Happy Wednesday Everyone!
The next Spotlight on YOU Open Mic is coming right up next FRIDAY!!! Have you picked out your song and blocked out your calendars?
I wanted to help you tackle the mid-week hump with my interview with our upcoming Spotlight Guest, the 2017 MAC Award Winning Group " THOSE GIRLS".
Many of you may already know one or more of them, but just in case you don't or want to find out more about them, here's where I come in! Starting with a little bio!
For starters, "Those Girls" is the 2017 Manhattan Association of Carbaret and Clubs winner for best vocal group. Those Girls is a new harmony project that promises a great time filled with great music! Eve, Rachel, Karen & Wendy joined forces just over a year ago to form this contemporary, four-member women’s vocal group that performs an eclectic mix of styles and genre - from pop to jazz, country to rock and everything in between. Those Girls strive to create unique arrangements of songs, and to bring their own brand of humor to performances of all shapes & sizes (…and to not talk about cats too much on stage, which hardly ever happens anymore.) www.ThoseGirlsSing.com "A unique blend of unusual repertoire, killer arrangements, individual performances and exciting harmonies!"- Times Square Chronicles (T2C)
I am truly blessed to have known and worked with all the girls through the years and call them my friends. They are individually fabulous performers and together they are AWESOME! I just can't get enough of them! Love THEM!!
For the interview, I've asked them the following questions:
1) For starters, I am sure all my readers wants to know how did the idea to form a group came about? Can you share with us some interesting facts that most people don’t know about Those Girls?
We were all in Lennie Watts' Arrangement Experience workshops and would often sing back up for other singers. We noticed the blend we had together and how much we liked singing with each other - the rest fell into place from there.
Interesting facts: Rachel once rode the Olympic Luge run in Calgary. Wendy was at an actual chicken race last weekend. Eve has seen Rufus Wainwright in concert many, many times. Karen is prepping as we speak for National Cookie Month - follow on Facebook for a new treat every day in October.
2) What is the dynamic in the group? Each of you are fantastic singers in your own right, what is it like singing as a group? What are the challenges? Does each of you have a particularly interesting story that you'd like to share with the readers?
We love singing as a group. When you hit that great chord there's just nothing better - it creates a buzz in the air! The challenges are probably the same as when any group of people get together. We have great respect for each other's musical abilities and that helps in all things. We're all open to new musical ideas and willing to learn any part. We appreciate when one person shines on a solo, and the other three do our best to enhance the number with the back ups we do. And we're serious about creating great arrangements and providing a high quality, polished, entertaining set for our audiences. We don't always agree, but what works for us is that we talk things out right away, and we laugh a lot. We work hard to ensure each of us feels heard and that they've contributed to the final show or set, whether it's suggesting a song or mash-up, arrangement input, patter, etc. We're four strong, passionate and opinionated people (six when you add in Lennie & Steven), yet more often than not we're all on the same page.
Interesting story - In a "Spinal Tap" moment. we got ourselves locked in the dressing room at Pangea without cell phones or a way out before our last gig. Thankfully, the bartender heard our four-part panic and let us out just in time for the show.
3) What motivates your continual creativity and passion for life? Name five things that never fails to put smiles on your faces!
We love music and singing and harmony - singing is energizing. We're always trying to push the envelope creatively, while staying mindful that we do this for fun. The fun of creating something cool and different that sounds great is motivating, particularly when it's making something new out of something that's been around for a while. Bringing joy to people, or moving them, is motivating.
5 things that put smiles on our faces:
- When Lennie brings chocolate to rehearsal.
- Hearing killer voice parts from Steven for the very first time.
- Any choreography rehearsal, especially if we make Lennie laugh.
- When anyone brings chocolate to rehearsal.
- Snapchats from Eve, Wendy, and Lennie (which usually signals rehearsal is grinding down or we've had too much sugar.)
4) Share with us what you have in the pipeline for us to be on the lookout for!
-Holiday show with Lennie Watts - Fridays December 8th and 15th at 8pm at DTM
-Singing a concert at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Chelsea on November 3rd at 7pm
-Singing at Staten Island's Winter Wonderland Igloo Bar Nov. 26th and Dec. 21st - 6pm to 8:30pm
-We'll be bringing this year's all new Beechman show back there early next year, and watch for some return dates for Pangea as well. More details will be on our website -www.thosegirlssing.com
Excited? Curious to find out more? Join us next Friday, October 13th to get a preview of THOSE GIRLS which I guarantee will make you want MORE, marking your calendars for their upcoming shows!
See you at the Spotlight!!