What Child Is This?

The first single from my newest album Haunted Holidays: Deadly Christmas III, coming Friday, October 18th, 2019

Summers End Trailer

My single Summer's End.  Giving way from Summer to Autumn...
http://store.cdbaby.com/cd/scottkhaskin32

On To Spring - Relax, meditate, sleep

iZotope VocalSynth 2 More Uses

Absinthe – A Giant Wonder in a Small Tent

I always get excited writing about the amazing shows I have the opportunity to see here in Las Vegas.  Then I sit down to write about it and I never know how much or how little to say.  I always want to get people excited to see it but never spoil anything.  That is a tough job.

Tonight was the first opportunity I had to see Absinthe.  It is located outside Caesar’s Palace Hotel and Casino on The Strip.  It doesn’t look like much from the outside.  In fact, you wonder how they could even have a show in there.  It is hidden behind a gate that has a nice bar area and a lovely electronic tree.  Then… you go inside the tent, where you wonder if some magic out of a Harry Potter movie was taken place because the inside is huge.  Spiegelworld is pretty skilled at getting a lot out if a small space, as I saw at Opium.

There is hardly an inch of space that isn’t decorated with some mood setting artwork and, in the center, is a small stage with a curtain in the shape of a cone.  A couple people climb into swings and the show begins.

You are treated to classic circus acts and a great deal of comedy.  In fact, I don’t think I have laughed so much since I saw Opium!  The show flows effortlessly and keeps you entertained from the very first second to the last.

A note on the content.  If you are even slightly offended by anything racial or sexual, this probably isn’t the show for you.  This is truly a no-holds-bared event.  This is one of the rare instances where I think it really works well, though.  Most of the time, it seems forced or planned but this show really rocks with the tides of the moment.

The only real complaint I have is the seating.  The chairs are a little uncomfortable but the real issue is how close they are jammed together.  There is no space between them so you can’t really move around much or even relax your arms.  On top of that, the rows have very little space between them so if someone tries to get to their seat or get up for any reason, you don’t have room to let them pass by easily.  Apart from that, I enjoyed every moment!

Tickets:

https://spiegelworld.com/absinthe/

Return to Classic Las Vegas - Vegas! The Show

Journey back in time to the days of Elvis, Sammy Davis Junior and a young Wayne Newton just starting out.  Experience a full band on stage, including a horn section and percussion, the way it used to be.

Last night was my first time seeing this long standing show located in the Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood Casino.  I didn't know much about it, which I prefer, but I did know it was a tribute to the old days.   I like to be as surprised as possible when I go see a show and this one did not let me down.

I love the intimate theater.  There is no bad seat in the house and no matter where you are located, you'll feel right in the middle of the action.  There is so much happening, you'll want to see it again just to make sure you saw it all.

If you think back to the days of grand stair cases, classic song and dance numbers and a tight group of musicians backing the whole thing up, you'll want to see Vegas!  The show.  I will say that this show moves fast.  The songs blend from one to another very quickly and the many costume and stage changes are many.  The show runs like a well oiled machine.  Well, except for the fire alarm that someone set off in the casino, causing the show to abruptly pause until things were sorted out but, like the pros they are, the show didn't skip a beat.

The show is light hearted and fun from beginning to end.  There are a couple comedic acts but I don't want to spoil those for you.  ;) What I love most is they they do not try to costume the iconic celebrities to make you think you are actually seeing them.  They represent who they were in those captured moments. 

Check it out!
https://www.vegastheshow.com/

You Can’t Come With Me!

Fairly recently, I realized something interesting.  We spend a great deal of time sharing our treasured moments with each other because we want people to feel the same as those things made us feel.  The problem is… they don’t.  Not really, anyway.  Even the people you physically spent those times with remember things their own way.

I could pick a random moment in time… playing Crossbows and Catapults with my brother at the kitchen table one Christmas vacation.  I was listening to Rainbow and Emmerson, Lake and Palmer he was listening to something else, across the table where the view was different.  It was the same hour that we shared and some things will match but they were unique experiences to each of us.

One of the things you read a lot in marketing is to bring your fans on your journey but how can you truly do that?  You can’t.  What you can do is share moments that you enjoyed or learned from and, perhaps, they will trigger something in others.  Take my example of Crossbows and Catapults.  Maybe you weren’t there (Unless you are Lee, you weren’t) but, perhaps that reminds you of a time your family sat at the table and played a board game, or cards or put a puzzle together.  Maybe there was tinsel hanging from the tree in the living room.  Perhaps you used a needle and thread and strung popcorn.

Maybe you aren’t in the studio with me when I create a song.  Maybe that song reminds me of winter because it was freezing outside when I composed it.  Maybe, for you, it is a summer song because you first heard it in July when you had Spotify on random at a picnic and my song came on.

What you can do is inspire ideas in others.  Maybe that ice pond I tried to build in my front yard one year wasn’t a good idea but perhaps that will give someone else the idea to find a skating rink or get lessons.  How about the time my brother and I started rolling snowballs and realized we could make giant snowballs and rolled a few together and then hollowed out a fort?

My point is that it doesn’t matter if you feel the same things I do.  It would be amazing if anyone shared my exact memories but that isn’t possible (at least with today’s technology.  Who knows what the future may bring).  All that matters is that you feel something.  That you smile.  Maybe even that you are inspired by music, a book, some holiday or vacation pictures that a friend posts.  Look, listen, read and be inspired!

Share your memories in the comments below and inspire others!

Cheers,
Scott

In case you are interested, here is a list of holiday music I have available (Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, CD Baby, Spotify and more):

Mental Sauna III: Christmas Inflections

We Three Kings (Featuring Taran Emmert on vocals and Bruce Vaught on acoustic guitar.

Haunted Holidays: Deadly Christmas

Haunted Holidays: Deadly Christmas II