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Hello from Day 2 of rehearsals for Hundred Days. Things are going along swimmingly! I’m an actor now! In addition to drumming for the show, I do some singing and choreography. Pray for me! Here’s a pic of my rehearsal setup. The midi keyboard is not part of my track, it’s just to help me with the vocals, as I’m singing on stage for the first time since singing a song from Annie at my seventh grade choir concert. Yikes.
Vérité is the truth, ya'll. It was a pleasure to backup Kelsey with an all-female orchestra at National Sawdust last night. She has a rabid fan base and it was heartwarming to watch the audience sing along to every tune. Thanks to The Hum and Kristine Kruta for making this happen!
Back at the Bunker for the first time in a minute. My outfit was very much in coordination with their Ludwig house kit and my Rogers snare, which was having a particularly great day. More on this recording soon!
Thanks to Cameron Kinnear, who I first met on Grinch last year, for having me at Lake Dillon's gala last week. We played a wonderful program consisting of blocks of music from Cole Porter, Pasek & Paul, and women composers of New York. Colorado was amazing. I hope to be back next year!
"Thank you, New York Musical Festival, for awarding us with a Special Citation for Representation & Inclusion at last night's Closing Night Party and Awards Ceremony. Interstate made it a priority to work with and hire individuals who identify as women, POC, and/or LGBTQ to tell this story of underrepresented folx."
I had the pleasure of being the rehearsal drummer for Cape Playhouse's upcoming production of Altar Boyz. It was my first time working on a show from it's absolute beginnings. I was incredibly impressed with the leadership of director/choreographer Jason Sparks and his associate, Gina Duci, as well as the dancing and singing capabilities of the 5 performers. It was a fun and rewarding challenge to work literally measure-by-measure with Jordan Jones-Reese, who I first collaborated with during The Grinch in 2016. If you're in Cape Cod over the next two weeks, I highly recommend checking out the show!
Happy closing to my @interstatemusical fam! The V-Drums haven't killed me...yet! 🗡
A post shared by A. Baier (@ay_bear) on
We closed Interstate last week after 6 shows. I wish we could've played at least 6 more. Thankfully, I think this is only the beginning for this powerful show.
Because there's such a quick turnaround and it's easier to control the sound, every drummer playing a NYMF show has to play the provided electronic kit. I've used the Roland TD-30 in the past, but this was my first time programing it. I built 4 kits and setup a kit chain for the show. It was a pretty easy & intuitive process, as is usually the case with Roland.
If you saw the show, please considering voting Interstate as the best of the fest!
I start rehearsals for Interstate next week. It's one of the 12 shows chosen for the New York Musical Festival this season -- and the opening night show, taboot, taboot!
The music is wonderful and the story is one that is close to my heart, to say the least. Please contribute to the Kickstarter if you can and I hope to see you at one of the shows! #RepresentationMatters
Congratulations to Reiss Mikula, recipient of the second Ashley Baier Award in Percussion Excellence, presented by the Allegany High School Band Department. Good luck in the fall as you enter Frostburg State University as a percussion major! Here is Reiss pictured with ALCO Director of Percussion Studies, Mark Gauthier.
Thanks for having me, SOOP Theatre Company!
Ashley Baier is a NYC-based drummer and percussionist.
