Combining their love for theatre and music, Ty Taylor (Rockstar: INXS), Jason Wooten (The Rocky Horror Show Live!) and Douglas Crawford (Jersey Boys) wrote a rock musical of their own. The result of this collaboration is The Existents, the story of a fictitious rock band’s trials and tribulations, a la VH-1’s Behind the Music. On October 8th, the score to The Existents was on live display at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood.
This one night only performance found Eden Espinosa (Wicked), Carly Thomas-Smith (Rent), Kyle Lowder (The Bold & the Beautiful) and Deandra Williams (aka Countre Black) joining Taylor, Wooten and Crawford on stage.
While the seven members of the band performed, songs such as "What More", "Premonition", "Stone Cold Sober", and "There Where You Are", helped tell the story of The Existents’ meteoric rise to fame and the trappings of success and tragedy that followed. However, if you didn’t know the backstory this may have been lost on you. And while quotes and photos were flashed on a screen behind the band to help set the scene, they were hard to see from the main floor with the stage being so high up. But in the end none of that really mattered, as the music that included a little rock, a little soul, a little funk and a little love thoroughly energized and entertained.
As The Existents played to a packed house consisting of an extremely receptive audience, each band member was given the opportunity to showcase their individual vocal abilities. While they were all strong and capable, the most entertaining of the bunch had to be Ty Taylor, who rocked a Lenny Kravtiz type groove, Douglas Crawford, who clearly relished playing to an audience and Carly Thomas-Smith who just looked like she was having a great time.
The songs and music were completely engaging and it was easy to imagine them all incorporated into a theatrical production. Even though they are meant to be part of a musical, they weren’t typical show tunes. The songs were good enough to stand on their own and were free of the cheesy, overly theatrical quality many musicals produce.
If you get the chance to see The Existents perform at a club like the Whisky or as a full length musical, it’s highly recommend you do so. In the meantime, check them out on their MySpace page and give them a listen.
Photos by Lori Wilson
I was there, and it was incredible! I can’t WAIT to for more to come, I will be following this show very closely from now on!
What a rush for us to share our music with a packed house from the historic stage of the Whisky A Go Go monday night! For such legendary bands as The Doors, Guns N Roses, and Motley Crue (just to name a few), that very stage served as a launching pad to international superstardom! Although time alone can tell what the future has in store for THE EXISTENTS, I can be sure of this – the support, love, and responses we received from everyone, there, that night has fired our spirits, fueled our creative juices, and inspired Ty, Jason, and myself to ride this momentum and take our project to greater heights! The night was nothing short of magical for us – and to be able to share that experience with so many friends and fans (some of whom traveled as far as coming from Australia to be with us), has renewed our commitment to bring our dream to fruition! Still high from the performance, we have spent of this past week immersed in rewrites (often while, simultaneously, doing phone interviews) – focusing our script and integrating new discoveries! It’s so rare that the three of us are in the same place at the same time so, when we get that opportunity, no moment is wasted.
Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended, played, sang, and helped set-up and run our show! I promise you it was a night none of us will ever forget and it wouldn’t have been possible without each and every one of you! I have posted on our myspace page some fan pix taken during the show (courtesy of our friends Wendy, Stephanie, and Terena), as well as, video of Eden singing “Stone Cold Sober”…brilliantly, I might add (thanks again Wendy) – please check them out and let us know what you think! We are in the midst of editing our own video footage (shot from four cameras with sound recorded directly through the board) and will also be posting pix taken by the professional photographers of Santrie Studios (thank you Josh & Morgan), so be looking for those in the days ahead!
Again, words can not express our love and gratitude! If you were there, you felt it! If not, we’ll see you next time! Like the band, “The Existents”, we are reborn…a new beginning that, with your continued love and support, points to a triumphant tomorrow!
with immeasurable love, respect, & appreciation!
Douglas, Ty, & Jason
www,myspace.com/theexistents
Great review and pics. I’ll definitely check them out.