Devin Richards as Javert

Yes folks I am playing Javert and having a blast!!!
Kudos to diverse casting!
Check out my North Shore Music Theatre blog for Les Miserables blog at
nsmtblog.blogspot.com

Hi folks!
I'm currently appearing as Javert in "Les Miserables" at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts. (about 20 minutes from Boston).
If you find yourself in the area, come see the show.
It is definitely top notch, Broadway caliber!
The show also stars Fred Inkley and Jacquelyn Piro Donovan both who did the show on Broadway.
Along with them is a cast that includes quite a few people from the tour along with us newbies.
The cast sounds incredible!
It's definitely a must see!

I'm also writing the blog for the show which talks about all the events and folks in the show etc.
You can find it by clicking here.
Cheers!

DEVIN

So another cool thing happened to me this week.
I am walking to the train to go back to my day job. (broadway show 110 in the Shade at Studio 54)
and I pass by this guy who I recognize. He's going up the stairs and on the phone.
I turn around and follow him up the stairs and tap him on the shoulder ( i know how rude of me, i never do this kinda thing but i forgot myself). I tap him on the shoulder and ask him if he is Kurt Elling. And he says yes I am and hangs up his phone.
Now Kurt Elling is one of my two favorite contemporary jazz vocalists. (maybe three. al jarreau, j.d. walter, and kurt). He just came out with an incredible album called Nightmoves which I listen to on my ipod on the way to work. So what a coincidence to run into him at the same time. He is from Chicago and still lives there but just bought a place in NYC which I think is pretty cool.
He is one of the great jazz philosophers. His creations and voice are always different insightful and amazing and the man can scat like nobody's business. I pulled a scat of his for my show. Sometimes he is called the singer's Everyman because he sings like he talks. He sings so simply no real affectation.
Anyway he says yes and then turns to descend to the subway with me and talk to me.
And we talk all the way to my stop and trade emails.
Learned a little bit about each other etc. which was very cool
Very nice guy!
Made my week.
If you believe in signs.
I took it as a sign that I was going in the right direction career wise.

If you are into jazz and you haven't heard Nightmoves, Kurt Elling's new album, it is definitely a do not miss!

So the music has continues after a wonderful debut at the Metropolitan Room. I'm sure I will post some songs or footage from it soon.

One of the things that came out of the show though was that I was asked to sing at The Town Hall in a series they do there called Broadway By the Year. I think most readers know now that Broadway has been my day job for a while and I've been very fortunate to be able to call it that. Anyway at the Town Hall the do a series where the pick a year and the perform a lot of the songs from musicals of that year.
So this was the second time I was asked to do this concert. (they do four each year or so)
I was able to do two numbers from a show called Golden Boy. A show I've actually done before in concert and a show which I actually love the music. I do musical theatre as a livelihood but believe it or not I'm not a big musical theatre fan. You won't find it in my ipod. I was as a child though that's why I got into the biz.
Anyway, not only was I given two solos, but I was also asked to do the unplugged number as one of the solos.
The unplugged number is the number which is done in the theatre with the band using no mike.
So you have to fill the theatre with your voice.
I was a little nervous because I had never done that before despite having a big voice,
and it was a definite do or die moment to do something like that.
But I also knew that it was something that would get me noticed a little more. And i would be performing with a bunch of big broadway names and tony winners and I am none of those.
So I accepted.
Well thank God! I was asked to do that number.
The evening of the show they were having all kind of mike trouble. And during my first numer
"This is the Life" my mike kept going in and out. And they told me this would happen right before I went onstage. I was so mad but kept it inside.
However, this worked to my advantage because the host, Scott Siegel, mentioned the mike trouble that had happened throughout the show and used it to make a further impact to my introduction for the second solo which would be unplugged.
So it all turned out for the better and I landed the solo and enjoyed doing it!
And I got some nice mentions in several of the reviews to boot.

How cool to fill a theatre with your voice!

How cool to have the ability!
It's an amazing feeling!

SO THE SHOW WENT GREAT!!!!!!!!!!

I was so happy with the outcome!
I almost sold out which really surprised me.
Thanks to everyone who came out and supported me.
The musicians rocked!
The Metropolitan Room loved me and want me to come back and do it
again in the Fall!
Meanwhile I also got a gig in a concert in Town Hall on Monday June 18th at Town Hall doing a series called Broadway By the Year. Singing two Sammy Davis Jr. numbers.
Plus I will be doing another 1 hour show at the Iridium Jazz Club with the Barry Levitt trio.
Also we recorded and videotaped the show and are looking to do a live album of the show if I can raise the money for it. It isn't much and I think I can.
But it was tracked recorded and listens well as a full show and is easy to follow.
I was quite surprised and satisfied.
it's great to go for a project and complete it so successfully.
And so many friends and colleagues supported me and came out and enjoyed.

I am so grateful!!

Nervous?
Me?
Actually nervous, excited and ecstatic!!!
Looking forward to it!

Well if my rehearsal sunday night is any indication of how my show will go Monday Night
Metropolitan Room, 22nd street bet 5th and 6th, 9:30pm!! Then it is going to be a good time had a minimum by me. I think I have a little something for a lot of people and all music I am happy to be doing.
The band began to really gel tonight and we had a "sound". That's what I was missing the first couple of rehearsals. But it takes time to feel each other out. Tonight we played a lot and had fun.
So I hope to stay that loose and just come and have fun. That is my thing.
The biggest thing for me to remember is what both Alton White and Audra Mcdonald mentioned to her is that I have nothing to prove. I've invited all these people into my living room to share with them. They already like me so now it's time to just lovingly share.
I'm looking forward to it.
This has been a great experience.

I also sang at the After Party at the Laurie Beechman friday night as the guest artist and that was very well received. First of all they had huge posters of my face all over the place which was weird to me. It's the first time I've seen pics of me as the guest star and then for it to be that big. WOW!
The set went well. I had to bring the crowd around because they were a talky bunch but I think I got them with singing and then with a little Minnie the Moocha where they had to sing too. They loved that stuff. It's a broadway crowd there. Even though singing broadway stuff the traditional way isn't my thing after hours, still the crowd accepted what I did sing.
So it was a good prequel to my show and i had people i didn't know say they were coming.

My producers friend MaryAnn LoPinto who is also a photographer had already put out flyers for my show everywhere in the room as well which saved me a while lot of trouble. She's been very sweet and supportive as well.
Plus photographer Mark Ruff from Broadwayworld.com came out to take my picture and they gave me a nice spread on the web page the day after.
Broadway World Photos

So lots of cool things happening. Also the first time I have my pic and adverisement for me as a solo artist in time out and variety which was a surprise to see.

And finally the reservation number is already way beyond anything i expected. I am amazed and happy to see it will be quite full!

I'm stoked!!

So it's all pretty wild and exciting to me.

I hope it continues past tomorrow night!!

Thanks to everyone who is supporting me!!!
I so appreciate it more than you know.

Well I am getting close to the finish line!
Pretty exciting!

Had my rehearsal with my band this past weekend.
It was too much fun.
Really takes it to another level when you get the musicians in adding their flavor to what you are doing and everybody combining their feels to make music.
Amazing the new things that came out of it as well with ideas and grooves and feels.
I got a great group of guys to play this show!!

Right now it is as hectic as can be.
Invites, scheduling, sending out materials, reminders, renting studio time, phone calls etc.
I worked so hard yesterday on all the "business" of the show it finally dawned on me late afternoon that I had not worked on the show itself that day. Pretty crazy!
So I stopped what I was doing and took the time to go over everything I in the show to make sure I know what I wanna do and am on my game.
Gotta do that everyday this week.
I like to figure out what I wanna do, have a very strong outline and then go with the experience when I get there. That's the point of doing a live show.
Sharing the energy of the audience with your energy and creating a nice, entertaining and enjoyable experience with music.

Then also got a new gig at Iridium Jazz club doing a one hour set with the Barry Levitt Trio.
Don't know the date yet but will post it when I know.
Also got another gig on Fire Island this summer in July. So it's nice for things like that to come in as well. Keep the momentum going and have something more to look forward to after this show.
Very exciting.

All right back to work!

Well the show is getting closer and closer and I'm still having an incredible time with it all!


There is a part though that I have to admit I don't love so much. Advertising. I love it being done but in this biz you gotta do a lot of it yourself. My producer has handled the online portion of advertising and some of the mailings etc.
 But doing the footwork and getting the postcards and posters which has turned out to be a nightmare for me with having to redo cards due to mispelling or wrong phone number etc. 
Handing out the postcards and sending out invites and telling people to come see me is not fun. It's more unnerving.
But it is necessary if you want people to show up so that's the way it goes. I'm also not a natural shmoozer, (some people are great at it and I admire that) but it takes work for me. I'm getting better at it though. It is a skill I think like everything else. One that I hope to continue to improve at.

I get to work with my director this week which I am definitely looking forward to. My director, Alton Fitzgerald White, is currently starring on Broadway as "Mister" opposite Fantasia in the "The Color Purple".
He is a long time friend and someone who's eye I trust so I look forward to hearing what he has to suggest to take it all to the next level.

The music is still coming along great. The ear on my music director, Dan Furman is ridiculous! (that's a compliment) He just hears things so quickly and we throw ideas back and forth very well. I think it is definitely a good match for me and hope that relationship continues long after this show.

Well that's about it for this blog. Keepin on going and thankful that I still have a mom on mother's day! A lot of my friends have lost out that way and I'm glad to say I am not one of the people who has to miss my mom today. And my condolences to those who do!

So it's time to announce the people helping me with my show. I don't think I've done that thus far.

First of all I'm produced by a man named Ralph Lampkin with Lampkin Music Click
here for his myspace page.
Nice producer who discovered me singing at a concert at Town Hall last year and we hit it off thereafter.

I've got a great band playing for me. Check out their pages. Learn more about them. Go see them perform! They are all great in their own right! I'll be rising to the challenge to keep up with them!

Music director and pianist: Dan Furman. Also on myspace

Bass: 2007 MAC nominated Ritt Henn. Also on myspace

Percussionist: Doug Hinrichs. Also on myspace .

Synths: John DiPinto


Directing/supervising the show, keeping me in line is a dear friend, Alton Fitzgerald White.

He's a wonderful actor and performer who you can currently see starring as Mister
in the Color Purple opposite American Idol Winner Fantasia.
That's my team.
I
really lucked out.

I had a great rehearsal with my music director this past week.
We are starting to nail the arrangements and lock in what we are going to do.

Discovered a new song that had to replace a song that I love a lot. But that's
the breaks.

You can't sing every song you know. Can you? In my head it would be fun.

But you wanna leave wantin' more.
So that is the event of the week.
Gotta take a week off now to rehearse for 110 in the Shade and record the cast album on the 23rd.

What a week!
First of all I went to the Metropolitan Room last Saturday to see an incredible jazz singer named Marilyn Mae. I worked with her in Texas about 20 years ago. I was a kid. She completely packed the house and had a ton of return audience members. She is 78 years old and has the energy of a sixteen year old. Her ear & voice are impeccable and I'm very picky about that. She gives you a show and a half that lasts about an hour forty five minutes. (she ain't lazy) you never get tired of her and at the end she sings the jazz standard Take 5 faster than ANYBODY I know. THEN when she is done she chats with her audience and takes pictures etc right up until it's time for her next show. No lag, no rest and busts it out again. It was also very cool when she got to the point in her show where she announces the names in the audience she actually announced me as well as one of the "names" and mentioned that I was doing a broadway show and that we had worked together and asked me how old I was to which I said "5" and the audience laughed. It was totally unexpected and pretty cool. I have to say I appreciated her voice and ear back then. But now I am mature enough to recognize the class, pizazz, and confidence she brings to a room. That is the most elegant show I have seen at the Metropolitan Room.
A real lesson in nightclub performing. She's no joke! See her if you ever have the chance.

I also got to meet with my incredible percussionist, Doug Hinrichs, for the first time.
Such a creative guy!
He can take an idea and just spin it into magic. We played with some ideas for my show, I would tell him what I was thinking and he would spin it into a groove that was even wilder than I imagined. He has such a passion and a talent that is not to be missed. If you don't have either of his albums, "Q&A" or "World in A Groove", they are both available on itunes or go to his website www.doughinrichs.com

Too keep things going I met with longtime composer Bernie Bierman a 98 year old writer who has been writing music for the past 50 some years. He has written songs recorded by Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, and Billy Eckstine to name a few.
What an amazing man and inspiration. And what an amazing honor to be asked by someone like him to interpret a song of his that has never been recorded.
He is someone with great ideas and a very modern way of thinking.
Anybody complaining about being too old to use a computer he is on the internet and using the internet like a pro. He even wrote a song called the Internet Song about internet dating, which will be on his next and final album.
Anyway, we had a great meeting and he gave me one of his songs that has never been recorded that I will potentially record on his final album that he is currently recording.
He also introduced me to a lot of his other music and told me many wonderful stories over lunch.
He is definitely the king of parody. He still makes up lyrics on the spot and jokes.
His humor is amazing and it's what keeps him going he tells me.
His whole concept I really love. He kept telling me you gotta put things out there and try it in order for one of them to hit. Most of them don't but some of them might. You won't know until you do it. And he also is an advocate for trying different things and making the audience go with you. Taking the risk. Instead of living in the comfort zone of just safely singing only the songs everyone knows. I agree with him. That's why I'm doing my own show. To sing what I want. I think it's great to sing all of the greats from the past but I equally think it is great to sing the new folks and show what they have to offer, especially if you strongly connect to the songs. Or put a new twist on old things. It's music, it's my show, there are no rules. But it was great to hear a 98 year old man say that to me.
Normally we think older people are stuck in the past.
Bernie Bierman is just the opposite.
I admire him in music and his zest for life.

Then my biggest joy this week was that I finished working on a recording of one of the songs that I will do in my show on June 4th. It is called Song of Surrender. It's one of the songs written by Steve Schalchlin that I discovered on a cd he had given me. (You can also read more about us working together and his other stories on The Bonus Round Blog
Anyway, I loved the song, Song of Surrender immediately and performed it with him a couple of times on open mic and it went over very well.
Since then I've been working on it with him via internet and I think it came out great.
You can checkout the song on my myspace homepage.
I've never collaborated like this before and I love it.
We are going to work on a lot more music together including working on another new song that may end up in my show. It's nice to have someone so wonderful and talented in your corner!

So like I said.. What a week!
What a great week!

Blog 12
So this week i had the chance to work with my new musical director
I had to change musical directors because my former musical director & friend just became too busy with a lot of other bigger projects for which he's been hired. That is something that can happen when you are working with talented musicians. They are in demand. And as he is a good friend I am glad for him to keep getting bigger and better projects. We are all trying to get ahead. And good friends gotta support each other.
So my former musical director actually recommended my new musical director whom he had introduced me to several months prior and with whom I have sung a few times since.
So now I am working with an incredible musician by the name of Dan Furman
He's an incredible musician, jazz/soul pianist, arranger etc. I just went to see his funktet, "Primordial Jazz" play last weekend at the Blue Mahoe in NYC.
(If you ever want incredible carribean food, you have to go to Blue Mahoe in NYC. The food is off the hook!)
Anyway, back to Dan Furman. I get to do one of his original jazz tunes in my show. It's a song that I love so much I have had it as my ringtone for the past 2 or 3 months!
So the first meeting with Dan went incredibly well.
We went down the list of songs and decided what needed arranging what songs were already done. He already had new ideas for grooves and was just amazing with the ideas.
So that re-ignited my excitement for getting started on the show.
Plus I have to mention my cool bass player Ritt Henn just got nominated for a MAC Award (Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs) for songwriting.
I am also lucky enough to be performing one of his songs with him as well.

I'm really planning in the show to sing a mixture of sings people are familiar with along with songs that are written by friends who I love to sing and deserve to be heard.

These past few weeks, I've felt a bit like I'm on hold because I'm right now in the middle of rehearsals for the Broadway revival of 110 in the shade which goes into tech rehearsals this week before starting previews on April 13th. It's going to be a great show.

I'm also going to meet another wonderful composer that I met singing at the Metropolitan Room a couple of weeks ago by the name of Bernie Bierman.
He's 98 years old, still plays a mean piano, been writing music for at least 50 some odd years. Terrific guy. So he asked me to sing some of his music and me being an admirer of his songs that I've heard so far, of course said yes. So I am looking forward to that and will talk more about that next time.

Meanwhile, I so happy that I get to continue to work with my dearest composer and friend
Steve Schalchlin via the internet.
We are recording songs of his that I already learned as well as creating new songs.
It's the first time I've done this kind of thing as I think I said before.
It's pretty amazing to be able to do this.

So I've got a lot going on as always.
It's a fortunate to be busy like this.
Love it!!

Yeah it's been a minute since I've written. Didn't have anything to write but that has changed.

This past week I had to say goodbye to a composer who has also become a very good friend, Steve Schalchlin . He just recast his hit Off Broadway show "The Big Voice" in NYC and returned to LA to work on other projects before playing the hit show, original cast, in San Francisco in August.
I've never had the privilege of working with a composer directly on his book of songs. It's a cool experience to get to do that and to choose what you want to sing. It's cool to have a wonderful composer wants you to sing his songs. I've worked with famous people and famous composers etc. but never that intensely. And fortunately I will continue to work with him in the future through online thanks to the wonders of computers and technology.

I also am beginning to meet with my musicians and see what we are going to come up with in terms of arrangements. Lots of friends have allowed me to sing their songs, including Steve Schalchlin, and I am totally grateful for that. I love singing all the popular, known songs and so forth but I figure the old composers are all famous already and I have wonderful friends old and new who are incredibly talented writers and should be heard and whose music I am excited about and love to sing. Mind you I asked them to sing their songs and they were all pleased and surprisingly honored. So I am mixing up the familiar with the personal. And having a ball doing it.

I also sang again at the Metrojam at the Metropolitan Room one last time to get a feel for the room before I do my show there on June 4th at 9:30pm. I had a ball. They have a lot of talented people who come out to sing mostly jazz. Lots with albums already, nightclub shows that they do etc. The four piece band is wonderful and can play just about anything from memory, and the atmosphere was fun loving and supportive. Great place to work your chops.

So it's all progressing well and I'm thankful!

I've got my musicians!! All but one. I asked the first people I was interested in and they said yes. Both my bass player and my percussionist. I didn't expect that to happen. Good musicians tend to be busy in this city so it isn't even a personal thing that they wouldn't be able to do it. But that they can is a wonderful thing.
So that is settled and now I can just continue to work and to work on marketing. The hardest part of the job. How do you get people to come see you. Especially people you don't know and who don't know you?

I went to sing at the Metropolitan Room last week at their new open mike just to get a feel for the room.
Surprising not to be able to hear as well as I would've assumed. But other than that, the feeling of the room is quite nice and intimate. The lights make it a little tricky to see your audience but that just takes getting used to I think. In this kind of setting I wanna really be able to see and connect with the people. Not just be up performing in front of them.
Anyway, they were very cool at the Metropolitan Room. The man who runs the place Lennie, gave me a very nice compliment and also emailed my producer and complimented me which was a nice thing.
Also the gentlemen running the open mic invited me to come sing at the members only Friar's club cabaret night which was pretty cool.
So I went to the Friar's club, members only, have to be on taken in my a member or on the list whatever to go in.
The ambiance is completely different. Very old world which for me was very intimidating but I was determined not to show it. I showed up music in hand (that was a faux pas) and had to figure out where to put it since it was not needed. This is more of a place where you go up sing old jazz tunes, very frank sinatra, tony bennett, sammy davis (which is what i imagined & felt like when i was there). So i went up to the keyboard player, Marty Silver, cool guy and called out a tune. Uptempo version of Summertime.
Well the crowd was a loud one as can happen in a club type atmosphere. But they got soft as I sang which is a great compliment. I got their attention. (I've sung in many clubs where that is not a possibility)
There were two very cool old school clarinetists with whom I improvised as well and we had a ball. Sang my second number and they enjoyed that as well.
Then later in the night they actually called me back up and off I went again.
It was a very successful night and people asked me where they could come see me and that type of thing which was very cool. Gave out a lot of cards etc. so hopefully going back there will help bring more audience. Also one of the clarinetists, Saul, wants me to come sing at the their Sunday Brunch which will be cool because he plays with a 10 piece on Sundays. To perform with that sound is just amazing. So I look forward to doing that soon as well.

But now I'm trying to figure out how to develop an audience. Not just for my show on June 4th at the Metropolitan Room (nice plug eh?) but in general. How do you get people to want to keep coming to see you?
I know I have to prove myself out there as a solo artist.
Marketing is a tricky thing though and actually getting people especially in New York to choose you over all the other things they can be doing in the city.
So this is the next step of the road to the show.

This week I begin rehearsals for my "day job". Doing the Broadway Revival of "110 in the Shade"
So time and organization will become even more challenging.

But it's worth it.

I'm still having fun!