PAST DEMONS Now Streaming Everywhere

Past Demons, an album of songs based on tales by acclaimed 1950s psychological horror author Shirley Jackson, composed by RSO with words by Jackson and Oliver is available now (Jan. 25) via Spotify, Apple Music, and all streaming platforms.

GET THE SHEET MUSIC

LISTEN HERE ON SPOTIFY

LISTEN HERE ON APPLE MUSIC

Among the stories included in the spooky collection of stories:

  • In “Louisa, Please Come Home,” Louisa runs away from home, hoping to become someone new. Little does she know, some dreams come true…
  • In “Remembrance of Things Past,” a woman wakes one more to realize she’s forgotten her husband’s name.
  • In “6 A.M. is the Hour,” a man falls into an alternate dimension and discovers three gods playing poker. The stakes? The fate of the human race.

Jackson’s work was the basis of the hit Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House and the classic Robert Wise-directed film The Haunting. She is also the author of the iconic  short story “The Lottery,”  and was the subject of the recent film Shirley, executive produced by Martin Scorsese and starring Elisabeth Moss.

Past Demons features an impressive line-up of theater stars including (in alphabetical order) Jessie Hooker-Bailey, Caitlin Doak, Eleri Ward, Daniel Yearwood and Eric Ulloa, with Ethan Carlson, Nicole DeLuca and Miranda Luze.

The Band features Joshua Zecher-Ross on synths, keyboards and  auxiliary instrruments, Felix Herbst on violins, Allison Seidner on cello, Andrew Zinsmeister on guitars, banjo and mandolin, Yuka Tadano on bass, and Sean McDaniel on drums/percussion. The album is produced by Zecher-Ross and Oliver (JZRSO Studios), and orchestrations by RSO.

The track list is as follows:

1: “The Real Me” — Jessie Hooker-Bailey

2: “Louisa, Please Come Home” — Caitlin Doak, with Ethan Carlson, Nicole DeLuca, and Miranda Luze

3: “Remembrance of Things Past” — Eleri Ward

4: “6 A.M. is the Hour” — Daniel Yearwood

5: “Jack the Ripper” — Eric Ulloa

SHIRLEY JACKSON was born in 1916 in San Franciscco and later moved to Burlingame. At university in Syracuse, she met her husband, the future literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, with whom she had four children. In 1948 she published her iconic short story “The Lottery” in The New Yorker, sparking furious letters from readers to the magazine. Her novels —— most of which involve elements of horror and the occult —— include The Road Through the Wall, Hangsaman, The Bird’s Nest, The Sundial, We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Haunting of Hill House. Her short story collections include The Lottery and Other Stories, Come Along with Me, Just an Ordinary Day and Let Me Tell You. Shirley Jackson died in her sleep in 1965 at the age of 48.

Ideal Cuts for RSO Songs

Below you can find RSO’s suggested audition cuts for some of his most popular tunes.

A BALL OF GOLD IN A BLOOD SKY: Start at “What do you make of us” and go to the end. Cut the 3 bars between “and you know what I think?” and “I forgot,” so that there’s no dead air.

A HYPOCHONDRIAC’S SONG: Start at “these pills, this problem” and go to the end. You could also just start as “Get me out of my mind” to the end.

AWFUL PEOPLE: From “These days the kiddies” through end of first chorus “pavin’ the road to Hell.” You can also do just the first chorus.

BLEED YOU DRY: From “Your woman is something” through end of first chorus (ending on the B major chord.)

BROKEN MACHINE: Start at “with a ruptured spout” and go to the end; take the last note up the octave.

CARALEE: Start at “Caralee likes spaghetti” and go to the end.

CLEVER: Start at “And I think I love you boy,” and go to the end—but! Cut the four empty bars between “feelings seem to well, stick” and “My heart got stolen.”

CRAYON GIRL: From “And now I’m in a world off starving artists” to the end.

CUT YOU A PIECE: Not an ideal cut, but you could start at the top and after the first chorus, you could jump to the ending playout (last three bars).

GIRL IN CAMOUFLAGE: The second verse through the chorus, adding a button “G” chord.

GOOD LOVE: Start at “My love for you is why, why I’ve come back” (verse 2) through that chorus (“who’d have guessed.”)

GROUND: This one is very hard! Start at “You will always  be a child” and go through first chorus, “Never tied to the ground.” If you have time with your accompanist to work it, you could do the B-section “Oh if life were just easy, easy,” through “but somehow I’ll get through on the ground” and end.

HALFWAY: I would sing “Now I’m here in this Kansas town” (lower line) and sing through the  final “stay,” but resolve it to G major instead of Gsus (don’t sing the ending).

HEMMING AND HAWING: Start at “I’m tired of  hemming and hawing” and go to the end, but only sing “Goddamn I hate you heart” once.

HOW WE GROW: From “Unknown muscles” through end of the first chorus “and now we go.” (singing all parts as a solo.) You can also just do the chorus.

I DON’T WANT TO BE SAD ANYMORE: Not an ideal cut for an audition.

I GO ON WITH YOU: Either verse into its chorus.

I HAVE SEEN THE AFTER: Start  at “This time in the after” and go to the end. Don’t do the accent.

LEAVE LUANNE: Start at “Luanne’s fat lip is drying” and sing through first chorus.  If you have time with your accompanist you could start near the end, “Someone’s howling” and sing through the end (if a screaming dark song is what is best for your audition??? EEK).

LOST BOY: Start at “But doesn’t every person” and go to the end. You could also begin at “But there’s some new kid” to the end. Don’t forget to play the positive—it’s not a sad song—and don’t worry about the high Bb.

MAKE ME HAPPY: Start at your preferred verse, but when it gets to the chorus, skip to the end and sing your preferred line as a solo.

MAP OF SCARS: Start at “Blood now boils in my veins” and go to the end, but at the end jump to the final today instead of the first one (ending on the C the first time you sing it, and trimming it a bit).

MAMA, LET’S MAKE A PORNO: Start at the top and sing through the chorus.

MRS. SHARP: If you’ve purchased the music from this site, contact RSO, subject “Mrs. Sharp cut” and he will send you the cut version.

MY LASS, SHE TIED HER LACE TO ME: From m. 19 to the end, singing all parts like a solo. Tell your accompanist to jam like an old Irish folk song.

ON MONDAY: Start at “You are cute but juvenile” and go to the end—BUT, make a few tiny cuts. Cut the fourth system of page 9, and  the first bar of page 10, so you sing “But I uh I uh  I, I wanna kiss you now.” Cut the 3rd-6th “and kiss you” (and their bars) so you only sing the first, second and last. Tighten it up!

OUT OF MY MIND: Start at “For now I’ll still cook every meal” to the end. You could also start at “’Cuz soon I won’t care, dear” and go to the end.

PLEASURE IN THE DESERT: Start at “But man this pleasure in the desert brings a sort of guilt” and go to the end.

RECOVERY: Start at “So she waters the plants” and sing through the end.

ROOTS DIG DEEP: Start at page 7, “Yes the roots dig deep,” and go to “grow what’s good once again” before the final recit. Have your accompanist end on A major instead of A minor, and add an octave bass button.

RUINATION: Dicey for an audition due to content, but hey! Start at the bridge (“Our ilk ties the tether”) and go to the end.

SORROW DONE:  From “Free my heart from the drawer” to the end. Feel free to take the second phrase (low!) up the octave.

STEPS IN THE SNOW: Start at “When I return it’s cloud number 9” and continue through the top of page 9 (singing the melody in the chorus as a solo).

STROKE BY STROKE: From “So let’s jump!” to the final “by stroke.” You don’t need the final lines. I also recommend listening to John-Michael Lyles’s version, who has the best optional notes.

STUPID BOYS: Start at “He loved me Sunday” through the end.

THE BALLAD OF SARA BERRY:  If you’ve purchased the music from this site, contact RSO, subject “Sara Berry cut” and he will send you the cut version.

THE FORGETTING: Start at “Now it isn’t uncommon” and go to the end. It’s a rarer song so make sure your accompanist sees the time and tempo changes or it could be a disaster!

THE KILLING: From “Agnes showed me more than a killing” to the end. You could also begin at “See the corpses after a killing” to the end.

THE LAST LOVE SONG: Start at the second verse through the first chorus. You could also just do the chorus.

THE MAD DOG: Start at “Now I’m changing shape before an empty moon” and sing through the  end, skipping the ensemble hum.

THE PARTY GOES WITH YOU: From “And when we’re dancing nose to nose” through the ending.

THE SERAPH: Final verse (“I don’t believe in God”) through first “I’ll be blessed.” (You don’t need  to repeat them.) You can also just do the final chorus.

TO DO: Start at “All the time that I’ve waited” and sing to the end.

TWISTED TEETH: Do page 6 and 7, but instead of the final bar or 7, have them end on a C octave button.

WE JUST WORK TOGETHER: Start at the top and go through the first chorus.

WHAT I WOULDN’T DO FOR YOU: Start at “My life was school weekend and summer” and go to the end.

WHAT YOU  CALL FREEDOM: Begin at “Maybe I’ll change my clothes,” and go to the end.

WHEN LILY CAME: Start at “Round Lily came near a dozen girls” and sing through the end.

WHEN YOU GO: Start at “You who live in your private light” to the end. You could also just do the final chorus.

WHY MUST WE TELL THEM WHY: From “Why excuse each deviation” through “Look closely” and conclude the passage with a C5 chord to button it.

2019 YEAR IN REVIEW

Here’s a look back on 2019.

RSO PENS SCORE FOR HUGO

RSO composed music and co-lyrics for HUGO, an adaptation of the 2011 Martin Scorsese film, which is itself an adaptation of the award-winning novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, written by Brian Selznick (who has also written the book and co-lyrics for the musical). 

Tony Award-winner Christopher Wheeldon (An American in Paris, upcoming MJ) directs and choreographs.

The project was first announced under the new partnership of Theresa Page and Tim Headington forming LeyLine productions (recent producers of the London hit & Juliet).

More details will be announced at a later date.

THREE POINTS OF CONTACT Conceptual Album released

The new recording featuring songs from RSO’s “marriage” musical was released in February via Spotify, Apple Music, and all streaming platforms.

Gavin Creel, Lindsay Mendez, Isaac Cole Powell, Jessica Vosk, Jenn Colella, Ben Crawford and more are featured.

Find out more about the album and listen to it here.

Additionally, RSO released We Foxes: Tracks, an EP of songs from the show, and Darling: Live in Concert, a live recording of the 2016 concert starring Kerstin Anderson and Nicholas Christopher. Both are available on all streaming platforms.

JASPER IN DEADLAND MADE ITS GERMAN PREMIERE

Find out more about the German-translated production here.

PLUS…

The latest Singer’s Musical Theatre Anthology features “The View from Here” from Darling … (read more)

RSO hit 2.1 million streams on Spotify (thanks for listening!) … (read more)

and We Foxes was announced as a developmental production in Minnesota.

Here’s what’s coming up in 2020 …

  • This winter, HUGO will receive a four-week developmental workshop in London
  • A brand new EP of songs from Rope will be released in late January
  • RSO will begin work on a commission for Universal Theatricals of Heart and Souls (based on the beloved 1991 Robert Downey Jr. film) with his Mrs. Sharp collaborator Kirsten Guenther
  • After two years away, RSO returns to Feinstein’s/54 Below with his biggest evening yet on March 31 (Get tix here!)
  • Theatre Elision’s developmental production of We Foxes premieres in May
  • and some very exciting news, to be announced shortly!

2016 YEAR IN REVIEW

It’s been quite a year for RSO!  Look back at all that’s been done……

RSO LIVE AT LINCOLN CENTER

RSO opened Lincoln Center’s acclaimed American Songbook series with a free concert on Tuesday, January 19th in the David Rubenstein Atrium.  RSO was joined by Kerstin Anderson, Nick Blaemire, Ben Crawford, Jason Gotay, John-Michael Lyles, Julia Mattison, Derek Klena, Lindsay Mendez, Katie Thompson, Betsy Wolfe, and more!  For the third year, through Lincoln Center’s partnership with PGIM, the global investment management business of Prudential Financial, Songbook’s “Invest in the Future of American Song,” gave members of the public the opportunity to select the artist to open the Songbook season with a free concert at the Atrium. RSO received the most votes, earning him the opening spot on January 19.

MUSIC OF ‘WE FOXES’ AND ‘ROPE’ AT FEINSTEIN’S/54 BELOW

On March 14, RSO returned to Feinstein’s/54 Below with a concert show featuring the music of ‘WE FOXES’ and ‘ROPE’.  The evening featured talents of many familiar faces, including vocal powerhouse Katie Thompson (Giant), Jay Armstrong John (On the Town), Nic Rouleau (Book of Mormon), Alex Wyse (Spring Awakening), Kerstin Anderson (The Sound of Music), and F. Michael Haynie (Wicked, Dogfight). ‘WE FOXES’ is a musical tale of salvation in the face of murderous manipulation set in small-town Missouri, 1945.  Set against the Civil War, ‘ROPE’ explores the bonds of brotherhood when a blind boy, Shy, becomes tied to the gang-thief, Clay, and they embark on a quest through war-torn America.

SH-K-BOOM’S 16TH BIRTHDAY

On April 14, RSO joined Duncan Sheik, Marc Shaiman and other all-star artists in a concert to celebrate Sh-k-Boom Record’s 16th birthday at Symphony Space’s ‘Leonard Nimony Thalia.’  The music portrayed at the event spanned the spectrum of contemporary and classic theater talent that has earned ShK-Boom records three Grammy awards, twelve Grammy nominations, and a Drama Desk “Special Award.”  Among these was RSO’S ‘35 MM.’  The show was represented at the concert with Grace McLean singing “The Ballad of Sara Berry” with Ethan Carlson, Mary Claire Miskell, David Park, and John-Michael Lyles.

‘JASPER IN DEADLAND’ CAST ALBUM RELEASE

RSO’s ‘JASPER IN DEADLAND’ (with a book by Hunter Foster) released a cast album on May 20.  The album was distributed by Sh-K-Boom Records, and featured Matt Doyle as the title character.  Sydney Shepherd, Louis Hobson, Andi Alhadeff, Brandi Massey, Bonnie Milligan, F. Michael Haynie, John-Michael Lyles and Kyle Carter rounded out the nine-person cast on the album.  The album was produced by RSO and John Clancy (orchestrator), with Nessie Nankivell, Kailey Marshall, and Solomon Hoffman as associate producers.  You can purchase the album on iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon.  

Jasper in Deadland tells the story of 16-year-old Jasper, who journeys into the Afterlife to rescue his recently deceased best friend, Agnes.  But in this version of the hereafter – known as “Deadland,” a hybrid of mythology, religion, and superstition – the dead forget Life…  And so, too, will Jasper, if he can’t get past the seven circles of Deadland, fearsome Cerberus, heavenly Beatrix, mysterious Mr. Lethe, and ultimately himself.  Can Jasper bring his best friend back from the dead, or will he join the dead forever?

‘WE FOXES’ PERFORMED AT VILLAGE THEATRE’S FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS

RSO’s ‘WE FOXES’ was among the five new musicals brought to life at the Village Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals.  Through the creative collaboration of nearly 75 artists and writers, performed and directed by the region’s foremost theatre professionals and guest artists from across the country, it will be the first Festival of New Musicals led by newly appointed Associate Artistic Director, Brandon Ivie.  Other new musicals of the festival included ‘COSTS OF LIVING’ (book, music, and lyrics by Timothy Huang), ‘HOW TO BREAK’ (book and lyrics by Aaron Gaffers), ‘STRING’ (book by Sarah Hammond, music and lyrics by Adam Gwon), ‘WRITING KEVIN TAYLOR’ (music and lyrics by Will Van Dyke, book and lyrics by Josh Halloway).

‘MUSE & THE MUSIC’ CONCERT AT SUBCULTURE WITH LINDSAY MENDEZ

On August 29, the dynamic duo was reunited as RSO and Drama Desk nominated actress Lindsay Mendez (Significant Other, Dogfight, Wicked, Godspell) presented ‘MUSE & THE MUSIC’ at SubCulture in NYC.  The evening featured popular collaborations, never-before-heard songs, mash-ups, stories, and a little gossip.  The evening was music directed by Rodney Rush and featured a six-piece band.  

‘DARLING’ CONCERT AT LE POISSON ROUGE

On September 19, a concert presentation of ‘DARLING’ was put on by RSO and friends at Le Poisson Rouge in New York.  ‘DARLING’ was the first musical recorded for The Score, a podcast series focused on new musicals created and produced by Michael Kimmel, John DeLore and Allison Bressi.  The evening featured Kerstin Anderson, Ethan Carlson, Chris D’Amico, Jeff Heimbrock, John-Michael Lyles, Jackson Perrin, Daniel Quadrino, Daniel Yearwood, Talya Groves, Gerianne Perez, Catherine Ricafort, Emily Rogers, and P.J. Griffith.  The concert evening featured musical direction by Rodney Bush and a seven-piece orchestra. Orchestrations were by Oliver, with additional orchestrations by Solomon Hoffman and Ryan Fielding Garrett. Fernanda Douglas served as music assistant.  Nessie Nankivell served as Associate Producer, Ari Raskin as additional Producer, Stephen Ravet was the Stage Manager and Kaleb Tank the Associate Director.

RSO & LINDSAY MENDEZ CONDUCT HARVARD 35MM MASTER CLASS

‘35 MM: A MUSICAL EXHIBITION,’ was presented by students at Harvard University in October.  In preparation for the show, RSO and original cast member Lindsay Mendez ventured from New York to Cambridge, MA to work with Harvard’s ‘35 MM’ production team.  The duo presented two master classes which were presented by Learning From Performers, a program of the Office for the Arts at Harvard.  The first master class, a seminar led by RSO, focused on creativity in art-making.  The second master class, a workshop led by RSO and Mendez, allowed students to perform and receive feedback.  This workshop was modeled after Oliver and Mendez’s Actor’s Therapy program.

‘35 MM’ CONCERT PERFORMANCE AT THE TIMESCENTER

On November 5, a concert performance of ‘35 MM’ was presented at the TimesCenter in Manhattan as a part of Prospect Theater Company’s 2016 IGNITE Series.  The evening featured original cast member Lindsay Mendez, Drama Desk Award winner and two-time Tony Award nominee Mary Testsa, Joe Iconis, Lauren Marcus, Ali Stroker, Andi Alhadeff, Susan Blackwell, Ally Bonino, Noel Carey, Max Chernin, Dan DeLuca, John-Michael Lyles, Julia Mattison, Chris McCarrell, Andrea Ross, and more.  The evening also featured a mixed choir of collegiate performers from Marymount Manhattan College, the NYU Steinhardt Vocal Performance program, Pace University, Rider University, and Wagner College.  This presentation was directed by RSO and music directed by Joshua Zecher-Ross.  The performers were backed by an ensemble of six musicians.  Vocal arrangements and orchestrations were done by Oliver with additional percussion arrangements by Jeremy Yaddaw and additional guitar arrangements by Matt Hinkley.  

RSO CONCERT AT ROCKWOOD IN HOLLYWOOD

On November 21, RSO returned to Los Angeles with a concert at Rockwood in Hollywood.  The evening showcased selections from RSO’s numerous works including ‘MRS. SHARP,’ ‘DARLING,’ ‘35 MM,’ ‘JASPER IN DEADLAND,’ ‘WE FOXES,’ ‘OUT OF MY HEAD,’ and more.  Bringing the material to life was an all-star group of performers consisting of Kerstin Anderson, Jason Michael Snow, Eric Krop, Ben Davis, Jared Gertner, Deborah S. Craig, Carly Jibson, Andrew Samonsky, Kate Reinders, Anna Grace Barlow, Chris Meissner, Kate Pazakis, Katherine Washington, and others.  

 

2016 has been full of excitement, endeavors both familiar and unknown, and incredible people, collaborators, and audiences.  We thank you for being a part of it all.  Stay tuned to see what’s in store for 2017!