Search - GrooveLily, Valerie Vigoda, Brendan Milburn :: Striking 12 (2004 New York Cast)

A Reason to Celebrate New Years Eve

Victoria A. Davis | New Jersey | 03/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Have you ever had to work on New Years Eve? I have and apparently the members of GrooveLily and co-writer Rachel Sheinkin (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) have as well. The sixth track of the original cast recording of "Striking 12", entitled "Last Day of the Year", captures the frustration of working on a holiday compounded with the self-reflection caused by the coming of the New Year. In this case "The Last Day of the Year" has found a "grump guy" with regrets about everything. As the story unfolds it reveals that he is smarting over a break-up and does not want to expose himself to the revelry of New Year's Eve. While brooding he is visited by a light-bulb-sales-woman who promises that her wares can improve his mood. He is not having any but is prompted to read Han's Christian Anderson's "The Little Match Girl".



The "Striking 12" live recording includes the narration and sound effects of the stage show and captures the bands performance energy and their fans' enthusiasm. GrooveLily's three members really shine. Valerie Vigoda shreds on the violin, plays six roles, and uses the full power of her voice to sing many of the signature numbers including the poignant anthem "Caution to the Wind". Brendan Milburn delivers witty dialog, attacks the keyboards with verve, and shows-off his own strong voice on several songs including, the call to action, "It's Not Alright". Drummer, Gene Lewin serves-up a good deal of wry humor with dialog and songs like "Give the Drummer Some" all without missing a beat.



Masterful songwriting and dynamic dialog make "Striking 12: The New GrooveLily Musical" a delightful CD. While it will never replace the "Striking 12" live show; it is a worthy tide-me-over and a great mood elevator for musical theater aficionados and anyone bogged down in grey-weather blahs. Treat yourself to a copy today then sit back and relax with cup of hot coco.

"

Great music, great story, great disc!

Neil | 04/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Striking Twelve, a modern musical built around "The Little Match Girl", is a beautiful melding of musical craft and sharp story-telling. The lyrics, like the between-song dialogue that propels the story line, are, by turns, smart, touching, and hilarious. The story is immediately appealing, and feels richer and more comfortable with each listen. Highly recommended!"

Strikingly good

Steven Valenti | Cleveland, OH | 01/03/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Knowing it was holiday-oriented, I put off buying "Striking 12," the musical by the band Groovelily, until this past holiday season. Essentially it's a New Year's Eve story, with the three Groovelily members telling the story of a "Grumpy Guy" who reads "The Little Match Girl" on New Year's Eve and is affected by it. That's really about it. And it's enough. Good enough, in fact, that I'm quite sure I'll listen to it off season.



The three band members-- Valerie Vigoda, Brendan Milburn, and Gene Lewin-- perform their own music and act as the characters of the story (and the story-within-a story). So this is not a typical musical. On one hand, you could say there's not a whole lot to it, at least plot-wise. On the other, it's hard to deny the quality of the music-- the show contains some really great songs. Reminiscent of the best of Jonathan Larson and Jason Robert Brown, songs like "Last Day of the Year," "Matches for Sale," and "Caution to the Wind" are witty, emotionally resonant, and written in a catchy contemporary style. Song after song works-- there's really not a bad one in the bunch. The dialogue between songs is a little cutesy, but never too cloying, and the result is an enjoyably unique show containing a simple humanity I found surprisingly touching.

"