we've never been here before but have heard good things about it
Hey folks – something slightly odd has transpired: tonight, Tuesday, November 8, Bren & Val are playing an hour’s worth of our songs at MBar in Hollywood, with a few songs from other people before us.
The evening was intended to be a kind of exclusive theatre-oriented open mic night where everybody does one song, but pretty much nobody from our writing-musicals-in-Los-Angeles group actually SIGNED UP to perform, so it’s gonna be like this:
• a couple of songs by other people
• and then mostly Bren & Val for about an hour, playing some old and some new songs and having a fun time.
We hope you can join us on such short notice.
Tuesday, November 8, 6:30 to 8:30pm
Mbar, 1253 Vine Street, Los Angeles, CA 90038
$10 food/drink minimum
It’s now up at the Disney site, here. (If it doesn’t start playing right away, click on “Dig Down Deeper - Dance to the beat of Zendaya’s inspirational anthem!” which you’ll see on the right side.)
The first (2008) TINKER BELL movie is airing at 5:30 PM tomorrow – Saturday, November 5 – on the Disney Channel, and the music video of our song “Dig Down Deeper,” performed by Zendaya, debuts during the first break which should be right around 6:00 PM.
One of the songs we’ve written for TINKER BELL is really heating up at Disney — and it’s fascinating to see the resources of this powerful company in action as they get behind this song. The single will “drop” on iTunes on November 8th: it’s the theme from the upcoming TINKER BELL & THE PIXIE HOLLOW GAMES half-hour TV special (which premieres Nov 19 on the Disney Channel), and the tune is called “Dig Down Deeper,” sung by 15-year-old Disney starlet Zendaya.
For the first time, a modern-sounding “pop” production style has been approved for a Tink song (up until now, the consistent sound of Pixie Hollow has been a Celtic, Enya-meets-Loreena-McKennitt sort of vibe — very lush, cinematic and beautiful, but not quite hurtling-up-the-radio-charts-style ear candy) — and this one, thanks to the ideas and wisdom of Disney music exec Matt Walker, plus the creativity and craft of producer Scott Erickson, has been transformed from our original down-home demo to a veritable Beyoncé-esque festival of pop-ness. It’s a single with a bullet, our first ever.
There’s a full-on Janet-Jackson-style music video due to be released any moment now (see preview below), replete with dancers and a drum line in the high school gym…and Zendaya will be performing “Dig Down Deeper” at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, while riding atop the Build-A-Bear Float.
We never cease to be amazed at the ways life does not turn out according to plan, instead surprising and stunning and sometimes delighting us in ways we never ever imagined. (If you believe, clap your hands…)
One of our earlier songs from the world of sassy fairies is catching some ears.
We’re proud of this simple lullaby, co-written with film composer Joel McNeely, that plays over the end credits of TINK 3 (TINKER BELL & THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE) — and we love the singer, Cara Dillon, whose gorgeous voice and delivery truly make the song her own. She’s been performing it at live shows all over the British Isles and Germany, along with her husband, guitarist/producer Sam Lakeman.
The song in a literal sense is all about Tink teaching a human girl named Lizzie how to fly — she’s just sprinkled pixie dust all over her in her bedroom — but out of context, it’s just a song about having courage…which, if you know us well, you’ll know is one of our favorite subjects.
We would definitely take flying lessons from Cara and Sam — they’re utterly convincing — and you’ll see how adorable they are in this shot-on-someone’s-phone video from a recent gig.
We’ve been living here now for over 2 years, mostly working at home and going out of town to play music…and we’re itching to start playing out in our new hometown, so we’re going to begin to make it a regular thing.
It’s hard to believe that the holidays are almost upon us — but in only three short weeks the band meets up again for our annual tradition of STRIKING 12 shows. It’s our 9th season!
Gene, Andy Einhorn (piano, musical director), and Mark Vanderpoel (bass) backstage at Carnegie Hall
Gene writes: “I am loving touring with Audra … the music is wonderful and the hang is great. This photo is the trio backstage at Carnegie Hall on 10/22: l-r it’s me, Andy Einhorn (piano, musical director), and Mark Vanderpoel (bass). It was such a thrill to play a full concert there with Audra, Ted Sperling conducting, and a wonderful orchestra of 30+ of NY’s finest musicians. Most of the shows are just Audra and the trio, which we’re all loving … audiences and venues have all been first rate. Come out and see one of the remaining shows!” Read More »
Choreographing "Paper and Pen" during a rehearsal at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.
I’m getting to work on something wonderful and strange: a piece of theater about the father of behaviorism, entitled “The Behavior of Broadus.” Back in March I lucked into seeing an invite-only, hastily-rehearsed and gleefully thrown-together performance of this play with songs by the Burglars of Hamm. Center Theatre Group was commissioning this piece–and my friend Matt Almos was reluctantly banging out chords on the piano for this piece that had slowly but inexorably turned into a musical. The actors were making up their own harmonies, and the melodies were simple and memorable. I laughed and cried and it was better than Cats.
I approached Matt afterward and told him that it was wonderful–and they simply needed a little help from somebody who does this sort of thing and can help finish the songs the way they intended them. You know, like me. Read More »
1) Val has a new solo project with electric violin/voice/Ableton Live, and will launch it with 
