“The Independent Music Awards is an influential & effective international program that helps top-ranked indie artists & releases overcome mainstream obstacles and reach millions of Fans, Programmers, Talent Buyers, Film, TV & Gaming Music Supervisors, Press and other industry movers & shakers. It is not a contest or battle of the bands. IMA artists receive yearlong print, online & broadcast promotions plus distribution & performance opportunities. The IMAs represent the diversity of today’s vibrant indie scene and supports artists with previous major label releases as well as artists that have only self-released or appeared on indie labels.”
Congratulations to Hank Friedmann, the director and animator extraordinaire, whose brilliant work deserves the utmost recognition and appreciation.
A 50-person judging panel consisting of influential artists and industry decision makers including Peter Gabriel, Suzanne Vega, Roger Daltrey, George Jones, Buddy Guy, Keith Urban, James “Blood” Ulmer, Butch Walker,
Paquito D’Rivera, Lee Ritenour, and others determined this year’s
Winners in 50+ Music and Design categories.
“Care for some whiskey?” was chosen from thousands of submissions worldwide, including the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, Cuba, China, Mongolia, Republic of Guinea, Israel, South Africa, Italy, France and Sweden.
It’s the late 80’s. I’m exploding with excitement about my new buddy, a Cricket doll. This is no ordinary child’s toy; Cricket is a very large 25″ battery-operated doll that talks and sings when a cassette tape is inserted in her back! As the tape plays her high-pitched voice, her eyes and mouth move accordingly. She arrives clad in a pink sweater, yellow undies, a pleated mint green skirt, yellow socks and pink hi-top sneakers with monogrammed laces. Blue-eyed and blonde, Cricket embodied the chipper American girl prominent in TV and cartoons. I’m embarrassed to admit that I was smitten with my new friend. It’s only now, two decades later that I understand why, as an Israeli-born, brown-eyed brunette, I felt like the epitome of a foreigner (I’ll save my notions of Americanism and childhood trauma for another time).
Cricket came equipped with pre-recorded tapes and a full-sized cassette tape player lodged in her back! However, her tapes (which boasted corny songs paired with idioms such as “Are we having fun or what?” and “I’ll be talkin’ to ya!”) did not meet my musical standards and I quickly discovered that I could record my own tapes and control what she said and sang. This realization led to grand performances and operas featuring the dynamic duo: Leerone and Cricket, of course. I still can’t believe what my parents and grandparents were willing to endure! You can imagine, I’ve searched endlessly for these cassette tapes to see if maybe I was a child prodigy but, sadly they are nowhere to be found. And it’s probably for the best anyway because learning to sing in key required a few years of practice
For the record, Cricket was supposedly available in an African-American version as well with short curly hair and no ribbons, but I have yet to see her.
Here are some pics of one of my grand performances, including two additional stars- my grandma Suzanne and grandpa Jacques:
I’m excited to announce my new Valentines day products!! Yes, the Hallmark holiday is around the corner and I want to do something very special. I want to write you a love letter or better yet, write and perform a personal love song to, and about YOU! To learn more, visit my webstore!!
Directed by Claire Carré (Brett Dennen, Sia, Rainer Maria), To Fill the Void depicts Leerone as a starry-eyed dishwasher at a roadside diner. The clip culminates with Leerones workaday character earning a chance to accomplish the most modest of dreams. When asked to fill in for the waitress temporarily, Leerone is thrilled to have a moment to shine! The video was conceived by Leerone and Carré, whose résumé includes directors assistant on the award-winning Patty Jenkins film Monster and was filmed in NYC.
Click here to see previous post on the making of the music video.
CREW CREDITS: Zachary Zimmerman (Producer), Stephen Bruckert (Assistant Director), Todd Somodevilla (Director of Photography), Brandon Sumner (Assistant Camera), Chris Heikel (Gaffer), John Dianda (Key Grip), Steven Little (Art Director), Karen Lanyi (Hair & Make-up), Tristan Kneschke (Film Editor), Antoine Blanche(PA), Halavah Sofsky (PA), Kenneth Yagual (PA), Katie Maguire (PA & “Comics fan”).
CAST CREDITS: Sharry Galloway (“Mother”), Jermaine Richards (“Son”), Alberto Lazo (“Break-up Couple”), Steven Camarena (“Kitchen Friend”), Keith McNicholas (extra), Karl Schroder (extra), Edward Webb (“Diner Owner”), Richard Ruperto (“Club Kid”), Danny Boushebel (“Regular”), Armando Tavarez (“Artist”), Shawn Farrell (“Businessman”), Alex Melendez (“Club Kid”), Sara Courtney (“Break-up Couple”), Janet Gruener (“Waitress”), Timothy Corscadden (“Biker”), Victor (“diner”), Sarah Cho (“diner”).
At 16 minutes and 22 seconds, during a very emotional scene, my b-side track, “Don’t Go” from Imaginary Biographies, The B-Sides, helps to set the somber tone. The Episode aired on December 4, 2008. Yay!!
