While he would never consider himself the King of Freestyle as fans have dubbed him, he will accept recognition for being a leader of the movement. Drawing from a variety of influences, including smooth Latin and hip-hop, Stevie B mixed the entire radio into a record to create his own personal party sound. A sound that includes, among other things, powerful lyrics conveying a strong story.

Every song is autobiographical, coming from the heart to help everyone relate; he even stretches his reach further to touch the listener physically. Bells, high notes, and uplifting tones give every ballad, no matter how tragic, a hopeful happiness that makes listeners get up and dance. Heartbreak becomes a sore we simply need to shake off and we want to feel love from head to toe again. All the internal emotions stirred by the story creeps into our movements through thumping beats and catchy tones.

Of course, when he first started, he kept trying to sound like someone else. He wanted to pay tribute to all his idols by imitating them, as many artists are wont to do. But his creations came from his heart, through his windpipe, and out his mouth, so they were inevitably, purely Stevie B. The style became all his own, and the people loved it. What started as fifty to a hundred people in the club grooving to a DJ became a career as a recording artist in the studio. “Party Your Body” was Stevie B’s first major hit; it first played on the radio in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Then as he began to tour and perform live, he heard it down in Miami, up in Orlando, and all the way to New York City, where he discovered he had made the charts. As he transitioned to stage shows, becoming a performance artist, the demands of his physical appearance became apparent. Like a radio DJ, people imagined what Stevie B might look like, but no facts to determine how tall he was, how he dressed, if he looked as appealling as his music. He wanted, and still wants, his fans to be satisfied after paying money to see him. So he dresses in his best, plays to impress, and performs all his songs exactly how the masses hear them on the albums.

Hearing himself on the radio was surreal at first. Everything he dreamed of, what he had worked on so tirelessly, had come true; he thought he’d made it. However, he had barely knocked on the door. Through the 1980′s and 90′s he continued to have chart-climbing hits, such as “Spring Love” and “Girl I’m Searchin’.” “Because I Love You” would reach the top, being #1 on the Billboard for four weeks in the 90′s. Stevie B admits that, rather than being about a man to a woman, it’s about the Lord God receiving a letter from mankind and answering through music, letting everyone know His love is real. A deeply spiritual song, it put Stevie B on the map for being both emotionally and physically touching. The masses continue to enjoy his sounds, his ballads, and Stevie B loves the complements and recognition; he admits that his favorite thing to hear is that his songs saved someone’s life. That people from all walks of life, from the softest woman to the toughest man, continue to listen to him after all this time, despite all the new competition.

Of course, competition isn’t the only thing to have changed the music business since Stevie B started. As a veteran, the freestyle leader is tired of the politics, the wear and tear of travel. But what has changed the most, in his view, is the business model. Never before could people steal an entire record literally two seconds after it debuts; in the days of vinyl, cassette tapes, and even CDs, pirates would have needed an entire press to copy an album. Now it’s as simple as a click and a download. Stevie B admits that many don’t know how to make it in music anymore, since such a drastic shift is destroying the industry as we know it. The biggest record company right now, according to him, is actually Apple Computers.

Dramatic changes have occurred both naturally and unnaturally. But what remains the same is that Stevie B is still going. He has grown from his days as a rookie opening for Meatloaf and Earth, Wind, and Fire, to a frontliner who had Rihanna open for him. He’s still performing, recording, and loves being a family man. Married for twenty years, he has seven children and considers himself “…just a regular guy.” His son Amir B has a rap career of his own, releasing a new album within the next month. Amir B appeals to the younger demographic, while his father stays loyal to his Latin-hip-hop style, performing for his fans songs that bring back the past, puts the present in perspective, and lays down a beat for bumping the night away.

Bio

I began making up stories into a tape recorder when I was twelve in 1971. 37-years and hundreds of hours of radio broadcasting later, and I am still creating unusual audio that defies categorization. Whether it is creating a half-hour radio play for XM Satellite Radio, documentaries, features or personal essays for National Public Radio, or performing on stage before a live audience, I have made a career out of imaginative storytelling in the best aural traditions of the past. On this website, you can hear many hours of my audio work in every genre, for free.

Links

http://joebev.com 

http://joebev.com/podcasts.html

Bio

A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cory attended the Philadelphia High
School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), enrolling in the school’s first year hen it was a fledgling program, where he majored in Creative Writing and minored in Videodrama, becoming an award-winning director of video projects. In addition, he was a founder, writer, and cartoonist for CAPA’s newspaper THE PAINTED WORD, for which he eventually became editor-in-chief. Listed in WHO’S WHO AMONG AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS and
commended by the National Honors Society, he graduated with CAPA’s second
graduating class in 1981.

Attending STANFORD UNIVERSITY in Stanford, California, where he majored in Drama and minored in Dance, Cory performed in an average of five to six major productions per year. He taught art to autistic, learning-disabled, and educable mentally retarded children at the Peninsula Children’s Center in Menlo Park, California, was active in the Stanford University Rape Awareness Program, occasionally wrote for THE STANFORD DAILY, and toured for two years with the BALLET FOLKLORICO DE STANFORD MEXICAN FOLKDANCE COMPANY. He received a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Drama in 1986.

As a performing artist, Cory has performed in dance productions, touring shows, and Off-Broadway productions of ANTIGONE, THE TRIAL OF SUSAN B.
ANTHONY, WE HAVE STORIES TO TELL OF AFRICA, FRATERNITY, NOTES
ON 6FINITY, THE AMEN CORNER, and A FEW HOURS IN HELL, making his
West Coast theatrical debut as the Duke of Cornwall in KING LEAR with the
Pasadena Shakespeare Company in Pasadena, California, following that up as a
member of the ensemble cast of the Fountain Theatre/BAND critically-acclaimed production of Rita Dove’s THE DARKER FACE OF THE EARTH, then
continuing on to the West Coast premiere of the VoxBox Arts Collective original  production of JIGSAW. In addition, Cory has acted in various commercials,  industrial films and videos, television shows, and feature films such as WHO SHOT PAT?, PHILADELPHIA, LET’S TALK, THE C-SHIFT, REFLECTIONS AGO, RED HERRING, FIGHTING WORDS, A DAY OF ATONEMENT and STRAIGHT ON ‘TIL MORNING.

Cory is also the author of three science fiction novels, TOTENTANZ, THE
TAKING OF CYNDRIEL’S HOPE and HUNTER’S MOON, all of which are
currently available through the online content marketplace http://www.lulu.com.

Cory Williams is currently living and working in Los Angeles, California.

Links

Bio

Deanna Proach was born and raised on the southwest coast of British Columbia, Canada. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in History at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, BC. She currently resides in Sechelt where she is writing and acting.

Links

http://deannaproach.com

http://desstories.blogspot.com

Bios

SABIN HOWARD grew up in both the visual splendor of Italy and the urban hotbed of New York City in the 60’s and 70’s, a dual upbringing to which he credits his lifelong passion for self-expression and visual beauty. Formally trained in Philadelphia and New York, he apprenticed in Rome, and taught figure sculpture for 20 years.  The recipient of many awards and public and private commissions, Howard’s figures have been the focal point of several prestigious retrospective showings throughout the U.S. and has found itself in the entryway of the Edith Wharton Museum, Time Warner Center in NYC and within the collections of many prominent collectors. He lives in New York City with his wife, Traci L. Slatton.

TRACI L. SLATTON is a graduate of Yale and Columbia, where she has taught freshman composition. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, sculptor Sabin Howard, whose classical figures and love for Renaissance Italy inspired her historical novel Immortal [Bantam Dell], which is currently in film pre-production and reached bestseller status in Italy, Russia and Brazil. Also the author of The Botticelli Affair and Fallen, Slatton has published a book of poetry, Dancing in the Tabernacle and a non-fiction title on science and spirituality, Piercing Time & Space.

Their new book, The Art of Life, is published by Parvati Press and available on Amazon in hardcover. A special signed collector’s edition of The Art of Life is also available through the Parvati Press website.

Links

Bio

Bio

In his job as an international development worker, Dan Rhema understood that, at times, he would be sharing his body with tropical amoebas and other assorted parasites, but he never expected that, after surviving a near-deadly bout of dengue fever, he would find himself sharing his body and mind with another being, a new Dan Rhema, born of a mosquito.

During his recuperation, Dan found himself navigating an uncharted dream path through his unconscious mind. He began to chronicle this mystical dream journey by compulsively creating multimedia collages, sculptures, and masks from found objects.  He also began to paint, capturing the images flowing through him in a unique three-dimensional style. It soon became apparent to Dan that these acts of creation were healing and re-creating him. He has taken this realization and made it the focus of his art. Trauma can awaken creativity and, through creativity, healing can begin.

Links

Facebook @ Dan Rhema Art
www.danrhema.com

Bio

In my work I attempt to convey the anatomy of a feeling through form, structure, and the glow of saturated color.

The human experience of being simultaneously tenacious and vulnerable is referred to through the use of silk, a material which is delicate yet possesses a tensile strength greater than steel. Tension is built, both physically and metaphorically, as two elements quite opposed in character meet to form the surfaces and contours of the work. By combining these translucent and reflective materials, I am able to solidify and objectify ephemeral qualities of light.

My approach to structure reflects the progression and transformation seen in natural growth systems such as the chambered nautilus which leaves an ordered record of is its development, organic yet regular in design. The work captures the evanescent, while at the same time offering glimpses of that which is emerging to take its place.

The pieces are constructed using a plywood base, cut and formed sheet metals (copper, brass and aluminum), and silk. The metal forms an understructure which supports a stretched layer of silk. Modulated color (in the form of under-painting or dyed silk) is sometimes used to enhance depth, structure and dimension. The additional step of oiling the fabric “skin” creates various degrees of translucence, allowing the outer layer to be visually penetrable – a watercolor rendered in three dimensions.

The physical description reduces their ephemeral qualities unjustly, failing to re-create the diaphanous veils of melting color, fusing from one space to the next. A simultaneity of resilience and vulnerability is created through the metal and membranes, like scars emerging from the interior of a cloud…

Painting and sculpture are too categorically limited for the emotional states of being that Seid so elegantly conjures up. Smoke and shadow, dissipation and loss, energy and anatomy- these physical references bring us closer to the ineffable life forces at the core of these mysterious assemblages.”

                                                -Gerry Craig, Sculpture Magazine July/August 2000

Links

www.carrieseid.com

The connoisseur of limo’s, Limo Bob will be on to tell us about his amazing life creating world record limos (2 in the Guinness Book) and talk about how he revolutionized the industry.  We also talk about his new reality show on TruTV.

Bio

I have been told that my life story has moved people in many ways. I have received hundreds of letters from people all over the world. I have hurdled over obstacles many times in my life. God has blessed me with a wonderful life and family. When times were very rough and I thought I was doomed, my wife never left my side. She even blessed me with two wonderful children and her undying support. I firmly believe that with all the support of my family and weathering all the rough times, I am truly the man I am today because of my experiences.

1970’s I started a limo business; but some very unscrupulous people blew it up and burned down the whole fleet.

1980’s I started all over again; being ever so trusting, a sophisticated con scam with a Hollywood twist takes my company away. I was scammed out of the longest limo in the world. Lost it all in the 80’s and ended up selling Barney dolls on the street corners.

1990’s I started all over again from the bottom to the top. This time I became a Limo Icon, and held the record for the longest limo ever built. Because of an attack on one of my limo drivers and a court battle, I lost all my assets.

2000’s With new insight, I now build “Limo King Enterprises, Inc.” I now: Build ~ Sell ~ Rent the worlds Finest, Longest and Most Exotic Limousines in the World!

Presently, I hold the title in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest limousine (100 feet long). Besides Limos I also rent out: Yachts, Jets, Helicopters, Security and I am a consultant for Limo World. I attribute my success to being kind to others. I donate my services to many worthy causes, such as, children in need, elderly, challenged children, battered women, and most of all nursing home clients. During the Holidays, giving nursing home members “The Grand Chauffeuring Tour”, this is truly my favorite gift to them; it makes me feel like the richest man on earth. The look of Joy and Happiness on their faces, as we give them the White Glove Treatment, it is a gift to me also, as I believe with all my heart, “What goes around, comes around”!

I have been told many times that my life story has been an inspiration to many, even some who were in such despair, they were seriously contemplating committing suicide. But after seeing a program on TV, and then talking with me personally, their lives were turned around and they gave life another chance, and succeeded.

Limo Bob “LIMO” The the NEXT BIG THING on TRU TV Premiered June 25th, @ 10pm ~ Limo Bob 2 time Guinness Book World Record holder of the Longest limo in the world, the 100 footer & the most exotic limo, the Boeing 727 jet limo limobob.com

I have had and still have the greatest life ever! I had the best wife on the planet My Beautiful Maureen, I use to say on a scale of 1 to 10, she is a “11″ & on the inside she is a 22, I will love her forever! Divorced and now single as of Valentines’ day 2010 (Mo & I spent 3 decades of our life together) today we are friends and great parents to our 2 wonderful kids, Bobby & Jenny they are what gave me my drive in life to succeed. Now I start my all new reality TV show called “Limo Bob”, and my son MTV Bobby is my co-star and we have bodyguards, assistants, and midget maître d’ serving you cocktails and Hors d’œuvre as they walk up and down the long isles of the limousines…. We Build, Rent & Sell limos worldwide! I love to motivate the world! Read my BIO. coming soon Da Movie King of Road! and the BOOK from Rags to Tuxedos! 866-LIMO-BOB and if you ever need a Motivational Speaker I’m your man! I love emptying out Nursing homes and orphanages, and children’s hospitals, FREE Rides for all……. It is my way of thanking GOD for all I have been blessed with all my entire life! Never give up your faith, drive and loyalty to you and yours…. God has now blessed me all over again by sending me Ms. Christi! a true Angel from God, She makes me so very happy! Thanks Christi. ~ Much Love Limo Bob! I love life to the fullest. Ready for Hollywood, here we come.

Links

http://limobob.com

It was almost a year ago to the day, back in 2011, when I walked into a little restaurant nestled in Clearwater, Florida to film an extravaganza that would make a lasting impact on me for the rest of my life.  I was asked by Chef Robert Hesse, who appeared on seasons 5 and 6 of Hell’s Kitchen, to photograph “Hell’s Kitchen Night.”

The event was staffed with six contestants of the popular FOX TV show, and they pitted them against some of the nation’s finest war heroes.  It was to raise money for charity and to debut the brand new tribute to a legend in the boxing industry, Angelo Dundee.  His bar,  Angelo Dundee’s Corner, honors the boxing coach and trainer’s epic career.

I had the esteemed pleasure of photographing this amazing tribute to the man who coached and trained one of the greatest boxers in American history and helped him capture the coveted WBA Heavyweight Championship crown, Muhammad Ali.

I had the chance to talk to Dundee about his amazing career.  He told me some stories of what it was like being in the corner and watching Muhammad Ali the night he became the World Heavyweight Champion.  In addition, Dundee spoke about “The Thrilla In Manilla” and other great contests with greats such as Joe Frazier.

Sadly, I heard in the news that this great legend I had the chance to meet and talk boxing to, passed away today.  Dundee died in his Tampa, Florida apartment at the age of 90, surrounded by his family.  He suffered from a blood clot last week, and was released from the hospital.  Dundee died from complications of that blood clot.

The legend left behind a legacy that boxers everywhere will forever remember.  He made champions, and those champions forever changed the world of boxing.

He will be missed.

Despite being only 12 or 13 years old the R&B music genre really impacted her. The songs spoke to her. She began writing her own poetry and later converted that into music. This led to her very first song called “Enough.” Written at 13 years old, it was what you would expect from a teenage girl: a song to her boyfriend who she thought she was in love with, but he didn’t want to be with her.

Now at 23 years old, Marcia’s music has grown with her. “A lot of my music is my own personal endeavors,” she said. “Anything I feel like people can relate to I write it down and try to put it into words where it can flow into music or a song and make people really see the life in their mind.” The lyrics are often based off friends, family, things she sees and her own life.

Growing up in a Latin family, she mainly listened to Spanish music. “I am Latin, but I sing with a soulful tone,” she said. She brought together her inspirations – such as Selena, Missy Elliot, Alicia Keys and Destiny’s Child – with her heritage and her love of R&B. “To me it’s kind of like a little best of both worlds where I could show my sexy Latin side, but also be soulful,” Marcia explained. “Which is something that the music industry doesn’t really have right now.”

Marcia grew up about a half hour outside of Boston. As a child she was able to express who she was. She played sports as a way to getaway. Then, of course, there was writing poetry. If she saw it, felt it or had any idea that she could put into music, she had to do it then and there. Paper and a pen were always at the ready. Yet Marcia wishes she could have started her music earlier. When she was young she was afraid what people would think or that someone would use her for her talent.

But now, Marcia is no longer afraid. She is confident to show what she has and sing out loud. That confidence is supported by her fans. The fans drive her forward. “When I see people that don’t know me and are rocking out to my song and they want to take a picture with me,” she said. “That makes me feel like okay, I really do need to do this.” Writing her own lyrics she has stories to tell, stories she hopes will reach out to other people. The response from the fans is a real reward and it’s what keeps her staying late after shows for autographs and pictures.

Marcia is focused on getting her album out in 2012 despite not having a label. She also wants to grow her fan base. “I want people to know who I am, where I came from and love my music,” she said. You can get to know Marcia and her soulful voice more on facebook.com, her website maricamusic.com or her twitter.

Bio

Amber Lynn is a rising singer-songwriter currently based in Saint Petersburg, FL.  The solo artist recently released her debut EP, “Beach Day,” which she produced and recorded in Nashville, TN.  Both a talented singer and skilled rhythm guitarist, Amber Lynn is able to singlehandedly win over the hearts of fans without the help of a live band.  She holds the #2 slot on Reverb Nation’s singer-songwriter charts and is highly involved in community events and fundraisers including Our Fallen Heroes, Miles for Hope, and Kites for Kids to name a few.  

Amber Lynn was born in Neptune, New Jersey.  Her family moved frequently, as her father worked mostly on government contracts which would expire and force them to relocate where new opportunities had arisen.  She spent a few years in Tampa, FL and a few years in Morrisville, NC before moving back to New Jersey and settling in Tinton Falls.  Tinton Falls was a small town boasting 1 McDonalds, a few shops, and not much else.  As a child, Amber was a straight A student and enjoyed journaling about her 2 brothers and little sister, about her friends at school, and about life.  She was very perceptive, even in her younger years, and extremely bright.

Amber claims to have always wanted to be a singer and recalls pulling together a group of friends in middle school to sing acapella around Christmas time.  The chorus would perform at a nursing home in New Jersey where Amber Lynn’s great grandmother resided.  This they did for a few years in a row.  “Amber arranged it herself,” says her father, Charles Nicol, “she scheduled the date with the nursing home, printed out lyric sheets for her friends, and ran the rehearsals.”

“I told my parents I wanted to be a singer,” says Amber Lynn, “I went to them and said … Guys!  This is what I want to do!  I have to start playing shows!  I have to start recording songs!  And so they bought me a karaoke machine!”  Amber laughs.  “It had a CD player in the top and would record onto a cassette tape, so I would burn CD after CD of songs like ‘At Last’ Etta James and Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing’ and sing my little heart out.”

Amber Lynn’s musical taste was heavily influenced by her mother, Deirdre Rizzo.  She learned the words to Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road,” and the lyrics to every Jim Croce song on road trips to and from Florida with her mom.  Road trips were frequent since Deirdre’s parents lived in the sunshine state.  Loggins & Messina, Paul Simon, Queen, Billy Joel, Elton John, Carole King, Carly Simon, James Taylor … hours on the road – and Amber Lynn new and loved every word.

As Amber Lynn grew into her early teen years she began writing more and more poetry and developed a taste for punk rock and pop music.  New Jersey had a big punk rock / ska scene at the time.  Amber and her brother Charlie collected every Offspring record.  She rocked out to Newfound Glory, Less than Jake, Reel Big Fish, No Doubt, Blink 182 … and, she admits, there was a severe love for Britney Spears as well.

By the time Amber Lynn graduated into High School, her parents had been separated for some time and were battling through a long and painful divorce process.

At age 16, Amber’s mother bought her an acoustic guitar of her very own, an Ibanez.  She taught herself how to play open chords.  Her mother taught her how to finger pick.

Around this time the books of journals Amber had been keeping for so long started becoming books of songs with lines and markings showing the melody rising and falling.  Random thoughts and ideas would scatter across a few pages and then a sad song would suddenly come together.  Amber Lynn’s music started out as a personal outlet.  Much of her early creations were very dark words by a troubled teen who saw and lost a lot over the course of her life between the ages of 15 and 18.

By age 18, Amber and her brother Charlie had put a duo together and were co-writing and performing around the bay area.  Amber sang and Charlie played guitar.  Deirdre (mom), who was a local talent agent, got them shows at local festivals and humane society benefits where they would play for free or sometimes for $50.  The budding youths were just beginning to find their way into the music biz.  They put together a rock band and called themselves “Better in Black & White.”  The concept was – music used to be a lot better.  Back in the days of Janis Joplin … Led Zeppelin … ACDC … The Doors … Amber (who had begun to refer to herself as ‘White Wolf’) fronted the band with a belty Janis approach.  She sang about driving and lacking direction and drinking while her her brother laid down blues progressions over the rhythm section.  The band fell apart after a year or so as Amber’s taste developed into a love for country music and Charlie’s dove deeper into heavy rock.

Amber took the band breakup pretty hard.  Her relationship with her brother had been bruised by the incident and she was left without a plan of action.  Amber decided to pursue music in school and signed herself up to Hillsborough Community College in Ybor City.  She studied voice for the first time and received her first real guitar lessons at age 19.  She worked many jobs and recalls that her college years were a wonderful but extremely stressful time in her life.  She paid for most of her classes out of her own pocket.  “My parents helped a bit when they could – but they couldn’t really afford my courses so I had to make things happen for myself,” says Amber.  “I’m glad – in a way – because it taught it me not rely on anyone.  It taught me how to be extremely independent and self-sufficient.”

After receiving her associates from Hillsborough Community College, Amber signed up to USF.  She was working full-time as a bookkeeper and on course to receive a degree in Music Composition when a tempting opportunity presented itself.  Her friends in a local rock band were going to be playing a few tour dates across the country and then a showcase at the Independent Music Conference in LA.  They needed a bass player.  “I’d always wanted to make that drive across I-10 and the idea of it all seemed very romantic to me at the time,” says Amber.  She began taking bass lessons and learned the tracks on the album.  She dropped out of USF and set out on the road with the guys.  LA was a disaster, as she recalls.  Too much drinking, too much fighting, not enough devotion to the music.  Amber was fed up and wanted to return home sooner but stuck out the remainder of the tour.

When she returned home she had a falling out with the band as she began to aggressively pursue a solo career.  By now she had written and copyrighted a few dozen songs and had learned a bit about the professional world of music.  Amber Lynn began working with a producer out of Miami, FL she had met in LA.  At age 23, she released her first single to iTunes, a song called “Never Been Good with Goodbyes,” lyrically inspired by all of the things in her life that had come and gone.  She spent the next year writing and recording an EP that would never be released.  After finishing the 4th track, the producer pushed for a contract.  When terms could not be mutually agreed upon, the two parted ways.  “I was never really happy with the sound,” notes Amber Lynn, “it didn’t have the vibe I was hearing in my head.”

More determined than ever, Amber Lynn continued writing and began exploring production ideas on her own terms.  She listened to Sheryl Crow and she listened to Disney songs and she listened to Jimmy Buffet and she absorbed all of the elements of music she wanted to bring to life in her own EP.

In January of 2011, Amber Lynn started her own indie record label, Jerzey Girl Music, a Florida corporation.  “I’m doing this myself.  That’s how I felt,” says Amber.  “Everything I’ve done in life so far – I’ve had to make it happen myself.  This is no different.”

She was living in a one bedroom apartment on Madeira Beach, FL when she wrote “Beach Day.”

“I knew it was me,” she says, “I’ve written so many sad songs, so many slow songs about pain and about the world.  I wanted my first EP to show off my light side.”  She recorded demos at home and typed up pages of production notes to bring to the studio for the recording process.  She attempted to record locally a few times with little success.  After a few frustrating months and quite a bit of research, she decided to book 3 days of studio time in Nashville, TN.  The flat rate offered by the studio included a producer to work with, engineers, mixing, and the cost of hiring all of the artists to play on the tracks.

The studio required a 50% deposit upfront to reserve the time so Amber pulled her IRA and raised over two-thousand dollars from local fans.  The total sum was just enough to cover the cost of the EP and travel expenses.

This was it.  Amber set out to Nashville, TN with one purpose in mind: record a killer album.

The experience was priceless.  Amber Lynn boasts that the musicians were among the best she’d ever seen and certainly the top players she’d ever worked with.  The chemistry was magic.  Chip Hardy, who produced the album with Amber, served as the perfect partner.  “He understood me, he knew what I wanted, he knew how to get my sound out of the players,” says Amber.

“Beach Day” was released on disc on October 2, 2011, weeks before Amber Lynn’s 25th birthday.

“I have worked so hard for so many years.  I’ve tried so many angles.  I’m so happy to have finally released my first EP.  It’s my sound.  It’s exactly what I wanted it to be and it’s all mine – no strings attached.  It feels really good.  I feel like I’ve done years of training for a race – and now it’s about to start.  This is the moment.”

Currently, Amber Lynn is writing new material for a full length album and performing with her 6 piece band, Amber Lynn & The Swingin Papas.  She’s spending more time than ever in the studio with her guitar and notebook.

“I want to record a more personal album.  I want to record the songs and express the pain that led up to the happiness ,” Amber explains.  The full-length acoustic album will showcase a few of Amber Lynn’s older tunes and fan favorites including, “Autumn” and “If I Break Down in Texas.”

Links

Holes and Hearts are a heart pounding metal group founded by Riley and Casey.  They were the first interview ever for “The Expressionist Magazine” back in 2008 and we have a special place in our hearts for this amazingly talented sibling rockers.  In 2009 we went on a ghost hunt and performed a live podcast from the Brooksville Cemetery at midnight.  That year, with sad hearts we bid farewell to our friends as they moved to Las Vegas to pursue their dreams.  It comes with mixed emotions, but I can put the selfishness aside because I’ve watched them bloom into amazing young artists, who have been on VH1 and MTV since relocating to Las Vegas.  They have a new album out which took their sound to a whole new level, and we’re catching up on old times to chat with our buddies from Las Vegas, Holes and Hearts

Bio

Nationally Acclaimed teen alternative pop rockers Holes And Hearts are currently based out of Las Vegas, NV. Founded by two young brothers, Riley Macek who is now 14 and Casey Macek who is 16 also features Lloyd Stuart Casson on Bass and Justin Sandler on Drums. The band has recently been chosen as 1 of the Top 5 Best Indie Bands from across the U.S.A. by a panel of Industry Music Professionals at Indie Music Fest 2011 and they have been featured on ABC TV, FOX TV and HALOGEN TV.

We are often asked about the name and how it came about… so here it is. Riley was born with a large hole in his heart which was discovered at the age of 2 months and was taken for a life saving heart surgery immediately upon his diagnosis to temporarily repair the problem until he was old enough to have major surgery . At 10 months old the Doctors decided it was time to try and fix the hole which would require Open Heart Surgery. The Surgeons were not able to completely close the hole due to the size and location. Riley continues to see Cardiologists on a regular basis… so that’s where the name Holes And Hearts comes from.

Holes And Hearts newest single “Try Too Hard” debuted on KOMP 92.3 FM Radio “The Rock Station” in Las Vegas, NV on August 15, 2011 and was the #2 Most Requested Song of the Year on the radio station in the Best of 2011 Countdown Homegrown Show. The band’s song “Just Another Little Sucker” was also the #6 Most Requested Song of the Year on KOMP 92.3 FM Radio’s Best of 2010 Countdown Homegrown Show. The band was also recently chosen as one of the “Bands To Watch in 2012″ from the Critical Acclaim Column in Vegas Rocks! Magazine.

The band is Proud to be Endorsed and working with Bogner Amplification, Nady Wireless Systems, Dean Markely Strings, N-Tune Guitar Tuners, Lipp Service Clothing, Guayaki Yerbe Mate Beverages, Rockwood Saloon Apparel, Dava Picks, Songbird Ocarinas, Let’s Rock Clothing and Buzzsaw Los Angeles.

“The first song we ever wrote, “I Am Not Afraid”, was selected to be on the Summer 2008 Troop Compilation CD that shipped 10,000+ units over to the Troops in Iraq. We are Honored to be included on this CD and Support the Troops” says Casey. GarageBand.com Awarded Holes And Hearts Best Lyrics in Alternative Rock and Best Melody in Alternative Rock in 2008 for their song “Are We Done Yet”.

Holes And Hearts Self Titled Debut 13 track Disc was released by L.A. based independent label Mongrol Records on May 26, 2009 and was produced by Grammy Nominated Platinum Engineer/Producer Frank “Blame” Macek and was followed by a Summer Tour across the United States.

Charity Shows and Benefits are a big part of who Holes And Hearts is as a band and they have played at many shows including the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of the Brian Johnson Music Therapy Room at Sarasota Memorial Hospital along with Brian Johnson of AC/DC and Steve Loggol of The John Entwistle Foundation, Pizza Hut’s World Hunger Concert, American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, United Way’s Campfirepalooza, All Children’s Hospital Grand Opening, A Hurricane Katrina Victim Fundraising Event, The Kickstart My Heart Charity Concert for Sean Semon, The Sarasota World Aids Day 2008 Walk a Thon, Three Square Holiday Food Drive, Jammin’ the Harbor for The Humane Society of Pinellas and more. They are also the Official Spokesband for the L.A. based charity Rock Against Homelessness.

All of Holes And Hearts Music including their Debut CD, Singles and Remixes are Available for Free Download Now on HOLES AND HEARTS BandPage Tab on Facebook!

PRESS QUOTES:

“What I saw was jaws dropping, smiles that went from ear to ear and a crowd that was in awe over the talent and intensity of their show.” – The Expressionist Magazine

“Riley has a voice that will tear into your heart, mind and soul. This kid has got feeling and guts that are unmatched.” – Metal Sludge

“Brothers Casey and Riley are true rockstars and have more talent than a lot of musicians twice their age!” – Vegas Rocks! Magazine

“The Macek brothers are younger, smaller & outnumbered by the Jonas Brothers & yet STILL could kick their asses! These kids are your unborn children’s favorite band & Rock and Roll’s future” – A Cut Above Entertainment

“Your amazing musicians and genius songwriters” – Phillip Sudore, Vice President N-Tune Tuners

“EVERY ONE IS STILL TALKING ABOUT THE SHOW AND HOLES AND HEARTS, THEY JUST CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT THEY CAN DO” – Party 95 5 Radio

“This energetic preteen duo has captured attention and respect” – Red & Black Newspaper

Links

http://soundcloud.com/holesandhearts

http://www.facebook.com/HOLESANDHEARTS

In Terrence Aym’s book, Mysteries of the Multiverse: 25 True Stories from Time and Space, Aym tells tales of true or well-supported theories of sciences that will scare the living daylights out of you, and amaze you at the same time.

In this book, Aym’s gives countless instances that could prove that time travel is possible.  Maybe it;s not technology we have in use right now, but it could be plausible that it has been invented by alien beings and used before our very eyes.  I have to admit, I was skeptical about the whole time travel/space warp theory, but after reading these documented finds, it made me think.  Heck, this may be true.

The author talks about a machined bolt that was found in coal.  As you may know, coal takes millions of years to make. How would a machined bolt, made of aluminum or steel, appear in the center of a piece of coal that takes millions of years to create?  It was found and documented by notable and reliable sources.  There is no real explanation, but it could prove time travel is possible.  Beings from a future time could have traveled back to the beginnings of the Earth and actually lost a screw while visiting that time.  Left behind, it was molded inside a piece of coal and rediscovered millions of years later.

That was just one instance out of many that was mentioned, and when you hear these documented instances, it’s  hard not to consider time travel because it’s the only thing that makes sense.

In addition to time travel, Aym talks about ghost ships, the Bermuda Triangle, possible dinosaurs that still exist, skies that occasionally rain body parts, 60 to 70 foot snakes, 5 foot wide spiders, and other incredible things that boggle the imagination.  Could some dinosaurs really still exist?

He also talks about a giant human being that stood between 8 to 10 feet tall, with red hair and pale skin.  These beings used to be a threat to Native Americans, and they would often tell tales of battles with these mongrel human beings.  In fact, rival Native American tribes ganged up to try to expunge these creatures from the Earth to protect their very existence.

Back in the day, they chased these beings into a cave found in Nevada.  The Native Americans were so upset these beings cowered in the caves that they filled the entrance with brush and set the cave on fire. Their hope was to smoke out the foes and destroy them.  The ones that emerged were killed and the ones that remained behind were killed by smoke inhalation. The cave would later crumble and provide shelter for bats.

Centuries later, the cave was excavated for its guano, which is an ingredient used in gun powder.  In doing so, they found the skeletons of these giants, proving they did exist.  Do they still exist somewhere, in a distant, uninhabited part of the United States?

This book was filled with documented facts of incredible tales.  Things I didn’t know existed may very well have, and some of it happened right here in the USA. I was intrigued from the moment I picked up the book until the very last page; I just couldn’t put it down.  Some of the tales horrified me, yet some of it intrigued me. Paranormal and science fiction buffs everywhere will find something of interest in this book.

I not only learned a lot, but it made me open my eyes to new possibilities and proved that if these accounts are true, I will never think anything is impossible again.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated with the unknown and for those people who need to see facts in order to believe.  It’s not a “story” book, but rather a well-documented list of accounts from various sources and eye witnesses that support a strange occurrence. The author of the book doesn’t state that these accounts are true, instead he leaves the burden of proof in the evidence to allow readers to make their own choice.

 I guarantee that this book will fully capture your interest and intrigue every inch of your mind.  You will be pleasantly surprised with how well documented each story is, a great effort by the author.

Jason Dowd, host of “The World of Art” radio show talks with Singer, Songwriter and Philanthropist, Richard Kincaid about leaving his role of CEO of a successful real estate business to pursue music.  He also talks about his amazing new mission “Be Cause” that he hopes will change the world through realism.

This version allows Raquela to embrace her Hispanic side, which she’s always been connected to through her mom. She was raised bi-racial, both Mexican and German. “I looked odd to everybody,” she explained. “So I guess I had to build my own world around me.” That world started at a record store in Northern California where she grew up. She bought Broadway musicals and Freestyle dance music and it grew into an obsession with music, singing and live performance.

Raquela has been singing since she was 9 years old. She started out in the choir of a Baptist church in the little town of Elk Grove. The teachers helped her learn all about music and train her voice throughout her adolescence. From there she got a scholarship to study Opera in Los Angeles at Biola University. Although it seemed like a perfect opportunity, Raquela realized she didn’t want to do opera. She wanted to do Broadway. So she packed up her bags and transferred to University of California of Irvine to get her BFA in musical theatre.

Throughout the 80s she was a huge part of the theatre scene. But this supportive group of artists was greatly affected by the AIDS epidemic. Some of the most supportive people in her life were lost. Raquela never forgot them though. As her career progressed, she knew it was part of her job as an artist to give back to society. When Raquela became Miss Orange County she focused a lot of her pageantry on fundraising towards AIDS research. Miss Orange County was an opportunity. She sang her heart out at benefits to raise money for a cause so close to her heart and history. The experience, she said, helped her grow as a person and a performer.

“I’m addicted to applause,” Raquela admitted. Music and performing is how she expresses herself, whether it’s through Dance music or musical theatre. Yet as an artist she is also reaching out to her audience. She wants her music to bring something to other people. Whether it’s three hours on stage or three minutes in a song, her performance helps someone get through their day. Raquela believes each person can “find a song or a performance that explains exactly what they’re feeling or going through or who they are as a person.” The applause is what solidifies that idea. They don’t clap just for Raquela; they clap for the feelings that they understand and they connect with.

That resounding moment, when she can catch her breath and listen to the sounds of approval rippling from the audience, is why she sings. That record store in California drew her into dance music, along with her mother’s Latina influence. She hopes that dance will catch up with technology and make a comeback. “Dance music is about the celebration of life,” Raquela said. “That’s what it’s about and that’s why I do it.”

Look out for her Latin version of “Tell it to my Heart” this February. Her music can be found on ITunes, CD Baby, eMusic and Amazon Music. Keep an eye out for more Taylor Dane songs from the 80s, because she’s not done with him yet.

I first saw the cult classic at a midnight movie showing for a dollar. The poster and plot description was none too riveting, so we assumed it would be a boring movie but whatever, it was a night out. Ten minutes in, we were rolling in the aisles with the other five people in the theater. The clumsy characters, awkward silences, and empty terrain combined to make the perfectly unexpected comedy.

Well, the gang’s all back in the new animated sitcom Napoleon Dynamite, as part of Fox’s Animation Domination line-up. I was rather skeptical at first; Fox is trying so hard to keep up with the times, they’ll add any cartoon to their primetime. Not to mention the movie’s most endearing qualities were the slow build-up to all the jokes and the random silliness cutting through the silence. To translate such humor to a cartoon, where everything has to keep moving to jam-pack enough punch lines to fill twenty minutes, could only smell disaster to either the new show or the cult franchise as a whole.

Once again, my expectations were, fortunately, wrong. While the show does move much faster than the movie, and the jokes are way more off-the-wall (Napoleon smashing a sink and Tina the llama gulping down a whole rooster), the characters are still endearingly aloof, simple, and monotone. The entire original cast has returned, including Jon Heder as Napoleon and Efren Ramirez as Pedro. Even the film’s director Jared Hess is back on board along with The Simpsons writer and producer Mike Scully. The only complaint I have about the production cast is no LaFawnduh; the creators want to show Kip with his past failed Internet relationships before bringing back his future wife. Also the now cliche one-liners such as “Dang it!” and “Sweet!” are used whether they’re funny or not, making the self-reference rather tiring.

All in all, I think the animated series will be much like the movie: a mixed bag of Love It or Hate It. It’s different enough from the movie to where some cultists may not like it but original from other primetime toons in that it’s family-friendly. College students may turn it off and watch Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. But children in junior high, high school, even elementary school students who are normally alienated from their parents during Family Guy or American Dad can now join the adults in the living room. The humor is funny for everyone without being vulgar, offensive, overly-violent, or sexual. It could flop worse than Uncle Rico’s football career back in ’82, or it could set new trends for primetime television. We’ll have to see if the writers have the skills to make our wildest entertainment dreams come true.

Destiny Torres returns to “The World of Art” as she takes on a journey over the last year that was filled with amazing experiences, and fantastic opportunities for her as a budding musician.  Destiny has appeared in commercials, and tried out for some amazing parts in major productions.  She’s a rising talent that we just have to expose to the world once again.  Her powerful voice will blow you away!

Links

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Destiny-Torres/144153712297053

Most people probably know you from the hit soap opera “Days of Our lives,” as the Character ‘Troy” What has been your experience working on such a well known soap opera? What was it like working on set and with the other cast members?

Working on Days of our Lives playing the character “Troy Winston” has been a blast! Every actor I have worked with on the show has been amazing. I have learned quite a bit from some of the veterans. It definitely has been a great experience.

You’ve appeared in a POM Wonderful commercial that’s set in the desert. Was it really filmed in the desert? If so, which one and what was that experience like?

I filmed the Pom commercial in desert out in Nevada. So yes we did film in the desert. It was about 106 degrees out and I actually wasn’t feeling to well that day. So it was a bit of a challenge filming but it still was an amazing experience to say the least.

How did you feel on your first photo shoot?

On my first photo shoot I felt like it was something I would look forward to doing more of in the future. So it was a sign that I was heading in the right direction for a career that I would enjoy.

In your opinion, what has been the best and most exciting movie and photo shoot you were involved with?

Well I would have to say the most exciting film I have done so far was American Cowslip because I got to work with so many great and legendary actors such as Val Kilmer, Cloris Leachman, the late “Peter Falk”, Rip Torn, Diane Ladd, Bruce Dern, Lin Shaye and bunch of other great actors. It was an amazing experience I must say. As far as photoshoots, I would have to say when I shot for Nivea in CUBA. Just shooting in Cuba alone was a surreal experience!

What’s the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do before going to bed?

First thing I do in the morning and the last thing I do before I go to bed, I would have to say is brush my teeth and or get on facebook..lol

When did you first think that you wanted to be a model?

I first wanted to be a model probably when I was 19. I got introduced to a modeling agent through a friend.

Can you tell us about your exercise and workout routine? Eating habits? How do you keep up with it while managing your career?

Well my career allows me time for exercise and eating good. It kinda comes along the job. My exercise routines have changed over the years but most recently I do the p90x workouts. They are brutal but are a fantastic way to really sculpt your body. As far as eating habits I can’t say I stick to certain foods or diets but I try to eat in moderation.

You own a beautiful dog called Foxy. What kind of dog is she? How long have you had her? I own a six month Chihuahua and she’s my baby.   Do you take her to work?

My little baby Foxy is a 3.8lbs Pomeranian and my girlfriend and I have had her for about a 1 yr. I take her to auditions from time to time if I can.

What can fans expect from you in the future? Are there any upcoming movies, tv shows, or photo shoots that you’re involved with?

Well I’m in pre production to start a Vampire film. Its called “Dance with a Vampire” its a remake of the 1989 Roger Corman film” Dance of the Damned”. I will be playing the lead Vampire. I also have another film in pre production called the “Gift Horse” with same director (Mark David) from the film American Cowslip that I did with (Val Kilmer). Two very cool projects that I’m very proud to be part of. So sometime next year my fans will get to see some new stuff from me.

Are you on Twitter or Facebook? Do you have a website?

I have all three. Facebook, twitter and a website (erikfellows.com) check them out!

Thanks so much for doing this interview. It’s been great to be able to talk to you. I look forward to doing it again.

Thanks again for the interview it has been my pleasure to answer the questions. Look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Interviewed and Written by Jonathan LaMella

Marissa   Meyer lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and three cats. She’s a   fan of most things geeky (Sailor Moon, Firefly, color-coordinating her   bookshelf…), and has been in love with fairy tales since she was a kid. She   holds a BA in Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University and an MS in   Publishing from Pace University. She may or may not be a cyborg. Cinder is   her first novel.

Hi Marissa, tell us about your novel Cinder. What’s the story about?

Cinder is a sci-fi re-envisioning of the classic Cinderella story set in far-future Asia. It tells the story of Cinder, a 16-year-old girl who’s part-human and part-machine. Though being cyborg has made her a target of prejudice and suspicion, it’s also given her an amazing skill with mechanics and machines. This reputation of being such a great mechanic brings her country’s prince to her market booth one day needing her to fix a broken android, and soon Cinder finds herself caught in a political battle of wills between Earth and the cruel Lunar queen who wants to rule it.

How did you get started as a novelist?

I’ve always been an avid reader and I’ve wanted to be a writer since I first learned that such a job existed. I wrote Sailor Moon fanfiction for many, many years, which is largely how I learned about craft, technique, and voice. I started a handful of ultimately-abandoned novels during those years too, but it wasn’t until I had the idea for Cinder that I felt truly compelled to finish the novel and seek publication.

Why did you write Cinder?

For the same reason I write anything—I love sharing stories with other people and Cinder and The Lunar Chronicles felt like a great tale that hadn’t been told yet (despite being based on fairy tales). My life has been influenced by dozens of amazing authors over the years. Books have brought me happiness and sadness and everything in between, and it’s an honor to think my books could have the same effect on other readers.

What do you want readers to get or learn from reading Cinder?

I’m not a writer who typically goes into a story with ulterior motives about “education” or “morals.” Although I’ve had readers tell me that Cinder is an empowering heroine, and I think that’s fantastic, my ultimate hope is that the book will thrill and entertain readers for as long as they’re in the story. I want them to enjoy spending time in my futuristic world, as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

How did you get ideas for the main characters?

The idea for Cinderella as a cyborg came to me as I was drifting off to sleep and her character formed in my imagination pretty quickly. I saw her as having a prosthetic hand and leg and awesome mechanic skills. I saw her as being a bit of a tomboy, never afraid to get grimy or dirty, and being brave enough to stand up for herself in a world that sees her as a second-class citizen. Although her skills have developed (and gotten much cooler) over multiple drafts, the heart of her character didn’t change much.

The same can’t be said for other main characters, including Prince Kai and Cinder’s step-family, who have all seen multiple incarnations over the course of writing the book. I don’t do character worksheets, and I don’t base characters on people that I know. I tend to just start writing them and letting the characters dictate who they want to be by their own dialogue and actions. Sometimes it works out really well, and sometimes it takes a few drafts for them to mature into people who seem real and complex.

Growing up, did you have an interest in scifi or cyborgs? Was there any research required for putting that technology in fiction form? If so, how did you translate that research into Cinder?

Although I was a big fan of Star Wars growing up, in general I was always more of a fantasy girl than a sci-fi girl. So yes, I had to do a lot of research on technology, which included everything from reading books on physics and scientific journals, to perusing Star Wars encyclopedias to see how George Lucas did it, to watching sci-fi movies. I researched until I had a basic idea of how everything worked myself, even though only small elements of that research made it into the book. I didn’t want to pummel the reader with tech-lingo and jargon, so I carefully tried to insert only enough research to make the world-building feel realistic and plausible.

What do you look for in a book?

A good story and likeable characters. I want a hero and heroine worth rooting for, and I want lots of dilemmas and problems for them to struggle against before the big resolution. That’s how characters change and grow. Nothing annoys me more than a book in which every problem is met with a simple, no-brainer solution.

What inspires you as an Author? Where do you go to find inspiration?

Inspiration can come from anywhere—a song, a good book (or even a bad one), a newspaper headline, a photograph, a dream. I spend a lot of time in my head, daydreaming, and a ton of story ideas or plot twists have grown out of that alone.

What advice do you have for beginning writers?

Read and write, read and write. Reading keeps you inspired and feeds your imagination and teaches you what you like and don’t like in other works. Writing is the only way to develop your voice and learn about the craft and discover your own writing strengths and weaknesses.

As a writer, who are your main influences?

I’ve been particularly inspired by the great fairy-tale retellers, such as Gail Carson Levine and Gregory Maguire, as well as some of my personal favorite YA writers, such as Scott Westerfeld, John Green, and Kristin Cashore.

What is the best part about being an author?

There are plenty of job perks (working in my pajamas, getting free books in the name of blurb requests, etc.), but by and large the best part is the simple act of writing. I get to do what I love every day.

And the worst?

All that yucky businessy stuff, like bookkeeping and taxes.

What books have you recently read and loved?

Recent favorites include Legend by Marie Lu, Fracture by Megan Miranda, and Shatter Me by Tahareh Mafi.

In your opinion, what will people enjoy most about Cinder?

I feel that one of Cinder’s greatest strengths as a book in today’s market is that there really is a little something for everyone. There’s a little bit of sci-fi, a little bit of fantasy, a little bit of romance and comedy, plenty of adventure and drama and intrigue, a strong heroine, a charming hero, a quirky android friend… on and on. I hope readers will find many different things to be drawn to!

What can your readers expect next from you? What do you have planned for the future?

Cinder is the first of a four-book series, so I’m currently working on the next books: Scarlet (Little Red Riding Hood), Cress (Rapunzel), and Winter (Snow White). The series will continue Cinder’s story as her path crosses with these other fairy-tale inspired heroines and they join forces against the evil queen.

After The Lunar Chronicles is over—who knows! I have many ideas in my head and I look forward to exploring new worlds and stories.

Are you on Twitter or Facebook? Do you have a website?

Yes,  I’m on Twitter under @marissa_meyer, and readers can Like either my author fanpage or the Lunar Chronicles fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/marissameyerauthor and http://www.facebook.com/lunarchronicles. My web site, http://www.marissameyer.com, is still under construction but will hopefully be up soon.

For almost 3 decades Stevie B has created timeless songs that have made America and the world.  Some of his more popular songs include “Party Your Body”, “I Want to be the One” and his all time hit “Spring Love”.  We talk with this legendary Song Writer, Producer and Recording/Performing Artist about his life, his career and the music industry in an exclusive interview.

Photo by Bonnie Stanley

If you are afraid of clowns this isn’t the show for you.  This show is featuring a sideshow act of those who do some amazing super human tricks that can turn your stomach while amazing you with their tricks.  These guys sword swallow, eat glass and strange objects, put their hands through their body piercings.  Yes folks, this is going to be a GREAT interview.

Bio

Step right up, ladies and gentleman for a dare-devlish and dutifully demented demonstration!  The Squidling Bros. Circus Sideshow and International Freakshow of sword swallowers, dare devils and comic clowns will take you on a wild ride.  You’ll feel desirably defiled and delightfully delirious as these dedicated demonic deviants deftly deliver their dextrous deeds.  But have no delusions! Deceit and deception play no part in this show! Everything you see is definitely 100% devoid of dishonesty!  All Real! All Live!  A night of thrills, chills and laughs that will stay with you the rest of your life!

The Squidling Bros. Circus Sideshow is assured to shock and amaze you!  Lead by host “Jelly Boy The Clown,” the living cartoon and natural born weirdo, there is never a dull moment.  Accompanied by his brother “Matterz Squidling the Impenetrable Music Man” and sideshow sensation “Betty Bloomerz”.    Enjoy the punk old time sytlings of Maray Squeezebox on the Accordion.  Introducing the strange and comical Tommy Toons.  Sword Swallowing, Broken Glass Manipulation, Fire Arts, Dangerous Stunts on Beds of Nails and Ladders of Machetes. Comical routines that defy possibility with nails and tubes up the nose, tennis rackets, needles and sharp objects.

For over 5 years The Squidlings have produced and participated in hundreds of shows through out the continental United States and the European Union, as well as, Norway, Sweden and Croatia.  They have performed with Primus, Exploited, Prodigy, The National, Circus Contraption, Rev Horton Heat, Mudvayne, Suicide Silence, and Merle Haggard.  Appeared in the Ink n Iron Fest, Bohemian Carnival with the Vau De Vire Society, Sweden Metaltown 2009 in Gotenburg, The Coney Island Rockabilly Festival 2008-10, The Theatre Bizarre in Detroit MI 2009-10, The World Steam Punk Expo Detroit 2010, Pedal to the Metal tour 2009 Sweden. Opatijske Barufe 2011, Croatia.

In 2004 The Squidlings  created the now highly successful Underground Party, “Carnivolution”.  A monthly DIY circus show full of puppets, costumes and guest sideshow and circus performers. During the summers of 2009-10 The Squidlings also produced a weekly summer variety sideshow, burlesque night in Coney Island USA. Every Saturday on the board walk at Cha Cha’s the home of wise guys and wild women.  You will find individual performers on the stage at Coney Island U.S.A. Sideshow by the Seashore and Ripley’s Believe it or Not on Time Square.

Step right up, ladies and gentleman for a dare-devilish and dutifully demented demonstration!

Links

http://www.squidlingbros.com

The “World of Art” is streamed by Party955 www.live365.com/stations/partystation worldwide. Produced by Dowd Studios, Inc. and hosted by Jason Dowd. Production for “The Expressionist Magazine”

Tommie Lyn has made her home in the beautiful Florida panhandle for almost 35 years. Her husband of 49 years (and high school sweetheart) retired from the Navy after being transferred there from Okinawa in 1975. Three of her novels and some of her short stories are set in the panhandle.

An avid reader since childhood, she began writing fiction four years ago and writes short stories and novels in a variety of genres: historical, mystery/suspense, supernatural thriller and mainstream fiction. Currently, a showcase of short stories is freely available for readers on her website. Three of her novels are available for purchase from Amazon.com.

Encouraging other writers is important to her. In order to provide that encouragement, she maintains membership in writers’ groups. She’s been a member of the local Panhandle Writers Group for two years and is a member of online writers’ groups as well. 

Hi Tommie, tell us about your novel The Sands of Santa Rosa. What’s the story about?

It’s about Cotton Chastain and his gift of the Second Sight. When an oil spill occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, Cotton has visions about it, which ultimately lead him to save the life of little five-year-old Sara Sands.

How did you get started as a writer?

I learned some things about Scotland’s history that are not common knowledge in the United States. I thought someone should write it as fiction so people would learn about it, since most people won’t pick up a history book but will read entertaining fiction. I tried to get others to write it, but no one would. So I wrote it. That first novel is High on a Mountain.

Why did you write The Sands of Santa Rosa?

It was time for NaNoWriMo. I mentioned I’d be writing a novel during the month of November, and a cousin’s husband said, “Why don’t you write about an oil spill?” So, an oil spill was the starting point, and The Sands of Santa Rosa grew from that.

What do you want readers to get from reading The Sands of Santa Rosa?

That our actions can have far-reaching, unintended consequences.

How did you get ideas for the main characters or character?

I don’t know that I have specific ideas for my characters…they just sort of introduce themselves to me when I begin writing. I learn about them as I write.

Did you identify with your characters? Is there anything that you have in common with them? Was there anything about them that was hard to write?

Most of the time, my characters are different from me, and I have little in common with them. I haven’t been through the trials they face, but I live those trials through my characters, and sometimes, it’s hard to get through wrenching moments they face.

What was your inspiration for writing The Sands of Santa Rosa ?

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was a main topic of local conversation when I was preparing to write Sands, and although the story turned out to be nothing like the actual event, that event could have been the inspiration the story grew from.

What do you look for in a book?

I want a book that will grab me, involve me emotionally, keep me turning pages. I enjoy mysteries and thrillers (but not gory thrillers).

What is your favorite novel?

My favorite novel of all time isThe Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter. I find myself re-reading it periodically. Which is a puzzlement, since it’s not a mystery or thriller.

What inspires you as an Author? Where do you go to find inspiration?

I go to the “what if?” question to find inspiration for stories. My imagination has always worked overtime, and I’ve always found myself asking: what if? I’m thankful I can finally put that habit to a useful purpose.

What advice do you have for beginning writers?

Don’t get discouraged. When you read your first efforts, you may be tempted to compare them with published books you’ve enjoyed reading. But if you do that, your writing may seem woefully inadequate. You have to realize that a story goes through many, many edits and adjustments before publication, and it didn’t start out polished.

One other thing: brush up on grammar and spelling. Words are the tools a writer uses to convey the images in his/her mind to the mind of a reader. You must be proficient in the tools of your trade so that transfer of your images is not impaired.

Where did you get the idea for your novel The Sands of Santa Rosa ?

My cousin’s husband suggest that I write about an oil spill, since the gulf oil spill was a topic on everyone’s minds at the time.

Have any of your characters demanded more page space than you had originally planned?

I don’t usually plan my stories. I usually start with a situation or a character, and as I write, the story that develops is usually as much of a discovery and a surprise to me as reading someone else’s story.

With that said, when I was writing The Sands of Santa Rosa, Cotton Chastain drove to the beach, was looking at the water, and I assumed he was about to contemplate the reason for his intuitive feelings about the oil spill. But instead, a little girl started talking to him. Totally blindsided me. And she became a main thread through the story.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Read. Write. Edit. Read some more. Write some more.

Has researching for a novel ever got you into any funny situations?

As a writer, who are your main influences?

A few months ago, I went to the Chief Vann House gift shop outside Chatsworth, Georgia to buy copies of the writings of Moravian missionaries who lived among the Cherokees in the early 1800s, doing research for Across the Wide River, which will include the Trail of Tears. I began a conversation with the lady who rung up my purchases, and we discovered we were distant cousins, descended from a Cherokee family.

As far as my main influences, I hesitate to name them, lest anyone should think I compare myself to them in any way…but, I think Norah Lofts, Sharyn McCrumb and Dean Koontz have probably been the biggest influences on my writing.

What is the best part about being an author?

Getting to visit new places and people…in my imagination.

And the worst?

The physical inactivity. I have to force myself to stop writing, get up and move, get some exercise.

What books have you recently read and loved?

The Day of Small Things by Vicki Lane. Loved it. I gave it 5 stars only because there was not a 6 star option.

In your opinion, what will people enjoy most about this book?

I hope they will, as I do, enjoy a smile at the antics of little Sara Sands, and I hope they will be inspired by Cotton Chastain’s self-sacrificial attitude as he tries to do right by others.

How did you feel the first time you starting writing the book? What thoughts were running through your mind?

I usually feel excited when I start a new story. It’s a little like visiting an amusement park and riding a roller coaster for the first time…lots of fun—chills and thrills— ahead.

 What can your readers expect next from you? What do you have planned for the future?

My next novel, Windows of the Soul, is in the editing phase now. It’s another Cotton Chastain novel. After that, I’ll work on completing the next novel in my historical series about the Ailean MacLachlainn family, Across the Wide River.

 Are you on Twitter or Facebook? Do you have a website? Is there more info about The Sands of Santa Rosa ?

Yes, I’m on Twitter: @TommieLyn, and I’m on Facebook: Tommie Lyn. My website is: http://tommielyn.com – and there’s a sample of The Sands of Santa Rosa posted on my website at this time.

Thanks so much for doing this interview. It’s been great to be able to talk to you and hear what you have to say about this new film that you’re in. I hope to talk to you again the future.

Thank you so much for the invitation to be interviewed. I’ve enjoyed it.

Brayden Hirsch is a teenage writer from Vancouver, British Columbia. His experience with stories goes back to his childhood, when his grandfather set him on his knee and told him of his adventures as a touring musician. Hirsch delights in crafting stories that keep readers poised on their seats much the same way his grandfather’s stories did for him. His role models include Raymond Chandler, Alfred Hitchcock, and Frank Capra.

When he’s not thinking up thrilling stories in well-lit rooms, Brayden spends his time enjoying his friends and family. His other interests include classic movies, watching football, drinking coffee, and taking advantage.

Hi Brayden, tell us about your novel “Shadow Catalyst” What’s the story about?

Shadow Catalyst is a collection of five short thrillers with a paranormal twist. See braydenhirsch.com, or the Amazon or Barnes and Noble pages, for short summaries of each.

How did you get started as a writer?

I don’t suppose there is any particular way to “start” other than to pick up the pen or sit down at the keyboard and simply begin. Since my early childhood I’ve really loved entertaining people – writing is just another outlet for me to do that.

Why did you write “Shadow Catalyst”?

To be honest, I wrote it because they asked me to – my publisher, Steward House Publishing in Seattle. A couple of the story ideas had arisen before they asked me to, but I’d never taken the time to actually sit down and pursue them if not for the contract for the novel. Paranormal suspense is definitely not my first love, but I had a ton of fun writing the collection and, from what I’ve heard so far, people are having a ton of fun reading it.

What do you want readers to get from reading ‘Shadow Catalyst?”

I think that if readers can manage to simply enjoy this one, that’d be great. Some projects of mine are meant to make readers think while entertaining them, but as for Shadow Catalyst, it’s the kind of novel best read with a light heart. If readers can walk away from it smiling, I’m satisfied.

How did you get ideas for the main characters or character?

I made them up. It’s far too dangerous to base your characters on people you know and so on. I suppose that indirectly, all characters are extrapolations of my own personality, because when I write I always try to “get into the skin” of the characters, but I don’t think of them as parts of me. That’s an awfully disturbing thought, especially when some of them turn out to be psychopaths.

You recently signed a contract with Ken Sherman and Associates, a literary agency out of Los Angeles. How has this affected your career as a novelist? What was the first thought that crossed your mind when you were offered a contract from the agency?

It’s wonderful to have someone to work alongside, such as Ken. I’m very pleased and have been since when he offered the contract, and am looking forward to furthering my career as a storyteller with him.

What do you look for in a book?

Firstly, entertainment value. If the writer is trying to be literary, I probably don’t like it. If the writer is writing to entertain, there’s a better chance of me liking it. Secondly, I do like a novel that says something somewhat profound about the human condition, about life in general. But I think that shouldn’t be the sole purpose of a novel. The purpose must be to entertain.

What inspires you as an Author? Where do you go to find inspiration?

I am inspired by my fears. I don’t go anywhere, really. I stay in my room – I think that a writer must be able to write under any circumstance. Ian Fleming took a few months in Jamaica every year to write his Bond novels. That’s great, I suppose, when you’re Ian Fleming, but for normal people on a budget, we have to be able to write wherever, whenever, and find inspiration either way.

What advice do you have for beginning writers?

1. Know your craft. Learn it. Go to workshops, study certain authors you like and want to be like. See what they did right. I think that a writer can write well without much inspiration at all, if he knows what makes a great story.
2. Get scared. I have a list that is two pages long of “Things That Terrify Me.” This list includes specific things, such as heights or open water or taxi drivers, and more broader ideas. When I need a new idea, I read my list. A writer, of any genre, writes best when they are writing about what scares them.

Has researching for a novel ever got you into any funny situations?

No. As a novel I don’t overthink factual accuracy. I try. I do some research, but I don’t worry about it. But I mean, it’s fiction. I’m allowed to make stuff up, now and then, aren’t I?

As a writer, who are your main influences?

Raymond Chandler, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Agatha Christie, Frank Capra and, most of all, Alfred Hitchcock.

It seems that more and more adult readers are finding their way to YA books. Why do you think that is?

That’s a complicated question. I think there are many reasons – people are becoming, and I hate to say this, less intelligent than they used to be and even an adult reader will often take to a YA novel because it is “easier,” but I also think that there’s been a decrease of solid adult novels in the industry. The mainstream market has produced several good novels, recently, but if you ask me, the thriller genre in particular has been bogged down by so much of the same material. I, for one, would rather read something unique like Suzanne Collins than another Grisham legal thriller. It’s fresher.

What is the best part about being an author?

Seeing the looks on peoples’ faces, when they tell you they really enjoyed your novel, or that they almost died from the suspense.

And the worst?

Seeing the look on peoples’ faces, when they tell you they hated every page of it.

What books have you recently read and loved?

Anything Raymond Chandler. I’ve always enjoyed his work. It’s pulp fiction written in a sensational voice that, as I hinted at before, reveals a little something about the human condition.

In your opinion, what will people enjoy most about this book?

If the novel does its work and the testimonials I’ve received so far are true, then it’s the fast-paced nature of Shadow Catalyst that will carry readers to the very last page, wanting more. I think perhaps author Jon Land put it nicely, summing Shadow Catalyst up better than I can: “a blood-curdling, white knuckle joy ride that’s like climbing onto a roller-coaster and waiting for the bottom to drop out.”

What can your readers expect next from you? What do you have planned for the future?

Currently I am at work on another book, a full-length thriller, which will be handled by Ken. In my screenwriting, I am also experimenting with other forms of storytelling, particularly screenwriting. It’s up to God where I go from here.

Are you on Twitter or Facebook? Do you have a website? Is there more info about Shadow Catalyst?

Twitter: www.twitter.com/braydenhirsch

Facebook: www.facebook.com/brayden.hirsch

Website: www.braydenhirsch.com

Thanks so much for doing this interview. It’s been great to be able to talk to you and hear what you have to say about Shadow Catalyst and the writing process. I hope to talk to you again the future.

Bio

Richard Kincaid’s plaintive voice unleashed like an arrow from its bow, soars as it gathers momentum with yearning and unabashedly hits home in the heart. Longtime businessman and CEO of the largest publicly traded office real estate company in the United States, when his company sold in February 2007, Richard experienced a moment of reckoning. He faced a choice: he could step back onto the corporate treadmill or pursue projects that really mattered to him. “I didn’t want to continue on autopilot,” he says, “I wanted to make conscious decisions about my life and I needed outlets for my passion that corporate life never provided me.” Thus, Richard turned the page and began a new chapter in which he returned to his first love: music and simultaneously blazed a trail through new territory: philanthropy.

The fifth child of a musically inclined family of six, Richard sang before he completed his first sentence. In Ellinwood, Kansas, a town of approximately 2,000 people, the young Richard inspired church parishioners with stirring solos during services, weddings and funerals. Later he charmed diners as a singing waiter. From elementary school through his Bachelor’s at Wichita State University and his MBA at University of Texas, Richard studied classical voice. Drawn to the narrative power and sweeping scores of musical theater, he starred in many summer theater productions.  Influences include Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Elton John and the musical theater canon. Throughout his corporate career, Richard maintained a strong and joyous connection to music and he re-dedicated himself to singing in 2007.

At the same magic moment, Kincaid, struck by the altruism of folks he met in the non-profit world, founded the BeCause Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to solving complex social issues and promoting change through the power of film. The documentaries tackle homelessness and healthcare, human rights in Eastern Burma and sexual abuse of children. Each film tells the story of individuals to shed light on the plight of many. In this way, Richard and BeCause give a face to human suffering and the heroic actions taken to alleviate it. Similarly, in his music, Richard interprets songs that give voice to raw human emotion in the face of tragedy and grace. Listeners find his singing “incredibly spiritual.”

On his first album, Return,  “He’s my son,” by Mark Shultz, an unveiled prayer to God to save Shultz’s brain-dead son resonates deeply for Kincaid. On March 1^st 2008, his older brother, Frank called to say his son, Adam, a recent college grad and promising athlete suffered a cardiac arrest and might not make it through the night. As Richard’s plane sped towards his nephew’s hospital, he imagined his brother’s helpless feelings as a father facing his son’s mortality. Adam put up a good fight, but he died the next morning. Later, when Richard heard the lyrics of “He’s My Son,” he recalled his brother and nephew, “The song captures how parents really feel about their kids,” says Kincaid “I’ve dedicated Returnto Adam.”

The album, completed in February 2009, evolved organically. Initially, Richard worked alone on time-tested, narrative ballads that challenged and thrilled him such as Robbie Williams’ Angels and Elton John’s Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word, until he met David Taylor II, world renowned Songwriter & Producer. Taylor fanned Kincaid’s desire to take music more seriously and got him into a studio with musicians. “We started playing around and it worked so we kept going. It was inspiring to work with such astonishingly good musicians and I enjoyed taking covers and adding my own little twists,” says Richard. He thought Return would just be for friends and family, but when David played it for other producers, promoters and musicians, they urged him to sell it on iTunes and CD Baby. With such a positive response and audiences clamoring for more, Richard is gearing up to perform live shows in and around Chicago and for production of his next CD, which promises a mixture of new material and standard ballads that offer heart-rending stories of human perseverance.

Links

http://richardkincaid.com 

The “World of Art” is streamed by Party955 www.live365.com/stations/partystation worldwide. Produced by Dowd Studios, Inc. and hosted by Jason Dowd. Production for “The Expressionist Magazine”

This PETA approved film, which used the same technology that James Cameron used in Avatar for the NA’VI, stars James Franco and Andy Serkis as Caesar, the ape. The story revolves around scientist Will Rodman, played by James Franco, who is developing a drug to cure Alzheimer’s. He crosses paths with a baby ape whose mother was put down by security guards after she freaked and escaped throughout the company’s facility. He takes him home where lives with his Alzheimer’s stricken father. Will raises Caesar into adulthood when he discovers that he inherited enhanced genes from his mother was experimented at the company. From there Will takes his research to the next level and as they say, the plot thickens. I loved this movie and could watch it over and over again. If you haven’t seen it yet, buy it or rent it right away!

 I’ll be honest. I’m not into animal based movies even though I’m a huge animal lover, they just don’t entertain me. The last time I was truly enjoyed an animal themed movie was Marley and Me, which I really enjoyed. Then I went to see War Horse with my Mom and discovered an incredible story about the human spirit and its ability to triumph over hard times. The story is set in England in 1918 during the first world war. Jeremy Irvine plays Albert who trains a horse to work his father’s farm. He grows close with him, only to have his father auction the horse away to the British military. We follow his horse throughout his journey in the war. This horse brings out the best of people and brings together bitter enemies. The cast in this film was fantastic and Jeremy Irvine delivered such a good performance, I couldn’t ask for anything more. However, I would advise parents not bring their children to this movie simply because of the intense war scenes.

When I first saw the trailer for this movie on television I knew I had to see it. If you enjoyed films such as Encounters of The Fifth KindorThe Blair Witch Project that was filmed in a documentary style and with “footage” of real life events, then you’ll enjoy Apollo 18. It isn’t for everyone but it is good nonetheless. The story follows a team of astronauts who go on a secret mission to the moon. As events unfold it, it becomes clear to them why they were sent to the moon. Tensions rise between crew members when mysterious medical aliments arrive with no known origin and they discover why their mission was top secret. Overall I was very impressed with the movie. The cast did a wonderful job and there was plenty of well-written dialogue and action; even though the whole film was made like a documentary. If you enjoy horror/scifi movies then you’ll definitely want to see this.

Jason Dowd of “The World of Art” an Expressionist Magazine Promotion talks with International Dance Recording Artist Raquela.  Through her career she’s been crowned the first “Miss Orange County”, she’s opened for Lou Vega and Stevie B and she’s performed on Broadway.  She talks about her life, her career and what makes music so important for her… you’ll learn about her in this exclusive interview.

To get the attention he needs, Cassidy escapes from jail and plants himself on the ledge of a hotel in a fake suicide attempt.  It captures the media’s attention, which is something he wanted because just across the street lies the building of Englander Jewelry, owned by David Englander, the owner of the alleged stolen diamond.  Cassidy believes he had the diamond all along, and set him up as a thief so Englander could collect the insurance money on the prized jewel.

From the beginning to the end, the movie is packed full of thrilling  twists. It has the audience constantly wondering what is going on, including who’s good and who’s bad.  With elaborate plots, daring break-ins and near-death experiences, the suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

The ending is fantastic, as you will finally see the whole elaborate scheme as it comes to light,  in triumph and amazement.

I have to admit, I am more of a comedy guy myself, but I really enjoyed this movie.  I would definitely recommend Man on a Ledge and give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.  The cast  played their roles with passion and power, and the plot was outstanding.  Don’t expect to see a lot of special effects, but they certainly weren’t needed.  This is a movie that invokes thought, which makes it an epic classic.

Radio

Each week Jason Dowd sits down and talks with artists, musicians, entertainers, politicians and anyone that is in the art field or has a say on the arts in the community.  Some weeks Jason will interview his guests about their career, their work and their goals.  He may even have a famous celebrity on and talk to them about their careers.  In some cases he will talk with politicians about the arts in their community and how they intend to solve the problems of art cuts in schools and promoting the arts throughout the city.

Jason even talks tips and matters that impact artists and the art community – news they need to know!

You never know what you’re going to get, and so far the show has been a great hit.

TV

The purpose of the web based TV show is to get you up close and personal with the arts by bringing a face to the voice.  Jason will take you on interviews with celebrities, artists and musicians.  You’ll walk through art schools, museums and places of entertainment and historical significance.  You’ll have fun while learning so much along the way.

Where there is art, there will be “The World of Art” TV show covering the places that matter most.

The show is not a set schedule, instead its at random as things come about!

Find the Shows

TV: You can view the TV show on http://www.theexpressionist.com/category/tv/the-world-of-art-tv/

Radio:  http://blogtalkradio.com/theworldofart (Every Saturday at 6:00 PM EST

http://live365.com/partystation

Podcasted at:  theexpressionistmag.podomatic.com / iTunes under The World of Art

http://www.theexpressionist.com/category/podcast/

The World of Art TV offers you an Exclusive interview with Jason O’Mara and Daniel Sunjata from the new blockbuster movie “One for the Money” also starring Katherine Heigl.

You’ll get an inside look at their roles and why they chose them!  You’ll hear first hand what it was like working with Heigl and more!  O’Mara starred in “Resident Evil Extinction” and Sunjata starred in “The Devil Wears Prada”.  You’ll also hear their take on their roles in those movies.

Many people know you from ICarly in the episode “I Hire An Idiot” where you play as an assistant to Carly and Sam. What was it like to be on such a hit TV series? And how has it affected you as an actor?

It was so much fun working on that show! I really hadn’t seen it before working on it, but had had roles on similar sitcoms such as “The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, Hannah Montana and the ABC show Romantically Challenged. Naturally I have a lot of energy so I love that genre of acting which is very quick pace and important comedic timing. The cast and crew were very welcoming so I felt really comfortable bringing my own ideas to the character. From the viewer’s point of view, Cort is not the sharpest tool in the shed lol. But as an actor, I wanted to make sure not to judge him that way. My focus was to make him really want to do good and genuinely try to be the best intern he could. And of course have a lot of fun playing it. It hasn’t really affected me as an actor, but the role is definitely the one I get recognized most for because of the large fan base.

You’re in an upcoming movie called Wyatt Earp’s Revenge that’s coming out on March 30. Can you tell us what the movie is about?

The film is about how the legendary Wyatt Earp became a “law dog”, as my character I played would put it. Don’t want to give much away, but it’s about a love story that is cut short by unfortunate death, and then turns into a vengeful posse chase after my Spike and his gang for justice. It is based on actual events which is pretty cool. I believe the title of the film has now been changed to “Wyatt Earp’s Revenge”. So you get the picture lol.

What was it like working with Director Michael Feister and rest of the cast?

It was great working with Michael. He was a director who gave us the freedom to incorporate our own ideas, which is a dream for an actor to have that creative process. The director is the captain of the ship and sets the tone from day one on set. So it is always a blessing to work with one who is aware of that. We were under a very tight schedule filming, so Michael was definitely the guy for the job. The cast was great to work with as well. All very talented actors and genuinely great people. We had quite a time.

You play as James Spike Kennedy. What’s his role in the story?

Spike’s role is the villain and the reason the story takes place. He is actually a real character in history and was one of the most notorious outlaws during that time. This was my first time playing a real character in history before. Most times as an actor, you must create the whole backstory of your character, based on the script but also a lot on your own. In this case, it was cool to be able to have the real research to pull from. Again though, I believe it’s important not to judge the character you play but justify their actions which is what I tried to do with Spike.

How did you get the role of his character?

I had auditioned for a different role in the film on a Thursday I believe, and the next day I received a call with the offer to play Spike. I was thrilled. The whole process moved extremely fast as we started filming only a few days later, which was pretty crazy.

Did you identify with your character? Is there anything that you have in common with him? Was there anything about him that was hard to portray?

I believe that you must identify with all the characters you play as an actor. That’s the preparation that goes into it. Do I think I am a lot like Spike? Of course not lol. But I try to find things that have happened in my life that would have the same actions and emotions that he would have. The relationship with his younger brother is what I really focused on. I have a younger brother myself so that was pretty easy to pull from. Well he is a murderer, among other things, but again those were different times back then of survival. That was the work that was more difficult to be able to portray. However, it’s always fun playing the “bad guy”.

When you the read the script, what was your first thought? Have you ever been in a Western film or watched one?

When I first read the script I was really excited. I loved the story and really wanted to be a part of it. No, this was my first Western but yes I am a big fan. In fact, Tombstone is one of my favorite movies. So when I found out Val Kilmer was attached to this movie I was elated.

In your opinion, what will people enjoy most about this movie?

The story and of course the action!! Cowboys, horses, guns and revenge?? No brainer lol.

How did you feel the first time you came on set? What was the atmosphere like?

We had a day of horse and gun training the day before shooting. After using the guns and riding the horses I couldn’t believe it was actually happening. I have always wanted to do a Western!!

Now that your movie is coming out in March, are you on a vacation or break time? Are there any activities or places you like to be when you’re on vacation?

We actually shot the movie almost a year ago. Since then I have had roles on the college comedy “21 and Over”, with Relativity Media, and recently finished filming “Jersey Shore Shark Attack” for the SYFY Channel. I’m originally from Michigan, so when I have time I go back there to relax and spend time with the family. Also recently I got back from a week in Miami which was a blast. I love to travel.

I know this sounds like a cliché question, but when did you think, “hey, I wanted to be an actor?” You already have a big following from your appearance on “ICarly” and now “Wyatt Earp’s Revenge,” what do you have planned for the future?

At a very young age I was doing theatre in the community and in the church. When I really fell in love with it I was doing stage productions when I was in high school. Not long after I decided to fully commit to studying the craft and pursuing it as a career. I plan to keep working in the future I hope!! lol. I already have a couple films I am going to be working on this year, but would also love to do some more television. More than anything though, I look forward to having a family. That’s what is most important to me for the future.

Are you on Twitter or Facebook? Do you have a website? Is there more info about Wyatt Earp’s Revenge online?


You know it!! Twitter is @realdanielbooko and Daniel Booko on Facebook. I do my best to respond to everyone so holla at me lol. I don’t have a website up yet, but it is definitely on the to do list lol. There are many articles about it online. I suggest visiting

imdb.com for info as well as direction to other websites.

Thanks so much for doing this interview. It’s been great to be able to talk to you and hear what you have to say about this new film that you’re in. I hope to talk to you again the future.

Hi, Leon, first, I want to thank you for doing this interview. Can you tell us a little about yourself, not as a model, but as a person, like hobbies, interest, favorite authors, where you live, ect.

I love cars and tuning and I have a model railway

I also love things that have to do with design and lifestyle.

I don’t really read, nor am I watching a lot of movies, I’m too impatient, but one of my favorite movies would be Coco before Chanel. I like to think that I see myself in her.

How did you feel on your first photo shoot?

In my first shoot I felt so insecure. With every shoot you learn more and more what to do in front of the camera.

Who or what inspires you?

Paris Hilton and Lady Gaga

In your opinion, what has been the best and most exciting photo shoot you were involved in?

The best shooting was with Greg Vaughan, because I like him a lot and I think he likes me, so it was just so easy! He’s giving great feedback during the shoot which is really important for me to know how to act. He made me feel amazing.

What’s the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do before going to bed?

First and last thing is checking my Facebook.

When did you first think that you wanted to be and model?

I first thought about modeling at seventeen.

Can you tell us about your exercise and workout routine? Eating habits? How do you keep up with it while managing your career?

I try to work out ninety minutes, then two days break, which often is difficult while traveling. I try to eat some protein every four hours and also a lot of healthy fat, like nuts, avocado, olive oil, as well as vegetables and fruit. But of course I can’t resist Nutella or pizza.

What was your first thought when you got accepted into a modeling agency?

When the first agency accepted me I didn’t consider myself attractive, but that they signed me on showed me that I must have had something so i was just curious whether i would ever be successful.

What is your advice to aspiring models?

Aspiring models should be persistent, but you should know when to stop trying too. I think being successful as a model depends on luck so much. So don’t waste too much time trying.

Can you tell us the most exciting moment in your career? And looking back, what was the hardest?

Most exciting moments were when I got shootings with world famous photographers. Hardest moments were being declined by agencies.

Are there any questions you often get asked as a model?

The question I get asked the most is “are you a model?”

When did you first become interested in modeling?

I was seventeen when I started to like modeling.

When did you know you wanted to get involved with modeling as a career?

When I was twenty, I first really tried to become successful as a model. I don’t consider it a career though, I think it’s more like something you do part time for fun, I think that’s what it is for most models.

What was the first agency you worked with?

The first agency I worked with was Viva in Berlin

You’ve worked with Elite Model Management, Aim Model Management, SeeDS Model Management, and L.A Models. How has this affected your career?

It’s difficult working with all these agencies on different continents in different time zones, especially when we’re all very busy.

Are you on Twitter or Facebook? Do you have a website?

Facebook is great for me to let people know where I am and what I’m doing and keep in touch with everyone. If someone wants to see pictures of me I tell them to go to my Facebook.

Thanks so much for doing this interview. It’s been great to be able to talk to you. I look forward to doing it again.

Thank you so much for being interested, I’ll always be happy to talk to you again!

Its been a few years since we were introduced to Marnee and we’re glad to finally have the chance to interview this amazing young lady who has already accomplished so much in her singing career.  In 2011 she opened for some legends in the industry including: Sheryl Crow, Chris Isaak, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Rick Springfield & Chris Young.  She’s an amazing young talent and we’re glad to have the opportunity to promote her!  Don’t miss this interview.

Bio

A natural at singing, guitar, piano and songwriting, Marnée has accomplished more in her short 15 years than many dare to dream!

By the age of 14, Marnée had opened concerts for great acts such as, Sheryl Crow, Pat Benatar, Chris Issac, Rick Springfield and many others.

At just 11 years old, Marnée was featured (along with John Mellancamp and Stephen Stills- CSN) at the Grand Opening Gala of Lucas Oil Stadium the Indianapolis Colt’s new home. Stephen Stills introduced Marnée to the crowd and she made history as the largest retractable roof in the world opened publicly for the first time,…to the distinct sounds of Marnée.

Recognized in CMJ magazine for her songwriting, vocals and performance skills, it reads; “Singer/songwriter Marnee sings very mature lyrics belying her 11 years of age with sweet whispering, yet full and rich vocals. Blending minimalist guitar and a spine tingling voice, “Down In The Valley” is entrancing and unique”.

Vocalizing before she could speak words, Marnée has been penning poems and songs from an early age. Marnée started playing the guitar at age six and has become an accomplished musician and performer, consistently recognized for “beyond her years” songwriting.

Marnée’s musical performances have been featured on T.V., radio and many other media outlets. Marnée’s acoustic cover of “That’s the Way” by Led Zeppelin was aired on WXKE Rock 104 and was soon the most requested song and remained so for several months.

Influenced by great acts like Dave Matthews, Led Zeppelin, Tori Amos, Coldplay and Andy Mckee. With the raw emotion and soul reminiscent of a Michael Hedges Joni Mitchell jam session, Marnée has been compared to Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple, Ani DiFranco, Janis Joplin, Jewel and Kaki King. A performer you must see to believe!

With numerous hours on the stage, Marnée continues to grow, not only on stage, but in the studio as well. To her credit, Marnée has released two studio albums.

Her music conjurors a Page, Plant earthreal tone and the Lennonesque vibe of social responsibility while relating to the here and now with her unique sound.

Marnée’s love for her craft shines through with an energizing, euphoric vibe that stuns her audience. Marnee is simply doing something she loves, but if you ever get a chance to experience a performance of Marnee live – it will be a moment you always remember. Solid guitar work, powerful vocals and thought provoking lyrics …..this is Marnée.

Links

http://www.marneemusic.com 

The “World of Art” is streamed by Party955 www.live365.com/stations/partystation worldwide. Produced by Dowd Studios, Inc. and hosted by Jason Dowd. Production for “The Expressionist Magazine”

The World of Art interviews Marcia, an up and coming R & B vocalist who’s sweeping the nation.  She’s toured with “The King of Freestyle” the Legendary Stevie B.  At the age of 13 she wrote her first song and now she talks with us about her career, her life and what’s in store in 2012.  Don’t miss this exclusive interview

John Campbell is an award winning Political Biographer who wrote the book “The Iron Lady”.  His book was the basis for the movie titled after his book portraying the historic career of UK’s first woman Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.  Thatcher is played by Meryl Streep in the blockbuster that will be coming to theaters everywhere.

The World of Art speaks with this acclaimed author about the movie and get to know more about this amazing woman of which he wrote about.

Links

http://www.theironladymovie.co.uk

The “World of Art” radio is streamed by Party955 www.live365.com/stations/partystation worldwide. Produced by Dowd Studios, Inc. and hosted by Jason Dowd. Production for “The Expressionist Magazine”

Get to know some of the insight about the movie by the man who’s book helped make it the success it is today. Get his take on the casting and find out why she was called “The Iron Lady”.

“Playground,” for example, is drawn from childhood memories of cowering in bed while explosions filled the night. Then, a few days later, he and his friends would run outside, excited for the things they would find in the wake of battle. The children collected nails, various shapes of glass, and bullet casings the way most would pinecones and worms. Dwelling on this memory, adult Rock used these objects to capture movement. “Playground” is a hybrid of paint and object mosaic, with a girl’s dress soaked in red to represent the destruction of innocence. The painting moves like fire, with nails and bullet shells spiking the red and maroon border. A Peace sign made from rust-colored barbed wire is barely visible amongst the gray, red, and orange glass hovering over the scene. Altogether, the piece is six and a half feet long and weighs over 100 pounds; a heavy painting for a heavy memory.

A core element in Rock’s past and portraits is color. His piece “Ardoyne,” named for his home town, illustrates the atmosphere of the IRA neighborhood: dark, black as gunpowder with grit and smoke hanging in the air. “In the gray, dark…nasty nasty world, the bright colors are what you’re drawn to.” For Rock, those are the green, white, and orange of the Irish flag. Red of blood is also prevalent, repulsive yet intriguing. In the painting these bright colors are splashed against a backdrop of black and maroon, shining against the dark but still a mess in and of themselves. The paint is lumpy, thick, like plaster dried on pavement. To demonstrate the nastiness of war, Rock literally scoops dirt and mud from the ground and mixes it with the paint on canvas. “It also illustrates that we’re all dirt…that we’ll all be back in the ground, pushin’ up clovers…”

His intense involvement with his pieces is all part of his personal therapy; while most people talk through their past traumas, Rock paints through his. He literally lets his emotions and memories possess him until the rush is spent, the tension is released, and he can ride the euphoric high of completing his piece. “A lot of physical work goes into all my paintings,” he admits. The best example of this is “Burn,” which stems from a direct memory of his fourteenth year, when he helped clean corpses from a gas station explosion. The mannequin is stuck to the canvas, purple, black, and gray as charcoal with splashes of red. It’s wrapped in barbed wire painted to look like the Irish flag. While Rock loves his country, he admits that even in times of peace, the political closeness is binding and suffocating for the people. “Peace is never, ever free. [We] may achieve peace, but there’s always constraints.”

Rock’s work is all about his Irish heritage, but he now resides in the countryside of New Mexico, where he’s happy to say that he can hear the birds sing and has a new studio from which to work. Allowing the frantic nature of his memories to take control in his art has helped him immensely, though there’s always more to let out. While he still harbors chaotic memories, he hopes his paintings will give a voice to others from Belfast, to show the world what war was like and what it is like and what it will continue to be like. He has captured pictures of emotions behind his most painful memories so all can look at them and see the psychological scars of battle. One glance brings to mind anguish, frustration, and danger. On the other hand, they also carry a sense of hope; that the world will come to realize the atrocities of violence and stop before the next generation suffers its consequences.

Interviewed by Jonathon LaMella

When did you first become interested in modeling?

When did you know you wanted to get involved with modeling as a career?

What was the first agency you worked with?

You’ve gone to The University of California in San Diego and Santa Barbara and University of California. What did you study while you were there?

You’re currently involved in athletics and foreign currency trading. What kind of athletics? How long have you been involved with foreign currency trading?

What is your advice to aspiring models?

Can you tell us the most exciting moment in your career? And looking back, what was the hardest?

The hardest jobs are the online look books because they are long days that involve 100’s of wardrobe changes and minimal pay haha.

If you hadn’t become a model, what else do you think you would be doing?

You’ve worked with the KULT Model Agency,  Elite Model Management , Directions USA, Sight Management Studio, and most recently the  Abercrombie & Fitch clothing line. What else do you have planned in the future?

One can never predict what will happen in the future but my ultimate goal is to be happy.  What I mean by that is that I want to have a family and be able to support them and give them everything they deserve and being a father is most important to me more than anything.

Its been 2 years since we interviewed this amazing young lady.  Since then she’s moved to Los Angeles from London.  She was accepted by America’s Got Talent but wasn’t able to participate.  She is working on a new album and has so much history to talk about, we could have gone on for a few more hours.  You won’t want to miss this interview.

Throughout the 90s my generation grew up dancing to his music at our school dances, skating rinks and where ever we could listen to the radio.  His music is timeless, and the memories that flash back when I hear his songs are priceless.  Today we get to speak with the “King of Freestyle” himself on “The World of Art” hosted by Jason Dowd

Bio

Singer, songwriter, and producer Stevie B. was among the leading lights of the Miami dance music scene of the late ’80s, later reaching the top of the pop charts with the mega-hit “Because I Love You (The Postman Song).” A native of South Florida, he worked a variety of dead-end jobs ranging from car-wash attendant to fast-food server before scoring his debut hit with 1987′s “Party Your Body,” which grew from a regional success to national club smash; it was also the title track of his 1988 debut LP, which went gold. With 1988′s In My Eyes, Stevie B. launched his first Top 40 hit, “I Wanna Be the One”; its follow-up, “Love Me for Life,” soon cracked the Top 40 as well. With 1990′s “Because I Love You,” he reached the pinnacle of his success, with the single’s accompanying album Love & Emotion also generating a pair of Top 20 hits, “I’ll Be by Your Side” and the title cut. However, with the subsequent rise of alternative rock, Stevie B.’s light dance-pop sound lost much of its mainstream appeal, and he never again recaptured his previous success, with records including 1992′s Healing and 1996′s Waiting for Your Love appearing to little notice. The Best of Stevie B. followed in 1998.

The “World of Art” is streamed by Party955 www.live365.com/stations/partystation worldwide. Produced by Dowd Studios, Inc. and hosted by Jason Dowd. Production for “The Expressionist Magazine”

At the tender age of 14, Alana produced her first single written by her production company for the music video called “Butterflies.”  When Alana first set out to create the video, she had no idea what to expect; all she knew was she was having fun with her friends in a way most teens can’t experience.  What came next was nothing shy of amazing.

After a few months of being live on YouTube, Alana’s video recorded over 11.5 million views, and that number continues to grow.  She was almost an overnight Internet recording sensation!

Maybe the video is so successful because of Alana’s good looks, or maybe it’s because the youth today love YouTube and simply watched it over and over- but I don’t think so.  The real reason the video has done so well is because of Alana’s fresh voice that’s full of passion for whatever she sings about.  The talented young singer puts heart into her music, and it shows.  The video also does quite well because of its great cast and story plot.

Few adults really know what goes on when they send their kids to school.  It’s actually a downright brutal experience for most, and this video shows how vicious kids can be.  The cast is comprised of all Alana’s close friends who create the “perfect” chemistry, giving the video believable reality.

It’s tough enough for adults to break into the music world, but imagine a 14-year-old doing it – and she’s succeeding.  Some musicians would do anything to have the kind of views for their music videos as Alana has for hers.  In fact, she is in great company; many top legends in the music industry have as many hits as she does, including her inspiration – Taylor Swift.

Now, let’s go back nine years ago.  Alana made her first live performance on a cruise ship while vacationing with her family, at the sweet age of six.  Even then she had stardom written all over her, because she wasn’t shy in the least.  Alana got on that stage and wowed the audience, and her parents, as it was at that moment they realized she had a wonderful talent.

To make it in this cut throat industry, Alana will have to overcome many tough obstacles including finding time to practice, record and produce more music.  She will have to do this while going to school and keeping up her grades.  In addition, Alana must also create moments to hang out with her friends, and, in general, experience childhood to its fullest.

She will have to battle the politics and harsh criticism that comes with the fame and glam of being a musician.  But heck, Alana’s in high school; it should just be like any other day in class, except she won’t get bullied.  This is one task she will be able to pass with flying colors.

It won’t be hard to do, especially with the love and guidance of her family and friends.  Alana credits their support as the main reason she has accomplished so much already.

In 2011, Alana released another single titled, “Synchronize,” written for her by her manager.  This song boasts a message of what it’s like to have a  true friend – a bond that cannot be broken.  Everyone in life can think back to that one person this song talks about.  That special someone who could finish your sentences, or all they had to do was look at you and you knew exactly what they were thinking.

When I first listened to the song it blasted me back to 1990 through 1993 – one of the best times in my life as I was surrounded by great friends.  It brought back memories of my best friend, who sadly we lost in 2006, and all those good times we had together.  Times I hold dear to my heart, and memories nobody can take from me.

Just listen to this song and you will know exactly what I’m talking about.  It will bring a smile to your face and tears to your eyes as you reminisce about good times with your best bud.  Add in Alana’s youthful voice, and it completes the formula for time travel.

Lastly, she completed and released, “This is Me,” a song that talks about something we all hold dear- ourselves!  Alana compliments this song with a pictorial montage of her life from her days as a baby to her teenage years where she is today.  It’s a wonderful video that shows you how she’s grown and matured throughout the last decade to today.

I can’t say I am a true “psychic” or anything, but I can predict we will see a whole lot more of this young, talented artist in the future.  In fact, don’t be surprised if you see Alana someday accepting her first Grammy Award.

To find out more about Alana Lee and view her videos, visit http://alanaleemusic.net  or go and LIKE her Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/alanaleeproductions

Jason Dowd hosts “The World of Art” Radio show on New Years Eve talking with a 14 year old singing sensation, Alana Lee.  Her song “Butterflies” received over 11.5 million views on her YouTube music video.  She’s in the process of working on a full length album.

Instead, Lizard Lick Towing became one of the anchor segments for a new reality show,  All Worked Up, on TruTV.  From that point on, Lizard Lick Towing’s popularity grew, which spun them into their very own show.  Lizard Lick Towing exposes all of what the crew does and what they deal with on a daily basis.

The show is currently in its third season and can be seen every Monday night at 10:00 PM (EST).

Lizard Lick Towing‘s popularity stems from a few elements.  It’s taped in a real southern neighborhood -something many people can relate to.  Also, the show’s lovable cast, with their “real” and “charismatic” personalities that we fall in love with, make each episode delightfully entertaining to watch.  And, of course, there is plenty of  the usual day-to-day drama that confronts the Lizard Lick team.

Ron Shirley, the co-owner of Lizard Lick Towing, takes his best buddy Bobby Brantley on some amazing adventures, deep into the North Carolina backwoods and repos cars from people, including the Army rejects.  You never know what they will encounter next.

Throughout the years, the folks from Lizard Lick Towing have been threatened numerous times with various weapons- guns, knives, and even the occasional flame thrower.  Under an extreme circumstance once, the crew was even held up in their office with a hand grenade.  They’ve repossessed everything from high-end collectible cars to surfboards and even deer.

In Season 2 we saw an ex-fiancé of Bobby Brantley’s, Micky, return and woo Brantley away from Lizard Lick.  Her first run-in with the team, even before the show aired, she stole thousands of dollars from Lizard Lick and broke Brantley’s heart.

When she came back, she put a real kink in the friendship between Brantley and Ron Shirley.  Basically, Mickey tried convincing Brantley that he was better off without Lizard Lick.  Brantely was eventually given an ultimatum by Shirley, and he chose to leave the team.  That choice cost Ron and Amy Shirley a dear friend, and nearly their business.

“Me and Bobby are tight as a frog’s butt and that’s water tight,” says Ron Shirley, and with that statement and an act of friendship, Shirley accepted Brantley right back into the Lizard Lick family.  They are now trying to save their ailing business.

One of the greatest aspects of the show is that it’s real.  The Shirleys and Brantley are not paid actors.  Lizard Lick Towing actually exists in Lizard Lick, NC.  Unlike many other reality shows out there today, what you see is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

TruTV also allows the Lizard Lick crew to just “be themselves”.  “When you see us bickering, it’s real, and when you see us loving, it’s real,” says Ron Shirley about the show.  The owner adds, “I really like that TruTV allows us to be ourselves.”

That means that when you watch this show, they are not acting and it isn’t scripted in any way.  The crew of TruTV tapes Lizard Lick as they are, as if no cameras are present.

Life of a Repo Man

Unfortunately, we’re in tough economic times.  Even some of the most well-off individuals find themselves in tough times, struggling to pay their bills.  When that happens, you may see Ron Shirley and Bobby Brantley come to your home, to take your ride.

“At one time, we were one of the most hated people in the community,” states Shirley.  He recalls a time when he had to check over his food to ensure it was only food he was eating, and walking down the street meant being glared at with powerful stares.  However, he didn’t blame them because his  job requires taking from people at their lowest times.

Since the show, that has changed.  When he pulls up in their driveways, he generally is met with a handshake and is asked for an autograph, especially at the local watering hole around town.

 From episode to episode, we’ve seen many life and death attempts on their lives.  Shirley states that what you see is the bad end of his job, but not all jobs are like that.  Sometimes he’s in and out before the owner even knows the car is gone.

What you may not know is why Shirley and his team don’t pull a gun or taser out on these whack jobs that attack them when they are confronted.  Well, the answer is quite simple.  In North Carolina, repossession companies can’t carry a gun or knife in their car.  The insurance company takes it to another level and says they won’t cover them if they have a bat, pole, taser or any other kind of weapon.  So to avoid being blacklisted, they rely on their intelligence, a skilled plan, and a friend who can fight!

Because of the fact they are not allowed to carry protection, and Ron Shirley has a family who depends on him, he has no problem saying that he’s pulled back a bit.  A few years ago he would have gone into location like a cowboy riding a tornado, without much care, but not when others are counting on him.  You could say, his family has helped tame his wild side.

When I asked Shirley about the situations he’s run into he replied, “It’s not the people who wave guns and knives in our face and the loud ones that we really worry about, they are usually all smoke in the mirrors;  instead, we worry about the silent ones who give you one warning and walk off.”

The repo business is a tough profession that takes a certain personality to master.  It has its good days and its bad days, and what you see on Lizard Lick Towing are the days that we should be thankful we’re safe behind a desk!

If you want to see a true reality show, portraying the real lives of repo men in totally unscripted situations, then I encourage everyone to turn into Lizard Lick Towing on TruTV.  It’s probably one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time.

If the Shirleys and Brantley show up to your residence, you can bet …. “You’ll get licked!”

The World of Art talks with International Dance Recording Artist, Raquella.

RAQUELA’s powerhouse vocals have gotten her seen opening for legendary dance artists like Luciana, Judy Torres, George Lamond, Georgie Porgie, Stevie B and Grammy Award Winner, Little Louie Vega.

Bio

RAQUELA® is an American Theatrical Dance-pop, House music and Hi-NRG singer/songwriter. She has successfully released several dance tracks that have made her a recognized Billboard artist today. She often loves to jokes around about how tough it was growing up a nerdy geeky German/Mexican hybrid, in Northern California, USA. Raquela began fascinating the audience since she was 7 years old. At 9, she began performing professionally on stage. She wrote and performed her 1st Folk/Pop song on guitar at the age of 11. After studying voice and drama in Los Angeles, she was endorsed into two California Proclamations by Senator Diane Feinstein for her civil duties as the 1st Mexican American crowned, “Miss Orange County”. She later found herself playing leading roles on Broadway! She is humbled to have worked with so many Tony award winning masters.

In addition to Dance music, RAQUELA has proudly appeared on some of the world’s biggest stages. She enjoyed working alongside celebrities like Sara Ramirez (Grey’s Anatomy), Carol Burnet, Cloris Leachman, Bernadette Peters, Toni Collette, Don Rickels, Elaine Stritch, Chita Rivera, Angela Bassett, Joan Rivers, and Tom Bosely. (…to name a few)

“Before there was Lady Gaga, there was… RAQUELA!” Thanks to the successful release of Raquela’s 1999 award winning album, “Confessions of the Disco Diva”, she officially earned the title “1st Lady” of Theatrical Dance-Pop!

[" ...The story goes that while Raquela was finishing up her time in New York City, she performed several musical workshops. A few of which were done at NYU. A student approached Raquela after a show and pointed out Raquela’s BIO in the playbill. She asked Raquela a few questions about her “Theatrical Electronica” idea and that it was something she always wanted to do. She introduced herself as “Stefani” and invited Raquela to some of her rock bands concerts. In turn, Raquela invited her to some of her dance shows. Whether the two had actually followed though or not goes without knowing. Years later at a 2007 WMC Dance conference in Miami, Florida, Raquela tagged along with friend, DJ and reporter, Jeremy Martorano. Jeremy escorted her to several clubs and had her listen to the newest artist everyone was calling, “Lady Gaga”. Raquela had no idea who she was but loved what she heard. It took Raquela over a year to realize that was the same Stefani she met at NYU. Raquela recalled “Stefani” as an incredibly talented lyricist/composer, a beautiful “triple threat” and a very aggressive or confident woman who knows how to laugh in the face of fear and adversity..." from 'How Genres Begin' -by Roger Hung]

RAQUELA’s powerhouse vocals have gotten her seen opening for legendary dance artists like Luciana, Judy Torres, George Lamond, Georgie Porgie, Stevie B and Grammy Award Winner, Little Louie Vega.

RAQUELA has worked alongside many world renowned producers, like Chris “The Greek” Panaghi and the legendary, MICKEY Mixin’ OLIVER with the release of, “NOTHIN’ MORE 2 GIVE” that received Billboard Magazine’s “Break-Out” for Hot New Club Play. Today, Raquela can be seen in the new independent, dance variety television series called, “Intensi-T TV” filmed out of Las Vegas.

Currently RAQUELA is in the studio, working alongside producer greats like Steely M., Cary August, Keith Kemper, Matt Sietz, DJP, LA Rush and Qubiq. Her worldwide release for the remake of Taylor Dayne’s, “TELL IT TO MY HEART” (on CAPP Records, “Best Of 80′s Dance, Volume 3 – #1 80′s Dance Club Hits Remixed”) has made enough noise to get it maxi-singled on ISV Entertainment’s label, now out on CD Baby and iTunes!

RAQUELA played a key role in launching Children’s Theater companies, HIV/AIDS charity benefits and USO show acts.

RAQUELA is currently a member of ASCAP, AEA and The Grammy’s.
She also teaches voice privately.

Links

http://www.facebook.com/TheRaquela

Bio

“Aiyana-Lee, 10 years old,comes from the old nobility of Europe hence the recognized title of  “Lady”, that you see on many web sites.She inherits the title and her song writing talent from her mother, Lady NicoleAnderson, who is a multi Platinum hit maker, having had 11 Platinum Discs asrecognition of her work.

The 10-year-oldInternational Singer Aiyana-Lee, also carries the Motown’s Legacy and theLegendary Ruffin’s Dynasty thru today. She is the granddaughter of theLegendary Jimmy Ruffin (known for the Hit “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted”)and the grandniece of the great David Ruffin, lead singer from the biggest malegroup in the history, The Temptations (known for the mega hits:” My Girl”, PapaWas A Rolling stone”, “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” etc).

With such roots,intelligence, beauty and incredible talent, is no wonder that Aiyana-Lee, atonly 10 years old, has been recording and co-written with the most legendaryhit makers in the music history like her mentor Narada Michael Walden, PrestonGlass, Jud Friedman, Michael Jay, Johnny Jam, to name a few.

Aiyana-Lee’s work andtalent have been recognized not only in Europe, but even Her Majesty The Queenof the United Kingdom herself has congratulated and recognized the young talentin a letter sent just recently to the little girl, after she recorded a charitysong entitled “As One” and written by her mom, for the victims of Japan’sdisaster of 2010, song that became the “Anthem” of the charity organization“Play for Japan” having also been given the Japan’s Embassy support.

Although blessed with suchgifts and heritage that make Aiyana-Lee such a special child, she had to workharder than most for where she is today, as she’s been brought up and supportedby only her mother in her quest for reaching her dreams.

Aiyana-Lee had her firstAlbum release entitled “Who I Am” at only 3 and a half years old, she won herfirst International singing competition in Germany at 5, and her firstInternational Creative competition with her song “Stars” at only 4 years old inNurenberg.

Aiyana-Lee is also a model,having won her first modeling competition “Black Faces” in London at only 5years old and a very talented actress, having had studied at “Sylvia YoungTheatre School” in London and now being courted by many top managers andagencies in Los Angeles.

Born in London and livingnow in Los Angeles, Aiyana-Lee is working on her new album, the fourth forEurope, and the first for the United States.”

Links:

http://www.facebook.com/aiyanaleepersonal#!/aiyanaleepersonal