Roland smith life biography of deodato
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Here we are, in the first few days of &#;.
Looking back, was an amazing year on so many levels. I thought I&#;d take this opportunity to reflect on everything that&#;s happened here in NAIL&#;s world and beyond. I can scarcely believe the sheer variety of styles & contexts in which I get to do my thing, and I am grateful beyond words.
Music
was packed full of great music &#; especially from this player&#;s perspective. Jazz with Peter Furlan&#;s Quintet & Trio, vocalist Maiko Hatta, saxophonist Steve Frieder, Robert Kopec&#;s trio, vocalist Lillie Howard and guitarist Monroe Quinn; Hip hop with Decora; Funk and Groove with Cloudburst, Ray Levier and the Funk Facilitators; Rock & Roll with The Flying Obersons; World Music with Premik Russel Tubbs; an amazing Multimedia project with Dancer/Choreographer Ophra Wolfe and videographer Cody Rounds; Jazz & Electronic Music performances & workshops; and a major performance at MoMA as pa
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Tony Smith did it Barefoot
Tony Smith was one of the original cohort of DJs who were instrumental in defining what a DJ did in the modern era. Starting out playing at block parties as a teenager, before progressing onto the tiny, but influential, Barefoot Boy as a resident through most of the s. He went on to play at commercial disco – and Studio 54 rival – Xenon. We talk about his early colleagues and heroes and the records they championed in an era that changed dance music forever, including his friendship with Larry Levan and the Larry impersonator who used to hang out in the DJ booth at the Garage. Sadly, Tony passed away in May , having caught pneumonia during the pandemic.
Let’s start at the beginning…
I was born 20 blocks from here, in the projects, lower Manhattan. I loved music since I was a kid. My brothers and sisters had a group, you know in those doo-wop days? So I was always listening to music.
These must’ve been older than you.
Yeah, they’re l
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Mike Deodato starts with Santa Claws
I promise, this will be my gods tribute to the holidays, but inom didn&#;t want to hold this story until next year. It has been documented a few places, but most people probably don&#;t know that inom wrote the first comic book that was illustrated by superstar artist Mike Deodato Jr.
SANTA CLAWS written by R.A. Jones & me
I&#;ve already mentioned that my original career choice was comic book writer, even though I&#;ve never written a complete comic story that was published. While my love of comics and the industry has never wavered, my time at Fantagraphics Books showed me that my talents could best be put to use on the business side instead of the creative side.
That fact didn&#;t keep me from getting the itch to write occasionally. So at an editorial meeting at Malibu, I pitched my idea for a little horror story for the holidays called SANTA CLAWS. The editors liked it enough that it got a green light and inom sat up nights at h