Lights! Cameras! Action!
April 02, 2008
There’s my pun for the day! Swimmingly! Wet pants! Ay yi yi!
So, yesterday we were shooting “Down By The Bay”, a webisode written by Alan Luecke and yours truly! The webisode was about the Super Pal Universe kids turning
into super heroes to help clean up dirty water, littering, pollution, etc. The vibe was a mixture of a Japanese comedy show mixed with fun Saturday morning cartoons
and lots of LIVE ACTION!!! Woo-hoo!
Oh, before I forget…let me say this:
I looooooooooove directing, and I loooooooooove directing with Matt (of Make Media). We had such good synergy. He was the Director of Photography/head camera honcho.
he fact that he and I knew the script inside out made our working together really easy and fun cuz we could reference shots and knew exactly what we were talking about.
His crew was excellent, too. Again, let’s all give Ben a big round of applause for hanging in there!
Alice and Shayla, who we met through Austin Voices, came up with great handmade costumes…..A big shout out to them
for always stepping up and creating fun fashion for the SPU kids. Alice even got to be an extra in a scene with Rush! It is great having teens designing
clothes for teens. The whole idea behind Super Pal Universe is that kids can be creative…so, eventually, I hope to have kid camera crews, editors, directors,
recording engineers, writers, you name it. Then I can finally sit back and enjoy the show with a big smile on my face cuz the dream will be a total reality!
So, Evan (who plays Riff/lead guitarist/sings) made his own awesome recycling shirt for his super character, Magnet Man… I think he and Jeannie (or Mollie?) made the velcro cans to put on his shirt and it was HILARIOUS! We will have a reverse shot of cans falling from the shirt so it looks like they were “sucked” up by magnetic force to the shirt! He did a super pose as Magnet Man, too. Very Clark Kentish. Lily and iolana and Jacob’s brother and sister were all very funny extras who were caught by Magnet Man in the act of littering. Eek! Evan’s dad and Evan were taking pictures of the entire shoot, too, so kudos, again, to them for capturing the afternoon with pix.
Aubrey (who plays Julee/guitar/sings) looked like a sweet blue fairy/mermaid, sitting on a rock with a bottle of disgustingly filthy water. With her wonder filled smile, she was perfect for Clean Water Girl. The magic wand in her hand transformed the water to instant clean! Ping! Aubrey got her takes right away, just like the other kids. Everyone was so easy/helpful to work with. And Aubrey’s friends were really funny during LIvvy’s scene, too.
Jacob (Boris/keys/sings) was dead on…He sure can jump back far! He had to jump a LOT. He is our scientist who comes up with crazy solutions. He had a GIANT wand with a glowing, spinning orb.
He really got into bringing down his wand and yelling, “WORLD PEACE!”, which is where a lot of the jumping was occurring.
I wrote “DR. BORIS” on his lab coat, not that anyone will see it, really, but it added to the fun. His happiness is so contagious. Oh, and Jacob’s mom was an extra in Rush’s scene…She talks on the phone as if she has done it before…! Has she talked on a cell phone before? You tell me!
Rush (Sam/drummer) is a natural. He is so so funny because he can go over the top and, yet, he has a sense of timing that is just right. I had to cover my mouth so I wouldn’t laugh out loud. I can see him (well, actually, any of these kids!) on SNL years from now…He was spouting out numbers as Carbon Offset Man, right off the top of his head! Whew!
And Livvy (Nadia/bass/keys/singing) was perfect, too! She has the withering look down! (We all had a nice discussion at rehearsal the other day about the difference between “wilting” glance and “withering” glance. These things are good to know, my friends.) Livvy just captures what needs to be delivered in such a fast way. She’s on top of it and looked great as Activist Girl. I like that she thought to change into another costume; we were just going to have her “glance” be the comedy, but she looked great bouncing over in the outfit Alice and Shayla had created.
I re-wrote a few things on spot to make continuity and shots easier; Matt had some great ideas, too, so once again, it just made the flow fantastic. Matt and I were both really happy…about 3 hours to get it all done.
Also, Erika from KUT showed up and did very lengthy interviews with everyone. So, I’ll let you know when KUT broadcasts the interviews….
All the moms were there! Hooray for moms! Phil (publicist) and Mollie (my assistant) stayed the entire time. Hooray for Phil! And a big Hooray for Mollie getting it all together, even though she had been really sick with an ear infection last week!
J-Ro (marketing guru) had great suggestions and was nice to have there as support. Let me tell you, we had one fellow walk up during the middle of a scene who demanded to fish RIGHT THERE at THAT SPOT and would “be damned if I’ll move. I’ve already had to move because of dogs. I’m staying right here.”
After repeated requests by me to kindly find another fishing spot (to which he told me “F U”, even though I was being calm and courteous),
J-Ro stepped in and asked him if he’d be willing to sign a release. He said he wasn’t signing anything. J-Ro told him he’d end up on T.V. unless he signed the release, which got the rude fellow to move on down the lake. Still….He came back about thirty minutes later and plopped down in some reeds during a final shot, but we were shooting up and wide so it didn’t really matter. But thank God J-Ro got him to move during the first segment…it would have been ruined, otherwise!
To see what a webisode is like, go to http://www.superpaluniverse.com
This will be a more sophisticated sequence when it is all edited together, plus some MAGIC sprinkled in….But now you are in the know.
Ah, hooray for an afternoon in the sun with friends, cameras and a strong script!
posted by Sara Hickman at 03:48 pm
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SUPER PAL UNIVERSE: More you can know about what it all means!
This is a great interview with J-Ro, the head of our marketing for Super Pal Universe. I thought you might like to read about how Super Pal Universe involves and empowers other
kids in the Austin community.
Love,
Sara
FROM AUSTIN DAZE
SUPER PAL UNIVERSE
March 31, 2008
By Ursula Garcia
Super Pal Universe is a new band made up of Austin teens and tweens, mentored by Austin musician Sara Hickman. Though they’re dedicated to creating original music (like they’ll play at this year’s SXSW and their CD release debut March 22 at Ruta Maya), they’re also committed to what they’ve termed “pop-driven activism.” Inspiring their peers toward greater community involvement is central to the band’s mission. To help accomplish this, the band has teamed up with the Youth Action Network at Austin Voices to involve youth in music marketing. Both SPU and Austin Voices want young adults to use their creativity and involvement in the community to solve problems, and by learning the basics of marketing in a real-world project, the Austin Voices students at Garza High School are earning economics credits while helping Super Pal Universe reach even more teens. We spoke to Super Pal Universe marketing director John Rodriguez about the project.
How did this project get started?
Every year Super Pal gives a grant, called the Change 4 Change Fundation Grant, to community-involved organizations. The grant was an opportunity for young people from the Austin area involved to use their creativity. Although Austin Voices didn’t win the grant competition last fall, Super Pal was so impressed by the submission and mission of this organization that one of the committee members decided to give them a $1000 personal grant. In essence, they hired them as a Super Pal Merchandising Partner.
What is Super Pal Universe all about?
Super Pal Universe is about PDA – Pop-driven activism. It is a five-person band and a community outlet for Austin youth. It’s a band and a brand targeting teens and pre-teens with pop driven activism. They want youth to be involved in the community.
Why is the message of community involvement with Super Pal Universe important?
You can be in a band, you can be whoever you want to be, or do whatever you want to do, but you can’t forget your community, you should stay involved. Emulation is huge: pre-teens emulate teens and teens emulate adults. The mission of SPU is to have the youth feel like they can be involved. It sends a clear message when you do it directly and following through with what you believe.
How are Austin Voices students helping out, specifically the Garza class? What are they doing with marketing?
At the beginning of the semester, we worked with Austin Voices to come up with a marketing and economic curriculum, which incorporated a plan to be executed by the class. The plan teaches them how to execute a marketing plan from beginning to end, taking economics into consideration.
At the beginning of the project, they were asked to come up with products that the band would be able to sell. Choosing a product involved coming up with graphic designs and doing research. After revising their creative ideas several times, they were able to come up with a branding logo, which is incorporated in every product they create.
They were asked to think of ways to come up with cost-effective products to be made available at Super Pal Universe’s upcoming concert. Some ideas they came up with were t-shirts, buttons, guitar picks, dog tag necklaces for guys and earrings for girls.
The theme of production has been keeping things green. The Garza class was collect 400 donated T-Shirts, and their ideas for the t-shirt designs happened with recycled t-shirts in mind.
They have helped SPU design and produce products that will be sold to support SPU’s mission. Other products they have helped create have been ‘zines and planners. At the SPU shows in March, they will help to sell the merchandise.
How long has Super Pal Universe been together and do they have any upcoming shows?
The five member band has been together since the summer of 2007.
Their most current upcoming events this year include a performance at SXSW on March 15, at Auditorium Shores at 1 p.m. as well as the Blastbeat Party at Freddie’s that same day at 4 p.m. They are also getting ready to release their debut EP – that show is a free show March 22, 4 p.m., at Ruta Maya.
What happens after the show at SXSW for the Austin Voices Youth Action Network students?
Garza High School’s economic class gets to be involved in a focus group where they will evaluate results of the concert and sales of the merchandise. They will be able to take a look back and see what worked and what did not work.
Why do you think this partnership works?
It works – and, in fact, it’s special – because the Super Pal Universe band members are approximately in the same age group as the Garza students, and consequently are experiencing similar types of struggles and triumphs.
What do you expect the Austin Voices kids to take away from this experience?
They should become prideful in seeing their work and how their efforts contribute to the success of the band. They should recognize their ability to complete a project from beginning to end and they should also enjoy the feeling of youth and community involvement.
What should SPU take away from this experience?
They should want to stay in compliance with the youth for youth dogma. It is important that young adults talk to each other. The SPU members are really excited to know that much of their merchandising has been done by people their own age, because they have similar ideas.
What is the goal of this project?
One goal was to help SPU get integrated into the community through the Austin Voices Youth Action Network, creating a mutually benefiting relationship with students from the Garza class to learn and be more involved with artistic and musical production. Another goal is to have the Garza class continue to be involved with SPU and realize that their success is gained through their efforts. I’m really looking forward to listening in on their focus group because they’ve learned so much and they’ve been very well informed with the path being taken through the marketing plan. What they like and take away from the project is very important.
What is the expected time frame involved with this project?
The project should run through the end of 2008, which will include the students assisting the band with a planned summer camp for young musicians and a number of local shows.
posted by Sara Hickman at 12:44 pm
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ACT UP Event I will be singing/talking at….FOR GIRLS/WOMEN…YESSIRREE! Pun intended…
March 31, 2008
The 6th annual Conference For
The Spiritual Transformation of Women and Girls
Saturday April 12, 2008
8:30 a.m. — 5:30 p.m.
St. Edwards University , Ragsdale Center
“THE KEYS TO HAPPINESS”
The Annual Conference for the Spiritual Transformation of Women and girls will include inspirational talks and practical workshops. There will be two programs running side by side, one for women and the other for young girls ages 10-15. The purpose of this conference is to gather women and girls together so that they may realize their unique spiritual station in the family and in society. Through recognition of their inner strength, they can be a source of enlightenment to each other, learn from each other’s experiences, and share information about spiritual healing of mind, body and soul.
Keynote Speakers: Robin Rathe;r ‘A life of Service to Humanity’
Jan Epton Seale and Avrel Seale; ‘happiness is … Creativity’
Workshops: Dawn Welch, (The Seven Keys to Vibrant Health)
Kimberly Smith Cavins, (Parenting from the Heart)
Joyce Beck, (Happiness is understanding, The Seven Levels of Consciousness)
Panel Discussion: JOY! A Practical Guide
The panelelist includes: Psychotherapist Gaea Logan and Richard Vogt (Richard From Texas of the book, Eat, Pray, Love)
Entertainment: “Sara Hickman” singer, songwriter, public speaker
“The Djembabes” twelve Austin drummers and singers
The 2008 ACT Girls Conference - ‘Being the Change’
This year’s ACT Girls Conference centers on Gandhi’s exhortation to ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’ Through inspirational and artistic workshops, the participants in ACT Girls will become empowered to explore their true selves, and to become the change that the world is so desperately awaiting.
Visit http://www.actwomen.com/speakers.html for further information and registration
posted by Sara Hickman at 10:29 am
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Speak out/Show up/Get involved and Support Human Rights!
I am Yichin Chen, the local coordinator for Global Human Rights
Torch Relay (HRTR,http://www.humanrightstorch.org) in Austin. I am
writing today to ask for your support in raising the public awareness
of and stop China’s human rights abuses before the 2008 Beijing
Olympics.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime has over the years
intensified the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and other
religious groups. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens are held
as political prisoners without charge or trial. The CCP regime also
supports other totalitarian regimes in perpetrating slaughter upon
their own citizens‹in Darfur, Burma, Zimbabwe, and North Korea.
HRTR’s founding premise: The Olympics and crimes against humanity
cannot coexist in China. The HRTR torch will come to Austin, Texas on
April 20 and a ceremony will be held at Capitol. To raise people’s
awareness, my team is actively working with various groups and
individuals of The University of Texas at Austin to set up a rally on
April 4 on the UT campus.
We would love to have your support in any way you’d like. You and your
friends would be welcome to speak at the rally, sing HRTR theme song,
(http://www.humanrightstorch.org/news/theme-song), help to get the
word out in any way you’re comfortable.
Thank you very much for your time. I look forward to your reply.
Regards,
Yichin Chen
512-266-9865
—
Austin Coordinator
Global Human Rights Torch Relay
http://www.humanrightstorch.org
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:43 am
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All God’s Creatures
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LHoyB81LnE
I hope that she paints for the love of it, and not because she was forced or trained to do so.
Love,
Sara
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:26 am
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mady kaye, super pal!
March 29, 2008
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:40 pm
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And now…More response to George Will…
March 28, 2008
submitted in response to George Will’s column (link provided to Mr. Will’s column at the bottom of Rev. Young’s response.)
Thank you,
Sara
To quote Benjamin Disraeli: “There are three kinds of lies: lies,
damned lies and statistics.” In his column, March 27, George Will
used all three, but mainly statistics, to argue that conservatives are
more generous than liberals. Reading between the lines, what his
argument really shows is that religiosity correlates with charitable
giving. But since charity includes contributions to churches, there
is no direct correlation between the contributions one claims on a tax
return and the alleviation of suffering in society. Churches provide
wonderful spiritual, emotional and social benefits. But they’re often
very inefficient conduits of human services. $100 that a
religious conservative sends to Bennie Hinn likely has much less
direct social benefit than $10 a secular liberal contributes to
the United Way. Is the conservative ten times more compassionate? I
think not. The conservative dogma that religious institutions should
supplant government in providing the social safety net is a cruel and
cynical farce. The famously erudite Mr. Will would do well to put down
that thesaurus and pick up a book on critical thinking.
Rev. Bill Young
Associate Pastor
Metropolitan Community Church of Austin
LINK TO GEORGE WILL’S ARTICLE:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/op_ed/view.bg?articleid=1083043&srvc=rss
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:03 am
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the danger of putting people in boxes with names
those who give and those who do not give based on
politics/wealth. albeit there are “facts” based on
polls, i’m sure, and people now say that austin is 48
out of 50 in giving, i say let’s not lose sight that
there seems to be a growing movement to give/share,
even if only in 2 % of those people… at least that
is what i see, and perhaps, yes, i am surrounded by
folks who have the same philosophy of love and life as
i….however….
i think it is best to start thinking of how people
CONSUME CONSUME AND CONSUME and how THAT is detracting
and distracting from /discouraging the idea of
seva/giving as a way of living.
true giving is like breathing. it is not a thought, it
is an action that creates thoughtfulness.
i wish christmas, for example, was celebrated around
the real birth of christ—-in the summer——and that
instead of raising children to expect to GET, they
were raised with the thought of action to GIVE.
how beautiful to rise on the day of christ’s birth on
a sunny summer day and hear children say, “i’m so
excited! i can’t wait to go serve the homeless….” or
sing for the elderly, or mow a neighbor’s lawn or
whatever kind act that would extend outward to giving.
i just use christianity here as an example because it
is the religion i was brought up in and still adhere
to….
and i still hope that eyes and hearts can be opened to
the here and now of really SEEING what needs to be
seen and giving what needs to be given….not only in
christianity, but in all religions where ever there
is a need for understanding, growth or compassion.
i have great faith in humanity. i will hold on to the
hope that
we can all one day be a brother and sisterhood of
man….by practicing what we preach…as individuals,
as collectives and as societies….
love,
sara
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:54 am
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International Airplay…Woo—hoo!
March 26, 2008
I wanted to share where my music has gotten to go in 2007 (2008):
Highest amount of airplay: JAPAN
Smallest amount: IRELAND
Other countries: AUSTRALIA, CANADA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY (second to Japan!), GREECE, HONG KONG, HUNGARY, ISRAEL, ITALY, MEXICO, NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, POLAND, PORTUGAL, SPAIN, SWEDEN, UNITED KINGDOM
It still blows my mind after 18 years to know that my music can go on and travel the world and LIVE! Thank you, world DJS! Bless you for playing my music! And thanks to those of you in those countries that support my music, too. You all bring me such deep and thrilling joy.
posted by Sara Hickman at 10:46 am
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FREE TIBET!!!
After decades of repression, the Tibetan people are crying out to the world for change. The spotlight of the upcoming Olympic Games is now on China, and Tibetan Nobel peace prize winner the Dalai Lama is calling to end all riots and violence through restraint and dialogue—he urgently needs the support of the world’s people.
China’s hardliners are lashing out publicly at the Dalai Lama—but we’re told that President Hu Jintao may believe dialogue is the best hope for stability in Tibet. China’s leadership is right now considering a crucial choice between repression and dialogue that could determine Tibet’s—and China’s—future.
We can affect this historic choice – for President Hu, China’s global reputation matters. He needs to hear from us that the ‘Made in China’ brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing will succeed only if he chooses dialogue over the hardliners’ repression. An avalanche of global people power is moving to get his attention. We’re closing on our goal of 1 million signatures and the largest global online petition in history - click below to join the global outcry, and then forward this email to friends and family right away:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/53.php?cl=66113239
China’s economy is dependent on “Made in China” exports that we all buy, and the government is keen to make the Olympics in Beijing this summer a celebration of a new and respected China. China is also a sprawling, diverse country with much brutality in its past, so it has good reasons to be concerned about stability — some of Tibet’s rioters killed innocent people. But President Hu must recognize that the greatest danger to Chinese stability and development today comes from hardliners who advocate escalating repression, not from those Tibetans seeking dialogue and reform.
We will deliver our petition directly to Chinese officials in New York, London and Beijing, but it we must reach our goal of 1 million signatures first. Please forward this email to your address book with a note explaining to your friends why this is important, or use our tell-a-friend tool to email your address book—it will come up after you sign.
The Tibetan people have suffered quietly for decades. It is finally their moment to speak—we must help them be heard.
With hope and respect,
Ricken, Pascal, Graziela, Iain, Paul, Galit, Milena, Ben and the whole Avaaz team
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:25 am
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Super Pal Super CD Super Release Super!
March 23, 2008
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:37 pm
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ECHOES past/present/future
March 20, 2008
dwarf from “Lord of The Rings.” Where someone sent me a letter three years ago telling me that they had some of my college paintings and if I would send them a check for $4870
dollars they would make sure I got them back. Where I used to ride a blue motorcycle with a boyfriend.
I’m working with Carl Finch, who first saw me on a cable access show called “Dr. Fangus”, called me up, and told me I should make records.
We are making dance/trance/disco/pop music, and it is very, very fun and very, very challenging. Some of you may remember we started this collaboration two years ago, around the time of Glenn Mitchell’s death. I wrote about it in here then, too.
I have been cramming and writing and memorizing and writing out charts and practicing non-stop in my La Quinta hotel room. There is a very nice mom and pop Greek restaurant next door. There is a pool, but I just pass it by. Tooooo cold.
Today we are working on “Echo”, a trance/disco song. Yes, really. Europe, look out!
We are also working on laying drum tracks/acoustic/electric guitars/keys vocals today on other songs.
Ok, I have to go back to work on memorizing some melodies.
Oh, the studio we are at, Black Bottle Recording, has some very nice dudes. Richard Haskell, who I swear I’ve met before, but he’s only 23…he has an interesting moustache and a big heart. And bed head. And has a lot of posters of death metal bands.( I think that’s what they are called.) I dubbed him Honey Bear.
And then there is Phat. He served in Iraq and has a nice shrapnel scar on his forehead. He is 24. He is doing the bulk of the engineering. He has an enigmatic, impish smile and he is very, very calm. His real name is Nagaras. It says so on his shirt. Phat is where it’s at, and I just want to dance with him. He’s very sturdy!
Carl is working hard and it is always so so so engaging to watch him record cuz he puts every ounce of himself into whatever he is doing. I could just watch him all day!
I went to Dan’s Silver Leaf on Tuesday night and sat in with this large jazz band. I sang “Fly Me To The Moon.” Talk about a blast! And then I waltzed with a man named Randy and that was wonderful because I had my very first waltzing lesson just the night before that with LANCE up at U.T.!!!!!! Synchronicity.
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:14 am
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Some of my art MIGHT be on t.v. tonight…
March 19, 2008
I handpainted 10 river rocks with 10 different tiny chairs with words painted on the back.
For those of you in Austin there will be a segment on the 10:00 news
tonight about the chair project. It is on Austin channel 36, NBC.
Watch for the Jim Swift segment. If you miss it tonight there will
be a link to it on their web site kxan.com starting tomorrow.
Love,
Sara
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:51 pm
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David LaMotte Show will Benefit Guatemalan children…
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
7:00 pm
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
700 Whitestone Blvd
Cedar Park, Texas
This is a family concert with a $5.00 per family ticket price. The
catch is that this show is truly a mission concert to benefit Guatemalan children.
Please, Please take 10 minutes and click on this link http://www.pegpartners.org/ to
see what and WHY this concert is so very important. We will have a free-will
offering to benefit the children and donations are encouraged. 100% of these funds will go
to the children.
I am so very passionate about this mission - helping children who do
not yet have a voice. Please take the 10 minutes…see what is going on and come
join us!
This is David’s only show in our area this season.
Some of you have very extensive email lists of your own. This event is
open to the public so please pass it on.
Thank you for all you do,
Ann Block
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:46 pm
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Super Pal Universe at Auditorium Shores/Saturday, March 15 and Bad Words…
March 17, 2008
/Super Pal Universe was superfly superfine super-super on Saturday!
When I saw the gianormous stage, the first thing I said to the kids in the band was, “Oh, I’m sorry the stage isn’t BIGGER!!!”
The kids rocked in the morning sun to about 350 people, many dancing and boppin’ to the pop driven activism music, the fun bantering, and the utter electricity of watching teens make music on stage. And a big shout out to BORIS, our keyboard player, who may have hairline fractures in both feet!, and still managed to show up, play the gig, dance around, rock the crowd, wow ‘em with his smile. INCREDIBLE!
The crew thought the kids were great, too…and, right now, right this second, I’d like to THANK THE CREW for being courteous, professional and patient. What a great group of stage hands, sound men (stage and front of house). They made the kids sound ENORMOUS with the delays/reverbs and I had HUGE tears of PRIDE in my eyes, watching Sam (drums) pound it out with all he had, Julee singing/playing guitar/jumping over to bass (!!!), Nadia calm and confident on bass and vocals, jammin’ away with Boris on his song, “What You See is What You Get” and Evan, keeping his cool, playing solo after solo, smiling his mysterious smile. What a super-duper group of hard workin’ kids!!!
The cds are supposed to arrive today for our CD release party this Saturday at Rutumaya, South Congress, 4 pm….I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!
Stingray (the design group Lance, me, Todd and Neil own) did the design for the packaging, and, of course, Marty Lester did the engineering and co-producing with me….I am so proud of this project!!!! If you want to sample the kids/their music, go to http://www.superpaluniverse.com
AND NOW…THE BACK STORY ON SATURDAY’S GIG: Things a manager must do!
Our sound check was supposed to be at 11 am, but Ice Cube’s folks went on…and on….and on….and we were all patiently waiting, so at 11:30, I walked up the catwalk to the head
stage manager, Chris (super nice) and asked what was up and that we needed our check before doors opened at noon….He said he thought Ice Cube’s dudes were almost done.
They were singing to tracks and a DJ, so really, it sounded done to me, but at 11:40, I walked over to two large (and I mean SUPER LARGE) dudes with the Cube clan, (complete with
giant bling and one in a Lakers shirt) and I introduced myself:
“Hey, there! I’m Sara Hickman, and I’m manager for Super Pal Universe…our sound check was supposed to be at 11…and doors open in twenty minutes…could you ask your
artist to wrap it up?”
Big smiles from the dudes. Sure, sure, they said.
Again. Nothing. Just more SEVERE, and very loud, musical cursing about BITCHES and “Muthaf*****” this and “Muthaf*****” that and I was just feeling my skin peel off my face.
And my blood boiling. But I stayed calm. Ya gotta stay calm!
So, at quarter to noon, I walked back up on the stage, right up to the Ice Cube poser (Ice Cube wasn’t actually doing his own sound check), stuck out my hand, shook
Ice Cube imposter’s hand and said,
“Hey, thanks for ending your soundcheck so my band can come up and do theirs now!”
And he said,
“Yo, baby, what’s your name?” as he picked up my SXSW tag and studied my name.
He continued with, “Hey, Sara, this your band? You got records out?”
And I said, “This week their first cd comes out, and this is a big gig for them, so I’d like to get them on stage.”
Then he said, “Yo, maybe I’ll see you at the Grammys…”
I said, “Are you on the board?”
And he said, “No way they letting someone like me on the board!”
And I said, “Well, I’m a board member, and you could get on the board. We have Beyonce’s dad on the board. He’s quite a gentleman!”
And he says, “No way, we say “F*** the police” and s***!”
And I said, “I think, perhaps, if you didn’t say BITCHES so often, it would help getcha on the board.”
And he just grinned and I reiterated that I thought the word BITCHES should go.
Then I called down to my gang and told them to start on up to the stage.
I never felt like anything but a woman taking care of her clan. I’m so tempted to make a shirt that says:
I don’t call you a****** so don’t you call me b*****
Or I don’t know. I have to think about it. I just don’t get it, though, how people understand that using the “n” word is
demeaning/refers to slavery/refers to another time/refers to oppression, but this African American male using the word “bitch” is ok/not harmful/cool/musical and he is
making millions of dollars off of demeaning women/oppressing women/encouraging others to belittle women/little girls.
It is NEVER alright to demean ANYONE, and on behalf of my gender, it is NEVER ok to call us bitches.
EVER.
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:05 am
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Ken Saro-Wiwa
March 14, 2008
On November 10th 1995, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight Ogoni colleagues were executed by the Nigerian state for campaigning against the devastation of the Niger Delta by oil companies, especially Shell and Chevron. I called up Shell to cancel my credit card, and when the guy on the phone asked the inevitable, “Why are you cancelling your card?”, I told him about Mr. Saro-Wiwa. There was a long, silent pause, and the man quietly said, “I had no idea…” So, always speak about injustice because you never know whose heart you might touch, whose mind you might get to turn towards justice, as well.
My mother-in-law just sent me the following, so I thought I would share it with anyone who reads my blog….pass it on.
WHERE TO BUY USA GAS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW. READ ON
Gas rationing in the 80’s worked even though we grumbled about it. It might even be good for us! The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We should return the favor.
An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS.
Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia. Just buy from gas companies that don’t import their oil from the Saudis.
Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time I fill-up the tank, I am sending my money to people who are trying to kill me, my family, and my friends.
I thought it might be interesting for you to know wh ich oi l companies are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil.
These companies import Middle Eastern oil:
Shell……………………… 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco……… 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil…………… 130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway… 117,740,000 barrels
Amoco…………………… ….62,231,000 barrels
Citgo gas is from South America, from a Dictator who hates Americans. If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION! (oil is now $90 - $100 a barrel
Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:
Sunoco………………0 barrels
Conoco………………0 barrels
Sinclair………………0 barrels
B P/Phillips…………0 barrels
Hess………………….0 barrels
ARC0………………..0 barrels
If you go to Sunoco.com, you will get a list of the station locations near you.
All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing.
But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas buyers.
It’s really simple to do.
Now, don’t wimp out at this point…. keep reading and I’ll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!!
I’m sending this note to about thirty people. If each of you send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = 300) …and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000)… and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers !!!!!!! If those three million get excit ed and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have be! en contacted!
If it goes one level further, you guessed it ….. THREE HUND RED MILLION PEOPLE!!!
Again, all you have to do is send this to 10 people. How long would all that take?
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:15 pm
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Million Musicians March for Peace/Austin, TX March 15, Noon-4ish pm
March 06, 2008
saturday, march 15th, will be the 3rd annual million musicians march for peace. this is timed to commemorate the invasion of iraq,
and also to show all the music folks in town for sxsw that they can go home to their communities and put their music to work for peace
and have a good time at the same time.
the parade is a blast. for those of you in marching band, this is nothing like that. no rehearsals, no uniforms, no straight lines, not even
if you try could you make a straight line happen, trust me! we only play a few tunes and they repeat a lot so you can pick them up by ear, or you can
click on the link below where the music is now posted on the website and practice up before you come. that is the music for the jericho brass band, which heads the parade.
it’s crazy and fun!
there are many other ways to participate. make a sign, make a float, bring your own band, load a battery powered
pa in a shopping cart and march with your guitar, or join bill oliver and his otter space band, who will be doing that very thing.
wear crazy clothes, do anything you want, just join us if you feel moved. it’s a blast. there will be music and speakers at the beginning of the parade,
at the rally at the state capitol from noon to 1, and again at the end of the parade at the city hall whenever we get there till about 4:00.
great musicians like carolyn wonderland, guy forsyth, barbark k, jon emery, i don’t even know who all is scheduled to play or speak at this point.
> NOW ENLISTING:
> Marching Musicians of all kinds!
> Drum Groups! Fife/Drum/Flag trio(s)!
> Molly Ivins Pots and Pans Brigades!
> Church choirs! More Flags!
> Bagpipes, ukes, mandolins, accordions, guitars, fiddles, kazoos!
> Bring your band….or join another! You name it!
> Support the troops. Support the innocent civilians. Support the
majority for peace. Have fun and show the world you still care.
If you want to march, endorse, or volunteer, please register at
http://www.InstrumentsForPeace.org.
Marching band charts are on the website at:
http://www.InstrumentsforPeace.org/MMM-charts.pdf
Or just show up and play your heart out!
love,
sara and fabulous flautist, beth galiger
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:39 am
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Rockin’ in Rockdale on my 45th Birthday!
March 03, 2008
wa-hoo….only two days old!
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:26 am
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MY FRIEND SARAH JEANSONNE introduces BARACK OBAMA yesterday!!!!!!!
February 29, 2008
watch this and you will see her….oh, man! i am so so so proud of her!
these are exciting times, everybody! ANYTHING is possible!
posted by Sara Hickman at 01:02 pm
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I Will Not Visit This World
February 27, 2008
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.”
Unknown
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:45 pm
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FOLK ALLIANCE 2008: If I was handing out Grammys for GOOD TIMES:
February 24, 2008
COUNTRY ROCK BAND: Stone Honey will be the next big thing, you mark my words. 5 gorgeous guys who sing and rock and, generally, are all about fabulous harmonies and drinking and getting the crowd UP AND DANCING and SINGING. Man!
CONTEMPORARY (AND TRADITIONAL) SWING: Phoebe’s band, The Bellville Outfit.
BEST NEW ARTIST: Betty Soo hands down. Her husband, Double D, will be playing drums, smiling that sneaky smile, while she walks out to collect her little golden trophy!
CONTEMPORARY FOLK: Amy Meyers….Beth Wood….Julie Christenson…Anna Wolfe (sublime)
FEMALE ROCK VOCALS: Patrice Pike
BEST NEW TRIO: Wendy Waldman’s new group, and I can not think of the name of it right now…maybe because it is 4:49 in the MORNING.
BEST FEMALE BLUES: Shelley King and Carolyn Wonderland
BEST ALL AROUND BELOVED MUSICIAN: Vance Gilbert
BEST NEW SONGWRITER: Dennis McGregor (wowie zowie catchy songs)
UP AND COMING: Emily Elbert
BEST LIVE PERFORMANCE: Eric Schwarz should have his own HBO Comedy series based around his life and music. Why isn’t someone just following him around with a camera? Huh? Just capturing his life and letting us
be amazed by the output of his unbelievable brain.
BEST CHILDREN’S PERFORMER: Guess who would go here!
Four and a half days of staying up til the wee hours, making music, meeting new friends, hearing music, laughing, laughing some more, eating a piece of chocolate cake, losing my phone, having security return my phone, Go Girls music. com, showcase 1 with dan navarro and dave crosslin (sp?) and kristin and phil parlapiano and that was a beautiful night. oh oh oh, great songs, fox run laurie gave us purple stoned gems in silver rings and
a children’s show with nine other childrens entertainers in a big white tent for 90 minutes meeting folks from festivals talking on a panel with Darden Smith and some other incredible folks about children’s music (making it, performing it, the how tos…) losing my phone again, meeting people for dinner cuz we forgot to eat, running back to the room and changing clothes another showcase breaking strings not one but two telling stories hanging on for dear life heard my phone was locked in a room heard so much more music in the halls in the elevator up in the rooms on 17 18 19 crashing calling my family up and out the door more music going back to the room for a quick nap finding someone to let me back into the room to get my bag full of cds people have given me and business cards and drawing a tattoo on my arm and kristin’s arm and having a deep conversation with kristin we are getting tired and we are crying we are so tired and then we jump up and move on and hug and go back out into the awesome and overwhelming energy and i think about lucinda william’s dog who dug up trash when greg johnson tells me a story and robert scarborough and dalis and michael terry and teresa and rusty god bless his back and their son michael, running sound for fox run, and board meetings and meeting new people that i will be on the board with for three years and anya from the ark who has the best sly smile and laughing some more and val denn’s bright fuschia hair and charlie dahan helping me driving talking meeting talking more playing with his two beautiful children chilling with his wife, melissa, at the movie back to the folk alliance which i never left the movie happened before all this and eric schwarz is making me laugh but then beatle bob makes him mad and cliff is drunk and i hope he made it to his room and patrice pike says nice things and people pack my last big showcase and kristin and i just go for it and joseph and steve browne are on the front row and i meet more folks from big festivals i have tears in my eye the sound guy did such a good job and the gigs are over for me and i am crying with happiness we got a standing ovation and i love everybody and the tiredness doesn’t deter me from going back to 17 18 19 to hear more music, sit in with the cover band and sing “mother’s little helper” and “honky tonk woman” and do doot doot doos with ben wisch on the keys (!!!) and freebo joins in and there is photoglo singing “sitting on the dock of the bay” and stone honey is the house band and so many smiles so many pretzels and cowboy boots and women dancing in slinky pants and low cut blouses and beer whisky cognac people going out on balconies to smoke haven’t seen the moon but i’ve heard a lot of music and songs and stories and melissa greener had the prettiest purple eyeliner
posted by Sara Hickman at 03:28 am
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Columbus Rocks with Austin Musician
February 17, 2008
Last night’s show at The Loft in downtown Columbus wasn’t what you’d call an ordinary show. The premise was a young, vibrant folk musician, Sara Hickman, hailing from Texas, who would be joined by fellow musicians from Tennessee, Tisha Simeral and Brian Ashley Jones, on upright bass and guitar, respectively.
For those who have never been to The Loft, think of a 1940’s dance hall converted into a large listening room with a bar in back. The owners have inserted a moveable glass wall that can contain the intimacy of the song, yet keep the entire hall feeling lively. Smoking is allowed, but of those in attendance last night, I only saw a few listeners light up. Since this was billed as a family style venue, I expected that there would be music of the same ilk.
First up on stage were Brian and Tisha. Under the red glow of stage lights, the pair teamed up to deliver country bluegrass with a hint of another Austin super group, Uncle Walt’s band, throw in for good measure. Being as both these musicians are tall gives them a feeling of stature before they even begin to pick and pluck and croon. Both talented in their own rights, they sang all originals written by Ashley Jones, whose nearly baritone voice resembles a familiar radio personality I can’t quite put my finger on, but delivers the goods none the less. Great musicianship, solid songs and clever patter in between warmed up the Saturday night crowd and set the scene for what was to come—or so I thought.
Ms. Hickman bounced up on stage, blonde hair wisped behind ears, a smile as big as her home state, and she quickly endeared the audience with her quick wit and ballsy approach to the guitar, or “large hunka wood”, as she heckled one man on the front row. She chatted with several women in the audience after a particular rockin’ song, and told women they should all play guitar because “the wood never felt so good”, to which one woman clearly spit out her drink while laughing in response.
The show turned into a three hour set, mostly Hickman originals, but shenanigans soon ensued as Ms. Hickman started to take requests from the audience, even delivering a near perfect rendition of “Evergreen”, complete with a Streisand vocal range and sound. Those at the bar on the other side of the wall were captivated so much so that they actually were chanting “Tequila” when Ms. Hickman, accompanied by then with Tisha and Brian, ripped into it. Ms. Hickman covered a vast ground of sound—-from Aretha to the Stones to even the theme song from the capsized thriller, the “Posiedon Adventure”.
Although there may have not been the audience size that Ms. Hickman is accustomed to, she handled the evening with grace and aplomb, obviously enjoying herself as much as her gracious, attentive audience.
posted by Gene Cowan at 09:07 am
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Poor David’s Pub Photo Phun
February 12, 2008
photo by Kevin Kunruether
posted by Sara Hickman at 02:48 pm
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Super Pal Universe Grant Recepient Writes in…We are STOKED!!!
Sincerely,
Akasha Villalobos
posted by Sara Hickman at 02:43 pm
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sarahickman.com | Bio | Music | Shows | Press | Store | Community | Zooks
Copyright © 1993-2007 Sara Hickman/Sleeveless, LLC | 298020
Whether you've learned about Sara Hickman through her music, her family, her causes, or her films, you know that her originality, creativity, and enthusiasm bring a fresh meaning to the well-worn phrase "living life to the fullest."
What makes Sara tick? What has she been up to since she first hit the ground running (well, at least crawling in the early years)?
Read a complete bio at sarahickman.com.
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Here's the 2006 list.
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Motherlode
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Faithful Heart
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Big Kid
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