And the nominees are...

Say, what do you know? Our own Robertson "Davies" Witmer and John "Hey John" Osebold are nominees for Theatre Puget Sound's 2010 Gregory Awards! They're both up for the Outstanding Music & Sound Design award alongside our pal from Miss Mamie, Brendan Hogan, and "A" sympathizer Matt Starritt.

In the Best Actor category, you'll find our friend and sometimes-narrator/harmonica player Charles "Chuck" Leggitt. West's lighting/video hero L.B. Morse is gunning for the Lighting Design high score, and our former rehearsal space landlord and internet radio booster Scotto Moore is on the list for Outstanding Playwright!

So you see, it really is who you know. Or rather, who we know. But you know us and we know them so okay, it is who you know.

Puzzlingly, West was left off the roster of Outstanding Production nominees this year. I knew we should have called it The Laramie Project...

Good luck Rob & John and also everybody!

The New York Times has come today

A shout-out from the NYT on our score of The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle.
And I quote:

"In the background, a group of musicians collectively known as Awesome lives up to its name."

So you know, we're huge in New York now, obvys.

100% OFF SALE

On JohnO's NEW December album!

BUYBUYBUYBUY

Just kidding, it's not a sale.
YOUYOUYOUYOUYOUYOU
He's giving it away free online.
NOWNOWNOWNOW
As free as the wind blows.
FREEFREEFREEFREEFREE
As free as the nose blows.
SALESALESALESALESALE
Olé! Olé! Let's all go swimming!
DROWNDROWNDROWNDROWN

Philosophy & Poetry

In a couple of weeks -- starting October 9 -- I'll be co-teaching (with the talented Jennifer Borges Foster) a class on Philosophy & Poetry at The Hugo House. It's a 6-week class (Oct 9-Nov 13), meeting 4pm-6pm on Thursdays. The class is primarily a writing class for people who want their poetry to have more philosophical substance without being clichéd or obvious or preachy, etc. We'll also learn about llamas.

If you're interested, or you have a friend that might be interested in taking the class, register by calling 206-322-7030.




(This has been a public service announcement brought to you by The Ball Machine and Floating Man.)

Bing and a Bang

About a year and a half ago, I emailed Paul Gude to ask if we could borrow his video camera. We were headed to Helena, MT to perform noSignal, and we wanted to document our very first road trip. His response is printed below:

John, I will make you a bargin.

You may take this camera to Mon-tah-na, but in exchange you must complete a Paul Gude tribute album within one year.

The album will be entitled, "Paul Gude Made Me Do This So I Could Borrow His Camera"

It should contain the following songs:

Monocarbon Driver
Mr. Destructo
I Walk the Walk
Open My Arm
Two Grand in My Hand
150 Flea
Bing and a Bang
Not Your Friend
Monkeytown

I will provide copies of my versions and lyrics. You are under no obligation to make it good. You can just beat on a bucket if you like.

I'm a little behind, but I just finished the first song, "Bing and a Bang", and you can listen to it here.

Ask me about my theatre project!

Printer's Devil/Sgt. Rigsby & His Amazing Silhouettes present: A Boy in the Beastly City

I'm ACTing! I'm ACTING AGAIN! I'm CLEEEEENing! I'm CLEANING MY BRAIN!

Yep, it's my first non-"Awesome", non-sketch comedy actor-ing in almost four years, and it's scratching an itch I didn't even know I had.

For those who don't recognize the name, Sgt. Rigsby (& His Amazing Silhouettes) is the alter-ego of writer/shadow-puppeteer/twisted genius Scot Augustson, who's been mounting his whimsical two-dimensional puppet plays for about ten years. This is my first time voicing a multitude of the characters populating his perverse universe (uniperverse?), but I've been a long-time fan, so obviously I'm beside myself (and only now do I realize how ridiculous my late-'40s mustache looks).

The quick rehearsal process basically consisted of making cartoon voices and sound effects and giggling like small children. Which isn't unlike "A" practice, I realize, but this here is a story about a young boy who ventures to a big city full of colorful dangers in order to rescue his big-testicle'd monkey friend. Four actors sit at a table festooned with old-timey mics and foley effects, and we voice all 50+ characters who are manipulated by two puppeteers behind an ornate shadow-screen facade. Surprises and hijinks, laughter and tears, living and loving and learning, all that.

So, you know, come on down to Theatre Off Jackson, in the International District, Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30pm from January 24 - February 16. Then we'll all go get a drink at a karaoke bar. You can click the link above the photo for lots more info.

Here ends the side-project plug: we'll return you to updates from the studio shortly.

Messiaen + Visconti + Radiohead

= Thursday night at Town Hall. For the second half (the music of Radiohead) I'm joining a cast of fantastiks -- cellist Joshua Roman, clarinetist Bill Kalinkos, violinist Amy Iwazumi, pianist Grace Fong, vocalist Sarah Rudinoff, and drummer Doug Marrapodi -- on guitar and theremin.

It's no carriage house, but it'll do.