[Earth Date 20-12-2023] It started as a whisper whipping through the windmills of the brain of Earth Ambassador and HeadEye Musical Director Jason E. Hedrington as his young mind dined on concept albums and Rock Operas in his Chippewa Falls, WI basement bedroom. He sought to share with his peers the wonderous thematic stories of Pink Floyd's THE WALL and ANIMALS, Yes's TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer's TARKUS...bells, he even saw a connecting principle in Steely Dan's ROYAL SCAM and Rush's SIGNALS.
He grew. Gobbled more Prog. Jumped into Jazz. Went to college and became a writer. Fancied himself a freelancin' novelist. Started at least one. Discovered the Grateful Dead & Phish and joined a jam band. Moved out east and started gigging.
Fell in love. She fell out. Spent long Phantom of the Opera nights behind the piano. A concept emerged: A MUSICAL! A modern love story that, like, EXPLAINS IT ALL, MAN!!
It would have been terrible, most likely. Youth, after all, and its know-it-all-ism and arrogant suppositions that humans wanna hear another thinly-veiled therapy notebook masquerading as a love story Rock Opera.
He got involved in some bands. Freelanced a LOT. Played pertnear every night. Drank too much. Found himself far too busy to finish a goshdarn MUSICAL. Which is a nice way of saying he gave up on it. Couldn't find satisfaction in it.
He grew some more. Played some of the tunes once in a while. Then didn't for a long time. Revisited the core ideas and songs of this musical idea here and there in typical Piscean dreamer mode. Forgot it again--maybe by choice or laziness. 15 years or so went by.
And then he got busy again. With music that is. Recommitted to the cause of music. Dove in, got a job teaching at the School of Rock and carved out a professional musician niche for himself. It culminated in finally getting serious about recording his first solo album. And so he did.
Funny thing happened. He decided the album would be populated by friends, peers, legends, and students of the local Lehigh Valley music scene, and one by one they came in to play on the songs and listen to others and one question kept coming up: "Is this a musical?"
Haha, good one, he thought, but also shared stories of old ideas and how some of these songs were from an old project idea. "Is this a musical?" Hardy-ha! Yeah, a few tunes were almost in a musical.
Is this a musical?" Pfffssshhh, I thought about that once a long time ago and started one with some of these songs. "Is this a musical?"
Huh. Maybe I'm actually recording a musical, he thought. He listened. He reshaped the songs, the flow, the themes. Wrote new songs to fit. Got to tinkering. Figured it'd be fun to at least record a STORY album--the concept piece--a THEME album. He had his alien pop in, abduct some folks, get involved with some Earth chicks, and next thing you know there was an intergalactic love intrigue getting pressed to wax.
He released the album. "Is this a musical?" His friends and performance Art co-patriots at Touchstone Theater heard it. "Dude, this is a musical."
And now--with their help, writing, guidance, and actors...THIS IS A MUSICAL.
HeadEye's debut album just couldn't be contained. It is now officially a musical. The actors and dancers are hired. The script is done. The music has had its final tweaks...and we have DATES. Feb. 29th (of course we start on the Leap Year) to March 10th (Daylight Savings, natch). 6 night shows, two Sunday Matinees. Smash ye olde button below for details and get ready to see EARTH GIRLS come alive on THE STAGE. YOWZA!
