Last night I went to the Boston Independent Film Festival. They had a screening of "My Winnipeg" directed by Guy Maddin. It was a really fascinating film. The film details Guy's view what his home city is like and how his past is incorporated into it. The distorted narrative is filled with strange anecdotes that includes frozen horses on a river and seances on the town hall steps of Winnipeg. The film is edited and filmed in a way that you can't get bored while watching it. There is this vast barrage of visuals that are almost hypnotic at times.

After the screening the director was there for the Q&A's. He is probably the most easy going director I have come across. . Two new projects he is working on is a larger budgeted feature written by the same writer as "Saddest Music Of The World". He also is working on an Internet portal that will feature clips of recreated films (his version of it) that have been lost from the early 20th century.

I gave Guy a copy of "Prometheus Triumphant" . I usually never give celebrities anything because I don't want to come off as being needy. I hate it when at screenings people ask the director "hey, can I be in your movie?". ouch lame! However this time he honestly seemed happy about getting a copy of it to watch it.

I have been working a lot on getting the CD ready for release. There are a lot of roles while doing this release. Distribution, digital distribution, booking for shows, media coverage, music videos, and radio airplay. The bad side of doing everything myself is that I can't devote a lot of energy to every single one item but spreading myself out on all of them. The positive side of this is that I have no one on payroll, I don't have to train anyone, and I get the job done. I figure if I can devote a little for each task every day that compounded after a few weeks it comes out to be a lot.

If you haven't yet joined my mailing list please do. There will be a lot of free stuff coming to everyone on the mailing list very very soon.

The new Portishead album "Third" came out today and it's brilliant. The music industry needed this album. It's vastly different to anything out there today. Sure they were popular in the 90's and it might sound dated because of that but they discovered different paths to follow. They put a ton of work on the album. If you live in the New England area you can buy the album today at Newbury Comics and get a limited-edition white vinyl 45" single for free. Which is kind of cool but I don't have a record player. I should get one. I have this theory that records will have a revolutionary (ha! the pun) return to the mainstream.

Producing a music video is a lot of work! The hardest part, which I thought would be the easiest, is finding a location. I am starting to exhaust the searches in the Boston area. I might have to alter the script for a different location. It's so strange I could have the video filmed on a pirate ship but a cabaret club? ha! difficult

Wow, what a long day. It's interesting how one day could equal like 15 dull days.

So it started off with me jumping into a pirate costume and going to the casting studio. Usually you are never to wear a costume to an audition but the casting agent told me to. So I arrived and someone asked (seriously) if I was there for the American Express commercial or the pirate film audition. I felt like telling her I was there for the Geico commercial and which lizard should I talk to? but I didn't and told her.

So I was nervous all morning reading my lines and I walk in and the director was all curious by my costume and I had to explain it for several minutes. Then they have me reading lines in this scene with another woman where we are supposed to be in bed. Except we weren't we were sitting on folding chairs. So I am stretched out on the chair pretending I was laying down. So I did my lines ok except the director asked "be more Irish but not too Irish" . So I tried again and I probably sounded like a retarted Scottish. Hell I don't know I never had formal dialect training. So then they placed me with another actor (a male one this time) and gave me a hat and a really cool pistol. So I barked out orders in my Lucien's-version of Irish and then that was it. I doubt I will get the part but at least it was a learning experience. I think next audition I will learn my lines instead of partially reading them.

So I left all relieved that the whole ordeal was over and drove to Cambridge to park my car. I was scheduled to go to the Audio for Film Networking Conference in Boston. The problem was I was still dressed as a pirate. I thought about changing in a parking garage and thought I probably would get arrested. So I went to the Cambridge library to sneak in and change in the bathrooms there. Everyone is staring at me, this crazy looking pirate, and the people in front of me was slow...not like slow but close-to-death slow. I had people coming up to me asking "why are you dressed as a pirate?" and I had to explain the whole audition thing which lead to explaining the movie. ANYWAYS.. so I finally get pass the 4 people in walkers to get in to the library. I get the key and then change in probably one of the most disgusting bathrooms in Cambridge. Jumping out as Clark Kent Lucien I set forth into public back into the 21st century.

I had a lot of time before the conference so I went to Harvard Square to see if I could get the latest Dame Darcy comic at Millionaire's picnic. Then I went to Newbury Street and eat at Deluca's Deli right behind someone of some public stature (I don't know who it was some lady that the paparazzi was taking pictures across the street at her) . Then I walked by Owen Wilson who was dressed like he was playing on a 1970's basketball court.

So finally I went to the convention and met the most composers in one location ever in my life. I usually meet a composer once every..... 10 months? not very often... here they were all assembled talking about scoring for films. I didn't learn anything I didn't know but it was interesting to see some of the demos by other composers. I was rather surprised the bulk of them are using loops and midi samples to score. Which I guess is fine for temp tracks or if you are using elements of loops and samples within "live" instruments but to make an entire score is just lazy and trite. The ones that used actual real instruments in their recordings sounded soooooooooooooo much better.

Last but not least my ALBUMS CAME ! the first shipment from the manufacturer. They came out perfect and the printers did an awesome job (I didn't get a physical proof of it just a digital copy so I wasn't sure). When will YOU get them? May 27th. I can't have any for sale until that date for strict legal reasons because of publishing rights.

Now I am beat. I didn't get much sleep last night trying to think what would Sam Bellamy do? First I need to eat some Captain Crunch then sleep............

Wow, I am tired tonight. I am slowly going through the massive To Do list with working on the release of the album. I could, in theory, hire someone to do all this work but it would take me just as much time to explain everything than to just do it myself. The only downside of all this work I hardly have time to just play the piano. I think sometime this week I will just take a nice 3 hour block of time and just play whatever I want.

Any day now I should get the first shipment of the album to arrive. I am pretty psyched to see how the printing came out for it.

I have an ad that will be placed in the next issue of "Gothic Beauty". If you are curious what it looks like it's here in TIF format (warning: It's really large, do a right click/save as) .

The 48 Hour Film I worked on over the weekend is going to be called "The Lavimont Expense Report." . It's screening in Cambridge 9:30pm on Tuesday, April 15th at Kendall Square Cinema.

I got a DVD copy of Argento's Tenebre from eBay last week. I had VHS copy of it (that I have watched many many many times) but it vanished. Now I am trying to look for a DVD for Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. I only found it on-line going for $40 or more because it's out of print (that price is just silly).

So the CD master is shipped off to production. It should be completed and sent off to the distributor in about 3 weeks. Now I am working on the publicity side of the album release. I will be setting up a CD release party in the Boston area around the release date May 27th. Shows will be announced shortly. I want to have a bulk of a few shows to announce instead of announcing single shows as they get booked.

Last night I watched House by the cemetery (aka "Quella villa accanto al cimitero" ) directed by Lucio Fulci . It's an interesting film that I can't really say if I could understand all of it. There were a lot of creepy elements to it. Portions of it were filmed in Lexington MA. It was a good film that any fan of 1970's (well this was 1981 but that is still 70's) horror movies would like it.

Package with the CD master for manufacturers is set to mail out tomorrow. Soon let the games begin!

In case anyone missed it I have a poll where you can ask me any question that will be placed in the press kit and video blog (that will be posted here later) . Thus far the questions asked are awesome!

The design for the cover was finished yesterday. I am filling in some paperwork tomorrow and then shipping out the master to the manufacturer by Tuesday. I had forgotten how much paperwork and things that have to be done with an album release. I am having the album digitally distributed as well so the paperwork doubles for that. I am even having ring tones of my songs to be distributed. I am on auto-pilot with all this being it's my 4th album but this time I am hoping this album will peak more interest in a larger variety of people.

I have another Jack Hill movie to watch that my friend Bill let me borrow called "Switchblade Sisters" . What I really like about Jack Hill movies is that they all are filmed in a serious style but there is obvious humor elements in it that are very subtle. There are a few filmmakers that can create that same vibe.

The album is done mastering and the production of the album is done! The sound quality is so much better now thanks to the genius of Mike Caglianone the recording engineer at 7A West.

Next stop album design

Success! the Lou Reed cover song I was going to place on the album was approved by publishers that own the rights to song so now it can be distributed not only on CD format but on iTunes. Lesson learned don't ever make a cover song more than 5 minutes or else it cost more per a minute (my version just barely was under 5 minutes)

The antibiotics are finally working on my coughing and I am almost not coughing at all. Which I am glad of. I hated playing the piano or trying to sing and every other measure I would be coughing. I haven't been able to sing normally for nearly a month and it feels like I am rebuilding myself to sing again.

I bought a copy of "Foxy Brown" directed by Jack Hill this afternoon. Jack Hill also directed one of my new favorite movies "Spider Baby". I am not sure why but I am fascinated on anything that is from 1970-1974. I can't believe I was actually born back then because it seems so long ago. I feel like I was born in 1982 because my memories of the 70's are pretty limited.I remember everything from a very young viewpoint but I have no idea what it was like to have been an adult. I am sure smoking must have been more pervasive everywhere as well as polyester clothing. I remember all the adults were upset that they couldn't get gas on certain days.

I have a few prospective locations for the music video (thank you everyone who helped me out with it!) . I have to contact the locations and visit them all to find the right one. Tomorrow I have a teleconference with the director so we can establish a shooting date for it. The bottom line will be, as with everything, is cost in the final decision where it will be shot.

The mastering session for "Beyond the Law" will be on Tuesday March 18th. Once that is completed the music production of the album is completed and the next phase is design then manufacturing.

I have been working on getting the mechanical licensing for the one cover song that is on the upcoming album. "Mechanical Licensing" is essentially the allowance of me to do a cover song and release it with royalties to the original songwriter (in this case Lou Reed). I have been trying to go through the Harry Fox Agency that deals with most mechanical licensing but thus far I have come up empty. I have two other options but there might be the possibility I might not be allowed to release the cover song. I also decided to add two tracks from the soundtrack to Prometheus Triumphant (maybe three). I might release a soundtrack compilation album sometime in the future of various films I scored for.

I didn't like the new Beowulf movie at all. The screenplay followed somewhat closely to the original tale but the animation seemed like it was a video game. It would have been much better as a live action.

I am still coughing. I went to the doctors (again) today and he gave me antibiotics. I have a bacterial infection in my sinuses. I am starting to slowly start singing again normally though!

p.s. Happy Birthday to Hermi (my sister) if you are reading this !!! :)

This past weekend I was an extra again for Ghosts of Girlfriends Past shot at the Cranes Estate in Ipswich. It was a long day over 13 hours. It was very rainy and muddy which made it kind of a pain to go from the tent where all the extras waited to go on set to go to the mansion where they were shooting. The crew for the film seemed very mellow and relaxed. I have been on some film sets where everyone is all stressed or grumpy which makes it unpleasant.

Production for the music video "Club Monbijou" is underway. Mike McKown will be directing it, Jim Towns will be the art director for it and it will be filmed in Boston. I already have wardrobe and a production assistant for the video as well. This week I am going to scout for a locations for the video. The following week I will start casting for it. I am hoping to have it filmed in May time frame.

The album production is moving along. I should have the mastering session scheduled for next week. I am still looking at some tracks to place onto the album.

I really like the graphic novel "Y the Last Man" which is about this mysterious virus that kills every man on Earth instantly except this one guy and his monkey. Sounds like every man's dream right? Unfortunately, a section of the women in the new world adopt the amazon persona and want to kill him. It's like a zombie film in which everything deal with social chaos but without the dead. The series is very popular and was running for 5 years.

I don't like daylight savings time

So I did the extra work for Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. It was shot at the Cranes Estate in Ipswich which is about 20 minutes away from where I live. I love that place it's so beautiful. It's a great place to film a movie. It was used for several other films like The Witches Of Eastwick and Flowers in the Attic. The shoot just consisted of a wedding scene that had Lacey Chabert and Robert Forester in it. Robert Forester I remembered seeing from Mulholland Dr. as the detective in it. Although he looks a little like R. Lee Ermey which would have been much much cooler "Whats your major malfunction! ".

If you never been an extra for a film or TV show it's kind of like being the lowest person on a film set. The director is the king on the set and everyone else trickles down and the bottom of the pyramid are the extras. I really think if they could make robots or do CGI more cheaply there wouldn't be any need for extras. There is a lot of waiting involved and when the film or TV show comes out you will see yourself for like 1-2 seconds out of focus (if you are lucky). It's not awful though. You get to see and meet a lot of film people, you get free food and you get paid. I just want to have a speaking part one of these days.

Moby released a new single called "Alice" that I really like. He isn't singing in it which makes it a lot better. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but I like it. It sounds like it could be used for an opening sequence for a film.

The new album by Goldfrapp "Seventh Tree" isn't good. I don't like saying bad things about artists because I know there is a lot of work that goes into an album (oh believe me I know!). However, when you have a sizable budget from a good label (Mute Records) and you come out with something so lazily produced it's a crime. It's so boring, trite, and lacks originality. I kind of get the thought that perhaps Goldfrapp is just trying to complete their recording contract by just coming out with something.

Watch one day I will run into her and she will tell me that she was going to fund a world tour for me but then she read my blog post and totally won't support me... eh... it still is awful Alison! I don't care...

So this week (and last) I have been working on pieces to perform when I start my shows in March/April. I must confess I completely had forgotten how to play "Decaying Events". I really should write some of my music down. I always do when it's for other musicians to perform but rarely my own piano (and or vocal) pieces. I think I have about 80% of it back but portions of it I haven't repeatedly listened to it to get it exact. (it was 2 years when I recorded it)

I was composing a small sonata this evening that was so complex I had trouble playing it. Sometimes when I compose I hear the music very clearly in my head and it's running so quickly that my fingers can't keep up. So I have to usually repeat over and over till my brain and my fingers sync up.

I am back from my lightning-fast trip to Hollywood for the screening of Prometheus Truimphant from Mad Monkey Productions directed Jim Towns and Mike McKown. The screening went pretty well. It was the first time I had seen the film on the big screen. I was used to seeing it the size of a postcard on my monitor screen in my studio for so long. It looks great on a larger screen. There will be more screenings of the film in the near future in different parts of the U.S. so all of you must see it!


Mike McKown (director) , Melissa Troughtzmantz (actor in the film), Jim Towns (director), & me .
(left to right) photo by: Kim Hutsell



The screening was held at The Egyptian on Hollywood Blvd. It was the site of the premiere for a lot of silent movies like "The Gold Rush" .

More pictures and what else I did while there below
( Read more... )

So after eating a huge Thanksgiving dinner and having time off I wondered "what should I do today? I know! how about I will make a music video". So I took out a digital camera, filmed some footage, made some edits and I was done.

So here it is my first single "Decayed Events" off my upcoming album "Beyond The Law" . Copy of lyrics here

So here I am again writing in my journal as the other side of my mouth is numb from the dentist. I think I have one more trip (I hope) to go to the dentist to get 4 more cavities filled. This time as the drill was hitting my teeth I started hearing BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONIE NO. 9 blasting in my head for about 1 minute and then I started layering music on top of it and then it was a different symphony entirely that I made up. I wonder if drilling into teeth might cause some kind of memory restoration? Kind of like getting hit on the head? It was very odd.

I got an email back from Frank that the drum and bass tracks for "Babylon Train" was completed. So now I just have to go back and redo the first verse and probably the end chorus section and it will be completed. I am hoping to have it all done mid-December.

My cousin Leon emailed me and asked about doing the drums for the song. Which already were slated to be done at the studio. So I am going to do one more song for the album and send him the track to do the drums. It will have to be done quickly because I need the album to move to mastering by the end of this year to make the release date on time.

I have been listening to a lot of music I haven't a clue what the lyrics are because they are in Spanish but I like the music.

La Camisa Negra - Juanes
Mala Rodriguez - Alevosia
Mala Rodriguez- Por La Noce

Speaking of music I bought a copy of the Joy Division "Closer" remix. I only had the album on tape so I bough it. If you are a big fan of Joy Division and you need every album they have I would recommend getting it. If you already have the album don't bother getting it. The remix is ok but it's from analog master tapes and it sounds like they just raised the EQ levels and cleaned it up a bit. So if you want the remix of the older CDs just raise up the volume of your stereo and you get the same effect. Now that I think about it I kind of like the album on tape. I like the hiss and the bass sounds better on it.

I am so glad to have the feeling back in my mouth. Needless to say I have to go back to the dentist later this month to have it done some more. I kind of wish they would just shoot me with a tiger dart and then while I am knocked out all my teeth would be fixed.

I am now in the phase of the album process of waiting... I have one more track that is being completed at the studio by other musicians and then it will get shipped to mastering, then at that exact time the cover is getting designed which should be a simple process since I have all the design elements done. I am also starting production on two music videos that should be completed by mid-December and released on the web. One will be very artistic & abstract and the other one will be really simple.

I also am having my shows starting to be booked for the coming year. Hopefully they will be booked in interesting places. I wish there were more places that had pianos on site. It would make travel a lot easier.

I watched an episode of BBC's "Robin Hood" tonight. It's pretty good but the music is loud! Way too much brass and drums and booming. I hate to say bad things about people these days because I could quite honestly meet someone that I was critical of them. However, I think John Scott (the composer) was directed to compose that way to make it a little like Erich Korngold score from the Errol Flynn films.

Stawndud N Deliiiivah!

That's how I sounded about an hour ago getting out of the dentist after being shot up with novocaine in my mouth. I have to admit in a weird way I like the sound of the drill on my teeth. I wish I had a recorder to record it...what I hated was the burning smell of my teeth! Now that! ... that was scary

This week I have been practicing songs that I will be performing live. I am also going to be working on melody sections for "Red Sister Red" directed by Jim Towns.

I have been reading Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. I have to be honest that I find it thus far trite and really boring! I am only at Chapter 3 so I hope it picks up. I wish H.P. Lovecraft did a remake of the story. I prefer his writing style ... maybe I am just an impatient reader