Midsummer Music by Striking 12's GrooveLily Gets CD Feb. 9 | Playbill

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News Midsummer Music by Striking 12's GrooveLily Gets CD Feb. 9 The theatre music of GrooveLily, the pop trio that recently starred in the acclaimed Off-Broadway musical Striking 12, is heard on a new CD, "A Little Midsummer Night's Music."

Web sales for the recording from PS Classics begin Feb. 9 at www.psclassics.com in anticipation of a street release April 10. The label's cast recording of Striking 12 is a hot seller.

The new GrooveLily disc will consist of original songs and instrumental music from the unique production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in which GrooveLily co-starred in spring 2006 at the Paper Mill Playhouse and the McCarter Theatre. Lyrics are by GrooveLily and William Shakespeare. GrooveLily vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter Brendan Milburn produced the disc.

For this new production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, director Tina Landau "conceived that the lovers' dream within the play would be, in fact, GrooveLily's dream," according to PS Classics. "It was her vision that, except when portraying three of the 'rude mechanicals' in the play within the play, GrooveLily would be onstage underscoring the action and singing with the actors."

Three songs, "Slings of Eros," "While You Were Sleeping" and "When I Dream," emerged, as well as a great many shorter passages, which GrooveLily "has carefully developed and shaped into suites for this new recording."

The track listing includes "When I Dream," "Overture," "Titania Suite," "Fairy Suite," "Malevolent Oberon Suite," "While You Were Sleeping," "Lysander Wakes: And Run Through Fire," "Demetrius Wakes: Oh, Helen," "Benevolent Oberon Suite," "Slings of Eros"/"Bergomask Dance"/"Bows" and "All Shall Be Well." Written with equal participation and improvisation from all band members, the end result "is an exciting and unique CD," the label promised. GrooveLily's Brendan Milburn said the production included "some of the most lyrical, lovely, groovy, rhythmically complex and unfettered music we've ever made."

GrooveLily's music ignores the boundaries of labels like rock, folk, jazz and pop. With backgrounds in classical music, musical theatre, jazz and rock, GrooveLily's members are Valerie Vigoda (violin), Brendan Milburn (piano) and Gene Lewin (drums).

In addition to the recent late 2006 holiday run of Striking 12 at the Daryl Roth Theatre, GrooveLily is working with Deaf West Theatre, Center Theatre Group and Rachel Sheinkin on the musical Sleeping Beauty Wakes. Wheelhouse, the second GrooveLily concert-musical (the hybrid category that Striking 12 falls into) is also in development.

For more information, visit www.GrooveLily.com.

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For more information about PS Classics, which celebrates the heritage of Broadway and American popular song, visit www.psclassics.com.

Also on Feb. 9, web sales begin for the new Broadway cast album of Company (from PS Classics and Nonesuch) toward a street date of Feb. 20 ( a change from the previously announced Feb. 13).

 
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