Cleveland: The Music & The Film

We've Moved, to CreativeCadence.com

2009-11-11T08:42:00.001-08:00

Dear readers,

Thank you so much for visiting, reading and commenting on this blog. It's been a great ride and the time has come for a new creative space to welcome all of you.

Please visit us in our new home:

Creative Cadence LLC

We look forward to hearing from you.

- A. Sukhoy

Cleveland Rising: The Song, The Video and the Screenplay

2009-03-04T23:14:00.000-08:00

"Cleveland Rising" music video.

Since the initial inspiration and conception, going back to 2007, "Cleveland Rising" the song & video, and Cleveland, the screenplay, are now completed!

Song & Video - "Cleveland Rising," written by & © Alexsandra Sukhoy (Lyrics) and Vanessa Daffron (Music)

Maudeville: Vanessa Daffron: Vocals, Guitar; Tony DePiano: Guitar; Daniel Baxter: Piano, Organ; Evan A Lieberman: Bass; (not pictured): Jon Niefeld: Drums; Aria Daffron: Muse; Dave Towne: studio engineer. - ._:kltr:_. Video Director; All Photography and Video Concept © Creative Cadence LLC 2009.

Next Steps: Positively Cleveland called "Cleveland Rising" a "terrific song" and this week we're entering the track in the Rock Hall "Cleveland Rocks '09" contest. Please send us good karma vibes!!

Screenplay - Cleveland - Written by Alexsandra Sukhoy, © Creative Cadence LLC 2008, Registered with the Writer's Guild of America 2009.

Cleveland is a contemporary crime and love story, focusing on a group of young people who pay for the sins of their parents. Cleveland encompasses the relationships between various ethnic groups and generations as they stumble upon dark truths in a city that's fallen pray to the mortgage foreclosure crisis. Juxtaposed with music, love and hope, Cleveland was first inspired by Leonard Cohen's "So Long, Marianne" and the final Cavs World Championship game of 2007.

Next Steps: Ivan Schwarz, Cleveland's Film Commissioner, has very kindly provided great insight over the past three months. Right now I am seeking a quality agent, so if you know someone who is credible and has industry connections, please send her my way.

Gratitude - It's been a heck of a journey, on all fronts, and all those involved know just how much focused energy took place. While there are many projects "in the works" I wanted to acknowledge the angels that, for the past nearly 2 years, brought all pieces of the puzzle together.

Mom, Dad, Sis - you are my rock. Thank you for letting me be me and understanding every time I couldn't answer the phone. Your voices and hearts were in me every single moment. Mom - for also challenging all the logic flaws in the first draft. Thank you Maudeville - Vanessa, Evan, Daniel, Tony and Jon - for making this random set of words come to life, and for doing it so well. Dave - your patient soul and technical know-how in the studio kept us all sane and on track. Glenn - your talented generosity making this video is a true gift. The Statler 7 - Sonia, Evan, Daniel, Sylvia, Sawwaf, Miguelle and honorary Statlerite Ben, for all of your friendship and demanding support - especially Sonia, who first told me to "write the story" and Miguelle, my "brother from another mother" who inspired the script character of the same name. Erin - friend since 1981, lawyer who got the LLC off the ground and who scooped my soul when the house of cards came crumbling down; you are wonder woman. Jacob, script editor, friend since 1986 and the truth zone to the world - keep telling it like it is. Jaimie-the-Mom you have held my heart through it all, and first schooled my unsure writer, in 2002, saying "either put your entire self out there, or don't do it all." Angela and Nate - you extended a hand at a time when it meant most and provided great insight into The Crisis. Oh, and you fed me great home made pasta! Studio Palmieri - for giving me my first public wall space. Mark - the rock star of deans and supporter of dreams. Dennis, for taking on a mentee when you're alrady busy saving the world. Jess & Jeff, for somehow navigating me to where I need to be next & making all the right introductions. And to Halena and Brian - you nursed me back to health - nothing like home cooking, sunshine, Sedona and Golden Girls to do the trick!

Special thank you to Vanessa, who is the best Music Mama a girl could ever ask for. Your intuition for the right sound is something to treasure. Let's write more songs, girl!

And Evan - who not only played bass on the track, but "back in the day" spent hours helping me edit my photography portfolio and then kicked my toohis in the best possible way with the script. You somehow managed, through your patience, kindness and nurturance, give voice to the artist within. Thank you for letting me be your student.

Finally, to friends, family and neighbors, in Cleveland and Chicago, who have supported and given so tirelessly, especially over the past 3 unprecedented and quite difficult months, thank you for being so fabulous.

- Alex :-)

Background on both the song, including lyrics, and the screenplay can be read on the previous blog entries.

Cleveland Rising: Lyrics & Instrumental

2008-10-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

Cleveland Rising: This City is Our Home
Lyrics: Alex Sukhoy, Music: Vanessa Daffron

Instrumental Video

Intro
From our steel mills
To our baseball
I’ve seen it rise
And I’ve seen it fall…

Verse 1
The factories closed down
Like a sunset in a fog
In this steel-belt Midwest town
We even burnt the Cuyahog

Verse 2
We were winners once ago
We just forgot how it felt to win
Myopic martership our Achilles
Insecurity, our sin

Chorus
In the churches we all pray
In this town I’ll always stay
Cleveland is my home

Verse 3
We have youth and sight and Splendor
Like a phoenix we will rise
No ashes blown into our river
No ashes blow, no ashes blow
No ashes blow, like they've blown before
Into our river

Chorus
In the churches we all pray
In this town I’ll always stay
Cleveland is my home

Verse 4
Now I confess to you, my dear
My precious city by the lake
I'll treat you better now
For you are no mistake

Chorus
In the churches we all pray
In this town
I’ll always stay
Cleveland is my home
This City is My Home

Maudeville: Behind the Music

2008-05-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

Cleveland Rising Studio Recording - Video

On Saturday May 3 the band, now calling itself Maudeville, went into the recording studio to lay down the tracks for "Cleveland Rising." And, while the band is not, yet, famous, the drama of the day, including unpicked up phone calls, flipping schedules, stormy weather and tight quarters, could have resulted in infamous non-action. Luckily, everyone stepped above the tumultuous circumstances and Evan, Tony and Vanessa came together to create the product which gave the song its dignity.

As I have not played percussion since Clinton's first term, we hired a studio drummer - Jon. Vanessa was able to secure him for both her song and for "Cleveland Rising." Jon, who completed his Master's thesis in social work just a few days prior to the recording, was the drummer with the Rembrants, the band best known playing on "I'll be There for You," the theme song from Friends. Jon has recently pointed out that he was not the drummer on that particular track, but we think his talents speak for themselves. Jon was a great addition to "Cleveland Rising" and his precision provided just the right rhythmic anchoring the band needed.

A few hours into the recording, as all tracks turned into An Actual Recorded Song, the band mates' energy began to dissipate somewhat and after a long day and the giving of creative generosity, we had our first product for the movie.

Three days later, Vanessa called me over to her office, gave me a set of headphones and played the song on her computer. As I listened to the coming together of melody, drums, bass, guitar and vocals, my eyes filled with tears. Despite, or, perhaps because of, the strains of that Saturday, the energy within each creative soul re-navigated itself above whatever breakfast conflicts the morning provided into sheer musical brilliance. I could not be more proud of everyone.

"Cleveland Rising", The First Three Rehearsals & Princess Shoes

2008-03-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

On Thursday evening, November 15, after packing a guitar, keyboards, keyboard stand and amp into my new VW Rabbit, Evan, Daniel and I headed down to Vanessa's and Tony's house. As Vanessa and Tony have a free standing house, and the rest of us all live at the Statler, it made sense to rehears where privacy and noise level were not an issue. The second we walked in from the dark cold, Aria ran up to say hi. This immediately comforted the atmosphere as Daniel and Evan, who met Tony and Vanessa for the first time that night, began to set up their instruments in the den.

The four individuals all sat down and, still nervous and uncertain of each other or each other's talents, embarked in some conversation and, as warm up, played a vintage R.E.M. song. Afterwards, Vanessa ran a tune past us that she had wanted to share.

The number, "Never Letting Go", is a deep, introspective song focusing on a woman's personal choices. From the second I heard the song, I saw it in the film, in a scene where Marianne, the female lead character, waits at A.J. Rocco's, a local coffee bar, for her first official date with Jacob. She spends the hour waiting, and waiting, thinking about the choices she has made that have lead her to this point. I asked Evan to put on his Director's hat, since he will be directing the movie, and gaged his perspective on using the song in that scene. "I like it." Daniel also jumped in, suggesting that the instrumental version of the song could be used through the movie, an idea which we all embraced.

Vanessa then shared with the crew some musical ideas regarding "Cleveland Rising", a song I had written lyrics for on Tuesday October 30. I know this date because on that day I called in sick to work. That morning body felt weak, clammy and drained. I'm not a big believer of bodies possessed by spirits of the past, but there is no other explanation for what happened to me that night.

The evening before I read an article from Cleveland Magazine. The article was about a semi-famous local beatnik poet, d.a.levy. A man who wanted to dedicate a piece of poetry to this city. A man who, in the 1950's, claimed that that Cleveland had been suffering from a 30 year depression. A man who, instead of being finally recognized for his vision, as his colleague Alan Ginsburg was, was named in an obscenity witch hunt and age 26 was found dead of a self-inflicted gun wound. I read about half of the piece on him in the magazine, including some samples of his poetry, and went to bed. That night I had strange dreams, sensed someone's presence in my bedroom and woke up with a feeling of exhaustion as though I just finished running a marathon. My forehead as clammy as my hands, I picked a nearby journal and began to write. I wrote verse about Cleveland. I wrote it as though I had lived here for 100 years. I wrote it with the wisdom of someone wiser. The truth was, I had no conscious effort writing those lyrics. I simply channelled something, someone else. But the result was worth something. And Vanessa heard the music in her mind.

As Vanessa began to play some melodies and chords for "Cleveland Rising" on her guitar, Evan almost immediately jumped in and then Tony and Daniel joined them. The four of them began to work out the details, including the structure of the song. This resulted in the cutting out of an entire verse, one that mentions King James and refers to LeBron. Vanessa made the good call that the particular verse dates the song, while the rest of the lyrics enabled the song to be timeless. I was open to this and trusted the band to do what was right.

By the time the rehearsal was ending, with my cell phone camera in hand, documenting the evening's event, I had tears in my eyes because of what I saw and heard. The four individuals took an idea, something that was a whisper in the air and began to build it into something concrete, something solid and something stunning.

On the next rehearsal, that Sunday, November 18th, Daniel could not join us, so Evan and I, with his bass and my new Mac in back seat of the VW, drove on down to Vanessa's and Tony's home. As we walked in, Aria, as usual, greeted us with her smile. Aria wanted to play with my camera, so I it to her and some of the great photos from that rehearsal (currently saved on a corrupted disk) came from her vision. I also took photos, with the Mac's built in camera, and the sepiatone added a historic look. At that rehearsal, Aria decided to go multi-sensory and while doing her art, dipped purple paint into a cup of iced Sprite, just to see what the mix of color and bubbles will look like.

Meanwhile, Tony began to play on the guitar a 16th note repeated pattern that Vanessa was humming. This 16th note high-octave rhythmical addition gave the song a new layer - a new dimension, something simultaneously optimistic and reflective. It was a killer hook and watching and hearing its development gave new light to the project.

On the third rehearsal, on Sunday January 19th, the snow was abound and my new friend Chris joined Evan and I on the now very snowy journey to Vanessa's and Tony's home. Chris and Evan discussed southern college sports teams and the retro advantages of record albums, both teaching me the root of the term rock n' roll. (who knew?)

We all safely arrived at The Home of Music and while the band was setting up, Aria was insistent on wearing her princess dress. To enable the band to continue to do its thing, I went upstairs with Aria to help her find princess shoes. "Are these it?" "No." "Aria, are these your princess shoes?" "No, Alex!" Finally Vanessa had to go upstairs and found the right pair. "Alex, look, these are princess shoes." In addition to learning what "Rock n' Roll" was, that day I also learned what princess shoes are - shoes with glitter and sparkles.

In the mean time, Vanessa played a new song she had written - a bluegrass number reflecting her Southern roots. A catchy number with great knee-slapping feel, the song had a good groove and lyrics of depth. Evan quickly jumped into the song, adding his bass, while Tony added his own guitar musicality. It was a great tune that everyone truly got into.

The band then took another cut at "Cleveland Rising" and while Tony had once written down his 16th note addition on Aria's handwriting paper and I shot the previous rehearsal on my digital camera, no one could find the paper and the disk with the video and images was corrupted. So the band tried to recreate the magic as best as it could.

Since January, I decided to take a break from the rehearsals in order to focus on the story. Before the band's first rehearsal in November, I had already read the "Screenplay" book, developed my two main characters and had followed the disciplined exercise of laying out three acts, into 13, 26 and 13 scenes each, attaching the flashcards to the silver boards. And while I was excited by the progress, and have purchased the very expensive Final Draft software, not a word of the screenplay had been written. Evan's feedback to me was "The flashcards are great and you have the love story nailed, but there's no crime story here." So my work as screenwriter was still longs way away from being completed.

The good news that the band, by this time, had fused and bonded creatively. In addition to developing music for the soundtrack, they had also began working on Vanessa's cd, with some songs to be used for both albums. As we are funding the projects independently, with no outsider investors, it is critical to stay fiscally pragmatic while developing the desired creative result.

Since that practice in January there have been several developments on both the music and the writing end of the project. The band rehearsed a few more times and on Saturday March 1 went into the studio to lay down the tracks for one of Vanessa's songs. Additionally, my mom helped me think through the crime plot and gave me two new characters. I have diagrammed the love, crime connection and, to give the movie a more authentic, local flavor made the decision to add the mortgage foreclosures crisis as a subplot to the story. I've also written lyrics to the love song theme and can't wait to see what this band of four does with it.

One thing is for sure - the creative vision of the people on the project is world-class. Vanessa, Evan, Tony & Daniel are brilliant individuals who, when coming together, showcase the ultimate talent syncopation.

I hope to one day invite Leonard Cohen to rehearsal. I think he would be proud.

First studio session this weekend...

2008-02-27T08:56:00.001-08:00

The band is preparing for our first studio recording session - and it's happening this Saturday in Chagrin Falls. It's very exciting to start laying down some of the fruits of our musical work together thus far. In what is shaping up to be an iterative process of writing, recording, writing and more recording, I'm elated about making the first step toward creating the soundtrack for "So Long, Marianne" and getting our first taste of recording as a group. Many thanks Alex for bringing us creative-makers together (yourself most importantly included). Pretty soon we'll start recording "Cleveland Rising," a song on the movie soundtrack, with lyrics by Alex and music by the band.

The Backstory. The Statler 7. The Band.

2008-02-22T17:39:00.000-08:00

THE BACKSTORY - As an Art and Communication student at DePaul University in the early 1990's, I spent each weekday commuting on the el to school and work, between suburbia and Chicago, while listening to my white Sony tape and radio walkman. Often XRT (93.1) would serve as entertainment on the long train rides, playing some great new local artists, including the Smashing Pumpkins, Urge Overkill, Liz Phair and Poi Dog Pondering. Even Eddie Veder, a graduate of Evanston High School, was making his mark as the lead singer of that other Seattle grunge band, Pearl Jam. The music scene was exciting and movies of the time, "Pump up the Volume", "Threesome" and the pivotal "Pulp Fiction" benefited from new artists, old tracks, great storytelling and a multi-sensory experience that set the tone for the decade.

During one of those daily commutes, the train stopped at Lawrence and out the dirty window and in the morning twilight I saw a blond figure sitting on the fire escape of the Aragon Theater. This young, cute guy, cigarette in hand, elbows on his denim-covered knees, was facing south and appeared to be in great self-reflection. As my own face moved closer towards the el window and my eyes squinted I realized it was no other than Kurt Cobain. Nirvana had just played the night before and who knows what transpired between the performance and 6:30 the next morning? Part of me was so amazed to see what I had witnessed. And part of me was sad, knowing that this was a man who was pursuing his craft while I was pursuing an insane life of too many responsibilities with no foreseeable future of a Life of The Arts. And, being stuck inside this work train and seeing this blond rock angel breathing in all of Chicago on those stairs, little did I know the full irony of my alleged self-entrapment and Kurt's perceived freedom.

During that early part of the decade, as new Democratic blood was getting ready to shake up the White House, XRT began playing cover songs of a Canadian poet and songwriter, a certain Leonard Cohen. The first track off I'm Your Fan I must have heard was "First We'll Take Manhattan" by a then lesser-known REM. A certain poetry resonated in that song: an older wisdom combined with a groovy beat. Other truly alternative musicians contributed to this album and the artist list read like a college radio dj's wet dream: Echo and the Bunnyman's Ian McCulloch, the Pixies, Lloyd Cole, Nick Cave and the Badseeds and John Cale, who hypnotized with his rendition of what Canada would eventually call its greatest song ever: "Hallelujah." (the same "Hallelujah" the late Jeff Buckley covered in what is now a haunting memory of his short life.)

One specific song on that disk blew me away. From the first time I heard it, I visualized a story. A film. A movie. A passionate and tumultuous affair between a man and woman. A romance. Perhaps a murder. A crime. Of passion. Or of blood. Or both. The song was called "So Long, Marianne" and a new band James covered it. I became obsessed with this song. I included the song on my mix tapes. I played it over and over and over again, rewinding my walkman and stopping to make sure I would find the beginning. I kept seeing the elements in the story: a new razor blade, a palm reading, angels, laughing, crying and a pretty woman changing her name. "Why isn't anyone making a movie with this song?" I kept asking myself. Perhaps asking the universe.

"So Long, Marianne" is a story. A visual epic. "So Long, Marianne" is a film.

THE STATLER 7

In Fall 2006, in time for Rosh Hashana, and a season when annually my life changes, I moved back to the Statler in downtown Cleveland and started a new job with American Greetings Interactive. Moving back to this once grand hotel of downtown Cleveland was like a homecoming, only better. While some faces were familiar, little did I know that a certain

magical connection between seven people was about to unfold.

Daniel - At that point I already knew Daniel, one of the first friends I made in this city. Daniel, who grew up in Ann Arbor Michigan, is more than a friend, though, he's the younger brother I never had and his loyalty, kindness and goodness as a human being are rare traits of anyone living in Today's World. Daniel and I have our own special ritual: Saturday pad thai dinners at Lemon Grass, followed by a movie at the Cedar Lee and then hot chocolate (on what always seems like a cold night, even in the summer,) at Starbuck's, where Daniel and I discuss the movie just watched in intricate length. As an avid reader and son of a successful author father, Daniel recognizes fine story telling. For one of my birthdays, Daniel gave me what I now consider a life-changing gift: Crooked River Burning. A thick historical novel detailing the recipe to Cleveland's fiscal decline, the book freed me as a writer, taught me the significance of Vincent Street and planted a seed about what can truly unfold in a town I call home. Daniel, a talented piano player, did not realize that by giving me Crooked River Burning, he would one day be roped into a sentimental echo to this masterpiece of a book.

Sylvia - I knew Sylvia from American Greetings and met her at one of my Supper Clubs. Quiet until she gets to know you, Sylvia is a mystery. Even knowing her all these years, I still can't say I really know her well. With her blond hair and piercing blue eyes, Sylvia likes her martinis dry, her steaks rare and her cars German. She works in AG's sales department and is a closet writer. A creative soul at heart, Sylvia lived in L.A. and worked as an actress, with appearances on "Beverly Hills 90210" as well as other television shows. In 2007 she (briefly) moved into the Statler and, along with her eety bitty and very well-mannered dog Leli, became an excellent walking companion and new neighbor.

Miguelle - Miguelle and I met at the 2006 Statler Christmas party. It was one of those rare, across the room moments. We had met that night, but it was as though we were always part of each other's lives. Miguelle is a brilliant auditor for Ernst & Young, but that's just the beginning of his resume. He's a leader in the community, a mover and shaker and lights up any room he enters. He has a gift for making people smile and, while living one floor below in the exact same apartment as mine, we had numerous random door knocks, followed by late into the night conversations about everything from business school to dating to family to both admitting how lucky we are to know one another. We both also adore Scorsese and the Godfather trilogy. Whether enjoying lentil soup post-work while watching "Law & Order" or texting one another at midnight after bad

dates, there's a certain "for life" love and friendship the two of us have.

Sonia & Sawwaf - I met Sonia upstairs at the Statler gym and we just started talking. Sonia is a healthcare professional at Cleveland Clinic and her husband, an excellent cook, works at Eaton while pursuing his MBA. The two met while living in opposite ends of the continent: San Francisco and Toronto. Picking Cleveland as their neutral city to call home, the newlyweds became the poster couple for us singletons: if these two found each other from that far away and are this happy, then we can all find someone to love. While Sonia's profession is scientific, it is her maternal and caring side that draws one in and her ability to notice what others don't provides a creative third eye for artists. In May 2007, on a Thursday night, Sonia called me asking me if I was up for dinner. I was and once we finished our outdoor meal at the Corner Alley on East 4th, I suggested that we walk towards the Q, to reel in the momentum of the last Cavs championship game against the Spurs. We had no tickets and we sensed Game 4 would be the end of this season, but the evening was wonderful and warm and as we headed towards the stadium, I began to notice something disturbing. "Sonia, look around. Look carefully. Every cop in the city is right here, right now: on foot, on horse, on motorcycle, in car. Do you know what that means? It means there's parts of Cleveland where there are no cops tonight. And it's a perfect night for a crime to be committed." Without hesitation, Sonia turned to me and said "And you have to write that story."

Evan - Evan landed into my life like an Indian monsoon: knocking me off my comfort cloud and only making appearances in a certain kind of random consistency. Multiple people wanted to introduce us after he moved here from Atlanta and during our first phone conversation we discovered we shared the same favorite movie: Goodfellaws. Our list of things in common read like the Double-Axel of a DNA strand: he's a communications and film professor, a musician, an art lover, comes from a Jewish Eastern European family and even down to the dark curly hair, I am suspect that during some world war in the old country our blood lines must have crossed. Evan's unofficial creative mentor role to me initiated when he came over to help me hang oversized stainless steel sheets into my then office, now studio. The three panels, ideal for movable note cards, photos and inspirations to be held in place by magnets, enabled me to showcase many of my creative projects from college, that, until recently spent over a decade in a sealed portfolio. Projects that had to, finally, see light. A few months after the metal sheet hanging, Evan went through hundreds upon hundreds of my Cleveland photos and helped me edit them down - teaching me horizon, balance, contrast, color and what makes a relevant photograph. After twenty years of taking photos, for the first time, someone actually taught me why the good ones are good. And, when I asked Evan which book to read to know how to write a screenplay, he helped with that as well. A college professor, movie director, bass player and wine connoisseur, Evan has been my own personal Creative Chi Master and his patience and wisdom has fostered much of this project.

The Statler 7 experienced an amazing summer together in 2007. Most of us were not born in Cleveland. Some of us were not even born in the United States. The seven of us represent four to five different ethnic backgrounds and just as many different religions. We all have family in

our home cities that we are close to and that we love dearly. There is no reason on the planet why we should have met or why we bonded as we did. But we did. And, collectively this self-adopted family has served as the critical muse, thawing the "So Long Marianne" song hibernation and providing me with all the right energy forces to carry out the vision to make this a film.

THE BAND - In late Fall of 2007, shortly after shifting career paths into the Editorial Department at AG's Creative Studio, I realized how critical music was to this project. The movie is inspired by a song. I needed talented musicians that could drive forward that vision. People who could collaborate, create, play and perform together - sans ego and with tremendous talent. In a typical movie process, a movie is made and then a soundtrack is added. Sometimes this happens simultaneously. Yet rarely does a soundtrack begin development prior to one official word of a screenplay actually being written. But, then, nothing about this process has been typical.

Vanessa - Around the same time I moved back to the Statler and began my .com job my next-cube neighbor was a "quiet" young product manager named Vanessa. A petite brunette who kept her working space minimalist, for the exception of photos of her stunning curly-haired blond masterpiece named Aria, Vanessa's energy immediately spoke to mine. We did not know each other, but we knew what we were all about. Like Sylvia and Evan, Vanessa also had lived in L.A. and the minute she told me about her Madonna connection, I knew there was much brewing in Vanessa's personal talent pool. The first time I heard Vanessa sing - I shed a tear. Her voice reminded me of a young Kate Bush and had a certain vulnerability that was incredibly inviting. A song-writer and a guitar player at heart, Vanessa is a first class musician and now dear friend.

Tony - Vanessa's partner, best friend and Aria's dad, Tony came to Cleveland, also from L.A., to be with the two women he loved. A warm and kind presence and a music teacher, Tony also plays guitar and is rarely seen without a smile on his face. I first met him while my friend Ben and I were at Pacific East on Coventry. There, Vanessa, Aria and Tony were enjoying a Friday night sushi outing. A genuinely beautiful family, seeing them all together that night confirmed the collaborative connection rooted in the people sitting at that table.

Aria - I met Aria, over a breakfast at Jack's. That morning I witnessed an amazing kid with an ability to connect with those around her, in a positive and good manner. Aria has a certain assertiveness about her that can not be taught - she was born with this. Once Aria knows your name, she always remembers it. And particularly loves hanging out with her mom and dad. When Vanessa and Tony are within sight, Aria is a happy girl.

Evan & Daniel - With Vanessa and Tony interested in participating in the project, I also approached Evan and Daniel to join the group. Both men were interested, and, actually, quiet excited to be part of this unique experience.

And there they were: two guitar players, a keyboardist and a bass player. And here we are. Writing a movie. Making a soundtrack. Creating something very special. Living a Life of the Arts.

It started with a song.