Those of you who weren't able to attend my “Under the Eclipse” music release party last Thursday have been asking how it went. Because I refuse to oversimplify such a significant life event – and it was too overwhelming to answer everyone individually – I'll attempt to paint a picture below :)
Invisible City's Clubhouse headquarters hosted the release. Located in a charming old factory in the heart of Denver's Santa Fe Arts District, the IC Clubhouse is a bohemian abode decorated with large plants, treasures from around the globe and salon style seating. Navel oranges brightened the space for the night and copies of my career-encapsulating recent Denver Westword feature were on hand. Friends and family filtered in as DJ Ginger Perry dropped ear worms from Stevie Nicks, Bowie, Qveen Herby and more. Reunions transpired and hugs were shared. Fancy cocktails were imbibed and laughter permeated the room. My dad told his favorite singing telegram story ad nauseam. ‘Twas a vibe.
The evening culminated with a music trio performance featuring vocalist Lex Alvis, guitarist Andy Babb and yours truly. Lex and I – LexaPeel for short – prepared a three-song set of comedy country covers involving costume changes, props and humorous banter. Little did we know that the first number, an innuendo-laden ditty from the mockumentary Walk Hard, soundtracked my step-brother Woody's proposal to his wife Mackenzie. And they were both present, likely delighted by the synchronicity of seeing people close to them performing a tune carrying such special significance. It wouldn't be the end of making people feel special.
Birthday grams are a singing telegram artist's bread and butter. And this telegram artist knows a dozen or more birthday numbers. But none are quite like “Birthday Medicine,” the tune we're releasing Friday, April 19 at my Archipelago-hosted Unbirthday Party and 20th “Singaversary” - 20 years of singing telegram deliveries. With Lex's birthday on the horizon, it was only fitting that we performed a rendition of it in her honor. I lit the candle protruding from a Scotcheroo treat Lex had concocted herself, and we waltzed our way through the medicine circle-originating birthday meditation. You're a gift to this earth. Bless the day of your birth. The most recognized song in the English language — “Happy Birthday” — can't hold a candle to “Birthday Medicine.”
The moment of truth had arrived. While Lex helped me into an orange fur coat, I shared the origin story of “Under the Eclipse” with those in attendance. Yes, there was a Craigslist ad involved. And no one really knows whether the ad author fathered an eclipse baby with a stranger he met on the classified ads site. Some speculate that he was a internet prankster instead. Either way, the mystery author probably doesn't realize someone wrote a song about his banana nuts personal ad yet. A song that Andy, Lex and I dutifully played for the devoted friends and family who'd come out to support us that night. The song culminated with a singalong. Gimme your lips. Gimme your hips. Under the eclipse.
Keep your eyes peeled for the Rocco Tortorella-edited music video, featuring footage from Brad Bingham, Thor Wixom and Rocco himself :)
Image: Daniel McEnrue Photography
Wardrobe Support: Shannon Ryan
Event & Sound Support: Debjit
Artwork: OjerOmyO
Earth without art is “eh.” Click on the image for an Earth Day playlist featuring Kacey Musgraves, Radiohead, Talking Heads, Eddie Vedder, Marvin Gaye, Pixies, The Beatles, Peter Gabriel and more..
Only relatively recently in our culture, about 500 years ago or so, did a distinction arise that cut society in two, forming separate classes of music performers and music listeners. Throughout most of the world, and for most of human history, music making was as natural an activity as breathing and walking – and everyone participated. Concert halls, dedicated to the performance of music, arose only in the last several centuries.
For his doctoral degree at Harvard, anthropology professor Jim Ferguson performed field work in Lesotho, a small nation completely surrounded by South Africa. There, studying and interacting with local villagers, Jim patiently earned their trust, until one day he was asked to join in one of their songs.
“I don't sing,” Jim said in a soft voice.
The villagers found his objection puzzling and inexplicable. The Sotho consider singing an ordinary, everyday activity, performed by everyone – young and old, men and women – not an activity reserved for a special few.
Our culture, and indeed our very language, makes a distinction between a class of expert performers (the Arthur Rubensteins, Ella Fitzgeralds and Paul McCartneys), and the rest of us. The rest of us pay money to hear the experts entertain us. Jim knew that he wasn't much of a singer or dancer. And to him, a public display of singing and dancing, implied he thought himself an expert.
The villagers just stared at Jim and said, “What do you mean you don't sing?! You talk?!”
It was as odd to them as if I'd told them I couldn't walk or dance, even though I have both my legs. Singing and dancing were a natural activity in everybody's lives – seamlessly integrated, and involving everyone. As in many of the world's languages, the Sotho verb for singing (ho bina) also means to dance. There is no distinction, since it is assumed singing involves bodily movement.
A couple of generations ago, before television, many families would sit around and play music together for entertainment. Nowadays, there is a great emphasis on technique and skill, and whether a musician is “good enough” to play for others. Music making has become a somewhat reserved activity. The rest of us listen.
-excerpt from This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin
It's hard to overstate the impact Weird Al has had on my life. Even Worse, the album containing Al’s Michael Jackson sendup “Fat,” was the second full-length cassette I ever owned. Comedy music was obviously compelling from a young age, and I've somehow channeled that early enthusiasm into a full-time “adult” business: singing telegrams. “Cavity Search,” a U2 spoof about going to the dentist, was the first Weird parody funneled into my repertoire. My sister was in dental school at the time, so I learned it to entertain her and her classmates. Al's hilariously bipolar version of “Happy Birthday” was next, as birthday grams make up the bulk of our bookings. “Yoda” has become another useful Al spoof in my universe; I serenaded a vertically-appropriate performer who'd been transformed into the wrinkled green Jedi at a Star Wars-themed drive-thru baby shower in March. Feel free to re-read that last sentence, as it's a doozy;) I also patronized a Weird Al-themed burlesque show - The Clocktower Cabaret’s Dare to Be Sexy - in January. I could go on, but you get the gist. Weird is wonderfully immeshed in my world.
Imagine my elation upon discovering that a film was slated to tackle Al's life. And in true Weird fashion, the movie parodies other music biopics. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is streaming for free on the Roku Channel beginning today.
WATCH NOW
With RUFUS DU SOL set to headline two nights at Colorado's legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater this weekend, interest is understandably high. I've been a casual fan for years and saw them once in Costa Rica, but it wasn't until recently - inspired by a new friend (you know who you are) - that I began learning several of their tunes on guitar and ukulele. Here's an acoustic rendition of "Innerbloom" that I recorded this morning at Archipelago Clubs:)
My friends and I attended a bona fide live show last Tuesday night. Crazy, right? The pandemic has gutted the 2020 concert season, but a handful of artists are doing drive-in movie theater tours and “Loop Daddy” Marc Rebillet is among them. For those not in the proverbial loop, Rebillet employs a loop station, keyboard and microphone to improvise beats and songs on the fly. He built his audience via YouTube videos and live streaming in silk robes. Tuesday was night two of Rebillet's two night stand at Fort Collins' Holiday Twin Drive-In. We had originally planned to attend night one (Monday), but one of my singing telegram customers was adamant about having me perform for a 21st birthday in Boulder that night. So I bought tickets for night two to make both feasible.
The Boulder birthday girl's name was Ingrid. Her friends allegedly call her “Ingy the Flamingy.” So the customer asked me if I'd rent a flamingo costume (as that wasn't something that was already in my arsenal). Denver costume shop Disguises had just what the doctor ordered, a bootylicious pink bird suit that had quite possibly been employed in a community theatre production of Alice in Wonderland (who can forget the Red Queen's croquet mallets?). Elsewhere, Rebillet and his tech crew were rocking drive-in theaters around the country. At each stop, Poppa Loop was cooking up the jams from inside a popup tent / green screen booth, enabling his team to seamlessly fuse video and other visual content with a live feed of the robe-sporting musical performer and project it onto the drive-in movie screen(s). Rebillet's VJ busted out footage of real life flamingos at one show, and Daddy did what Daddy does best: riffed on that shit. The result is “I'M A FLAMINGO (LIVE),” which has already amassed over 300,000 views on YouTube. The man has a flock.
I was blissfully unaware of Rebillet's new bird bit. But my friend Kelly attended night one of the Fort Collins' stand, and we were texting off and on throughout the evening. When I mentioned that my friends and I had decided to attend night two (instead of night one), so I could fulfill my flamingo singing telegram duties and still see the show, Kelly brought up Rebillet's new flamingo video. In pre-pandemic times, rental costumes were often due back the following day (which would've been before the following night's Rebillet show). But pandemic hours are currently limited, so I could don the big-beaked beauty at the drive-in show and still get it back to the costume shop on time. I had a hunch Daddy would get a kick out of that. It was serendipity. Synchronicity.
My friend Michelle is currently obsessed with the improv master. Since discovering him a few months ago, she's tuned into his live streams religiously. And every time Rebillet solicits calls from viewers, Michelle is on the phone, furiously dialing and re-dialing – to no avail. But wearing a highly conspicuous / ridiculous costume to a show is a surefire way to get attention. Soon after we arrived, the event photographer was shooting me in the flamingo. The tech team eventually rode up in a golf cart to inform us that they were the ones behind the flamingo footage that had inspired Daddy. They also tipped us off that Rebillet would occasionally interview audience members who were near his green screen booth. Their intel would would serve us well.
We bought face masks with Rebillet's agape mouth on them from merch. Our friend Melinda bought a couple beers. I bought a Beyond Meat burger. We made some new friends. Then we posted up in our camping chairs and waited. What appeared to be a decades-old Red Lobster commercial began playing on the twin screens. It replayed several times – seemingly stuck on an accidental loop – before minor and then violent changes played out between the characters. Rebillet careened around the parking lot in a golf cart to drum up excitement for his set. And off he went, conjuring songs from thin air. The moment of truth was soon upon us. I waddled my bootylicious flamingo over to Rebillet's vicinity. Michelle wasn't far behind, clutching an inflatable flamingo drink holder that I'd lent her for the show. Daddy quickly spotted my bird garb and asked me if I knew about his recent flamingo concoction. I told him I'd rented the suit for a singing telegram the previous evening. Michelle told him that the inflatable cup holder was his kid. Hilarity ensued.
And Michelle finally got her wish.
While I’m often great at conceiving parody songs, I’ve got to give credit to my breakdancing real estate agent friend for this idea. Enjoy:)
“Butterflies,” the insect-infused ear worm I recorded with Nigerian producer Daniel Iyere, is coming out soon. Several remixes will accompany the release, including an eclectic banger by Denver-based DJ/producer Joman. Wanna hear Joman’s remix ahead of the actual release? Turn up the second half of Mile High Dance Sessions 086, featuring a guest mix from Joman, via link below.
LISTEN HERE
My music producer is a recording studio stud. Some of you know I've got an insect-infused single coming out soon called “Butterflies.” Daniel Iyere, the Nigeria-born producer who helmed “Butterflies,” is the mastermind behind a Denver-based future R&B project called HVN. For anyone familiar with kid astronaut, the recent Westword award winner and onetime Air Dubai vocalist is featured on HVN's upcoming single “Fighter.” Its accompanying music video, directed by Jasmine McGee, was shot in nearby Nederland and right here in The Mile High. The short film-caliber clip took three days to make, and stars Kaylee Carey, the beautiful young actress featured in the photo above. It’s an impressive cinematic achievement, especially considering the act’s lack of label backing.
Curiosity piqued yet? Join me for the premiere screening next Sunday, August 12 at Alamo Drafthouse Sloan's Lake.
RSVP NOW
Last year, I penned a bug-infused tune called “Butterflies.” While attending an edible insect tasting hosted by Denver's Rocky Mountain Micro Ranch, I played it for bug wrangler Wendy Lu McGill. McGill then heard (and shared) a version of Kacey Musgraves' then-unreleased, similarly bug-infused “Butterflies” on NPR. I've been an enormous fan of Musgraves ever since a potential customer first turned me onto her early single “Follow Your Arrow” for a possible graduation singing telegram gig. My friend Kelsey and I went to see the Texas-raised singer at Denver's Bluebird Theater on my 4/20 birthday a few years ago, and it was one of the most fun shows I've ever seen. Musgraves and her gentlemen band covered an eclectic array of artists including Bob Marley, Gnarls Barkley, TLC and Roy Rogers. In between sets, each member of the group showed off a hidden talent: drumstick-juggling, joint-rolling and square dance were among them. They even passed out munchies to the stoner holiday crowd in attendance.
Musgraves and I certainly aren't the only two songwriters to pen songs about the physical sensation known as butterflies in the stomach. Michael Jackson included one on his greatest hits album HIStory. But the timing was auspicious, especially considering my demonstrated appreciation for Musgraves' artistry. Both tunes are love songs with multiple insect allusions/references. And even though the melody of each hook is certainly different, the cadence of the two hooks is eerily similar. Yet neither of us had heard the other's version when we each composed our respective ditty. When two or more scientists in different parts of the world come up with the same idea at the same time (Calculus, oxygen, black holes, the Mobius strip, the existence of the stratosphere and the theory of evolution are examples), it's known as multiple discovery. In her book Big Magic, Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert theorizes that the artistic version of multiple discovery is possible. Maybe that's what happened with Kacey and I. Maybe we tapped the same muse at the same time. I'd like to think so:)
Give Musgraves' recently released version a listen here, and stay tuned for details on my own "Butterflies" release.
A few years ago, Late Late Show host James Corden and singer Demi Lovato joined forces to ambush a few unsuspecting folks with personalized singing telegrams. Click on the image above to watch the hilarity ensue.
Come party with The Fungineers on Thursday, November 30 at Mile High Spirits - Denver's distillery!
The Fungineers are a super group of musical magical weirdoes that make Life more Fun by creating fantastically colorful music, videos, live shows, clothing, toys and more. They bring all their flavors out to shine in their unusual live performance, a fresh mix of original tracks, live looping beatboxing, interactive improv, freestyle songs, crazy visuals, costumed choreography, delivered by an explosive cast of crazy characters. It’s a full sensory adventure that is silly, sexy and surreal.
RSVP NOW
Seeing Rabbit in the Moon live is a memorable experience. Being a part of the show is even more so. I would know – I was a body-painted monkey for the band's performance at Ultra Music Fest in Miami once. How in the world did I land that gig? My longtime friend Ms Easy was responsible for casting both dancers and primates. Knowing I was going to be in town, she offered me a role. Florida-based artist Wildchild airbrushed a fake six pack on my stomach when the day of the show rolled around. Later that night, he was furiously safety pinning faux fur to my waist in a nearby trailer as the stage manager was demanding my presence backstage. When our big moment came, we shuffled around on stage a la Planet of the Apes. If what's left of my memory serves me correctly, it was a barrel of monkeys.
Tomorrow night, Rabbit in the Moon plays its first Denver show in eight years. The main event is sold out, but you can still pick up tickets for the after-party below.
GET TICKETS
MC Yogi tours and performs regularly with a yoga and lifestyle festival called Wanderlust. A few years ago, I was booked to stilt in Aspen while Wanderlust was in town. Still in my Uncle Sam garb, I caught the homestretch (om stretch?) of MC Yogi's set. Believing he called out Uncle Sam at one point, I eagerly hopped up on stage. The conscious rapper was soon mashing up the Beatles tune “Let It Be” and I started singing along. Seeing that I knew the tune, he passed me the mic for a refrain or two. It was an auspicious first meeting.
MC Yogi recently released his autobiography Spiritual Graffiti. I just finished listening to the Audible audiobook version the other day, shedding a few happy tears along the way and appreciating the lyricist's trademark perspective and delivery. Spiritual Graffiti namaslays – get the down dog lowdown via the book's Om page below:)
SPIRITUAL GRAFFITI OM PAGE
Every day feels like Halloween at Custom Singing Telegrams, but actual Halloween is creeping up on us and we're thrilled. Ever wanted to scare your boss or your co-workers? Carpe diem – Seize the day:) Here's how:
1) Conspire with 3 of your co-workers
2) Pitch $25 each
3) We'll send a Grim Reaper anywhere in Denver Metro:)
Don't wait for October 31 – Make our hotline bling today:)
CustomSingingTelegrams.com
Concept: Melissa Ivey
Costume: Nancy Pants
Location: Justin Moss
Image: Michael Hystead
