Frank Dain is a vocalist, graphic designer and, since 2003, the Editor-in-Chief of Cabaret Scenes, the only print publication dedicated to cabaret.

Frank just released his latest album, I've Had a Love, 24 years after his debut album!

In this interview, Frank answered my call to share:

• Why he waited 24 years to release his new album, I've Had a Love
• How being Editor-in-Chief of Cabaret Scenes has influenced his own singing career
• What is the one thing every design needs
• How he gets through dark and challenging times
• So much more

Connect with Frank: Website, Instagram, Cabaret Scenes

Frank Dain's new album, I've Had a Love , is dedicated to his husband, Bill Sensenbrenner (1954-2021) whom Frank shared 33 years with.

The album has Arrangements and Musical Direction by Kathleen Landis and is Produced by Kurt Peterson and Kathleen Landis.

Some of the songs featured on I've Had a Love are "Let’s Fall in Love," "Embraceable You," "The Twelfth of Never," "Sleepy Man," and "Unusual Way (In a Very Unusual Way)."

I've Had a Love is available on Frank's website and all music streaming platforms! 

Frank will be celebrating the release of I've Had a Love with 2 concerts at Don't Tell Mama in NYC on May 7 and May 29, 2025 at 7pm!

1. You recently released your new album I've Had a Love, 24 years after your debut album. What made now the right time to release this new album? A few months after the loss of my husband Bill to Covid, my dear friend and voice teacher Kurt Peterson asked me what I wanted to do creatively.

At the time, the idea of putting together a cabaret show didn’t appeal to me, but getting back into the recording studio did. I wanted to create something that was more permanent. My husband’s sudden and unexpected death made me realize there are no guarantees and that there was no time like the present to do what I wanted to do.

2. Why did you wait so long between albums? Between then and now, I had begun my design business and then started to work for Cabaret Scenes. Also during that time, Bill and I decided we wanted to travel and that’s where we put our resources. I have great memories of those travels and don’t regret the time and the money spent on those trips.

I also hadn’t mounted a cabaret show for a long time. It wasn’t until 2012 that Kathleen Landis and I put together a show paying tribute to Johnny Mathis, my favorite male vocalist.

Left to Right:
Bill Sensenbrenner (Frank's husband), Marilyn Maye and Frank Dain

3. What was the first song you knew had to be on this album? I knew right away that Maury Yeston’s “Unusual Way” had to be on the album. I had worked on it in the mid-1980s and it had been on my to-do list ever since, but I never found a way to use it in any of my cabaret shows or on my first album. This was the perfect time to record it.

4. Why does that song mean so much to you? It’s the last line of the song, “You’ve made me whole” that resonates with me. If you are able to say that about a relationship, you’re a lucky person.

Bill and I were together for 33 years. We learned a lot from each other, and I know we grew as a couple and as individuals during that time.

5. In addition to being a singer, you have been the Editor-in-Chief of Cabaret Scenes since 2003, the only print publication dedicated to cabaret. How did you become Editor-in-Chief? I started to work for the original publisher/editor Darrel Henline in February 2002 as his assistant. About a year later, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away in September 2003. His life partner Keith Meritz became the publisher, and I became the editor.

May/June 2022 cover of Cabaret Scenes
Featuring Cabaret Vocalist Marta Sanders

6. What have you learned about yourself from this venture? Patience! And to be serious about the work, but not take it so seriously that you lose all perspective.

7. How has writing about cabaret influenced your own singing career in a way you didn't realize before you became Editor-in-Chief? Being editor has given me the opportunity to get to know many in the cabaret world and to see them in action. I’ve learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t work by seeing others perform, whether in person or by listening to their recordings.

The best performers are themselves on stage with no artifice. It’s what I’ve always strived to do, and it’s been reinforced by watching the best be themselves and letting the music flow through them.

8. Additionally, you are also a graphic designer, designing artwork for theatrical shows, CD booklets, logos, postcards, posters, ads, programs, and business cards. What do you get from graphic design that you don't get from singing and writing? I appreciate the opportunity to help performers or producers realize their vision to promote their work. Also, I had started out as an art major in college, so it’s good to tap into my other creative side.

Frank Dain
Performing at Chelsea Table and Stage 2022
Photo by Dan Lane Williams

9. For someone who wants to create their own artwork in a design program, what would you say is the one thing every design needs? A great photo! It starts with that. Keep the design clean by using easy-to-read fonts (and no more than two different types of fonts) and succinct text.

10. Let's find out more about you from some of the songs off your new album:

• "I'll Be Easy to Find" - When you are not singing, writing or designing, where are you most likely to be found? I’m slowing starting to spend less time alone and more time with friends, most of whom aren’t in the cabaret world. I’m also slowly starting to see more cabaret shows and theatre.

• "No One Ever Tells You" - What is something you have discovered that you feel no one ever tells you? I can’t think of anything. Aren’t people always eager to tell us things, whether we’ve asked or not?

• "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" - When has there been a time you lost track of time because you were so engulfed in what you were doing? That happens a lot, whether I’m working on music, on the magazine, or on a design for a client. Hours can go by, and suddenly I realize I haven’t eaten all day or it’s starting to get dark.
• "Whistling Away the Dark" - How do you get through dark/challenging times in your life? Friends, music, and naps! With the loss of my husband, there were dark times. Family and friends, and two close friends in particular, were there for me and continue to be there for me.

11. What is something we didn't get to discuss in this interview that you'd like my audience to know about you? To celebrate the release of this album, I’ll be performing two shows at Don’t Tell Mama in NYC on May 7 and May 29, both at 7pm. Because I want the album to stand on its own as a recording, we will do a selection of songs from it as well as a selection of songs from my first album, I Thought About You. Kathleen Landis, who arranged and conducted the new album, will be at the piano with Peter Calo on guitar and Boots Maleson on bass, both of whom are on the new album.

I also want to say that without Kurt Peterson and Kathleen Landis, this album would not exist. They have been behind it from the start with their encouragement and talent. My wish for anyone taking on a project like this is that they have a Kurt and a Kathleen on their side. I also must give a shout out to Claire-Frances Sullivan, our associate producer.

Frank Dain, Photo Credit: Bill Westmoreland

More on Frank Dain:

Frank Dain is a vocalist, graphic designer and, since 2003, the Editor-in-Chief of Cabaret Scenes, the only print publication dedicated to cabaret.

As a vocalist, Frank has appeared at Carnegie Hall/Weill Recital Hall, Café Pierre, Waldorf Astoria (Cocktail Terrace; Peacock Alley), The Knickerbocker, Kitano Jazz, Don’t Tell Mama, Metropolitan Room, Laurie Beechman Theatre, Pangea, Chelsea Table + Stage, Steve McGraw’s, Danny’s Skylight Room, and Judy’s. He made his The Town Hall (NYC) debut at The Mabel Mercer Foundation’s summer Cabaret Convention entitled Grand Nights for Singing and performed at the Foundation’s first convention in Philadelphia’s Prince Theatre.

He has been a frequent guest of pianist/singer Kathleen Landis at Café Pierre, who invited him to appear with her at the Cocktail Terrace in the Waldorf Astoria as part of a Cole Porter birthday celebration hosted by Daryl Sherman. He was also Kathleen’s guest vocalist at the Sheet Music Society’s event celebrating the release of the book, The Complete Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein, II, written by Amy Asch, with a special appearance by Hammerstein’s daughter, Alice Hammerstein Mathias.

He has also appeared as a guest singer for a number of cabaret performers in New York, been a part of numerous benefits, and has been featured on Jersey’s Talking, hosted by Lee Leonard, performed live on Jim Lowe’s radio program, and is a guest host discussing Cabaret Scenes magazine on David Kenney’s long-running radio program Everything Old Is New Again on WBAI. He was nominated for a MAC Award (Manhattan Association of Cabarets) as Male Vocalist.