Daedalus 2 Mission Performance

“The Daedalus 2 Mission” brings its musical odyssey of the imagination to the Ghost Light in Hamtramck on Sept 6, 2019. The astrophysics-inspired rock concept album was developed by Jim Territo and Joe Territo and features some of the area’s finest musical and dramatic talent.

D2M will perform songs embracing a colorful range of styles, including arena rock, punk, blues, and opera that take the audience through a journey with a team of space probes confronting life and death in the cosmos. With face-melting instrumentals, heart-wrenching vocals, and techno-glam costuming, fans of sci-fi, rock and original music get a full dose of drama, excitement, and inspiration.

This marks a welcomed return to Hamtramck for “D2M”. Ant Hall (adjacent to Ghost Light) hosted the show for three weekends as a stage musical in June of 2018, to enthusiastic crowds. The band has retooled from a full 90 minute stage musical down to a lean, hard-hitting 12-song set, still embracing the space probes’ journey to its fullest. Pop culture blog sopilerfreemoviesleuth.com, calls the show “A kicking rad stage production that will have you dancing in your seat while simultaneously tugging on your heartstrings.”

Band members are: Jack Bennett of Royal Oak, guitar/vocals; Stephen Brown (Imaginary Islands) of Southfield, bass; Maya Gangadharan (Ringwald Theatre) of Royal Oak, keys/vocals; Paco Higdon (Paco Higdon Band) of Royal Oak, guitar/vocals; Jeremy Otto (Old Empyre) of Rochester, drums; Hannah Taubitz (the Murder Mystery Company) of Hazel Park, keys/vocals; and Jim Territo (Mark Blomsteel Band) of Clarkston, keys. Sound by Tony Ross (Planet Ant) of Detroit, and costumes by Michael Ameloot and Buddy VanLoon (Stagecrafters) of Royal Oak.

Friday, September 6

Ghost Light, 2314 Caniff, Hamtramck

$10 at the door, $7.50 in advance

Tickets: https://www.planetant.com/music/d2m

Doors at 7

The Paco Higdon Band 9:30pm

Imaginary Islands 10:15 pm

Daedalus 2 Mission 11pm

https://daedalus2mission.com/

Behind the Music

The writers began by wondering what the last sentient being in the galaxy might think about. A concept for the finale “Black Hole” developed, along with a story about space probes exploring the galaxy and facing their ends. The opening power ballad, “Lightbulb in a Factory” establishes the probes’ hopes and dreams to the strains of anthemic lead guitar. In “Age of Machines”, a driving rock shuffle depicts run-ins with alien robots, and in “The Nebula”, and “Space Probe Messiah” the show finds a raw emotional core around robots confronting the meaning of life and death. The musical influences of David Bowie and Queen are close to the surface, and quotes from iconic space film scores serve as fun musical Easter eggs.

Lyricist Joe Territo writes of the story: “Don’t worry about the plot…These songs are about you. The only objective is to be part of the journey.” Jim Territo says “I wanted to make being a geek feel sexy, and inspire audiences to ‘look up’ and imagine what’s out there. After all, aren’t we all just robots drifting through space, wondering what it all means?”

Find out more, and connect with D2M online:

website: https://daedalus2mission.com

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daeda...

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/03oqtlUn8mI2ZEMWY8MLVL? si=VSdIBehGR-2BXKqsnDRBFA

twitter: https://twitter.com/the_daedal...

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_...

Bandsintown: https://www.bandsintown.com/en...

Behind the Album

Daedalus 2 Mission: A Space Opera – the Album

Music by Jim Territo,

Lyrics and Concept by Jim Territo and Joe Territo

Mixed and mastered by Mark Heckert

Additional audio editing by Paco Higdon

Willa Adamo, vocals; Jack Bennett, vocals; Amy Blevins, vocals; Maya Gangadharan, vocals;

Paco Higdon, guitar, vocals; Jeremy Otto, drums; Jim Territo, piano, synthesizer, vocals; Rollo Rollison, congas; Joe Territo, vocals; Phil Treais, vocals

Jim Territo of Clarkston (Composer, Music Director) has BMus and MMus degrees in composition and education from the University of Michigan (2001, 2008). He taught high school and beginning band at Detroit Country Day School from 2002-2014, worked as a theatre composer and music director in New York City, and taught music at Roeper Lower School in Bloomfield Hills, MI and currently teaches music and Brookfield Academy. Since 1999, he has been an active commissioned and published composer/arranger, music director, clinician, and freelance rock and jazz pianist. His first original musical, Justice in Dusty Junction, premiered in MI in 2012 and was published in 2014. His next musical, The Other Direction, premiered at 54 Below in Manhattan in 2015. His latest, The Daedalus 2 Mission, premiered at the Crofoot in MI in 2017. jimterrito.com

Joe Territo of White Lake (Co-writer) has bachelor degree in psychology, Spanish, and English with a focus on creative writing from Central Michigan University. He has attended schools in Michigan, Mexico, and Ecuador. In his free time, he is an active writer, musician, and performer, and has been involved with various bands since 2008 as a drummer, singer, and guitar player. His writing favors short stories and flash fiction, and he recently co-wrote an original rock opera titled The Daedalus 2 Mission: A Space Opera, which premiered in August of 2017.