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March 1, 2015:

THE FIRST OF MARCH

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, once again it is very late because once again I have gone out after our show to have food.  That is something I really do enjoy, but it’s not exactly the way to losing weight or getting home in time to write these here notes.  But, I’m on it, it’s happening, words are appearing in great succession and soon there will be authentic notes posted.  But first, may I just point out that we have marched into March?  Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, it is March.  And it is my fervent hope and prayer that March will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.

Yesterday wasn’t exactly what I would call a day of relaxation.  I got about seven hours of sleep, was up at ten, did stuff on the computer and then went to my lunch meeting for the ALS benefit.  We all caught up, figured out what the next week’s work would entail and went over lots of details.  I had eggs benedict.  Then I came right home, but instead of relaxing, I went to work on a song I’d begun the day before.  I hadn’t actually written any music and had just written some lyrics, basically sketching out parts of the song.  So, I took that sheet to the piano and in short order I had the main part of the tune down.  Just prior to going to the piano I’d written a bridge, lyrics-wise.  I decided to record the first part just to get the tune down so I wouldn’t forget it – there was one part of that that wasn’t working so I knew I’d adjust that, but when I got to the bridge the music just came to me as I was recording.  After I finished, I tried to recreate what I’d done but couldn’t even remember.  The minute I heard the recording I saw what I’d done and it was really just right.  I spent most of the rest of the afternoon cleaning it up and finessing it.  In terms of lyrics, I still have three or four lines I’m not happy with yet, so I’ll finesse those when better lines come to me.  But the idea of the song is fun and the tune is really catchy.  I’m just having a great time doing the songs for this little show – I don’t write all that much anymore, and certainly nothing like this since The Brain from Planet X.  In the end, I think we’ll probably have ten to twelve songs, at least nine of which will be new.

After that, I got ready and then moseyed on over to the theater to see our second of three weekend performances.  I really wasn’t planning to be there much, but we’ve had reviewers all weekend and I knew quite a few of the people who were coming.  Last night’s show had better energy, although a couple of the comic things have gotten too lax and too far afield from what they’d been – when they were sharp they always, like clockwork, got big laughs, but the last two shows that hasn’t been the case.  So, I’ve sent notes about it to the folks involved.  Our audience wasn’t a hugely loud group, but the two show-stoppers stopped the show and got incredibly vocal reactions, and the curtain calls were such that you’d just thought we’d had the greatest audience ever, which must mean they liked it.  I knew quite a few people in attendance, so I got to have some nice chats before and at intermission.

After the show, a few of us went to Harry’s coffee shop just a few blocks away.  I had some roast beef melt – really good, and some fries.  When I got home, I went to the piano and happily remembered all of what I’d done.

Today, I shall relax in the morning and finesse the Kritzerland commentary, and then I’ll go to the matinee.  As it turns out, I know a LOT of people coming, including a couple of folks I haven’t seen in over a decade, so I decided to not go to George Carlin’s daughter’s show and instead see ours and then maybe go out after and catch up with these folks.  I’m hoping we have a decent crowd for the matinee – last night we had over seventy-five people in our ninety-eight seat theater, so that was pretty good.

Tomorrow I don’t really know what’s going on, other than I’m seeing Emily Skinner do her cabaret act in the evening.  I keep thinking there’s definitely something happening during the day and I’m sure if there is someone will remind me.  Tuesday, I have a meeting with Sandy and a radio promoter and then we have our first Kritzerland rehearsal.  We had to make a last minute cast change due to illness, but we really lucked out and got Valerie Perri, who thankfully knew all three of the songs she has to do, songs she’s done in concert many, many times.  The rest of the week is meetings and meals, our second Kritzerland rehearsal, next weekend’s performances, our stumble-through, then sound check and show.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, relax, finesse, attend a matinee, eat, and relax.  Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them.  So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to be in a brand new month called March – and it is my fervent hope and prayer that March will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.

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