performing improv up until the fundraiser executed.  We also had our first all-hands meeting in a long time to try to get everyone on board and heading in the same direction.  Getting 20 people to all agree to follow my lead was a big undertaking when I myself wasn't 100% sure how all of the ambitions of Company members were going to be forged into a performance season.  However, I threw it out there into the Universe to provide a way for it to all happen.

The fundraiser was a our first major event this year after our Sketchfest 2012 appearance and it worked out well thanks to the dedication of almost all members involved.  It's been a long time since I had seen such a level of support, comradary, and sacrifice from a group of people who basically believed enough in the Company to pull this thing off.

The "haterade" that has been dumped over our collective heads for a while has lessened a lot.  My belief in the Company is so strong that I am fueled by the naysayers' taunts and publicly unspoken, under-the-breath comments.  To watch this Company succeed when many thought it was over is awesome, and to watch it grow stronger is breath-taking.  Unfortunately, I am not above letting disrespect of my Company run it's course.  At the same time, I don't typically retaliate directly.  I come back at it by succeeding and surpassing expectations.  We're doing it - one day at a time.

Even with the amount of awesomeness that has occurred, we still will face challenges in the months ahead.  I am proud of where we've gone in the last few years and look forward to setting this year and next year up to be even greater!