Kaatsbaan

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THe begginings of my setup

I just returned from a 4-day artist retreat at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, a 153-acre artist sanctuary in Upstate New York. I had somehow never heard of this magical place until I was asked to collaborate on a new work there with Suzzanne Ponomarenko Dance.

Morning commute

The property is stunning and reminiscent of one of my favorite places, Storm King, with its rolling hills and sculptures scattered throughout the property. We spent our days in a gorgeous studio (with windows!) and our nights relaxing — one evening we watched Center Stage together. Everyone should have the opportunity to watch a dance movie with a group of actual dancers!

View from artist housing

Other than playing a few ballets and drumming for dance classes, I’ve never developed a dance piece before. It was a really interesting process: I was essentially watching the five dancers and trying to find music that complimented their movements. Alongside pianist/bassist Meghan Rose, we found moments for musical meditations and grooves both joyous and dark.

gotta stay caffeinated

The full piece will be presented at Triskelion Arts in Brooklyn on May 3 & 4. Maybe I’ll see you there!

Artist housing at night. for sure haunted.

Out Now: Black & Gold by Brass Queens

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The first full length album from Brass Queens is officially here! We recorded Black & Gold back in May at the Bunker in Brooklyn with engineers Alex Conroy and Megan Mishkin. The album contains 5 BQ originals, 10 covers, and features the following personnel:

Trumpet: Alex Joseph, Stephanie King, Minerva Johnson
Alto Sax: Ally Chapel
Tenor Sax: Jenna Murdoch
Trombone: Elizabeth Arce, Stephanie Young
Sousaphone: Nora Nalepka, Heather Ewer
Percussion: Caitlin Cawley
Drum set: Yours Truly

The Bunker has a lot of great vintage kits but I wanted the drums on this to sound as modern as BQ does so I brought in my Yamaha Tour Custom. To say I’m thrilled about the way the drums sound would be an understatement. I mean, listen to that 14” tom. It sounds MASSIVE! My Ludwig Supraphonic really cuts through the band and my Zildjian As blend nicely.

Here’s a short video of three drum clips: The first is an excerpt of Titi’s Kawa where I try to sneak in some licks inspired by two of my favorite drummers - John Bonham and Stanton Moore. Next is the halftime breakdown of Lady Marmalade. And finally, here’s some uninterrupted drum footage of Vision Quest. I don’t have video of the take that we used for the album, but I’m really happy with the drums throughout this song so I wanted to feature it anyway:

As always, Brass Queens has a jam packed schedule coming up, but I invite you to join us for an official release show for the album on November 18th at Littlefield. I hope to see you there!

Musikfest

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photo: Saed Hindash

I had the best time playing Musikfest over the weekend with Brass Queens. If you aren’t familiar, Musikfest is the nation’s largest free music festival, held in Bethlehem, PA. There were something like 400 different musical performances!

Our first set of the weekend was at the Levitt Pavilion at the base of Bethlehem’s iconic SteelStacks. It was 5pm and by the end of the show we were in full sun on the stage. We still had a blast and it was an awesome way to start out the weekend. Thanks to lehighvalleylive.com for the awesome profile (if anyone wants to talk about the no-analysis rule after reading this article, hit me up!).

Photo: Saed Hindash

The next day, we played an evening set on the PNC Stadplatz Stage which overlooks the valley. Prior to our set, the festival shut down for about 20 minutes due to lightning in the area. We were getting nervous that our set may be cut short, but everything quickly got back on track.

cumberland vibes for sure.

This was definitely my favorite set of the weekend. The energy on stage and in the audience was through the roof. We saw a lot of people from our first show at this one which is always nice. One of the main missions of BQ is to inspire women so it was awesome to see a few young girls right at the foot of the stage. It was HOT out. I drank an entire Vitamin Water during the show and wish I had another. Despite the heat, we unlocked a new level of energy, as seen in this video of Lady Marmalade which was filmed 80 minutes into our set.

I had to leave immediately after the performance as I was subbing my first show at Little Shop the next day (more on that another time). I wish I could’ve stayed longer but I definitely left happy and fulfilled. I hope we return to the Bethlehem region soon!

Workshop Season

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It’s officially summertime, which means workshop season is upon us! Earlier this month, I worked on a new musical adaptation of the play/film Prelude to a Kiss, which will receive its premiere at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa in spring 2024. I was brought on to the project by Wiley DeWeese who was the music director of The Lightning Thief. Along with guitarist Mike Rosengarten, we worked closely with composer Dan Messé to bring his vision to life. Here are some setup shots of the drums in the beautiful Baryshnikov Arts Center, as well as a view from the rehearsal room during the surreal smoke situation from the Canadian wildfires.:

Next up was a workshop in Washington, DC of My Joy Is Heavy, a new show by Shaun and Abigail Bengson, commissioned by Arena Stage. The Bengsons are some of the most talented people I’ve ever met, so I will gladly do anything they ask of me! It was also a dream come to work with Tony Award-winning director Rachel Chavkin, who I found out is a fellow Marylander! Speaking of Maryland, I was able to meet up with a few percussion friends as well as my two eldest nephews while I was in town. It was a treat! Apparently I did not take any pictures of my setup (drum set + SPD), but here is a photo of the program that was handed out during our two presentations:

Now I’m off for a week of work at Berklee Powerstation with my friend Julianne Merrill, followed by a much needed trip to the Hamptons for July 4. Until next time!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

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I can’t believe I haven’t written a blog update since February! I have been so busy lately that I literally wrote on my calendar “DON’T SCHEDULE ANYTHING” for today so I can take care of some loose ends and write to all you lovely people with what I’ve been up to. In addition to playing at Six, numerous cabarets, and with Brass Queens, I’ve had some pretty cool gigs come up lately.

practice, practice, practice!

I started off last Saturday performing with the National Children’s Chorus at Carnegie Hall. It’s been a few years since I’ve played Carnegie and I was delighted to see my name on a dressing room! I’ve only performed there with orchestras in the past and in those instances, the whole orchestra is in one big room backstage! I joined the group for a few different pieces on glockenspiel, djembe, and congas. The kids were fantastic —all 240 of them!

Following the performance at Carnegie, Cinco 12 played a benefit for a pre-school in Brooklyn. This same benefit in 2020 was my last gig before the pandemic hit! I was ecstatic to show up and see that we were performing al fresco as it was a beautiful night. Here is a clip of me soloing with the legendary Samuel Torres on congas:

a view from the drums at the cunard building for Nova Ball

Last week, I got to play Ars Nova’s gala for the second year in a row. The room was gorgeous and I got to play with two incredible performers: Bridget Everett and Shaina Taub. Here’s a pic of Bridget slaying with me in the background:

This weekend, I played in Easton, PA (home of Crayola!) with a super tight band, backing up Dee Roscioli and Ben Clark. We played a selection of covers under the stars on a lovely night. I hope we get to do it again soon! Special thanks to John SanFilippo of California Drum Shop for lending me a kit for the night.

I think that’s it for now! I’m looking forward to a summer of more gigs, fun, and seeing live music!

Brass Queens Take New Orleans

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I had simply THE BEST TIME in New Orleans over the last week with Brass Queens! We played 4 shows in 3 days and they were all a blast. I thought we played really well and the New Orleans audiences really know how to turn up. Everyone on and off stage had one gear: full send.

As you can see from the picture above, I was really down to get into the Mardi Gras spirit, as Carnival season was in full swing during our trip. There were multiple parades every day we were there and it was so cool to see all of the floats and dressed up folx as well as many amazing brass bands.

Our first show was at Zony Mash, an incredible brewery in Mid-City. We opened for the legendary Cha Wa band. I had never seen them before and I was blown away. The music was amazing and I learned a lot about the history of the Mardi Gras Indians.

I didn’t take any pics at our second show which was at The Rabbit Hole. That venue had one of the coolest backyards I had ever seen, complete with a neon dinosaur. I unfortunately didn’t take any pictures of it, or the backline drum set which was in excellent condition. All of the backline kits I used down there were in much better shape than the ones here in NYC.

The next show was definitely my highlight of the trip: Mardi Gras brunch at Music Box Village. I had been eyeing up this spot since they opened up a few years ago.

From their website: The Music Box Village is a place where play, imagination, experimentation, collaboration, community and hard work come together as a whimsical village of artist-made interactive “musical houses.” Each installation is inspired by the unique musical and architectural culture of our home city of New Orleans, and represents a collaborative process between artists based here and abroad. Our one-of-a-kind art site hosts intensive artist residencies, performances, panels, and welcomes visitors for exploration and play.

Let’s just say the brunch drinks must’ve been pretty strong because the audience was going NUTS for us. It was the best possible way to start the day!

After Music Box, I mostly took it easy and napped for the rest of the day as we then played from 9pm-2am (!) at Favela Chic on Frenchmen Street. Even with the napping I was still pretty tired but we once again had an amazing audience to carry us through. Here I am with percussionist Caitlin Howe at 1am on Frenchmen with my first beer of the night:

After surviving the insane Saturday schedule, I got to spend Sunday and most of Monday hanging around town with my wife. Enjoy some of those pictures as I continue to detox off of butter:

Workshops: Thebes/Rutka

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photo by Solon snider sway

I had the pleasure of workshopping two new musicals by friends last week. First up was THEBES, by Katie Hathaway, Emma Sway, and Solon Sinder Sway. I’ve worked with Emma and Katie a few times with their pop project, Hathaways, and was delighted that they asked me to join for their workshop. Here’s the official blurb for the show:

Night after night, the underground nightclub "Thebes" comes alive, as the ghosts of its former rulers - Oedipus, Jocasta, and their cursed offspring - reenact their infamous demise. When Zeus appears to shut the tired operation down, Thebes is faced with a choice that pits the living against the dead once and for all: Do you embrace your fate or can you write something new?

The music was outstanding, as expected, and I had the pleasure of working with Music Director Andrea Grody, who I first met while working on Suffs at the Public last year. I’m really happy with how our presentations went and I am hopefully for the future of THEBES!

Next up was Rutka, a new musical from some of my Hundred Days family, Sarah Gancher (book) and Jocelyn Mackenzie (music and lyrics) and Jeremy Lloyd Styles (music and lyrics). There’s a really nice piece in Playbill about the show. I worked with an amazing music team, led by Sharon Kenny. I was really impressed by the talented cast who helped bring this emotional story to life. I know this show will have a strong future ahead of it!

That's A Wrap: 2022

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After 2 years of a massive slowdown due to the pandemic, 2022 felt normal again in my world of freelancing. I wanted to share with you some of my highlights of the year. Thanks for following along, coming out to shows, and making me feel supported!

Gig of the Year
This one has to go to Brass Queens at Brooklyn Bowl all the way back on February 3. This was the BKBowl debut for the Queens, and my first time playing there since 2016, having performed there previously with Trumpet Wom’ and numerous times with PitchBlak. I just love playing the Bowl because the hospitality is top notch, the sound on stage is excellent, and the food is so dang good!

Cabaret of the Year
I am not sure off of the top of my head how many times I played at 54 Below or Green Room 42 this year, but it was by far more than any year previously. It was really hard to choose a favorite, but I am going to go with an evening of Julian Hornik’s music at 54 Below. It was my first time meeting Julian and crew but I was SO IMPRESSED by all of them. They’re so talented! They’re so young! Plus it was my first time meeting The Lazours, whose music I got to play every night during Melis Aker’s Hound Dog at Ars Nova.

Honorable mention goes to Jenna Pastuszek who presented two perfectly curated nights at the Green Room 42: an evening with Judy Garland and an evening with Barbra Streisand.

On stage and ready for Julian Hornik at 54 Below

Pop Show of the Year
For our fourth or fifth show ever, Cinco12 headlined the Bryant Park Accordion Festival with a tribute to the Queen of Tejano, Selena! I simply love this music and everyone in the band. I thought we played really well that night and there was some AMAZING people watching. Every time we play this music, I watch people sing their hearts out and dance along. Couple that with the usual insanity that is Bryant Park…that place was LIT!

i am so proud of my former roommate, jenny luna, who put this band together and absolutely slays the vocals

Theater Run of the Year
Another tough choice, but I’ve gotta go with New York City Children’s Theater’s production of Dory Fantasmagory. I thought the show was charming and cute, and from the drum chair I could see the smiles on the faces of all the kiddos in the audience. It is delightful to watch children fall in love with theater for the first time! Plus I REALLY loved hanging with music director Robert Frost. I hope to work with him and NYCCT again soon!

Subbing Show of the Year
I subbed on some amazing shows this year, including Between the Lines and Suffs, but the award here has to go to Six. All of these shows included an immense amount of preparation (including having to rent a drum set in LA so I could practice at my in-laws house last Thanksgiving), but they were highly rewarding. It’s thrilling to play Six: I’m on the stage, in Tony Award-winning costume, and pretty much playing for the majority of the show. Thanks to all of my friends and fam who came out to see me play this show over the last year. It’s the best when I have people I know in the audience.

At the theater before my first night playing the show, losing my mind

on stage at the lena horne theater for my last date at six for the year, still masked but way less nervous

*****
So that’s it! I’m taking off for the rest of the year to enjoy time with friends, family, and of course PHISH, and will be back strong in 2023 with a few dates at Six and a few workshops!

Until then…Ashley

Happy Opening/Closing: Hound Dog

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We just wrapped our shorter than expected run of Hound Dog at Ars Nova. Despite playing to full houses every night, our run was not extended as we were told it would be. We were all pretty disappointed by this decision. I won’t say much more on here about it, but theater is a business and we are all looking forward to our next endeavors.

I wanted to share some photos from our opening and closing parties. Closing was a particular highlight because it was held on the rooftop of our theater, Barrow Street Theater @ Greenwich House. After reading the wikipedia page for Greenwich House early on in the tech process, I learned that there was a playground atop the building. Because there’s also a preschool in the building, we weren’t permitted to explore other than the theater and basement dressing rooms. The building’s security guard, Calvin, kindly informed me and bassist Mel Hsu of that fact when we tried to take the elevator to the roof during our first week in the theater! Whoops!

Here are the photos, all by HanJie Chow.

The full company on our amazing set

Your truly

Hot band alert: The Flaming Sultans! Me, Sahar Milani, Maya Sharpe, and Mel Hsu

The Flaming Sultans at closing on the roof of Greenwich House