Sunday, March 29, 2015

Actor/architect/designer James Wilder joined me Monday at 9:30am pst!

Had a great time chatting with James Wilder on the second half of today's show! If you missed James, listen to our conversation here!

Congrats to James Wilder!
In addition to winning the Independent Spirit Award at the Garden State Film Festival, he also won Best Actor Award at the Winter Film Awards! WOO HOO!!!




ABOUT JAMES WILDER

Neil Young wrote that it’s better to burn out than fade away. But for actor/architect/designer James Wilder neither option is acceptable. Juggling artistic mediums like the three running chainsaws that earned him notoriety on the streets of New York and Los Angeles -- and later on stages throughout Europe -- Wilder is that rare breed of artist that is not drawn to the flame of fame and fortune but rather the exhilaration of a new challenge.

Committing only to that which truly inspires him -- be it a film, TV or stage role, designing award-winning Hollywood Hills homes or an exclusive line of leather jackets and jewelry -- Wilder has been successfully merging creative spirit with entrepreneurial instincts since his early teens. It was then that he first discovered he could earn more money as a fire-eating/knife-throwing street performer than bagging groceries. And it was far more fun. 

Almost always judicious in his career decisions, it’s been a while since Wilder found a project compelling enough to distract him from his other ventures. But the opportunity to play a duplicitous washed up screenwriter in the soon-to-be- released indie psychological thriller “Three Holes And a Smoking Gun” (formerly titled “Three Holes, Two Brads, And a Smoking Gun”) was just too juicy a role to pass up.

Co-starring Joaquim de Almeida, Rudolf Martin, and Richard Edson, “Three Holes And A Smoking Gun” has since accrued a slew awards -- including the “Grand Jury Prize” and “Best Lead Actor” (Wilder) at the 2014 Red Dirt International Film Festival, "Best U.S. Narrative Feature Film" at the 2014 Laughlin International Film Festival, and “Best Screenwriter” (Scott Fivelson) at a 2014 Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles. The film will also screen at the high profile Winter Film Awards in NYC (Feb 26, 2015) and the Garden State Film Festival (March 19-22) in Atlantic City prior to its early spring theatrical release.

Similarly graced with nearly universal critical praise for its incisive script and powerful acting, “Three Holes…” has even earned comparison to Robert Altman’s award-winning anti-Hollywood classic “The Player”: Writes Film Threat Magazine” “Three Holes and a Smoking Gun managed to make a film about struggling screenwriters alluring and engaging… The level of moral bankruptcy that reveals itself reminded me of The Player and if you’re going to find comparisons to a film, that’s not a bad one to have.”

Of his searing portrayal of Bobby Blue Day, the London Film Review decrees that Wilder delivers: “an excellent performance… burning up the screen… and never less than believable… It’s a great role and Wilder more than does it justice… In Bobby Blue Day, Wilder and writer Scott Fivelson have given us a highly memorable screen creation.”

Concurs online site megamusta.com: “Despite being a low-budget film, (“Three Holes And A Smoking Gun”) provides big-budget drama. Where most films go for flash and computer graphics this film honors past “Who Dunnits” in the style of Agatha Christie by being driven purely by dialogue. And how that dialogue is translated can only come from good acting. Wilder… creates a character who is dangerously unpredictable, disturbing, and desperate beneath a veneer of charm; charm that is deceiving.”

Bubblenews.com observes that “(It is) a dark, and occasionally comedic (in an understated and visceral sense) sleuth film in the vein of a good Agatha Christie novel… (this is) intelligent writing at its best,” while Film Industry Network definitively states that for those who have ever “wondered what happened to smart, well-written movies”… Three Holes And A Smoking Gun is the answer.”

Raised in the bohemian enclave of Sausalito (outside San Francisco) where he attended an all-boys advanced learning institute, Wilder’s paradoxically liberal upbringing allowed for the kind of creative freedom from which his maverick tendencies were born. At the age of 14 Wilder was living in his mother’s native Paris, regaling audiences with his one man show at such legendary venues as the Moulin Rouge and Lido and later on Broadway. While there, he performed with the Nouveau Cirque De Paris, the precursor to Cirque du Soleil, before making his way to LA where he lived for several years in his customized van.

As his legend grew so too did his opportunities, his charisma and movie star good looks soon propelling him into the world of acting. “I never set out to be an actor,” he admits. “But with so many people urging me to give it a shot, I succumbed to the temptation.”

It wasn’t long before Wilder nabbed a role in the Broadway hit “Sugar Babies” while studying at the famed NY Actors Studio, at which he was later inducted as a member. Upon returning to LA his impressive range and determination quickly earned him a reputation as a fearless and committed actor. TV and film roles rolled in. Some were great, highlighting his scope, others not so much. But the one thing that remained constant was the recognition of his talent. From his breakout role as the troubled addict son of Ed Asner in the ABC Circle Theater presentation “Cracked Up” to his heralded star turn in the Emmy-award winning one hour legal drama “Equal Justice” (with Sarah Jessica Parker) and evocative characterization of a drug-dealing seducer on “Melrose Place,” Wilder metamorphosizes with Kafka-esque ease from sleaze to tease, charming marauder to murdering psychopath… and virtually every persona in-between.

His film work included such diverse projects as “Scorchers” with icons Faye Dunaway and James Earl Jones, “Flypaper” opposite Lucy Liu, and “Nevada” alongside Angus McFadden and Gabrielle Anwar. He also appeared in (starred) “The Coriolis Effect,” which won The Grand Prize (in its category) at the Venice Film Festival. But it was his scorching depiction of serial killer Carl Isaacs in the acclaimed Miramax film “Murder One” that definitively thrust him into the limelight. Having spent an entire day with the prisoner at Atlanta’s Reedsville State Penitentiary, Wilder embodied the dark and sinister psyche of a deranged murderer with chilling acuity. Or as the New York Times wrote: “James Wilder, as Carl Isaacs, is a thoroughly malevolent character, one in whom evil rather than insanity seems to prevail.”

As his star ascended, Wilder was featured in the pages of Vanity Fair alongside Alec Baldwin, Meg Ryan, Robin Wright, and Keifer Sutherland, GQ, Detour, and many other high profile titles. Often disinterested in the mainstream roles coming his way, he began turning his attention to the more provocative world of independent films and his passion for design and architecture.

Untrained as an architect or interior designer, Wilder’s keen eye and distinct vision has transformed a dozen empty lots throughout California into panoramic living art. From gothic to baroque, sleekly modern to vintage chic, each of designs boasts a singularly unique aesthetic, one of which was recognized by HGTV as among LA’s top three most outstanding properties alongside a Frank Lloyd Wright design.

Slowly the homes he built in his exclusive Hollywood Hills neighborhood have evolved into a loosely-structured artist’s retreat inspired by Elia Kazan, Wilder’s favorite renegade. Annie Leibovitz, Stanley Tucci, Blake Shelton, Tom Ford, Eddie Van Halen, Jesse James, and Stevie Wonder are just a few of the marquee names who have chosen his properties for photo shoots, exclusive events and long-term inspirational living spaces.

When not constructing homes, acting or designing, Wilder can often be seen searching for vintage treasures or working on one of his classic cars and Indian motorcycles. Boredom and routine does not suit a man who is fueled by the thrill of the unknown and the rush of a challenge. Seems he’ll always keep us guessing as to his next move.

http://jameswilderactor.com

http://www.themodernvillas.com/


Pamela Giusto-Sorrells, a third generation natural food industry pioneer, joined me Monday at 9:00am!


Special thanks to Pamela Giusto-Sorrells, founder of Pamela's Products, for calling in to today's show! If you missed our conversation, catch it here!



ABOUT PAMELA GIUSTO-SORRELLS

Pamela Giusto-Sorrells is passionate about food and passionate about people. So much so that in 1988, filled with compassion for eaters limited to tasteless food due to health considerations, she founded a company dedicated to baking gluten-free foods so delicious that no one would know the difference. To this day, she personally develops each of the products that bear her name, with new recipes continually under development, often based on customers’ inquires and needs.

Giusto-Sorrells is a third generation natural food industry pioneer who grew up in a family which included a natural food store proprietor and artisan bakers.

Established by Pamela’s grandparents in 1941, the Golden Crescent was one of the first health food stores in San Francisco. Years, later, her father grew the business into a wholesale bakery, where one of Pamela’s responsibilities was packaging a variety of cookies made with safflower oil (and no preservatives of course): sticky macaroons, molasses bars, and gluten-free confections made of rice and soy flour that her family had made since the 1940s. Pamela was seasoned in the values on which she would later build her own business: that ingredients must be wholesome, that customers must be able to know without a doubt that the product meets their dietary needs – however unique – and that recipes must be so delicious that everyone could enjoy them.

To the delight of customers seeking wheat-free cookies the whole family would crave, Pamela’s Products started by developing delicious tasting Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies and rich Peanut Butter Cookies. From the picturesque Ukiah Valley, Pamela’s Products now proudly offers an expansive line of baking mixes, cookies, fig bars, snack bars and her newest introduction, Graham-style crackers.

As the company heads into its twenty-seventh year, Giusto-Sorrells remains at the heart of a business that continues to lead the way in bringing home-baked, convenient indulgence through an ever-expanding array of delicious gluten-free choices for all to enjoy. Pamela’s Products. Gluten-Free Cravings Fulfilled Since 1988

For more information, visit: PamelasProducts.com
Connect with us! Website Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Think you're in a funk?! Nancy Appleton joined me Monday @ 9:30am pst to talk about our love affair with sugar, our addiction, and the impact sugar has on our bodies and long-term health

Miss Nancy on today's show? Listen to our conversation here!

ABOUT NANCY APPLETON
Nancy Appleton has been studying and researching nutrition and health for many decades, earning her B.S. from UCLA and her PhD from Walden University. Driven my her own addiction to sugar, she has written several books on the subject, including Lick the Sugar Habit, Suicide by Sugar, Stopping Inflammation and Killer Colas. Retired from individual consultations, Dr. Appleton is hard at work writing her latest book: Your Fate is On Your Plate. She lives in San Diego.

G.N. Jacobs for Nancy Appleton

Rachel Hofstetter, former food editor at O Magazine and author of Cooking up a Business, joins me Monday March 23 @ 9:00am pst to talk about her enterpreneurial spirit, PR School and more!

Did you miss Rachel on today's show? Listen to our conversation here.

ABOUT RACHEL HOFSTETTER

Rachel was so inspired by the entrepreneurs she wrote about—as the food editor at O, the Oprah Magazine and her book, Cooking up a Business, that she caught the entrepreneurial bug herself. Today she's the founder of guesterly, which creates who's who guide to events, and PR School, where editors themselves help entrepreneurs get great press.





all new: pin this to win!
PR School | guesterly
let's be insta-friends

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

LOVE & SEX IN THE ERA OF MAD MEN: WHO WOULD DON DRAPER FLY? UCI'S DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA PRESENTS: BOEING-BOEING


IRVINE, Calif. (March 17, 2015) – UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts Department of Drama presents Marc Camoletti’s classic farce Boeing-Boeing. A madcap comedy listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most performed French play throughout the world. Translated into English by Beverly Cross and directed by Chancellor’s Professor of Acting Eli Simon, Boeing-Boeing is a stylistically lush and comically rich romp of a tale. At the center is swingin’ bachelor Bernard, who has a flat in Paris and relationships with three gorgeous stewardesses, all unaware of his duplicity. When the new and speedier Boeing jets deliver all three women to him simultaneously, however, the jig is up and hilarity ensues.

Boeing-Boeing lands on the heels of a couple of this season’s more serious offerings, Naomi Wallace’s The Liquid Plain and Distinguished Professor Mihai Maniutiu’s The Electra Project, providing some springtime comic relief. According to Professor Simon, it is “a perfect vehicle for the exploration and execution of high-impact farce.” With vivid costuming and cleverly constructed sets, the play’s comedy relies on nimble physicality as well as brisk wordplay. “This style of theater takes situation comedy and pushes it to extreme levels of zaniness,” says Professor Simon. “Any madcap comedy should have lots of doors, and this show has seven! Imagine swinging bachelors and hip airline stewardesses flying in and out of those doors with split-second timing -- that’s farce, that’s fun… that’s Boeing-Boeing.”

The English language adaptation of Boeing-Boeing was first staged in London at the Apollo Theatre in 1962 then transferred to the Duchess Theatre in 1965, which ran for seven years. It has been adapted to film in five languages. The 2008 Broadway revival won Tony Awards for Best Leading Actor (Mark Rylance) and Best Revival of a Play. This production is sure to be an enormously entertaining romp!

Humanities Hall Little Theatre

Evenings: April 25, 30; May 1, 2 at 8:00 pm

April 29 at 7:30 pm

Matinees: April 26; May 2, 3* at 2:00 pm

* Ticketholders: please join us for a post-performance TalkBack with the creative team and cast.

UCI Faculty and Staff: $14 / UCI Students and Children under 17: $11 / General: $15

For tickets, call (949) 824-2787 or visit
www.arts.uci.edu/tickets

  Media Contact:

Jaime DeJong, Director of Marketing & Communications

Office: (949) 824-2189

Email:
jdejong@uci.edu

Monday, March 16, 2015

Natural Products Expo West/Engredea Shatters Attendance Record - Predicts the Macro Trends for Natural, Organic and Healthy Products

Boulder, CO, March 10, 2015 – The 35th annual Natural Products Expo West, the world's largest natural, organic and healthy products event, took place March 4-8 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. The event grew 7.2 percent bringing together an inspired community of over 71,000 industry members, more than 2,700 exhibiting companies and 634 first-time exhibitors. The event is produced by New Hope Natural Media.

Co-located with Natural Products Expo West was Engredea, the event to source new ingredients, packaging, technologies, equipment, and services for cutting-edge products, and the Fresh Ideas Organic Marketplace, an innovative outdoor event that combines a traditional farmers’ market feel with the business-building power of a trade show.

Due to demand, New Hope expanded the event’s exhibit space to encompass the entire Anaheim Convention Center campus. In addition to traditional Exhibit Halls, new exhibitors showcased new products at the Hilton Hotel Anaheim, which also offered an extra day of exhibits on March 5. NEXT Forecast estimates the industry natural and organic products industry is expected to grow to $252 billion by 2019.

First time exhibitor, Keith Mullin, Founder of Zippy’s based in La Jolla, CA said, “We launched a new product at Natural Products Expo up in the new products area at the Hilton. We had some really high-quality conversations with retailers and received great feedback about how they perceived our product and how we can expand and grow with their companies.”


“Thanks so much for having us; we had a really great time at Expo West. We love the new changes this year! Loved the Thursday hot products at the Hilton, loved seeing all of the new things coming out and are excited to come back next year! See you in September for Expo East!,” added Beth and Amy Soergel of Naturally Soergel’s based in Wexford, PA.

Matt Stearn, Project & Social Media Manager of Derma E based in Simi Valley, CA commented, “As a company that has been coming for over 30 years, we have to say that this is our best Expo West ever! Everybody has been so awesome and we are ecstatic about the audience that we saw this year.”



This year the conference program was extended to four days of robust education. The program offered a full docket of education topics as well as keynote presentations from Mark Bittman, food journalist at The New York Times, regular guest on the Today Show and author of How to Cook Everything series and VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 and Dr. David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM, board-certified Neurologist, fellow of the American College of Nutrition and New York Times bestselling author of Grain Brain.


New Hope’s team of editors and analysts identified the five macro trends influencing the marketplace. They include:

Transparency advancements: Consumers are increasingly demanding to know what is in their food, and brands are responding by using technology and other innovations to provide greater transparency and traceability for their products.

Ancient Wisdom Gets Wiser: Brands continue to innovate by producing simple, delicious products that take minimally processing to new levels and contain short lists of nutrient-dense ingredients.

Paleo 2.0: Paleo-positioned products were even more prevalent. The newest Paleo offerings are popping up in every product category, from English muffins to chocolate.

Packaging Innovated: From edible cups to packages featuring famous cookbook authors, the packaging innovations made advancements in sustainability, consumer education and shelf stability.

Protein Invasion: Responding to consumers' insatiable hunger for protein, natural and organic brands are packing new offerings with protein in every conceivable form.


"Advancements in transparency, clean product development and sustainable packaging created a rich environment of inspiring product innovation at this year's Expo West," said Carlotta Mast, Executive Director of Content and Insights, New Hope Natural Media.


Many companies were recognized with awards at Natural Products Expo West.

The official Natural Products Expo West “Best of West: Press Award” went to Justin’s Mini Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. Runner ups include: Noosa Yoghurt, LLC’s Vanilla Yoghurt and Brandstorm, Inc.’s Dark Chocolate Covered Chia Seeds

The winner of the NEXT Accelerator Natural Products Business School Pitch Slam was Loliware.


Expo West and eTown hosted a sold out benefit for Just Label It to help fight for federal mandatory GMO labeling. The evening of musical entertainment and interviews included performances by Ziggy Marley and Aimee Mann.


Natural Products Expo East 2015 will return to the Baltimore Convention Center, September 16-19, 2015 in Baltimore, MD. Natural Products Expo West 2016 is scheduled to take place March 11-13, 2016 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.



Follow @NatProdExpo or #ExpoWest on Twitter for ongoing conversations or connect on our Facebook or LinkedIn groups to keep up on Natural Products Expo latest developments.



About New Hope Natural Media

New Hope Natural Media is the leading media resource and information provider for the natural, organic and healthy products industry, with print, in-person/event, and e-business products and services.







Contact:

Heather Smith

Natural Products Expo West Media

T: 303.998.9232

E: hsmith@newhope.com






Friday, March 13, 2015

Kittens in a Cage - Official Trailer

Director/writer Jillian Armenante joined me today at 9:30am to talk about her women-in-prison comedy series Kittens in a Cage!


KITTENS IN A CAGE is a must-watch women-in-prison comedy series. Jillian Armenante has officially created your new favorite show."  - AfterEllen.com

Directed By Jillian Armenante


Written By Jillian Armenante - based on the play by Kelleen Conway Blanchard.


Email: kittensinacage@gmail.com





If you missed Jillian on today's show, listen to
our conversation
here.




Here is the official Trailer...


About Jillian Armenante
Jillian Armenante is an actress, writer, director, producer.  She executive produced, wrote, directed and acted in the original series KITTENS IN A CAGE based on the play by Kelleen Conway Blanchard, with such actors as Michelle Monaghan, Tyne Daly, Constantine Maroulis, Misha Collins, Joel McHale, Amy Brenneman and dozens more. Kittens in a Cage is released internationally on Vimeo and in North America on Hulu and through the website www.kittensinacage.com. She recently returned from Iraq where she participated, on a grant from the US State Department, as a director for the ART OF SOCIAL JUSTICE FESTIVAL and the Iraqi premiere of Heather Raffo’s NINE PARTS OF DESIRE. She directed the West Coast Premiere of We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915 by Jackie Sibblies Drury at the Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles. The play was LA Times Critics Pick, LA Weekly Pick of the Week and Ovation Award recommended. She produced and directed the world premiere of LOVE LOVES A PORNOGRAPHER by Jeff Goode with Circle X Theatre in Los Angeles. It won a Drama Critics Award and received several Garland Awards including “Best Director”. Also with Circle X she produced, directed and co-wrote LAURA COMSTOCK’S BAG-PUNCHING DOG. The show received both the Theatre LA’s Ovation Award and the L.A. Weekly Award for World Premiere of a Musical. She also produced, directed and co-wrote IN FLAGRANTE GOTHICTO at Circle X which received the LA Drama Critic Circle Awards for Writing, Directing and Production as well as the Ted Schmitt Award for "Most Outstanding Debut of a New Play". It also won the LA Weekly Award for Playwriting and Comedy Ensemble and Garland Awards for Production, Direction, Writing, Ensemble. IN FLAGRANTE GOTHICTO was also produced by Seattle’s The Empty Space. Also with Circle X, she directed and produced the world premiere GREAT MEN OF SCIENCE, NOS, 21 & 22 by Glen Berger. The show received a Theatre LA Ovation Award for Best Production in a small theatre, and The LA Weekly Award for Best Production.

Her film acting credits include HAIL,CEASAR!, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, BAD TEACHER, A MIGHTY HEART, NORTH COUNTRY and GIRL, INTERRUPTED. Her TV acting credits include BETTER CALL SAUL, FRESH OFF THE BOAT, SCANDAL, SHAMELESS, PARTY DOWN, CASTLE, THE CLOSER, PRIVATE PRACTICE, GREY’S ANATOMY, E.R., Six Feet Under, The West Wing, and Northern Exposure. She was a series regular as Donna on the CBS Drama JUDGING AMY for which she won a TV Guide Award. Jillian’s theatre acting credits include The Cider House Rules by John Irving, adapted by Peter Parnell and directed by Tom Hulce at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum and at The Atlantic Theatre in NYC. For this performance she received a Garland Award and a Theatreworld Award for "Debut on the New York Stage" as well as a Drama Desk nomination.

She is the President of STOIC ENTERTAINMENT INC, a production
company currently developing two feature films and an original web
series.

She is represented as an actor by in Los Angeles by DOMAIN TALENT and FRAMEWORK ENTERTAINMENT.

Sasha Boudreaux was back on the show to talk about her incredibly moving documentary "Walking Tall."


If you missed Sasha on today's show, listen to our conversation here.


Sasha Boudreaux talks about her film Walking Tall

Walking Tall is an important work for me as it serves as a message to those out there facing insurmountable odds, that with hard work, grit and determination, you can overcome. Mark Connolly was my physical therapy patient back in 2012. He was bedridden with very little movement in his arms when we met. We started working hard everyday with every little bit of hope we had. When his toe movement began to happen we knew he would be able to walk again, but it would take a painful journey with an intense amount of will, perseverance, and a community of support. The documentary, Walking Tall, follows this step by step, struggle by struggle journey of courage and passion that will motivate and give rise to a new breed of humanity that learn the words I can. Mark’s journey has served as an inspiration to those who know him in the Santa Barbara community and we would like to spread that inspiration and share his story with a broader audience. I humbly ask for your support us in making this a possibility.


I know how inundated we all are with requests for money, and that you may or may not be able to provide substantial resources at this moment in time. Just know that any amount makes a difference and, if you are not able to give, helping to spread the word can be equally powerful. I’ve chosen to work with hatchfund.org because I wanted to partner with a non-profit organization whose mission is dedicated to supporting the work of artists. This service is free for the artist, provides fully tax-deductible contributions, and one-on-one support to me throughout the fundraising campaign. It is FOR art. I hope knowing that the small percentage fee that you pay for administration of the campaign is going towards a non-profit committed to cultural advocacy (and not a large corporation with a fancy website platform) will make you feel good about your donation! I’ve also provided some heartfelt perks (swag bags, hoodies and more!) for your donations to let you know that your support makes you PART of the making of this work! Once again, you can join or learn more about the campaign here: https://www.hatchfund.org/project/walking_tall.



Dear Friends, Colleagues and beyond!


It is with great excitement that I announce the launch of my Hatchfund fundraising campaign in support of my current documentary project, Walking Tall, which follows the journey of a man who broke his neck in late 2012 and has since learned to not only walk again, but golf and rock climb.



We are trying to raise an ambitious $20,000 in 40 short days for final filming and post production. The campaign closes March 26, so any and all help would be greatly appreciated! This is our “bare bones” budget to finish the documentary. If the $50,000 stretch goal is accomplished we will be able to re-create some scenes, add additional interviews, and graphics. In addition we will have more time with our editors and composers, leading to a much more polished product.



Please take a moment to view the brief video I put together about my project. You can view it at: https://www.hatchfund.org/project/walking_tall.



Thank you for your consideration!



Warmly,


Sasha Boudreaux

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Had a great second half of today's show chatting with Dr. Stephen Tucker, Conductor of the UCI Symphony, and an Associate Professor in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts’ Music Department! If you missed today's show, listen to our conversation on the link below!


If you missed Dr. Tucker on today's show,
listen to our conversation here.

About Dr. Stephen Tucker, Conductor
In his fourteenth year as the conductor of the UCI Symphony, Dr. Stephen Tucker continues to build the orchestra’s repertoire as well as its visibility in the Orange County and the larger California communities. Along with his orchestral duties, Dr. Tucker is an Associate Professor in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts’ Music Department, teaching a variety of courses. In addition, he collaborates with the Dance department and leads the orchestra in outreach efforts in the community, most notably, the adoption and nurturing of the music program at Santa Ana High School.
Before joining the faculty at UCI, Dr. Tucker did academic work at UCLA, the Vienna Conservatory in Austria, at the International Conductors’ Institute, and Thayer Conservatory of Music. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from UCLA where he served as Assistant Conductor of Opera UCLA and conductor of that university’s Musical Theatre Workshop. Prior to that, he held positions as Music Director of the Neumark Ensemble, a Southern California chamber orchestra and chorale, and the Southern California Young Artists’ Symphony, leading numerous concert performances with both organizations.
Maestro Tucker’s professional experience has taken him to Taipei, Taiwan, Bratislava, Slovakia, Budapest, Hungary, Avery Fisher Hall, New York, Canada, and the Caribbean.
Dr. Tucker is Music Director and Conductor of the Riverside Lyric Opera Company, attending to the development of this long-standing organization.
COMING UP AT THE CLAIRE TREVOR SCHOOL OF THE ARTS!
UCI Symphony Orchestra Concert
“American Renaissance”
Featuring the Winner of the 2015 Concerto Competition – Jae Won No, violin
Friday, March 13 at 8:00 pm
Irvine Barclay Theatre
Tickets available on our website at www.arts.uci.edu

Special thanks to award-winning writer Terence Loose for joining me on today's show from his home in Hawaii (jealous!). We chatted about his incredible writing career, his love of the ocean and its healing powers, and how his congenital heart defect almost cost him his life - listen to the entire conversation below!


TERENCE LOOSE
Started today's show with
award-winning writer Terence Loose!
If you missed our conversation,
listen
here.

ABOUT TERENCE LOOSE
Award-winning writer Terence Loose’s fiction and nonfiction has appeared in Movieline, L.A. Times Magazine, Riviera, Coast, The Orange County Register and other magazines and literary journals in his 20-year professional writing career. He has held editorial positions at both Movieline and Coast, for which he is a current contributor. Loose also holds an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, served as writer on MTV’s “Sucks Less with Kevin Smith,” and has taught writing classes at UCLA and UCI Extension.

Loose’s personal life is even more storied. In 2000, Loose sold (and gave away) all his possessions, including his home, bought an old, leaky 32-foot boat and, with his wife, and sailed through Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, the coast of Mainland Mexico and the South Pacific. He and his wife returned after two years to a new adventure: parenthood.

In 2010, Loose, who was born with a heart defect, underwent his third open heart surgery, but complications left him on life support and in a coma. Loose beat the odds, however, and after having to learn to eat, speak and walk again, made a full recovery – unfortunately for readers he is also writing again.

Today, Loose lives in Hawaii with his wife and daughter, and when he is not typing, he tries surf and spear dinner.


Terence Loose

Editor-at-Large

Coast Magazine

 

Monday, March 2, 2015

Clementine, founding member of Zepparella joined me Monday @9:30am pst on Get the FUNK Out! LIVE on KUCI 88.9fm - streaming on www.kuci.org

Clementine, founding member of Zepparella joined me Monday on Get the FUNK Out! LIVE on KUCI 88.9fm - streaming on www.kuci.org

If you missed Clementine on today's show, listen to our conversation here!

ABOUT CLEMENTINE
Hard Rock/Funk/Pop drummer Clementine adds her powerfully passionate style to every project. As a founding member of the road-dog metal band BOTTOM, she developed a heavy-hitting, dynamic sound. As Phyllis Rudd in AC/DSHE, her athletic and exciting playing helped garner the band top-grossing status in the Bay Area, and throughout the States and the UK.

Clementine is the founding member of ZEPPARELLA. She tackles the best rock drumming ever written with her own emotionally powerful style, bringing the Motown influence of the Bonham groove to the forefront. The musical connection established with Gretchen (guitar) in AC/DSHE creates the bond required to do this great music justice.

This connection seeded another project, THE HOUSE OF MORE, an original music project with all four original members of ZEPPARELLA. Compared to Pink Floyd, Tom Waits and Fiona Apple, Clementine contributed not only the drumset and songwriting collaboration, but also most of the lyrics to the debut album.

When THE HOUSE OF MORE paused, Clementine continued writing and ended up with a solo project, FRANCIS BAKIN. Writing the words and collaborating on the music with Gretchen Menn, a 10-song debut album was released in 2009. The songs are a combination of live and electronic drumming, slide guitar (Gretchen Menn and Ted Savarese), fretless bass (Robert Preston) and things that go “Boing.” The song “Cold Snap” won second place in the 2008 International Songwriting Competition in the Lyrics category.

Feeling the need to take advantage of the Bonham education in an original project, Clementine started another band in 2009, this a hard-rock machine ala The Cult and Black Crowes called THE SOLID. With guitarist Justin Caucutt (Baker’s Dozen), bassist Greg Randolph (Greenhouse Effect) and vocalist Brian Hagman (Black Lamb), the debut 5-song EP features the heavy groove that Clem has become known for.

When The Solid ended, Clem and Justin started STARS TURN ME ON, a songwriting collaboration that draws on country, soul and rock influences. The 11-song record was released January 1, 2012, and features Clementine on vocals, Justin on guitar, and Jim Bove, Judah Collins, Robert Preston and William Cameron filling out the other instruments. Clem and Justin perform the songs both as an acoustic duo and a full band.

In 2014, Clementine released The Collection, a compilation disc of various songwriting endeavors with guitarists Gretchen Menn, Jude Gold and Justin Caucutt.

TOURING/SHOWS: From the beginning of her musical career, Clementine’s goal has been to be onstage every night. BOTTOM was a touring machine, playing 320 shows in 2000 (8x around the States), the Warped Tour in 2001 alongside an evening club tour, 8 weeks and 10 countries in Europe in 2002, and a nearly continual live existence from the beginning of the band to the end. In AC/DSHE, Clementine flew and drove to events around the country and to the UK. ZEPPARELLA plays constant club shows and private events throughout the US. STARS TURN ME ON is playing regularly throughout the Bay Area.

DISCOGRAPHY:

BOTTOM 
Made In Voyage (Mudflap Records 2000) 
Feels So Good When You’re Gone (Mans Ruin Records, 2001) 
You’rNext (Smallstone Records, 2004)

ZEPPARELLA 
Live at 19 Broadway (Bonny Boy Records, 2005) 
A Pleasing Pounding (What Are Records?, 2008)

THE HOUSE OF MORE 
The House of More (self-released, 2006)

FRANCIS BAKIN 
Conversation with Francis Bakin (self-released, 2009)

THE SOLID 
Arrivals and Departures (self-released, 2009)

STARS TURN ME ON 
GoldRush (self-released, 2012)

CLEMENTINE
The Collection (self-released, 2014)

Clementine is often hired for session recordings, and her drumming appears on many releases. For a partial list of such projects, see clemthegreat.com.

Clementine plays Ludwig drums and Paiste cymbals.

www.clemthegreat.com
www.starsturnmeon.com



ABOUT ZEPPARELLA
How to honor the legacy of a band deemed sacred? To tread on holy ground is perilous, and must be done with the intent and spirit of a disciple—Pay attention to the intricacies of the magic, explore the far ends of the innovation, strive for ever-growing ability, and let the purity of the love for the music drive it all.

Drummer Clementine is the founding member of ZEPPARELLA. From the beginning of her musical career, her goal has been to be onstage every night. The pursuit of that goal has led Clementine to constantly tour the US and Europe in projects as diverse as Bottom, AC/DShe, The House Of More, The Solid, Francis Bakin, and Stars Turn Me On. She tackles the best rock drumming ever written with her own emotionally powerful style, bringing the Motown influence of the Bonham groove to the forefront. The profound musical connection established with Gretchen Menn (guitar), Angeline Saris (bass), and Noelle Doughty (vocals) creates the bond required to do this great music justice.

It was under the tutelage of classical guitarist Phillip DeFremery, a student of Andrés Segovia, that guitarist Gretchen Menn began her path on the instrument. Playing with tireless passion and constantly seeking out new challenges, her projects are often unconventional, genre-bending expressions combining elements of classical, rock, progressive, jazz, and metal. On influences, Gretchen has never tired of her initial inspirations—Eric Johnson, Steve Morse, Frank Zappa, and Jeff Beck. But she has loved Jimmy Page’s guitar playing longer than she has played the guitar. It was through the music of Led Zeppelin that she found a gateway into music that resonated deeply with her, creating a love for guitar-oriented music, and, ultimately, the guitar.

Bassist Angeline Saris has musical passions that span jazz to speed metal, R&B to rock, Cuban to hip-hop, and flamenco to rockabilly. Angeline has done it all - and does it extremely well. It is this versatility, her rock-solid time, tastefully crafted bass lines, and unequivocal skills that give her the ability to bring cohesion to the eclectic Zeppelin catalog. Angeline credits John Paul Jones as a main influence, so it is no surprise that she shines as she interprets his thunder.

Finally, singer Noelle Doughty has found her way back to where she started, with a passion for Led Zeppelin’s music that was developed from as far back as she can remember, as the little sister in the room with the rocking older brothers. The kid who knew every word to every song has worked in classic rock cover bands, jazz bands, funk bands, and yet never lost her true love for Zeppelin. After moving to the West Coast from New York State, her fortuitous meeting with Gretchen Menn backstage at a Robert Plant concert brought the final puzzle piece to the Zepparella family. Noelle’s clear and powerful style and deep understanding of the emotional content of these great songs make the picture complete.

Now more than ever, Zepparella explores their own improvised magic within the framework of Zeppelin’s mighty songs!

Contact Clementine for booking at: booking@zepparella.com.



Coming up 3/13 at 9:00am - Armita Jamshidi, Founder of Aunt Flo’s Kitchen, a company Run By Women, For Women. She is also a student at Cornell University, where she studies Women’s Health and Computer Science, as she builds Aunt Flo’s Kitchen.

Armita Jamshidi, Founder of Aunt Flo’s Kitchen,  a company Run By Women, For Women. LISTEN Today's show featuring  Armita Jamshidi  Aunt...