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Electronic Firefly From Spain
This
story begins in Spain during the year 2017, when violinist Silvia
Carbajal Sanchez was asked to organize ten musicians and to be the
artistic director for a big New Year’s event in 2017. Silvia explains
what happened next, “That was not when I met Charlie (Perez-Íñigo now
her husband). I needed an electric cello for the project and another
person recommended that I call him. It was a difficult
time in my life and Charlie became my friend and he helped me in many
aspects of my life. At the time I was living in a small village called
Villarejo (located in La Rioja, Spain) and he started to visit me often. He also
recommended me for a show called “Music Has No Limits,” and that is when
we started to work together. We toured with them, and we started our
relationship. We have been together ever since. It was after we left
“Music Has No Limits,” that we started Electronic Firefly.” In 2023 their
daughter was born and for two performing musicians that has brought its
own challenges, but more on that later. The two world
class musicians have also expanded their music careers and in addition
to performing sometimes as a duo and other times for solo gigs, they now
also are DJs. Charlie takes us
down the DJ pathway, and how it began, “We like playing our instruments
with electronic music, so we managed to mix some DJ music with the
instruments. We would play a song and then mix some things.” Silvia picks up
the conversation, “We make a DJ session and between the session we will
greet the guests at the hotel, because we usually work at hotels, bars
or restaurants. Sometimes we will play (our instruments).”
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Adrian Sutherland Interview
There is a place named Attawapiskat in the very far north of Canada, in
what is referred to as the sub-Artic zone. It is approximately 500
kilometers (a little over 300 miles) from the nearest town of any size.
Some days your best friend may be a caribou or the sound of the wind. In
the winter months ice roads are constructed and it links you to other
small communities and at other times of the year if you want to get in
or out, you have to fly. Located on the northern end of James Bay,
Attawapiskat is the home of indigenous (First Nations) singer,
songwriter and guitarist Adrian Sutherland. He joined me recently to
talk about his new album, Precious Diamonds, scheduled for release on
March 15 (2024) and his speaking voice is as smooth as smooth as his
vocals when he sings.
Adrian Sutherland recorded two songs for this album in his native
language, Cree and others, while in English, share from his life
experiences and his heritage of which he is proud.
The album opens
with the beautiful song “Notawe,” (No Taw ee), and it is one of the two
Cree songs on Precious Diamonds.
Adrian Sutherland talks about the song “Notawe.” “It is a song I wrote
in my Cree language, which is the language that we speak where I live.
It is the first full Cree song that I have written, which is kind of
odd, because I am fluent in Cree.
With the place I am at in my life it felt really important to me to
write about the loss of someone’s father. “Notawe,” in my language means
my father. I know a lot of people when they get to middle age start to
lose people around them that they love. That is where this song came
from. It is an emotional song for me. It is a heavy song. I lost my
father
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Kerri Powers Love Is Why
Speaking
to Riveting Riffs Magazine from her home nestled into the northwest
corner of Connecticut, Canton, to be more specific, singer and
songwriter Kerri Powers took time out to talk to us about her career and
her new album, shortly after returning from her European tour. Chuckling she
says, “Not too many people can find me. It is more private, which is
really nice. We have been here twenty-two or twenty-three years now. I
am originally from East Taunton, Massachusetts.” Ah that is the
accent that everyone once in a while visits this conversation.
So, tell us about
your European tour in support of your album, Love Is Why. “I must say I am really on a high from that. It usually goes very well, and I certainly didn’t expect to play to sold out venues. I went as a soloist this time and usually I play with a good guitarist from over there. I won’t say I was apprehensive, but you never know what to expect. The audiences over there were quite receptive and I couldn’t have asked for a better run of dates. The one thing I
like about (being in Europe) to tour is you have very appreciative
audiences. They are down to earth good people. Every time I am there I
learn more about what is going on and the culture. I just like the fact
that we are learning every day if we are open to it. When you are in
that mindset it is very inspiring as well. I have been
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Aida Ballmann - Actress - Spain
In
2019 Riveting Riffs Magazine interviewed actress Aida Ballmann, born on
El Hierro, one of the islands of the Islas Canarias (Canary Islands), of
German heritage (her parents) and completely fluent in German, Spanish
and English. Just a few months after that interview Spain, and much of
the world was plunged into the COVID pandemic and the film, television
and entertainment world came to a jolting stop. Fast forward to a few
weeks ago and we caught up with Aida Ballmann again, a very busy Aida
Ballmann we might add.
With recent films, and series completed in the past couple of years and
more in pre-production, we decided to start with one that was filmed
during COVID, a short film titled Five Minutes, written and directed by
Genesis Lence.
“I knew Genesis Lence from her photography and television series and
then she started writing and directing. This is not her first short
film. I think it is her second or third. She says she is very proud of
this (film) because it represents the way she wants to talk with her art
and it (reflects) her personality.
It was a very hard piece to shoot, because it was during the time of
COVID and we had to cancel it twice, before we could shoot it. That also
meant we had to do the rehearsals using Skype. The co-protagonist is my
sister Serai and it was the first time that we acted together. That was
great. She is younger than me and she has not done much (acting), but I
was really surprised to find out what a great actress she is.
The special thing about this (film) is it that it is just one piece and
she did not edit it by bringing together different
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Actress, Singer Carmen Prados
When you are the understudy for the principal role in a theatrical
production it can be challenging both mentally and physically. Couple
that with a major musical such as Pretty Woman el Musical when
you are providing cover for Vivian (lead actress Cristina Llorente),
plus you sing and dance nightly in the ensemble and wait for it plus you
are Scarlett, just thinking about all of that is enough to make someone
want to lay down and have a nap.
Actress Carmen Prados originally from Córdoba,
Andalusia Spain and who has also called London, Paris, Barcelona and
Madrid home, is that very person and she was gracious enough to take
time from a busy schedule that often sees her performing twice per day
and at least once per week in the sometimes salty, but mostly endearing
role of Vivian.
How does she do it? Carmen Prados explains, “I have done two shows as
Scarlett and two as Vivian, one as Vivian and one as Scarlett. I have
done all the possibilities. It is challenging, but I really love it. Two
shows of Scarlett are tougher on the body and two shows of Vivian are
tougher on the voice. Doing both, I love it because it is super
challenging, and you have to be really focused.
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Rachael Sage - New Album
The
first single that was released from Rachael Sage’s upcoming album
The Other Side is “Whistle Blow,” a beautiful, retrospective song
with a slow tempo. It is accompanied by an equally beautiful and
artistic video. Under the direction of Jenny, He and with the Director
of Photography Daniel Cho onboard, both seemed to be in complete unison
with Rachael Sage’s lyrics and music.
She talks about the song, “One thing I wanted to convey with “Whistle
Blow,” is that moment when someone is able to find the inner strength
and to summon the courage to confront someone in a greater position of
power, whether it is in a workplace or in a relationship, when they know
that inappropriate boundaries have been crossed. When they have been
abused or wronged in some way. There are innumerable examples of this
every day when we watch the news. I have also experienced these dynamics
and just as a witness in society I see it recurrently. The story in the
video is interpreted through movement by the wonderful director Jenny He
and (we) were able to convey that specific moment when a human being is
able to say ‘No this is not right. I am not going to accept this anymore
and I am moving to a more positive space and away from this negative
energy and negative person.’
I
had not worked with Jenny before, but I saw some examples of her work
and I was blown away. I have never actually worked with a female
director in this capacity and it was exciting for me. She is very
talented and she trained at NYU. When we talked, we had a lot in common
and we shared a feminine sensibility and a specific sensitivity to music
that led to a wonderful
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Florence Dore
It
is difficult to know where to begin a conversation with Florence Dore,
as her creative and scholastic achievements are plentiful. She has
taught creative writing and American literature (fiction) at the
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill since 2010, during which time
she authored three books, raised a daughter with her husband Will Rigby
and most recently released a splendid album Highways and Rocketships.
Florence Dore received her doctorate in English from the University of
California at Berkley. Her life began in Nashville, and among the places
along the way that became home for a time, was New York City, before
finally settling in North Carolina.
After spending an hour and one-half in conversation with Florence you
come away with deep respect for her insightfulness, smile at her quick
wit and due to her warmth and generosity you come away ninety minutes
later convinced that you must have been friends in another life.
We decided to begin with digging into the roots for her passions for
literature, writing and music. Where did this all begin?
She thoughtfully says, “I think it was the music. I would say the two
things are similar parts of me. It is my love of literary beauty related
to whatever that kernel of joy is when you are really small and your
enjoyment of music and your response to beauty that maybe is irrational
beauty and artistic beauty. I think they are
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Tom Paxton and John McCutcheon
Sitting
and interviewing one music legend is special. Having the opportunity to
interview two music legends at the same time rarely happens, and yet
this writer was fortunate enough to do just that recently when Tom
Paxton and John McCutcheon sat down with me to discuss their new album,
Together.
The most poignant song from this beautiful and heartfelt collection of
songs is “Invisible Man,” and Paxton and McCutcheon would be quick to
tell you that this song is also about the invisible woman and invisible
child too. With words such as, “I am the invisible man / This really
was not my plan / Wherever you don’t look there I am / I am the
invisible man.” The song is
about the homeless, or the person you work beside that you never speak
with or some other person that society has overlooked or forgotten,
perhaps an elderly person. It draws attention to our need to do better.
John McCutcheon talks about his personal inspiration behind the song, “I
think I had just finished reading Ralph Ellison’s book Invisible Man (editor’s
note: not to be confused with HG Wells book of a similar title),
which of course is about the black experience in the United States.
During the pandemic, I remember contemplating the whole term of
sheltering in place and I thought there is a whole class of people who
have been sheltering in place for years in this country. Nobody knows
them. They are absolutely invisible.
Again, it was creating that character that isn’t me and isn’t Tom and
giving them a voice. I have no idea who
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Maia Sharp and Reckless Thoughts
It
is always great to sit down, (even if it is over the miles) and chat
with Maia Sharp. The renowned singer, songwriter and musician, whose
songs have been recorded by artists such as, Cher, Trisha Yearwood,
Terri Clark, Bonnie Raitt and Art Garfunkel, will have just released her
new album Reckless Thoughts by the time you are reading this.
Maia Sharp is as candid, as she is thoughtful when talking about her
life, career and songs. She breathes fresh air into the world of music.
She is comfortable collaborating with other songwriters and she is quick
to share the spotlight and credit with them, even though it is her name
on the album for which the songs appear.
From her home in Nashville (yes, she did indeed move from California a
few years ago), she talks about when the seeds for Reckless Thoughts
were first planted.
“The first song that I knew was going to be the beginning of a new album
project was “Kind.” I wrote that with Mindy Smith and Dean Fields in
2019. When we were finished with that one, I knew I needed to start
thinking about another project, even though Mercy Rising (the
previous album) wasn’t even out yet. I knew that one was already
finished. I knew that “Kind,” wasn’t going to be on Mercy Rising.
It already set the wheels in motion and I thought I guess I am going to
be making another record.
“Too Far Now,” was the next one. Those two songs are so different from
each other that they really presented a challenge. How am I going to
write or look through
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Beth Bombara Releases New Album
It
All Goes Up
is the title of Beth Bombara’s new album that will be released this week
(August 4) on Black Mesa Records, and Riveting Riffs Magazine gives two
thumbs up to a fabulous collection of songs, that once again demonstrate
Bombara’s superb musicianship and delicious vocals.
Confessing that she is really excited about this record she says, “We
were sort of coming out of COVID and we were getting back to normal.
When I wrote “Lonely Walls,” I was reflecting on my feelings and the
past year or so.
It started out as me reflecting on the pandemic, but I really wanted it
to be more open than that.”
The lyrics are open enough to interpretation that the listener might
find themselves thinking about a relationship or perhaps a difficult
time in their lives. It may also be as easy to interpret them as that
time during the pandemic that separated so many from the ones they
loved, whether they be romantic relationships or familial.
Beth Bombara goes on to say, that it (the song), “morphed into this
longing for one person.”
The melody meanders, an easy tempo, that sets the mood for more
reflections than missives.
She says about the fourth track, “Get On,” is a mixture of being about
procrastination, someone who is afraid to move ahead and just finds it
easier to make
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Ben Brown - King of Air
Ben Brown from Austin, Texas is a deep thinker, who also happens to be a
terrific songwriter and musician. King of Air is his second solo
album following Sayonara Sorrow. Although at one time it was
considered risky for an artist to release an album that cannot easily be
pigeonholed into a specific genre, that may be more a thing of the past
than it is an absolute today. Certainly, Brown’s new record, King Of
Air, a collection of eclectic songs does a lot to dispel that myth
and when combined with today’s purchasing habits of music fans who tend
to listen more to single songs that they like versus buying an entire
album King Of Air has arrived on the scene at the right time. In
fact, those who regulate the radio airwaves are themselves almost a
thing of the past, with listeners and artists alike enjoying numerous
ways to access and distribute music that simply did not exist thirty
years ago.
Ben Brown, an excellent guitarist, bassist and keyboardist is joined on
King Of Air, by saxophonist Tim Cappello (Tina Turner – “We Don’t
Need Another Hero,” Carly Simon, David Bowie and Peter Gabriel), Mick
Flowers who doubles as the drummer and producer, Matt Hubbard who also
plays keyboards, as well as the theremin and vocalists, Sally Allen and
Bianca Lugo. Jared Wenkman who also sound engineered Sayonara Sorrow,
is at the controls once again.
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Charlie Faye & The Fanimals
On
July 21 st one of the most fun and danceable family albums will be
released. Although, billed as a children’s album Charlie Faye & The
Fanimals is really a record that the whole family can enjoy from a
toddler to a grandparent who may reminisce about dancing to The
Temptations, The Spinners, Martha and the Vandellas, The Marvelettes,
Sam & Dave, Booker T. & the M.G.s and Carla and Rufus Thomas. Charlie
Faye’s vocals add Soul and R & B to lyrics that kids can relate to and
the musical arrangements, the groove the vibe is something that will not
leave mom and dad or mom or dad or mom and mom or dad and dad sitting on
their sofas for long.
The album opens with the fun “7 Days of Fun,”
Charlie
Faye talks about what inspired these songs, “Usually they were things
that just came to me as a parent and I would just think oh write a song
about snack time. They all come from different places. “Seven Days of
Fun,” I wrote, because Edie (Charlie’s daughter) and I had been talking
about the days of the week. I used to sing a song in Charlie Faye & the
Fayettes called “Seven Nights to Rock,” and in “Seven Nights to Rock,”
which I learned from a Nick Lowe recording. In (that song) you get to
yell out all the days of the week “(She mock yells out) Monday,
Tuesday…” I thought it would be great to have a song like that for kids
and Edie could learn the names of the days of the week. Guess what? It
worked. “Snack Time,” was obvious. Kids love snack time and everybody
loves songs about snack time. It is a time that already is generally
fun. I felt it was also important to write a song about bath time,
because when my daughter was younger, she didn’t love bath time, so I
thought okay let’s write a song about being in a bath. That turned into
“Puppy in the Bath” and we have a dog. Edie likes to sing “Puppy In the
Bath,” when we are giving our dog a bath and she also likes to pretend
to be a puppy in the bath (Charlie laughs).
My dog’s name is Rufus. He is named after Rufus Thomas. Both Rufus and
Carla Thomas were Stax artists and Rufus Thomas is the guy who wrote
“Walking the Dog.” He also wrote “Do the Dog,” and “Can Your Monkey Do
the Dog,” and various other dog related songs. So, Rufus (the dog) was
named after Rufus Thomas.”
Jim Brunberg’s deep vocals make a cameo on this song and when we say
deep, we mean really deep. In addition to Charlie Faye’s lead vocals
there are outstanding background vocals served up by Dana Starr Brunberg
Sparling, Veronica Sue Brunberg Sparling, Akina Adderly and one of this
magazine’s favorite people Betty Soo.
So, enlighten us about Jim Brunberg?
“Jim Brunberg is so many things. He is a musician, songwriter and
producer, based in Portland, Oregon. He has an incredible ear and he is
also incredibly prolific.
He composed the song for the New York Times’ The Daily podcast. He has
done a bunch of cool stuff.
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Rubén Yuste and Pretty Woman
Imagine
you are relaxing in a restaurant in a picturesque town on the island of
Mallorca, Spain, the resort of Port d’Alcudia and in walks a fellow and
you think wait a minute isn’t that the same guy I just watched a few
nights ago when I was in Madrid (or Barcelona) and he was Mr. Thompson
in Pretty Woman the Musical? The restaurant is
Como en Casa and the actor is the highly respected
Rubén Yuste who owns this beautiful restaurant with his sister Vanessa
Yuste. Actually, you may have noticed Rubén for more than one reason, as
he also plays Happy Man with the wild hair and Mr. Hollister in
Pretty Woman the Musical. After enjoying a six month run in
Barcelona during the 2022 – 2023 theater season, the musical, with the
cast intact are taking the production to Teatro EDP Gran Via in Madrid
for the entire 2023 – 2024 season. Rehearsals begin in early September.
Riveting
Riffs Magazine attended two performances in Barcelona and while still in
Barcelona we connected with several cast members with Rubén Yuste,
kindly consenting to be interviewed by us. (Editor’s note: We are
secretly hoping that when we relocate to Madrid in the fall that we will
be able to attend another performance.) Naturally
our conversation began with Pretty Woman the Musical, and we
wondered about the challenges presented by playing three very different
characters, and also if he had a favorite scene or two that he was in. “My favorite scene is when Mr. Thompson looks for Vivian to talk
“My
favorite scene is when Mr. Thompson looks for Vivian to talk to her.
After realizing that she is a good person, he decides to help her find a
dress (she can wear) to go to the restaurant with Edward (the other main
protagonist). Also, when he teaches her how to dance the Tango is
another of my favorite moments of the show,” says Rubén Yuste.
Oh, that brings us to another facet of Rubén Yuste’s performance skills,
“I competed internationally in ballroom dancing, in Latin dance. It was
really nice, because when I began the rehearsals for Pretty Woman
the choreographer (Giulio Benvenuti; additional choreographers – Denise
Holland Bethke and Carla Janssen Höfelt) told me that he wanted me to do
the choreography by myself. The choreography that you see in the show,
part of it is from the choreographer and the other part is my
choreography.”
All three of the characters played by Rubén Yuste are keys to the
transformation of Vivian (who in the film was played by Julia Roberts
and in the musical, Spanish rendition is played splendidly by Christina
Llorente). They combine to give Vivian a new map for her life,
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Lift - a Film Review
Lift
produced by and starring Kevin Hart and his HartBeat Productions, 6th
& Idaho and Genre Pictures, was released on Netflix January 12 (2024)
and if ever there was a film that deserves a sequel this is the one. Yes,
it is a heist film, but from an airplane in mid-flight. Impossible. Well
to borrow a line from the movie, “No, it’s just never been done before.” This is not a film
when you are waiting for the thieves to be caught. This is the ultimate
anti-hero movie, and you are cheering for the art thieves. Kevin Hart’s
character Cyrus offers up lines crafted by screenwriter Daniel Kunka,
“We rescue art from undeserving owners,” and “I would never lift
anything from anyone who doesn’t deserve to lose it.”
What makes this film work so well is it is an ensemble acting
performance, featuring Spanish actress Úrsula Corberó making her English
language film debut. She is an icon in her home, Spain, and she shines
as art thief who drives boats and flies planes and while doing so
manages to look elegant. Vincent D’Onofrio, plays the master of disguise
and serves up a wonderful performance. Korean – American actress Yun Jee
Kim as the hacker of the gang is superb. Rounding out the band of
thieves is Billy Magnussen as Magnus the safecracker, and Viveik Kalra
plays Luke a technical wizard. Director F. Gary Gray managed to turn the
loveable actor Reno into a sinister villain, and we hated Huxley played
by Sam Worthington from the beginning. He oozes sleaze.
It goes without saying, that stealing a half billion dollars in gold
from an airplane mid-flight involves a lot of suspension of disbelief,
but that is part of what makes this film so much fun.
This is a fun movie, with a cast that onscreen appears tight and in
their interviews since the film’s release have all been vocal of the
same. Kevin Hart has not personally taken credit for the film’s success
but has shared the spotlight with his cast.
There is a moment in the film, when Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s character Abby
talks about her mother who, when Abby was a child was a mistress of a
poor school and how an artist had donated a print to that school that
her mother refused to sell. Abby recalls her mother, “wanting the
students to know that they were just as important as any swanky art
gallery.” That is not a knock on art galleries, it is about building
self-esteem
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