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At last and with a bit of fanfare I am finally ready to show proof that all that time spent in basement sound and video studios was not a waste of time. You know how they say it takes a village… well it took the combined talents of the lovely town of Kingston to get this together and I am very pleased with all of us.
The result is a video made with a compilation of mini movies taken with my tiny camera as I try to hold it still on a moving train, green- screened takes of my lovely buddies at the pubs of Kingston, both Pilot House and Kingston Brewing Company, and myself. It may look like I am perched on the train in the video but that is the trickery of James Greatrex from ASIF Films and his video toys. The people in the video finally get to see their debut on Tuesday June 30, 2015 at the Pilot House at the release from 4 to 6 PM. The pub is still open to everybody. It is not a private event and the best fish and chips in town are still available.
I would be remiss if I didn't thank the very patient ears of Duncan Holt at Concept Audio for all of his work on the tune, sourcing out all sorts of train sounds and placing them meticulously in the song. Duncan also played drums on the tune and the fabulous Dave Barton played bass guitar.
I wanted the end result to sound and look fun. Duncan and James understood what I wanted to do and both of them ran with my ideas and added so much.
As for my super-star smokers, well, I nabbed them from the Pilot House as they were on their way out of the pub for a puff and asked them if they would mind smoking in front of a green screen that James had set up in the alley behind the pub. It was a smoking hot day as I recall and they couldn't have been nicer about it.
My little green ukulele wouldn't work in front of a green screen so I picked up the lovely uke I played at Limestone Music. The other banjo-lele has been in the family for years and though it has a unique look its equally unique sound is a bit too harsh so it remained decorative and is not played in the final cut of the song.
Two days prior to shooting my part I experienced a seasonal sneezing fit so hard I blew a blood vessel in my right eye so I have to thank the folks from Graham’s Pharmacy for the reassurance that it would pass and the Optical Factory for the lovely Ray-bans they loaned me. My clothes are from Gracies and Roundstone and a couple of other downtown shops that did not survive the 'big dig'. Camera Kingston put all my wobbly little movies onto discs that James could compile together and it did come together.
It would be swell if you would take a look and have a listen to my song
...cheers ...gg
- Bit on the Side
- It's Not Easy Being Green (Joe Raposo)
- More than a Hat Rack
- Sweet Loving
- To Keep My Love Alive (Roger & Hart)
- Phoebe's Lullaby
- All the King's Horses
- Pink Petals
- He Never Said
- The Way You Take My Hand
- I Call Him My Partner
- Venus Envy
- Come to the River
News and Events
THE BATFISH BOY
NOW AVAILABLE ON
YOUTUBE ! ! ! !
This song, story and video has been trying to be told for quite a while now. I owe many thanks to my pub buddies who have patiently sat through early variations of the song and scribbles taped together in a rough draft booklet.
I am glad that the scribbles on napkins and layers of papers with lyrics and sketches are no longer scrunched in my purse and tumbling off my coffee table.
This silly song began as a patty-cake rhythm and clinging melody while I was walking around City Park in Kingston. Perhaps I was a bit dehydrated. At first it was about a catfish but after watching a Nova program the red-lipped batfish became the star. His habit of using fins to walk on the floor of the ocean dictated the rest of the story. Well, that and the fact that he lives around the Galapagos Islands and then thoughts of Darwin on the Beagle near by meant that they almost met and yes, I was likely dehydrated.
The story began in a small sketch book and I tried several times to illustrate a colour version and reduce the number of story pages from 65 to the current 24. I tried water colour pencil crayons that seemed so easy in videos but I soon realized that it requires more patience than I possess. Most pages ended up pale and soggy. Back at the counter of a local art supply store I tried acrylic paints and managed to over blend most pages into a muddy mess. Undaunted I grabbed some pencil crayons and began to scribble. At last it began to take shape and the colourful mermaid tails, lips and moth wings brought it to life. The moth is a combination lunar moth and several others. The mermaids just came one by one as friends of mine. A certain blonde buddy from Belleville, a redhead, etc (they know who they are)!
SPOILER ALERT ! ! The three trickiest pages were the two where he evolves and where he and the moth finally meet. The classic ape to hairy caveman outlines were a guide but my goal was to keep my little guy adorable. I had to go back and redraw every page to extend his nose so the moth would have something to land on.
I am so happy when I get to share this with people and it makes them smile, sometimes giggle out loud or sometimes look at me quizzically with their brows knitted together and a smirk.
YOUTUBE ! ! ! !
This song, story and video has been trying to be told for quite a while now. I owe many thanks to my pub buddies who have patiently sat through early variations of the song and scribbles taped together in a rough draft booklet.
I am glad that the scribbles on napkins and layers of papers with lyrics and sketches are no longer scrunched in my purse and tumbling off my coffee table.
This silly song began as a patty-cake rhythm and clinging melody while I was walking around City Park in Kingston. Perhaps I was a bit dehydrated. At first it was about a catfish but after watching a Nova program the red-lipped batfish became the star. His habit of using fins to walk on the floor of the ocean dictated the rest of the story. Well, that and the fact that he lives around the Galapagos Islands and then thoughts of Darwin on the Beagle near by meant that they almost met and yes, I was likely dehydrated.
The story began in a small sketch book and I tried several times to illustrate a colour version and reduce the number of story pages from 65 to the current 24. I tried water colour pencil crayons that seemed so easy in videos but I soon realized that it requires more patience than I possess. Most pages ended up pale and soggy. Back at the counter of a local art supply store I tried acrylic paints and managed to over blend most pages into a muddy mess. Undaunted I grabbed some pencil crayons and began to scribble. At last it began to take shape and the colourful mermaid tails, lips and moth wings brought it to life. The moth is a combination lunar moth and several others. The mermaids just came one by one as friends of mine. A certain blonde buddy from Belleville, a redhead, etc (they know who they are)!
SPOILER ALERT ! ! The three trickiest pages were the two where he evolves and where he and the moth finally meet. The classic ape to hairy caveman outlines were a guide but my goal was to keep my little guy adorable. I had to go back and redraw every page to extend his nose so the moth would have something to land on.
I am so happy when I get to share this with people and it makes them smile, sometimes giggle out loud or sometimes look at me quizzically with their brows knitted together and a smirk.
Please follow the link below to order my latest CD More than a Hat Rack. Please just indicate quantity and I will keep you notified of order status through the email you provide.
Click here to order a CD NOW!
Get in touch
email: glenna@kos.net