Tuesday 06/17/08 02:15 PM (cst)
"My plans to move to Portland, OR have been postponed till next year. I just couldn't miss another ACL Fest this summer, and new college rock in the fall. Actually, I'm working on a novel, a children's story, and my online zine Lipstick Pages, and working as a video sales agent for Birds on Fire. I'll be writing and blogging about music independently on a part-time basis only, but you may occasionally read features by me in local mags. I enjoy writing about the local music I love, but most of my energy will be reserved for my own online and print projects." Danna
DIY Danna's features - interviews with local entertainers - old and new - will be available online soon. Check for updates @ www.diydanna.com/writingsamples.html
Tuesday 11/20/07 08:05 PM (cst)
I'm alive and kicking, back to work on a few music journalism assignments that are more local music lover letters than magazine features. It seems that I'm finally catching up with my goals.(Although I'm worried about missing deadlines!) Wish I could share more personal details, but I don't want to risk getting scooped! I've also made the decision to move to Portland, Oregon next year in late summer. I'll really miss Austin, but it's time to make some personal and career changes so I can live the dream of running a successful publication.
Tuesday 09/04/07 05:10 PM (cst)
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It's finally here: ACL Fest Preview Mania! Check out my Austin City Limits Music festival picks in the latest issue of INsite, on stands at over 400 locations in Austin, TX, and online soon. My review of Belaire's first full-length CD and photo of Cavedweller (INsite Hindsite) are included! The Belaire interview is featured in SOUNDCHECK, and expect more CD reviews and features in the future (And yeah, I'm still smiling...) And hours ago I received an e-mail from my favorite publisher regarding some more good news that will keep me even busier. (Yes, I'm such a bibliophile, I have a favorite publishing house.)
Friday 08/03/07 08:45 PM (cst)
I'm back to writing about one of my passions - local music! One of my interviews has been selected for the September issue of SOUNDCHECK Magazine, a nationally distributed magazine. I have signed up as a features writer and reviewer, for locally and nationally known (and unknown) music artists. And yes I was so thrilled with the news I couldn't stop smiling for days. (I'm still smiling...)
Thursday 07/26/07 12:22 PM (cst)
Has it been 6 months, 3 weeks and 1 day already? I am such a derelict of duty, but this changes today! Here's the scoop on everything that's going on with diy-danna:
My entertainment blog Kill The Critic is up and running again. Sort of... Due to illness and training on my new job, I have slacked off on daily updates. But expect more frequent updates soon. I even have a MySpace profile posted. Kill The Critic just won't be a daily blog due to my new writing and publicist commitments. (More about that below...)
Favorite Movie by B A S I C. Read my review in INsite's June Issue // Local Trax //
This summer I have been busy conducting interviews by any means necessary since a car wreck and illness kept me in my room most days. And of course, I have reviews of some enjoyable CDs that are in print or will be in print soon. The list of artists include BASIC, Moses and the Burning Bush, Shapes Have Fangs, Last Ride In... And if you're a band or solo artist reading this and want to see a review of your latest labor of love, send your CD here. Besides contributing to locally and nationally distributed magazines, I will be restarting a music blog which will feature reviews and interviews you probably won't find anywhere else. Stay Tuned...
Visit Bundyhill Recording Studio, or view the Press Release by yours truly.
PUBLICIST FOR HIRE! If you are a music industry professional or musician looking for affordable help promoting your business, shows, or CD, Vinyl, and Tape (yes, some bands still make records and tapes), then I'm your woman for the job. Check out my professional sample for Bundyhill Recording Studio, and contact me for availability and rates. I will work for free on most projects, unless it requires more than 1 hour of my time per day. Because as the saying goes, "Time is money."
Cavedweller at Scoot Inn, 24 March 2007. Photo by Renée Valmont*
I am no longer the manager of Count Dracula's Weed Smuggling Jam Engine, but I will always be a fan. Jam Engine's former drummer, Pat Brady, is now pounding the skins with another local favorite, Cavedweller. If you see me at Pat's next show, Saturday August 18th at The Mohawk (or Scoot Inn), say "Hello"...
And last but definitely not least... As of March 2007, I'm one of the House Writers for the esteemed Haggard & Halloo, an online and print publication of contemporary creative and experimental poetry, prose, stories, art, and photographs. I see this site as a great learning experience and discipline for exercising my writing mind, in preparation for the day when my fiction is published.
Renée Valmont* - My pseudonym for photography and children's fiction. I wanted to use my middle name, and my maternal grandmother's maiden name and distinguish my work, for those curious about why I picked it.Thursday 01/04/07 3:55 PM (cst) Tuesday 11/14/06 2:15 PM (cst) Sunday 10/15/06 11:20 PM (cst) Friday 09/15/06 12:20 PM (cst)
HAPPY NEW YEAR! - I've been neglecting my official site, but expect more updates, including news about the bands I work for (as a publicist and manager), writing samples, and of course links to music news, interviews, and CD reviews! Tomorrow night is the first show of the year for Count Dracula's Weed Smugglin' Jam Engine, and it happens to be the drummer Brady's birthday.
It starts at 9:00 PM at The Parlor. La Snacks is playing, and you can email me about the Very Special Surprise Guest. Just go to my Contact page. See you there!
"Jill of All Trades" - Lipstick Pages seems to be less of a fledgling new publication than I thought. I have been receiving inquiries, and I'm looking forward to more submissions, and submitting some of my own poems and stories. The band I manage, Jam Engine, is on hiatus until early January 2007, but we're already looking forward to SxSW. If the band wants to, I'd also like to co-host an unofficial showcase, with a couple of bands I know are making trh trip to Austin, TX for the music fest. I want to start generating a buzz after their first show of the new year. We also need to work on new photos featuring the not-so-new-anymore drummer. My freelancing is the only weak link. But I hope to turn in a few local and national CD reviews this week. The new day job limits my productivity.
That's all for now...
It's official - I'm the new manager for Count Dracula's Weed Smugglin' Jam Engine, a.k.a. Jam Engine. As manager I'm responsible for booking and publicity. This means less time for the music zine and online anthology Lipstick Pages, but I think it's worth it because these four talented guys deserve a chance to play more shows and gain more fans. I sent my first press release, a very unofficial-looking email to a local music editor, possibly riddled with type-o's and spelling errors at this late hour, but it's all so last minute, and not even for a show I booked. Jam Engine performs Friday October 20th at Trophy's in Austin, TX.
The band's MySpace page includes the first show I've booked as manager - Friday October 27th at The Parlor!
It's been over a month since the last update, and I've been busy: co-hosting radio shows during the summer as a DJ-in-training on KOOP (which included talented local and touring artists Cavedweller and Get Him Eat Him), and wearing two hats as editor and webmaster of Lipstick Pages - an online art & literary anthology with a feminist p.o.v. We even have a MySpace profile - myspace.com/lipstickpages.
As editor of Lipstick Pages I'm seeking, editing and posting new contributions in the form of poetry, prose, short stories, essays, images of art, and photos. You may contact me through diydanna.org, or @ myspace.com/diydanna for more info, or visit the Lipstick Pages Online and send your creative work of genius today!
In a MySpace.com bulletin posted today, Danna announced her new web site, plus two free services to musicians and music supporters:
The new DIY/ATX Music Events Calendar and Music Message Board. You can find it here on the menu under the "Contact" link.