Rachel Potter: Joe's Pub July 29, 2012: The Voice of an Angel

A few weeks ago, I saw Rachel Potter in the Broadway revival of "Evita," where she plays the "Mistress," and I was blown away by her performance. So when I found out she was going to be performing at Joe's Pub in support of her debut country EP "Live the Dream," with special guests Katie Thompson and Laura Osnes, along with Marty Thomas and Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf performing in her band, it was a no-brainer for me to attend.

I am so, so happy I decided to attend tonight's concert! First of all, one of the things I love about Joe's Pub is the intimacy of the space. The furthest seat is no more than 20-30 feet from the stage. With the newly re-designed space, almost every seat is a good one. While the seating is still tight, I do like the fact that I can now pick my seat when purchasing a ticket.

Opening for Rachel was rising country band "The Vanity Belles," consiting of Carrie Welling and Jessi Rae Waltz. These two girls were fierce with really beautiful voices. They only played three songs, but I enjoyed them and am looking forward to their full length debut album "Take Two" slated for release on October 4.

As for Rachel, SHE WAS ON FIRE!!! Her solo music is brilliant!! Her voice is that of a true angel!! I would put Rachel in a special elite category of truly talented singers!! As evidently displayed tonight, she can switch between genres (country, pop, and theatre) effortlessly! Most of tonight's songs were off of Rachel's debut country's EP "Live The Dream." I loved every song! The three songs from her EP that really touched me were "Live The Dream," "September Song," and "Hold On To Me."

"Live The Dream" is a great song about going after your dream even when people try to disuade you. I truly enjoy motivational songs like this. It's a reminder of why I do "Call Me Adam" and that I should never give up what I want to obtain in life. "September Song" is a song that Rachel wrote about her dad who's a recovering addict and "Hold On To Me" is a song Rachel wrote about losing her brother. I loved that Rachel exposed herself with these two songs. The emotional content of both songs really got me.

Katie Thompson and Rachel Potter singing Lady Gaga's "You and I"Katie Thompson was the first special guest tonight! I have been a Katie Thompson fan for quite a few years now, so I already knew Katie was a powerhouse vocalist, but to see Katie and Rachel sing together was magical! They complimented each other SO SO well! Katie teamed up with Rachel to sing Lady Gaga's "You and I." I don't think I can fully describe just how amazing Katie and Rachel sound together. It was like being in heaven! I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to see these two sing together! It's a moment in time I will forever remember! Let me also say, I really hope Katie and Rachel record an album of duets together or at least a few songs (hint hint). It would also be amazing if they do a full concert together! If they do a full concert together, the roof of whatever building they perform in will not only be raised, but recolated because these two will surely blow it far!

Taking the stage next with Rachel was Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes. Laura also has one of the most beautiful voices I have heard. Laura and Rachel did a beautiful mash-up of "How 'bout a Dance" which Laura sung in "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Another Suitcase In Another Hall" which Rachel sings in "Evita." This went over really well and their voices meshed together beautifully! One song together would have been sweet, but luckily they sang another song together. Since the one and only Reba McEntire attended Rachel's EP release concert this past May, Laura and Rachel sang Reba's "Does He Love You." What can I say? This was just pure delight to hear! They did this song justice.

Laura Osnes and Rachel Potter: "How 'bout a Dance"

Laura Osnes and Rachel Potter: "Does He Love You"

Rachel finished out the night on her own, evening debuting a brand new song. Rachel is such a talented singer and songwriter! I know this is just the beginning for her! Between theatre and music, Rachel is going to have quite the career! Rachel is touring around the city in support of her debut country EP "Live The Dream." The two scheduled dates are August 26 at Hill Country BBQ (30 West 26th Street) and October 4 at The Cutting Room (44 East 32nd Street).

For more on Rachel be sure to visit http://www.rachelpottermusic.com and follow her on Facebook, and Twitter, and You Tube!

Night of A Thousand Judys

Justin SayreOn Monday, June 13, I attended "The Meeting's" special June edition entitled "Night of A Thousand Judys" at Joe's Pub in NYC. Produced by Justin Sayre, Adam Rosen, Dan Fortune, Paul Winkler, and Will Fisher, "Night of A Thousand Judys" was a benefit for The Ali Forney Center in NYC which is nation's largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth. AFC's goal is to provide homeless LGBT youths, aged 16-24, with the support and services they need to escape the streets and begin to live healthy and independent lives.

"The Meeting," a monthly comedy/variety show for homosexuals and their friends, is hosted by Justin Sayre. Once again, Justin triumphed as host because he is a talented comedian, has incredible stage presence, and a booming personality that engages the audience quickly.

"Night of A Thousand Judys" payed homage to one of the greatest gay icons, Judy Garland. Justin, et al assembled an amazing line up of talent from theatre, cabaret, and stand-up comedy for skits and songs made famous by Judy.

Kim SmithThe line-up included the hysterically funny and talented Jackie Hoffman (Broadway's "Addams Family," "Xanadu," "Hairspray")who scored big with her rendition of "Swanee," for which she received a standing ovation from the sold-out house! Jackie started off with her signature humor which is golden and moved into sining "Swanee" big and strong! Justin, Jack Ferver ("Rumble Ghost at PS 122," "SWAN!"), Randy Rainbow ("Randy Rainbow is Dating Mel Gibson"), Jeff Hiller ("Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson"), and Ryan O'Connor ("Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star," "Ryan O'Connor Eats His Feelings"), performed 2 skits about being at The Stonewall (a gay bar), during the "The Stonewall Riots" talking about the night Judy Garland died. These 5 performers together are a riot, each bringing their own humor to the skit. It was brilliant! Kim Smith (Bistro Award for "Outstanding Performer on the Rise") did phenominal job with "Alone Together," especially by putting his signature stamp on it. Kim performs his songs in Weimar-inspired style that bring together authentic musical material with stylistic takes on current popular tunes. He's truly amazing! Also in this line-up was Natalie Joy Johnson (Broadway's Jeff Hiller"Legally Blonde"), who has some of the most powerful vocals I've heard! Natalie can take any song and belt the heck out of it and Monday was no exception when she sang "The Man That Got Away." Another performer with big vocals is Lady Rizo (Grammy winning singer), who I never heard sing before, but I sure am glad I was introduced to her. Lady Rizo has a voice and she knows how to use it! Lady Rizo sang a wonderfully beautiful version of "Smile," to which the audience loved. Taking the stage right after Lady Rizo was Emily Bergl who I watched this past season as "Beth" on "Desperate Housewives" and now have had the fortunate experience of hearing her sing. Emily has a fantastic voice which radiated as she sang "Zing, Went The Strings of My Heart." It was quite a dramatic performance, which the audience ate up! Luckily, Emily is going to keep singing as she will be performing her own cabaret show this summer at The Algonquin Hotel in NYC. Gay Marshall ("Jacques BrelRyan O'Connor Is Alive…") delighted the audience with her gorgeous and powerful vocals on "Rockabye Your Rockabye Baby." Gay belts it out like nobody's business, such a talent. Then there was Larry Hamilton and Jamaal Wilson who performed a rousing duet of "Get Happy"/"Happy Days Are Here Again." These are also two guys I never heard of, but am thrilled I have now. The vocals they have are unreal! So powerful, skilled, and controlled, it's no wonder the audience went wild! Cole Escola (Logo TV's "Jeffery & Cole Casserole") added to the comedy of the night when he came out dressed in his glittering short shorts and seductively sang "Atchinson, Topeka, Santa Fe." Later in the night, he and Justin did a duet of "A Couple of Swells" which was quite hysterical! Summer & Eve (the folk-musical comedy band featuring Nadia Quinn of "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson") also took the stage and sang "Purple People Eater" which was quite enjoyable. Ending this terrificly hilarious evening was a video of Judy Garland singing "Over The Rainbow," which was the perfect ending to a great evening!

I can't say enough how amazing this evening was! It was a night of laughter, but at the core, it was a night benefiting a really worthwhile cause, The Ali Forney Center. They do terrific work and have helped thousands of homeless GLBT teens get their lives back together.

All of the organizers and performers should be very proud of themselves for together such a successful night! "The Meeting" normally takes place at The Duplex in NYC and will be back in session in September! Hope to see you at "The Meeting" then!

Songs I Drew

Lance HorneOn Thursday, April 14, 2011, I had an amazing evening at Joe's Pub while attending Drew Brody's concert, "Songs I Drew," with music direction by Lance Horne. I have been a fan of Drew's for a little over 2 years now and I was so excited when it was announced that he was having an evening of his music presented at Joe's Pub.

This evening was very special for many reasons. Personally, I got to sit in the VIP section at Joe's Pub for the very first time and to my delight singer and fellow "Adaumbelle's Quest" participant Jay Brannan sat with me (Drew co-produced Jay's album "In Living Cover"). I also got to meet the incomparable Lance Horne, who's debut album "First Things Last" has become a quick favorite of mine (click here for my review).

The real thrill of the evening was getting to hear Drew's music, a combination of his folk music and music he has written for the stage from his shows "Derma" & "Cutman: A Boxing Musical." Drew and Lance assembled a stellar line up of talent! I was introduced to so many new performers that I was left wanting so much more!

Drew started the evening off singing one of my favorite songs of his, "Ballad of Mildred Loving (Loving in Virginia)" along with Amal and Pamela Quinn on vocals and Jeff on guitar. This is a song inspired by the famous 1967 "Loving vs. Virigina" Supreme Court Case. Drew captured the whole story with this captivating song.

Some of my other favorite songs throughout the evening were from "Cutman: A Boxing Musical" (a new original musical making its premiere at the Goodspeed in CT from May 12-June 5) in which Drew wrote the music and lyrics.  "Cutman" is about a Jewish Boxer named Ari Hoffman who finally decides goes pro and is set for the title fight, only to learn it's been scheduled for the eve of Yom Kippur. Ari has to decided whether to follow his faith or his ambition. Well, Drew had some strong talent perform this music. Ana Nogueira took to the stage and when she sang, I was engulfed! The voice on this girl is like no other! I was so impressed with her vocal talent that I immediately found her after the show and asked her if she would be willing to do an interview with me. I am happy to report, her interview will be posting soon! Ana performed two songs, "Come Back" and "Stay With Him" (with Laura Dean). Recording artist Matt Morris also took to the stage and performed "Faithful," the moment in the show where "Ari" ponders following his faith or ambition. Matt has the voice of an angel. He sang and I was mesmerized!

Other shining moments came when Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Alan Cumming, and Christian Campbell all sang. Both Stephanie and Christian sang original Drew Brody songs. Stephanie sang "Christmas On My Own," which she hand picked and it went perfectly with her voice! Christian shined on "I Will Tell You Know" with his big, strong vocals, while Alan dazzled with "So What?" from Drew's show "Derma," where the character sings that it's okay to be different. 

Photo Credit: Matt MorrisThe night ended on two high notes...one when Amber Martin sang "Survive" from "Derma" and the second when Drew and Amal performed Drew's song "Prove Me Wrong."

Drew and Lance sure put together a fantastic night of music and talent! Drew's song writing ability is right up there with some of the greats. He writes songs that speak to a wide range of people and has the talent to convey them through his singing as well as others who perform his music!

Photo Credit: Ned Stresen-ReuterWhen there is another evening of "Songs I Drew," I highly, highly suggest to attend! Until then, I recommend picking up Drew's CD "Drew Brody" or heading to the Goodspeed in CT between May 12 and June 5 to see "Cutman: A Boxing Musical."

Ryan Scott Oliver's "Songbook Release Concert"

On February 7, 2011, I attended Ryan Scott Oliver's sold-out "Songbook Release Concert" at Joe's Pub. Ryan Scott Oliver is one of today's rising songwriters/composers and tonight the performers he had really demonstrated why Ryan is on the rise.

Ryan has his own way of writing music and that is what makes Ryan's music so great! With songs about love, hope, fear, and loss, Ryan doesn't try to be the next anybody, he just tries to be himself. He's fortunate because he achieves it! Ryan also  knows how to choose the right performers to sing his music. He assembled quite a roster of rising theatre performers to help bring his music to life!

Adam & Lindsay MendezStarting off the night was Lindsay Mendez, Alex Brightman, Jay Armstrong Johnson and Grace Wall singing "The Ballad of Sara Berry" from Ryan's musical "35MM." This song is about a girl who is feeling the pressure from her family to be crowned prom queen, forcing her to resort to many different tactics to win, including murder. Lindsay used her skilled vocals to take the audience through the many emotions and events running through Sara Berry leading to the ultimate win...but to find out what that ultimate win is, you'll have listen to the song for that!

Continuing on the high that was left by Lindsay, was Grace Wall who sang "A Hypochondriac's Song" about a girl who is plagued by her fear of death, she struggles through everyday life as she strives to find a man who will put up with her crazy phobias from Ryan's musical "Out Of My Head." Grace's beautiful voice shined as she brought this girls fear and hopes to life. Alex Brightman was the next performer to dazzle the audience. He was on fire belting the crazy out of "Lost Boy" from Ryan's musical "Darling." "Lost Boy" is a new take on "Peter Pan" where Peter recounts the hardships in his life that made him feel as if he doesn't belong. I'm not even sure Alex needed a microphone tonight, but it just added to the vocal power that radiated from Alex and mesmerized the audience.

Next up was "Crayon Girl" from Ryan's musical "Out Of My Head." Sung by Jessica Hershberg, "Crayon Girl" is about an artist who struggles to translate her visions onto paper and starts to question whether or not she should continue her career as an artist due to the negativity she receives from her mother. Jessica scored big with this song allowing the audience to really feel everything "Crayon Girl" was going through. (On a personal note: This song reminds me I should ask more often "Was there ever at time a you thought about quitting and if so what career would you choose?)

Andrew Keenan-Bolger & AdamTaking the stage right after Jessica was Andrew Keenan-Bolger who sang "Stupid Boys," a song Ryan wrote about a guy who is anxiously waiting for his love interest to call, but while waiting, this man proclaims that boys are stupid; however when he realizes his "Special Someone" isn't going to call, the guy recognizes that he, in fact, is the stupid one. This song should be released as a single, it's so identifiable. I know many people, myself included, who have been in this exact situation. Through his voice, Andrew brilliantly displayed the emotions of anticipation, hope, excitement, disappointment, and ultimately realization of what that this guy was feeling.

I'm not quite sure the audience was ready for what happened next, but the phenomenal brilliance that is Katie Thompson took the stage. If it were possible to dazzle an audience beyond captivation, then Katie Thompson did just that when she took Ryan's song "To Do" (about a hopeful romantic who vows to move forward after a series of unrequited loves) and not only reworked the arrangements, but riffed the roof right off of Joe's Pub. In all my years of seeing people sing, I have never seen the talent and skill that is Katie Thompson's musical talent and vocal ability.  She is one of a kind and Ryan is genius for having her perform it like only Katie can do!

Following Katie, were Jay Armstron Johnson and Alex Brightman who sang "Halfway," a song written by Ryan about two lovers who live on opposite coasts meet each other in the middle of the country, their anticipation building as the separate road trips progress. Through their body language and voices, Jay and Alex really took the audience on this road trip allowing us to believe they were really lovers coming to meet.

Ryan definitely delighted me on many levels with tonight's show, but one of my many favorite moments came when Lindsay Mendez performed "Make Me A Picture Of The Sun" (A setting of Emily Dickinson's classic poem) because Ryan introduced this song by saying the arrangements and music were influenced by "Sooner or Later" from the motion picture "Dick Tracy," which happens to be one of my favorite songs sung by Madonna. Lindsay's voice guided the words perfectly, making this song just as beautiful as Lindsay's voice.

Grace Wall came back to the stage and sang "On Monday" from Ryan's musical "35MM." "On Monday" is about a fast-moving girl who learns that the greatest love takes the greatest while. Once again, another brilliant song by Ryan that should be released as a single because so many people I know, including myself, get so excited when we find someone we really like and want to rush it along, but have to remember to stop and let love take it's course. Grace did just that...she let the audience stop and enjoy her voice while she led us down this path of inspiration.

Continuing on the path of inspiration was Colin Donnell singing "What It's Worth" from Ryan's musical "Out Of My Head." "What It's Worth" is about a man who proclaims that when you love someone, you sometimes need to go through the painful process of letting them go. Colin's vocal skills definitely brought together the emotions of love and loss, allowing his voice to guide him and the audience through this painful process. (I bet if I asked this character, If you could dream about anyone while you sleep, who would it be, he would answer the love he let go).

Bringing the evening to a comedic halt was none other than Jeff Hiller (who many of you will remember Jeff's grand comedic moments as "John Quincy Adams" in Broadway's "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson"). When Jeff enters a room or walks out on stage, there is no doubt that laughter will be close behind and tonight did not disappoint. Jeff sang "The Plane (is Going Down)" a song by Ryan Scott Oliver about a man who is forced to face his fear of flying when he is asked to go on a business trip. A common fear amongst people, Ryan has very smartly taken a serious subject and turned into a song that allows one to share it in a light and fun way. Leave it to Jeff Hiller to bring the light and fun to it. From his vocal inflection to his facial expressions to his body language, Jeff had the sold-out crowd in stitches! When I interviewed Jeff last October he mentioned in his interview that he was taking voice lessons...well let me tell you, those voice lessons have clearly paid off because Jeff's voice was in FINE SHAPE! I hope Jeff does more concerts so more people can hear just how great of singer he is!

Bringing back the serious, but with much hope was Krysta Rodriguez who sang "The View From Here" from Ryan's musical "Darling." "The View From Here" has 16-year-old Ursula Morgan sitting on her windowsill, reflecting on her neglected childhood and hopes for a better future. Krysta's voice is gorgeous and she knows how to use it bringing the much needed emotion to this sad, but uplifting song.

Ryan totally surprised the audience when he premiered a new song "Agnes" which is about a boy named Jasper who journeys through the Afterlife intent on rescuing his recently deceased best friend Agnes. In this song, he is attempting to persuade the three-headed guard dog Cerberus to allow him passage. To premiere this song, Ryan brought Alex Brightman back to the stage, which was a wise choice because Alex has the stellar vocal talents to communicate Ryan's musical message.

Closing the night was Eric Michael Krop, Grace Wall, Katie Gassert, Michael Lowney, and Geoff Kidwell singing "Odyssey," a multi-genre song about a soldier who abandons a defeated, war-torn land, returning home to the comfort of his lover. Eric Michael Krop was the perfect choice for this song as his vocal skills cross many genres (which he demonstrates well on his EP "Run") and perfectly showed the wariness of soldier's fight coupled with the excitement of coming home to his lover.

Adam & Ryan Scott OliverWhat made tonight so special for me, personally, was the fact that out of the 16 performers singing, I have been fortunate to interview almost half of them for "Adaumbelle's Quest" (the songwriter/composer himself Ryan Scott Oliver, Jeff Hilller, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Lindsay Mendez, Eric Michael-Krop, and Katie Thompson). It was a huge delight for me to see my fellow participants strut their stuff and belt out their songs, but it was also great to be introduced to many other talented performers including Alex Brightman, Colin Donnell, Jessica Hecksberg, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Krysta Rodriguez, and Grace Wall.

The next time Ryan Scott Oliver has a concert, I highly suggest checking it out because not only will you hear enjoyable music, but you will be treated to a host of talent on the rise who will be entertaining us for years to come!