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!

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

We’re Going on Tour!

Debbie and Friends on Tour!

I’m exited to tell you that we’re taking the band on the road! If you live in NJ, PA, or MD, I hope you can come out to see us this weekend!

Here’s the schedule!

Friday, Nov. 4 at 10am Axelrod Arts Center, Deal, NJ
We’re so excited to be playing Debbie’s home State! For tickets and more information, please visit the Axelrod Web site or call 732-531-9106.

Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1pm Upper Darby Performing Arts Center, Drexel Hill, PA
This beautiful theater is just outside of Philadelphia. For tickets and more information, please visit the UDPAC web site or call 610-622-1189.

Sunday, Nov. 6 at 3pm Gordon Center for Performing Arts, Owings Mills, MD
Please join us for our first show in MD! We even have special guests, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer joining us on stage for a song! It’s going to be a great time! For tickets, please visit the Gordon Center Web site or call 410-356 SHOW (7469).

Special guests Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer play a song with us!

We hope to see you soon!

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!.

DVD Concert Memories

What a fun crowd filled with friends at the Regent Theatre!

Thank you to everyone who came to our show at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA on Saturday, March 26, to celebrate the release of our new DVD, STORY SONGS & SING ALONGS and to sing along with our special guests and good friends, Bob McGrath from Sesame Street and Darcel Wilson.

Here are some pictures from our fun time together! (Thanks to Beth Oram Photography for “capturing happy”!)

Debbie and Bob McGrath singing “Sing a Song” with everyone.

Darcel Wilson, Mike Carrera and Debbie Cavalier

Our fans and friends!

Our own Eric Saulnier on guitar!

Our dancing band!

Having fun!

Bob McGrath!

Story Songs & Sing Alongs DVD.

Our new DVD is available on our Web site .
http://debbieandfriends.net/music.php

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

-Debbie

Rehearsing for the Big Show!

Sometimes, rehearsing and preparing for a show can be almost as fun as the actual show! This was certainly true last Friday evening, when the Debbie and Friends band gathered in our living room and rehearsed for our DVD Release Show at the Regent Theatre the next day. We played an “unplugged” set running through all of the songs planned for the show, including “Sing a Song” with Bob McGrath from Sesame Street.

The following are some fun pictures from our rehearsal.

Even Sophie loved it!

The next day, we played a really fun show to a packed house of enthusiastic families. Thanks to all of our Boston-area friends who came out to make music with us! Show pictures coming soon!

- Debbie

March 26, DVD Release Concert Featuring Bob McGrath

The new Debbie and Friends DVD

Dear Friends,

For the past two years, we’ve had CD release concerts at the Regent Theatre. This year, it’s going to be a little different. We are releasing a new product, but this time it’s our first Debbie and Friends DVD (YAY!) AND we are also featuring two very special guest artists!

Bob McGrath, of Sesame Street fame, will be joining us on stage for a few songs!

Bob McGrath

We will also have the amazing and talented Darcel Wilson performing with us!

Darcel Wilson

The band and I couldn’t be more excited!

Please join us on Saturday, March 26th at 10:30am. The Regent Theatre is located at 7 Medford Street, Arlington, MA.

Don’t wait! Call for tickets 781-646-4849, or order online here: http://www.regenttheatre.com/details/debbie_friends

Ticket Prices (general admission):
$8.00 – Kids (12 and under)
$8.00 – Seniors
$10.00 – Adults

The band and I hope to see you at the show!

- Debbie

Debbie & Friends DVD Shoot

We’re inviting you and your family to be part of our live-action, full-band video shoot at Berklee’s Cafe 939 in Boston! The event is FREE, but space is limited, so please RSVP today! (see below)

Details & Prizes: The shoot will last 45 minutes. We’ll play songs, tell jokes, and have lots of fun while the cameras are rolling! Each child will go home with a certificate of participation and every family will receive a coupon for a FREE D&F DVD (Release date is March 29, 2011). We’ll have other fun surprises including discounts to nearby restaurants for lunch that day, tattoos, stickers, and more.

Date: Saturday, December 18

Location: Cafe 939 is located at 939 Boylston Street, Boston, MA

Time: 11:00am - 11:45am

RSVP Today: Please send an email with your name and the number of kids/adults in your party, along with a contact number for Debbie to call and confirm. Please RSVP to the following email address:
rsvp@debbieandfriends.net

Parent Release: Please note, by participating in the live action shoot, you will be granting permission for Debbie and Friends to include images of yourself and your family on the DVD.

“I hope you can join us!” -Debbie

Sneak Preview! Our Cinderella Cartoon

Thanks again to everyone who voted for their “favorite fairy” to be part of our new Cinderella song and cartoon music video! As we announced a few weeks ago, the Fairy Godfather won and we are having so much fun working on his lines! We are hard at work on both the song and the cartoon.

Here’s a special “sneak preview” into the music and animation currently in production.

Watch for news of the final version being released in December. Thanks again for voting!