http://humanrick.com/news.html Rick Cutler: Journal Jannis' PHPRss class - http://www.jannis.to/ Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:04:32 -0700 http://humanrick.com/news.html#168 We arrived yesterday for a symphony show today. This usually involves a few extra hours of rehearsal time for the orchestra which is fine with me as I'm always happy sitting behind a set of drums. The weather looks overcast but, from what I can tell, it looks as though the rain has come & gone so I'll bet the outdoor show tonight will go on as planned.
A few days ago we taped an episode for a well-known TV show that I was told will be airing in the fall. Don't want to say anything else as it's an ongoing series & more info could ruin whatever build-up or surprise might be associated with it. It was a fun experience, though...that much I can say.
The process of putting the next CD together is moving along. I'm hoping to add 1 or 2 new people, in addition to my 1-man operation, to get it to a broader audience. There are a couple of possibilities in that area which is encouraging.
And that's about it. After this trip I'll be off the road for a couple of weeks but there'll be more news ahead so keep checking in. Till then...]]> http://humanrick.com/news.html#168 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 - Rick Cutler - Journal http://humanrick.com/news.html#167 Just wanted to write a brief note to give a thumbs up to In-Flight Wifi. 1st time I'm using it & it's very cool. Oh...and the show last night went well. It was an extremely pretty outdoor setting in the middle of the Wente Vineyards. Also, my new CD is in the cover design stage. Had some beautiful photos taken by my friend Ichiro Okada, who I've been working with on a book project for the last year or so. The photos are of a couple of Manhattan locations that I think look pretty cool. More next week...]]> http://humanrick.com/news.html#167 Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700 - Rick Cutler - Journal http://humanrick.com/news.html#166 We arrived here yesterday for a show tonight in what's supposed to be a beautiful outdoor setting in a local vineyard. Livermore is about 40 minutes outside of San Franscisco.
Last week was more of a local show in Asbury Park, NJ. I don't have any major recollections of being there before although I wouldn't swear that it was my 1st time there. After being on the road for so many years, so many towns kind of bleed together & it's sometimes hard to remember.
I'm enjoying my new job as drummer very much. It's where I feel most at home performing live & I'm really glad to get to experience that feeling here.
Tomorrow is an extremely early lobby call (4:30AM!) to catch an early flight home in order to celebrate my beautiful wife's birthday. Should be a fun day & fun weekend.
There's more coming up next week so I'll say bye for now & give you an update then.]]> http://humanrick.com/news.html#166 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700 - Rick Cutler - Journal http://humanrick.com/news.html#165 Just finishing up our 1st weekend back on the road. The show here tonight went especially well. It was the 1st one with the sextet lineup & was extremely well received. The reduced instrumentation seemed to open up some nice space in the music. As quite a few of the new tunes for this chapter are arranged for the smaller group, it creates, in my opinion, a unique kind of intimacy. It'll be interesting to see how things develop & grow over time. So, we're off & running! More news soon...]]> http://humanrick.com/news.html#165 Sun, 06 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700 - Rick Cutler - Journal http://humanrick.com/news.html#164 On the road again! It certainly has been awhile!
I'm out here doing a couple of Liza Minnelli shows this weekend. One in St. Louis & one on Sunday in Chicago. It's a bit of a different chapter as I've been asked to play drums this time around which is much fun. Also, the core band being used is just a sextet, down from the usual 12. There've been some new arrangements written for this configuration & it's a refreshing change. Almost has a small jazz group vibe. Very enjoyable. Peppered in with the sextet shows are some with symphony orchestras as well. Still, it looks like there'll be sextet segments along with the orchestral ones.
The other major piece of news is that I recently finished recording my 2nd CD. Once again, it's all solo piano. I must tell you that the sound of the piano on this one is phenomenal thanks to my old friend Larry Gates, who engineered & mixed it. I'm now moving into the post production world of designing the cover with the help of some very talented friends. I'm also hoping to find outlets for deeper distribution this time around so that I might be able to rise a bit above being a complete indie artist from top to bottom. There's no set time yet for it to be released upon the world but I'll surely make it known here when that day arrives. As of now, I'd guess late summer or early fall.
And there you have it. As always with these journal entries from the road, when there's news to report, I will. More soon...]]> http://humanrick.com/news.html#164 Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700 - Rick Cutler - Journal http://humanrick.com/news.html#163 Happy Spring!! It's certainly been awhile. The journal's been quiet over the winter months as I'm usually encouraged to make entries from different stops on the road. As I've been off the road for awhile, my mind hasn't been jarred in this direction but at least I'm making up for it now with a bit of news from the home front.
I recently teamed up with MZPR Productions who deals mostly in doing PR for authors. I was asked to come on board as kind of a resident composer in writing music for trailers for upcoming books. Here's the YouTube link for our 1st one promoting a book called "Killer" by Dave Zeltserman which will be coming out in May:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MZPRProductions?feature=mhw4
It's quite a good read. The trailer should be on quite a few websites over the coming weeks. There'll be some more trailers coming soon as well. Over the years, I've written tons of music for TV & Radio but never anything specifically tailored to promote books. I'll keep you posted as new ones become available for viewing.
The other major project, one that I'm very excited about, is that I'm very close to being ready to go into the studio and record my 2nd CD. I just recently finished Phase 1 which is the composing process. Next is to put in some time at the piano & formulate a battle plan as far as performing the pieces after which I'll head in to record. The large majority of this one will be solo piano like the 1st but I may add some bits of group recordings that were done early last year as well. I'll be updating my progress here as things move along.
And there you have the major musical events as of early Spring 2010! Keep checking in for any updates. Till then...]]> http://humanrick.com/news.html#163 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700 - Rick Cutler - Journal http://humanrick.com/news.html#162 Happy belated New Year! It's been awhile.
I just finished a 3-week run of an Off-Off Broadway show called, "If This Ain't It." Although the reviews were less than stellar, it was a lot of fun. Very home brewed in its approach & production. It also allowed me to spend more time walking around the East Village than I had in years. As a result I wound up with a few new Miles Davis bootleg CDs which always makes my day. Hard to believe that there are no more huge warehouse-like record stores in NYC. Still, there are a bunch of small shops here & there that sometimes still get some new, previously unseen bootleg stuff. It still gives me a thrill when I happen upon some new Miles, although with the advent of the net & file sharing, it's hard to accurately keep track of what's new & what isn't. In days gone by, the centerpieces of my travels would always be a visit to the local Tower Records. The only thing that approximates that these days are the Amoeba Records stores in California. How about opening one here!
Coming up next is an interesting writing project. I'll be doing the music for a video that'll be used to promote a forthcoming novel. Kinda like a music video for a book. I've never done anything exactly like this before although I've written much music for TV & radio. It'll be nice to get back into that zone. Included in this will be a much-needed update to my brain in the music software department.
On Feb. 19 I'll be back at the Port 41 bar with guitarist Paul Metzke's trio. There are a bunch of YouTube clips of that band for you to check out. More info is on the calendar page.
Finally, Feb. marks the release of the Liza's At The Palace DVD. Even though it was aired a bunch of times on some PBS stations, I still haven't seen it so I'm looking forward to getting a copy. By the way, the CD of the show is up for a Grammy. A nice feather in our caps in addition to the Tony award.
And there you have it. Wishing you all a great New Year, even in my belated state.]]> http://humanrick.com/news.html#162 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800 - Rick Cutler - Journal http://humanrick.com/news.html#161 As I mentioned in my last entry, I'll be doing an Off Broadway (or Off-Off Broadway, not sure which) show in January at the Theatre For The New City in the East Village for 3 weeks.
It's called If This Ain't It & it's written by my old friend Don Arrington who I've worked with a few times over the years on various projects. Don is a beautiful guy with a lot of talent & a lot of heart. We 1st worked together on a show of his called On The Block around 10 years ago where I had an absolute blast! I haven't heard or seen anything from the new show yet but, if my past experience with Don is any indication, it promises to be a very unique & fun evening so I have no reservations in recommending it to any & all.
Here's a link to the press release for more info:
http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/IF_THIS_AINT_IT_Set_for_172010_At_Theater_for_the_New_City_20091204
Hope to see you there!]]> http://humanrick.com/news.html#161 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800 - Rick Cutler - Journal http://humanrick.com/news.html#160 Just finished what appears to be the last Liza show of the year here. Once again I was filling in on the drummer/conductor chair which always makes it especially fun. It's been a nice road year with trips to South America, Europe & Australia as the highlights. Portions of the DVD we made of last year's Broadway run will be airing on PBS throughout the holiday season so keep an eye out for it. Haven't seen it yet but I hear it looks & sounds great. I believe the DVD itself will be on sale in early 2010.
A couple of cool things coming up in NYC for me are another gig with guitarist Paul Metzke's Trio at the Port 41 bar in early Dec. as well as an Off-Off B'way show in Jan. I'll write more about the show as the dates draw nearer. There are a bunch of YouTube clips up now with the Metzke Trio from our last gig so, please, give a listen. There's some good music there. Paul can really play.
Wishing you all a great Thanksgiving & keep watching this space for more news next month. Till then...]]> http://humanrick.com/news.html#160 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800 - Rick Cutler - Journal http://humanrick.com/news.html#159 Less than 24 hours after returning from Australia, my son Sean & I were sitting in Yankee Stadium watching the Yankees on their way to winning their 27th World Championship. It was a once in a lifetime experience! There's a great shot on the photo page capturing the sweetness of victory!]]> http://humanrick.com/news.html#159 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800 - Rick Cutler - Journal