FREE D&F App - updated link!

It’s here! The first of several apps in development with Debbie and Friends!

This musical app is bursting with songs, cartoon music videos, live-performance videos, concert dates, photos, and even a wall where we can post messages to each other.

I hope you and your family enjoys the first-ever Debbie and Friends app!

Here’s a link to more information where you can download the app for FREE for your iPhone and iTouch devices.

Enjoy!

Meet Jake, an honorary band member!

I want to tell you about a special friend of mine named Jake. If you have our first CD or have seen our cartoons on YouTube, you’ve already heard his voice on our “Three Pigs and a Wolf” song. In fact, he introduces the song with his then 3-year-old voice, and sings along during the chorus parts with his brother Joshua and sister Riley. Here’s a picture from the recording session.

Jake is now 10-years old, and he took up the saxophone just three months ago. He has gotten so good at the sax in such a short period of time that I invited him to join us on stage. Jake played the “Opposite” song with the band at the Coolidge Corner Theatre on Jan. 8, 2012 and stole the show! Here are some pictures from that performance.

Jake did such a great job in fact, that we decided to make him an honorary band member with his own D&F cartoon character! Meet Jake, everyone! I think you’ll be seeing more of him on stage and perhaps even on screen in future D&F productions!

We’re on a Grammy-Nominated CD!

Exciting news!

Debbie and Friends has a song on an album that was nominated for a 2011 Grammy Award in the Children’s Music Category! “Walk Away” is our song on the anti-bullying compilation called All About Bullies Big And Small. It is one of five nominees for Best Children’s Album! The winner will be announced at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony on Feb. 12.

Here’s the cartoon music video version of our song that is on the nominated CD.

Santa & Baby - a sneak preview

Did you ever see a picture and think to yourself… “THAT wants to be a SONG”? Well, that’s exacly what I thought when I saw the following picture of my friend Beth Oram’s little dog named Baby.

Baby! Photo by Beth Oram Photography.

It looked to me like this little puppy just wanted to be part of Santa’s team! So, Mike and I wrote the song, we recorded it one night a couple of weeks ago with some friends at Berklee. The groove is inspired by the Spin Doctors (Yeah!), and the message for this Christmas song is about giving, helping friends, and taking steps to make your dreams come true.

Our friends at Planet Sunday are hard at work on the cartoon version. The following is an “animation rough” also known as a storyboard. The finished version of this cartoon music video will be ready in time for Christmas 2011! We always like to give our fan families an inside view at what’s in the works!

Enjoy the (preproduction) story of “Santa & Baby”!

-Debbie

Walk Away

I’m so happy to present our new cartoon music video designed to help kids who are dealing with bullies.

Meet Lucy Lou, her dog named Boo and their friends!

Taking on Bullying - a sneak preview

That’s right! Debbie and Friends is taking on bullying with a new dance number called “Walk Away,” and we’re excited to share a sneak preview with you!

The cartoon music video is in production right now. The following is our rough sketch storyboard version.

As you know from previous cartoon music videos, the storyboard contains the song and the general visual direction of the cartoon. After the storyboard is approved, the animators start the hard work of coloring and animating. It takes 30 drawings for every second of animation, so there is a lot of work ahead!

The band and I hope you enjoy the new song. “Walking away” is one of the strategies taught for dealing with bullies. I hope it proves helpful for some of our young friends who may experience bullying.

The final version of the cartoon music video will be ready in September!

-Debbie

Take the Wendell Cartoon Challenge!

I’m so happy to introduce you to our new cartoon music video, “Wendell”! You may recall the song from our second CD, More Story Songs and Sing Alongs. In the cartoon version, Wendell is a boy who shows us that when you use your imagination, you can overcome obstacles and make your dreams come true!

Enjoy Wendell’s adventures and try to find two challenges:
1. When does “the spider” appear that is in every Debbie and Friends cartoon?
2. What is the “Debbie” character supposed to be in this cartoon?

If you have the answers, email them to Debbie [@] debbieandfriends.net along with your email address and your child’s first name. I’ll send a personalized congratulations email with a Debbie and Friends coloring page and Fan Club PDF to you for your child. Challenge ends July 9. Congratulations emails will be sent on July 10.

Good luck with the Wendell Challenge!

-Debbie

Introducing Our New Band Member: The Big Bad Wolf!

The Big Bad Wolf in concert with Debbie and Friends.

BIG NEWS from Debbie and Friends! The Big Bad Wolf is joining the band! He made two guest appearances with us in March. The first time was at our WERS “The Playground” live radio debut and the second time was on stage at our DVD Release Concert at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA. Everyone enjoyed the Wolf’s performances so much that we asked him to join the band! He’s now in Florida at a puppet maker’s workshop getting a special “wolf makeover” so he’ll be ready for our very busy concert schedule beginning this summer.

Here’s a sketch of what our new, improved Big Bad Wolf will look like.

The new and improved Big Bad Wolf!

The Wolf will join the band starting in July. Please check our show schedule and save some dates! We look forward to seeing you and making music with you again soon!

Mike and the Big Bad Wolf!

Wendell Cartoon - Storytelling Differently

Today more than ever, video is an essential way to break through the noise and reach new fans with music. For Debbie and Friends, cartoon music videos are a great vehicle for this.

I’m always pleasantly surprised to learn that families from all over the world discover Debbie and Friends music every day through our YouTube channel and various cable outlets.

Many of our songs are based on classic tales, and therefore well suited for visual presentation. Some of our songs are not based on stories and I was always convinced those songs were not good candidates for video. “Wendell” in particular, is a cumulative movement song about a boy who finds a toy Robot. The Robot adds a new physical challenge with each verse. It’s fun to perform, but I couldn’t imagine it as a music video. My amazing animator, Goichi Hirata from Planet Sunday, had another idea. He suggested that we approach it differently and tell the story from the perspective of Wendell’s imagination. For children, the Robot will represent hope and a doorway to, literally and figuratively, scaling walls and overcoming life’s obstacles. Brilliant! Needless to say, I was very excited about Goichi’s idea and we’re moving forward with the project!

To help with some production questions and to include our fan families in the process, we held a “pick Wendell’s hair color” poll on Facebook. (Purple hair won!) Here are some initial images Goichi came up with for the cartoon characters in the song.

Wendell finds the Toy Robot.

Wendell and the Robot flying.

Wendell and the Robot arriving at the Toy Fair parade!

And, here’s the storyboard version of the animation.

I feel so fortunate to be able to work with such talented and creative people as Goichi Hirata and Greg David at Planet Sunday, and to share the stages of development with our Debbie and Friends fan families. I hope you enjoy learning about the process behind our cartoons, and will share this information with your kids in anticipation of this new video coming out in June!.

Cinderella is here!

Hi Everyone,

Thanks again for voting for your favorite “fairy”! As you know, the fairy Godfather won the fairy contest by popular demand, and he’s read to make his cartoon debut!

Presenting Debbie and Friends’ “Cinderella” song. It’s the classic tale with a twist, including self-esteem and friendship messages for kids.

ENJOY!

Thank you to Planet Sunday for the amazing animation work! You guys are the greatest!