Photo Flash: Joe Iconis & Cast Record 'Things to Ruin' Tracks

Joe Iconis headed into NYC's MSR Studios on February 28 with his band and the cast of his critically-acclaimed concert event Things To Ruin to lay down tracks for the show's forthcoming album. The recording, which will be released by Sh-K-Boom Records in Summer 2010, features a collection of songs by Kleban and Larson-winner Iconis as seen in Things To Ruin at off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre in May 2009.

The Things To Ruin album marks the first of a series of collaborations between Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records and the up-and-coming writers of the musical Theatre World. Label president Kurt Deutsch says, "Joe is one of musical theatre's most exciting young composer/lyricists and we felt it was important to preserve Things to Ruin with an album so that young theater companies and student groups can have the chance to recreate a similarly exciting theatrical experience in their own spaces."

Things To Ruin is an incendiary collection of songs by Kleban and Larson Award Winner Joe Iconis (writer of the rock musical The Black Suits and the new musical Bloodsong of Love, which opens at Ars Nova in April). Directed by John Simpkins, Things To Ruin is a theatrical rock concert about human beings who are messy, emotional, drugged up, knocked down, inspired, electric and who don't have nearly enough time to cause the kind of commotion they so desperately need to. Performed by a cast of viciously talented young singers and a highly flammable four- piece band led by Joe himself, Things To Ruin rocks with an occasionally profane and always heartfelt explosion of music and high drama. Things To Ruin has been seen at the Second Stage Theatre, The Zipper Factory, Joe's Pub and Ars Nova.

The cast of Things To Ruin includes Nick Blaemire, Katrina Rose Dideriksen, Badia Farha, Sarah Glendening, Eric William Morris, Lance Rubin, Jason "SweetTooth" Williams and Joe Iconis. The band features Ian Kagey, Brent Stranathan and Mike Pettry, with musical supervision by Matt Hinkley. Executive producers of the album are Kurt Deutsch/Sh-K-Boom Records and Sara Katz.

The tracks will include "I Was Born This Morning (The Cicada Song)," "The War Song," "Everybody's At The Bar (Without Me)," "The Guide To Success," "Headshot," "The Whiskey Song," "Helen," "Honey," "The Bar Song," "Almost There," "Never Heard Nothing (Like This Shit Here)," and more. A release date and full track listing will be announced soon.

For more information about the album visit http://www.sh-k-boom.com/thingstoruin.shtml.

Photo Credit: Monica Simoes