Interview with Isaac Grossman
Artist Spotlight Series
Its been a hectic Fall season for us and we’re all looking forward to catching our breath a little these next couple months. We hope you’ll join us for our last show of 2025 on Wednesday; a new edition of Strange Animations at Cassette in Ridgewood. Tickets are available below or on our website.
About a week or two ago Fox Indigo and I caught a reading of a new musical at Life World, titled COSCTO BURNS DOWN INSIDE THE HEAD OF A DEDICATED EMPLOYEE. It was an inspiringly ambitious production with over 20 musicians on the stage and this past week I did a short interview with the creator Isaac Grossman.
It was a really interesting conversation about creating ambitious art projects in NYC. The first half is available for free to all readers while the second is limited to paid subscribers. If you value Aesop’s Sound Fables and what we do, consider a subscription. We have some rewards along with exclusive content and our annual option is only $30/year.
Upcoming Shows:
11/19 Strange Animations in Ridgewood
The original Aesop’s trio will perform original soundtracks to a selection of short animated films at Cassette in Ridgewood. The selection will feature a mix of contemporary films by local filmmakers and classic works from the public domain. Curated by Mostafa Ebrahim. Featuring Mike Nowotarski, Fox Indigo, and Rosalie Avery.
Artist Spotlight: Isaac Grossman
Isaac Grossman is a composer, pianist, and pedal steel guitarist based in Brooklyn, New York. Last Saturday, my friend Gillian and I stumbled into a surreal and beautiful show at Bushwick DIY venue Life World. About 20 musicians were sitting opposite a packed audience in white t-shirts with the name of their instrument written in sharpie. Off to the right side sat two separate rows of actors and singers.
What followed was a little over an hour of country tinged musical theater. The music washed over us both in a way that left us a little disconnected from the story but caught up in the sound. About a week later, I had the opportunity to chat over WhatsApp with the creator Isaac Grossman about his show. If you’re interested in seeing some photos from the show and learning more about Isaac’s work, you can find him here on Instagram.
Q: On Saturday I saw your show Costco Burns Down Inside the Head of a Dedicated Employee, can you first just explain what the show is about and your role in it?
Q: Costco Burns Down Inside The Head Of A Dedicated Employee is an experimental musical. It uses Costco as setting to look at the surreal parallels between the the human experience and shopping at a mega grocery store. The storylines and emotional themes are presented in many ways from folk/rock ballades and textural large ensemble improvisation, to classic theatrical dialogue. My role in this production was everything from composing the music, orchestration, lyrics, drafting the original story along side all the organizational stuff like casting, working with the venue, and hiring much needed help for the shows.
A: My friend and I went in pretty much completely cold but the music really stood out to both of us. It reminded me of a couple of alt-country artists I’ve been listening to lately. Can you talk about some of your musical influences? Anyone in particular that stands out to you?
Q: Yes! The music has a ton of influences. Some major song writing influences are people like Jimmy Webb, John Prine, and Sandy Denny to name few. Another huge influence is country singer George Jones who I listened to constantly while writing the musical. I grew up in Wyoming so spent a lot of my days especially in highschool listening to alt-country, so people like the Avett Brothers, Wilco and Lucinda Williams have influenced my greatly. And to mention a few composers that have had an effect on this work, I would definitely have to name people like Robert Ashley, Stephen Sondheim and someone more current like Ellen Reid.
A: I love Wilco, I definitely heard that.
Q: I’m curious why you chose Costco as the setting? I have so many memories of being there as a kid and awkwardly trailing after my Mom trying to get her to stop for free samples.
Q: Exactly, I feel a good amount of people have these core memories of spending time in these strange and mundane places. It feels like it became an effective way to connect with an audience. I also found that there is so much material and that could be pulled from a place like Costco. The endlessness of options, the huge quantities and the different “worlds” that exist within a Costco gave me a constant flow of inspiration. I wanted to make Costco feel like a dream that we are all going to collectively escape to.
Q: I like that! I feel like the venue also contributed to that dreamlike vibe. Can you talk about your decision to go with Life World rather than a more traditional theater space?