When friend & writer/actor Drew McAnany reached out for me to produce the theme song for his dream movie he wrote & starred in I jumped right into action because, well…I love this dude! McAnany asked for something that gave off that 80’s cult classic vibe in the vein of The Breakfast Club to bring a dose of nostalgia to his film. You can hear it sprinkled throughout - and even in the trailer. Lucky to have another past side project song plugged into the film with BEL’s “Holding On”. It was an true honor to be a small part of such a big project! Best of luck to you & the cast & crew of this fun, campy movie!
DJ'ing for Tostitos | Superbowl 50
Sometimes in my line of work I do things that are absolutely out of the ordinary for me. It's truly about taking advantage of opportunity and reminding yourself that you ARE capable of crazy and great things. Though, I have to question myself from time to time, "Is this really happening?". I was given the excellent opportunity to DJ (that's right I said DJ) at Superbowl 50 for Tostitos. It was a great opportunity to do something fun, travel, and bring music to a crowd of football (and Tostitos) hungry fans!
Ok, let's face it, I'm not a "real" DJ, but with my music background and all the tools at my fingertips, I absolutely became what the comedic team deemed "DJ Cantina". Sharing the stage with Rob Gronkowski, Terry Bradshaw, Jamaal Charles, Troy Aiken and Eli Manning wasn't too shabby either. The Tostitos team did an excellent job of bringing a great and memorable experience to the privileged people who had access to the stadium - providing a color by number delivery truck, an airstream filled with handouts of chipotle chips and salsa, and a stage where celebrity guests were interviewed as the crowd participated in questionnaires and competitive events. One of my favorite moments was with Gronk when they did Nacho Face-off where Gronk and an audience member competed to make the best nacho concoction live on stage. By far we had the biggest crowd and the most hype in pre-Superbowl entertainment.
I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity that was given to me and would do it again in a heartbeat! Tostitos put together an excellent team that kept the show smooth and seamless and we were blessed with a beautiful day to entertain the crowd. Entertain we did! Till next time - DJ Cantina OUT! *drops mic* *picks mic back up and makes sure it's ok*
Music Video | Chelsea Perkins' "You're Busy"
Last September I had the opportunity to work with recording artist Chelsea Perkins co-producing a song on her new EP released late 2015. Little did I know that not only would that song not only become the title track on the EP "You're Busy", but would also be the first song from the EP to be released into the wild as a music video. The video, a nostalgic visual throwback to the 90's pop/grunge fashion culture, features scantally clad schoolgirls running rampant in an empty schoolyard, blowing bubblegum bubbles all the while flirtatiously twirling their hair. Musically, the song blends fresh synthetic chord voicing, pop-oriented melodies, hip-hop tribal beats and tantalizing orchestrated parts. Chelsea's vocals ring through the recording with originality, pristine melody and shows that she is more than capable of competing with top-charting artists like Sia and FKA Twigs. Let's take a look and listen to Chelsea Perkins' debut music video "You're Busy":
After the release of the music video Chelsea and I had a chat about all things Chelsea and the making of the video:
B: At what point in your life did you realize that you wanted to be a recording artist/performer?
C: I knew I wanted to perform at age 5, but I made the concious decision to pursue music at 19. I was going to acting school at the time in NYC and I found myself writing tons of songs on my guitar. I started to collaborate with different types of people to learn as much as possible from songwriting to beat making. I really wanted to figure out how to create art from within me without having to depend on others. I’ve been grinding ever since. Pursuing your passion isn’t easy, but it’s so worth it especially when people can connect and have fun with your creation.
B: What was your creative process behind writing and producing "You're Busy”?
C: Last year during Christmas I took my studio setup to my moms house for a week and wrote it in her office. I wanted the music and melody to be the opposite of the story. I naturally was going to make the chords sound depressing as fuck, but I’m told I have too much sad shit so I switched it up to make it sound almost kid like. The music is happy and childish yet the story is about a friendship slowly starting to fade, because one doesn’t have time for the relationship. After I created the sound I began with the lyrics and it just flowed.
B: Is this your first music video?
C: This is my second music video, although, it seems like my first. I didn’t know what my sound was back then nor did I know how to brand myself as an artist. I feel like "You’re Busy" totally shows my personality. I wanted the video to be simple. My girlfriends and I having a fun day together playing dress up reminding you to not forget who the fuck we are.
B: What was it like seeing this song start off as an idea and turn into a music video?
C: Empowering. It all started with an emotion from inside of myself. It’s incredible what us human beings can create.
B: How long did it take from start to finish to create the music video for "You're Busy"?
C: The whole process took a little less than a month. We shot it all in one day and it took about 3 edits. Vicente Cordero did a great job directing and editing.
B: What does the future hold for Chelsea Perkins?
C: I’m currently working on my next project. It’s going to be fully themed album. My favorite albums are those that connect extremely well with unique theme and story. Maybe people will get to know me on a deeper level.
To keep up with Chelsea Perkins please follow her on the following social sites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chelseaperkinsx/
Website: http://www.chelseaperkinsofficial.com
Instagram: @ChelseaPerkinsX
Twitter: @ChelsPerk