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danl

Reflections on Life Creatively.

About Me

I am what I do. What I do is reorganize imagery and sound into objects or stories or projects that surprise, entertain and communicate or serve some other useful purpose. That may be the most concise summary of the range of things I might be doing at any point in time.
Some days it might be moving actors and crew around on a film set. Another it might be pitching a television series pilot about stars and instruments.
Another it might be sculpting a character face for a feature film starring 'action figures' or slab of Walnut into into an electric guitar prototype.
Or doing a series of character voices for an educational interactive book at Willie's studio. Or designing a film set or a toy. In the past it was museum exhibits, and oil paintings and murals, three D Computer models and animations, graphics, logos or packaging.
Today I create new guitars that are in very limited supply available in the market. They are lightweight, ergonomically comfortable, radically unique in looks and awesome in tone.
Or acting. I've been in about a dozen films with upcoming featured appearances in two very near to release "Desdemona: A Love Story" and "Shroud" which will go direct to DVD by Jetre Films out of Dallas. Great story & cinematography in that Medieval Gothic Western with a female protagonist battling pure evil in the old west.
I'm also producing a series of feature films (watch this space for news as they move into production phases) and recently completed the special effects CGI work on another (God Thinks You're A Loser) coming out very soon.
I also write the featured column on producing for the independent film community website www.gindie.com titled "Indie Musings"It keeps life interesting.

MyHeritage : Celebrity Collage - Family photo sharing - Family name history

My Interests

Music, Film, guitars, design, psychology, business, travel. Tips of icebergs.

I'd like to meet:

Those who like to strive for the extraordinary in their lives. Who reach beyond merely existing and actively pursue their dreams. Who strive to make a positive difference on the planet with enlightened and humanistic intent. Those who continue to enrich their minds and spirits and learn and grow into their true potentials.Steven Spielberg, Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Al Gore, Jon Lansbury, Steve Jobs

Music:

My bands: Two of 'em. Red White & Blooz, Blues, Rockabilly, Southern Rock. Hammond Organ.

Bleu Lane. Hard Southern Blues Rock. Watch for us soon with shows coming up at Momo's & Threadgills in June. Eight Piece high energy band with Bill "Bleu" Lane on Lead Guitar in rehearsals & prep for rerecording his latest album with the new members before touring. The "Bleu Lane" album originally recorded & engineered by Bill in Nashville was never widely released due to a cancelled tour with Lynard Skynard due to a medical emergency. Now a new Austin contingent of top notch players have joined three of the original members to go back into the studio and kick off a new tour starting in Austin. Watch for notices of concerts soon to be announced with a likely kickoff show at Antone's in June.

Influences: The Band, The Beatles, BB, Allman Bros., Skynard, the Dead, Stones, Dylan, John Sebastian, Willie, Doobies, Asleep at the Wheel, The Texas Playboys, Bach, Beethoven, Ravel, Yo Yo Ma, Stevie Ray, Jimi, Brubeck, Jimmy Smith, Rascals, Billie Holiday, Janis, Yes, Libby Kirkpatrick, Larry McMurtry, Will Taylor & Strings Attached, Eliza Gilkyson, ZZ Top, Double Trouble, Mussagorsky, Thelonius, Ray Charles, the Sensational Royal Lights Gospel Singers, Del Castillo, Michael Shay, Grieg, Fleetwood Mac, Django Rinehardt, Hot Tuna, Nat King Cole, Dubussy, Bernstein, Clapton, Joni, Gregg Miner, John Doan, Harold Gutherie, Yes, Queen, Steve Bruden, Robert Johnson, Albert King, Paul Simon, Coldplay, Bernstein, Michael J. Lewis, Todd Rundgren, Joss Stone, the Byrds, CS&N, Booker T & the MGs (with Duck Dunn & Steve Cropper), Slam Stewart (miss you sir, and thank you for the great start & inspiration), Double Trouble, Archangels, Mozart, Stravinski, Debussy, McCartney, Tom Waites, Gershwin, Carolyn Wonderland, Iko-Iko, David Grissman, Tom Petty, Gatemouth Brown, Les Paul, Fleetwood Mac, John Pointer, Andrew Heller, Eric Paul (producer), Karma Tsutra (David Brewer & Brittney Buckley)...

Movies:

Almost all of them from the sublime to the wretched. They all hold interest and lessons. Baby Doll, the Usual Suspects, Shawn of the Dead, the Producers, Star Wars (original), Citizen Kane, everything by Kirasawa, Psycho, Napoleon Dynamite, Edward Scissorhands, Harold & Maude, Monty Python's the Holy Grail, Beetlegeuse, Vertigo, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Maltese Falcon, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Star Wars (1), Fantasia, Chinatown, the Harry Potter series, Jumping Off Bridges, God Thinks You're a Loser (post production), Bunny & Clydo, Rocky Horror Picture Show, American Graffiti, the Wizard of Oz, Idiocracy, Office Space, Apollo 13, Love After Life (in preproduction), Sweet Sister (in preproduction), Resurrection, the Shining, Anything or Nothing, Annie Hall, American Beauty, Jurassic Park, The Time Machine (first version), An Inconvenient Truth, Boys Don't Cry, The General's Daughter, 2001, Good Morning America, ET, Indiana Jones, Hang 'em High, Chinatown, Star Wars, In Search of a Midnight Kiss, coming out soon: Shroud, and Desdemona: A Love Story...in which I play respectively a blind man who sees all, and a murdering Union boss. Fun.

Television:

Sorry to say it's becoming an overused, underutilized communication trash heap. Almost nothing is compelling enough there to bother punching the on button more than once or twice a month. I will or have turned on Friday Night Lights (Randi & Chris, with whom I worked in the past on film projects, both appear on it) and America's Most Wanted (I appeared on it). Maybe I've become too critical.

Books:

Island (Huxley), 1984 (Orwell), Huck Finn & Connecticut Yankee (Twain), Michener, Blink, Acoustical Foundations of Music, Hero of a Thousand Faces (Campbell), Touched with Fire: Manic Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament (Kay Jamison).

Heroes:

Twain, Jefferson, Franklin, DaVinci, Lennon & McCartney, Speilberg, Ron Howard, Eric Clapton

My Blog

Music & Film Interests Merging Busy Busy

Well, Life's never boring if one keeps active. I try. Maybe too hard but I don't like boring. For example in the last 2 weeks alone, I've:" Played the role of ex-FBI agent turned author, "Dallas Land...
Posted by danl on Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:14:00 PST

one day at a time

It has been my objective this week to simply keep moving everything forward. Some tasks I've arranged for others to help with, but mostly it's been a lonely slog this week, bouncing from one hat to a...
Posted by danl on Sat, 15 Dec 2007 11:23:00 PST

bumps on the path

The other day while doing some film market research for Nielson, I again ran into Bryan Poyser, the award winning writer/director of "Dear Pillow". Tonight I watched the film. Although Bryan tackles ...
Posted by danl on Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:12:00 PST

slowly simmer til boiling...

I'm steaming these days. In every area of activity things are starting to boil. They've been on back burners so long it's sometimes hard to remember just when they were turned on low fire, but even ...
Posted by danl on Sat, 27 Oct 2007 11:40:00 PST

Guitar News & NAMM

Long time since I've posted anything. Stay pretty busy. Last month, I and my company introduced a new line of guitars at the Anaheim NAMM music industry show. We took the whole crew, Jancine, the new ...
Posted by danl on Mon, 19 Feb 2007 10:10:00 PST

Harold Guthrie fingerpicks way to stardom.

It's past time to post something here. And it's inspired by a friend's well deserved success. Today Harold Guthrie, friend patiently waiting for me to finish his custom Harp guitar was selected to app...
Posted by danl on Tue, 27 Jun 2006 09:51:00 PST