The LIIFE Keeps Playing with my Heart

Right off the bat, I'll say the Bellmore theater on Long Island is an awesome place, and a big supporter of the indie filmmaking scene. They also host the Long Island International Film Expo each year, which of course I entered a few months ago. Since I'm a Long Islander, and since my film's pretty cool, I thought for sure I'd get in. Alas, I was rejected. That was months ago.

Flash forward to the screening of Purgatory Comics at the Bellmore theater. I wasn't kidding back then when I said the response was strong. There was a huge turnout, and everyone genuinely seemed to enjoy it. The folks running the theater, who by the way are awesome and kind folks, noted the positive response. I was talking to one of the owners and she'd asked if I got into the LIIFE (she's also on the decision panel, and she couldn't remember). She mentioned my film came so close . . . but ultimetly they only had a few slots and it came down to "eeny, meeny, miny, moe." I mentioned that I was really hoping to get into this one, and for a moment I thought she'd slide me in, but no dice. But, she acknowledged that it was an enjoyable film and she wished there was more room to get me in there (and she was genuine about it).

Flash forward to today. I'm at lunch with some coworkers and I get a very friendly phone call from a lady from LIIFE. She says that another film that was accepted may not screen, and there might be a spot for me afterall. I got pretty excited, and I was also honored that my movie really WAS next in line like the first woman said. The lady on the phone went on to compliment my movie and she said she'd call me back soon. About an hour later she called me back and said that the other film was screening afterall.

Dagnabit.

The poor women felt so bad, and she went on to compliment Purgatory Comics some more. It's no big deal, as I'll be in Europe for most of the LIIFE anyway (sour grapes). But to commemorate my "almost" selection, I made this laurel:

The sad part is, this isn't even the first film festival we ALMOST got into! Months ago I also entered Acefest, and their rejection stated, and I quote, "Your entry made it to the final round of the selection process! However, with just a day and a half of festival programming to fill, yours was one of many that we are very sad to have to pass on this year." So...

It's nice to know I have a movie that's almost good enough for some festivals. I know that sounds sarcastic but I actually mean it. I haven't entered any in a long time because I've been waiting for the new DVDs to come in. Which by the way, they come in July 3rd. And I'm leaving for Europe (!) July 4th, so I'll distribute/sell them immediately when I get back.

Coffee House Mix CD

And in the "too much free time" department...yesterday started with me looking online for templates for a new website, and somehow turned into a completely unrelated arts and crafts session. I made a "coffee house" mix CD (acoustic originals and covers), and I thought it would be cool to give it a custom CD case. So, I made one.

Here's the case closed. You wanna know what I did to take this project a little too far? Under that fabric is some real ground coffee bean, to make the CD case smell like coffee. Works well too.

When you open the case, you can see the CD itself is being held in a snap-holder I broke off another case. Course I had to go for a coffee bean label.

It's a trifold! And opening it up reveals the 21-track acoustic style setlist. I admit I kinda rushed through this last part but still, it came out kinda cool. Here's the setlist (links will open itunes):

1. Brand New Day - Joshua Radin
2. Umbrella - Marié Digby
3. When the Stars Go Blue - Ryan Adams
4. Cannonball - Damien Rice
5. These Words - The Walls
6. Down Under - Colin Hay
7. Quiet Town - Josh Rouse
8. Take Five - Dave Brubeck
9. Dancing Queen - Luka Bloom
10. Falling In Love At a Coffee Shop - Landon Pigg

11. The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson

12. Good People - Jack Johnson
13. Toxic - Juliet Turner
14. Gagging Order - Radiohead
15. 1, 2, 3, 4 - Plain White T's
16. All the Right Reasons - Jayhawks
17. Put Your Records On (Acoustic) - Corinne Bailey Rae
18. Hey Ya - Matt Weddle
19. Near You Always - Jewel
20. Hold You In My Arms - Ray LaMontagne
21. You're the World to Me - David Gray

My itunes "coffee house" playlist (inspired by the XM station of the same name) has over 400 songs, so it was hard to widdle that down to 21 for a CD. But the whole is greater than the sum of the parts here; that is to say a lot of attention went into the order and how they blend together. Plus I sprinkled in a few tracks of sentimental value to me, making this a strong CD for me personally. Maybe you'd like it too.

Purgatory Comics DVDs go into Production

Today in the mail I received my New York State Dept of Taxation and Finance Certificate of Authority. See back in 2007 when I incorporated Warm Milk Productions, I didn't do this part because I had nothing to sell. Now, I do. DVDs baby.

One of the best duplication centers on Long Island coincidentally is located very close to me: Icon Omnimedia. These guys do all sort of cool graphic work and fulfillment; mostly for bands but also for local filmmakers such as myself. In fact two separate entities recommended them to me. One was Sean King (Lost Suburbia, Gouligans), who not only has a cameo in the film but has also been a tremendous help afterward. The second is my pal April (lead singer of the Rosies - awesome band), who has helped with a lot of PR-type since we wrapped.

Now despite how I rambled on and on last year about all the cool special features I want to pack onto a disc, this is going to be a bare-bones release. Recall my film-pal Todd Giglio created a superb hi-def compression onto a standard DVD, and for maximum quality we kept it film-only (there are strategically placed chapter markers, but there's no fancy-schmancy chapter menu). This will do for now. The disc art was done by myself, and the sleeve art was done by myself and Benn Fielding. I'll post it soon, but basically it's the two poster images I've posted on here before.

SO in about two weeks time, my home will be filled with 1,000 copies of Purgatory Comics DVDs. Yikes. I'm planning a new web site soon for easy online purchasing, and I'll announce the price real soon too. But there's your DVD update!

The Decemberists @ Radio City Music Hall 6/10/09

Awhile back I gushed about how in love with the new Decemberists album I am. Well the only thing that beat their latest release "The Hazards of Love" is hearing the entire thing live, in order, with no breaks. The Decemberists show came in two parts: part one was the new album all the way through. The audience sat for this part and the music was simply amazing.

After a brief intermission, the band returned and did a mix of greatest hits. For this portion of the show, there was much more interaction with the audience, who stood and danced. Here's the setlist for the second half:

1. Crane Wife 3
2. July! July!
3. Billy Liar
4. Sleepless
5. The Bachelor and the Bride
6. Daughter of Dracula
7. O Valencia!
8. The Chimbley Sweep
9. Crazy on You (Heart cover)
10. Begin the Begin (REM cover)
11. Sons and Daughters

Here's the WORST part...I missed the Heart cover because I had to leave by that point. I can't find video of the Radio City night on youtube, but there are plenty of videos from other nights. As you'll see below, it was a great cover and also a lot of fun for them to perform:

I felt very lucky to see one of my favorite albums of all time done live, because I'm sure that won't happen again. And this being the first time I've ever seen the Decemberists live, I can honestly say they sounded perfect.

And I'll say one more thing about one of my new favorite bands...if folk/acoustic/rock is your thing, for the love of God pick up the Hazards of Love!