The folks over at LA Concert Calendar just posted an interview with Matt and Mark from the Dust Bowl Cavaliers. Check it out here, and enjoy Matt’s confirmation that the mandolin is, in fact, the nerdiest instrument in the band. In my two decades of rocking, I have never not played the nerdiest instrument.
WordGirl keeps racking up the honors at the award shows. Last week we won the KidScreen Award for “Best Voice Talent.” Very cool. Also, toonzone.net named us one of the top 25 toons of the 2000’s. I’m currently writing my last script of season four (episode 155!) and we’ll be in the booth recording all next week. We should hear soon about more seasons, more toys/games/books, and the long awaited WordGirl-themed colony on the moon.* Fingers crossed!
*The whole moon colony thing might not happen.**
**I put it at 50/50.***
***Due to the economy.
I got E a rad toy camera for Christmas. It’s a Golden Half, and it takes two pictures for every normal frame of 35mm film. Pretty awesome. We took some shots on our recent Palm Springs bike adventure.
Wednesday, 1/27, the Dust Bowl Cavaliers will be performing in a variety show benefit for a great charity in Haiti. It may not be the entire Cavalier crew– probably just git, bass, mando, and voices– but it’ll be a fun night for a great cause. Stop on by!
IMPROV FRIENDS HELP HAITI
Wednesday, 1/27 8pm @ ComedySportz LA
733 Seward Street Hollywood, CA 90038
10$. All ages. Benefiting the Hands and Feet Project in Jacmel, Haiti:
Hands and Feet is a grass roots group who was in Haiti before the quake and needs help now. They are a 501c3 non-profit organization, housing 44 orphans in a village in Jacmel, Haiti. They aim to provide a loving home, where they call the children brothers and sisters and not orphans. Providing Education, Medical needs and Faith. Their goal is to raise a generation by their own culture who will change their country so that orphanages are empty.
I’ve been holed up in the cave, putting the finishing (for now) touches on our pilot script. Exciting details soon. In the meantime, here are my creative highlights from 2009, the year that was:
- Playing with the Indigo Girls.
- Landing my first studio development deal, creator credit, and network script sale.
- Recording, releasing, and performing Common Rotation vs. The Dust Bowl Cavaliers.
- Writing nine more episodes of WordGirl, along with a live staged reading at UCB.
- Leading workshops on writing and composing in Fairbanks, Alaska and Farmville, Virginia.
- Discovering the neighborhood with fresh eyes on two wheels– Anniversary Bikes.
As for 2010, we’re still deciding between two mottos. We just wrapped up “Time to Shine in ‘09.” Huge success. Current 2010 contenders: “Super Zen in 2010,” and “Vacation When? 2010.” I like the notion of extreme balance in “super zen,” and for two non-stop workers like my wife and me, committing to a vacation is perhaps the only way to guarantee a break. Hmm… Italy? Ireland? Stay tuned.
Improvised, 2005. I created the character of Pastor Dave and wrote the songs in my trailer while we were waiting to shoot. And the best part? Mary and Wendy had no idea what I was going to do– they shot the rehearsal and we got it in one take.
Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.
Extra credit for my 7th grade music class. They Might be Giants forever.
I used to dream of having an action figure version of myself. Knowing kids (and parents!) are dressing up like the characters I write comes pretty close.
Note to future Ryan: Be this cool of a dad.
Thomas, Dave and Emily’s visionary son. September, 2009. Farmville, Virginia.
