Hello Beautiful People,
I’m so pleased to introduce y’all to one of my favorite music dynamos – The Skivvies.
The Skivvies are Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley, award-winning NYC singer/actor/musicians performing stripped down arrangements of eclectic covers and eccentric originals.
MM: First things first, did you always want to be performers?
NC: Yes. I don’t know how to do anything else.
LM: It was always something that came naturally. I grew up in a house
of musicians and dancers.
MM: How did The Skivvies come about?
NC: Lauren and I met over 10 years ago getting our Equity cards
together in a children’s theatre tour (THEATREWORKS/USA) production of
JUST SO STORIES. During that journey of driving two vans with all the
costumes, sets, and other cast members across the country and playing
the grandest cafetoriums in the land, we bonded quickly over music,
comedy, and writing silly songs. We had done quite a few concerts on
our own with the other “guesting” in for 9 years. In Feb of 2012, I
came over to Lauren’s one afternoon with the full intention of
creating a song and eating a sandwich. We did both of those things
and decided the song we “stripped down” was We Found Love by Rihanna.
It was super popular at the time and came on while we were getting our
food at the deli downstairs in fact. We decided we wanted to video
ourselves and put our arrangement on youtube. While Lauren was
deciding what to wear, she was just standing in front of her closet
wearing her bra and I had suggested she just wear that since we were
“stripping down” the song anyway. So we thought it would be a fun test
to see how THAT would go over on the interwebs. Luckily, people
really dug it, so we continued the “stripped down” series and thus The
Skivvies were born. It took about 9 months from that point to have
our debut live concert at Joe’s Pub and we have no plans of slowing
down ever since.
MM: Just for fun, what books are permanently on your bookshelf?
NC: Everything by Augusten Burroughs. And I love Rainbow Rowell. I
also have read just about every Roald Dahl novel 18 times over. I
recently read The Family Fang and was really taken with that as well.
LM: I too love Augusten and Roald Dahl. I also enjoy all David and Amy
Sedaris and Chuck Klosterman.
MM: Just for fun, if you were stranded on a desert island, what movies
would you want to have with you?
NC: I would need the HBO series The Comeback for sure.
LM: Classic comedies with Will Ferrell come to mind.
MM: Just for fun, if you had to describe yourself in a hashtag, what
would it be?
NC: #weird
LM: #quirky
MM: What’s next for The Skivvies? Nick? Lauren?
NC: We have a lot happening and it’s getting a bit overwhelming. We
hold our residency at 54 Below twice a month. This weekend we are out
at Williamstown Theatre Festival and the following week we are out at
Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor (where you are!). We have a few tv
pilot situations we are waiting to hear about.
LM: We are returning to The Rocky Horror Show as Brad and Janet at
Bucks County Playhouse this fall directed by Hunter Foster. We have a
small tour planned in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Michigan, Ohio,
Seattle, and on New Year’s Eve, we have the big show at 54 Below to
ring in the New Year with very special guests!
MM: If you had to offer one piece of advice to aspiring performers in
high school and/or college, what would it be?
NC: Hone your special skills. They’re crucial.
LM: Don’t try to be anyone but yourself. Know who you are and own it.
MM: In today’s economy, arts programs are being cut – what reasons would
you give to a politician for preserving arts education programming?
NC: By cutting the arts, you are discouraging an entire facet of
humankind and that will result in less culture and even more narrow
minds. The world does not need more close minded folks. And that also
sets some sort of example that artists are “unnecessary” to children
and students. That isn’t going to fly. It’s crucial.
LM: The arts are essential for enriching the young developmental mind.
They can inspire in countless, meaningful ways, while serving as an
outlet for students to express themselves in creative ways. It is
important for culture and all of humanity. Bottom line, the arts
change lives.
MM: Who is/was your greatest teacher?
NC: Lauren.
LM: Thanks Nick, you’ve taught me so much too. Especially about Britney Spears.
Thank you both!
And Write Teacher(s) Readers, I hope to see you at the show on August 8th + 9th, when The Skivvies take Bay Street!
Live, Love, Learn,