Molly Chanoff ! Singer of the Month

Molly is an acrobat and an alto, Ruby Spiegel named her singer of the month on February 1st, 2009. Way to go Molly! Its good timing too because she is performing all month with LAVA. These are her words:

It was January of 2006. Sarah called me up and said “I have an audition with Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir – you have to come with me!” We had been training our voices and singing in different capacities with Lava for a couple years at that point, but neither of us had ever auditioned for any voice type thing. We went to Staten Island to see the show, in this sweet little bookstore. I remember thinking that Ben DT looked familiar and noticing his multi-colored parachute pants; there were also many shout-outs to Adetola, who had just recently joined the choir; and, of course, I remember Derrick. Who wouldn’t remember him? After that Sarah and I sang Amazing Grace for James Benn in the back of the bookstore while people milled around. I had never been so nervous in my life; and I certainly didn’t have a clue as to what kind of community I was about to enter into.

The community of the choir makes me think of the school I went to growing up. It was an alternative school that my parents started in the 60s. Think Montessouri, think Waldorf, keep going along, fall off a cliff and you will land at the Sudbury Valley School. It was this gradeless, student-driven, democratic place that formed me; and all the people there, no matter if they were my best friend from age 4, or if they were just a face I saw every day, they were family.

And that’s like you! I see you every Sunday, sometimes more sometimes less, and maybe I have no idea how old you are or what you do with your days, but I do know the timbre of Chantel’s voice when she sings “and I don’t know what it is…”, and I know that Donald’s low notes resonate deep in my gut, and I know that when we modulate in our new Fabulous Bad Weather song I’m sure we’re all going to start levitating. You are like my singing-listening-breathing family. Singing with people feels spiritual to me, and what better way to satisfy and warm my soul than to sing with all you beautiful, unpredictable, inspirational people. I thank my lucky stars for this, and I am deeply honored to receive the singer of the month award! PS – come see the Lava show and see what I do with my days