The Creative Collective behind New Victoria Productions.
Johnson recalls being shuttled to church one Sunday morning by his grandpa when 'All Right Now' came on the radio. To this day, he often wonders if his grandpa, who was not a fan of rock music, kept the radio dial right where it was because he knew his grandson loved music. As it turns out, Paul Rodgers, the singer on that iconic hit, remains one of his favorite singers. His fondest memory was sharing stories and songs with Buddy Miles, from whom he received high praise.
Mack is an inductee into the Midwest Music Hall of Fame, and has provided backup vocals to the likes of Bruce Willis and Joey Molland (Badfinger). Cindy also founded the all-female group 'Kat Klub' featuring vocalist Cynthia Johnson of 'Funkytown' fame. Her proudest moment was being featured in Bass Player Magazine as an endorsee for Brown Guitar Factory. Cindy takes the title of preservationist to another level entirely, as she has preserved one of the oldest homes in the city of St Paul.
Leslee has been performing in and around the Twin Cities area from the Madonna era to the Age of Taylor Swift. Through the years, her love of female-driven music along with an innate curiosity about their personal stories, led her to become the fledgling musical annalist she is today. Leslee recalls "As a very little girl, I discovered my Mom's Broadway musical soundtracks on vinyl. I listened to them constantly, and wrote my own stories around them”.
If you were to cross Andy Rooney and Sam Kinison, you’d end up with Rick Raver, who once described his shows as a “rollicking romp through Rick’s Raver’s relentless repertoire of retrograde reason”. As a young adult, Rick was a member of the Kiss Army and he hasn’t let his membership expire, at least as far as we know.
Arens is a Minnesota music institution – a rock and roll lifer. He currently leads the re-energized 90’s era glam-punk band ‘FLIPP’. In addition to writing and recording his own original music, Brynn is an in- demand studio session guitarist who has recorded with well-known artists such as Sean Lennon and Buddy Miles. Brynn has also written songs on behalf of Cheap Trick, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Grammy winner Patti Austin, along with a host of others. The man knows his rock and roll history.
Zachary Hollander is the owner and head engineer of Pearl Recording Studio in Minneapolis. He fell in love with music at a young age, as his mother was an aspiring singer, so music was always playing around his childhood home. Zach migrated to Minnesota from South Dakota to work at the renowned Pachyderm Studios as an intern, after which, he decided to open Pearl Recording Studio, and has worked with artists such as Davina and The Vagabonds, Gaelynn Lee, and The Honeydogs. www.thepearlrecordingstudio.com
John is a founder and partner of A440 LIVE, one of the top recording, rehearsal and video production studios in the country, hosting acts to include Bonnie Raitt, Ms. Lauryn Hill, and Alicia Keys. John can often be found behind the camera or in the studio mixing and mastering audio. He can also be found performing on stage in a tribute to one of his favorite bands, Steely Dan. www.a440studios.com
After meeting Don Cornelius, who told her she had "an amazing voice" and needed to do something with it, Marie launched her voice-over career. She is also a working actor, model, singer/songwriter/musician and writer. Marie is a member of the Donny Osmond fan club to this day. www.msmariek.com
Joetta has done extensive commercial, voiceover, and television work, providing her talents to such clientele as General Mills and Target. She has robust experience in theater performing at reputable venues such as the Guthrie and Penumbra Theaters, and is a skilled singer and dancer, in fact, we're not sure when she has time to sleep. Even with all of this activity, Joetta makes time to listen to her vinyl collection. www.nutsltd.com/talent/wright-joetta
An associate of rock-critic Lester Bangs, Ra’chac has also worked with a long list of performers to include Chris Hillman (The Byrds). He’s provided management to such acts as Strawberry Alarm Clock, and notably co-produces the Vince Martell Rocks America radio show hosted by the Vanilla Fudge guitarist. One of his favorite celebrity tales regards Who drummer Keith Moon trashing a room at the Mission Bay Hilton. Rachac says,”Yes, I did help Keith Moon drop a sofa, albeit a small sofa, from his hotel room balcony five floors up.”
Donna has over 30 years of combined expertise within the corporate, fashion & entertainment industries, including: CEO of Candlewood Productions, whose mission is to “Pay it Forward” to the Art Community with groundbreaking websites & delivery systems, sound editing & creatives. Freeberg is also President of Dignity by Design, a globally recognized leader in fashion for the disabled, and speaker on disabilities. Donna is also an awarded veteran to the theater, music performance & voice-over arenas. www.candlewoodproductions.com
With over thirty years in music, theater, recording engineering, video production, website and app development, Taylor's experience includes V.P. of A&R for the MultiTracks app, where he works with Phil Solem (The Rembrandts), Joey Molland (Badfinger) and Matt (Dr.) Fink (The Revolution). He is currently Developer, Producer and Editor at Candlewood Productions, in Minnneapolis, MN. and has collaborated with Bain Boehlke, former artistic director of The Jungle Theater and mega-producer Don Hunter Powell. Scott is the recipient of the distinguished ACTC Irene Ryan Award. www.candlewoodproductions.com