True Confessions of an Opera Lover

Marshall Ayers Artist Profiles, Career Advice, Performing Arts

By Emily Mahon Got Grit? Years before I even knew what opera was, my 4th grade teacher, Miss Smith gave me the “True Grit Award.” I’m not sure if it was because I was caught punching a girl in the locker room for insulting my less than popular friend, or whether it was because I led a mini-feminist revolution in …

PATRICK TOBIN – ITS A PIECE OF CAKE

Marshall Ayers Artist Profiles, Career Advice, Film, Performing Arts, Screenwriting, Screenwriting, Writing

by Andrea Davis It all started with a 6th grade writing contest back in Montana. Patrick Tobin entered his short story and it took second place. He says of the experience: “I loved it. I discovered this writing thing is FUN.” Today Patrick is an award-winning fiction writer and is the screenwriter of Cake, which he adapted from his own …

Artzray Interview with Musician and Songwriter Sam Friend

Ben Muller Artist Profiles, Music, Performing Arts

Game of Thrones video takes the New Orleans Swamp Donkeys to the next level. It’s been a helluva a year for the New Orleans Swamp Donkeys, a jazz group that “recalls the New Orleans music of roughly a century ago, with youthful, high-spirited aplomb” (Nate Chinen, The New York Times). The traditional New Orleans jazz group toured Europe, released two …