Why a rock opera? August 3, 2008
Posted by Steve » add a commentThe Lighthouse Effect as we mentioned is an opera of the rock variety. What does that mean? It’s a good question considering there haven’t really been that many. There’s Tommy by The Who and there’s Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie, but what makes them opera’s? You could argue they simply used the term for marketing purposes or the opposite view of it being a label someone else applied.
For me, being one involved with the composition and the story, it means a musical performance that tells a story entirely through song. I refer to the Lighthouse Effect as a rock opera because of this; I also have no problem with labels, I have learnt of the importance of them when trying to describe something.
We put the story together based upon a selection of our songs which were in turn influenced by our life experiences when they were written. I then added a few musical interludes as a way to transition the story in a couple of strategic places. Add a healthy sprinkling of theatrical presentation and the result is our opera.
The question remains, why write an opera in the first place. Don’t the songs stand up in their own right? I happen to think they do, but framing them within the context of an emotional story makes them that much more powerful, a greater than the sum of the parts. This is the first reason, we wanted to present our material in the best light possible. We have always felt that if we are to perform then it should be a performance and not a bunch of people standing on stage playing instruments. This, of course, is the second reason, we wanted to make it a more compelling presentation.
The third reason is touch more ambitious in that we wanted to use the emotional content in the show as a way to invoke thought and discusion about relationships.
As far as what other people get out of the show, I look forward to your feedback.
Lighthouse Effect Rehearsal July 20, 2008
Posted by Steve » add a commentAlthough we haven’t talked about it much on this site, we’ve been working hard on a Rock Opera called the Lighthouse Effect. It’s a theatrical production centered around our songs (I didn’t use the term musical, please note) with a couple of new ones. We’ve been having a fantastic time with it and I’m personally excited about sharing more details of how all of this will take place in the future. In the meantime, here’s a collection of clips to give you an idea:
Too many big words? Can I have the cliff notes? May 16, 2008
Posted by Steve » add a comment
I recently saw the movie staring Robert Redford and friends called “Lions for Lambs”, apparently not many people enjoyed the film. What concerns me is that I don’t believe the film makers intended for us to enjoy it. It is ironic to read the many reviews of this film where we are told how boring this film is and how it fails to entertain when the film is making a statement on how people are disconnected from todays reality. The young man Mr Redford meets with is a great example of the attitude whereby a person is completely disconnected from what is going on. The reporter represents the failure of the press to really take on the issues, it is therefore particularly saddening to me that that same press found this film a failure. One review even commented “[it] uses a lot of words” (Variety), isn’t it about the content and not the amount? I fear most have missed the point and should push the rewind button and try again.
Playing the Michigan Peace Festival May 13, 2008
Posted by Mimi » add a commentWe are looking forward to playing the Michigan Peace Festival and I believe our great friends at the SoupyGato show will be showcasing the artists at the festival.
http://www.soupygato.com/
http://www.michiganpeacefest.com/
Welcome to the Michigan Peace fest
We will be having a second fest this year called
End of an Error Fest Celebrating the end of the Bush regime
August 22nd and 23rd Stay tuned for more info
Join www.myspace.com/michiganpeacefest
The Press on youtube May 13, 2008
Posted by Mimi » add a commenthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr_pmch1oGc
our former backup band on youtube~
The Press
