Hi Everybody!
We hope this letter finds you well and reasonably comfy in these strange times. Years from now, when we see 'old' news clips of the Roaring Twenty-twenties, we'll breathe a collective sigh and say, 'Glad THAT's over!'
In the meantime, we've all managed to mine some nuggets of fun. At our house, we're digging deep into art projects, from Valerie's Podcast for singers ('Living a Vocal Life,') to John and Malcolm's quest to make the perfect Shortbread Cookie.
We had a great time releasing our video for 'Bagtown.' Begun back in 2016, in a world almost unrecognizable now, 'Bagtown' recently resurfaced. Director Mike Wellins turned the project over to Italian video artist Antonio Martinini to pull the pieces together.
If you missed the unveiling, you can see it below.
The city of Bagtown was built by our son Malcolm on a seven-foot-long table. He also did the artwork for the album cover. Malcolm is a prolific artist (and we do mean PROLIFIC!) He just launched his new website, BLUE PIXIE COMICS. You can check out his work HERE.
And for all you Jazz fans and fans of Valerie's post-NuShooz work, here's another blast from the past. There will be a special Valentines' Day broadcast of her 2010 show BRAIN CHEMISTRY FOR LOVERS.
BCFL is a combination Cabaret/Science Lecture about the biological forces behind ROMANTIC LOVE and their echoes in Popular Song. John wrote the arrangements for the Portland Chamber Orchestra. The show also featured the sparkling musicianship of Jazz pianist Darrell Grant.
On Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 7 PM (Pacific) in collaboration with Science On Tap, the video of the performance at the Newmark Theater in Portland, OR, will be shown for the first and only time. Valerie will be there live to talk a little bit about the “making of.” And our resident neuroscientist, Dr. Sherman, will update the science and answer questions after the performance.
Check out the preview video above, and then head over HERE to find out more. Tickets are just $10 per household, and proceeds will benefit Science On Tap and The Portland Chamber Orchestra.
OK, well...we don't want to be the 'guests who wouldn't leave,' but here's one more bit of fun. Our longtime fan David Smith dug up this little nugget. It's an interview from 1988 with "The Other Guy" on KPDX TV 49 during the release of 'Told U So.'
To quote Solzhenitzyn;
"Time flies, and then again, it doesn't"
Or maybe we should quote that enigmatic sage Bob Dylan,
"I was so much older then. I'm younger than that now."
Be well. Be safe.
Talk soon.
Love,
Valerie and John