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Carisa Wells ~ My Debut Novel
  • Authors
Jul06

Carisa Wells ~ My Debut Novel...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

Memoirs of a Girl Who Loves God… This book, my debut novel and my first of many, is a symbol of so many things. It represents a dream come true, hard work, answered prayers, acknowledgment and change. My book is a Young Adult Fiction in the Faith & Spirituality genre. It’s about a struggling fourteen-year-old named Krystal, who is cutting in order to cope with changes in her life. While the story is fiction, the main character is based on a real girl, someone I’ve known forever and love dearly. She is my muse. A plethora of research, interviews and heart went into creating the vivid characters that cross Krystal’s path in Memoirs of a Girl Who Loves God. How did this all come to be? I don’t really know. Something about growing up as an only child gives the imagination an extra spark! Extra sparks do wonders for reading. I’ve been a reader my entire life. In junior high and high school, there would often be a novel on top of my stack of schoolbooks. It was always smaller than everything else in my arms and constantly slid around while I was walking through the halls. Most of the time, the book would have a Stephen King or Dean Koontz title. Because I was painfully shy, I kept just a few close friends and busied myself with reading in my spare time throughout the day. Reading is a lifesaver during moments of awkward silence. My first real memory of enjoying the writing process was in grade school. We’d been learning about the science of weather, and our assignment was to write a weather report. My teacher said we could pick any location, so I chose Mars. My meteorologist was abducted by aliens midway...

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Victor Greywolf ~ Advice for Actors
  • Actors
  • Filmmakers
Jun30

Victor Greywolf ~ Advice for Actors...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

I’ve noticed that a lot of people often feel very frustrated with acting. It is frustrating, I have to agree, but there are things you can try that will hopefully ease the tension and at least make the circumstances more pleasant. I’ve outlined some alternative ways to practice your art and become a better actor. Produce Your Own Films Look at acting or voice-over art as an outlet or venture, because that is what it is. Try honing your craft by making home movies or videos on a webcam. At least this way, you can produce films that highlight your talent and enjoy creating them. When your films are good enough, submit them to film festivals or lesser known venues. Instead of shooting in the big cities, try smaller cities. A lot of times, there isn’t as much red tape and they are more willing to work with you. Remember, smaller venues will be easier to work with than larger ones. You’d be surprised at how many movies are made in small areas. I am currently working on an audio book for filmmakers on a budget, and I’m already halfway through it. Participate in Community or Student Films Work as a production assistant for unknown filmmakers and directors. You never know when they’ll need additional actors. This could be your chance to get into movies. Be an extra; you may be seen in the final cut. Here are some other reasons these projects could be your big break: Someone is going to get a shot at fame and leave the production. Someone will have a falling out with the director for whatever reason and leave the production. Someone will decide that acting isn’t for them and leave to pursue something else, which gives you,...

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Danielle Antonio ~ Freedom and Philosophy
  • Musicians
Jun24

Danielle Antonio ~ Freedom and Philosophy...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

Early in my Long Island, NY childhood I knew I wanted music to be at the center of my life.  I started piano lessons at age 7 and studied pop and classical music.  My earliest memories include going to live concerts, playing showcases, as well as listening to great music from many different eras. One of the main influences in my dedication to a life of music, however, is my father Pete Antell. I often helped out in his home studio, and I sometimes accompanied him on tour with artists such as The Doobie Brothers and Fleetwood Mac. It was one day when I was standing backstage at a Fleetwood Mac concert (next to Christine McVie’s piano) that I knew with absolute certainty music what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. In college, I was involved not only music but also theater and dance. I took part in everything from stage production to choreography.  The invaluable discipline that I gained back then is a big part of why I constantly push myself to write, record and perform now.  Upon college graduation, I moved to Colorado after landing a singing job at a mountain lodge.  I performed several seasons there and with a few other groups throughout Denver/Boulder. When I started to dabble in songwriting, I moved back East to a friend’s farm in Connecticut, and I really put music front and center.  With a great practice space in a huge barn with hardwood floors and natural acoustics, I spent countless hours writing and recording demos on my old 4-track player.  Eventually, I moved to NYC to fully pursue my singer-songwriter career, working as a legal secretary by day and playing clubs and hitting the recording studio at night. After playing...

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Jake Green ~ Still Hung Up on You
  • Musicians
Jun23

Jake Green ~ Still Hung Up on You...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

I love Danish blues Jake Green Band. They have an amazing blues sound. Their new single Still Hung Up on You is terrific. I interviewed Jake Green last weekend, while he was celebrating his nephew’s seventh birthday at his sister’s summer home. We tried to record the interview outside in the park-like setting, but the internet reception would not cooperate, so we moved indoors. When you watch the video, you’ll notice the change in venue. Of course, the very first question I asked Jake was to tell me more about Still Hung Up on You. Jake told me: “Still Hung Up on You is your basic breakup song. My Dad used to say that if you really love somebody, it never really goes away. That’s pretty much what the song is about. It’s about you still being hung up on the person, even though the relationship didn’t work and you still have feelings, even if they’re still not that strong any longer.” I also adore the Jake Green Band single Broken Love from the Live at Malmo Festival album. The song is so heartfelt. I wondered who the song was about, but Jake would not say: “The song is not about anybody specific. I prefer to write more general, so people can better relate. That’s also why I don’t name names in my songs. The song is about the process of falling in love and getting hurt by love. Actually, the new version of this song on my upcoming album is a little different from the one recorded in 2011. The last verse has a little twist that says you should still put yourself out there and risk getting hurt, and you should still seek out love.” The Jake Green Band has such a...

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ReverbNation Winner ~ The Christopher Brothers
  • Musicians
Jun17

ReverbNation Winner ~ The Christopher Brothers

posted by Cynthia Kahn

The Christopher Brothers are adorable, articulate and extremely talented. It’s hard to believe that they haven’t yet graduated high school! All three sing. Cameron plays drums, Charles plays lead guitar and Ethan plays bass. We picked The Christopher Brothers as our ReverbNation Contest winner because we love their upbeat music and hit single and video for Somebody Just Like You. So, the first thing that I asked the boys about was to tell me the back story behind that song. Cameron told me: “None of us read music, so we came up with the melody and went to Charles and said ‘I have this song and I think it’s cool.’ I sang it to him and he wrote the chords. The song is about feeling alone in the world, but knowing you can’t be alone. There has to be somebody else just like you.” Somebody Just Like You is from The Christopher Brothers’ new album Dog Daze. The single Let Me Out is another one of my faves, so I asked about this song too. Charles explained: “The song Let Me Out is about wanting to be out of a relationship, but you can’t be let out of it. In your mind, you’re stuck in a relationship with a girl.” All three brothers laughed and agreed, “Yeah!” On The Christopher Brothers trailer video, all three mentioned being greatly influenced by The Beatles. Who else influences these guys? “Green Day, we really like Green Day. We also like The All-American Rejects, Blink-182, Plain White T’s, Harvey Danger and a lot of bands like that.” Since the boys don’t read music, I wondered if they have taken lessons or are they self-taught musicians. Cameron said, “We used to take lessons a couple years ago. Afterwards, we decided to pick it up and move with it by ourselves.” Ethan and Charles nodded in agreement. Cameron continued, “Charles can look up any song and figure out the chords. I’ll listen to the drums and learn the part that way. When we’re songwriting, it can start either on the guitar or the piano.” Ethan added, “Or it can start with the vocals and the words, and we combine them together.” I wondered what it was like, brothers working so closely together. Do they fight a lot? Charles told me: “It’s the best experience. Even if we fight about little things, it’s nothing in the grand scheme of things. We have each other all the time.” Another benefit to being a band of brothers: band practice can be any time. Cameron describes it: “We practice whenever we want. Other people tell me that they only meet once a week for band practice. We can do that any day, any time. Our parents understand. So, even if it’s at 9 o’clock at night, we can start band practice. We go for an hour or two, and our parents are cool with it.” When The Christopher Brothers aren’t songwriting, singing, rehearsing, recording and playing out, what do they do for fun? All three chimed in: “We play video games, basketball, Wiffle ball, swimming and that kind of stuff.” All three brothers act too, so that takes up a lot of their time. They’re in commercials and music videos. The Christopher Brothers have over 300,000 Facebook fans. How much time do they spend on social media? Charles explained, “We use Facebook the most.” Cameron added, “We started getting fans, and it kept rolling and rolling, more fans and more fans.” Charles continued, “We love being in contact with fans. We put photos up almost every day. We also write back to them right away. It’s a great way to keep in touch, because we have fans all over the world.” What advice does The Christopher Brothers have for other young artists? Charles advised, “Never give up. That’s probably the most important thing.” Cameron added, “Get ready to work...

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Black Amser ~ POUR TOI
  • Musicians
Jun15

Black Amser ~ POUR TOI...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

My name is Davy Lansky aka Black Amser born on the 3rd of July 1989 in Gabon. I’m a 25 years hip-hop recording artist based in South Africa, Pretoria. My passion for music started when I was a kid. My father is passionate about music, so he is the one who made me like it. At my younger age, I was able to memorize and sing everything my father was listening to. As I kept on listening to music, I started to write lyrics for my friends and me. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long, because I had to focus on my studies. But nothing is more powerful than music. Music is the only thing that can change your mood. It is the only thing that can come through your mind and do whatever it wants to do without your knowledge, whether you want it or not. When something is aimed to be, it will happen. As I grew up and felt more confident, I started to be more serious about the music industry, and I have decided to continue from where I stopped. My studies don’t have anything to do with my music career, because they don’t really follow the same path. So, at school I am just an ordinary student, and outside I am a musician who is dreaming to reach the highest level and help others. I have been in the professional music industry for years now, working with professional musicians from other countries. I have been taking advice from them, I have been learning from them and I hope that I will find a way to make it in Jesus name. My music is not always focused on myself. I try to touch all the aspects of life, so that older...

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Straw ~ To A Higher Place
  • Musicians
Jun11

Straw ~ To A Higher Place

posted by Cynthia Kahn

Danish country rock band Straw is changing the face of country music in Denmark. Straw is a family affair. Henriette and Carsten Fabricius are the heart of the band. The two write, record and perform with their three lovely daughters Nellie, Sally and Denise. Straw’s new hit single and video To A Higher Place has attracted a global audience. The song is wonderful and the video visuals are amazing. Henriette explained what inspired the song: “We wrote the song at our place in Sweden. We spent time with our old friends, good friends. When Carsten played his guitar, the motion and mood was very good and the words just came out. It’s a love song. It’s about the good things in life, going for a walk and holding hands. It’s about being aware of what you have. It’s a positive song.” As I watched some of Straw’s older songs and videos, I came across the video for I Hope. I got goose bumps as I watch and listened. I just had to know more about this song. Carsten told me: “Henriette wrote the words, but it’s definitely about me. I had some very bad times and some very bad habits. After a while, I realized that I had to make some changes. This song is about making changes in your life. You have to show that you are making changes, and everyone has to see those changes. We have to accept that we are changing all the time, and we have to give each other new hope.” All three girls in the Straw family sing. When they sing together, they form a choir, a very special sound. Nellie is the youngest, and she sings and plays piano and guitar. Carsten and Nellie plan to play guitar together on an upcoming record. Sally is in the middle. She sings, plays piano and writes songs to the piano. The band plans to include more piano parts as Straw begins to record more of Sally’s music. Denise is the oldest. Everyone laughed when it was Denise’s turn, because she admits to not playing piano or guitar very well. She sings and writes songs too. Denise’s songs are lighter, and Sally’s songs are more melancholy. Henriette is the mom. She sings and writes most of the lyrics together with her husband Carsten. The two write music together. Henriette plays a little guitar, but not on stage. Carsten is Straw’s guitar-player. Straw tours with 3 of the Danish top musicians: Helge Solberg (bass), Jakob Storm (drums) and Miki Skjold and Jens Runge (guitars). How does Straw keep family harmony both in and out of the studio? Henriette laughed, “We don’t!” Denise explained: “We give each other space. It’s OK to be angry, and it’s OK to be sad and cry, and it’s OK to be happy. Everything is allowed. We are honest. There was a time, before Straw, when it was a problem. Then, we made the changes that we sang about in the song I Hope. We have to talk to each other and listen, listen a lot. And show love.” I was surprised to learn that there are country bands in Denmark. Henrietta told me: “It’s a difficult question, because we all don’t agree on the topic of country music.” Denise elaborated: “When you use the word country to describe music in Denmark, Danish people don’t know what it is. They think the song Jolene is the only country song. You don’t think Alison Krauss when you talk about country music in Denmark.” Henriette laughed: “They listen to it, but they don’t know what it is.” Danish people would describe Straw’s music as pop with country flair. The family credits a wide range of musicians that influence their music, including the Eagles, Alison Krauss, Gabrielle Aplin, Taylor Swift, Whitney Houston and Linkin Park. What advice does Straw have for other family bands trying to make...

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ReverbNation Winner ~ Jessica Meuse
  • Musicians
Jun08

ReverbNation Winner ~ Jessica Meuse...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

We picked Jessica Meuse to be our ReverbNation Featured Artist Contest winner because we love her raw sound, her lyrics and the single Blue-Eyed Lies. So, I just had to know the scoop behind the song. Is it about someone Jessica dated? Jessica admitted, “It’s a true story. Even when bad things happen, sometimes you can get good out of it. I try to do that through my music. I tried to make something wasn’t necessarily great into something productive.” Jessica Meuse recently released her first independent single Done. The song is awesome and I love the YouTube video clip. I just had to learn more about Done and where I could download my own copy. Jessica informed me: “Done is available literally everywhere. It’s on Google Play; it’s on Amazon; it’s on iTunes. The song is about something I’ve been going through the last couple of years, even before American Idol. It’s about another relationship that didn’t really work out and I was just done with it, so I wrote Done. I think I got the point across.” With a big smile, Jessica added, “I’m really, really proud of it. The song was created with the help of my small, small production team of four people in Los Angeles. It’s raw; it’s real; it’s me. I’m much happier with it than anything I could have otherwise put out. We chugged it out and I’m so proud of it.” What does Jessica Meuse look for when she collaborates to produce her music? “I look for our ability to work together and to be in synch. The energy should flow and build and feel good. There should be no destructive or negative energy. It should be easy to work with somebody. You should have ideas...

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