#melissa maricich

[catholicartistsnyc]

Meet: Melissa Maricich

MELISSA MARICICH is an NYC-based actress, singer, dancer, producer and writer, as well as a Catholic Artist Connection board member. (www.mmaricich.com or [email protected])

CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION (CAC): What brought you to NYC, and where did you come from? How long have you been here, and why did you decide to move here? 

MELISSA MARICICH (MM): I was born and raised near Seattle, Washington. Specifically, a lovely spot called Maple Valley, where I grew up on multiple acres of countryside as one of nine kids. I started out as a dancer, but once my voice sort of "kicked-in" during high school I became involved in musical theatre which led to greater interest in acting and film. Because New York has both theatre and film I was encouraged to move here rather than LA initially. A couple of years after gaining experience in the professional scene in Seattle I did just that, and moved to New York to further my opportunities of work in the entertainment industry.

CAC: How do understand your vocation as a Catholic artist? Do you call yourself a Catholic artist?

MM: I want it to be very clear in my interactions with people that I am a Catholic, but I don't think my work could be termed "Catholic Art.” Our vocation as Catholics is to love and serve God and our neighbors, which we should do through our work, whatever that work may be; whether as postal workers or Hollywood / Broadway stars. I see my work as being a job (that I love to do), that often takes place in the secular arena, which is part of what gives me a greater opportunity to share the Good News of the Gospel.  Whatever our daily occupation may be, it should be a means by which we strive to serve and love. 

CAC: Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?

MM: One of the beautiful things about life in New York is the hugely diverse places and ways one can make connections. I've met Catholic actors and artists in as many ways as the number of individuals I've connected with.  I've also hugely benefited from the Sheen Center and people I've met there - very particularly all the people I'm involved with for Catholic Artists Connection and Catholic Artists NYC... a perfectly "unbrazen" plug on my part, for the people making this very interview possible :)

CAC: How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?

MM: The artistic world would have to make a decision to be humble enough, and open-minded enough, to entertain the thought that those with faith could have good reason for their beliefs. However we can only be responsible for ourselves and I think the artistic world will be more open to us once it is confronted with, and realizes, how many more of its members are people of faith than it currently suspects. That accomplishment rests in great part on our being more courageous, vocal and generous in sharing the Gospel. Of course, that definitely requires Prudence about the right time, place, and manner in which we share. (As an aside, I think that is a beautiful function the secular world unwittingly provides us with - opportunities to grow in virtue: particularly Prudence, Courage and Charity/)

CAC: Where in NYC do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment? Which parish(es) do you attend? 

MM: I've found a home and welcome at St. Joseph's Church in Greenwich Village. It has a vibrant community, with particular connections to NYU and the students there. It is served by wonderful Dominican priests. I've met performers through some of the parish ministries, even the Thomistic Institutes' talks and lectures there (which are hugely formative and inspiring I might add). I highly recommend signing up for the emails and updates for the Thomistic Institute events. I've not once been sorry I spent my time in attending them!

CAC: Where in NYC do you regularly find artistic fulfillment?

MM: A number of mentors, teachers and coaches are of course essential in this. It's fulfilling and satisfying to work with people who help you to be your best, who challenge you and help you to actualize your potential. I have a wonderful voice teacher (feel free to contact me if you are looking for one!). The Barrow Group (take Seth Barrish's class) and Jon Shears' "Take Action" Workshop (film work) are both wonderful resources. The Growing Studio and Max Theatrix are particularly helpful for musical theatre performers and making connections. The Growing Studio is how I was connected to my current agent. 

CAC: How have you found or built community as a Catholic artist living in NYC?

MM: I'd say the simplest description for how it has, and is continuing to happen for me, is simply by being open with the people I meet and by connecting as much in the moment with those who I come across as I possible. You'd truly be shocked at the strange way you can meet people in the business, and even other Catholic performers. Especially if you're simply willing to smile, say hello and introduce yourself. 

CAC: What is your daily spiritual practice?

MM: It can shift from time to time, but there are particular forms of prayer and different saints that tend to regularly be in the forefront. The Rosary - and with it Marian Consecration. St. Joseph, Francis of Assisi, Peter, Therese, Padre Pio, etc. etc. Whenever possible during the week daily Mass, and Adoration. And some kind of religious reading of which there's a large variety. Definitely anything Chesterton, or Lewis. Other recommended material is The Light of Christ, by Fr. Thomas Joseph White. A number of podcasts of which the most recent addition is Stacey Sumereau's "Called and Caffeinated". And Bishop Barron's "Word on Fire" is a staple.

CAC: What is your daily artistic practice? 

MM: They aren't ALL always daily simply due to constrictions of time, but, as much as I can I'll have hour-long voice practices a couple times a week, dance classes, reading on pertinent info for acting/material that is inspiring for production/writing ideas. 

CAC: What resources have you found helpful in securing housing/roommates?

MM: 80/20 Housing is quite the resource. For females, look into St. Agnes Residence or other women's residences. Unfortunately I don't know of the equivalent for guys... sorry fella's!

CAC: How can you find work in NYC? 

MM: If you are looking for a survival job, be willing to tell/mention it to random people you know or meet that you are looking for a job. I got my first hostessing job (glamorous, I know) because I mentioned in passing that I was looking for consistent work to a girl I was doing a temp-job with. She said, totally off-the-cuff "Oh, my roommate is leaving a place right now, and they are looking to fill it. I'll send them your resume." 

CAC: What other practical resources would you recommend to a Catholic artist living in NYC?

MM: Gingerb3ardMen Photography. Billy Bustamente Photography. Sean Turi Photography.

CAC: What are your top 3 pieces of advice for Catholic artists moving to NYC?

MM: Don't be afraid, and give yourself some grace and slack in expectations when you first arrive. (Of course don't slack in your devotion to doing what you know is necessary in pursuing excellence in your craft but DO cut yourself-slack in your expectations of immediate or worldly "success"). And make sure to get out of the city every now and then! Take the train up the Hudson or somewhere cute on Long Island. Get out of town every now and again. 

If you have recently arrived in this busy City, Welcome! Glad to have you here and look forward to meeting you soon!

#catholic #artist #catholic artist #catholic artists nyc #catholic artist connection #new york #new yorker #st. joseph's greenwich #church #thomistic institute #dominicans #barrow group #growing studio #max theatrix #80/20 housing #st. agnes residence #gingerb3ardmen #billy bustamente #sean turi #melissa maricich

[beginningspod]

It's time for Beginnings, the podcast where writer and performer Andy Beckerman talks to the comedians, writers, filmmakers and musicians he admires about their earliest creative experiences and the numerous ways in which a creative life can unfold.

On today's episode I talk to Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne of the band The Blow. Originally from Queen Anne Hill, Seattle, Khaela is an artist, writer and musician, and has been part of the Olympia/K Records music scene for a long time, as a solo artist, as a member of The Microphones, and for a number of years with YACHT's Jona Bechtolt as The Blow. However, since the mid-aughts, The Blow has been Khaela and artist/musician Melissa Dyne. Melissa classically trained on the cello as a child, and went on to study physics and fine arts at The College of Santa Fe, NM. Since the band's inception, they've released ten albums and EPs, and their latest Brand New Abyss, was released in 2017.

I'm on Twitter here and you can get the show with:

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#beginnings #the blow #indie rock #Khaela Maricich #melissa dyne #k records #olympia #the microphones #experimental pop

[allbrooklynveganposts]

The Blow (Melissa Dyne and Khaela Maricich) have announced a fall tour they're calling "ENERGETIC STRATEGIES (For Right Now)." If you've seen them live the last few years, you know they play with a bank of self-designed analog / modular synths...

Continue reading…

#BrooklynVegan #music

[bellyflopp-blog]

THE WOMAN YOU WANT HER TO BE - THE BLOW

Directed by The Blow (Melissa Dyne & Khaela Maricich). Made with the assistance of Jesse Durost, Chandra Bocci, Anna Jordan Huff, Leslie Brack, Daniel Kanter & Mara Baldwin.

#the blow #videography

[tinymixtapes]

The Blow return with self-released new album Brand New Abyss TODAY, talk to TMT about tour with EMA and women producers web project

The mid-20th century writer, editor, and literary critic Edmund Wilson famously said, “No two persons ever read the same book.” Although certainly viable as a theory of literature, the same individual creative interpretation theory could be applied to any artistic endeavor. Some musical artists — like electro-pop excitement-seekers The Blow — have the knack of wringing more genuine emotionally-charged goodies out of music + words than most. Bold souls who want more will be ecstatic to hear that the band’s new self-released album is out TODAY! Brand New Abyss is Khaela Maricich’s and Melissa Dyne’s latest dancefloor call-to-arms, and it is a more hands-on affair than previous releases — literally, because this time around, the duo have built a physical system of modular synths for their sounds rather than constructing sample-based songs. We asked the duo about the change in sound development and its adaptability to performance. We’ve spent so much time building this rig that we can use to produce electronic music in a live setting with just the two of us, it’s taken years figure out how to create sounds from scratch and put them all together and basically to make a little home for ourselves out of frequency. When we get ourselves into a groove it feels like we are taking our sound-house around with us, setting it up on each stage we play on, leaning back and stretching out and making ourselves comfortable with the audiences in a deeper way than we’ve either ever really done before. The system is kind of a beast to carry around; it’s a fair number of cases to load in and out every night, so this deeper comfort makes it all really worth it! As the leading Marxist/Freudian theorist Edmund Wilson once quipped, “There is nothing more demoralizing than a small but adequate income.” To make sure Maricich and Dyne don’t fall into this discouraging wage bracket, get over to PledgeMusic and pick up a copy of Brand New Abyss — either as a standalone CD/DL/LP or as part of an impressive amount of charming packages. Singles have been trickling out over the past couple of months, including the NPR-premiered ear-rally “Get Up,” the Bust-premiere of “The Woman You Want Her to Be,” and the refined intensity of “Think About Me,” viewable down below. “America’s greatest reader” Edmund Wilson once claimed, “What a gulf between the self which experiences and the self which describes experience.” Bridge this experience gulf within yourself by witnessing the striking spectacle of The Blow live. All shows from October 26 onward are with the red-hot EMA, who released her compelling Exile in the Outer Ring album last month. To hammer the point home: these upcoming shows will be deadly fun, and YES you should be going to at least one of them. Rightfully so, The Blow is pumped for the tour and playing with EMA: We are so excited about the tour. We are calling it the ‘Power Convergence’ tour — we’ve found a kindred punk spirit in EMA, she seems equally fed up with the current B.S. and ready to address it with her special mid-western cool-stare perspective, and we are really happy to be merging forces with her. We in fact picked special local acts in every city to help us converge even more powers, and the line-up of performers is really inspiring. There are so many people out there doing such cool stuff. Lastly, all thoughts of the dreamy Edmund Wilson aside, The Blow is never just about hype-cycle trivialities like “new albums” and “new tours.” All music fans should do themselves a huge favor and take some time to browse around Woman Producer, a site run by the act that features great vintage pics of, well, woman producers (it is the name of the site!), complete with an exhaustive list of profile links. It also contains infos on past panel discussion events. About the site, the groop affirms, We designed it with the hope that people could get lost in the depth of information there is out there about women/trans/non-binary sound makers. Yes, we would love to do more events to bring people together around the topic of shredding apart the bored old gender expectations. It seems like we should be so far beyond having to make distinctions around gender, like women being producers really shouldn’t be any kind of revolutionary, but apparently, it’s still not seen as totally commonplace, so there’s still a lot to talk about and discover. Alright, enough talk. It’s time to “get up” and get at all-things-Blow! Because, as serial adulterer and piss-poor drunk Edmund Wilson once said, “Oh! Who gives a fuck about Edmund Wilson!” Brand New Abyss tracklisting: 01. Peaceful Easy Feeling 02. Dark Cold Magic 03. So There 04. The Greatest Love of All 05. The Woman You Want Her to Be 06. Get Up 07. Think About Me 08. Summer Brand New tour dates: 09.27.17 - Richmond, VA - Strange Matter 10.03.17 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar 10.12.17 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court 10.13.17 - Boise, ID - Neurolux 10.26.17 - Seattle, WA - Neumos * 10.27.17 - Vancouver, BC - Fox Cabaret * 10.28.17 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios * 10.30.17 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop * 10.31.17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo * 11.01.17 - Phoenix, AZ - Rebel Lounge * 11.03.17 - Austin, TX - Barracuda * 11.04.17 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada * 11.06.17 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade * 11.07.17 - Raleigh, NC - Pinhook * 11.08.17 - Washington, DC - DC9 * 11.10.17 - Brooklyn, NY - BK Bazaar * 11.11.17 - Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA * 11.12.17 - Boston, MA - ONCE Lounge * 11.13.17 - Portsmouth, RI - 3S Art Space * 11.14.17 - Montreal, QC - Le Belmont * 11.15.17 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison * 11.17.17 - Detroit, MI - El Club * 11.18.17 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle * 11.19.17 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club * 11.21.17 - St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill Duck Room * EMA http://j.mp/2fE8Ull

[ricardosousalemos]

The Blow: Brand New Abyss

The duo of Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne venture into modular synthesis for the latest the Blow album. The change is not entirely positive, but it glimmers with some promising moments.

#reviews-albums

[comedytrendsnyc-blog]

The Blow – “Get Up”

The Blow – “Get Up”

Back in 2013, the Blow — in its configuration of Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne — released a fantastic self-titled album, the follow-up to 2006’s classic Paper Television. Over the last couple years, they launched their WOMANPRODUCER initiative while the duo was busy working on new material in the studio. Last fall, they debuted a one-off called “Think About Me,” and it turns out that song will…

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[beginningspod]

This is Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyna of the indie rock band The Blow, and a) they are rad humans and b) they are on Beginnings tomorrow. I’ve wanted to talk to them for a long time, and things lined up while I was back in New York over the holidays. Really great talk, and you can hear it all tomorrow!

#beginnings #the blow #Khaela Maricich #melissa dyne #k records

[catholicartistsnyc]

Why Find a Spiritual Director?

You may have seen this link in our previous newsletters encouraging you to find a spiritual director. Some of you might be wondering: what is a spiritual director? 

According to the Office of Ignatian Spirituality’s website: 

The primary job of a spiritual director is to accompany you on your spiritual journey. Trained directors are excellent listeners, who help you reflect on your spiritual life. 

Seems pretty simple, right? A spiritual director need not be a priest, or a Jesuit, or even a man! but rather an individual, male or female, who has been trained to help you to hear God’s voice and see Him working in your life.  A spiritual director does not take the place of a priest/confessor or a therapist. They occupy a unique place in the life of a Christian.

We asked some of the Catholic Artist Connection board members about their experiences in spiritual direction: 

Cole Matson, vice president and executive director: 

Having a spiritual director has meant having someone with whom to share the deepest stirrings of my spirit and my deepest yearnings, and hearing that person reflect back what he hears God doing in my life and helping me sort out what's coming from the Holy Spirit and what's coming from the evil spirit. I would never again want to go without a spiritual director to help me stay on the straight and narrow, while also encouraging me to listen to the peaceful and energizing promptings of the Spirit, and let them free me from my fears.

Melissa Maricich, secretary: 

Having a spiritual director has brought a sense of ease and peace to me in knowing that I am doing what I can to be diligent and responsible in uncovering and discerning the path God is inviting me on. Having a director helps take some of the pressure off of oneself in having to discern everything completely on one's own. It also is comforting in helping one not feel totally alone while walking through particular experiences or times in one’s life that are challenging. 

Hopefully most of us have some family or friends who are able to help walk with us and share in our difficulties or sorrows, but at times there are circumstance in our lives that sharing with many friends or looking to them to help us make decisions would not be prudent. In these cases especially it’s a gift to have someone to share our burdens with and be able to feel more concretely that we are not alone in enduring the path and growing in holiness.

For all these reasons, I think everyone should cultivate some kind of relationship with a person who is trustworthy, holy and wise who they can turn to for guidance and help whenever necessary. 

However, I think it is important to remember that you do not need to have a spiritual director. I think like many things, there are times and seasons in one’s life where certain practices make more sense than at other times. I would say spiritual direction makes special sense when discerning vocation, or when one is at a crossroads or is struggling with something particular in life. All of which is to say that both cases are perfectly legitimate. 

We do not need to be in a crisis to avail ourselves of spiritual direction - we can have a director when nothing particularly dramatic is happening, but neither do we need to have a director to be spiritually proactive adults and grow in holiness.

Deniz Demirer, board member: 

Fr. Michael Sweeney, OP., changed my life. There are many spiritual traps. Many. A good spiritual director can lead you to see where the traps are. Our discernment process can be perverted and distorted if there is no one to guide us...

If you’re hesitant to look into spiritual direction, pray about it! Try a session before you commit to the practice. 

Contact the Office of Spiritual Direction using the website above to find an SD in your area.  If you can’t find one online, contact your local diocese. They may be able to help you.

If you have had a positive experience with a spiritual director and would like to recommend them to fellow Catholic artists, you can always email us at [email protected].

#spiritual director #spiritual direction #catholic #catholic artist #catholic artists #catholic artists nyc

[catholicartistsnyc]

Apps Every Catholic Artist Should Know: Part Two!

For Part Two in our series of Apps for Catholic Artists, we asked the members of the Catholic Artist Connection board which apps they find indispensable in their creative work.  

THEATER 

Cole Matson, executive director and vice president, recommends TODAYTIX. This free app (available for multiple major cities, including New York City, Boston, and London) lets users theater buy tickets at discounted prices, enter lotteries to win heavily discounted theater tickets, and otherwise stay up to date on shows happening in their cities. A ticketing agent will meet you outside the building at 30 minutes to curtain and give you your tickets. No age restrictions or IDs required, like there are for student lotteries! You can also add your own production to the TodayTix database to drum up ticket sales for your performances. TodayTix is a staple for broke young artists who nonetheless want to spend their last $30 at the theater. 

MUSIC 

Melissa Maricich, secretary, recommends APPCOMPANIST for performers who need backing tracks for auditions, vocal warmups, tempo and key changes, and more. Singers often find themselves preparing for auditions in strange places, and may not always have a personal accompanist on the piano at the ready - how awesome to have one in your pocket! 

WRITING 

Laura Pittenger, treasurer, recommends GOOGLE KEEP for writers. This free app lets you make lists, take notes, and draw sketches. The best ideas often come to us in the shower or walking down the street, places which are not optimal to stop and type or write in notebooks - this app makes it easy for you to talk and transcribe your thoughts for later. There’s also an alert function if you have a note of which you need to remind yourself at a set time. 

PHOTOGRAPHY

While you can’t go wrong with Instagram, have you tried VSCO? This app functions as an outside extension for Instagram and lets you modify your photos with filters and features not available in Instagram. Whether you’re a professional photographer, or a performer looking to up your social media game, VSCO gives your photographs a professional, distinctive edge. 

For the EASILY DISTRACTED of all disciplines...

Laura also recommends a productivity app called FOREST! This free app (which comes with a premium ad-free option to purchase) locks down distracting apps on your smartphone and builds visually appealing trees during the lockdown period you designate. It’s hard to contemplate cutting down a cute tree just so you can log onto Twitter for the 23rd time. Once you build enough trees, you start to build your own forest, and you have the option to build different kinds of trees. 

It’s also a great opportunity to respond to Pope Francis’ call to protect the environment, our common home! From Forest’s website: “Forest team partners with a real-tree-planting organization, Trees for the Future, to plant real trees on the earth. When our users spend virtual coins they earn in Forest on planting real trees, Forest team donates our partner and create orders of planting.”

We want to hear from you! What apps do you consider essential to your creative process? Email us at [email protected]. 

#forest #app #apps #catholic artist #catholic artist connection #catholic artists nyc #todaytix #vsco #google keep #appcompanist

[catholicartistsnyc]

Top 5 Catholic-Artist-Recommended Educational Resources for Performers

Recently arrived in New York and looking for a place to keep your skills sharp and make connections with other artists? Here are the top educational resources for performers recommended by our interviewed artists:

1) The Drama Bookshop - This shop is the gathering place of the theater community in New York City. Many are the actors who have spent afternoons sitting reading scripts for free, getting their first break putting up a show in the basement theatre, or buying their weekly copies of Backstage. Unfortunately, the Bookshop is currently on hiatus, having had to leave its space at 40th Street and 8th Avenue earlier this year due to a steep rent increase. Thankfully, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and friends have purchased the Bookshop, and will be reopening it at a new venue in Midtown Manhattan this fall. Sign up for their newsletter to be the first to learn about their new location! www.dramabookshop.com

2) The Growing Studio - The Growing Studio is a musical theatre studio founded by actors for actors. They focus on perfecting audition material, and regularly invite agents and casting directors to work with students and attend class showcases. Musical theatre performer Melissa Maricich says that the Growing Studio is "particularly helpful for musical theatre performers and making connections," and is "how [she] was connected to [her] current agent." (The studio claims that 70% of students in their Showcase class receive agency responses.) It's also recommended by performers Stephen Lyons and Sara Kreski as a good place to connect with fellow actors and industry professionals. www.thegrowingstudio.com

3) Actors Connection - Actors Connection bills itself as the "largest educational and networking studio for professional actors" in NYC. They offer one-off seminars with agents, casting directors, and managers; on-going audition technique classes; and self-taping services. It's recommended by actors Sara Kreski and Stephen Lyons as a good place to work on craft and network with other professionals. www.actorsconnection.com

4) The Barrow Group - The Barrow Group's mission is to combine "unpredictable, spontaneous acting with well-crafted stories that address social, spiritual, and political issues to create an immediate, authentic connection between actors, audiences, and the writing." Their Performing Arts Training Center offers classes in acting, directing, filmmaking, screenwriting, and playwriting for beginners through advanced working professionals, as well as a teacher training course. Melissa Maricich recommends co-founder Seth Barrish's classes, and actor/playwright Joe Hoover writes that the Barrow Group is "slowly becoming a home" for him. www.barrowgroup.org

5) Broadway Dance Center - BDC is one of the top places for dancers and musical theatre performers to engage in on-going training and conditioning, with over 350 drop-in classes each week. Multiple classes are offered in the major disciplines of ballet, contemporary, hip-hop/street styles, jazz, tap, and theater dance, as well as specialty classes in yoga, Afrodance, Irish step dancing, Latin/salsa, cardio, and stretch/conditioning. Performer Emily Ott recommends BDC as a place which "creates a great supportive community," and Sara Kreski also recommends it as a place to keep sharp and build connections. www.broadwaydancecenter.com

Get to work!

#broadway dance center #the barrow group #barrow group #actors connection #the growing studio #growing studio #drama bookshop #the drama bookshop #new york #new york city #artist #artist resources #catholic #catholic artist connection #catholic artists nyc #artists #actors #acting