Just the Three of Them - And Music, Too

Usually, the music heard at the Hasty Pudding Club ranges from the harmony of the Krokodiloes to the raucous tunes of an all-male revise. But, this Monday, a uio of undergraduates will bring three decades worth of "American Top 40" to the Club's upstairs bar.

"Just Us and Music Too." conceived by its three performers, combines the sound of jazz, blues, and pop in a "a huge corps of songs," according to singer Guy M. LaCrosby '86.

"We are three individual people, and the songs we choose to sing fall into three different camps," says LaCrosby. "I think it will be a nice range."

The show will be divided into two sets to accommodate better the singers' various styles and interests. One set will feature jazz standards and tunes from the 1950s and 1960s, and the second one will be comprised of more contemporary material, according to performer Andrea M. Burke '86.

Burke, LaCrosby and Frettra M. Miller '85, the third member of the trio, decided to produce and perform in "Just Us and Music. Too" after they worked together on "Mood Indigo," a jazz and blues revue that incorporated songs and texts.

...Mood Indigo' centered on what jazz and blues came to mean in the mind of American society over the years. As performers, we worked to enhance the idea of jazz." Lacrosby says. "This show will take a more individual approach. We'll be able to put our own personalities into the songs."

Eclectic Mix

LaCrosby explains that the three singers considered the idea of singing songs from only one genre, but decided that it would be less limiting to explore areas of music which are performed infrequently at Harvard. "We had all done jazz before, and modern pop just isn't played enough. We felt it would be a really nice mix and we would have a chance to spread our wings a little."

Although the performers have made no final decisions about what songs will be included in the show, the range from which they are choosing is eclectic: Burke says she plans to sing songs by the Prefenders, the Eurythmics, and the Motels: Miller says she will sing jazz tunes-like Billie Holiday's-and "upbeat" music like Chaka Khan's LaCrosby will perform works by Barbra Streisand and the Talking Heads.

The undergraudate band "Robespierre" will supply the singers' musical accompaniment. Miller, who recently became the band's lead singer, says "singing popular music is a new thing for me."

Singing with a band or in the type of solo situation that "Just Lie and Music Too" will entail is a change for her, says Miller. "It's different not having a character or theme or storyline so carry--just having yourself." She adds.

Burke, on the other hand, has song with both campus, and Boston rock bands and says that she considers herself a "pop-ballad" singer. In addition, she writes songs, which, she says, are "mostly about love, but not on the idyllic or positive side."

Cabaret Atmosphere

One of the more unusual aspects of the show is that it will be held in the Hasty Pudding Club's bar, which seats about 100, according to LaCrosby. LaCrosby, who played in this year's Pudding show "Witch and Famous," says that the bar is "a very intimate space. The bar gives it a cosy feeling, like a cabret."

Burke adds, "I get the feeling it would be very nice to have people jammed into the room--like a nightclub--rather him sitting in chairs like they were seeing a play.

All three performers agreed that their enthusiasm, for the show is heightened by their love for the artists whose work they will perform.

Burke says that she looks forward to "Just Us and Music Too" not just as an opportunity to perform but also a chance to sing songs recorded by Martha Davis, lead singer for the Motels. "She's really intense," says Burke "but not in that Bette Middler screamy type of way. She doesn't put on a floor show."

LaCrosby adds that Monday's performance will not necessarily be clones of the original performers' concerts: "Although an individual artist has recorded a song in his or her way, we'll just be taking the same notes and keys and adding our own style."

But LaCrosby still looks forward to singing songs by the Talking Heads, one of his favorite bands, and says, "David Byrne? I wish I had a big suit."