Britt Daley Recording Session

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Britt Daley invited me to sketch the recording session for her new song, “One and Only.” Sound Lounge Studios is located near Full Sail University. I pulled into the complex of warehouses and wondered if I was in the right place. I passed rusted out cars as I drove to the back of the complex. The sound studio door was open. I hesitated, then pushed my way in. I half expected to see an automotive strip shop. Inside it was dark. All the walls were painted black. As my eyes adjusted, Britt welcomed me. She introduced me to Mike Stebe, the sound designer. She apologized and said they were going out for lunch. That was perfect since I hadn’t eaten all day. I got in the back seat of Britt’s car. As we drove to Whole Foods she popped in the CD they had been refining in the morning. The car stereo speakers were right behind my head. It took me a minute before I realized I was listening to Britt singing. “Are you gonna be my one and only or you gonna leave me hanging dry? Together were super sonic, gin and tonic…” The song is catchy and fun. That morning Britt and Mike had added an catchy electronic riff. It is hard to imagine the song without it now.

After a healthy lunch at the salad bar we headed back to the recording studio. Greg Shields was waiting there. He was there to coach Britt when she sang the lyrics again. The microphone where Britt sang was located in another room. She stepped into a closet sized space that was covered in foam panels. A foam panel door was closed behind her. A small portable air conditioner kept the sound booth cool but her room was sweltering hot. She screamed when she saw a translucent spider crawl behind the sound panels. Mike went in to get rid of the spider but they couldn’t find it. Then Britt realized she didn’t have any water to sip.

Britt warmed up her voice with some scales before she started recording. The song was broken down into short segments. She would sing a line and Craig often had advice on pronunciation. He lounged on the orange couch looking just like Jim Morrison of the Doors. He listened intently. He wanted to keep her from sounding to breathy. At times the subtly of what he was asking for eluded me. Britt appreciated all his feedback. After multiple takes she always got it.

After several hours when she was done recording she joined us back in the sound booth. Mike played with the recorded tracks adjusting them in a program called Logic Pro. The sound waves from the tracks were clearly visible. He polished individual words at times shortening the track to eliminate inhales or other noise. He could even slide a word up or down affecting the pitch. It was a fascinating process to watch. Britt shared her new web site design she had done. I had no idea she was also a graphic designer. Some people always surprise me with their talents.

Britt explained that the beat and structure of her song is Pop. As a singer, songwriter her background was more folksy. She went on to describe her music as Electro Pop, Indie Pop, and even Folktronica. Some of her songs are grittier and more Indy Pop. But “One and Only” is a pure and simple song that is fun to dance to. Britt will be shooting a music video of the song at the end of August. I of course hope to sketch the rise of this talented Orlando Pop Star.

22nd Annual Taste of the Nation

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Great food, great drink for an even greater cause. In America more than 17 million children struggle with hunger. That is close to one in four children. For 28 years Second Harvest Food Bank has helped feed the hungry in Central Florida. With the help of the food industry and the community, millions of pounds of wholesome food is distributed each year to 500 local feeding programs. Yet in today’s economy the need continues to grow.

Taste of the Nation was held at the Orlando World Center Marriott (8701 World Center Drive). Terry and I arrived a little early so I could get started on a sketch before the event got too crowded. More than 2000 people were expected to attend. We bumped into Paula Large who is an excellent artist. Paula’s husband was working the event as a chef on stilts. I saw Maria Diestro, who is the Second Harvest Communications Manager. She had invited me to sketch and report on the event. While Terry went to shop for reading glasses, Maria walked me into the ballroom. The room was immense. All the vendors had donated their time and food to the cause. Maria said I had to the Royal Plaza table to try Chef Jean Louis’s famous bananas foster. This was the first place I stopped. Jean Louis put butter in the frying pan and the banana halves sizzled. He then drizzled something in the pan which lit up causing a fire ball. Oddly Jean had no eyelashes. Sure enough the bananas foster was fabulous! I was content and fired up to start sketching.

Walking the room I was attracted to the orange African sunset behind Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Chef Bob Getchell was preparing the spicy Durban Chicken. He demonstrated to everyone working the event how much food should be served. The dish had to look good as well as taste good. The spicy Durban chicken was served on a bed of Basmati rice with mint chutney and papadam. The dish was a little to hot for my taste. I wished I had a beer to cut the spices.

After I finished my sketch, I texted Terry and we found one another in the cavernous room. She had been sampling dishes while I sketched. She introduced me to the dishes she liked the most. A wild Boar soft taco was delicious as was a sweet pork belly. I was thirsty from the salty meat dishes so I searched for water or a soda. I couldn’t find either one so I settled on a white wine. Seating was only available in the VIP area which was roped off. After an hour of standing I was getting tired. I can’t imagine how the women standing in their high heals managed. When Terry wandered off in search of more food, I sat on my camping chair. A chef walked by and, pointing to his temple he said, “You were smart to bring your own chair.”

There was a chef throw-down competition on the main stage. The competition only lasted 10 minutes so I didn’t try and sketch. 150 Keys were being sold for $25. One of those keys would open a door to a wine cellar containing thousands of dollars worth of wine. At the end of the evening a long line of people gathered to try their luck at unlocking the door. It only took five attempts before a woman’s key worked. She shouted in delight. Taste of the Nation Orlando raised $167,500 to fight hunger in Central Florida that night.

Phase 10

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My older brother Don Thorspecken came to visit with his wife Val and son Kyle. They spent a solid day at Universal Studios which cost more than $80 a person. They asked if I wanted to join them for the day but I declined. I gave them two bright yellow Mickey Mouse ponchos in case they got caught in a late afternoon shower. I worked on the Mennello Museum Mural instead. They of course explored the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction. Don and Kyle waited in line for well over an hour. Kyle decided he wanted a magic wand but that chop stick cost $29! He decided he didn’t need it that bad.

It started to rain. Don had his poncho, but Kyle had left his in the car. Even with the poncho, they were soaked to the bone. It was a family adventure dashing back to the car in the torrential rain splashing through puddles. They wanted to meet us for dinner but I was no where near Universal Studios. Terry’s office had pizza brought in for lunch since it was a difficult day in the stock market. She brought home a whole leftover pizza pie and that is what we had for dinner.

After dinner we all played Phase 10. In this card game there are 12 cards each with a unique color. 10 cards are dealt and the point is to get rid of all 10 cards to end the hand. Phases consist of card combinations like five of a kind and three of a kind or seven cards all of the same color. Our pet cockatoo, Zorro, watched the game intently. When Terry screamed in delight, Zorro screamed even louder causing everyone to laugh. Terry was in the lead most of the game. She is very competitive. Kyle however started winning every hand towards the end of the game and he was the first to complete Phase 10. The game didn’t end until well past midnight. The Thorspecken clan must have been exhausted. Heavens knows, after many hours in the Florida heat, I was.

Faery Festival

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On Saturday July 30th Avalon held it’s annual Summer Sale and Faery Festival. It was a hot day. Six or so crafts vendor tents were set up in the parking lot next to Avalon (1211 Hillcrest Street.) Faria Maieed was painting a henna dolphin on a little girls hand as her father watched. I contemplated a sketch but the dolphin was almost complete. People were relaxing on massage benches. The massage looked particularly tempting. I went inside Avalon and looked at the wide array of crystals, spices, enchanted crafts and incense. The store wasn’t as crowded as it was last year so it was easy to browse.

Back outside, Florida Tribal Dancers were gathering in one of the tents. People started gathering in a semi circle around them in anticipation of a performance. I set up my stool in the shade of a tree and started blocking in a sketch. Lacey Sanchez, dressed in her gorgeous blue tribal dress, asked the assembling crowd to back up to give the dancers room to perform. Once the dancers came out, people stood right in front of me. I had to move out onto the hot pavement to re-start the sketch. I had to sketch quickly since the dancers twirled constantly. A huge gust of wind lifted one of the tents and people caught it’s poles to keep it from toppling. Lauren E. Lee pointed to the sky. I glanced up as a clear plastic bag danced in the wind swiftly rising up towards the clouds. When the performance was done, I was still adding color washes to the sketch. A woman walked up behind me and said, “You’re neck is going to be crisp as a lobsters hide if you keep sitting in the sun.” After I assured her I would be done soon, another woman approached and warned me about skin cancer. I was getting annoyed since in an ideal world I would of course be sitting in the shade, but life keeps pulling me out into the sun.

Wednesday Night Food Truck Pod

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TheDailyCity.com hosted a food truck pod (6-7 trucks) an the Trinity Downtown soccer field (Ruth Lane at Amelia Street) Wednesday August 3, 2011. The pod will offered a relaxed, quiet, family-friendly atmosphere in which to enjoy delicious food from some of the area’s top food trucks.

I decided to go. I called Terry who works downtown and she said it was raining really hard. I looked out my window at home and the sun was blazing. Getting into my truck I knew I was driving into the storm. Sure enough, half way into town it began to pour. It was the kind of rain that made me feel like I was driving in a waterfall. The wipers couldn’t work fast enough. My passenger side wiper came loose and the rubber part was barely in the mechanism whipping chaotically through the air. It was so bad I considered turning around but I plowed straight ahead hoping the rain would clear long enough for me to sketch. By the time I parked north of Lake Eola, the rain had stopped.

I love the old wooden houses on Amelia Street. Some look like the historical homes of Savannah. One house was gutted, getting a full renovation. Most of the homes date back to the 1920’s. This is the type of old neighborhood I would love to live in some day. I knew I was close to the food trucks when I could hear generators. The soccer field grass was wet, moistening my hiking boots. I leaned back against the goal post and got to work. Thunder rumbled on the horizon.

The field was populated by about 50 or so people who had braved the weather. Two workers from the Korean Taco Box Truck came over to watch me work for a while. They liked that their truck was in the foreground. When I was finished I decided to get a shrimp Po-Boy sandwich from the Fish Company food truck. The sandwich and a coke came to $12 which was more than I expected. I sat on the soccer field bleachers with many others. Poppy seeds from the sandwich kept raining into my lap.

I spoke to Mark Baratelli who organized the event. He said he only had 3 days to promote the event. He was carrying 11 by 17 inch posters promoting the Wednesday night event. I left feeling satiated. When I got back into my truck it began to rain again. A soft drizzle followed me home. Back home I watched weathermen as they tried to track Tropical Storm Emily.

Captain America WWII Burlesque

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Terry and I went to see “Captain America the First Avenger” on it’s opening weekend. Ultimately we were disappointed in the film. There was plenty of fist fighting and no character development. The predictable romance was unsatisfying; the actors had no chemistry. The constant fighting and explosive action became boring after a while. That evening there was going to be a World War II themed Burlesque party at the Comic Shop. Sophie Lamore one of the organizers of the event told me that my name would be on the list so I could sketch the event. Since the event cost $9, Terry decided to hang out with friends at Redlight Redlight while I sketched. It was Chad Bruce’s birthday.

When I got to the Comic Shop there was a large group of people at the back of the store waiting to get into the Geek Easy, a separate social gathering room in the back of the building. I noticed some Captain America comics on the bookshelf across from me. I had arrived a little late, so I was surprised that no one was allowed in yet. Though there probably wasn’t enough time, I decided to sketch the people waiting. A few women had on WWII themed dresses and a couple of guys wore military cargo pants. As I sketched people started filing in. When everyone was inside I walked up to the admissions table and told the woman my name so she could check the list. It was a bit odd announcing I was Thor in a comic shop. My name wasn’t there. I told her to check with Sophie who I had talked to about covering the event. From inside the venue, Sophie didn’t remember putting me on the list. The message was relayed to me. I was offered a discounted ticket, but realized it was a good excuse to get back to Chad’s birthday party. Besides I already had a finished sketch. My job was done. I drove back to Redlight Redlight to hang out with Terry and to wish Chad a happy birthday. As Terry and I left the bar, Chad offered me some eggs from his very own hen house. It was a farm fresh evening.

Fill the Grill Cook-off

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Whole Foods Market at Phillips Crossing (8003 Turkey Lake Road) hosted the first of three celebrity chef cook-offs. In this high stakes battle, renowned local chef John Rivers of 4 Rivers Smokehouse competed against Alec Cheak of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Each chef was given $20 and 20 minutes to speed shop for ingredients. They then had 20 minutes to make a delicious, creative summer meal using only a grill. They stood side by side with their shopping carts as the announcer counted down to the start. As the chefs wandered the aisles, I remained behind sketching the grilling area. Oriane Lluch who helped organize the event, gave me a press release. A Sentinel reporter video taped the competition.

Both chefs spent $19 and change on their ingredients. John Rivers hit an unexpected snag when he realized that the calamari steaks he had purchased were frozen. They were sent back and fresh steaks were ordered. Then John discovered that his grill wasn’t working. Unfazed, he ran to a grill in the far corner of the kitchen to grill his fresh vegetables. I began to wonder if the competition was rigged. Whole, fresh, local and seasonal ingredients were used by both chefs. Alec grilled a Pacific Cod over a bed of grilled spring leaks, jicama and mango, accompanied with a balsamic orange, blackberry reduction. John prepared a grilled calamari steak with cilantro along with grilled red and yellow peppers and fresh carrots, topped with a ginger BBQ sauce.

Three judges tasted the light summer dishes deliberating with each taste. The announcer stirred the crowd raising the excitement. After some deliberation, chef Alec Cheak was declared the winner. He smiled broadly. On August 16th Chef Tuan Tran of Crave will face off against Chef Steve Saelg of the Crooked Spoon. The winner of that cook-off will then face off against chef Alec Cheak in the final cook-off on August 30th. The cook-offs all happen at Whole Foods at 6:30pm. I realized as I was leaving that I was hungry. I went home and popped a frozen diner in the microwave.

Carl Knickerbocker Film Screenings

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Urban ReThink hosted a screening of two Carl Knickerbocker animated puppet short films as well as “The Painting Lesson”, a live action film that is loosely based on Carl’s art and life. I really liked “The Painting Lesson.” In this film an artist who really looks like Carl was painting in a night club to make ends meet when he meets an alpha business woman who asks him for a painting lesson. One thing leads to another and they end up sleeping together. She has a dream about Carl’s blue and green dogs. The animated dogs circle each other sniffing butts. She is rude to him from that point on. They fight. He paints her pooch green and in the end she creates a huge angry mural on the street in front of his home. He realized this is the best painting she had ever done. She didn’t need lessons from him anymore. The media embraced her. I absolutely love this film. It is a shame it was never distributed.

“A Dog Goes from Here to There” was a short animated piece that Carl wrote and directed. His vibrant Urban Primitive paintings are bought to life to illustrate a whimsical poem written for children. Carl’s most recent film, “SP #2” is surreal and non-linear. He just recently finished the production and is now sending it out to film festivals.

The Secret of Nimh

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On the last day of the 2D Animation class at Full Sail each month, Kathy Blackmore lets the students vote on an animated movie to watch. Before they voted, students asked the instructors about their experiences in the animation business. One student asked, “What was a highlight or defining moment in your career?” I described the day when I found out I was accepted into the Disney internship. “This might be way before your time, but it was a Mary Tyler Moore moment. I danced in the streets of NYC and threw my cap in the air!” Kathy described the pride she took in one particular Stitch scene where she did every drawing herself. Alex Kupersmidt the lead animator paused for the longest time when he looked at it. Such a pause usually meant he was contemplating a change or fix to the animation. He said, “It’s perfect.” He then turned and walked away. Such praise from an animation legend isn’t often offered.

The class had a split vote between Secret of Nimh and Lilo and Stitch. Dan Reibold really wanted to see the Secret of Nimh since he hadn’t seen it in a long time. Kathy’s heart warming stories about working on Stitch might just throw the voting in favor of the Disney film. Dan decided to pick up the Nimh DVD case and he made up a story about how this movie was the reason he wanted to become an animator. The students didn’t buy his story, they laughed. Kathy decided to show the movie to keep Dan from crying. Some students continued to work on their animation flip books as the movie played. This has to be the best animated feature Don Bluth produced. It is a classic.

Emotions Dance Rehearsal

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When the dancers got into the main dance hall they started by using ballet dance bars. I was pleased to see several men involved in the class. Apparently in Orlando male dancers are in short supply. The dancers were then split into groups and each group moved across the room showing off the dance moves they had just learned. It was hard enough to get the mechanics down, but Larissa stressed that the dancers had to follow through, with expressive emotion being the most important goal. Music was turned up high and I tapped my foot as they all danced to “Evacuate the Dance Floor!” The class was also an ongoing audition so dancers gave their all hoping that they could make the cut. When a particularly difficult combination was being worked out, Larissa asked Dion Smith to do the piece solo. Her performance was stunning and expressive. Larissa didn’t need to explain what Dion did right, the point was obvious and clear.

When the class was over, the core group of Emotions Dancers stayed behind to do a full run through of a piece they will be performing at the Bob Carr for the Red Chair Affair. When the performance was over, the dancers were all exhausted, sweaty and spent. I had stopped sketching and enjoyed the dance uninterrupted. Amazing.