Big news on the musical front: The Brooklyn Players Reading Society has become a duo! It seemed like everyone in the band was experiencing some major life changes all at the same time, so Dave and I decided to take a step back and revisit our initial intentions. Why did we write these songs in the first place? What was our original concept? Why are we currently playing these songs? What do we actually want to be doing with our music?

Through stepping back like this, Dave and I remembered that BPRS was founded on the idea of saying something, of using words in various forms to get a message out. We wanted to set these words to music, to use sounds, rhythms, and melodies to highlight our message and stories. While developing our songs with a full band was an amazing and important experience, we realized that our original idea got a bit lost along the way. Rewriting our songs so that they work as a duo and also reflect our mission has taken time, but we’ve thoroughly enjoyed the process and feel like we’ve finally gotten to the heart of our music.

Meanwhile, the little guy inside has been growing rapidly, wiggling around and kicking up a storm during practice (dancing along?). I’m curious to play the songs for him once he’s out to see if he recognizes them. He’s certainly heard them enough at this point! But obviously, his arrival means Dave and I will be taking a break from regular practice and gigging while we sort out life with a baby. So, we decided to take full advantage of the time we have now and made our debut as a duo last Sunday, March 22nd at The Sidewalk Cafe, an NYC staple that has supported poetry and spoken word artists for decades now. I was quite nervous beforehand – singing AND playing keys is very different than just singing! But we had a blast and overall felt very good about sharing our musical vision with our friends and new fans. Hope you enjoy the pics, and huge thanks to everyone who came out. If you missed us, don’t worry – we’ve also been busy working on some demo recordings with plans to release them this summer. Stay tuned!

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My band, The Brooklyn Players Reading Society, will be performing a short set at Grand Victory in Williamsburg this Thursday the 20th at 8:30 pm. PHI, My Love MHZ, and A Bunch of Dead People will also be performing. BPRS is revamped these days (as in, we have songs now!) but don’t worry, some words will still be spoken. Doors at 7, $8 cover.  RSVP on our Facebook Event Page.  See ya there!