“I’m an early riser. I like to run and I prefer to get an early start on each day.” These were the first words spoken by Marcus Goldhaber during our chat on a recent Friday morning which had a crisp chill in the air. 

The singer, actor, and composer will be appearing twice in less than a month here in Bucks County: on September 26 in Sellersville, at the Sellersville Theater with Jane Monheit, and October 24 in New Hope at the Rrazz Room.  Both performances will feature material from his new recording, which also happens to be the title of his shows here: “A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening.”

I asked about those two shows and what audiences could look forward to from this accomplished artist.

“Yes. Both shows will be primarily material from my new record, along with some new songs and some new arrangements of standards.  I’ll have piano accompanying me at Sellersville, and I’ll have a quartet at the Rrazz Room.” Marcus continued, “Losing Your Appeal” is a new song I’ll be singing.  I wrote it as a kind of ‘put up or shut up’ kind of song about a relationship that’s seeing some rocky times. I’ll be performing swing and ballads, and new arrangements of songs written by some of my favorite composers as well, including those by Harold Adamson, Joe Young, and Harold Arlen.”

On the topic of Harold Arlen, Marcus Goldhaber had this to say:  “Harold Arlen is one of my all-time favorite composers. I had the privilege recently to appear onstage in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Song: Harold Arlen’ for well over a year in New York City. It was a wonderful experience.”

I asked him about other venues he especially liked or enjoyed.

“I had a great time appearing at the Downstairs Room on Upper West 71st Street and Columbus. That was a two-year residency where every Sunday night I was able to sing my songs in an intimate setting, where I felt that I really communicated with my audience. It was a wonderful opportunity where I met some great people while doing what I loved to do.”

This Buffalo, New York, boy lived and grew up in that city, attending Freedonia College in upstate New York where he earned his BFA. I asked him to discuss his formative years, and how those experiences led to him being the artist he has become. 

 

“My mom would play the piano while I did my homework at the kitchen table. She would call out if I knew this song or that one, and that’s really how I got exposed to music from The Great American Songbook, through my mother at the piano. My grandfather also played the piano.” He continued, “Freedonia was a great educational experience. I learned theatre, music, and dance while there. They gave me the whole package of performing arts.”

 

On his use of the word “record’ for his recordings, he had this to say when asked, “I have a tendency to think of these works I have done as records, not as CDs or whatever. I guess it’s a cultural thing.  It’s how I’ve always thought of them. It’s funny, but speaking of records, when I started out and did my first record, we had finished 17 songs, and we ended using only 5 which became my demo record, which I shopped around in order to get work, so that was one of the first things I recorded.”

I asked Marcus where he would like to see his career in five or ten years’ time. Did he see himself following a path similar to that of Michael Buble, or even Tony Bennett? “I would be honored to follow in the footsteps of a legend like Mr. Bennett, or even to be mentioned in the same league as him. First and foremost, I believe that each artist should be himself, and bring his own, personal feelings to the songs he sings. That’s how one communicates best with an audience: by being real. I also believe that collaborating with great people also makes you into a better artist. I always try to collaborate with both friends and new people I’ve met. John Davis was a big part of my first three records, and now I’m pleased to say that Billy Jay Stein is my producer and arranger. He has worked with Linda Eder, among others, and was the engineer for “Carole King: The Musical,” as well as working on “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark.”

 

When asked about the known future, and where he planned to appear, Marcus responded, “I have a new project in the works, ‘Come Home America,’ which will be an artistic and creative stretch for me, where I’ll be going into the Neil Diamond-Bruce Springsteen folk-rock idiom.  It’s a project I’m doing for the USO and for veterans, which we tried out at the Cutting Room in New York City during Fleet Week on Memorial Day weekend.  In addition to the two concerts in Bucks County we’ve mentioned, I’ll be appearing at the Smith Center in Las Vegas from October 17-19.”

In closing, Marcus Goldhaber had this to say: “I love communicating with an audience, no matter the medium or size of venue. I look forward to seeing everyone soon.”