Marimba Cabaret debut recording

Provincetown's singing marimba player is recording his debut EP!

My name is Brian Calhoon (he/him) and Marimba Cabaret is my passion project where I sing showtunes and pop songs while accompanying myself on marimba. For the first-ever Marimba Cabaret EP, I’ll be recording some of my favorite covers to share on streaming platforms. I can't wait to share this music with you!

What’s a Marimba Cabaret? Watch this video!

What’s an EP? It’s like a mini album (about 4-6 songs) that you can download or listen to on streaming services. What songs will I be recording, do you ask? Stay tuned and you'll find out. :)

Alright, what’s the story?

Back in 2016, percussionist and friend Greg Jukes dared me to put on an entire show of my marimba and voice covers. Greg directed and joined me on stage and together we developed the concept that turned into my pride and joy. On June 28, 2016, we had our first-ever performance at Club Cafe and the Marimba Cabaret was born! Since then, Marimba Cabaret has appeared from coast to coast with shows in Boston, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. and was a Critic’s Choice pick at the 2017 Portland Fringe Festival.

Since moving to Provincetown in 2020, I’ve had the pleasure of performing on the front porch of the Brasswood Inn for hundreds of passersby on Commercial Street. After making my Art House and Post Office Cafe debuts this summer, I was inspired to share my music with more people by recording some of my favorite tunes to put on streaming services.

The Recording Project

Making a quality recording takes a quality team. I am delighted to be working with the award-winning audio engineer, Charles Van Kirk, at his beautiful studio in Round Pond, Maine. Joining me on drumset will be Julian Loida, a Cape Cod-based percussionist and composer who has become a dear friend and performed with me a bunch this past summer. (No doubt Greg Jukes will be on future releases!)

I have to admit, this has been quite a learning process. (I certainly didn’t learn how to do this in music school!) I had no idea how to upload and distribute music online, how to choose a digital aggregator, or that I need to obtain a mechanical license for each cover song to make sure the original artists are compensated fairly (as they should be!) – and all of these things cost money.

Whether it’s walking by a porch concert, tipping a street performer, listening to a recording, or buying a ticket to a live show, musicians cannot do what they do without support from folks like you. Because I want this to be a professional recording, it takes professional funding. That’s where you come in!

Truly ANY amount can help make this recording a reality. Your generous donation will help cover the costs of the recording engineer, mixing, mastering, studio rental, digital distribution, mechanical licensing fees, musician fees, and travel costs. We plan to record in late January and release in the spring. Check back here for updates along the way!

Thank you for even considering donating or sharing this. After all, it takes a village!

<3

- Brian