Opposite - A cartoon in development

Here’s a sneak preview of our new animated music video in the works. It’s based on one of our favorite songs, “Opposite.” Check out how well the guys in the band can dance!

This is a pre-production teaser, and features the amazing animation work of Greg David and Goichi Hirata from Planet Sunday. It also features the wonderful character design work of Robert Heath of Barkley Studios. The final version should be out by the end of the summer.




The band and I hope you enjoy it!

-Debbie

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EarthFest 2010 Fun!

Thanks to everyone who came out to share EarthFest with us last weekend. We had a great time with all of you! For those of you who couldn’t join us, the following is a video shot by our good friend Amber Bobnar of Boston Children’s Music. It’s the “Simon Says” song complete with the “BAND FREEZE” section!

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Earthfest 2010, Boston, May 22 @ 11am

Please join us on Saturday, May 22 @ 11am on the Esplanade in Boston for Earthfest 2010! It’s a FREE event and there are all kinds of fun things planned for kids and families in the “Kids Planet” zone including environmental activities, games, and of course… musical performances!

Here’s a link to more information.

The band and I look forward to seeing you there! Don’t forget: we go on at 11am!

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Live Performance with Video

As a kid’s/family performing group, Debbie and Friends are always looking for new ways to actively engage our audience. A typical D&F concert includes our fan families doing everything from starting up the band with a clapping beat, to fixing rhymes, playing the “Simon Says” song game, dancing, singing, and interacting with all five members of the band.

Our good friend and booking agent for the Midwest region, Jeni Cosgrove, challenged us to find a way to to incorporate our animated cartoons into our live show format. It sounded like great fun so we decided to give it a try!

How?
First, we created a version of one of our cartoon music videos without recorded music. Then, we added a click track. During the performance, the click track is sent to our drummer, Bill D’Agostino’s wireless earphones so that he can lock in with the click and remain in sync with the video from start to finish. The band plays along with Bill so that we are all in sync playing, singing and dancing along with the video.

The Result?
The families in our audience LOVE it! And we do, too. In addition to adding a multimedia dimension to our show, we’re promoting our music video catalog and visits to our Web site, You Tube channel, and Jitterbug.tv. The cartoons all contain movement parts, so the families in our audience continue to be active participants throughout the show.

I highly recommend giving live performance with a music video a try! (Thanks Jeni!)

The following is our “Little Red Riding Hood” animated music video. This is one of the animated music videos that families sing and dance along with during our shows.

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CD Release Concert Memories!

Thank you to everyone who came to our show at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA on Saturday, March 27, to celebrate the release of our new CD, MORE STORY SONGS & SING ALONGS!

Here are some pictures from our fun time together!

Our new CD is available on our Web site at a special discount.
http://debbieandfriends.net/music.php

Thanks again, everyone! I hope to see you at another D&F concert soon!

-Debbie

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March 27, CD Release Concert!

Dear Friends,

What’s better than a Debbie & Friends Concert at the Regent Theatre?

A Debbie & Friends CD Release Concert at the Regent Theatre!

Please join us this Saturday, March 27th at 10:30am. The Regent Theatre is located at 7 Medford Street, Arlington, MA.

We have a great show in store that you won’t want to miss! In addition to our fantastic band, we have lots of surprises:

- Darcel Wilson joins us on vocals
- Sue Lindsay joins us on sax and flute
- We’ll perform with one of our cartoon music videos
- And, we’ll be raffling off copies of the new CD (signed by everyone in the band!), t-shirts, and more!

Don’t wait! Call for tickets 781-646-4849, or order online here.

I hope to see you at the show!

Debbie

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BCM’s Favorite Live Performances of 2009

I’m happy to report that we have been awarded one of Boston Children’s Music’s First Annual Favorite Live Performance of 2009! We’re really excited about this honor and thrilled to be in the company of such great musicians!

Here’s what Amber Bobnar of Boston Children’s Music, had to say:

Debbie & Friends is one of our favorite bands and we love to see them perform live. Debbie does such a wonderful job of talking to the kids and getting them to really feel like they are an important part of the show. Debbie’s shows have a very inclusive feel to them and they can be a great way to introduce your kids, especially little kids, to full-band live music.

Debbie’s band is just phenomenal, but I have to say that Mike really helps make the show. He is Debbie’s backup singer and all-around silly guy. The kids love him. He responds to all the stories and games and is just so much fun to watch. And I love his singing on the new song, “So So Happy.” Download your copy of “So So Happy” here.

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Meet the Band!

The Debbie and Friends’ band has been making music together for nearly two years. In that time, we’ve enjoyed a special connection with our wonderful fan families who come out to see us play. I thought it would be fun to tell you all a little bit about each band member and unveil their new cartoon personas which will be on the new CD (coming soon)!

Mike Carrera is the producer and my partner with “Debbie and Friends.” He’s an incredible musician, can play just about any instrument, and has the most beautiful singing voice I’ve ever heard. His favorite color is blue, favorite food: tacos, and his favorite band is Head East.  Mike’s favorite thing to do is play music. For Mike, the best part of D&F is “Seeing how much the audience really gets into the music and enjoys themselves!” Those of you who have been to a D&F show know that Mike is a lot of fun and a VERY good sport!

Rory McKenzie is our awesome bass player. Rory and I have been friends for more than 20 years! We met when I was a music teacher in Gloucester, MA when his son (my first grader) told me his dad’s band needed a keyboard player. We’ve been dear friends and musical collaborators ever since! Rory has been playing the bass for (gulp) 40 years. His favorite band is the Beatles, favorite color, midnight blue, and favorite food, “See food!” Rory loves playing music with his friends, which is the best thing about playing D&F shows for him.

Eric Saulnier is our most-excellent guitar player. He’s been playing guitar since he was five-years old and it’s his favorite thing to do. Bob Dylan is his all-time favorite band and he likes the color red. Eric’s favorite food is Hot Dogs with Mac and Cheese (and I’ve seen him eat it at the World Cafe Live kid’s buffet!) In addition to guitar, Eric is often doing double-duty as our sound engineer for D&F shows, making sure the sound is just right for our young audiences. For Eric, the audience is best thing about playing D&F shows! I know the audience enjoys Eric, too!

Bill D’Agostino is our amazing drummer. He can play anything and he does it all so well! Bill’s been playing the drums for 30 years, and like Eric, it is his favorite thing to do! He is solid as a rock and is so much fun to play with! James Taylor is Bill’s all-time favorite band, and he likes the color blue. His favorite food is pasta. For Bill, getting to play drums with his friends and making kids laugh are the best parts of playing D&F shows! I know the band feels the same way about playing music with Bill!

That’s the band! We have lots of other friends who play with us from time to time too, such as Jeff Muzerolle, Susan Gedutis Lindsay, Liz Gould, Adam Olenn, Brian O’Neill, and many others. We always have a great time making music with the families that come to our shows.

Have you been to a D&F show? Does anyone in your family have any questions for our band members? Please post your comments and questions and we’ll get right back to you!

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Berklee’s New Kids/Family Concert Series

Berklee College of Music is kicking off a brand new a Kids/Family Concert Series beginning this Saturday, January 9th with Debbie and Friends!

The shows will be held in Berklee’s newest performance venue, The Red Room at Cafe 939 located at 939 Boylston Street, Boston, MA.

Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for kids, and can be purchased online via Ticketmaster or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Buy 10:00am show tickets here.

Buy 11:30am show tickets here.

Everybody goes home with Debbie and Friends’ tattoos and a free new song download card!

In honor of this new series, the Cactus Club is offering 20% off lunch entrees for anyone with a Debbie and Friends’ concert ticket! The Cactus Club is in the same building as Cafe 939, so you won’t even have to put on your coats to go to lunch!

The band and I hope to see you on Saturday!

- Debbie

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