Todd Hearon returns to music with a sonic trilogy

Todd Hearon

Music has always been a part of Todd Hearon’s life and following a brief break for other creative pursuits, he’s returned with a three-part album release and in this interview, we dive right into what this is all about.

The Texas-born songwriter goes into the story behind his most recent release, “Impossible Man” and how it follows his 2021 and 2023 albums, “Border Radio” and “Yodelady.” We also talk about his musical hiatus to go to grad school in Boston and co-found The Bridge Theater Company, an independent troupe in Boston’s Theater District.

Todd shares how his poetry and other writings blend with his music, and gives us the story behind Myrtle, his 1950 Gibson J-50.

Opening the interview is an excerpt from “Guillotine” and closing things out is the song “Looking Glass,” both of which are from the new album.

Five By Five: Stage musical pivots to musical audiobook

By Max Bowen

As they say, the show must go on.

When the COVID-19 pandemic brought live shows to a halt, the cast and crew of “19: The Musical” (March 2024, Through the 4th Wall) found themselves with a choice: how they would proceed with their musical theater performance when such things couldn’t happen.

The answer? Make a musical audiobook. Here’s a look at the story:

Told through the eyes of Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, Susan B. Anthony and more, “19” captures the struggle, the injustice, and ultimately, the victory of the women's suffragist movement. The diverse cast explores racial tensions in the movement while simultaneously reflecting the diversity of modern America. Leading suffragettes give enthralling firsthand accounts of the movement’s greatest moments, interspersed with addictive songs include a mix of jazz, traditional musical standards, spoken word, hints of gospel, and dance.

In this interview, co-creator Jennifer Schwed talks about the show’s origin, how they moved from live musical to musical audiobook and lessons learned along the way.


How did this stage musical originally come to be?
Back in 2016, we had finished a large-scale immersive production about Edgar Allan Poe and we were thinking about what's next for us, what will we produce? The musical Hamilton was still very popular at that time and we were also heading into the possibly historic election of the first female president.

This combination of exciting new musical theater about the history of this country and honoring a historic moment for women became the inspiration for creating "19: The Musical," the story of women's fight for the right to vote, the 19th Amendment. Though we had absolutely no background in music, we were experienced writers and we knew that with the right music composer, we could craft lyrics to the story we wanted to tell. It was an enormous challenge and one that we both loved taking on and bringing the concept to the stage!

I read that you were set to open in March 2020 and then COVID closed such shows down. How did you pivot to a musical audiobook?
We spent a lot of time wondering what to do next! We are a two-person company and we had been creating shows based on the generosity of donors. There was no support net for us to try and restage a live show while dodging COVID — we could stand to lose everything. As avid readers, we started to think about the possibility of translating this story into a book, an audio book specifically, that could recreate the stage experience. We had listened to an audiobook production of "Angels in America" and we realized, yes, we can do this! Making "19: The Musical" into an audiobook also meant that we could reach an even wider audience, which was exciting given that the idea of going back to the stage was off the table for the time being.

Did the entire cast take part in this project?
One of the most wonderful aspects of recording the audiobook version of "19" is that the entire original cast came back to record it, minus one cast member who declined only because they are now a flight attendant! We did of course replace that cast member with another wonderful actor and we added a new voice to the chorus, as well.

Have you ever made an audiobook before? If not, what kind of lessons did you learn along the way?
We were new to this process and we learned a lot. Everything from the studio setup to rehearsing for audio vs a stage were lessons we will hold onto. Being on mic with headphones in a small room is a totally different experience than a stage with props and cues and dancers. Scaling down is important and we had to learn the process of inviting the listener into the show instead of having them watch a performance unfold.

Looking back on this, what’s your take on the final project? Do you think you’ll do more?

Overall, creating "19: The Musical" was both an honor and a wild ride! A global pandemic taking down your live production is just never, ever on anyone's bingo card, but here we are — all the wiser on how to pivot in challenging circumstances. We're pleased overall and having completed the audiobook, now we see what we would do differently. We're always working on new productions and I expect we will include audio productions somewhere down the line again.

Ben Chou meets the minds behind the movies at BAAFF

The Boston Asian American Film Festival has a special meaning for us, as it’s one that we had the pleasure of covering back in the show’s early days. In October, the festival returned for its 15th year and my co-host Ben Chou was there for it. In this three-interview collection he speaks with the great filmmakers whose works were screened as part of BAAFF.

First up is Michele Rae Jouse for her documentary, “Nurse Unseen.” The film explores the little-known history and humanity of the unsung Filipino nurses risking their lives on the frontlines while facing a resurgence of anti-Asian hate in the streets.

Michele talks about the personal connection to the story, as well as the much wider tale told through the 92-minute film. She and Ben look at the history behind the Filipino nurses, as well as the many interviews done as part of the writing process. They talk about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the healthcare community.

The next interview is with Director/Producer Jennifer Takaki, Executive Producer George Hirose and Producer Linda Lew Woo for the documentary “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story.” Corky Lee passed away in 2021, a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film is an intimate portrait of the life, work, and advocacy of pioneering Chinese American photographer Corky Lee. Takaki followed Corky Lee for nearly 20 years, documenting triumphs and tragedy.

Jennifer, Linda and George go into the 20-year process and all the things they saw and memorable moments of the filmmaking process, of which there were many. They talk about Corky’s five-decade career and the many, many things he photographed and the advocacy aspect of his work. They talk about the importance of having a good editor on the project and what they hope people take away from watching the film.

Closing out this episode is Jonathan Hsu, the producer of the narrative feature “Starring Jerry as Himself” and narrative short “Closing Dynasty (aka. Queenie).” The first film shows how a family documents how their immigrant father Jerry, a recently retired Florida man, was recruited by the Chinese police to be an undercover agent, only to discover a darker truth. The short shows us how on a school day, a 7-year-old hustles strangers for money on the streets of New York City.

Jonathan takes us through both films and the stories behind both and Ben offers his own perspective and how it impacted him. They talk about the shared theme of both films and how they were developed from there. Jonathan talks about personal connection with “Starring Jerry” and how the strong familial connection influenced the story.

Ballet dancer looks at life on stage in collection of memoir essays

In her new book “Fierce and Delicate,” Renee Nicholson looks back on her 14 years as a ballet dancer, which began as a child and ended abruptly with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Renee pulls no punches in this book—written as a collection of essays—and talks about the internal struggles experienced when it came to certain topics. As she puts it, nearly everything was taken out of the book at one time or another.

Renee and I talk about the direction her life took after her time as a dancer ended. This includes a new teaching role and she reflects on how her time in ballet prepared her, from guiding young dancers to dealing with their parents. We also look at the ways that the dance world has changed, how young dancers are learning from one another, and the way they're planning for the future.

“Fierce and Delicate” isn't Renee's first foray into the writing world and she talks about working in Narrative Medicine, where she helps people in difficult medical situations to share their stories.

WALLIS talks music videos in the pandemic and the Philly art scene

In this episode, 15 year-old-WALLIS, a singer/songwriter from Philadelphia, talks about how she continued to create and perform during 2020 by writing songs with her father. Her debut single, “Lonely Christmas,” embodies the complexity of the season as people find new ways to be together while staying physically apart.

WALLIS also talks about working with her father on the song, as well as the music video she made with her family and how they worked within the limits brought on by the pandemic. Her song and the music video have been a tremendous success, earning thousands of streams and over 1 million views.

WALLIS has been active in the Philly art scene through her music as well as acting, and she shares some of her experience, including being part of a show at the Walnut Street Theater.

Following this, enjoy Wallis' debut single, “Lonely Christmas.”

KIN talk about creatives crossing styles, and adventures in music videos

The London-based pop band KIN have been making the most of 2020, releasing three new singles and music videos. In this episode, band members Grace and Adam talk about the story told in the videos and how they worked with the limitations brought on by the lockdown.

The band—Grace, Adam, and Ritu—all have lengthy creative backgrounds, including modeling, starring in Netflix shows, and on stage with the National Theater. We look at how they've been able to apply this work to their music and some of the different directions it's taken them in.

The members also have a lot in store for 2021, from new EPs to live performances—which I sincerely hope can happen.

Following this, enjoy the band's recent single “L.O.V.E.” I really loved the vibe of this song, and the music video touches on the festivals that we all miss.