Halfway There?

It’s the Wednesday before the fourth weekend of Scarborough Faire. I can’t believe that we are almost to the halfway point for Scarborough’s season!

I’m sitting, working with Jim Hancock on designing and fixing and mixing and foleying sound for “I Sense Danger”. We’ve done a good first/second pass on Part One and are working on Part Two today. We’ve gotten over 5 minutes done so far and have been working on it for about 5 hours so far today. Not bad, not bad at all. It’s really amazing when you work on sound for a picture. There is ALWAYS sound happening. So, when sound is not happening you really notice it. Where are the footsteps? Did those swords connect? What about the wind in the trees or the birds in the branches? You are always asking yourself: “Does this sound enhance the comedy or silliness or somberness of a scene? Can the existing sound be enhanced enough to have impact, or must a sound (Foley, after the sound artist) be imported or created? Where are the people - in a big room, a small room? It can drive you crazy. Suddenly you are noticing ALL the sounds around you – the birds, cars, people laughing, music playing, planes flying, tractors driving, bicycles speeding by, doors opening, wind in trees, the crunch of tires coming to a halt. You hear it all. It speaks to me of the complex and oft times unnoticed richness of life. Louie (London Broil) is across the site working on Fx. You must all understand how tedious each of these tasks can be. Both Jim and Louie are listening to/looking at the tiniest bits of time – much less than a second! Jim is engineering, doing all the actual work. I am his support, trying to keep a “clean” ear, taking notes and trying to keep track of all the foley. Much of the time I sit here in complete silence listening to the tap, tap, tap upon his keyboard as he searches, fixes, learns and makes some good magic. It’s almost three, so soon it will be time for a break. We’ll see.

And we should see a score for “Danger” from Kelly later this week. We’ve received a wish list of instruments from our composer and will (again hopefully) have the whole thing recorded by the end of the run here. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

Our documentary “An Inside Look” is to be reviewed in the upcoming issue of Renaissance Magazine (#61). It’s so nice the support they are giving us as Don Juan and Miguel®, and as Blind Dog Entertainment®. Lady Janet is to visit Scarborough this weekend. It’ll be nice to meet.

For those of you who wish to “click” the breast cancer site to support the cause – the address is www.breastcancersite.com

Well, that’s about it for now.

Oh man! The computer just froze again!!!!

Scarborough Faire!

Well folks, as you might possibly have guessed - we all made it to Scarborough Faire and have been having a great season so far!

The opening weekend was one of the best we've seen. Perfect weather, lots of new faces, and lots of old friends to laugh with again! I DO enjoy this festival. It is so like coming home - all the familiar faces, all the familiar places so steeped in memories of delights.

There have been some changes at Scarborough - a new bridge, new kitchens, a sit-down food area, some new shows - some faces from the past that have returned again, and, (sadly) some faces that are just not here (for whatever reasons).

We've decided to perform The Queen of Spain Show here this year. We haven't done it for a while because it is so strange and lots of work. We performed it this past weekend (#2) and, frankly, Saturday was a bit "rough" - we normally have Esmeralda in the show and had to cover for the parts she's not here to perform and for the time I usually get to change. Sunday, though, was quite fun. (At least for me.) We've been doing it at our 3:30 time slot at the Crown.

It's been nice having "Bathos the Muse" (Eddie Jeff Cahill) and Zilch (Terry Foy) coming to the Weird Show at 5:30. They add so much goofiness. Makes me think of old-time Vaudeville! By the way, Zilch is now a published author with his new work "The Night Before Christmoose" (although I may have the spelling wrong.)

NOTE ON R.E.S.C.U. Two of the final pubsings here - at the King''s Pub and at The White Horse are donating the tips for those shows to R.E.S.C.U. This is a sweet way for our patrons to be able to help out those in our Renaissance community who are in need.

BLIND DOG NOTES:

Martha Gay and Max Dyer got a terrific review in the latest Renaissance Magazine (issue #60) for their duet CD "Heartstrings". Read it and get the CD. You'll not be disappointed.

"I Sense Danger"
Movement movement movement!
There seems to be some energy here at Scarborough which promotes action in the artistic realm. Jim Hancock and I (with some help from Shannon O'Brien) are busily working on the sound. Louie (of The London Broil) is working on Fx. We found a guy in the local community who is willing to give a hand. His name is Jason and we found him on the DFW Indie boards for independent film makers. Thanks Jason!

Well, that's about all for now......I'll be back in contact soon. It's hard to write this and work on the film at the same time!

Oh, I did want to mention that the Breast Cancer Society really needs people to go to their website and click for free mammograms. Its free to us and helps out folks in need.

Oh......BIRTHDAYS.......this month so far Jim, Shannon (a limo night), Terry Foy (a big one), Patrick Sweet and Duncan! (oh, and Bodge's would've been this past week)

On the way to Scarborough Faire

Greetings faithful readers, fans and friends! Here's hoping that life is bringing you much joy!

Well, Arizona is at an end for 2008 and Scarborough opens in but a few days. The Arizona run was truly great this season. SO much fun! SO many folks came and laughed and chatted and laughed again. We had near perfect weather (some chilly and some gusty days) and near perfect attendance. I think we broke records, if not, we at least came close. We met some new people and made some new friends.

We got to know the new (young) whip-master Adam Crack (not his real name thank God!). We even got involved with him at the festival's in-house talent show. Don Juan, I, Adam and Ricki and Jef (Tortugas) performed a "whip ballet" on a Saturday night - complete with pinks Tu-tus and blond wigs while Frank (Cast in Bronze) performed a disturbing version of the Blue Danube Waltz on the carollon! It went over swimmingly and should be posted on You Tube sometime in the near future. I'll let you know the details when I find them out.

Yes, all-in-all Arizona was a lot of fun. I love being neighbors with Hey Nunnie Nunnie!, Fool Hearty, Clan Tinker, the jousters and more. I cherish our early morning coffee clutches - so much laughter, so many fine ideas shared. SO much love expressed - it's truly a gift.

And now I'm "on the road again". Travelling from my home near Kingman to Waxahachie. Alas alack my truck broke down in Tucumcari! (poop!). The dealership here says they will have it fixed today (Wednesday) and I should be on the road again later this afternoon. We'll see. At least I have time to work on the Blog! I had lunch at a terrific local place called "Dell's". If you drive through Tucumcari (off of US 40) - I'd recommend it. Good food, nice folks, lovely atmosphere! A few friends (Hey Nunnie Nunnie) are behind me and have offered their help. Hopefully I won't need it. If I'm not at Scarborough Saturday, you'll all know why. Actually - as my Mom used to say "Come Hell or high water I'll be there!"

An update on the Tucumcari stop-over. My truck was fixed. And is being fixed again. Luckily I was only ten miles out of town when the problem reared its head again. Seems like I need a fuel pump. Ah well. Tucumcari Tonight!

Oh, I do want to put in my two cents about the upcoming presidential elections. It's interesting to me that we at Renaissance Festivals represent a time of Monarchy. You know, Democracy is really a much better idea. So, this coming November, please exercise a "right" that millions of people on this planet wished they had, and that is the right to vote. Please VOTE!

Arizona.......and thus the year begins.

Here I am, sitting in a trailer - the Superstition Mountains I see outside my window are now a silhouette against a sky ablaze with stars. And it is the evening before we open the 20th annual Arizona Renaissance Festival. 20 years! Imagine. Don Juan and Miguel have trod these paths for 20 years now and boy have we seen changes. It's amazing to me how large the festival has grown, and how it continues to become lovelier each year. I think about the shows that have come here, and then gone, (and returned again). "Esmeralda" has grown up here. We have "matured" here. And yet, even after 20 years I am almost nervous, so excited about starting up again. My costume has been checked out, I have my shoes, my belts, my pouches, my glove, my mug, my hat and my helmet. New feathers have been chosen - the largest and brightest I could find for the opening day. We rehearsed and checked props, whips, swords, sound, the stage. We're back on the Palace for three shows a day. We're sharing the stage with our good friend Frank (Cast in Bronze) and Klan Tinker - who are a delight! Old friends have been returning, new ones arriving. There is a busyness in the air as some artisans continue to ready for the morning cannon. And from all around the state people are turning their minds to the opening of the festival, to the return of Spring, to seeing old friends and making new discoveries.
As I ramble and get myself ready for the morrow Danny Lord (old friend) knocks upon the door. Time to go. See you at the fair.

Look Ahead, Look Astern - the year in review...

A LOOK ASTERN

It was a good year for Don Juan and Miguel® in 2007. We had some good times, ran into old friends, made some new ones, played in the sunshine, rain and in the snow (Scarborough Faire opening day! – can you believe it?) We ate some fine dinners, golfed, played some bocce, laughed a lot, cried a little, and even got some good stuff done. Yes we, with the help of many very talented folk were able to make some notable and cool accomplishments this past year…

“The Lost Princess” got picked up for national and international distribution by Echelon Entertainment (www.echelonent.com) and is now available on Net Flicks, Amazon.com, EZ-Takes.com, and SuperIndieTakes.com. We’ve even received reports from friends and fans about “Princess” being available at their local movie rental place! We’re really pleased that “Princess” is getting distribution. Now people from everywhere can get a peek into our wonderful and wacky world. It’s so cool!

On the DVD front….

We, as Blind Dog Entertainment® released two new DVDs; both of them “documentaries” of a sort. We love the way these projects have turned out and are planning more for some of the other acts on the Renaissance circuit. We think it’ll be fun to share the lives and talents of our community with everyone.

“PULL MY FINGER”

Our first DVD release was “Pull My Finger – A Docu-comedy” for our dear friends “Hey Nunnie Nunnie!”. I think that the DVD turned out really good. The liveliness of their show is captured, the interview with Shannon and Dana is a (revealing) delight, and the “extras” are a must-see! I recall filming the short “Hey Thumby Thumby” with Shannon, and Dana, and the gang. It was a weekday at Scarborough, the weather was wet, gray and drizzling but we were laughing a lot. We were laughing so hard that at one point Shannon fell on her backside into the mud, which made us laugh all the more! We hope you have some laughs when you watch it. Such a fun project, everyone worked so hard.

“AN INSIDE LOOK”

Our second DVD release was “An Inside Look – a documentary of comic proportions” In “An Inside Look” we set aside the public persona of Don Juan and Miguel® for a while and let you see who we are and how we got together while sharing anecdotes and telling stories. There is a fairly in-depth interview with each of us and with both of us together. Plus we interview Dakota (“Esmeralda”) and one of the hardest working members of the Blind Dog Family –Linda Granados (Jose’s wife and Dakota’s mom). Its all fun – and its who we are.

We also share a day “behind-the-scenes” at Scarborough Faire with clips and cuts from our live performances. With the “Backstage Pass” you get a major peek inside the preparation and action backstage during an actual show. Have you ever wondered how Pete the Pickle was chosen? The Backstage Pass reveals all. Also on the DVD we include a scene from our upcoming film “I Sense Danger”! “An Inside Look” was fun to make. We tried to answer all the questions we’ve been asked (that we care to answer). We hope it will be as fun for you to watch.

In 2007 Blind Dog Entertainment® released two excellent cds by two very talented and diverse artists.

On the Music CD front…


“HEARSTRINGS”

Our first music release in 2007 was “Heartstrings – Music of the Harp and Cello” by Harpist Martha Gay and Celloist Max Dyer. Some of you will recognize those names as being associated with the premiere early music ensemble “Cantiga” (www.cantigamusic.com), and with festival favorite Owain Phyfe and the “New World Renaissance Band”. We know them as very talented old friends from the hot summer days at King Richard’s near Chicago (now Bristol). We are pleased as punch and honored to bring to you the awesome and beautiful music of Martha and Max!

“Harper’s Bizarre”

Our second music release of the season was Sarah Mullen’s long-awaited “Harper Bizarre”. This is Sarah’s third project with Blind Dog Entertainment® and, I think, her best. There is, of course, some great traditional music on the cd with some top-notch musicians adding to the delight. For the first time, though, there is the beautiful bonus of some really excellent original music by Sarah, and by Cyrus – who was also the cover artist. You will love this cd!

OTHER STUFF

I want to give a quick thanks to everyone involved in our Blind Dog Entertainment® projects. I would mention each person by name and action, but I’m afraid of the sin of omission! But thank you all! And sincere thanks to everyone who buys our stuff and makes it possible to capture more music and bring you more silliness!

“The Bells”

We do work with very talented folk – one of them is Frank Della Penna from “Cast in Bronze” Frank wrote a new (great) musical – “The Bells”. I had the privilege of directing (with the help of Martha Gay) the first staged reading of this emotional and lyrical piece. Some of the songs linger still… Along with the help of the great Scarborough Faire community we held an evening of music, wine and conversation. A memorable night, I can’t wait to see a full-blown production of “The Bells”

OTHER OTHER STUFF

“I Sense Danger!”

“I Sense Danger was filmed at Sterling in 2006 and is now being heatedly worked upon in post! Duncan Pace is our Director/editor. Kelly Stallard from Sterling is creating the score. Sound design, foley, etc., is being handled by Jim Hancock and yours truly with inspiration from our director. Louis Skaradek is working magic on Special Effects with assistance of Steve Parke. The whole project is finally coming together. This is the time of the hardest work. We look for a 2008 release date and we’ll certainly keep you updated on our progress regularly.

But mostly, about 2007, is that we are grateful that we had the opportunity to make folks laugh, tell some stories, share some music and share some time together. And we look forward to a year of true delights! Which brings us to…

A LOOK AHEAD

And now, I guess, 2008!

Well, lets see. Other than working on “I Sense Danger” we will be performing at the Arizona Renaissance Festival at the Palace for our 20th season! The festival runs weekends February 9th through the end of March. And we’re open President’s Day. Come Celebrate with us!

We will be performing at the Crown Stage at Scarborough Faire for, I think, our 23rd season! It’s like coming home to party. Scarborough runs (weekends) April 5th through Memorial Day Monday May 26th. Come out and play with us!

Onto the Sterling Renaissance Festival. As you may know there have been some core changes at Sterling. There will now be a new owner – Doug Waterbury. I have been in close contact with Gary Izzo and I’m told that Doug is a really upbeat, positive guy who really wants to do well by Sterling. He is a local man with strong community ties. I know that change is oft times frightening because it is an unknown. Change is also a door opening, opening to new creations, new delights and new discoveries. I think this will be true for Sterling. Don Juan and Miguel® will be back in 2008. Many old friends will be returning, and there will be opportunity to make some new friends. It will be an interesting and fun change. Come share it with us!

Speaking of change: we will not be performing at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival in 2008. We will have our Dungeon Museum in operation though so we will maintain a presence with our old friends. This is an amicable choice. We want to thank PA for 6 good years and a special thanks to all you good folks who enjoyed our shows and shared some laughs with us! Thank you so much! We’ll see you down the road.

As for that time, well, we are looking at some options and invitations. Who knows, we may be seeing old friends in Michigan or Kansas City again. We’ll definitely let you all know!

And you will definitely be seeing us at the Carolina Renaissance Festival in the fall. We got a lovely new stage last year and look forward to sharing some laughs. It’s such a lovely time if the year to be in Carolina.

RESCU

We look forward to another year of supporting R.E.S.C.U. (Renaissance Entertainers, Service, Crafters United) – a terrific charity doing great things for those in our community who cannot afford medical assistance. We look forward to a year of more support from the generous patrons who come and play in our community. Join us in making our Rennie friends healthier. RESCU can be reached at www.rescufoundation.org.

But mostly we look forward to and wish a year of health, laughter, successes, love, discoveries and delights for us all.

Thanks for everything,

Don Juan and Miguel