Cabaret, concert, and recording artist Travis Moser brings his new cabaret show Just One Look: The Songs of Linda Ronstadt to The Green Room 42 on Thursday, June 20th. Paying homage to Ronstadt and her incomperable career in music, Moser reimagines an eclectic collection of award-winning, quintessential anthems that are sure to inspire and amaze you. Known for his sold out shows in NYC and throughout the country, this show is sure to be a hit and bring out the inner Linda Fan in all of us.
Travis chatted with RyeTheNewsGuy.com ahead of his show and let us in on what we can expect, his inspiration for doing a show honoring Linda Ronstadt, and what advice he has for those who want to get into the cabaret scene.
For tickets, visit The Green Room 42's website or send an email to tickets@thegreenroom42.com. Keep up with Travis Moser by visiting his website www.TravisMoser.com.
Can you tell me a little about the inspiration and idea behind Just One Look: The Songs of Linda Ronstadt?
Linda Ronstadt is one of the most influential, inspirational and courageous performers of all time and I feel like the children have forgotten! She has tackled pop, rock, country, standards, operetta, punk, folk and traditional Mexican music all with enormous success! You see a lot of tribute shows, but not too many Linda tributes and I felt like it was time! She’s having a bit of a resurgence at the moment. She just released her 1st ever live album taken from a 1980 concert special and it charted on the Billboard Top 10! I also had the privilege of attending the opening night of her documentary, "The Sound of My Voice: Linda Ronstadt,” at the Tribeca Film Festival and it gave me an even deeper appreciation of her contribution to music and culture!
What can we expect to see from this show?
We cover nearly every facet of Linda’s career and my musical director, Drew Wutke, has created new arrangements of some of her most beloved songs. We’re performing these new arrangements with a full band, which I’ve decided to call The Desperados! We’ll also be talking about why these songs are so important to us and why we felt the need to share them with the audience.
What made you decide on focusing on Linda Ronstadt?
She’s so influential and she has a gorgeous, once-in-a-lifetime voice. She is the first female artist to have 5 platinum selling albums in a row! At the height of her fame, she basically decided to take a break from popular music and star in Joe Papp’s production of The Pirates of Penzance on Broadway…and was nominated for a Tony Award! Imagine Taylor Swift doing that! She did things because she was a true artist and wasn’t concerned whether it would be a success or if it would bring in the most money. That takes bravery.
What is your all time favorite Linda Ronstadt song?
I can’t choose an ULTIMATE favorite, but one of my all time faves is “Still Within The Sound of My Voice.” It’s so theatrical and her vocal is insanely good on that track!
You will be performing alongside some legends of the cabaret night life scene. What is their roles for this show and how do they fit into the narrative of Just One Look?
One of the reasons I created this show was to hear some of my favorite performers sing these songs! We all have such different sounds and performance styles and it’s going to be so much fun to see how everyone interprets the songs! Each performer has a story about why they chose the songs they did and what the songs mean to them.
How is this show different then say a regular cabaret show? How have you made it your own?
This show is a concert, tribute and cabaret hybrid. You get the intimacy of cabaret, which you can only really get in NYC, with the feel of a concert in tribute of the great Linda Ronstadt!
What is next for you? Will you tackle new artist legends?
I do a lot of performing outside of NYC, so I’ll continue performing a solo show that combines all of my favorite styles of music, including the Linda songs. I am also a recording artist, so check out my albums and singles on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and everywhere else! You can also check out www.TravisMoser.com to see what I’m up to!
What’s your best advice for people who love to sing and perform and want to get into the “cabaret scene?” [insert musical reference here, LOL!]. T
Take every opportunity you can to do open mic nights at places like The Duplex, Birdland, etc. If there are group cabaret shows you love, find out who puts them together and ask them how you can get involved! The most important advice is to create your own opportunities! Find a smaller club, like the Duplex, get a pianist and put on your own show! That way, you can have video/audio clips and photos of one of your shows!