Something New - A Musical Theatre Podcast

Called “electrifying” by The Huffington Post and “spectacular” by the New York Times, Grace McLean (gracemclean.com) is a multi-hyphenate actress-composer-singer-writer-teacher on the rise. In addition to performing in Off-Broadway hits like NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 and BEDBUGS!!!, Grace also makes time for her acclaimed original music, both as a solo artist and with her band, Grace McLean & Them Apples. Manhattan User's Guide writes, "this pop and jazz singer writes seriously infectious melodies with seriously antic lyrics. Her voice can raise the roof, or she can slide off a note and break your heart." In 2015, she will be performing in the world premiere of the Michael Mayer-helmed musical BROOKLYNITE at The Vineyard Theater, and her band will open the Lincoln Center American Songbook series with a free concert on January 21st, 2015. Song Presentation: "My Breadline Christmas Song" from Joel B. New's MACKENZIE & THE MISSING BOY (joelbnew.com). Acco

JBN sits down with the ever so charming Freddie Kimmel. Freddie's favorite theatrical credits include: Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID (Scuttle) @ NSMT, BILLY ELLIOT (Tony u/s) National Tour, SUERPFLY (Ralphie) Broadway Workshop, A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Marley) @ NSMT, ON THE TOWN (Chip) @ Lucille Lortelle, RAGTIME (Houdini) @ Milwaukee Rep, White Christmas (Phil) @ Virginia Repertory Theater, LES MISERABLES (Feuilly) @ P.C.L.O. Television: "Forever" on ABC. In addition to performing, Mr. Kimmel is also a health coach, wellness advocate, and runs the site freddiesetgo.com, giving you weekly doses of inspiration, healthy tips, and food recipes. Proud cancer survivor! Song Presentation: "Somebody Else's" from MACKENZIE & THE MISSING BOY. Music and lyrics by Joel B. New (joelbnew.com). Interview recorded via Skype on Saturday, December 20th, 2014.

JBN sits down with Jeff Pew, a professional actor, singer, dancer, and pianist (jeffreypew.com). Jeff is currently performing in RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA on Broadway as a member of the Ensemble and an understudy for Prince Topher. In 2015, he will join the cast of the new musical FIRST WIVES CLUB as it heads to Chicago for its pre-Broadway run. As a pianist, Jeff works consistently as an accompanist for American Ballet Theatre and Mark Morris Dance Group. He also has his own YouTube channel with his best friend Luke Hawkins aptly called "The Luke and Jeff Show," which highlights their piano-playing, tap-dancing adventures. He is from San Jose, CA and holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from BYU. Song Presentation: "Go Easy On Me" from MACKENZIE & THE MISSING BOY. Music and lyrics by Joel B. New (joelbnew.com). Recorded live at TruVoice Studios in New York on Monday, December 1st, 2014.

In the Season Three premiere, JBN sits down with the one and only Ben Cameron (broadwaysessions.net). Ben has appeared on Broadway in Aida and the original casts of Footloose and Wicked. His touring credits include Sweet Charity (opposite Molly Ringwald), Footloose, Fame-The Musical, State Fair and Tommy. He has served on the faculties of NYU’s Cap 21 Studio and Wagner College and continues to teach theater, dance masterclasses and workshops across the country. He has danced for Dre.Dance, The Utah Contemporary Dance Theater (now called Odyssy), and on the ESPY awards. He has performed his one man show Different is Good in clubs around NYC. He has written and directed several cabaret/solo shows for numerous Broadway and cabaret stars, with scads of new projects in the works. He is one of NYC’s most sought after hosts with countless benefits and major theater industry events to his credit. He is currently the creator/host of “Broadway Sessions w/ Ben D” at The Laurie Beechman Theater. He also hosts Mostly Son

“Something New" went to 54 Below to wrap up its second season with a special live concert. Award-winning songwriter and host Joel B. New invited some of his favorite guests to join him and share some of their stories, take a Broadway quiz (with audience prizes!), and bring his songs to life onstage. Featuring the vocal stylings of Drew Gasparini, Nikka Graff Lanzarone, Amy Jo Jackson, Bill Coyne, Avital Asuleen, Dan Radzikowski, David Hudson, Hansel Tan, Jamie Buxton, Jenny Neale, Justin Daniel, Kate Steinberg, Mariand Torres, Matt Wilson, Matthew-Lee Erlbach, and Tiffan Borelli. With Daniel Kim on guitar, Jessica Winderweedle on drums, Joel B. New on piano, and Lloyd Kikoler on bass, Directed by Lori Wolter Hudson. Recorded live at 54 Below in NYC on Monday, August 25th, 2014.

JBN sits down with Caitlin D. Jones, an actor, writer, casting director, producer, and web content creator. Caitlin attended Nazareth College majoring in Music Theatre and Philosophy while also interning and later assisting at Liz Lewis Casting Partners. After casting numerous commercials, independent films, national tours, and voice overs, she founded SMAO Entertainment in January of 2011 to produce art that people can laugh at, or with, or both after producing her web series Caitlin Jones Saves the Day! She currently is a Casting Director for Liz Lewis Casting Partners in both New York and Los Angeles and has recently premiered her cooking show, In the Kitchen with Caitlin on Manhattan Neighborhood Network and on YouTube. Song Presentation: "I Can't Imagine" from Joel B. New's chamber musical, RSVP.

“Something New” presents the premiere studio recording of STANDALONE: A SONG CYCLE. Music and lyrics by Joel B. New. The four-member cast of STANDALONE is comprised of Bill Coyne as Man 2, Jenny Neale as Woman 1, Hansel Tan as Man 1, and Mariand Torres as Woman 2. Directed by Billy Bustamante. Additional vocals by Jennifer Anderson, Stephanie Joiner, Melanie Kann, Patrick Laslie, Dan Radzikowski, Sam Shull, and Lindsie VanWinkle. Featuring Daniel Kim on guitar, Sam Shull on piano, and Jessica Winderweedle on drums. This premiere is made possible by Samuel Christensen Law Firm PLLC and Listeners Like You. www.joelbnew.com

In the third and final "making of" minisode, award-winning musical theatre writer Joel B. New discusses the post-production side of his song cycle, STANDALONE. New waxes on mixing, last-minute rearrangements, and the addition of seven singers to round out the needs of the musical score. The premiere recording of STANDALONE is set to be released on Monday, July 21st. The minisode series and premiere of STANDALONE are made possible by Samuel Christensen Law Firm PLLC and Listeners Like You.

JBN updates his listeners on the progress of the premiere recording of his song cycle, STANDALONE. New went into Yellow Sound Lab (www.yellowsoundlab.com) on June 29th for principal vocalist recording with Bill Coyne, Hansel Tan, Mariand Torres, and Jenny Neale. Director Billy Bustamante has a quick chat with the original cast about their lives in New York, being a part of developing new work, and their favorite songs from the STANDALONE score.

JBN sits down with himself and chats about the development history of his song cycle, STANDALONE, which is due to premiere on "Something New" in July 2014. Cameo appearances by J. Oconer Navarro, Carrie Love, David Burnham, Rachel Louise Thomas, Tony Yazbeck, Dan Radzikowski, Roy Lightner, Shain Fike, Erin McCracken, and Nicole Wolf. This episode is brought to you by Samuel Christensen Law Firm PLLC (www.sclawnyc.com).

JBN sits down with Avital Asuleen, a director, choreographer, performer, and producer (www.asuleen.com). Avi is primarily interested in honoring musical theatre's past, while still finding new ways to challenge the medium. She has worked with Prospect Theater Comany, Theatreworks USA, Westchester Broadway Theatre, and Surflight Theatre. Last year, Ms. Asuleen launched The Choreography Lab, now in residence at the New York Theatre Barn, which works to develop the storytelling abilities of theater choreographers. She is currently creating "Ephemera", a piece of site specific dance theatre. Avi also writes the blog The Strategic Artist, a blog about time and money management for creative professionals. Song Presentation: "I've Only Moments to Spare" from Joel B. New's MACKENZIE AND THE MISSING BOY. Accompanied by Josh Kight (www.joshkight.org). Recorded live at TruVoice Studios NYC on 6/14/14.

JBN sat down with Tiffan Borelli, an actress, singer, teacher, and founding member of Core Artists Ensemble (www.tiffanborelli.com). Ms. Borelli's New York theatre credits include Two By Two at The York Theatre with Jason Alexander, Martin Charnin's Something Funny's Going On at 54 Below, (Kate) in Kiss Me Kate with The Staten Island Philharmonic, Emma:The Musical at NYMF, and as (Sondra Lee) in Far Out! at Minetta Lane. In other parts of the world, she’s been seen in the Asia Tour of The Sound Of Music, as well as productions with The Kennedy Center, Maine State Music Theatre, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Greenbrier Valley Theatre, The River Valley Repertory Theatre, City Rep Theatre, & Theatre of New Canaan, where she earned a 2013 Broadway World Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. Tiffan has soloed in concerts at Joe's Pub, Ars Nova and Lincoln Center Theatre. Founding member of Core Artists Ensemble, a New York based Theatre Company derived from her years at New York's

JBN sat down with David Hudson, an actor, writer, producer, and voice-over artist. Mr. Hudson has worked extensively with the New Harmony Project, appeared on several web series of note, and perhaps most notably he makes up one third of the creators of THREE DAY HANGOVER (www.threedayhangover.com), a NYC theater company that produces fresh, unexpected, immersive, joyful productions of classic plays in bars. On the verge of its second season, 3DH’s raucous past season included R+J: STAR-CROSS’D DEATH MATCH and THE HAMLET PROJECT, in which David played the titular role to sold-out crowds and rave reviews in the NY Post, Broadway World, and the NY Times. Song Presentation: "Annabel Lee", music by Joel B. New (www.joelbnew.com), poem by Edgar Allan Poe.

JBN sat down with Matt Wilson, to whom James Lapine told he was 'suis generis'. It sounds like a hog call, but it's Latin and means 'of its own kind or class; not like anything else'. Matt applied to med school and clown college. He wanted to be a doctor. Or a clown, and chronicles his inner clown-flict in his neo-vaudevillian live solo theatrical spectacle 'Clown Baggage', where med school and clown college collide in a hilarious and virtuosic display of sideshow stunts, burlesque, circus feats, comedy and pathos (www.clownbaggage.com). From his Emmy award winning turn on the PBS Kids television favorite 'Cyberchase', to galavanting the globe with the Britney Spears 'Circus', to leading ninjas on the path towards health and hotness as a trainer at Mark Fisher Fitness in Hell's Kitchen, Matt inadvertently defies categorization. Song Presentation: "Sense of You" from Joel B. New's TO HELL AND BACK. Recorded @ TruVoice Studios on 5/4

JBN sits down with Justin Daniel, a singer, actor, host, cabaret and teaching artist. A Bistro Award Winner, he has performed in theaters all around the world, appeared on various TV shows and films, and has written his own cabarets. Most recently, he has harnessed all of this eclectic experience into teaching artistry, where he gets to bring the gift of theatre into classrooms all over NYC through such organizations as The New Victory Theatre, Disney Theatricals, and more. He can currently be seen in his much anticipated return to the cabaret arena with OFFICIALLY ALIVE, running at the Duplex in NYC on 4/21 and 4/28 (www.justindaniel.net). Song Premiere: "Excel at Failing" from Joel B. New's STANDALONE, A SONG CYCLE. Performance recorded live at Ben Cameron's "Broadway Sessions" (www.broadwaysessions.net) by Justin Daniel and Ernie Pruneda. Accompanied by Joshua Stephen Kartes.

JBN sits down with Dan Radzikowski, a voice teacher/coach, performer and music director. As an actor, some of his favorite roles include Bobby in "Crazy For You," Charley in "Where's Charley?," Malcolm in "The Full Monty," Greg in "A Chorus Line” and Ernst in "Cabaret." He performed “Outgoing,” the song Joel wrote for him at the Lincoln Center Songbook Series, and at Joel's Jonathan Larson Award ceremony. Dan has also performed in and music directed, "Singin' In The Shower" at Birdland as part of the Broadway At Birdland Concert Series. Last May, Dan performed in and music directed Joel's concert, "Something New: The Concert." Carnegie Mellon, NYU grad. For more information, please visit www.DanRadzVoice.com and www.DanRadzikowski.com. Song Presentation: "Outgoing" from Joel B. New's STANDALONE: A SONG CYCLE. The song portion of this episode was recorded live at Broadway Sessions, hosted by Ben D @ The

JBN sits down with Rachel Louise Thomas, an actress/singer/dancer residing in Los Angeles, California. Some of Ms. Thomas' credits include performances at The Rockwell in Los Feliz, The Cupcake Theatre in Hollywood, and this past week an event for "Travel and Leisure" Magazine at The Pelican Hill Resort and Spa in Newport Beach. In February she was a featured soloist in Joel Rieke's "Apsis Requiem", an interactive opera exploring grief and community healing. Recently, she began a new adventure as a background actress on tv, film, and commercial. If you didn't blink, you may have seen her on CSI: Las Vegas or Greys Anatomy. She also takes great Joy in teaching dance to the cutest two year olds in "The Valley" at Creation Station Studio City; as well as working with the community in various service projects. In the Fall of 2011, she began performing with the BroadwayWorld Award winning "Transcendence Theatre Company" located in the beautiful Sonoma Valle

JBN sits down with Edmund Bagnell, an accomplished vocalist, actor, and violinist. A member of the highly-acclaimed all-male string quartet, Well-Strung (well-strung.com), Edmund has performed to sold-out crowds at Joe’s Pub, Ars Nova, 54 Below, The Art House in Provincetown, the Leicester Square Theatre in London, House of Blues in New Orleans, Feinstein’s in San Francisco, and more. As a musical theatre performer, Mr. Bagnell impressive credits include playing Tobias in the first national tour of Sweeney Todd directed by John Doyle, Rich in The Last Cyclist (off-Broadway),Toby in Menotti's The Medium (off-Broadway), Charlie Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Charlie in The Big Holiday Broadcast of 1959, and Oramel Howland in The Great Unknown at NYMF. Song Premiere: "Scared to the Bone" from Joel B. New's SHIVER, A NEW MUSICAL (joelbnew.com). Accompanied by Ivan Orellana on guitar (nycguitarschool.com). Recorded live on 3/7/14 @ Ripley-Grier Studios (ripleygrier.com).

JBN sits down with Nikka Graff Lanzarone, a performer who has been seen on stages all over the country, most recently as a seven-foot-tall peacock in "The Jungle Book" at the Goodman and Huntington Theatres, and on Broadway in the shows "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" and "Chicago." In NYC, she was also seen as The Whore in the Transport Group's revival of Hello Again, with her family at 54 Below, and in her own solo show at Joe's Pub. She is also a renegade occasional stylist. When not doing any of those other things, she co-created and co-hosts a Broadway-themed podcast called The Ensemblist with her partner Mo Brady, which turns Broadway inside out (theensemblist.com, nikka-graff-lanzarone.com). Music and lyrics by Joel B. New, accompanied by Sam Shull. Recorded live @ TruVoice Studios NYC on Friday, February 21st, 2014.

JBN sits down with actor and playwright Matthew-Lee Erlbach (www.matthew-lee.com)! Matt's most recent credits include: Eager to Lose, a Burlesque Farce in Rhyming Verse which just ended an extended run Off-Bway at Ars Nova, his critically-acclaimed solo play Handbook for an American Revolutionary which ran Off-Bway at the Gym at Judson, and his much buzzed about dry comedy web series, ROGER, THE CHICKEN, co-produced with Emmy-winner Carrie Preston. He's also appeared on Comedy Central, in the Sundance hit Another Earth and has written for Nickelodeon and WWE. He was the host of MTV's Epic Fail until focus groups thought he was too "smart funny." He is a member of the 2014/15 Ars Nova Play Group. Song Premiere: "Tear Me To Pieces" from Joel B. New's TO HELL AND BACK. Accompanied by J. Oconer Navarro on piano and Tim Lykins on percussion. Recorded live at TruVoice Studios NYC on 1/30/14.