Les Reagan, Musician, Director, Teacher

00:00
Holiday Inn Jerusalem, how may I help you?

00:10
Welcome to another episode of Chewing The Fat. I am your host, Big Robb. Thank you so much for tuning in, downloading the podcast wherever you're listening. I certainly do appreciate that. Thank you to the folks that have bought me a coffee at ChewingTheFatBR.com. I definitely appreciate your financial support and the folks that are following the podcast as well on social media. That always helps more folks find us. And if you feel like writing a review or giving us a five star rating on wherever you're listening to podcast, I appreciate that too.

00:40
I appreciate my guests as well. I have known my next guest for probably at least 15, almost going on probably 20 years now since I came back to Augusta from Birmingham. He was one of the first faces that I saw as I got back into theater here in Augusta. Please welcome Les Reagan. How are you, Robb? I'm good, Les. How are you doing, sir? Great. So good to see you, my friend.

01:09
It's good to see you too, even though we see each other every Monday. Every Monday night, that's right. Don't be late, seven o'clock. That's right. As we are in rehearsals for the Tabs Christmas or Holiday Extravaganza. So, unless I have to get together along with the, is it 47 other voices right now? 51. 51. It fluctuates. It does. It does. It fluctuates.

01:38
So 51 other voices will be performing coming up on December 1st at First Baptist of Augusta. You can find out more at tabsaugusta.com. Get your tickets for sure. And we'll talk more about tabs. But as I said, when I first went back into Augusta, I wanted to get back into theater. It was always a passion of mine when I was in school. And the one place that everybody says, well, you got to go to the Augusta Players. Augusta Players is the place to be.

02:07
That's where you're going to be able to find a chance to do something. And my first show with the players was, I think, I don't think I could have got set up any better really for the show that I got. It was Jekyll and Hyde and Richard Justice was directing that. And I just met so many amazing, talented people in that show that have become lifelong friends.

02:37
at this time. But that's where I started and that's where I was introduced to to Les. Now, Les, are you native to Augusta though? I am not. Conyers, Georgia is my home. I have been in Augusta since 1988. Actually, the hotel business brought me here. Oh, wow. My music life, but the hotel life brought me here, which I did for about 43 years before I finally retired.

03:05
four to five years ago. Yeah, retired then to start your own kind of passion project and really follow your heart. I think I retired to go to work. I bet it's a lot more work now than what it was you were doing. But I feel like it's more rewarding personally though as well. It's such a passion so it's not work at all. Yeah, yeah. So what was life like growing up in Conyers for Little Les Reagan?

03:33
had you always had this penchant for music and this passion? I have. My mother was a musician. She was a phenomenal contralto that sang all over the Atlanta area, and she was a schoolteacher. I don't remember her as a schoolteacher because she stopped singing when she started having children, or stopped teaching when she started having children. But I started piano lessons at the age of six on...

04:01
August 31st, 1962 was my first piano lesson. So I've been playing for 61 plus years now. Wow. And I was really given a talent. The good Lord blessed me with a talent early on. And I've never thought I would do anything else ever. All I ever planned all the way through school was to be a concert pianist. And

04:31
I do think I might have had the talent, but I found out when I got to college that I didn't have the drive to be the pianist. So I decided to change the voice. Okay, okay. Became a singer. Yeah.

04:51
And so where did you go to college? My undergraduate is at Birmingham Southern. OK. You mentioned earlier about spending some time over in Birmingham. I found a wonderful college at Birmingham Southern, and 1978 graduate with a vocal performance degree. Wow. We loved Birmingham. What? Yeah. Birmingham's a great town. I still love that town. What was it?

05:18
when you start talking about music, and music is music if you don't understand it, was it a big shift for you to go from piano to voice? I mean, it's a different instrument. You're going from that external instrument to that internal instrument. Not really. I never stopped piano. I just, my change of what I really kind of wanted to do as far as a career, I knew

05:47
music would always be a part of my life. And I'd had a lot of dance training also as a child and had already been doing lots of theater work. And I thought, well, I can play, I can accompany on the piano singers, I can dance and shows. Well, let's be a triple threat. Let's get some.

06:10
the singing in there, which I really didn't get an opportunity growing up singing because they stuck me at a piano. I started accompanying choirs when I was in the sixth grade, so I never got that opportunity. They said, no, no, no, we need you over playing the piano. Okay. So I decided to make the change. That's great. Yeah, I know that.

06:32
Especially if you grew up in church, because that's where you get to sing in a choir, is in church. And if the piano players are fewer and further between than the choir members, even though you've got Ethel in the corner that's squeaking and squawking. Yes, I know many of them. Yeah. But to be able to not be able to follow that passion, but still be able to.

07:01
keep music alive in your life. I think that's amazing. And was musical theater, was that always part of, you know, you said you did theater and stuff like that. Was musical theater always a part of it? Mostly musical theater, yes. I did my first show in my 10th grade year and it was a show which I absolutely still love. It's called The Boyfriend. It was a 20s, roaring 20s musical.

07:29
Lots of Charleston type of dancing in it. And in the show with me, also in the chorus, I was not a lead, I was in the chorus, was this really young girl, very short girl named Holly Hunter, who I grew up with, who now of course has an Academy Award. And all, but she was from Conyers as well. And we, so I can always say that I...

07:55
you know, Holly started with me. We started together doing theater work. Well, now we see where I am compared to where she is. Right, well, I mean, you know, lives have different trajectories. They do. And you know, and you mentioned not having necessarily the drive for being that concert pianist, that thing. You know, that's part of it too. You know, I think of people like Alice Dykes.

08:24
and to be able to pick up from North Augusta, South Carolina and moved to New York. I think she has a phenomenal voice. I think she has the drive to do whatever she wants and to follow her on. She had a great voice as a little girl. She played fan the year that I directed, music directed, A Christmas Carol with the Augusta Players. She was young fan.

08:53
You know, 10 year old and when she came in and auditioned, Debbie Ballas and I were like, who is that? Where did she come from? And I mean, she was just marvelous. And so, I mean, to us, that was the beginning of knowing her. And she is wonderful. I've heard her many, many times, many times. But she has that drive. She's in New York. She's trying to make the things happen. You know, it is funny to see that she did.

09:21
work for a while as a waitress at a place. I think she's working at a cat like cafe right now. Do what you gotta do. Do what you gotta do so that you have the time to be able to do the other things. But yeah, I mean that type of stuff does change your trajectory. And then so what you said earlier that the hotel business brought you back, or not brought you back, but brought you to Augusta. Brought me here. So how do you go from music

09:52
to hotels? Well, I graduated from Birmingham Southern, and I really wanted to stay in Birmingham and study with my voice teacher, instead of coming back to the Atlanta area. So I had to go around and apply, and I just applied at all different kind of places, and the hotel happened to be one of the places that I applied, and they called me.

10:20
And two days after graduation, I started working on the front desk of a hotel. And 43 years later, I said, I'm done. It's time to move on. You know, customer service has been wonderful. Um, but it's time to move on. Yeah.

10:41
And I think I actually, it was a wonderful career. It really, really was. I love people. I loved providing service when I was, became into management and all, which was very quickly, and then continued on up the ladder. And as a general manager in stealing and the staff that we're there for one thing. And that's.

11:10
to make people happy and to do that. I also looked at the hotel business as show business that I would tell the staff all the time that the front desk or a donning room or the banquet hall, those were main stages and we were the actors and who came in the front door was the audience. And that's how I would teach. And it worked, you know, most of the time, you know, that way that we were always on.

11:41
we could never not be quote unquote on. I would have a sign that hung behind the front desk that said, you're on next, you should act together before they walked out to go to work. Yeah. Those were just important things to me, you know. Would we get hit by things from guests? Yes. And there is a saying.

12:06
And I probably might get some phone calls after this. But there is a saying that, you know, the customer's always right. I believe that probably 95, 96, 97 percent. The other side of that is until I can prove them wrong, which hardly ever happened, but I always left room to go, no, that part of it is not right.

12:35
Now that sort of counteracts what I was saying. I still believe that customers are right and that we are there to take care of their needs and that type of thing. It was an excellent business. I got out right before COVID hit. I can't imagine what it's like to be in the hotel business since COVID. That actually scares me. Yeah. Yeah. If I'm not mistaken, I,

13:05
have heard that, working in customer service and several jobs in my life before. You know, the customer is always right. I think the full quote comes from Selfridge, who opened Selfridges in London. The full quote is, the customer is always right in terms of style. It was meant like, when the customer comes into the department store, whatever they think looks good on them is what looks good on them. True. But it doesn't mean that just because they say, you should give me a free, you know,

13:34
A free cookie when I check in. Well, actually, I guess there are places that give free cookies. Well, one of the hotel companies that I worked for, yes, we did have to give them a free cookie. Or as many as they wanted, actually. It's like, I need more cookies. They were good. I think I've had, I believe had some rehearsals that we had at that particular deal. I probably had some cookies myself. But I would guess because it's not like you...

14:00
dropped music for 40 years to go work in a hotel and then not at all. All of a sudden, five years ago, picked it right back up. So I assume it afforded you opportunities and opportunities to at least scheduling wise to be able to still live in your path. I still continued shows. I still was in some shows. I still music directed shows all of that time, whether I was a general manager or a front office manager or a room's division manager or wherever I worked. Um, I scheduled.

14:29
being in a show or auditioning for a show to be in around a time that I knew I could make it work. I knew as a general manager, I was on call 24 hours, seven days a week, vacation or not. That's the job that you take. But I also had very good bosses that allowed me that opportunity.

14:57
to do that. Now, if there was some instance that would happen, I might have to call the director of the theater rehearsal and say, I got a major situation, I'll be late, or I might not make it tonight. And luckily that very seldom ever happened. But I continued music, I continued singing in places, I continued being a church musician.

15:19
on Wednesday nights and Sundays, because during that time, most of our theatrical rehearsals did not happen on a Wednesday night, because a lot of people were involved in church choirs and things like that. So it worked easier to not have those rehearsals. So that was a very positive thing for me as a musical director. So no, I never, ever, ever stopped, and don't ever plan until it's time to.

15:46
burn me up or throw me in the ground. One of the two. Do you have a favorite show? Well, you mentioned The Boyfriend. That was the first. That was the first one. But do you have like a, we'll do a range. Do you have a favorite show that you've performed in, a favorite show you've musical directed and a show that's on the bucket list that you either want to be in or do the music for?

16:15
Um, I guess the, my favorite show, I'm going to have to say that I have two favorites that I've been in. And I am going to have to mention them both. Okay. Man of La Mancha, I played the Padre twice. Once was right after college in my hometown. And then the other one was in 2006 with the Augusta Opera. When, when we did the show, I was...

16:44
fortunate to get to play that again. It took me a long time before I would ever think I would do that show again, because I never wanted to do the role again. I had such a marvelous experience the first time that I didn't want to lose it. Yeah, how can you top it? Exactly. Now the other show that is one of my favorites was also in my hometown theater, and it was Godspell. And I never want to do that show again.

17:13
It was the most wonderful experience I've ever had doing a show. I played John the Baptist and got to sing All Good Gifts in that show. And it was just a remarkable show. Our theater in Conyers is called the Depot Players. Well, now it's called the new Depot Players, but at that time, the original was the Depot Players.

17:43
And it is a train depot. And it is the empty building. It's the railroad-tie floor, and the walls are bare. And it looks like a dungeon. So La Mancha, we were in the dungeon. And so at the end of the show, when they leave and go up, we went up into the loft. So it was perfect. And it's just intimate theater. I mean, you were right on. The audience is right there looking and sitting.

18:11
right almost in your lap for the thing. So they can, they're so close they can see your eyelashes. That's to me, they really get the experience of being it. And God's Bill has just such wonderful music. It's one of the most difficult shows to do because there's not a full script. You get all the parables and then you make up all the stuff in between to get to the next parable, which was kind of cool. And I played.

18:41
an innkeeper and that one and got to make up this part about, you know, holiday in Jerusalem, how may I help you? You know, when I had- Pulling some real real lines. Exactly, I was actually working for Holiday Inn at that time. So that's a moment that will always stick, kind of, you know, with me. But those are two that are still very, very special. Music directing, gosh, that's really hard.

19:10
Did you? I've had some just.

19:16
I'm going to have to say that there's two of those. One was at Fort Gordon Dinner Theater, and that was 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It was just an unbelievable cast, just a stellar cast that just walked in and every one that we cast,

19:41
It's like it was written for them. It just worked so, so well. And I ended up kind of conducting with my head because I played the piano for that show. I guess biggest and one of the toughest shows for me, which also is one of my favorites, was conducting Les Mis. When the Augusta Players did that.

20:11
Just thinking, wow, that small window of licensing the show opened up and the players got it. And Debbie asked me to music direct and then it shut down where nobody else could get it again for a while. And it was, I mean, just a dream orchestra, a dream cast.

20:40
Willie Falk coming in, which Debbie didn't know Willie, but we knew, Kitty and I, my wife, knew Willie's agent. And we had worked with Willie in one show with the Augusta Opera, and we called the agent and said, is he free? And she said, yes. And we said, okay, we'll get you in touch with Debbie. And then that's how Willie started coming down for us. Actually, I'm sorry, that is not.

21:06
Not the case. He came down for Miss Saigon. That's when he was the original Miss Saigon on Broadway. Yeah, the original Chris, right? Chris, yeah. Chris and Miss Saigon. But then he came back and did his first valjean with us. Sorry about that confusion there. But it was such a very moving, moving experience. But it is really kind of hard to choose. I've done.

21:35
close to 100 shows since I've been in Augusta. Wow. And some of that is, I might've been a pianist or doing the synthesizer for the show, but most of it is musical directing. Couple of times I've gotten an opportunity to be in something, which is a different kind of scared. Yeah, yeah. Do you have a bucket list show that you want to do? I have...

22:02
had a bucket list show that I am now beyond the age to do the role. Unless we do a concert version, then to me it does make a difference. But Sunday in the Park with George. Oh wow. To do the role of George. Yeah. A while back I could have.

22:32
But now it would need to be George's grandfather. Yeah, that's a, it's, and that's an amazing show. I love Stephen Sondheim as I have his books here on the desk here. Both named after that show, you know, look I made a hat and finished in the hat. But this is something I've always found with Sondheim shows.

23:01
Those Act 1s are all-star killers. Act 2s, not so much. You may have one banger in Act 2, and there's a lot of wrap-up and a lot of fixing. Trying to figure out how to end. How do we, it's like, we did all this in Act 1. How do we wrap this up now? But I love it. I love, yeah. Me too. There's, you know. It's, to many people.

23:31
It's hard to hear. It's very technically complex musically. It is. And it's hard to play, it's hard to sight read, it's hard to sing without a lot of practice. To us singers though, we can't wait for it. Because it's like gymnastics. Right, to the normal person I guess, the average person I guess I should say, who...

24:00
who aren't used to listening to that, it's not, oh, let me sit down and listen to a Sondheim show where most of us theater singers, yeah, anytime. Let's just, a whole night, a whole weekend. Nobody goes to sleep. We start from the beginning and sing and listen all the way through to many of them. And he's written so many just great, you know? Yeah, it's...

24:29
I mean, I think that show would be amazing. That show would be amazing for sure. Sure would. So Scott Seidl, if you're listening, just saying. Or even a concert version, just saying. The batons in the hand. So we've gone through what brought you to Augusta and how you've stayed in theater. You've now retired. You got a little...

24:57
You got a little antsy and like, I need something to do. And so that's where Tabs was born? No, Tabs wasn't born before that. Okay. I didn't leave the hotel business till 2019. Tabs, the Augusta Broadway Singers was founded in 2013. That's true. Right, so we are now 10 years old, which was a dream.

25:25
I had always wanted my own group. You know, I was so afraid for many, many, many years to conduct. When Debbie asked me to conduct Gypsy, which was my second show with the players, but it was my first one to conduct, I was petrified. I had no trouble learning music, I had no trouble teaching the music, I had none of that was ever.

25:53
ever entered my mind, it was, what do I do with my arms? I didn't, I wasn't going to have any trouble interpreting or asking the singers and stuff to do certain things, but my mind was like, down, left, right, up, down, left, right, up. I had to tell myself what to do with my arms and my hands. And so...

26:23
I was a member, well actually still am a member of St. John's United Methodist Church and Jamie Garvey who has been there as organist, choir master for eons. I was singing there at that time and said, Jamie, what are you doing? Like tomorrow, whatever date it was. She said, well I'm free and I said good because I'm coming over.

26:47
I'm bringing the score, I'm bringing the CD. And by the way, the CD that Bette Mittler came out with, that version of the show matches the score. So I said, and you're gonna sit there and you're gonna watch me conduct. So I walked into her office with my boombox and that CD and the stand and the thing, and made her sit there, watch me conduct that show to get through conducting it in front of somebody. This was before rehearsal, we're ever gonna start. And...

27:17
got over it. And then I realized it really doesn't make a difference. Yes, there are things that you need to do as a conductor, certain patterns that you need to learn and be able to do. But if your cast or your choir or your soloist understand what you want, it makes no difference. Now, I might get calls, I might get emails from other conductors that go, oh yeah, it does.

27:46
I'm going to go, oh no, it doesn't. But that's my story on that. If I'm getting across what I need out of the orchestra or out of the cast, then I've done my purpose of what I need to do with it. But that's kind of how that started. So Tabs, I'd always wanted my own group. And I just kept kind of going, I don't know, I don't know.

28:16
my wife and my daughter finally said, look, just get some of your theater people together and do some stuff. So I did, I got 19 and you were one of those 19 original tabs members, you are a charter member of tabs. And I'm glad of that. Together just to work on, and this was over the summer and early June, cause June 27th, 2013 was our very first rehearsal.

28:43
And it was like four, I think we only had four pieces, but we were just gonna get together and work on theater people, listening and blending and all, because we never get that opportunity when we are working on a show. We get two weeks to learn all the music, to then go into staging and forget all the music. And all that, they have to relearn it later and then forget it again, and then relearn it once, choreography is over. Yep.

29:10
et cetera, et cetera. So we were going to spend the time for that to get used to thinking about what we're doing, chorally. And after about the third rehearsal.

29:26
We might have something in here.

29:30
From then it just kind of grew. And we did only have like five or six rehearsals. And that's when we did have to stop because I was going into rehearsals with Les Mis. And I mean, I remember that thinking, this would be a great opportunity to stay in practice in between shows for the folks that don't know, usually a theater company, especially if one like the Gustaf Players does.

29:56
99% musicals for the main stage, usually do four shows a year. So every quarter you got a show. You're constantly, you kinda got a little bit longer break in the summer, but you've got a show going on. And you may not be cast or wanna do whatever that next show is, but you might wanna do the one following.

30:17
So you want to stay in practice. You know, it's kind of, if you don't use it, you lose it kind of thing with voice and movement and things like that. And so this was a great way to stay in practice with other people that have the same mindset, have the same kind of background of performing musical theater. It is its own kind of...

30:40
weird community. It is. You know what I mean? As far as like, it's different than straight play actors. Our minds work differently. Exactly. Exactly. And so it was such a great way to kind of stay in practice and to stay connected because everybody goes through post-show blues. You know, it's like, oh, when the show's about to open and you're in tech week, you're like, I cannot wait till Sunday when this last show is over.

31:07
Six o'clock. I'm like, on six o'clock. And I don't have to do this anymore. And then like, Monday morning, Monday morning you're like, I got nowhere to go. I don't have anything to do tonight. I don't have, you know, 12 pieces of music to listen through. Yeah. So it was such a great opportunity to just kind of, kind of stay in that mindset, stay in that place. And that's, and that's kind of how it started. And I wanted it to be different too. It was not, you know, I,

31:37
I love pretty much all kinds of music. I appreciate all music. I'm not fans of some, but I'm very classically trained as a singer. And plus I've done a lot of church work, you know, my entire life, but I love classical music. I love requiems. I love art songs and...

32:05
just pieces of choral music. I love choral music, I really do. But what I wanted the difference out of this was there are choral societies, there are show choirs, there are various groups like that, but we have that here. I didn't want that for us. I wanted, what could we be this different? Well, my first love is musical theater. So that's our niche. That's what we're gonna do, 99%.

32:34
nothing but the core music of musical theater, Broadway or off Broadway or this type of thing, and find arrangements for that. I might, every once in a while, throw in something from the golden age, or I might find something, especially on the holiday show, there's only so much musical theater music that's been in a.

32:57
or holiday music that's been at a musical theater show or something like that. And so every year I don't want to do exactly the same show. I might choose a piece or two to carry on. So I pick and choose a few things a little bit more openly in that concert to make a variety of, for the show. But it's strictly, we've kind of labeled ourselves now as we're a theatrical ensemble. Yeah.

33:27
And it's built from 19 to, actually on our roster, we have 52, I think it is, or 54. Okay. It depends on the moment. Right, right. Comes and goes. And you know, and again, I think it's that there's such, with that many voices, and the fact that you've got, you know, in...

33:53
and we have tenors and altos and basses and sopranos, tabs, T-A-B-S. Exactly. And I didn't realize that at first. Oh, you just thought the Augusta Broadway Singers? The Augusta Broadway Singers. One day I'm sitting there going, Kay, look at this. This is tenors, altos, sopranos, basses. She went, you just now figured that out? But the harmonies and some of the music that you pick...

34:19
Everybody's like, oh, it's like a four-part harmony. We have some eight-part harmonies in some of these tunes. It is just gorgeous. And the reaction I hear from people that have gone to the show is like, well, one, I didn't know that y'all were a thing. And oh my God, the talent. So I always encourage folks, if you sing and you're like, man, I wish I had a chance to sing.

34:46
get with Les and audition and come be a part. Claire was a friend that I had from working in retail and she had mentioned about, I wish I had a place to sing. I was like, call Les, call Les. But it's such a great opportunity to perform and to be a part of something that's larger than the sum of the parts. You know what I mean? It's just amazing and I can't wait for the.

35:13
for the holiday concert coming up on December 1st. What's the next thing that you're, you know, what's, where's 10 years in, you know, you're just getting warmed up. What's the trajectory? What's... I want it to keep going. Every show will be different. It may have a theme, it may have a special purpose.

35:42
I know, and I've thought about this show for a long time. I do want, at some point, I want to do an anti-bullying concert. Saying that things are okay. Yeah. We don't, why do we need that?

36:06
The world is made up of, I don't know, how many different kind of people, who knows?

36:16
And so what? Right. There's a purpose and a place, yes, for everyone. And so, but, you know, throughout the last several years, there've been so many instances of issues with that. And, but I just never could find the right time. And the right time hasn't told me yet that it was the right time to do that. And I haven't come across enough music yet.

36:43
with that in mind of saying, okay, now's the time. I do know my next concert after the holiday concert, which is December 1st, by the way, as you know, I am starting back with Just the Women for the first time in January of 24 for an all-women's concert. We're gonna celebrate women.

37:12
of tabs and the women of Broadway. This season, we're starting in our 10th season, we're a season of celebration. So we're celebrating the holidays, we're celebrating the women of Broadway. And then in October of 2024, we're going to celebrate Broadway blockbusters. And that will be another event that I'm excited for, but the women's concert, I've...

37:41
been spending a lot of time while we're in the holiday show, getting ready, choosing music and just, that's the part I love the most is just spending time just listening and going, yep, when to do that? Well, I come up with 40 pieces and I go, well, we can't do.

38:02
Okay. It's a six hour show. So I go, come on, here, here, here. Do I just close my eyes and just put them in different stacks? And so, no, I start pulling out one by one. And then I get, okay, now 38. Okay, now what? Right. And so I do have to, so I'm gonna go, okay, well, at least I've got that. So now I know for another something to put in. But this one, the thing that makes this one special to me is I'm not going to conduct this one.

38:32
It's all the women or just women in the group. And Stacey Branch, who retired last year from Lakeside High School, is going to conduct this show and plan this show and prepare this show. It will be a complete female orchestra. And it will be done in International Women's Month.

39:00
Nice. So in March of 20... 2024. Well, yeah, March 22nd, 2024 is when that concert will be. And that one actually will be at the Hardin Auditorium, the J.V.S. Hardin Auditorium. I'm thrilled about that. That's awesome. That's awesome. For you right now in life, what's bringing you joy, Les? Music. Yeah. Always has. Yeah.

39:29
not always every day.

39:33
I've had people in the past say, they might hear me humming or something. So blah, blah, aren't you in a good mood? No, I'm not in a good mood. I'm singing two phrases over and over and two measures of music over and over and over my head, trying to get it right. It's why people just think when somebody's singing that they're, they're just happy go lucky and stuff like that. You know, not always the case for a musician, but.

40:04
I'm calm right now. I don't have the hotel stress, which just comes with that kind of job. Don't tell me that I don't have stress. I do. I've gone back to school. I will graduate with a master's in May of 2024.

40:29
And which I had always hated that I didn't go before and get it. And I just thought three years ago, I took it slowly. I decided I'm only gonna take a couple classes per quarter or per semester. And I'm here now at the end. And it's deals also with a 501c3 nonprofit agency, which is what Tabs is. So it just kind of worked out really well. It's...

40:55
It's a Master of Science degree in performing arts, leadership and management, which is sort of what I do. And I kind of always feel that way, whether I'm a church pianist, or when I was a church organist, when I'm with tabs, when I'm in my teaching, which is my major thing right now, I never could have been a school teacher, never. I'd have been in jail by 10 o'clock on day one before...

41:25
Probably even before 10 o'clock, I would have been taken away to jail during homeroom, probably, on the first day. But I have wonderful students from young children up through adults and a piano and voice studio that I have. And I've now, since these past four years, almost five, to see what some of my students are doing.

41:54
and things that they have won. I mean, I have a Shuler winner that happened, which is the high school musical theater awards where there's one female, one male chosen for the entire state. And she was one of my students that did not, and went to the nationals, but did not get that. I have three, possibly a fourth governor's honors recipient that will get to go to governor's honors.

42:23
And people say, well, wow, you must be a great teacher. I don't know that it's me. I guide. Yeah. It's not me. I think maybe I have some choice of good words, but I instill in my students the desire to do good. Yeah. And I don't just let them not.

42:51
And when they come in with these slush days, I ain't got time for that. I've got a pity party. Sit in your chair and you have your own pity party. I'll go do what I want to. But it's, I'm here to help because you want to do this. Well, I'm not good at it. Well, like that, you're right. But change mind frame. And

43:14
And I said, I get upset at you because of care, because I think you can do it. If I didn't think you could do it, I'd be going, okay, mom, I think maybe underwater basket weaving might be better. I'm gonna just return this check to you. I'm not gonna do that, no. No.

43:35
This is the second segment of the show where we talk more about mental health, depression, anxiety. Those are things I deal with still. And I feel like being able to have the conversation, especially now, it helps to lighten the load. It helps to ease the burden of feeling alone. Depression wants to tell you that you're alone and that no one else feels like you.

44:04
bring this to light, the easier it is, I think, for people to feel like that they are not alone. So for you, how do you keep the darkness at bay?

44:16
This is going to sound awful, but...

44:25
I really care.

44:29
by trying not to care. Now that might not make a whole lot of sense, but I care about people and I care about what, how people are doing. And I guess from my work in the hotel business of being a manager in my last job was, I had 115 employees that were under me.

44:59
And that was just the last hotel. And I was in that business for 43 years. You learn to shut off a lot of stuff.

45:14
when things get really harried, whether that business or whether something else, I mean, if someone got injured, I go into what I call, what I always say, I go into manager mode. It's like, I know what to do. I know who to call. You know, I don't go, oh my gosh, no, no, no. I think I'm a planner.

45:39
for the most part, I guess is really what I'm trying to say. I plan for emergency. So when that emergency happens, I'm not panicked. I just go, okay, I do this, I do this, I do this. And then when that's over, if I need to panic.

45:56
Maybe. Right. But I, because if I'm the one that's supposed to be in charge and I got 115, if we're going to talk that for a second, if I got 115 that see me panicked, Yeah. imagine that blossom. Yeah. And I remember only one time in that business, out of all those years, I had one fire. There's nothing worse than worrying.

46:27
Is my hotel ever gonna catch on fire? And I got a call one Sunday morning. On a Sunday morning that I was going to fill in for the minister of music and direct the choir that time. Wow. And I get a call five minutes before and it's like.

46:50
I have to go that that's it. I mean, there is no way. So I looked at somebody and said, anybody direct choir? I said, I have an emergency at the hotel. I have to go. And somebody raised her hand and said, you're on. And then so it left, but luckily it wasn't a major fire, but it was one that started and a small closet and it immediately shut up, but it caused enough damage. It caused enough smoke in the kitchen.

47:20
to cause the Ansel system to go off. So, but it's just like, you know, you go handle what you've got to do and do all that. But personally...

47:34
I think because of my years of management experience, I let things bounce off. And I don't take, I take some things to heart, but not many things. I fight for what I think I might can win. And I'm not gonna waste my time if I, it's like, I don't have that kind of energy anymore. Why?

48:03
Why do I want to try to battle that?

48:09
I'm in a very comfortable place right now. I've most all my life kind of have been. I've had such a phenomenal childhood. I had parents that I never once heard them raise their voice to each other. They said they never did behind their bedroom door. I believe it. If there was ever a perfect set of parents, it was Roland and Joyce Reagan. I'll say that to my dying day. And

48:40
Somehow they taught three boys how to be responsible. And when I got married and had a child, I thought, how do I do that? And then it dawned on me. One day I think they allowed us as children, I mean, small children to be involved in decision-making.

48:59
small things. And I think that's what started helping us be able to make decisions and try to do things responsibly. Might have only been about where to go on vacation. I don't know, but that's the only thing that ever could come to mind. And it... It sounds like you kind of set the groundwork for some of that planning that you like to do. Yeah, maybe. You know, that it's like, hey, things have a... I don't like last minute. I am not last minute. Yeah.

49:29
Sometimes I might feel that a little bit, but...

49:34
Mm-hmm. No, I'm a planner. Let me just go pick it up two weeks from now. Okay, here we go. Yeah. Why'd I do that? But I did it. Yeah. And yeah, I don't like, my brain doesn't move fast enough for last minute. I can, I think, maybe. Yeah, I mean, you know. In an emergency. Yeah.

49:59
You know, I've already worked out the emergence. I was about to say somebody hits a siren out in the orchestra. I mean, that eyebrow goes up real quick. So or the choir or the choir. Or they put that T on. That's another whole little story all about T's. I hate T's. T's in the middle of words. Yeah, I'll hear that no matter what's one one person out of 50. Yeah. But yeah, I, you know, I think that's.

50:28
I think that's good that you've got a plan, quote unquote plan. So if those days ever do come, if the days of doubt or you have a day that you're sad or whatever, you've kind of made arrangements and you've been through that stuff and you know how to get out of it. If it's a situation where...

50:54
You know, I need to be sad for just a little bit. I need to shed a tear or I need to, you know, do whatever introspective thought for a moment. And I'm gonna do that and then I'm gonna move on to the next thing. I don't need to stay. I do a lot of that. You know, when you bring some of that up, I'll be the first one to say, my mother passed away 30 years ago at age 61, the month before my son was born.

51:23
Last word she said to me the week before she died was give Kitty, Katie and Patrick my love. She knew we were having a boy, she knew we'd named him. I did not shed a tear at Mother's funeral. I was doing the music. That was my way to say goodbye. I did the music for the funeral and my dad's and one of my brothers.

51:49
Right. The go-to for all that, right. And I think with us being performers,

52:02
we go in and out of characters of how to do, we have to do this, we have to do that. That I do that. I can't tell you how many funerals I've played or sung or how many weddings I've played. And so it's just, you just, you go into that kind of mode and get.

52:31
And so then if I need to cry, I'll cry later, I guess, if I just, I go into sort of that manager kind of mode, I have a purpose, I've got a reason to do this, I've got to do this, I've got to do this. I don't think it's shunning anything, it's just to make sure that it all goes through right. And...

52:57
It's just the planner. It's just, I go into that performance mode, which is really kind of what I guess it really all boils down to.

53:10
All right, Les, this is the third segment of the show. It's time now for the Fast Five. The Fast Five. It's time now for the Fast Five. Fast Five. Sorry, I'm still working on a theme song. I'm just workshopping that. I've got some people that have got some... Maybe I could... Could you write a little... Let me know. We'll do some lessons. We'll do a little panel or something on that. That'd be great. The Fast Five is powered by Poddex. It's an app created by my friend Travis Brown. They're great conversation starters. It was...

53:39
It's questions created for podcasters, but like I said, they're great conversation starters and icebreakers. You can get physical decks or you can download the app at your app store to search for pod decks. Or if you go to chewingthefatbr.com slash pod decks and use promo code chew, you get 10% off your physical decks. But I'm gonna use the app. Five questions, first thing off the top of your head, no wrong answers. Okay, you ready?

54:08
Question number one.

54:12
What is your favorite movie musical? Favorite movie musical? Oh, my gosh. Probably Hello, Dolly. OK. When I say that, I have no idea, but I do love the movie. But well, it popped in your head. That's what I said. This first thing popped in your head. So there must be a reason. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you got. Don't know why, but there's a reason. Louis Armstrong's in it. I mean, that's.

54:39
You know, there's something going on. And Streisand, one of the best singers in the world. Oh yeah, okay. Babs is in there too. Babs. Yeah. Question number two. And I'm going to go back to the question number two.

54:50
All right, when it comes to snacks, sweet or salty? Oh, sweet. Really? Look at me. Sweet. Well, look at me, but I see I'm more of a salty snack guy. I'm like, give me some popcorn or some crackers. That's the chaser part. Okay. Awesome. All right, question number three.

55:11
What do you love to do for others?

55:16
What do I love to do for others? Like it just, you're like, I don't want to do this. Put them on a pedestal. Really? Yeah. That was my job for 43 years, was to put people on a pedestal. Okay. You can take whatever that means. Oh. That's customer service to me, is that you walk in and I put them on a pedestal. Whatever their problems are, they're coming to get away from something, I think.

55:46
at times, and so there we give them an experience. I like it. I like it a lot. All right, question number four.

55:59
If humans came with a warning label, what would yours say?

56:06
Oh.

56:15
Hmm. You started real red over there. I know, right? Trying to think of how I could say this since this is gonna go out on the air. But I, so yeah, I, I, I, mm-mm. Let's see, if I came with a warning label. One that I use a lot is squat and watch. Squat and watch.

56:45
Okay, you have to explain that a little bit to me. I do. Squat and watch. When somebody says that I can't do something, I just squat and watch. Okay, I like that. I like that a lot. All right, and question number five.

57:01
What do you think is more important in a song, the melody or the lyrics?

57:08
Oh, this will be interesting because you like musical theater, but you're also a musician. So it's always the lyrics, the lyrics. It's the story. However,

57:22
This is part two of that. Okay. It's how you tell the story. That's what's most important. That you tell a story on those pitches.

57:37
Or just sing off. It might have a beautiful melody. But if and you've heard me say this, and tabs, if the story doesn't get across the boards, and out into the audience, then all we need to sing is off. I think and maybe that's what it is as humans, we connect to the story. That's that's how we told our histories was through passing down stories and things like that. And so a turn of phrase, it can give me chills.

58:06
He can give me chill bumps. But that story is so much better when that music is absolutely stunning. Yes. Yes. 100%. 100%. All right, let's, well, that is our Fast Five and that's the show. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much for inviting me. Absolutely. I know we've been trying to get together for a little while. I know, right? I'm so glad it finally worked out. Me too. If folks want to keep up with you and Tabs, what's the best way that they can do that? Through Tabs. It's just tabsaugusta.com. And that's where they can buy tickets for our show.

58:35
December or find out about us just you know through that.

58:39
They can actually check out my other website if they're looking for reading Lessons for themselves or for a family member or someone else and that's just at lessreagamusic.com Absolutely, I'll make sure to put those links in the show notes as well What a great Christmas gift that would make is some some vocal or piano lessons from less or audition preparation I I do not I teach piano. I teach voice

59:09
But I also do audition preparation. It can be just for a lesson or two. Or even if someone's wanting to learn how to accompany someone, I do actually teach a company. Awesome. And you can find out more about all that on the links on the website, on the show notes as well. Wes, again, thank you so much for being here. I love you so much. I love what you do and your art and the music that you bring to this community and to everybody that's around you. You're so kind. Thank you so much. And if you would like to support

59:39
this podcast. I'd appreciate it if you bought me a coffee at chewingthefatbr.com or leave a rating or review. But until the next time I look forward to the chance we have to sit a spell and chew the fat.