Photo courtesy of Jeremy Daniel

Taking a modern day Christmas classic and turning it into a full-blown musical is no easy task, but ELF has become a family favorite to those who love film or theater. For Tara Nicole Vinson, playing the lead role of Jovie is a magical opportunity.

This is the second national tour Vinson has been a part of. She played Suzy Sheep on Peppa Pig Live! in 2022 and said that this production has some drastic differences. Her time on tour with Peppa Pig Live! taught her all about adaptability. Many of those shows were one night only, which meant taking a sleeper bus to the next show and waking up in a different city each day. ELF is more of a traditional tour, spending multiple nights in one city before moving onto the next.

The stage productions are also quite different, which means that the stages they perform on could require modifications to their individual performances. Different theaters could mean different set placement or different choreography, so being prepared for a last minute change is crucial.

Vinson’s most important takeaway from touring is keeping a good mental mindset. Being adaptable is part of that, and she always reminds herself that change is not bad; it’s different. There are so many miniscule parts of a performance that are not necessarily thought about until it has to be changed, so keeping that in mind is what makes the final performance all the more energizing.

The story of ELF does not substantially change from the 2003 film. ELF The Musical is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Adapted for the stage by Sam Scalamoni featuring songs by Tony nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, the part of Jovie holds sentimental value to Vinson. Every year growing up, the film was a holiday staple in her own household and was her grandmother’s favorite holiday film.

She knew she wanted to honor those who played the role before her but also bring something new to the stage. She rewatched the film and researched past performances, but also took real-life experiences that tie her to Jovie.

“I’m a person who likes to be inspired but not necessarily copy and paste when it comes to how I approach things,” she said. “When reading my script, I realized I am very similar to Jovie. That also allowed me to really take from my own experiences; take from my own thoughts, my own feelings about moving all the way to New York City, and how that felt for her and how that felt for me. I decided to bring my own little twist that was inspired by those who came before me but put a little Tara on her.”

Photo courtesy of Adam Castilla

Ava Wilson looks back fondly on a childhood spent at her grandmother Mimi’s house in Memphis. It was a place where she fell in love with nature and music, spending as much time as possible either out in the backyard or in front of the grand piano. It was her grandmother’s influence that led her to a career in music.

“She’s a creative as well and has always been supportive and has pushed me to do what I love, which is making music and creating,” Wilson said. “She introduced me to music. Some of the first music I ever heard she played for me.”

Through her grandmother’s encouragement she taught herself piano and wrote original songs. Despite that encouragement, she felt as though she lacked the confidence of believing in herself as much as Mimi did.

It wasn’t until a stay at a residential treatment center in Utah that she found her own confidence. The center did not provide a safe and supportive environment, so she took it upon herself to give a bit of relief when she could. With good behavior she would earn privileges which included access to a guitar that she would play for her fellow residents.

“I would play for a lot of the peers around me who were also struggling with their own challenges and also the challenges of being in a place like that,” she said. “More people started listening and telling me that it was the best part of their day and helping them get through the stuff that they were going through. I think that hearing that was the biggest ‘a-ha’ moment for me.”

After escaping the treatment center a year later, Wilson considered moving to Nashville to pursue music before ultimately deciding on Los Angeles. She attributes part of that decision to producer Adam Castilla and the immediate connection they formed.

She recognized instantly that he wanted to make music that was uniquely hers. She enjoyed her previous sessions with other producers, but this was the first time she wasn’t being pushed to sound a certain way. Castilla’s first question to her was simple: What did she want from this? She barely finished describing her ideas before he was bringing them to life.

She took inspiration from an artist that was frequently played during her childhood, David Bowie, and channeled his boundary pushing into her own creativity. She wasn’t worried about sounding like anyone other than herself.

Her first single under the moniker Babyfangs, “Feelings Bleed”, delves into the concept of not only escaping the treatment center but escaping the emotions it left behind. She wrote the song to give herself the closure that she did not receive while she was there.

Her latest single, “Prima Bella Donna”, stemmed from a writing session with Castilla where Wilson found a book in the studio about poisonous flowers. One of the first flowers listed in the book was the Belladonna and inspired a poem that ultimately turned into lyrics.

The beautiful yet deadly flower inspired lyrics pertaining to toxic relationships. With experience in that department, the song compares those types of relationships to the flower.

“I wanted to be able to put something out there that other people can hopefully [recognize] as something they’re dealing with right now or felt before and take it as an initiative to either leave a toxic relationship or to take care of yourself more,” she said.

The accompanying music video is set in an abandoned home that gives off the same eerily beautiful vibe as the lyrics. Castilla directed and filmed the video, as well as scouted the location. When he showed Wilson the home, she instantly saw the resemblance of her grandmother Mimi’s house. It was bright with natural beauty and history, and the piano in the sitting room sealed the deal.

“It just felt like a very special place, especially to be creating something for my music,” she said. “I felt very excited and happy to be able to stumble upon something that felt that sentimentality even though I had never been there.”

Babyfangs could very well be a real-life Snow White, with her inherent love for animals and celestial voice. She has a gift for taking in nature’s beauty and crafting it into the perfect melody. Thanks to her grandmother, she gets to share her gift with all who will listen.

When Kate Voegele and Michael Grubbs were introduced to the world via The CW’s television drama, One Tree Hill, so was their musical catalogs. Their original music naturally took on a more traditional pop sound as it was featured on the show, but this time around they’ve decided to join forces and embrace their indie roots for the duo Your Future Ghost.

Closer to the beginning of the global pandemic, Voegele and Grubbs were catching up via video call when they decided to write a song together. They had maybe written together once before, but they’ve never lived in the same city so the opportunity just never came up. Since they currently had a seemingly endless amount of free time, they wrote another one soon after. The song naturally became a duet, and made them question, “is this a band?”

“We didn’t set out at all to start a band, but it was almost like we never had the chance to creatively see how our voices meshed until we stumbled into it,” Voegele said.

As the band organically took shape, so did their sound. It went from sounding like solo Kate Voegele music featuring Michael Grubbs to Wakey Wakey music featuring Kate Voegele before it suddenly clicked. They both leaned on their admiration for indie bands and it was as if the final piece to the puzzle was placed.

”It’s really true that sometimes you can be really good friends with somebody and you can both be really talented in your own ways but you just don’t creatively vibe sometimes,” Voegele said. “Just because a friendship chemistry exists does not always equal a creativity chemistry, but this was a case where we both realized we get along as friends really well but we also really work well together. [Grubbs] is just the type of artist and collaborator that really holds space and creates space for the other people collaborating to be real and honest and put forward ideas without feeling afraid of being vulnerable. That is harder to find than you think.”

Early albums from Arcade Fire and Yeah Yeah Yeahs served as inspiration for their upcoming album, slated for an early 2025 release. Their first single, “We’ve Got Places”, felt like the best place to start as the song feels like a bridge between the music fans know them for and the music fans are being introduced to.

“We felt like it would be a good idea to lead with something that maybe had echoes of some of what people are used to hearing from us even though it was really different,” Voegele said.

Prior to the release of “We’ve Got Places”, Voegele and Grubbs actually sat on the music for years. It felt incredibly vulnerable to share something drastically different than what their fans knew them for. It got to the point where they had such a strong selection of songs that truly represented where they were in life, and it would be a shame if no one ever heard them.

The timing was perfect when Voegele was invited as a guest on the Drama Queens podcast, a rewatch of One Tree Hill, but could not discuss the show per guidelines of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Instead she got to share the news of Your Future Ghost with the people that helped introduce them.

One Tree Hill fans were also the first to see Your Future Ghost perform live. Events honoring the show are hosted in Wilmington, N.C. every year where fans can meet the actors and tour the places they filmed. Voegele and Grubbs spent days rehearsing and had planned to bring a full production alongside their performance. Unfortunately, delayed flights and damaged instruments nearly derailed the show.

“It was one of those situations where everything goes to shit so much that you almost have to laugh and just rise to the occasion,” Voegele said. “The fans were so cool and supportive about it, and it actually ended up being this really special badass, grassroots, dive bar, indie band experience because it was just raw guitar and vocals. We just had to deal with it and figure it out, which is really the punk rock spirit of all indie rock music, so it was perfect.”

Their latest single, “I’m Like Money”, was one they knew they wanted a music video to accompany it. With a shoestring budget and an amazing group of collaborators, they set out to the desert to film a story about two hustlers who lure people into thinking they’re going to make money from a desert monster. The end product was something they were very proud of despite a mishap that involved Voegele being hospitalized for dehydration. Thankfully it was not anything too serious, and with the talent of director Teck Sokic, they were able to put together something exceptional.

For Your Future Ghost, taking a DIY approach to the music involves finding a perfect balance between everything else going on in their lives. Voegele said it’s part of the magic of the band - it may feel as though they are stumbling their way through it but there is something genuine in that. They have given themselves over to this art, and fans can feel that.

“I think there’s something really liberating and fun about being able to completely start from scratch,” she said. “In many ways this music is what got me out of a creative rut. I was really struggling with what I wanted to say next as an artist and I feel like now I’m more inspired than ever about what I wanted to say eventually with my solo stuff. I was able to go over here and explore this side of my artistry with [Grubbs] so it’s been really fun.”

Taking inspiration from their experiences in the spotlight and the community they’ve formed, Your Future Ghost plans on sharing a debut album that is full of everything they love about some of their favorite artists: big guitars, thunderous drums and striking synths. Trying something new in their artistry has sparked a fresh wave of creativity, and they plan to ride that wave as long as they can.

For more than a century, the two-act classical ballet, The Nutcracker, has captivated audiences with enchanting music from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and intricate choreography from Marius Petipa. For more than a decade, a reimagined and contemporary version of the story, created by choreographer Jennifer Weber and writer Michael Fitelson, has captivated an entirely new audience.

The Hip Hop Nutcracker continues the original storyline with innovative digital graffiti and visuals. It transforms the landscape of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s beloved story from traditional 19th Century Germany to the vibrant, diverse sights and sounds of contemporary New York City.

The plot stems from Hoffman’s 1816 short story, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”, where a family’s Christmas Eve celebration turns into daughter Marie (later changed to Clara, and in this instance, Maria-Clara) and the Nutcracker Prince embarking on a dream adventure battling a gang of mice, visiting the land of sweets and learning the lessons of the holiday season. This time around, a holiday party and magical journey to the 1980s sets the scene for a heart-stirring and inspirational holiday event.

Photo courtesy of The Hip Hop Nutcracker

The high-octane rock 'n' roll explosion of “Everything I Hate About You”, the latest single from NOANNE, tells the darkly humorous and gripping tale of a woman who has taken drastic measures against a deceitful lover.

The lyrics were inspired by the moments of tension in a relationship when one thinks, “I could just kill them!” but never goes beyond the thought. “Everything I Hate About You” takes the inner turmoil of a relationship and gives it a bit of exaggeration.

“I wanted to capture the feeling of wanting to break free from someone’s hold on you, yet still feeling tied to them in an almost frustratingly magnetic way,” NOANNE said. “The love-hate dynamic weaves through the lyrics, capturing both anger and lingering affection.”

She admits that she has always been fascinated by the extreme emotions felt during a relationship; how love can turn into hate in a split second. By dialing those emotions up to 10 and sprinkling in some dark humor, she felt it was the perfect mix to capture that dynamic.

“Life and relationships are often absurd, and I wanted to create a song that wasn’t afraid to lean into that,” she said. “Humor can be a great way to cope with intense feelings, and by embracing it, the song becomes something more than just a tale of frustration - it’s a bit of a release.”

Working alongside musician and producer Gregory Darling was one of the most rewarding parts of the creation process. She initially brought the lyrics to Darling with an idea of how she wanted to transform it sonically, but it was their collaboration that brought it to its final version.

“We started with a rough, raw version reminiscent of The Doors and then evolved it into something bolder, with an explosive rock ‘n’ roll energy that reflected the intensity of the lyrics,” she said.

She wanted the music video to be equally intense by continuing the concept of mixing dark humor with raw emotions.

“I wanted the video to be dark, a bit absurd and even comedic,” she said.

Directed by Steen Agro, the video takes inspiration from classic dark comedies and psychological thrillers such as Pulp Fiction and Fargo. Set in a seedy motel, a woman is pushed to her limit and contemplates revenge in the most surreal, exaggerated way possible. It ends on a cliffhanger, with questions that will be answered in a short film set to be released later this year.

The intensity of the video made it challenging, as they wanted to push boundaries any way they could. Unfortunately, censorship issues caused them to cut certain scenes, but NOANNE said it also felt like a badge of honor. Despite the challenges, the final cut perfectly captured the surreal, over-the-top vision she had.

Creating a sound that matched the emotion of the lyrics was a challenge. Once NOANNE found that balance, she found that sense of release that she hopes her listeners find in the song. Relationships, like “Everything I Hate About You”, are complex. The song is a reminder of humanity, intense emotions and finding a way to process them.

The moment I knew I wanted to create music is a bit hard to pinpoint because it feels like music has been in my life from the very beginning. Some of my earliest memories are of me fiddling with a guitar, dancing around or singing along to whatever was on the radio as my parents drove. I think the first time I really grasped music’s power was thanks to my mom. She used to drive this old grey Toyota that’s been around since before I was even born - probably a 90s model. She would always play Shania Twain’s UP! album, singing along as she drove, and without even realizing it, I memorized every word and found myself singing along too. Those moments in that old car felt magical; they showed me how deeply music could resonate.

I’ve always known I wanted to be on stage, entertaining. I dabbled in musical theater and dance, exploring different forms of performance, but I kept coming back to the desire to be the main artist. When I was a kid, I’d put on little shows for the neighbors in my garage, setting up seats and selling fake tickets. Even though it was terrifying, the thrill and adrenaline of performing always pulled me back. That energy of being in front of people, of connecting with them, is something I could never shake.

In high school, I started experimenting with making my own music. GarageBand became my best friend. Creating songs and sharing them, even with just five friends who were mostly listening out of support, made me so happy. Knowing even one person was listening felt amazing; like I was inviting them into my mind, sharing parts of myself that usually stayed hidden. It was addictive. I kept creating, kept releasing songs, and over time, I slowly started to find my sound.

Now, after six years as an artist, I can’t imagine my life without music. It’s like playing God, building a world and then inviting people in to experience it for themselves. It’s such a joy, and it never loses that initial magic.

At 24, signed to my dream label, a lot has changed, but some things never do. I’m still making music that I love, but now I have a team that supports my vision, which is incredible. The project we’re rolling out right now is especially close to my heart - it feels genuine, raw, and real. And the future project I’m working on is even more exciting. While I can’t reveal everything yet, I’ll just say that it’s a world you’ll want to escape to. It’s fun, raunchy, sexy and pure bliss. I’m thrilled to have you along for the ride.

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Diani

For as long as I can remember, I have loved entertaining. I have never been sure why the pull is so strong, but it is a deep desire that I truly can’t ignore.

I used to think I did it for the attention and positive reinforcement but recently I realized that performing actually feels like a safety zone for me. I know for some people that sounds crazy - how could getting up and performing in front of people feel safe? Well, to be brutally honest, in ‘real life’ I actually have trouble showing emotion. I hate crying, being vulnerable or anything of that nature. However, when I am acting, singing or writing, I am unafraid to share myself.

When I was 10 years old, I played Gavroche in a production of Les Misérables at a sleepaway theater camp I attended. Being 10, I was excited to be in an incredible production with older kids; I didn’t realize precisely how sad the musical was. We rehearsed, and spoiler alert, Gavroche dies, so I got to do a death scene. The first night of the show, after I died my untimely death and was carried off stage, I looked out into the audience from the wings and saw people crying. Why would they cry over a song and a character? They knew that I was just acting and that I was still alive, right??? The reaction genuinely puzzled me.

One day in 8th grade health class I heard the song “Godspeed” by Frank Ocean. It hit me hard. I don’t know if it was because I had just returned from a 6-month stay in Canada filming 13: The Musical where I had a big, amazing experience that I didn’t want to end or if it was hormones, but whatever it was that song and Frank Ocean’s performance made me tear up right there in the classroom. I was feeling what the audience at Les Mis was feeling: an unexplainable transcendence of reality. I finally understood how deep a character or song could run and I wanted to continue making myself and other people feel that feeling.

Before that moment I had written songs but I had never expressed myself in a song so I started trying. Writing is my outlet.

I know I have a lot to learn and experience, and I am still figuring out who I really am, but I am doing my best to stay true and vulnerable in my work. I write music to express myself and feel, I sing so I can share the emotions those songs make me feel, and I perform so I can bring other people along for the ride. I guess we are all doing our best to figure things out. Music is helping me find my way.

Photo courtesy of Jeanette D. Moses

To My Siblings in the Swing States:

I bet you are angry, and rightly so. Where we focus this anger is more important now than ever.

I can not imagine what it’s like to experience the barrage of advertising that you have had to endure leading up to today. The total amount spent on the Presidential and Senate races stands at over $10 BILLION. Our representatives literally spend more time fundraising than legislating to meet the needs of their constituents. Disgusting.

The vast majority of our elected representatives have sold out the American people for campaign contributions. The ones who don’t are being voted out of office in primaries where they’re outspent by special-interest-backed opponents. The will of the people has a “near zero, statistically insignificant effect on how they vote”. No matter how we vote, we can’t get our representatives to stop corporations from polluting our food, air, and water, let alone ensure that a 40-hour weekly wage can afford a middle class American Dream.

We are quietly experiencing class warfare, and people who work for a living are being pummeled. We’ve allowed the “United” States of America to become divided into two “sides” that both function only to serve the ruling class. So many of us are struggling as the systems that have historically supported our way of life continue to be corrupted and crumble.

It’s a disgrace that the United States isn’t a representative democracy, but instead an endless parade of loopholes, bureaucracy, waste and corruption. In the 2016 election, Trump “won the electoral college” despite receiving nearly three million fewer votes, losing with only 46.09% of the popular vote. Every six years, massively disproportional populations elect two Senators, no matter if they’re representing the 38.97 million constituents in California or Wyoming with less than 600,000 constituents. Not all voters are counted the same in our so-called democracy.

I have been feeling so angry at the direction of public discourse surrounding this election and the current state of the world. Somehow, as it so often does, “the economy” is the issue at the forefront of every voter’s mind. It pains me. As if the GDP percentage increases matter to the average working person, or the President has ANY control over the corporations that increase the cost of goods and services every time we blink.

Most of us are struggling to afford to live a life with dignity with a sense of safety and community. The average pay and the average cost of living simply don’t add up. Folks are making decisions about which meal or medicine to forego while they’re only two missed paychecks from losing their homes. None of this is working for us.

Companies are knowingly manufacturing 5,000+ cancer-causing “forever chemicals” that wind up in our food, clothes and drinking water. One side is patting themselves on the back for trying to ban six of them, and the other side is promoting ending safety regulation altogether and allowing the free market to self-regulate.

Neither “side” will commit to stop sending our weapons to a government that has used them to kill over 2% of the entire Palestinian civilian population. So far. While the continued supply is in violation of both U.S. and International law, the U.S. Presidential election will do nothing to end this genocide. Horrific.

A thriving government is supposed to be a space where the best ideas for the good of all are put forward and then acted upon. Instead, we have a system corrupt to the core. Since the Citizen’s United Supreme Court decision, unlimited and untraceable amounts of money have been legally spent on our electoral process. It is killing our democracy.

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I knew I wanted to make music, but I remember being influenced by Avril Lavigne’s Let Go album back in grade school.

I thought she was the coolest - she had that tomboy vibe that resonated with me, and I wanted to be like her. I would imagine myself getting “discovered” like she was at a concert. I still believed in being discovered! Canadian Idol also probably had a bigger influence than you might imagine.

It wasn’t until middle school that I started writing songs - songs that, looking back, are hilarious. I wrote a song called “100 Miles to Nowhere” because “that’s where I wanted to go”. The drama! Middle school is hard.

Then, at 20, I rekindled my love of writing.

I didn’t think being a professional musician was a realistic option for me - more like a distant dream - but I felt the pull to write again. I would watch local musicians perform at small gigs, feeling that it was an unattainable world. Also funny, in hindsight. But then I started asking myself, “Why them and not me?” That shift in perspective made all the difference.

Instead of letting self-doubt hold me back, I embraced an audacious approach. I dove into the local music scene, studying the bands and how they maneuvered through the industry. My first significant step came when I played an open mic in Roncy, or Roncesvalles Village, in Toronto. You don’t even have to be booked for those, but it felt like a huge deal to me. I was so nervous!

After that, I played at a ladies’ first night at Junction City Music Hall, which was a milestone. My first official show. A year and a half later, I got a backing band, and everything changed. The rest is history.