BAAMO

HOMEMADE:

A Symposium On the Art, Business and Culture of Making Music
Presented by Artists and Writers Group, BAAMO, & Hillsborough Community College-Ybor City campus

Saturday, June 7, 2008
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Showcases 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
THIS IS A FREE EVENT

THE SCHEDULE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. PLEASE CHECK THURSDAY/FRIDAY FOR UPDATES. THE SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANYTIME FOR ANY REASON. Hey now, it’s FREE!

EVENT OVERVIEW
HOMEMADE is a symposium that will provide numerous relevant workshops to emerging and seasoned musicians from the Tampa Bay area. Hillsborough Community College-Ybor City campus (Tampa) is a partner and will host the event in their new performing arts building located at Palm Ave and 14th Street, across from the Cuban Club.

The symposium is free and open to the public and is kindly supported by a grant provided to the Artists and Writers Group from the Ybor City Development Corporation. The Bay Area Artists and Musicians Organization (BAAMO) are assisting with organizing the event. Participants and area musicians will also present performance showcases after the symposium ends.

SCHEDULE

9:00 AM Lobby
Attendees Sign in (Coffee and pastries)

10:00 AM Main Stage
The American Songbook
Rosa Rio, David Pomeranz, Paul Wilborn

Noon: Lunch (Bring own or visit restaurants in Ybor City)

1:00 PM Main Stage
The New Music Democracy
Scott Leonard

1:30 PM Main Stage
Media Panel: Getting the Word Out
Moderator: Lee Courtney (BAAMO)
Julie Garisto (TBT-St. Petersburg Times), Bob Ross (Independent journalist, blogger), Curtis Ross (Tampa Tribune), Wade Tatangelo (Music critic-Creative Loafing), Megan Voeller (Art critic-Creative Loafing), Randy Wynne (Program director-WMNF Radio)

WORKSHOPS
2:30 PM Main Stage
Building a Song
John McEwen, Judy Tampa, George Pappas, Dan Bradbury

2:30 PM Rehearsal Hall
Jazz Stylings and Improv
Ken Hanks, Denise Moore, Martin Dalmasi

2:30 PM Art Gallery
Writing Comedy Songs
Jules Dobrowolski

2:30 PM Studio Theater
Videoing Live Performance: Theatrical Concepts Part 1
Stan Arthur, Fred Smith, Eugenie Bondurant, Keith Arsenault
Performers: Handshake Squad, Next Exit.

2:30 PM Ensemble Room
To Be Announced

3:00 PM Main Stage
House Concerts: How & Why
Gloria Holloway, David Brown, Susan Reiss

3:15 PM Rehearsal Hall
Jazz: Models and Arranging
Ken Hanks, Martin Dalmasi

3:15 PM Art Gallery
The Art and Jingle of Business
Jeff Arthur

3:15 PM Studio Theater
Videoing Live Performance: Theatrical Concepts Part 2
Stan Arthur, Fred Smith, Eugenie Bondurant
Performers: Handshake Squad, Next Exit

3:15 PM Ensemble Room
The Pranayama of Voice
Denise Moore

3:15 PM Classroom 102
Creating an Electronic Press Kit
Gary Burge, Fred Smith

3:30 PM Main Stage
Instruments: History and Use of the Bouzouki and Concertina
John McEwen, Dan Bradbury

4:00 PM Main Stage
Inside the Song: Singer/songwriters
Maggie Council, Ronny Elliot, George Pappas, John McEwen, Judy Tampa, Denise Moore, Jules Dobrowolski

SHOWCASES

New World Brewery, 5:00-7:00 PM: Next Exit, Bunko Squad, Ronny Elliot, Maggie Council

Tre Amici at the Bunker, 7:00 –10:00 PM: Denise Moore and Then Some, Bunko Squad, Ronny Elliot, Jules Dobrowolski, Handshake Squad

PRESENTERS
Keith Arsenault (Producer/production), Jeff Arthur (Composer), Stan Arthur (Music videos -The Ditchflowers), Dan Bradbury (Concertina/banjo), Eugenie Bondurant (Acting coach/actress), David Brown (Guitar/house concerts), Rob Constable - David Rogers (Experimental Rock – Handshake Squad), Maggie Council (Singer/songwriter), Lee Courtney (BAAMO), Martin Dalmasi (Jazz sax, flute, percussion), Jules Dobrowolski (Singer/songwriter), Ronny Elliott (Singer/songwriter), Julie Garisto (Journalist), Ken Hanks (Jazz pianist/composer), Mia Hartley – Nikolas Hartley – Dustin Lincoln – Brian Rothenberger (Folk rock - Next Exit), Gloria Holloway (Concert promoter), Scott Leonard (Lead tenor-Rockapella), John McEwen - Judy Tampa - George Pappas (Folk rock - Bunko Squad), Greg Musselman (Music marketing), Denise Moore (Jazz singer), David Pomeranz (Broadway and pop singer/composer), Rosa Rio (Silent era organist), Bob Ross (Journalist), Curtis Ross, (Journalist), Fred Smith (Drummer/music video), Wade Tatangelo (Journalist), Ray Villadonga (bassist,/composer), Megan Voeller (Journalist), Paul Wilborn (Pop singer/pianist), Randy Wynne (Radio Program Director).

SHOWCASES
New World Brewery (13th Street and 8th Ave) will host performances from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tre Amici at the Bunker (19th Street and 8th Ave) will host performances from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Performers include Ronny Elliot, Maggie Council, Bunko Squad, Denise Moore, Handshake Squad, Next Exit, Jules Dobrowolski. Admission is free.

Contact: David Audet, 813-253-7000 x5179 or email

PRESENTER BIOS

Keith Arsenault
Mr. Arsenault has been active as Producer, Manager, Director and Designer for presentations in North and South America. He is experienced in wide range of entertainment activities including; opera, ballet, rock concerts, nightclubs, Broadway shows, theme parks, circus, motion picture and television production. He has served on staff of The Joffrey Ballet, Opera Company of Boston, Palm Beach Opera, Ballet Puertorriqueno, The Tampa Ballet, Bay Ballet Theatre and Nacional Ballet de Colombia and on various national performing arts tours. He served as General Manager of the San Francisco production of the Caryl Churchill Off Broadway show Cloud 9. Also in San Francisco he served as Assistant Producer of Love Letters. Mr. Arsenault has served as Writer, Designer and/or Director of corporate productions for Hilton Hotels, FedEx, Harley-Davidson, Paradyne Computer and Nutmeg Mills and Theatrical Consultant on construction projects in North America, South America and Asia.

Among the various other companies that he has assisted are; Walt Disney World, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Southern Ballet Theatre, Sarasota Ballet of Florida, Circus Maximus, Heartbeat Productions, The Tokyo Ballet, The Moscow Circus and Broadway Show subscription series in a number of US cities.

Mr. Arsenault has directed a number of musical theatre productions including a major revival of Marc Blitzstein’s The Cradle Will Rock as well as his own adaptation of A Christmas Carol. He has served as Lighting Designer for dance companies and other performing arts events throughout the United States and Latin America. Among these include assignments with both the Nacional Ballet de Colombia in Bogota and Cali, Colombia as well as the Ballet de Cali in Cali and on tour in the United States at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Chicago Civic Theatre and the Ballet Folklorico de Colombia on tour through out the Caribbean and Latin America.

His recent design work has been seen as the Scenic and Lighting Designer for The Gorilla Theatre’s Jane Eyre, Scenic and Lighting Designer for Stageworks A Picasso, Lighting Designer for Stageworks / Gorilla Theatre’s production of Guantanomo for the American Civil Liberties Union, Lighting Designer for the World Premiere of the Stageworks production of Bap Bomb. He recently served as the Lighting, Sound and Projection Designer for composer David Pomeranz’s premiere production of Chaplin – A Life in Concert at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach.

Mr. Arsenault owns International Arts & Entertainment Group, which builds sets, props and special effects for theatre companies and special events and provides production support and rentals for theatre, opera, dance and special events. Additionally he serves on the staff of Hillsborough Community College where he is responsible for the newly renovated performing arts facilities.

Jeff Arthur
Jeff Arthur is president and founder of Jeff Arthur Productions, a 30+ year old company which offers custom musical images for clients at radio and television stations throughout the nation, as well as film and television scores, team fight songs, a/v presentations, and state-of-the-art “store casting” systems. Jeff Arthur Productions is one of the largest custom music companies in the United States.

Formerly a recording artist for Columbia and A& M Records, Arthur started his commercial music career with a 1971 jingle created for Just Pants. He has gone on to craft his music for such national clients as Reebok, Anheuser-Busch, Continental Airlines, Wendy’s and the NBA and has appeared on such national television shows as The Mike Douglas Show and in concert with John Lennon & New York Philharmonic. Arthur is also credited for coining the now famous phrase “Hey Hey Tampa Bay” for the NFL’s Buccaneers, “Make it a blockbuster night” for Blockbuster Video, as well as many others.

On the typical day in the U.S., more than 1148 of his companies jingles is “on the air”.

A native and current resident of Clearwater, Florida, His family will soon span 5 generations in Florida, he loves this place, and wants to continue to create “right here.” email Jeff

Stan Arthur
Stan Arthur spent 13 years as an entertainer, motivational speaker and then Associate Director for Young American Showcase, producing rock n’ roll shows that performed in secondary schools all over the US and Canada. Stan taught entertainment concepts to scores of young rockers that made their shows successful and won audiences over.

Over the last two decades, Stan has become a filmmaker and is currently Video Producer for Stetson University College of Law. He has produced several series of short subject films that are used by law schools all over the US. In the last year he co-directed and filmed an award-winning, feature-length documentary on the American civil rights movement of the 1960’s.

Over the years, Stan has still managed to find time to perform with groups like Barely Pink, The Vodkanauts and currently, The Ditchflowers, a group who won several top ten honors in 2007 with their debut album, “Carried Away”. Since 2001, he has also led a rock n’ roll worship service called SpiritWalk at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Eugenie Bondurant
Eugenie has had a dynamic career as an on-camera coach, and an actress for screen, television and commercials. Her early career as a photography and runway model spanned a decade of work in America and in Europe, where she was embraced by famed fashion illustrator Eduard Erlikh as his inspirational muse. For 15 years, she has taught her on-camera program at Beverly Hills Studios in Los Angeles, California, and Patel Conservatory in Tampa, Florida where she originated the On-Camera Acting Program.

She is also busy as a private acting coach teaching her “Spoken True” Program, a holistic approach to acting and speaking in a truthful and believable manner. She is proud that her students have gone on to principal roles in film, television and commercials.

Eugenie is a native of New Orleans. After graduating from the University of Alabama, she was spotted by a modeling scout on the streets of her hometown, starting her career in the entertainment industry. Within a short time she was modeling on runways from New York to Paris. In Los Angeles, she landed her first role, that of “Luna” in Jackie Collins’ NBC miniseries Lady Boss, for which she received rave reviews as a “Ninja Twiggy.”

Her past work includes a two and a half month stint in Ireland filming the sci-fi thriller Space Truckers with Dennis Hopper for HBO. Her television credits include The Brooke Ellison Story, directed by Christopher Reeve; Elvis, the CBS miniseries; transvestite “Lucille” on Arli$$ with Robert Wuhl; Dominatrix “Ursula” on Something Wilder with Gene Wilder and Alice Cooper, and a legendary appearance on Saturday Night Live with Madonna and Mike Myers. Other TV credits include Frasier, Wings, and Temporarily Yours. She has appeared in a number of films including Fight Club, Saints and Sinners, I’ll Do Anything and has had leading roles in the independent features, Vampire Conspiracy, Donald and Dot Clock, and Found Dead in Their Home.

Projects slated for 2008 include the Indy film, Patsy, and the Sharon Stone/Jimmy Fallon flick, The Year of Getting to Know Us. Along with her acting and coaching, she currently sings and performs in St. Petersburg, Florida as part of the American Songbook Series.

Eugenie’s philanthropic endeavors have included The Tampa Theatre, the Wellness Community, and the Junior League of Los Angeles, and she is a motivational speaker for at-risk programs, prisons and career centers. She frequently returns to her hometown of New Orleans for work and play, boiling crawfish and entertaining visitors in the 90-year-old Bondurant family home. After Hurricane Katrina, Eugenie waded deep into the flood-driven restoration of a New Orleans property she owned, amid continued crawfish boils for homeless “couch surfers.” As both a hurricane and cancer survivor, Eugenie’s favorite word is “empowerment.”

Daniel Bradbury
Daniel plays mostly traditional music on the banjo and Anglo concertina. A product of the folk revival of the 1960’s he was immersed in the crazy California mix of music throughout the 1970’s and 80’s. Dan played professionally in an old time string band, recording and touring extensively on the West Coast.

His work led him to travel and live in many parts of the world, including Turkey, Pakistan, West and Southern Africa. Although he remained focused on the traditional approach to early American music, his interest in all forms of traditional music has led him to adopt some of the influences of the cultures in which he lived. He is as likely to play an Afghan tune on the banjo, or a Cajun or Klezmer tune on the concertina, as he is a hoedown or an Irish Jig.

In the 1980’s he produced a recurring folk festival for a number of years. This festival was an opportunity to gather the best traditional musicians from along the entire West Coast to play together. There one could find Balkan singers, Flamenco dancers, Irish musicians, French country dance music bands, Portuguese Fado singers, Indonesian Gamelans, Cajun bands, and traditional American musicians playing for and with each other, exploring homegrown music in its truest sense.

David Brown
David Brown is a musician and videographer who also presents house concerts in St. Petersburg.

Bunko Squad
Judy Tampa, John McEwen, George Pappas, and Harry Hayward

“Bunko Squad is as thrilling as a Japanese monster movie and you barely need sub-titles. I like them way more than snow skiing. Personally, I’ve never tried skiing. Did I mention how nice and polite they are? I give them an A+.” - Ronny Elliott

Bunko Squad sports a former punk-lite rocker and Midnighter with Hank Ballard; a guitarist who plays djembe, Irish bouzouki, and mandolin pretty much all at once; a tall-tale-teller from West Virginia; and a drummer whose mouth is bigger than his kit.

“I’ve never heard any of those songs you play.” - Dawn Pendola
“Why would anyone ever write a song like that?” - Bill Dudley
“Yeah, man, all that stuff about West Virginia is true.” - Toby Bonar

Robert Constable
Robert began his musical life with piano lessons at age four. He did not like the music that he was learning at the time and the only thing that he can remember about his music teacher was that he always had two to three rolls of Lifesavers™ on him. The first record that he purchased (chose himself) was one by Soupy Sales, however he secretly listened to many of his older sister’s rock and roll albums. At age eight, he started taking guitar lessons, and by age eleven shyly played rhythm guitar with his teacher’s lounge act under the stage name of “Little Robert”. His parents were really quite proud. When occasionally asked to take ‘a solo’ during these lounge performances, he would usually defer, and he has carried that policy into his adult life.

Robert was interested in music of all kinds, and, in his teens, listened avidly to both Led Zeppelin and the orchestral music of Charles Ives and Igor Stravinsky. Soon he was unable to distinguish between any of them. As a college student Robert’s apartment was burglarized - three guitars and a violin were stolen and never recovered. Robert took this as a sign to pursue classical music composition.

Some years later, he rediscovered what he thought was pop music in the recordings of Half Japanese and The Fall. In 1993, he formed a group called Rob and the Robettes with maniac bass player Mary Guidera. Rob and the Robettes was never complete as a band and never had what one would call a rehearsal, however they did perform only once at the Bonk Festival of New Music in a composition for chamber orchestra and rock band entitled Concerto for Rob and the Robettes. Their only attempt to record a couple of songs ended with Mary spending the night in jail.

In 1996, Handshake Squad was formed, consisting only of Robert Constable and Dave Rogers. Again, there were very few rehearsals - which were mainly debates over which convenient store had the best prices for Old English 800 Malt Liquor - and a lot of recording. These recordings featured a “one take” policy.

The current super group formation of Handshake Squad can often be seen in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. Robert has to practice in order to play the newer songs. He complains about this almost constantly.

Maggie Council
Maggie Council is an award-winning self-taught singer-songwriter and independent recording artist with over 30 years of solo and band performance experience on keyboard, guitar, bass and vocals. She created the Estrofest music showcase series of female indie artists in Tampa and Miami, and has performed with a diverse array of regional and national pop, blues, folk and rock artists from Joan Armatrading to Warren Zevon. Her original music has been heard in over 20 countries and charted in a dozen U.S. markets and on American Indian Satellite Radio.

She is currently working on her fifth album, after a ten-year hiatus. Council has taught techniques of playing by ear for over 20 years, and has co-created and managed workshops for young under-served and at-risk songwriters to learn about the business aspect of the music world. She is on the faculty at the Patel Conservatory, where she occasionally teaches Rock School.

Martin Dalmasi
Martin Dalmasi is a jazz musician who plays drums, sax and flute. He also teaches in the Hillsborough Community College-Ybor City campus music department.

Jules Dobrolowski
Jules holds a law degree from the Seton Hall School of Law and have had some exposure in the field of entertainment law. (Did you know that Cole Porter and Hoagy Carmichael both attended law school? Although, I don’t think Cole graduated.) Jules has signed single song publishing contracts with several different publishers in Nashville and L.A., and had a song recorded by a major artist on the Warner Label that was never released (It’s not final till it’s vinyl). Jules currently has songs “on hold” with various country artists.Jules writes in several genres including comedy, country, retro pop, adult contemporary, even Brazilian (still looking for my niche). Jules is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International and Just Plain Folks, and regularly performs at open mikes throughout Tampa Bay.

Ronny Elliott
Ronny Elliott is a good eater. He is grumpy but harmless. He plays guitar sorta and writes songs that he sometimes sings if he can remember the words. He sings songs even when he doesn’t remember the words. He thinks his hair is still brown.

My name is Ronny Elliott and I approve this message. Yours in Christ, Ronny Elliott

Julie Guristo
Julie Garisto is the music scene’s local yokel in residence for tbt* and the St. Petersburg Times. Having been in the Tampa Bay area since she was a toddler — cheated from the native title by the technicality of being born in Connecticut — Garisto grew up in Clearwater, raised by Italian-American immigrant parents.

Julie’s visited thousands of venues and restaurants, and heard countless bands. She wrote for the St. Petersburg Times as a freelancer from 1992 to 2005 and became a permanent staffer in August 2005. Before that, she worked at Tampa Bay alternative newsweekly Weekly Planet (now known as Creative Loafing) as a copy editor and writer, a job that put her in contact with arts and music insiders.

Nowadays, Julie interviews local music artists for the tbt* “Meet … a local artist/band” profile, and she previews events and writes lifestyle features. In 2006 and 2007, she scouted bands for the tbt* Ultimate Local Music Guide. She also instituted collaborative music reviews — album critiques through conversations with local musicians — called “Along for a Spin.”

Ken Hanks
Ken is a very versatile pianist and musician. While he cut his teeth on pop/rock music of the 70’s growing up in St. Petersburg, FL, he eventually moved in the direction of classical music. After receiving a Bachelor of Music from the University of Florida, and a Master of Music from the Peabody Conservatory of Music/Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland (both in classical piano performance) he moved to Tampa where he has developed an eclectic career embracing performance and teaching. Ken is an associate pianist with The Florida Orchestra, and a free-lance performer. He was also a founding member of Le Jazz Hotte, a very successful local jazz group of the late 80’s. Ken is on the faculty of Hillsborough Community College-Ybor City campus where he fulfills the duties of Program Manager for the Music and Theatre Departments in addition to teaching Piano, Class Piano, Theory, and History.

Hanks was the first place winner of the 3rd annual Florida West Coast Chopin Competition and the 1986 first place winner of the Maryland State Music Teachers Association Piano Competition, Graduate Division. In July of 1996, he performed in Graz, Austria, for the International Music Workshops and in 1998 performed on The Florida Orchestra’s CD, Symphonic Dance Suites. He has performed on several occasions with Spectrum, a 20th century chamber music group. In addition to his activities as soloist and collaborative artist in the classical realm, Hanks remains active as a freelance musician in various jazz/pop settings and is frequently called on to adjudicate and conduct master classes in both classical and jazz music. He lives with his wife and two children in the Tampa area where he also maintains an active independent piano studio, producing numerous local and state competition winners.

Mia Hartley
Mia plays in Next Exit (Vocal, guitar, saxophone). Mia is thirteen and attending Southside Fundamental Middle School where she is in the Jazz-band and Advanced Band (Chris Touchton band director). She is also a member of the Ruth Eckerd Hall Lab band under the direction of Frank Williams. She has done vocal for four years, guitar for five years and saxophone for over three years. Mia will be attending Osceola High School next year where she will also be in the Band program. She has been in the All County Band for two years.

Nikolas Hartley
Nikolas is twelve years old and he recently joined Next Exit as the bass player.
He attends Southside Fundamental Middle School where he is in the Advanced Beginning Band. He will be in the Advanced Band next year where he will be playing percussion.

Scott Leonard
Before he became part of the hit group, Rockapella on the hit PBS geography game show Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Scott Leonard was just a homegrown Tampa boy with a passion for baseball.

That passion for baseball won him a scholarship to attend University of Tampa in Florida. While there he decided to become a major in voice. He worked at various dinner theaters before becoming an employee at Disney World in Orlando. From there he transferred to Tokyo Disney. There he was featured in various park productions and met his beautiful wife Lisa (strangely enough, she too had transferred from Orlando and was from Tampa)

Awhile later, while browsing through a music trade paper, Scott found an advertisement for a high tenor position with a NYC based a capella group and sent in a demo. About six months later he heard back from the group and was asked to come for a personal audition. He left on the next flight out from Tampa. He watched the group perform the next night and then personally auditioned. He was offered the spot then and there.

Scott took his new group’s vocal talents to Japan, where he’d already made connections. He sent a friend a demo tape and they snatched up a Japanese Recording deal.

Scott and Rockapella have released 7 albums in Japan, 2 independent releases in the United States and 4 albums under J-Bird Records also in the United States. Scott himself has released two solo albums, “My Favorite the Bee Gees” and “Flying Faders,” both released in Japan. Rockapella lent they’re voices to the “roach choir” in the 1996 movie Joe’s Apartment.

Justin Lincoln
Justin plays keyboard in Next Exit and is also an avid percussion player. Justin is fourteen years old and attends Southside Fundamental Middle School. He is playing percussion in the jazz band. He will be attending Lakewood High School next year in the CAT-program.

Denise Moore
Front woman Denise Moore has led a distinguished life as a professional vocalist for more than 30 years, and her powerful voice is as captivating as ever. In 1976, her musical career officially launched with Phil and the Blanks, featuring the Blanketts. They performed original songs and swing tunes reminiscent of Dan Hicks and His Hot Lips. Proudly, the band developed into one of the Athens, Georgia’s best-known college bands.

Denise eventually moved to Tampa to start a family, but she quickly reconnected to her musical roots. She joined Paul Wilborn and the Pop Tarts, which became Tampa’s premier party-band of the 1980’s. Before disbanding, the band enjoyed legendary popularity, appearing on a Gasparilla Pirate Festival float and an appearance with the well-known comedian George Carlin on New Year’s Eve.

With her professional background, impeccable vocal skills and absolutely luscious voice, Denise began fronting Denise Moore and Then Some in 1994. The group began performing classic R&B and jazz; however, the ensemble truly excels in traditional jazz, as can be heard in the music samples from their 2003 live recording.

Denise partnered with Dan O’Hara, the musical director, to arrange most of the standards that makeup their musical selection. Dan has been a professional pianist for over 30 years. Like Denise, his passion for music started at a very young age. His particular love for jazz developed during his studies at the University of South Florida, where he earned a masters degree in Music Education.

Collectively, Denise and Dan have led this dynamic ensemble to become an integral part of Tampa’s music scene. Denise Moore and Then Some have played at such venues as the Jazz Cellar in Ybor City, Da Tulio’s in Palm Harbor, Michael’s on East in Sarasota and upscale clubs in Channelside. Also, they notably opened Club 442, a swinging jazz Club near UT. Their musical resume is riddled with festivals, such as the Gasparilla Sidewalk Art Festival, Einstein on Wine, Sea Grapes, Abilities Wine & Food Festival, Plant City Jazz Festival, Dade City Jazz Festival, Ybor Jazz Festival and many more jazz themed events.

In addition to fronting Denise Moore and Then Some, Denise was also a featured vocalist for the Tampa Bay Women’s Blues Revue for seven years. In 2002, the ten-piece group of divas recorded “Tell it.” The group received the Virginia Slims Diva award in 1999, which donated $10,000 to the Tampa AIDS network. Denise’s Website

David Pomeranz
In an exciting and varied career, David Pomeranz’ songs and recordings and sold over 40 million records worldwide and his concert performances have delighted and inspired millions. David songwriting projects have earned him 22 Platinum and 18 Gold records.

Described by Billboard Magazine as “…one of the finer voices of our time”, David has recorded eight highly acclaimed solo albums. His 1999 release, “Born For You – His Best And More” (MCA/Universal), a collection of his love songs, past and present, has sold over 500,000 albums in the Philippines alone - making it the largest selling album in the history of that country. David’s other solo album efforts include his newly released 2007 album, “Hold Tight” (Becca/Universal); “New Blues” (Decca/MCA) “Time To Fly” (Decca/MCA) – featuring jazz greats Chick Corea and Billy Cobham); “On This Day” (MCA/Universal); “The Eyes Of Christmas” (MCA/Universal); ”It’s In Every One Of Us” (Arista) and “The Truth Of Us”” (Atlantic/Pacific) – co-produced by David and legendary Paul Simon producer, Roy Halee (both of the latter just re-mastered and released for the first time on CD in Japan in 2007.) .

David’s songs have been recorded and/or performed by scores of artists including Barry Manilow (whose renditions of David’s classic compositions “Tryin’ To Get The Feeling Again” and “The Old Songs” were both Number One hits), Cliff Richard (who has recorded three of David’s songs including the Top 10 UK hit “I Still Believe In You”), Bette Midler, Richie Sambora (of Bon Jovi), Freddie Mercury (of Queen) , Kenny Loggins, Isaac Hayes, Anna Nalik, Kenny Rogers, Dennis DeYoung (of Styx), Harry Belafonte, Phoebe Snow, Grover Washington Jr., Glen Campbell, The Hollies, The Carpenters, The Muppets, Donna Summer, Lea Salonga, John Denver, and, in 2002, Rapper Missy Elliott, sampled David’s music for her hit single, “One Minute Man” which went to number three on the Billboard Charts.

Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, David showed signs of “things to come” by conducting to his parent’s records on the playroom table and putting on shows for neighbors in the backyard. His first experiences singing in public were performing duets with his father in Synagogue. Before long, David learned to play the piano, taught himself to play guitar and drums and, by age 14, began writing his first songs. His teen years were spent playing in rock bands until at the tender age of 19, he got his first professional break when Decca Records signed him to a multi-album solo contract.

Of his concert appearances, critic Phillip Elwood of The San Francisco Examiner said it best: “It is difficult to open up one’s creative heart and soul before an audience and to project the honesty and emotional sensitivity that Pomeranz possesses…” David has performed in hundreds of distinguished international venues such as: The Hollywood Bowl, The Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), The Hippodrome (London), The Araneta Coliseum (Manila), Olympic Stadium (Munich), City Center (New York), Bally’s (Las Vegas), The Star Club (Hong Kong), The United Nations, The Moscow Sports Arena, and Buddakan Hall (Tokyo) - where he won the award for “Outstanding Song” at the Yamaha World Song Festival. In the Philippines, he is one of the most beloved international artists of all time and around the world, he has shared the stage with Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Isaac Hayes, Chick Corea and many others.

Aside from his accomplishments in the field of pop music, David has contributed music and lyrics for numerous major Motion Pictures including the 20th Century Fox hit, “Big”, starring Tom Hanks; Warner Bros.’ “Fire Down Below” starring Steven Seagal, and the Dino DeLaurentis production of, “King Kong” (for which David wrote the lyrics to Oscar-winner John Barry’s haunting theme.) His latest composition, “The Art Of The Soul”, will be featured in the upcoming Motion Picture, “As Seen Through These Eyes” produced by The Sundance Channel. and performed by the Sony/BMG artist, Anna Malick (“Breathe”.)

An Emmy Award nominee for his song work on television, David was the voice heard each week for six seasons singing the theme song to the hit ABC series, “Perfect Strangers” (now in international syndication.) David has contributed songs for scores other series and specials including “Will And Grace” (NBC); “American Idol” (Fox); “The Seoul Summer Olympics” (ABC); “One Life To Live” (CBS); “David Letterman” (CBS); “Disney’s Greatest Hits On Ice” (CBS); “The Miss America Pageant” (CBS) and Showtime’s “Elvis Presley’s Graceland”, for which he composed the score.

In the world of Musical Theatre, David is Composer, Lyricist and co-Book Writer for a new stage musical based on the life of Charlie Chaplin entitled, “Little Tramp.”The show’s UK premiere led to a star-studded recording of the featured songs on Warner Bros. Records starring Richard Harris, Mel Brooks, Petula Clark, Tim Curry, Treat Williams, Peter Duncan, Lea Salonga and David, himself. David is presently readying a “One-man” concert version of “Little Tramp”, which will have its world premiere at the King Performing Arts Center in April of 2008.

His other Musical Theater credits include songs for the West End hit, “Time”, which starred Cliff Richard and Sir Laurence Olivier; an inspiring adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, “A Tale Of Two Cities” (which began in Windsor and Birmingham, England in 1998 and 1999 and will have its London premiere in 2008) and, most recently, the score for two exciting new Musicals in collaboration with Lyricist/ Book writer, Kathie Lee Gifford – “Under The Bridge” (which premiered Off-Broadway in January, 2005) and the partial score for “Saving Aimee” which had its World Premiere in 2007 at The Signature Theater in Arlington, Virginia en route to Broadway. More Info on David

Susan Reiss
Susan Reiss gives house concerts in Lutz.

Rosa Rio
Rosa Rio’s career began in the silent film era in spectacular movie palaces in New York and New Orleans. In the 1930s and 40s she was dubbed “Queen of the Soaps” having provided organ accompaniment for several classic radio shows including “The Shadow” and “The Bob and Ray Show.” She worked with many Hollywood legends including Lucille Ball, Orson Welles, and Art Carney.

In 1938, she became the first female staff organist hired by NBC radio. Her first show was The Shadow, starring Orson Welles. Those eerie strains of Theremin-like background music? Rosa.

She provided accompaniment for 24 radio soap operas and dramas during the next 22 years, playing an average of five to seven shows per day, sometimes with less than a minute to get from one studio to the next.

“What has been interesting about my life — but I can’t say I loved it — but every time I found something that I loved and thought that I’d be doing it for the rest of my life, something always came and took it away. I’m a theater organist accompanying movies, and it’s wonderful. Then one day Al Jolson comes in and sings ‘Mami,’ and I’m out. Then I’m in radio. One morning we wake up, television took over.”

In 1984, Video Yesteryears hired Rosa to score 365 silent films for its VHS collection, a project she completed within six years, performing each soundtrack on a Hammond organ.

And now things have come full circle with her performances as feature organist at the Tampa Theatre. Her favorite films are the ones she can really get her teeth into, like Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights (1931). “It gives me so much to do,” she says. “I work myself up in a frenzy.” Rosa will be playing June 11 at Tampa Theatre.

How old is Rosa? For years, her standard reply was “Age is a number and mine’s unlisted.” But on her birthday, June 3, 2007, before a full house at Tampa Theatre, she announced that she was celebrating her 105th! Perhaps at the symposium on June 7th, we should sing Happy Birthday to Rosa.

David Rogers
Despite rumors to the contrary, David Rogers has been composing pop songs since 1979, when as a member of the Bad Attitudes he received the Future Award from his sixth grade music teacher. Later, he made waves as the principal hornist in the Blind Aces, performing holiday classics for dentists, schoolteachers, entomologists and jewelry sales professionals for many years. Around this time, Rogers enjoyed a short-lived career as a jazz pianist and hornist, during which he performed with Maynard Ferguson and Lou Rawls and lip-synched with Florence Henderson on national television. He then took a long vacation from popular music to delve into the world of Western Art Music, where he played lovely classical symphonies and obnoxious contemporary works and earned a few college degrees. After a brief stint with Rochester (NY) supergroup The LALALAND Orchestra and the noise band Tomatapuss, Rogers moved to Florida and immediately began working on Handshake Squad recordings. Since moving to Tampa, he has performed with area bands Drive Thru Church, Water-Cure and Turqish Delight; and he has continued to write obnoxious contemporary and experimental music as a core artist with the Bonk Festival of New Music. In his spare time, he teaches at a local university, runs a music editing and typography business, and eats lots of nuts and cheese. Sometimes a pound at a time…

Brian Rothenberger
Brian plays percussion in Next Exit. He is fifteen and attending Boca Ciega High school and is in the band program under the direction of Mr. Frank Williams. Brian has played percussion for five years and has participated in several camps/workshops over the years. He is a former Southside student.

Wade Tatangelo
Wade Tatangelo is staff writer/music critic for Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. He also writes a weekly lifestyle column for CL called “Bar Tab.” His past work has appeared in daily newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune and national magazines like No Depression. Before joining Creative Loafing, Tatangelo was a staff features writer/music critic for The Bradenton Herald. He’s also written for the St. Petersburg Times, Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Creative Loafing back when it was Weekly Planet.

Megan Voeller
Megan Voeller is a freelance writer and art critic. She writes a weekly column on visual art for Creative Loafing and teaches at the University of Tampa and The Art Institute of Tampa. Her work has also appeared in NY Arts Magazine, d’Art International, Cigar City Magazine, The Tampa Tribune, The St. Petersburg Times, and Tampa Bay Metro Magazine. Megan is a graduate of Williams College and the New School’s Media Studies Program. When she’s not updating her blog, Artsqueeze.com, Megan enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, Frank, and riding her bicycle.

Paul Wilborn
Paul Wilborn was named Executive Director of the Palladium Theater at St. Petersburg College in July of 2007. The Palladium features an 850 seat theater and a 150-seat nightclub and presents the best in opera, chamber music, jazz, blues, world music, Americana and much more.

Paul is also a popular cabaret entertainer and band leader. His American Songbook Series programs – which feature music along with commentary - have recently focused on Cole Porter, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra and other composers and singers from the golden age of American songwriting. He continues to perform in clubs and concerts with his trio, Blue Roses, and his large band, Paul Wilborn and the Pop Tarts.

Paul was a founding member of the Artists and Writers Group, which presented the legendary Artists and Writers Ball. He was also a co-founder of Guavaween, which attracts more than 100,000 people annually. He is also a founder of Arte 2005 and 2007, and is helping to plan Arte 2009, Tampa Bay’s Festival of Latin American Arts.

Prior to joining the Palladium, Wilborn worked for Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio as Manager of Creative Industries. Major accomplishments included increasing community support for artists and arts organizations, connecting the arts and the economic development communities, and directing Arte 2007.

Before joining the city, Wilborn was an award-winning reporter and columnist for the Tampa Tribune, the St. Petersburg Times and the Associated Press in Los Angeles. He was a member of the St. Petersburg Times’ Editorial Board for two years. His writing was recognized nationally and statewide with numerous awards. In 1996 he was named Florida’s Reporter of the Year by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 1998 he was among 16 international journalists chosen for a Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor that included a $70,000 stipend. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida and a Tampa native.

Randy Wynne
Randy Wynne is program director at Community Radio WMNF 88.5 FM in Tampa and one of the most highly respected community radio professionals in the country.

Want to get involved? Contact David Audet as soon as possible.