"I'll Do It After The Strike..."

I've been a member of SAG since 1979 and have witnessed several big strikes since then.

And after all this time, I can tell you the one mistake we performers constantly make (and will continue to make) during a strike;

We treat it like a vacation.

Which it isn't.

It's an opportunity.

It's a chance to go to the gym more.

It's a chance for us to get in that dance class, voice class, acting class and improve our skills.

It's a chance to READ more and become more literate.

It's a chance to volunteer in something meaningful instead of waiting for the union to set up a Blood Drive.

Write a letter to the editor.

Meditate in an open field -- even when it's raining.

Do something instead of nothing.

Or do nothing.

But don't blame the writer's strike for it!

Our Demo Tracks...

Every gig we do is a learning experience.

And if it's not, then we're not paying enough attention to what we're doing.

That's why, when my students/clients/pals record these vocal samples, I only give them three takes straight through the track to deliver.

My reasoning is thus:

1) With digital recording, three complete vocal takes should give me plenty of material to "comp" the vocals, which means that I simply take the best phrases -- sometimes, even, the best word -- and put them all together in a single vocal take. If there are too many takes to choose from, or if we start "punching in" single words, etc., the performance gets lost because we are seeking perfection over performance. I'll always take performance first because it's real and real humans are seldom perfect;

2) With three full takes on one song, the singer has to "go for the gold" each time. It's a good practice to get in to. The singer is pushed to get to what that song means pretty quickly. No "warming up" for five or six takes and then expecting magic. Music producers come in all shapes and sizes with different demands and a singer has to be prepared for a session that could last fifteen minutes or five hours. If a singer goes for the gold on each take, giving it his or her all each time, then a producer is less inclined to throw out entire takes and ask for another one while also respecting that the singer is there delivering a high quality, fully energized product (the vocal line) in as efficient a manner as possible (studio time costs money -- be a hero, not a diva).

Finally, digital pitch correction.

I don't use it. The demos you hear are demos. Some major artists now touring are using pitch correction software in their live shows.

We don't call that art. We call that "cashin' checks"!

Featured Singer: Amy Langer Schwartz

A few years back, Amy Langer Schwartz did a national tour of "A Chorus Line" where she sang the 11th hour standard "What I Did For Love."

Only thing is, on that tour, Amy had no confidence in her voice, no real vocal technique, and, to top it off, she used to ask the sound guys to turn down her microphone whenever she hit the high notes.

That's what I love about our featured singer Amy Langer Schwartz. She is brutally honest, tremendously dedicated, funny, engaging, phenomenally talented and to top it off, she's now a bona fide belter, baby!

Click on the little widget above to hear what I'm talking about.

Amy Langer Schwartz.

Even her name sounds like a trustworthy product.

V.O.: "Amy Langer Schwartz...a ton o' talent in a tiny package...available now at finer theatres everywhere."

Happy New Year! (Uh, Time To Get In Shape...)

I just turned 50 the other day. Nathalie insisted that I go to the doctor because when you turn 50 that's the first thing you're supposed to do.

So I went to my old, fat doctor who told me I need to lose 36 lbs., whereupon, with his expert analysis, I, too, suddenly became old and fat. Ah, the magic of modern medicine..

Of course, that BMI (Body Mass Index) chart he brought out was all lies. I haven't weighed 189 since I started gaining weight after playing Danny Zuko in 1982. Plus, I'm sure the doctor's scale was all messed up and they weighed me with my shoes on, and you know, all that accounts for at least an extra 10, 12 lbs. right there.

So, by rights, I should only have to lose about ten or 15 lbs.

But that doesn't get me "in shape," does it?

I mean, if I lost ten or 15 lbs., I still wouldn't be running any marathons anytime soon would I?

Maybe a potato sack race, but that's a BIG maybe.

I think the point is; to have a longer, happier life with my friends, family, and students, I need to get in shape and stay in shape.

Same thing applies to singers and voices.

So, this year, let's all get in shape and, fer Pete's sake, let's stay in shape.

Might as well.

2008 is going to be a huge year for us all!