the tritone! and something you need to go see

    Here we are, playing at the Tritone. And honestly, it was some of the most fun I have had in a while. 

    Don't get me wrong--I love musical theater; I love telling someone else's story.  But there is something special, some kind of magic that happens for me when I get to play my own stuff, tell my own story.  

  And last night was such an amalgamation of all my different worlds.  I had friends there from three different casts--Miss Saigon, Beauty and the Beast, and of course, ACL--friends from church, and wonderful family members (as well as a guy named Josh Stauffer who does not fit into any of those categories but is a friend nonetheless).  My parents, ordained ministers in their own right, cooly hung out with my theater friends while grooving to the music in this Philly bar. And that is just one of the reasons why my parents are so cool. 

   Some highlights of the evening:

• Drew playing a trombone solo. I mean--a trombone solo, people! How awesome is that?
• My brother, Jason, and I wearing matching fedoras. Sweet. 
• Covering the boysetsfire song, The Misery Index. My oldest brother Josh is a founding member of that band, so singing that song was so special.
• Seeing my family--at least a lot them--mingling with my friends.
• playing with my brother Josh, my good friend Christian, Drew, and singing with my sister-in-law, Rebekah.
• staying late and talking with friends I haven't seen for a while--all to the background music of a little cluster of men playing an assortment of brass instruments in the back of the bar. 
• Getting told by a friend that I have the most f@#*ing beautiful family. Ha. Like I didn't already know that.

    So anyway, it was such an amazing time for me and I cannot wait to do it again. In fact, if I could do that more often than not, it would be absolutely fine with me. If I could sing my songs for people most evenings, I wouldn't mind it one bit. 

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     And here's another thing. My brother Jason (who has been in LA these past two years attending UCLA's prestigious screenwriting graduate program)--along with the help of others--filmed a short that he wrote and directed this past summer. It stars the talented Rebekah Latshaw and I have seen the raw footage--it's awesome, scary, and funny. And yes, in that order. 

    He is doing a special East Coast screening of this short, The Electric Chainsaw Massacre, on New Year's Eve at 7:30 p.m. in Landenberg, PA. It is open to everybody to attend and if you want the details (like an address), just comment and I can get it to you.