Ratty Scurvics Bio
http://www.scurvics@gmail.com
Theater Performance
In the disciplines of theater and film I have composed over twenty scores and won the “Best Original Score” award from Ambush Magazine for the Madwoman of Chaillot. I have played the leading roles in Three Penny Opera, the Demon Barber of Fleet street; supporting roles in Moliere’s Tartuff, Brecht/Weill’s Happy End, the Rocky Horror Show and several others. From its inception until its demise I was a venue tech for Fringe Fest New Orleans and later inFringe Fest New Orleans for which I was also the overall venue tech coordinator.
Listed are major projects. Innumerable pieces of music were contributed to performances of all types from puppet theater and performance art to burlesque, neo-vaudeville, sideshow and film. Several plays and films were scored but not produced so are excluded.
1992-1994: Sound Designer/tech, Resident Composer, the 11th Street Theater Company (Dallas, TX)
1995: Created Robbing a Bank, a two act puppet musical (Dallas, TX)
1999: Created and performed Lucky Rosy, a three act puppet musical (Chicago, toured nationally)
2000: Musical Director/ Band Leader/ Composer/ Principle Musician for the End of the World Circus (national touring group based in New Orleans)
2001: Guitarist/ co-Composer for the Know Nothing Zircus Zideshow (national touring group based in New Orleans)
2002: Composer/ Band Leader/ Principle Musician for Carnival of the Dead, two act play. (Chicago)
2008: Composer/ Musical Director/ Sound Designer/ Live Musical Performer, Crimes Against Nature, two act play (New Orleans)
2007-2016: Venue Tech for Fringefest New Orleans
2008-2010: Co-host/ Foley/ Musical Director/ Composer/ Live Musical Performer Dr. Flummox Cabaret (New Orleans)
2009: Created and Performed the Legend of Suzie Sidesaddle, multi media one act play (New Orleans)
2010: Composer/ Musical Director/ Live Musical Performer, the Madwoman of Chaillot produced by Cripple Creek, two act play (New Orleans) Won “Best Original Score” -Ambush Magazine
2010: Composed for Soundtrack of short film Creatures, produced by John Burr (New Orleans)
2010: Composed for Soundtrack of full length documentary Sons of Tennessee Williams Produced by Tim Wolf (New Orleans)
2010: Composed music and Soundscapes for An Evening at the All Ways, a dance performance Created and performed by Scott Heron
2010: Played the role of Captain Macheath in Three Penny Opera produced by the All Ways Theater (New Orleans)
2011: Musical Director/ Live Musical Performer for La Sirena, two act play Produced by the All Ways Theater (New Orleans)
2011: Created and Starred in Ratty and the Black Market Butchers, multi-media stage show (New Orleans)
2011: Composer/ Sound Designer/ Live Musical Performer for the Skryker, in one act. Produced at Tulane University (New Orleans)
2012: Played the role of Sweeney Todd in The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Produced by the All Ways Theater (New Orleans)
2013: Re-staged Crimes Against Nature
2014: Provided composed and improvised live music for The Melodious Malfeasance Meat-Grinding Machine directed by Dana Sherwood; a performance twelve hours in duration executed during Toronto’s Nuit Blanche festival.
2014: Cast in the role of Riff Raff in the All Ways Theater production of the Rocky Horror Show ( New Orleans)
2015: Composer/ Sound Designer/ Musical Director/ Live Musical Performer for multi-media musical, the Night Market (New Orleans) Written and directed by Case Miller.
2015: Composer/ Sound Designer/ Musical Director/ Live Musical Performer for the Tempest produced by In Good Company (New Orleans)
2015: Cast in the role of the Surgeon in Splish (New Orleans)
2015: Cast in the role of Sammy in Brecht/Weil’s Happy End (New Orleans)
2016: Worked as Venue Tech Coordinator for inFringe Fest New Orleans. Also Tech/ Venue Manager 2016-2019
2016: Composer/ Sound Designer/ Musical Director/ Live Musical Performer/ Lighting Designer and Tech for Waterworld the Aqua Play (New Orleans)
2016: Composer/ Sound Designer/ Musical Director/ Live Musical Performer for On the Verge produced by In Good Company (New Orleans)
2017: Cast in the Role of Cleante in Mollier’s Tartuffe produced by Clove Productions (New Orleans)
2019: Created and performed the Shadow Merchant. Staged at New Orleans inFringe Festival.
Live Music Performance
1992-2000: Coprolingus
1995-1997: Ratty Scurvics is a Lemon
1996-1998: Primitive Echo
1999-2000: End of the World Circus
2000-2002: Know Nothing Zirkus Zideshow
2001-2003: Strekin’ Hobo
2002-2010: Singularity
2004-2005: Big Bang Circus
2004-2007: the Invisible Gamblers
2007-2011: MC Tracheotomy and the Cone of Uncertainty
2007-present: the Microshards
2008-2011: Ratty and the Black Market Butchers
2009-present: R. Scully’s Rough 7
2010-present: the Ratty Scurvics Trio
2011- present: Gibby Haynes and the Eunuch Horns
2012-2014: Freaksheaux to Geaux
2013-2015: the Look What I Can Do Variety Hour
2015-?: the Flying Roaches
2020-2021: Id-ing
Discography
In the discipline of recorded music I engineer/produce and master the majority of my work: sixty-five bodies to date, fifty-two of them solo.
(Unfortunately Katrina swept away the majority of my masters from the 1990’s. I’ve included what I can remember from that period.)
1993: the Glass Harmonica Series (Solo)
1994: the Dreamer Examines His Pillow (original play score)
1994: Ratty Scurvics (Solo)
1995: Ratty Scurvics is a Lemon (the Ratty Scurvics Band)
1995: The Man with the Hammer is Standing Behind You (Coprolingus)
1995: Robbing a Bank (Solo, original puppet musical score)
1995: Sonom (Solo)
1996: A Gown of Urineplaid (Solo)
1996: The Blue Line (Solo)
1996: The Bridey Murphy Boogie (Solo)
1997: Primitive Echo (Primitive Echo)
1997: In the Closet Under the Stairs (Solo)
1997: TV Star 5 ( Collaboration with Rex Baptismo)
1997: Passerina (Solo)
1998: Illusionment (Solo)
1998: Caliapedeco (Coprolingus)
1998: Schaubiztnaud (Solo)
1999: Lucky Rosy (Solo, original puppet musical score)
1999: Hangatorium (Solo)
2000: Saint Bullet (Solo)
2000: Sisters (Solo, unreleased, master lost)
2001: Strekin’ (Strekin’ Hobo)
2002: The Whore in My Cellar (Singularity, one-man-band)
2003: The Governor (Singularity, unreleased, master lost)
2003: Eponymous (Singularity)
2004: Tests (Solo)
2005: Chasing Down Windmills that turn out to be Giants (Solo)
2005: Tone Poems (Solo)
2006: The Black Market Butcher (Solo)
2006: Anything is Real (Solo)
2006: Nothing Left but the Future (Singularity)
2006: Another Roadside Revolution (Singularity)
2007: Poolshark (Solo)
2007: the Legend of Suzie Sidesaddle (Solo, original play score)
2007: Illusion Fields (contributed music to a compilation)
2008: Crimes Against Nature (Solo, musical theater score)
2008: Clowns in the Clouds (Solo; unreleased, master lost)
2009: Another Set of Rules for Houndstooth Pulsar (Solo)
2009: Give Up Your Dreams (Piano/ Keyboards w/R. Scully’s Rough 7. Nominated “Rock Album of the Year” OffBeat Magazine )
2010: Madwoman of Chaillot (Solo, original play score. Won “Best Original Score” Ambush Magazine)
2011: the Skryker (Solo, original play score; unreleased, master lost)
2011: In Time (score for Ratty and the Black Market Butchers stage show. Nominated “Rock Album of the Year” OffBeat Magazine)
2012: A Wooden Nickel on Fire (Solo. Nominated “Rock Album of the Year” OffBeat Magazine)
2012: the House I Keep My Ass In (Solo)
2013: Codebreaker (Piano/ Keyboards R. Scully’s Rough 7. Nominated “Rock Album of the Year” OffBeat Magazine)
2013: An Exciting Excising (Solo)
2013: Poison Girl Inc (collaboration with rap artist Nikka B. Composer/engineer/mixer/ producer)
2014: Death Children (Solo, words by Mac Taylor)
2014: Posterity Stares at Me (Solo)
2014: the Night Market (musical score, lyrics by Case Miller)
2015: Another Afterlife (solo)
2015: Cloud 9 (Collaboration with rap artist Baby Squid. Composer/engineer/mixer/ producer)
2015: The Empty Room (solo)
2015: The Tempest (original play score)
2016: The Landing Strip (solo)
2016: Stories (solo)
2016: Songs to Dance To (solo)
2016: Water World the Aqua Play ( original play score)
2016: On the Verge (an original play score)
2019: Piety (solo)
2019: the Last Adage (collaboration with B Squid)
2020: Phase TWO (solo)
2020: Phase THREE (solo)
2021: Id-ing (collaboration within a three member metal band.)
2021: the Pleasures of Rat Baitig (solo)
The Visual Arts
Efforts in this discipline are trickier to enumerate because works are sold and documentation is spotty. I held my first one man show of canvases at eighteen and don’t know how to calculate either the output or the exhibits that have occurred in the last three decades. My most recent body is represented on this site, “the Ants are Coming”. Academically, I attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
ratty scurvics 