A few months ago, I shared a short documentary film I produced that focused on South Florida indie rock band Honeyvoid. Part of that shoot included filming a few live music sessions. So allow me to present Honeyvoid performing their original song “There You Are”, recorded live at OnStage Studios in Boca Raton (special thanks to my daughter Miranda for handling “Camera #2” duties).
Enjoy (and stay safe out there!)
Here’s a short documentary film I produced about the band –
The Coronavirus pandemic has been tough on us all – some far worse than others. So first of all, I hope this post finds you all doing well – keeping your heads above water and finding ways to make the most out of what has been an unusually challenging time.
Like many of you, I found myself with far less to do and far fewer places to go when the shutdowns began in March of 2020. After a few months, I found myself bored a good portion of the time and for a creative person like myself, that ain’t good. Gotta keep the saw sharp, you know? But what to do?
Then I came upon a Facebook post from the lead singer of a South Florida based indie rock band that compelled me to reach out to her. After a listen to their terrific debut album on Spotify and an initial chat that revealed a rather remarkable past, we decided to move forward with a short documentary video where she would share her story and I would profile the band through a series of live performances. I mean, I needed something to do and this sounded like fun.
The singer’s name was Sammy Jo and the band is called Honeyvoid. I started taping interviews with her and her fellow bandmates this past summer and we wrapped up a series of live tapings in the fall. What I found myself with was Sammy Jo’s haunting story of drug addiction, depression, and her journey to recovery (not to mention the band’s bassist Jonathan) and how music played a role in their respective “salvations”.
And then there are the band’s live music performances which are pretty dynamic.
I was really just looking for something creative to do and what I ended up with is something very special – with some very special people. In this time of Coronavirus, Sammy Jo’s story reminds us that there really isn’t a hole deep enough that we can’t crawl out of if we really want to. It’s a short film I’m very proud of.
Additional music for the film came via audiio.com – a relatively new (but really great) resource for filmmakers looking for cinematic music and sound effects. More on them in a future post…
Located on top of majestic 200-foot limestone cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea, the Cabo Rojo Lighthouse (Faro Los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo) is located on the southwestern tip of Puerto Rico. The lighthouse was built in 1882 by the Spanish government in order to guide passing ships through the southeast entrance from the Caribbean Sea through the treacherous Mona Passage into the Atlantic Ocean.
It is said that Cabo Rojo obtained its name by the considerable amount of minerals in its coasts that made the waters look reddish. Cabo means headland and rojo means the color red. As for the lighthouse, it was renovated to the tune of three million dollars and re-opened to the public in 2007 after being abandoned for several years (we didn’t have time to go inside). The old cast-iron, copper and glass lantern still houses the original illuminating apparatus, a lenticular lens manufactured by the French firm Sautter, Lemonnier and Company.
My family and I had a few afternoon hours to kill on our recent trip to Puerto Rico (a short documentary film I directed was playing at the Rincón International Film Festival – details HERE) so we drove down to Cabo Rojo from Rincón to take in the absolutely breathtaking views. I brought along my Panasonic GH2 and Olympus M Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 lens – enjoy the video.
Cabo Rojo Lighthouse | Puerto Rico from DanPerezFilms on Vimeo.
So I was in beautiful Fajardo, Puerto Rico last weekend finishing up shooting a short doc film I’m working on and enjoying my usual dinner of grilled mahi-mahi slathered in criollo sauce (with a side of rice and beans, of course) at my fave place on the East Coast of the island, La Ola Tapas Bar. They feature live music there every weekend so this band called Enjambre D Jazz begins playing a sizzling Latin Jazz set. Now, as a video producer, I’m always looking for something cool to turn my cameras on and I happened to have all three cameras (not to mention my tripod) in my car. So the band finish their first set and I ask them if they would mind me taping a song or two from their next set. They, of course, agreed (I didn’t even have to mention that I was Dan Perez, award-winning filmmaker) and I began setting my cameras up.
Canon XF100 on a tripod (wide shot), one Panasonic GH2 (with 20mm F1.7 lens) propped up on a side fence (drums) and I went hand-held with my other GH2 (using my beloved Pentax Super Takumar 50mm F1.4 lens). My H4n audio recorder was back in the hotel so I used the Canon to record the audio (which actually sounds pretty damn good).
I recorded two tracks, one with sax (the classic Afro-Cuban jazz classic “Manteca” written by Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo and Gil Fuller in 1947) and one with flute (Clare Fischer’s Latin Jazz standard “Morning” from 1965). Enjoy…
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/105945589[/vimeo]
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/105967920[/vimeo]
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Before she was picked by Adam Levine and subsequently stolen by Shakira on The Voice, Karina Iglesias had been performing right here in Miami for years. I actually met her while videotaping a friend’s wedding in Kansas City(!) back in 2007. She was a friend of the bride and groom (who were from South Florida) and performed a few songs during the ceremony and reception.
Let’s just say she wowed the crowd.
I reconnected with her back here in Miami and even offered to tape some of her live performances for what amounted to gas money. Heck, I had become a fan. So, if you haven’t heard her sultry, soulful voice on The Voice yet, allow me to introduce you to the very talented Karina Iglesias as she performs original songs from her terrific album, “The Way” at the Van Dyke Café in Miami Beach.
Oh, and get behind her on The Voice, yes? Especially if you live here in South Florida. This girl’s paid her dues. Trust me.
[youtube width=”560″ height=”315″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miL7oKogTXI[/youtube]
[youtube width=”560″ height=”315″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwZ4DW4Q_kY[/youtube]
[youtube width=”560″ height=”315″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSVEpM60vvs[/youtube]
Need more convincing? Check out her audition on The Voice:
[youtube width=”560″ height=”315″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08HtMiamIEo[/youtube]
And here’s her smoking hot head to head battle with Judith Hill performing James Brown’s “It’s A Man’s World”:
[youtube width=”560″ height=”315″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yWFz7ZXhuU[/youtube]
I took my team up to City Limits in Delray Beach to record Miami’s own LaGuardia as he opened for KRS-ONE. Here’s the sizzling set. . .
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