Michael McDonald: This Christmas

An Evening of Holiday & Hits, December 19th

Singer/songwriter Michael McDonald has one of the most recognized voices in popular music. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest of America’s blue-eyed soul men. With a distinctively soulful sound, he has won five Grammys. On December 19^th, he will be taking it to the stage with hits and holiday favorites at The Thrasher-Horne Center. 

Steely Dan

In the 1970s, McDonald became a background singer and keyboardist on the Steely Dan albums Katy Lied, Aja, The Royal Scam and Gaucho. He also toured with the band. Throughout his career, he has continued to work on projects with Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of Steely Dan. 

The Doobie Brothers

In seven years with the Doobie Brothers, McDonald recorded several big hits including It Keeps You Runnin’, Takin' It to the Streets, and What a Fool Believes, for which he and co-writer Kenny Loggins were awarded a Grammy. Since embarking on a solo career in the 1980s, he has continued to work occasionally with The Doobie Brothers. The band’s 2014 country album, Southbound, features McDonald on several songs. 

Going Solo

McDonald’s first solo album, If That's What It Takes, was released in 1982. Since then, he has recorded many more albums in an astonishing variety of musical genres. His albums include Sweet Freedom, Take It To Heart, In The Spirit, and Blue Obsession.   

McDonald is a remarkably versatile musician, and he has collaborated with a wide range of artists including Aretha Franklin, Van Halen, The Winans, and many others. He recorded On My Own as a duet with Patti LaBelle. That song made it to the top of the charts in 1986. He teamed up with James Ingram on Ya Mo B There, another hit. Yet another hit was You Belong to Me which he co-wrote with Carly Simon.

In 1999, McDonald recorded Eyes of a Child, a comedic ballad for the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. He was nominated for two Grammys in 2003 for his album Motown, which was a tribute to the Motown sound. In 2006, he toured with Steely Dan. In 2008, he released Soul Speak, an album of soul-inspired songs ranging from Dionne Warwick's Walk On By to Stevie Wonder's Living For The City. 

The Voice

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
recently presented Michael McDonald with a special
Gold & Platinum Award celebrating more than 26 million
RIAA album and song certifications.

In an interview with The Chicago Tribune, McDonald said he developed his vocal style in part to preserve his voice. "I played so many clubs growing up, and back in that period, in the '60s, we'd play like four, five sets a night. During those years, what I really learned to do was preserve my voice, and part of that morphed into the style of singing that I do today.”

Jonathan Wingate of Performing Musician also asked McDonald about his unique style. “Like most singers, I started out emulating my favorite vocalists before eventually developing my own style. I like people that kind of haphazardly develop a whole new style of music, like the Beatles and the Stones. So many musicians really just started off with the most innocent of motives to play Chuck Berry or Smokey Robinson songs and they get it wrong, but in a delightful way. You discover what it is you have to offer by trying to be someone else,” he said

“I was always trying to be Ray Charles from the time I was way too young. My voice had just broken, and I couldn’t wait to sound like I was 40 years old and black,” McDonald continued. “The older I got, the more I liked the sound of my voice. I talked to Ray a few years before he passed away and he mentioned that he sang all of his stuff in the same keys that he sang when he was in his 20s, and that was inspiring to me.” 

Parodies, Impersonations, and Yacht Rock

From left, Michael McDonald, Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Fallon.

McDonald has been impersonated and depicted in parody many times and he takes it all in stride. He joined Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake for a hilarious rendition of Row, Row, Row Your Boat on Late Night. Fallon and Timberlake had white, combed-back wigs and goatees to match McDonald's.

A fictionalized version of McDonald is prominently featured in episodes of Yacht Rock, a YouTube parody series. McDonald gets a kick out of it all. "It definitely made me laugh, and the first time I saw it, I thought it was hysterical," McDonald said of the shows. 

Doctor Michael McDonald

At the Berklee College of Music’s 2011 commencement, McDonald was presented with an honorary Doctor of Music degree. After the commencement, he said, "To be among this graduating class, to see these kids, and to perform last night with such brilliant young musicians who have such finesse beyond their years is one of the most inspirational moments of my entire career. I want to thank Berklee for inspiring me in a way that I think will last me the rest of my life."

Charitable Endeavors

Michael McDonald has lent his talents and energies to a long list of charitable causes throughout his career, and he has contributed an overwhelming amount to numerous benevolent enterprises. In 2005, McDonald was honored with the prestigious ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award for both his musical career and his charitable endeavors. McDonald continues his fundraising efforts actively working with World Hunger Year’s Artists Against Hunger & Poverty program.

This Christmas

In 2009, McDonald released This Christmas, his third holiday album. The collection includes White Christmas, I’ll be Home for Christmas, and other traditional songs as well as a few songs that are less familiar.  

Join Michael McDonald for This Christmas: An Evening of Holiday & Hits this December. Tickets are on sale now! A limited number of VIP packages are available, including a Meet & Greet with Michael, an intimate pre-show performance, a great seat, and much more.

Spread the word about one of Northeast Florida’s best kept secrets! Tell your family and friends about the Thrasher-Horne Center. Share this article with them. They will appreciate learning about what they have been missing. We appreciate you taking the time to visit us. If you have a comment about this article, leave it in the comment section below.

In this article, I’ve written about some of the highlights of Michael McDonald’s illustrious career as a singer and songwriter. He will be performing hits and holiday classics at The Thrasher-Horne Center on December 19^th. It promises to be a holiday event that the whole family will enjoy. Tell your friends and Google Plus this post. Tickets are on sale now on the Thrasher-Horne Center’s website.

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Back to School at the Thrasher-Horne Center

Miss Nelson is Missing
November 10, 2015

Upcoming School Time Shows

The 2015-2016 school year is officially underway and the Thrasher-Horne Center has several excellent educational events coming up which will be fun and engaging for students. Since the Thrasher-Horne Center opened in 2004, over 50,000 students have attended school time performances. With a beautiful state-of-the-art facility and a courteous and helpful staff, the Thrasher-Horne Center is the perfect destination for educational field trips.

School time performances are open to all schools and home school groups.  Tickets for groups of less than twelve and for people who are not attending with a school are also available. Most of the Thrasher-Horne Center’s school time performances feature study guides for teachers to use in the classroom before and after the performances. They are available on the Thrasher-Horne Center website. 

The National Education Association recently published a newsletter article on How Field Trips Boost Students’ Lifelong Success. In the article, Carylann Assante, executive director for Student & Youth Travel Association, said, “Today's students are visual learners and a field trip lets them see and listen to what they’re learning about, build on classroom instruction, gain a better understanding of topics, build cultural understanding and tolerance, and exposes them to worlds outside their own.”

Ms. Assante had the following suggestions for planning a successful field trip.

• Look around your region for nearby trips. There are lots of inexpensive things teachers can do that will have a phenomenal impact.
• Follow protocol. Teachers need to review their school's policies on field trips in advance and prepare the forms with specific learning objectives and how the field trip will accomplish those objectives.
• Involve the students. Discuss the goals of the field trip in advance, talk about what they will see and what they should learn.
• Make trips relevant. Base your field trips on your content area. Focus on how the trip fits into your content or another educational goal.
• Follow up. Students are much more likely to write about an experience they recently had, like a field trip. Have them write about their favorite artifact or activity on the field.

Here are some of the exciting educational events coming up at the Thrasher-Horne Center through February, 2016. 

Click Clack Moo

Wednesday, September 30 at 10:15 AM

Grades K-4

Curriculum Standards: Communication and Language Arts, Literature-Based, Music, Social Studies

Based on the Caldecott Honor Book by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin, Click Clack Moo is a delightful musical about negotiation and compromise, important skills that students will be able to use as they grow up.

"Udderly fabulous! Given Theatreworks USA's track record of turning classic kids' lit into magical musicals, CLICK, CLACK, MOO just reaffirms their reputation." Raven Snook, Time Out New York Kids

 

The Dinosaur Diary of Dr. T-Rex

Tuesday, October 6 at 10:15 AM

Grades K-8

Curriculum Standards: Fossils, Extinctions, Paleontology, Plate Tectonics, Geological Time Periods, Adaptation, Predator, Carnivore, Herbivore

The Dinosaur Diary of Dr. T-Rex is an interactive presentation which will help students discover the amazing world of dinosaurs while they develop their reading and writing skills. Students will be using their senses as they watch, hear, and touch realistic dinosaur puppets and museum quality fossils.

The BFG (Big Friendly Giant)

Friday, October 23 at 10:15 AM

Grades 1-6

Curriculum Standards: Literature

In the Big Friendly Giant (BFG), students will learn that heroes can come in all sizes. With a young orphan called “human bean”, the BFG embarks on an epic - and humorous -  quest to save England. The late Roald Dahl was the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and BFG was one of his personal favorite stories. 

Miss Nelson Is Missing

Tuesday, November 10 at 10:15 AM

Grades K-5

Curriculum Standards: Communication and Language Arts, Literature, Music

Although Miss Nelson was as sweet as could be, the students in her class were unruly. One  day a strict substitute named Miss Viola Swamp showed up. The students began to appreciate just how nice Miss Nelson was.  This fun  musical from Two Beans Productions will teach students about the importance of being kind.

A Light in the Dark: The Story of Helen Keller
Thodos Dance Company

 

Wednesday, January 27 at 10:15 AM

Grades 1-6

Thodos Dance Chicago presents its critically-acclaimed story ballet, A Light in the Dark: the story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan,  as part of its 2016 touring program. Although Helen Keller was deaf and blind, she became a world famous writer and political activist. The story of how Anne Sullivan guided Helen  Keller on the path to educational and intellectual fulfillment is one of the most inspiring stories about the power of education in the history of the United States. Thodos Dance Company is presenting this performance at Thrasher-Horne Center as part of the Dance Touring Initiative program.  This grant program is provided in part by South Arts, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

For 23 years, Thodos Dance Chicago has performed with captivating style described as “breathtakingly athletic” and “powerfully beautiful.” The company’s dedication to the American voice in contemporary dance has established TDC as an innovative presence in the modern dance landscape. Reaching young minds through dance education is vital to the mission of Thodos Dance Chicago. As an established teaching company, all members of the ensemble hold B.A. and M.F.A. degrees in dance and teach at the elementary, high school, and university levels.

 “A Light in the Dark is a wonderful and original show involving Anne teaching Helen how to communicate and showing her that there was a whole world to learn about and experience that she did not know.” Jennifer Lunz, L.A. Splash.

Let’s Go Science

Friday, February 26 at 10:15 AM

Grades K-7

Curriculum Standards: Science Concepts

Professor Smart and Dr. Knowitall join forces for an educational, entertaining, exciting and experiential extravaganza. Professor Smart demonstrates the principals of physics while  his comedic sidekick Dr. Knowitall keeps the facts straight. Your students will learn science concepts through impressive and memorable demonstrations!                     

School group reservations are now available! If you’re a teacher, start planning  a class field trip to the Thrasher-Horne Center today.  Tickets for groups of 12 or more are $10.00 each.  For every twelve paid admissions, one complimentary ticket will be provided. Tickets are also available to groups of less than twelve and to the general public. Payment due no later than one month before each performance. Call the Thrasher-Horne Box Office at (904) 276-6815 to reserve your seats today!

Spread the word about one of Northeast Florida’s best kept secrets! Tell your family and friends about the Thrasher-Horne Center. Share this article with them. They will appreciate learning about what they have been missing. We appreciate you taking the time to visit us. If you have a comment about this article, leave it in the comment section below. 

In this article, I’ve outlined the educational benefits of field trips for students and provided tips on how to go about planning a successful field trip. I’ve also provided summaries of upcoming opportunities for field trips to the Thrasher-Horne Center. These presentations will be engaging for students and they will fulfill a variety of curriculum requirements.

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Holiday Magic with Mystifier Mike Super

Finalist on America’s Got Talent at The Thrasher-Horne Center! 

Mike Super was the winner on NBC’s Phenomenon and he was a finalist on America’s Got Talent. He has performed with Big and Rich, Louie Anderson, Train, and many other big league performers. On the Ellen DeGeneres Show, he helped the host to appear from nothing but shadows. He has performed at the prestigious PollStar Awards in Hollywood, and he has received two Merlin awards from the International Society of Magicians. Known as America's Favorite Mystifier, he will be performing magic and illusions live at the Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts on December 26, 2015 at 7:00 P.M.

The Magic of Mike Super combines art, theater, and magic. Mike’s events incorporate video projection, cutting edge magic & illusions, dramatic lighting, and energizing music. In a single family-friendly package, it’s both a Broadway play and a rock concert with a talented comedian running things. His innovative and interactive shows appeal to all ages. Anything is possible with Mike, which means any member of the audience could find him or herself part of the show.

Garber Automall of Green Cove Springs is sponsoring the event. “We help people find their dream vehicles every day, but I challenge Mike Super to “steal” someone’s dream vehicle from our lot and make it appear on stage,” said Ron Harris, General Manager. Super is up to the challenge and he will attempt to steal a vehicle from the dealership and make it appear on the stage with a snap of his fingers. If Super is able to accomplish this impossible feat, everyone with a valid driver license in the Thrasher-Horne Center’s audience will have a chance to win the vehicle, courtesy of Garber Automall.

Mike’s Super Break

Winning on Phenomenon was one of Mike’s big breaks. “Competing on Phenomenon was literally a dream come true! I got to perform for millions of people in a matter of minutes! Because of the show, my live show sells out at virtually every venue we play.” Mike says that a big chunk of his $250,000 winnings went to magicians known as the IRS, where they made a lot of it disappear.

A Disney Fanatic

Mike considers himself a Disney fanatic, which is convenient since he now performs for Disney several times per year. One of the things he did after winning Phenomenon was to take his entire family to Walt Disney World. Fortunately, the IRS had left him enough cash to do that.

Although Super sounds like a made up show business name, it’s his real last name. Mike’s comedy career began at age six. “I got started while visiting a magic shop in Walt Disney World. I saw the coolest old man performing some tricks and I immediately became obsessed! I performed in my back yard every week. I'd wear my black Dracula Cape from Halloween and I charged a nickel per person.”

Mike progressed from backyard shows to birthday parties to close-up magic in restaurants when he was a teen. “Restaurants are fantastic because you have a new audience every five minutes,” he says. “You have to learn to connect with people. If you want to develop a big stage show, performing magic in restaurants will get you a personality.”

Mike majored in Computer Science at the University of Pittsburgh. By the time he started interviewing for jobs, he was earning more as a magician than he was being offered by prospective employers.

Check out this short video.

“America’s Got Talent is very story driven,” Mike says. “Story is just as important as anything you might do. You could do a great magic trick, but if you don’t have a story, the interest level in you goes down.”

Mike did several amazing tricks on America’s Got Talent including a card trick with Howard Stern and the audience, a chalkboard numbers trick with Howie Mandel, and an electrifying trick with Mel B. Although Mike was not the overall winner, he was very memorable. He was prominently featured on America’s Got Talent’s Tenth Anniversary Show. Viewers will never forget it and they’re very appreciative when they get an opportunity to see Mike perform live.

Mike Super’s Best Tricks

Mike has performed illusions, mind-reading, and daring escapes. He has predicted headlines and performed teleportations. He even used magic to get out of a speeding ticket once. However, when asked what his best trick has been, Super says, “It's a three way tie. Tricking my wife into marrying me, making my adorable daughters appear, and being able to do magic for a living.” So, in addition to being talented, successful, and good-looking, he’s also quite charming. Ain’t that magical?

Garber Automall is proud to be sponsoring a superb family entertainer like Mike Super at the Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts. The event promises to be spectacular and mesmerizing. If you’re looking for a magical and unforgettable event for the whole family this holiday season, plan to see Mike at the beautiful Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts. Family four-packs are available! Get your tickets today at THcenter.org.

Spread the word about one of Northeast Florida’s best kept secrets! Tell your family and friends about the Thrasher-Horne Center. Share this article with them. They will appreciate learning about what they have been missing. We appreciate you taking the time to visit us. If you have a comment about this article, leave it in the comment section below.

Mike Super, Winner of NBC’s Phenomenon and Finalist on America’s Got Talent, will perform mesmerizing magic and impossible illusions at The Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts in Orange Park, FL, at 7:00 P.M. on December 26th, 2015.

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