I've been fortunate enough to perform with Anthology Strings and the very talented band Sleepy Rebels over the past year and on July 28 we played to a packed house at the Highline Ballroom. Sleepy Rebels have had commercial success with several of their songs, notably Unbelievable which was featured on a JCPenney commercial aired throughout the Oscars, and Magic Girl which played during an episode of ABC's Private Practice--and countless other ads ranging from Toyota to the 2008 Olympics. Because of the unprecedented popularity of their song Unbelievable, Sleepy Rebels garnered a relationship with JCPenney which led to, among other things, an invitation to perform at the Grand Opening of the first ever JCPenney store in Manhattan.
We were, in a word, psyched. The band--Jeremy, Erica and Bruce plus drummer Ethan and string quartet (Yippee!)--were set to play at the end of the day-long events which marked the advent of deep discount shopping in the way of the new JCPenney store at Herald Square. Rumored to be in attendance was the NYC mayor and other C-list celebrities.
I arrived at Herald Square early to find only the drummer and violist present. It was a rainy week, and the skies were dark and overcast--the kind of weather that looks as though the heavens might open up at any moment and dump an ark-worthy load of rain on man and beast alike.
"Where are we performing?" I asked.
The violist pointed to an outdoor catwalk between Broadway and Seventh Avenue where Ethan had already assembled his drum kit.
"Uh..." I noticed there was no cover to protect us from the elements. "What if it rains?"
No one seemed to be too clear on that point until it started drizzling, which quickly turned to a torrential downpour. A friendly fellow from the JCPenney event planning team rushed over and hustled us and our instruments into a trailer set up for the sub-level celebrities. I looked around. They do themselves well, at any rate. Catering was on the kitchen counters, champagne chilling in the fridge. Ethan munched on fruit while we waited for the rest of the band to arrive and word from the Powers That Be re our performance.
"Can we perform inside the store?" we pleaded, as members of the event team spoke enigmatically into headsets and popped their heads in and out of the trailer. Still raining cats and dogs. Finally, our friendly member of the team returned to tell us there was a flood watch in effect for several hours and it was too dangerous for us to perform on the catwalk as planned. And no, we couldn't perform inside the mall, for reasons not wholely explained.
We were, in a word, bummed. Must have shown on our faces because the event planner guiltily rummaged in his pockets and offered us a stash of JCPenney gift cards, which he produced like a rabbit from a top hat.
You can listen to Sleepy Rebels at www.myspace.com/sleepyrebels
Alice Hamlet, Director
www.tenstringsmusicstudio.com
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