Monthly Archive for September, 2009

Photo Interview- Eric Neal

Published on September 29, 2009 in Photo Interviews and Photography. 0 Comments

Combine a local artist, a quick photo shoot, and a simple interview and you have the concept behind a ZLew.net photo interview. Today I bring you the fourth installment in this series, and would like to introduce you to a very talented musician who is the master of a plethora of instruments and has played for and/or recorded with numerous local artists and bands (The Slack, Cas Haley & Woodbelly, Fishing For Comets, Kristy Kruger,Salim Nourallah & The Constellations, to name just a few). He also plays with his fiance, and subject of my last photo interview, Camille Cortinas. Ladies and Gents, I present Mr. Eric Neal.

Eric Neal 20

Z- Name, rank, and serial number?
Eric- Eric Neal, The Scorsese of the DOMA’s, 2716057

Z- How long have you considered yourself a musician?
Eric- Since birth? The only reason I say that is that since I was a little kid that was the one thing that was so exciting to me. My parents say that before I could walk I learned to put the record on the turntable and play for hours. By 14 years old I was well on my way to making this my career.

Camille Cortinas and Eric Neal26

Z- You have played with so many different people/group/types of music, what is your favorite style of music to play?
Eric- It’s really too hard to commit to a favorite. I love the variety.

Z-When I think of Eric Neal, I think of the guy who seemingly can play any instrument ever made. How many instruments can you play?
Eric- Let’s see here… Guitar, bass, mandolin, violin, pedal steel, banjo, piano, accordion, drums, double bass. Maybe a few others. I am sure that I am missing something.

Eric Neal 25
Z-What is your favorite?
Eric- It would have to be a tie between guitar and bass.

Z-If you could only keep one of your instruments, which would it be?
Eric- There are a few that would be very sentimental just because I’ve had them so long. But if I had to choose one, it would be my Ibanez JEM 777. It is absolutely ridiculous, neon pink with flowers and a vine growing up the neck. It is just totally absurd, but I got it when I was 15 and really excited and learning about guitar.

Z- Many people are familiar with Booker T. Washington School for the Visual and Performing Arts because of folks like Erykah Badu, Norah Jones, Zac Baird (of Korn) that have made it into pop culture. There are multitudes of other Booker T alums, many still in or around Dallas who still perform. Having gone there yourself, can you name any alum who you follow or still follow?
Eric- A few that come quickly to mind are Kristy Kruger, Linda Garner, Kris Youmans, and Chris Carmichael.

Camille Cortinas and Eric Neal9

Z- What kind of impact did BTW have on your music?
It had a big influence on me musically. I got into Jazz there. It was the place where I started playing bass at taking it seriously. I learned more of the ins and outs of what I was doing. Before that I didn’t really like the bass, and now it is one of my favorite instruments to play.

Z- If you could only listen to one album, what would it be?
Eric-Van Halen- 1984

As always, get out and support the local live music scene! Great music is all around you, and is not limited to what you can find on the radio or TV. You can find when and where Eric is playing on his calendar, and I assure you that your ears will thank you. I am happy to report that the next installment of the Photo Interviews has already been photographed and interviewed. I hope to have that posted for you guys soon, and I may even have a few new twists in the format (video?).

(0)

Picasa 3.5 has Facial recognition (tagging)

Published on September 24, 2009 in Reviews. 0 Comments

I just downloaded Picasa 3.5, and so far I am pretty impressed with the facial recognition ability that it has. I know this is nothing new, but this is a great addition to the already impressive free photo managing and light editing software from Google.
The interface seems pretty easy and straight forward. Picasa can detect faces automatically in photos or albums of photos and prompt you to enter (or not enter) the name of the person in the photo. You can also enter names and select faces manually. It then searches all of your photos and tags any other pictures with tagged faces.
It looks like mine is going to take over a day to scan all the photos (I’ve entered about a dozen names and have probably more than 100,000 images for it to go through..so yours may not take so long).
Google Picasa 3.5 and it will take you to the free download page. Even if you don’t want the facial recognition ability, Picasa works great for importing, organizing, and making common photo adjustments like cropping, red eye removal, black and white, color/contrast correction etc. It even has a tool that works like the healing brush in Photo shop to remove errors or blemishes. FREEEEEEEE try it out.

Photo Interview- Camille Cortinas

Published on September 14, 2009 in Dallas Area Live Music and Photo Interviews. 2 Comments

Now we move into the third photo interview presented by ZLew.net. The idea behind these interviews is quite simple:A photo shoot, along with a simple and short interview with a local artist. For this entry, I present to you the lovely and talented Camille Cortinas.

Camille Cortinas and Eric Neal14

Z- Name, Rank, and Serial Number?
Camille-Camille Cortinas, Princess, 2-28-22

Z- On the stage you sing and play the guitar; are there any other musical talents we don’t know about?
Camille- I dabble in the flute and piano… a little bit untapped and rusty, but worth mentioning.

Z- What are some of your favorite venues to play around town?
Camille- I love any environment that acknowledges the audience, and is listener friendly like Opening Bell, or Sue Ellens. We get people there who really listen, and we as song writers are really able to tell our stories.

Camille Cortinas

Z-Can you tell us a little bit about your first live performance?
Camille-It was at my high school graduation. It was pretty weird; I’m not even sure how I got the gig. Someone asked me to play at the Sr. Luncheon. I had just learned how to play and was rusty, but it was fun!

Z-One of the things I struggle with is trying to define someone’s sound or style. I think “folk” and “indie” are overused and most times don’t do justice or accurately describe any given music. How would you characterize your style and sound?
Camille- Of all of the adjectives that describe our music, I think quirky and sweet are most accurate. Kinda like the first few weeks of falling in love. A little mystery, a little darkness, with a lot of layers, but still sugar sweet.

Camille Cortinas and Eric Neal1

Z-If you could only keep one of your possessions, what would it be?
Camille- Does it have to be G rated?
*note from Z, you should have seen the grin on her face when she said this!

Z-Who are some of your favorite local bands/ musicians?
Emily Elbert, The O’s, The King Bucks, Chameleon Chamber Group, Backsliders… anyone who does things outside of the box.

Z- If you could only listen to one album, what would it be?
Camille- The White Album, Beatles (both discs thank you!)

Z-How do you want to be remembered-
Camille- As a person who always looks at her glass as half full……of wine ;)

Camille Cortinas

For more on Camille, and hear some of her music, check out her myspace. Her schedule can also be found there, and I would highly recommend checking out one of her live shows. Stay tuned: I also did a shoot with her husband to be, Eric Neal, at the same time I shot this interview. I hope to have that one posted in the next week or so.

(2)

Photo Interview- Vanessa Peters

Published on September 1, 2009 in Dallas Area Live Music and Photo Interviews. 1 Comment

Welcome to the second installment of the ZLew.net photo interview. Like the interview with Shanti Michelle, the concept of this photo interview is a simple one: A photo shoot, along with a simple and short interview with a local artist; for this entry, I present to you the lovely and talented Vanessa Peters.

Vanessa Peters- Blue

Z-Name, Rank, and Serial Number?
Vanessa- : Vanessa Peters, General, 916ITTX

Z- How long would you say you have been a musician?
Vanessa- In my mind I have been a muscian all of my life. As far as other people, or the public are concerned I have been performing since 2002.

Vanessa Peters

Z-Anytime I think of Vanessa Peters, I think of Italy. Many of your stories at your live shows include Itialy, many of your youtube videos (note, this video is not from Italy, but was picked for the recording quality) are from there, and your touring schedule is always packed with shows on the boot. Can you explain the Italian connection?-
Vanessa-I was a student there in 2000 in a university study abroad program. Since I graduated from college at age 20, I thought it would be fun to see the world and travel. I ended up moving back to Italy for a year. While I was there I met the guys who ended up becoming my band and now it is my home for half of the year. I even have a job there working for the study abroad center.

Z-On the subject of traveling and touring, your tour schedule is more packed and more spread out all of the country and the world than any local musician I can think of. How many miles did you put on your car last year?
Vanessa- About 30,000 or so. My car is 3 years old, and has around 90,000 miles on it.

Z-What has been your favorite destination so far?
Vanessa- In the U.S., I love going to Brooklyn, Minneapolis, and Chicago. The most beautiful places I have been to were West Virginia, and Eastern Tennessee.

Vanessa Peters

Z-One of the things I struggle with is trying to define someone’s sound or style. I think “folk” and “indie” are overused and most times don’t do justice or accurately describe any given music. How would you characterize your style and sound?
Vanessa- I always fall back on singer/songwriter. Genres something that I really struggle with as well, but “singer songwriter” seems to be a good catch all. Folk Rock, or Alternative Country also accurately describe my music.

vanessa5

Z- You said you graduated at 20 and started at just 16 years old; where did you go to school, and what did you study?
Vanessa- I went to A&M, and got my degree in Literature/ Creative Writing with minors in Latin and History.

Z-If you could only keep one of your possessions, what would it be?
Vanessa- My guitar.

Z- If you could only listen to one album, what would it be?
Vanessa-You Were Here, by Sarah Harmer.

Z-How do you want to be remembered-
Vanessa- as a kind person and as a songwriter.

If you get the opportunity, check out Vanessa and her band: Vanessa Peters and Ice Cream on Mondays. You can get a taste of her music on her myspace or on youtube. Drownding in Amsterdam and Little Films are two of my favorites. If you want to see her live, she will be in in Texas for a few more weeks before she starts globetrotting and putting more miles on her poor car.

(1)