GrooveLily Revamps Its Website and Offers Preview of New Musical Long Story Short | Playbill

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News GrooveLily Revamps Its Website and Offers Preview of New Musical Long Story Short The rock band/musical theatre trio GrooveLily — creators of the cult hit musical Striking 12 — relaunched its website Aug. 17, offering fans access to past and future pop albums — and a special preview of the new musical Long Story Short.

The site (groovelily.com) was first launched by Brendan Milburn, Gene Lewin and Valerie Vigoda in 1996. "A revamp is long overdue, and our fans have been pestering us for ages — to the point of offering their help, expertise and advice," Vigoda told Playbill.com. "It's time."

The discography is what the collaborators have spent the most time on. For the first time, GrooveLily is selling mp3's of its songs directly from their own site. Interested listeners can buy songs direct from the site, "DRM-free," and listen to them on any device that'll play an mp3.

"In addition, you can now stream every song we've ever released, in its entirety, for free, from our site," Vigoda said.

(The members make more money from mp3's bought on their site; on iTunes and other services, "but a very teeny slice of the 99 cents per song actually makes it back to the artist.")

Milburn said, "We certainly won't discourage people from buying mp3's from iTunes or Amazon or anywhere else they can find them — but if they buy directly from us, they can rest assured knowing that they've just contributed directly to the groceries and bills fund of three hard-working Brooklyn musicians. Also, we have some super special combo deals that can't be found on iTunes." The new site also, "finally, frees us up to release new recordings immediately as they become available."

Co-writers and married couple Milburn and Vigoda's new musical Long Story Short opens at Pittsburgh City Theatre on Oct. 29, and at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, CA on Dec. 6. Home demo recordings for almost the whole score are being released "one or two at a time on the new site, every Wednesday from Aug. 20 until we open in Pittsburgh on Oct. 29."

(Long Story Short is based on the play An Infinite Ache by David Schulner. Tracy Brigden will direct the musical.)

Here's the release schedule, with song titles:

Aug. 20 "Rocking Chairs"
Aug. 27 "It Happens in a Moment"
Sept. 3 "Live Like This," "We Should Get Married"
Sept 10 "Fragile As Love," "Unpacking the Suitcase"
Sept. 17 "There She Goes"
Sept. 24 "Knock Down, Drag Out"
Oct. 1 "Empowered"
Oct. 8 "Flash Point," "Introductions/Fragile As Love" Reprise
Oct. 15 "What Was That?"
Oct. 22 "Still Love," "Live Like This" Reprise
Oct. 29 "Letting Go"

*

According to their own bio page, "New York City trio GrooveLily inhabits that contemporary space where creative musicians ignore the boundaries laid down by words like rock, folk, jazz and pop. Intelligent original songs with no shortage of wit connect lush musical textures and soaring vocals with the blazing six-string electric violin of Valerie Vigoda, the lightning-fingered piano of Brendan Milburn, and the joyful drums of Gene Lewin. With backgrounds in classical music, musical theatre, jazz and rock, the three members of GrooveLily are making a new music that's all their own. The success of their first concert-musical, the critically-acclaimed holiday show Striking 12, has led them farther into the world of theatre, where they have carved out a unique niche as a rock band writing and performing shows. After years on the indie touring circuit, they are delighted to be creating many projects with various collaborators: Striking 12, the first GrooveLily concert-musical (Off-Broadway 2006, Lucille Lortel nomination for Outstanding Musical, Bay Area Theatre Critic's Choice Award); Toy Story the Musical for Disney; Sleeping Beauty Wakes for Deaf West Theatre/Center Theatre Group (two 2007 Ovation Awards, including World Premiere Musical; Vigoda was also nominated for Lead Actress); Wheelhouse, the second GrooveLily concert-musical; Long Story Short for City Theatre of Pittsburgh/TheatreWorks Palo Alto; A Midsummer Night's Dream for McCarter Theatre/Paper Mill Playhouse; and Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, a new one-woman fever-dream musical. Their latest/proudest productions are Brendan and Valerie's son Mose (age 3), and Gene and his wife Suzanne's son Elias (age 1 1/2). All three band members live in Brooklyn."

 
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