Wednesday, October 23, 2013

A Precious Night With Caley


Haley Reinhart and Casey Abrams, aka "Caley", have been bestest musical buddies since they met as contestants on American Idol Season X, and last night they teamed up for a most enjoyable night of playful banter, music and fan interaction on the set of the hip new pay-per-view online music platform, Stageit. 

Both have done Stageit in the past, but this was the first time they collaborated on one. They nailed it, too. A 51 minute set-mix of their own originals and unique covers gave the Caley-crazed audience a lot of great material to instant message about. 

Haley was typically gorgeous as hell, and her voice was absofuckinglutely, posifuckingtively immaculate bell-to-bell. Casey showed he can do everything musical, with a mastery of multiple musical instruments, solid singing, and a very chill, hipster-doofus vibe that you couldn't help but dig. No manic, wild-eyed Casey here...dude was a total pro.

Opening with a half-serious, but charming, Monster Mash intro, they then transitioned into a most excellent cover of the Weezer's laid back groove Islands in the Sun. It was such great shit I messaged them as much when the song was concluding, and, groovily enough, Casey read my message aloud (in G-rated form) with a personal shout-out to the magnificent, beloved, hilarious, handsome, and unceasingly humble Kenny Poo.

Soon after, they performed Kenny Poo personal request, "Precious", by the great Esperanza Spalding. The song is one of my alltime faves, and they were BRILLIANT, with Haley nailing every note and Casey lending wonderful harmonies and upright bass coolness. I especially appreciated Haley looking off to the side camera before they started the song to say, "love to...you know who you are."

I certainly do know, because, after all, I are, and I love ya back, babay!

Now, thank God I'm so unflinchingly modest, because, if not, one can only imagine how full of myself I could have become getting that message from the beautiful and talented Haley. Not to worry, though; my humility TOTALLY ROCKS, so suck on that, losers!

Another cool moment was when Haley gave a birthday shout-out to teen Halien "Janelleypoo". Clearly, there is something irresistible about the Poo army.

Anywhooooo.....

So much great music and scatting came next on jazzy/bluesy numbers like Haley's awesome new single, My Cake, and their beloved Caley cover of Hit The Road Jack from Casey's self-titled album, I was rendered virtually verklempt. Had to talk amongst myself for awhile. 

Topic: Caley: Occasional duet performers, or get in the fucking studio and crush out an album of amazing shit for us!!

Another major highlight came when they did a super soulful cover of a song I never heard before called Sail. It was so off the hook I had to hunt down the original by Awolnation on YouTube and check it out. It was so inferior to the Caley version I don't think Awolnation should be allowed to claim it as their own anymore.

OK, time for a negative moment, kiddies. Close your eyes and ears if you don't like any criticism of Haley, starting....NOW!

One thing that annoys the shit out of me is when Haley grabs a cell phone and sings the lyrics because she didn't rehearse enough to commit them to memory. That's what happened on Nightmare Before Christmas, and it's inexcusable, girl! Remember, preparation plus improvisation can create inspiration, but don't skip the preparation part, damn it! You CRUSHED THAT BEAUTIFUL SONG vocally, so much so I was almost willing to overlook the failure to learn the lyrics...but not quite.

OK, rant off. Those of you who couldn't read the criticism are welcome to return.

They adorably signed off for the night with a Monster Mash outro. Perfect ending to an event that left everyone longing for more. Sometimes Stageit shows can be boring as hell...well, there wasn't a second of that here. They were fabtuckulous, and I was thoroughly entertained the entire 51 minutes. It went by like 51 seconds.

I hope we get to see more frequent collaborations from this fun-loving duo moving forward, because there is seriously something unique and special between them. Great talent, great energy and great synergy. 

WE WANT MORE!! GIVE THE POOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!! MORE CALEYPOO!!!

Poo out.

12 comments:

  1. People have said they are having trouble with comments. Let's see~

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your review is awesome! Thanks for posting the full video of the show. Didn't get to see it live. Love these two together. Always have. Haley must love you Kenny Poo because.I remember she dedicated song to you in a stageit once before, too. Way to go!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice blog. I have a comment on your "negative moment". How do you know that the song where she was reading the lyrics on the phone wasn't spur of the moment or possibly requested by Casey or someone in the room that day?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I like my blog, too. Tho I love, love, love Haley, it's a big no-no to select a song you don't know the lyrics to...especially on a paid gig you've had months to prepare for. As I said, improvisation without preparation is just winging it, and using phone lyrics is very karaoke. Gotta be a pro at this level. Of course, if you disagree please read the disclaimer in my bio at the top of the page. ;)

      Delete
    2. I do agree as it was the weak song of the set in my opinion. I think there is a difference between planning on doing the song a month ago vs deciding to do it the day of the show.

      Delete
  4. I hope they collaborate on an album soon. Too much great musical chemistry to ignore. Great review Poo, as usual. ... Nevrbluffs

    (btw I was personally thrilled as I requested Rocky Raccoon as a spoof song to sing and it caught our girl's eye, she smiled .. mission accomplished.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You da man, Bluffs! They ALMOST did the Rocky Raccoon, too. Casey even got the guitar for it.

      Delete
  5. Oh, wow...I kinda lost touch with these two the past year, especially Haley. Happy I stumbled across this blog from a RT on twitter. If they aren't already a musical duo they should be! Just combine forces and conquer the world. What great music! Her voice is so amazing it literally melts in your ears, and Casey's arrangements and musicianship is incredible. I agree about the not doing cell phone lyrics. She's way beyond that amateur kid stuff by now. Thanks for the great review, and your sarcastic humor really made me laugh Mr. Poo!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome, and thank you, Danielle! Don't be a stranger. I have been back and forth on the Caley thing. Sometimes they get too silly together and the music suffers. This time they nailed it. Just the right blend of playful banter while still taking their craft seriously. They were very prepared, and because they knew their shit the improv they infused into the music enhanced the show. Well, except the cell phone thing. That's just being unprepared, and I jumped on it because Haley needs to put an end to that shit. If she's out with her friends screwing around at a party, fine, but take the gigs seriously. Labels may be watching, and if they see that crap they might not want to invest in her career. I love the girl, and want her to succeed, which is why I don't bullshit her like a fanboy. I call it like I see it, and hopefully she appreciates my candor. :)

      Delete
  6. Sail is SO GOOD! Been listening on repeat. Hope somehow they are given permission to record that cover.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dude - no updates in a couple months??

    ReplyDelete