Friday, February 25, 2011

Voodoo Terror Tribe making headway from out the depths of New Jersey

How did you guys come up with the name of the band?
Actually, our drummer came up with the name first and we all liked it. Even though we don’t practice any Voodoo or Hoodoo, we believe and respect both, since it’s not only a culture, but also a religion. While in a way we’re a tribe, the term ‘terror’ doesn’t usually apply…

When did the new singer join the band, and how did you find him in Texas?
Well,  actually, we didn’t find him in TX, but it was like three months when he had moved from TX to NJ when we found him. He joined us in November 2008. He’s originally from California, but his life brought him to TX and then to NJ and to us eventually. Those eight months of searching for the new singer and frustration of going through 30 something singers were totally worth it when we got him.

Is there a story about the departure of the old singer, or would you rather not talk about it?
I’d rather not say much since it ended bad and he ruined it for us and himself. I’m still angry about it, since we were very close to making it big with a good deal…

What's the background of everyone in the band and what are your major influences?
Everyone is coming from different bands, origins and backgrounds. I came from Istanbul, Turkey to the US ten years ago to pursue a musical career. I had made three thrash-metal albums with my band “Ascraeus” in Turkey before coming here. Our influences are mostly coming from life, melancholy, dark, aggressive, emotional issues and also different music types that we listen to.

What's the biggest show you guys have played?
I think that would be WASP or Biohazard shows last year.

What's the bands biggest rock star moment and what is the biggest failure?
Biggest rock star moment is VTT being welcomed like rock stars by West Virginia and Oklahoma during our US tour last year. The biggest failure was going all the way Chicago for two shows in the winter in the middle of a blizzard and they sucked. Chicago is a great place to play, but our plan was wrong.

Why should people listen to VTT?
We take what we’re doing very seriously. It's really a mixture of different styles. We don't limit ourselves when we write our music. We always pour everything we have and everything that we have becomes our music. It is meticulous, grueling, stressful and insightful, but it’s all worth it at the end. We do work hard on our music and give a great, rocking, entertaining performance at every show.



What's in the future of the band and where do you see yourselves in 5 years?
We did some serious touring through the Midwest and southern states last year in addition to many local shows and now we’re working on new material and recording demos in our own rehearsal studio to prepare a new release for summer 2011. Our sound and style have been changing a little bit though, [moving] towards more industrial/goth/metal. We’re also working with Kenny Colgate and Romulus X Records now, and Billy Graziadei (Biohazard) might be producing our new record again like he did for the previous one.

In the mean time, we’re still doing some shows in the East Coast and we’ll probably go on another full length US tour this summer. We’ll also do some shows with the one and only BIOHAZARD soon, during their new US and European tours in 2011.
And in five years, other than packing big venues just by ourselves, we’ll be nominated for a Grammy…

How big is the band's following, and in what ways do you guys continue to grow?
Not sure, but good enough to make the clubs and venues that we play happy. But it’s very scattered, since we’ve spread ourselves too much throughout the years and now working on region by region at least and being more strategical. We do use everything possible on the Internet and also we’ve been working with serious marketing agents (Skateboard Marketing), promoters (Just Rock PR) and publicists (Freeman Promotions), which we believe will pay off in the long run.

Anything else you want to add?
Thank you very much for your support and to our supporters out there, please keep supporting us at the shows which are more important than buying our product…and be ready for an incredible new recording!

Website 
Myspace
Facebook
Twitter 
Reverbnation
Youtube  

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

New Jersey Metal band, Locked, looking to come back with a Vengeance


Locked is a New Jersey based Metal/Hardcore band consisting of: Jess (Vocals), Greg (Guitar),Rick (Bass),and Ralph (Drums). Forming around 2002, Locked has two demos CD's out- Locked (2002) and Demolition (2005). In 2009 after a two year hiatus, the band recorded an EP as well, Back to War. 

The following interview was with Locked vocalist, Jess Volina.

Any significance on the name of the band?
Not really, when we started out we were really more death metal sounding. I was a "Corpsegrinder mimic" for a while but the lyrics never really reflected that. We didn't want to be pigeon holed as a DM [Death Metal] band or anything. "Locked" sounded strong and short, Greg (guitars) came up with it and it just stuck.

You said, "We aren't trying to reinvent the wheel, for metal. "So what makes the band's style distinctly yours?
I think one of the big things that makes our style distinct is that we could give two sh*ts about what anyone else is doing. A lot of newer or younger bands seem to be trying to out do each other in the way of "who is more brutal." Some of those bands are incredibly talented...and some of them just sound jumbled and I don't hear a lot of structure. I think Locked takes the best elements from different sub genres of metal and hardcore and just writes what we want to hear. There is without a doubt an old school vibe or should I say, "a more traditional" approach to a lot of our song writing. I think the combination of all those elements keep Locked a little bit different than some of the current bands out there.

What was the reason for the long hiatus, and why did you come back?
Man, a few things. We've been around awhile and initially there was a short hiatus due to everyone just being burnt out. I think song writing stopped being fun...thats going back. We reformed once and got a great reception and everything was cool. 2009 came around and we wrote and recorded the Back To The War EP. Basically as soon as recording was finished our drummer flaked out and it took literally three years to find a drummer that could hang. We could write a book on drummer auditions. Having said all that, we really never went away. Even when the bass player who appears on the recording left there was a time Greg and I would practice with drum tracks off of a lap top just to keep our chops. Then we got really lucky with Rick comming in on bass and it was the three of us and a laptop. Finally Ralph came in and really as soon as he learned the material, we started booking shows. We've always wanted to write and play, I guess it gets harder to find committed indivduals as you get older....and very hard to find a drummer who can play double bass correct!

Did you lose any fans, gain fans, keep fans: because of the extended break?
I think a little of both. With how fast music works especially with the internet these days, if you "take a break", unless you've made a serious mark like say...what V.O.D. is doing, you can be forgotten pretty quickly. There were always myspace hits and stuff like that...but being out of the loop it really got quiet.

How did it feel to be back, and describe to me the energy? How was the reception?
F***ing fantastic! The energy was f***ing insane. I felt like I was an original member of KISS or Sabbath. Dingbatz in Clifton has phenomenal sound, a true sound man and a great stage. The minute I heard the feed back of the guitar and saw people in front of me it was just nuts. We got a really great reception. In between every song there was plenty of cheers and applause. People were moving and just feeling it and when I hopped off the stage I had nothing but hand shakes and hugs....I didn't go to sleep until 6 A.M. that morning due to the energy. A great, fun night and I cant wait to be back there on the 12th.

Is there a band that you guys aspire to be like?
Anyone who sticks to their guns and gets recognition for their hard work and creativity. Muscially we pull influence and inspiration literally everywhere, but I don't think we try to sound like anyone. I've always admired bands that had a "crew" or a scene. You look at all the great Tampa DM bands from the early 90's and there was a scene with bands hanging out, playing on the same bill etc. Look at the unity in NYHC, the support factor with the hardcore scene in general...Hell look at the early Black Metal bands comming out of Norway back when. It would be nice to have a "family." I guess I would aspire to be a band that can offer and gets support from fellow musicians within heavy music.

Any particular reason for changing members throughout the years, or would you rather not talk about it?
Well, you heard the drummer story. It boils down to committment. We've had the pleasure of writing and playing with some really talented musicians that were also cool people. For whatever reason they just couldn't commit. It was never intentional to have line up changes.

How's the "new style" different from your music in the past?
The EP is the "new style." I guess you're reffering to. First, I can tell you it's just a lot tighter. We've upped our game and came into our own, but you gotta understand that EP is kind of old for us now. The stuff we're working on right now? It's gonna bury that f'ing EP. It's just as tight, we're pushing ourselves harder and there is no sign of it slowing down. When the "new" new stuff comes out...jaws are gonna drop.

How did you guys all get together?
Initially I had placed an ad in the Aquarian looking for a death metal band. I wanted to be a straight forward DM band. Greg answerd the ad and the two of us jammed in the studio. The rest is pretty much history. On a side note, a drummer had answerd the ad as well and it was a guy named Jay. When we were still working out the kinks Jay went on to form the DM band Ominous. Locked formed and was very different than what Jay was going for. Either way the early days had us crossing paths a lot, playing shows together, etc. Jay actually would fill in for us at rehearsal a few times. Finally we got our sh*t together and became a full band. Ominous are good dudes, wish 'em' the best.

Anything else you want to add?
Thanks for putting this thing together man, any press is good press. If any young dudes are reading this...go out and get yourself some classic metal and hardcore. Put the damn guitar hero down and start a band!(Haha) The more the merrier...create a scene and support each other. Also, we will be returning to Dingbatz on March 12th on the bill with Merauder and Generation Kill (Rob Dukes/Exodus).


Check out Locked and their music on:

A'tris Weekly Download 7 & 8, Hollywood Girl Trailer, Jon Santos music, and POF news!

My apologies to A'tris for not posting your video last week, so you get a double shot this week. (Mason will yell at me for saying sorry, so here's your warning- don't do it!)

Those videos are week 7 and week 8 of the new song a week project. Keep up the good work!





Hollywood Girl Season 1 Trailer


Hollywood Girl even has a IMDB Page now! See it here



Also, be sure to check out POF's producer, Jon Santos and his new music project here


"The new EP, The Long Road, by Jon Santos will be online this spring. Jon hits his studio Feb 26 with good friend Bobby A on drums to record a few songs he has been working on the past year.[He] will also re-record a few songs off the fallzone album because he wants a better sound and now that he has a much better studio to bang out a better bigger recording."





Be sure to contact me for tickets for Saturday's Bamboozle Break Contest. My band is in the 2nd round. We go on at 10pm at the Crazy Donkey.

Also, vote for us to be played on the radio here

Sunday, February 20, 2011

The Higher Concept @ The Full Cup

Finally finally finally, I got to use my camera to take pics at a live event. I think they came out ok, what do you all think? Regardless, The Higher Concept killed it, and I was glad I got to meet them and see them for the first time. Check out a previous article I did about them here.










Sunday, February 13, 2011

Paulie Z of ZO2: Talks Music, TV, and Birthday Parties

(L to R) Joey Cassata (Drums, Vocals), Paulie Zablidowsky (Lead Vocals, Guitar), David Zablidowsky (Bass, Vocals)

Rock stars, TV stars, or kids party starters, brothers Paulie and David grew up rocking out together. It was just a matter of time before they hit it big.

The pieces began to fall in place once long time friend Joey started practicing with the band. Paulie had previously played with Joey in a cover band, and when they jammed out that first time, the chemistry was just perfect. 

All that was left for the trio was the name, and that was easy. Because of Paulie and David's last name, and their father and uncle's band from the 70's named "Z", that part was taken care of. The "O2" can mean a number of different things. The year they got together was 2002 and there are two members with a "Z" in their name. However, the coolest story about the name was, "My previous band was called "CO2" like the chemical. Well, we wanted to make our own formula and called it "ZO2," Paulie said.

So what is ZO2, what do they sound like? As Paulie Z said, "We are a British influenced, bluesy, balanced mix of different decades of rock from the 60's on. Sort of like Aerosmith meets the Stone Temple Pilots." 

Originally hailing from Brooklyn, these guys have now gotten to taste a little bit of Hollywood when they were signed on IFC to do a TV show called "Z Rock." "A lot of people think Z Rock is a reality show, but it's not. It's a semi scripted comedy with improve that is loosely based on our lives," Paulie said. On the show ZO2 plays themselves. Most of the stories are true, but the situations are scripted.  


The whole premise of the show revolves around the band being children's birthday entertainers by day, and crazy rock stars by night who get into even crazier situations. Although this part seems written, it is actually how they were discovered. "That is how we made most of our money early on, doing kid parties. One day we did a party where the kid's dad was a TV agent, and he helped us eventually put the show together," Paulie said. With ZO2's busy schedule the children's parties was something they had stopped doing, but are now starting it up again. They actually have a kids CD out, but regret not commercially selling it while Z Rock was on the air.

Some of the more memorable and rock "starish" moments for the band has been opening up for rock legends, KISS. "We were well received by the band and the crowd. It was our first tour and a dream come true. You can check that off the list," Paulie said with a laugh. He recalls another cool moment being at the Spirit Awards for independent films. ZO2 presented the award for "Best Cinematography" to the movie The Wrestler

 

Paulie Says people should listen to ZO2 because they, "Are one of the few bands that preserve the essence of rock and roll. Three of us play, three of us sing, and three of us know how to rock." ZO2 has found the sound that takes them to the next level as far as modern sounding music with a classic backing. Producing some of these new tunes is engineer and studio owner, Jon Santos. "My bro and I were briefly in Seven Wiser with Jon, but had to leave due to conflicts with ZO2. Years later we knew that we needed a producer who could make our sound relevant," Paulie said.

"Everyone acknowledges what we are playing is good stuff, even if it's not their style. We actually played this music, it's organic and raw," he said. And relevant they are, as they look to expand their music to an even larger crowd.

So be on the look out for ZO2 and Z Rock!



Check ZO2 out on their sites
zo2.com
IFC Z Rock
Myspace
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube
iTunes

Friday, February 11, 2011

Book Review on Christopher Grant's "TEENIE"

Author Christopher Grant
I can't ever remember picking up a book that I knew nothing about that had me so engrossed in the story from beginning to end. I read this book of about 250 pages in four days. Last night, I had to finish it, and continued on to read the last 80 pages. As promised in an earlier post, I will now review the book after talking about the reading at CSI. 
Chris Grant center with Professor Conti's class at CSI
Here are some quotes from his reading and Q&A


A student from the reading asked Grant, "Why go for a young adult book for your first novel?"



Grant- "I was asked to write a book, but was let down and pushed the book away for a few years. I took a writing class and showed the first two chapters to the class and they loved it."

Another student asked, "Why did you write from the perspective of a young girl, and what gave you that experience?"

Grant- "I felt uniquely equipped to write from a woman's perspective. I was raised by my mother and three aunts. I learned a lot from listening to girls talk on the train, and from my niece. Just listen, dialogue is flying around."

Speaking of dialogue, Grant also wanted to make sure there was no use of the "N" word, or profanity. He wanted the language to be almost like you are talking to your parents, and that's exactly how you feel. 

The Review
Teenie is the story of a young 14 year-old High School Freshman named Martine (Teenie). She has a loving family, annoying older brothers, and a handful of friends she hangs with. Things start to change however when she is noticed by the most popular boy in school, basketball player, Greg Millons.

Teenie goes through all the ups and downs of a normal teenage girl and then some. She grows up fast as her naive innocence comes to an end, and she learns the world can be a scary place. There are moments of laughter, scenes of sadness, and even priods of anger as Grant makes you feel as if you are in the story. 

Some of the topics aren't for the youngest of readers, but adult subject matter is referred to tastefully and PG rated. The book is based on everyday life, but most importantly, it teaches kids to not be afraid to talk or speak up when something is wrong. 


Overall Teenie is a great read from start to finish, and I'd recommend it for ages 13 and up. 





(This story will be in Broken Records Magazine and the CSI Banner as well)

New Releases- Incognito Theory News, A'tris song of the week, THC Video, and some Jingle Ball interviews


More news from Dave Incognito of Incognito Theory. Dave has partnered up with long time friend Jason DePalma of Aug and Eastcoast Zero, for a side project. Aptly entitled, Incognito & DePalma, Dave promises a side of him you have never seen before.

The first song "Faith in Me" is expected to be done by March. The project came about as Dave, like many singers, began to grow anxious as the rest of his band in IT is spending time recording their instruments. "It's just something to keep me going," he says.

The music will be a cross between Tantric, Dave Matthews Band, and Jack Johnson meets John Mayer.

IT would also like people to know that the song "Forsaken" from the first ep will be rerecorded with a new twist for the upcoming CD, Silent Pain coming spring 2011 for Romulus X Records.


In other news


A'tris releases a video for week 6 of the weekly song project, check it out.



The Higher Concept
Have released a video using fan footage for their newest song "Toast to Life"
Watch the video below



Lastly, my partner in crime at Broken Records did a few interviews  at Jingle Ball that you should check out.
Flo Rida Interview by Scott Vollweiler of Broken Records


Paramore


Mark Hoppus

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Incognito Theory Gets Signed to Romulus X Records

Saturday January 30th, New Jersey metal band Incognito Theory signed to Romulus X Records.

This independent label run by president and producer, Kenny Colgate, is churning out new artists not just from the U.S., but around the world. What this means for IT is that Romulus X will help with promotion, booking, distribution, licensing and merchandising materials put out by the band.


U.S.A. artists for Romulus X include:
Incognito Theory
World Famous Skulls

Shadowplay
Wrath Of Killenstein
Suicide Puppets
The Vivid Twisted
Locked
Arc Of Fire
Diminished

Japan:
Fantasy's Core

Australia:
HailMary


President of Romulus X Records, Kenny Colgate, had this to say about IT: "Dave Incognito is a great song lyricist and Jay Prussack is a great songwriter and producer. Rob and Erik are a dynamite rhythm section. Together the band is tight, full of "In Your Face" energy, and a great stage show. Coupled with that, is the fact that each member is a class act and completely professional. It is a pleasure and an honor to sign IT... we are ready to ROCK!"

Dave Incognito said, "It was just a matter of time before we linked up with Kenny. He's been a good friend of ours for years, and we are excited to be getting this deal done."

Rob, Kenny, Dave, Jay

Incognito Theory would also like everyone to know that they are currently looking for a second guitarist. The only requirements are that they must be driven and in it for the long hall and over 21.
With the release of IT's full length album coming soon, Dave says "Silent Pain's debut has no boundaries with our music. We hope everyone is ready for some obscure shit, dark aggressive and extremely melodic."

IT has two big shows coming up: February 17th at a bar in Belmar with friends Last Red Ember, and February 20th at the Championship Bar in Trenton, NJ opening for Ekotren. They are currently on tour with Ill Nino.


For more information on Romulus X Records and the artists mentioned above check out http://falloutentertainmentgroup.com/

Be sure to check out my original interview with Incognito Theory, complete with links to there music and where you can follow them.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

New Releases SI rapper CiG, SI rap trio, The Higher Concept and Atris song of the week 5

Shaolin Spitters is a new mixtape featuring some of the best emcees on the Island. A good friend of mine, Chris "CiG" is featured on a few of these joints. I'll post the ones he's on, and maybe in the future I'll talk to some of the other rappers.


CiG, Frish, and Courageous



Bino, CiG, and Frish



MBlaze, Charlie Hustler, and CiG

Check out CiG's mixtape Back Against the Wall here

He's also been featured on DeeJay Mixtape Bully's- Bully the Block 6. Check that here


The Higher Concept's newest release
Secrets
 The Higher Concept X OneRepublic - Secrets (Remixed by J. Glaze) by TheHigherConcept 






A'tris music download week 5

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

An Interview with the Hollywood Girl, Actress- Courtney Zito

Artwork by Brett Guida, El Guida, inc.


I had the privilege to chat with up and coming Jane-of-all-Trades Courtney Zito, as we discussed her new concept and show, Hollywood Girl, where she plays the lead character Quinn Monroe. Catch a condensed version of this interview in the upcoming Broken Records Magazine issue and Reviewhouse.webs.com
How did you get into acting, and was it always your life's ambition? 
I basically came out of the womb singing, acting & dancing. I have been on stage since I was 2 years old. Performing has always been my life's ambition and I suspect it will always be. If I am not creating something, I don't feel alive. 

What do you prefer more, acting or directing? 
That's a tough question to answer. Of course my dream has always been to be in front of the camera, but as I have grown in this industry, I am finding that I really enjoy some of the behind the scenes aspects as well. Like directing and producing. It is a new arena for me and one I am humbled by, but one that I definitely want to gain more experience in. I think if you have what it takes to be a Director, and you have an acting background, you are really going to be able to get the best out of your actors and connect with them in a way that only a fellow actor can. When something isn't working, the last thing I would ever do is give the actor a line read. I want them to experiment and make it their own. I may give one note and then let them draw their own conclusions, because as an actress, that's what I want. I want the director to allow me the space to try new things. So far, it seems to be an approach my actors respond well too.

At Hollywood Girl's Red Carpet Screening
Where did the concept for Hollywood Girl come from? 
My life. This show is based on my own experiences in LA with love, dating, friendships and all things entertainment. Not everything you see actually happened, but there may be a sentence, or a person, or a moment in each episode that was inspired by something that took place in my life. It started out as a book, but because I love movies and television and because I am an actress, I decided to create a web series, because I felt it was a realistic creative outlet for me. I chose a web series, because I didn't want to wait to sell a screenplay or a pilot before I could see my vision realized.

How'd you get the name Quinn Monroe and how'd you choose Hollywood Girl for the title?
I had her last name first, actually. It's after Marilyn Monroe, because I have always adored her. She may have had a lot of personal problems, but she was way ahead of her time  as an icon and a business woman. I think she knew exactly what she was doing most of the time, and let people think she was just the ditzy bombshell. She's an icon till this day, and people still love her. She was the original Hollywood Girl. As for Quinn, I had a few first names picked out and just sat with them all to see which went best with Monroe, because I was sure that was going to be my character's last name. If you notice, all of the main character's last names are those of classic Hollywood stars.... Taylor, Davis, Hudson, Grant, and Carroll. It's my little wink to that era, because that to me, was an amazing time in Hollywood history. The name of the show was actually inspired by a song that my friend of many years, Jon Santos wrote for me. I played around with several names, but in reality, it was simple and right to the point. It just felt like that was supposed to be the name of my show so I went with it and Jon's song became the theme song of the show.

What has the response been like so far? 
Very positive! I think most people were initially just impressed that I pulled it off. From conception to the premiere it was about 6 months, and I think that maybe people didn't initially take me seriously. I probably sounded like all the other people out there that talk the talk but don't walk the walk. Most of the comments I got were about the production value being high and that pleased me. The first episode was a learning experience (As they all are!) and there were things I would've done differently or better, but with each episode, we have tried to learn from our mistakes and upgrade the show so that it feels more like a half hour comedy you might see on television. The best response yet has been to episode 3. I am being told it's the funniest and it's a little edgier then the first two. The story is developing more so people are starting to identify with the characters more. We have the most amazing fan base, they are so supportive and so excited about the series.

What's the best review the show has gotten, and what's the worst? 
It's very early, so we haven't had many reviews yet. We got a great write up in PINK Magazine and a nice blog write up, as well as a radio appearance, all were favorable. However, you aren't going to please everyone with a show like this. Initially, anything negative I heard would hurt a little, because the project is so personal to me, but I quickly grew a thick skin, because I am not doing it for them and if they don't like it, don't watch. I have a few thousand people who love it and those are the people I want to focus my energy on.  

From episode 1 with Johnny Wactor
What do you say to people who say the show "copies" off another show, say like Sex in the City? 
No one has ever used the word "copies" because the people who watch the show, know that it's based on my own life. If someone compares Hollywood Girl to Sex and the City or a 'female version' of Entourage (Which I have been told), I take that as a compliment. Yes it has bits and pieces of both of those shows, and maybe a dash of Bridget Jone's Diary too, but there are always going to be similarities like that in TV as well as movies. If the fact that Quinn has the occasional voiceover, makes you immediately think Sex and the City, then so be it. But I personally happen to LOVE narrating a story, that's how I am in real life, and it adds another dimension to the character, because you can hear their thoughts and what they really feel even when what comes out of their mouth is contradictory. Plus, because this started as a book, that's the writing style I used and it kind of just stuck when I started converting them into episodes.

The first two episodes are about nine minutes long. Will the episodes be getting longer, or is this what you will be consistently aiming for? 
As web series go, mine is actually considered long form, because most of them are about 5 minutes long. I would love to get the show to 22 minutes long, but a longer episode also means higher production costs and longer shoots, so for now we are going to keep the episodes ranging from 8-12 minutes.

How long does shooting take, and how much work goes into each episode? 
Months of work goes into each episode, because I write the episodes, (I recently brought in a co-writer, Kelsey Scott for episodes 4-10) Then I need to cast them, find our locations, get everyone's schedule, gather props and equipment needed and try to coordinate the shoot days, gather music with the help of Jon Santos, and I sit for hours on end listening to that music till I can decide what music to use for what scene. Then we shoot anywhere from 1-4 days, and finally we begin post which could take several weeks. I am fortunate to have a team that loves this project as much as I do. My Co-Executive Producer is Taryn Teigue, who is also my cousin and this is our first project together, and along with my producers, Melissa Pombar Teigue and Jon Santos, we do what needs to be done to keep this project moving forward. Each of us has invested our own money into this show because we believe in it. The hope in time is to gain sponsors so we can focus more of our time on the show and move the production at a quicker pace.

Will the show be available anywhere else besides the site and Youtube? Is that the plan? 
Right now our plan is to utilize youtube because I shoot in HD and their player is working for us. However, the goal is to either get picked up by a network, or to gain enough sponsorship that we can upgrade our player on the web. 

 Red Carpet Event 
What's Jon Santos role on the show? Why is music so important to you on the show? 
Like all of us, Jon plays a few different roles in the show. How he started his involvement in the show was by helping me with the music. Now he is also producing and I recently brought him on as Director of Photography. (Darren Rydstrom shot episodes 1-3). Jon and I have been friends for over a decade and I knew even though I live in Los Angeles, and he lives in New York, that I wanted him to be a part of the show. In regards to the music, having been a singer myself, it has always played a HUGE role in my life. I love all types of music and really feel that it is an intregal part of story telling on the big or small screen. I always envisioned that music would be like another character in the show. I wanted to feature original music by up and coming bands and artists, and with Jon's help, maybe help give exposure to some indie artists. Jon has produced a lot of extremely talented artists like: A'tris, Drew Torres, Stelladeora, Ninth Hour, Alter the Ending and Zo2. All of their music has been, or will be, featured in an episode of Hollywood Girl. I have even received submissions on our facebook fanpage (www.facebook.com/hollywoodgirltv) and found more great artists like Ty-n-Cli, Stone Ave., and Dan Dwoskin. Listening to the music we get and deciding where it will go in the season or in a specific episode is my favorite part. Sometimes I will just listen to the playlist of songs I now have to choose from over and over, and a song may hit me in a way that it inspires me to write an episode or take a different plot turn.  

What are some of the problems you face as the director, writer, and actor?
As a producer, I am constantly worried about the budget and locations, so when I am writing, I sometimes feel stifled, because I can't write it how I want to because we can't afford to shoot at a specific location, or the script may be too involved and expensive, so I have to make cuts and changes. That is very frustrating. As an actor, I am constantly being challenged, because one minute I am directing a scene and talking to my DP about lighting and how I want the scene shot, and then I have to put on my actor hat two seconds later and then back to director as I am acting in the scene so I can give my cast notes after and see if I like it. It's pretty hairy at times and it's something that takes getting used to. I have never been one to half ass anything, so I can get really hard on myself if I feel my performance wasn't great or if I didn't spend enough time with my actors, but I'm getting better at the multi-tasking with every episode, so I think eventually it will come second nature and I will be able to jump in and out of my roles with more ease. (I HOPE!)

What's your funniest behind the scenes story? 
Honestly, we spend so much time laughing on set, that it's hard to pinpoint one moment. However, I will say that rehearsing, and filming the mock commercial in episode 3 for "Prophylaxatives" is definitely a stand out moment. When Johnny Wactor (Shane Hudson on the show) and I started rehearsing, we were near tears with laughter. What made it even more difficult is that the delivery had to be dead pan, like our characters truly believed in this utterly ridiculous product. Imagine talking about a condom that also serves as a laxative, with lines like "Sometimes you've got two loads to drop" and now think about getting through that without so much as cracking a smile. It was tough. We literally just had to keep rehearsing it until it wasn't funny anymore, and that really never happened. We were still laughing on the the day of the shoot and so was the crew! 

Using your best elevator pitch, why should the world watch Hollywood Girl?
Because I said so! Just kidding... If you're looking for a light hearted, quirky comedy, based on real life circumstances in love, friendships and the Entertainment Industry, and that's full of physical comedy and a pretty hot cast, then you will love Hollywood Girl.

From Episode 3- Kelsey Scott, Courtney Zito, Shawn Ashley & Clarissa River Harlow
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