tagged w/ Alex Simmons
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Alex Simmons produced Vanguard's "War Crimes," about veterans who have been charged with violent crimes.
In the last two years the Army has drastically cut the number of "personality disorder" designations, increasingly diagnosing soldiers instead with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
This change comes after The Nation reported that thousands of soldiers at the height of the Iraq War may have been misdiagnosed, and were thus unable to seek treatment for what they really have -- PTSD.
Alex Simmons produced Vanguard's "War Crimes," about veterans who... more
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An exclusive, extended interview with David Bahati, the Ugandan member of parliament who introduced the anti-gay bill calling for use of the death penalty. Correspondent Mariana van Zeller asks Bahati about his reaction to President Obama's and Rev. Rick Warren's condemnation of the bill, how he would respond if had a gay family member, and his belief that Uganda may have been chosen by God to fight this "spiritual battle."
"Vanguard," airing weekly on Current TV Wednesdays at 10/9c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.An exclusive, extended interview with David Bahati, the Ugandan member of parliament... more
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It wouldn't be entirely wrong to call The Decemberists indie darlings. The band is smart, serious about their music and devoted to pushing the boundaries of what you'd expect from a rock-folk-art-inspired group from a city in the Pacific Northwest.
When senior producer Alex Simmons showed up to film them for Embedded, they had finished their album, "The Hazards Of Love," and were smack in the middle of rehearsals:
"The band was extremely busy and a little stressed when we went to interview them in Portland. They were about to go on tour for almost the entire summer and they had to learn how to play the entire album "The Hazards Of Love" straight through. That said they were really gracious and made sure every member sat down with us. Jenny inviting everyone over to her house to try Nate’s beer was icing.
"I love Portland, best coffee and beer in the world I say. So does the New York Times, which everybody was talking about when we were up there."
And it didn't end with the shoot. Though he hadn't been all that familiar with the band before working on Embedded, our editor Barry Penland went to see UCLA's "visualization" staging of the album.
"I came in having heard one or two of their songs and left standing up clapping hands overhead and yelling for more. I think it was the epic-operatic nature of that particular show... strong themes and sophisticated song and instrument arrangements. Colin's voice is so characteristic that it is all easy to write off if you don't like it—but I do like it, and so everything felt really theatrical and great.
Watch the preview for this week's Embedded below, and read more about the Decemberists at Current.com.
It wouldn't be entirely wrong to call The Decemberists indie darlings. The... more
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shana
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2 years ago
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If you liked our exclusive clips with Mason Jennings, check out Alex Simmons' beautiful photos from the shoot at Brushfire Records.
If you liked our exclusive clips with Mason Jennings, check out Alex Simmons'... more
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shana
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added this
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2 years ago
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We couldn't make Embedded without a huge team of people each doing their part. A huge thank you to everyone who helped bring this special one-hour premiere to air.
Producers
Mark Rinehart
Alex Simmons
Editor
Andrew McAllister
Writer
Peter Grumbine
Narrator
Emily Foster
Designers
Michael Beynart
Arian Tibbs
Supervising Editor
Barry Penland
Production Coordinator
Lauren Mendoza
Finish Editors
Mike Horn
Carla Garcia
Audio Mixers
Mark Behm
Matthew Patterson Curry
Music Supervisors
Travis Kirschbaum
Manoj Gopinath
Online Producer, Music
Shana Naomi Krochmal
Director of Music Licensing
Charles Raggio
Music Licensing Coordinator
Jen Pray
Vice President, Design
Micah Hahn
Executive Producer, Current Music
Mark Rinehart
Vice President, Current Music
Davis Powers
President, Programming
David Neuman
Special Thank You To:
Naheem Kassan, Boss Media
Carleen Donovan, Press Here Publicity
Downtown Music Publishing
EMI Music Publishing
Universal Music Publishing
Shelly Bay Music, LLC
Warner/Chappell Music Publishing
Headbangers Publishing / Because Editions
Billboard Live Japan
Online Designer
Jason Knight
Current Music Interns
Liz VanDurme
Courtney Shepard
Amy Williams
Jon Jacobs
JD Bray
Reiana Essex-Simmons
James Risolo
Josh Middleton
Chanelle Johnson
Shannan Yallof
All songs performed by Mos Def
Courtesy of Downtown Records
“Twilight Speedball”
Written by Dante Smith and Chad Hugo
“Auditorium” (featuring Slick Rick The Ruler)
Written by Dante Smith, Otis Jackson, Jr. and Richard Walters
“Revelations”
Written by Dante Smith, Otis Jackson, Jr. and Michael Drake
“No Hay Nada Mas”
Written by Dante Smith and Jean Daval
“Undeniable Pt. 1”
Written by Dante Smith, Rich Harrison, Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield
“Life in Marvelous Times”
Written by Dante Smith and Gilles Bousquet
“Priority”
Written by Dante Smith, Jean Daval, Bobby Hebb and Sandy Brown
“Workers Comp”
Written by Dante Smith, Gilles Bousquet and Marvin Gaye
“The Embassy”
Written by Dante Smith, Gilles Bousquet and Ihsan al Munzer
“The Boogie Man Song”
Written by Dante Smith and Raphael Saadiq
“Quiet Dog Bite Hard”
Written by Dante Smith and Jean Daval
“Supermagic”
Written by Dante Smith and Michael Jackson
“Pretty Dancer”
Written by Dante Smith and Otis Jackson, Jr.
“Casa Bey”
Written by Dante Smith and Eduardo Lobo
Except:
“Travellin’ Man”
Written by Honda Katsuhiro and Dante Smith
Performed by DJ Honda feat. Mos Def
Courtesy of DJ Honda Recordings
By arrangement with Sony BMG Music EntertainmentWe couldn't make Embedded without a huge team of people each doing their part. A... more
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shana
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2 years ago
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Thanks, Billboard magazine (via Reuters) for the great write-up and review about Embedded:
It's an intriguing look at the thought process behind his charismatic onstage persona -- and it's all part of the debut episode of "Embedded," cable channel Current TV's hour-long music documentary program that airs weekly starting October 14...
In an era when networks are slashing production budgets in favor of cheaper, quick-hit reality programing and when informative TV music segments are rarely more than two minutes long, Current TV's "Embedded" is a throwback to a time of pre-YouTube attention spans.
Here's our little secret: It still doesn't have to be an expensive, big-budget production. Here at Music HQ we look at trade reports of big live concert documentaries or other cable network "vérité" programs with our jaws dropped.
Embedded is usually shot by a tiny crew (often only two producer-shooters working together in the field) and then finished by a small team in-house. It's the kind of bare bones, idea- and story-first ethic that has always been at the center of Current's TV making. Both our executive producer, Mark Rinehart, and senior producer Alex Simmons (our entire deployment to Japan to shoot Mos Def) came up through the ranks as VC2 (viewer-created content) producers. Mark was nominated Emmy for his work on our Burning Man coverage.
If we trade in anything—and if there's a lesson to be learned from Embedded for young filmmakers who are hardly all that much younger than our staff—it's access. Access is everything. Before he came to Current, our VP of Music, Davis Powers, booked bands for late night TV at Jimmy Kimmel Live. Other staffers have managed bands, are sought-after DJs, edited music magazines and generally spent their careers getting to know the bands and management teams of the artists they most respect. It's that mutual trust that unlocked hours and days with artists instead of the usual 15 minute drop-ins.
Or, as Billboard put it:
For the Mos Def episode of "Embedded," that meant spending seven days with him as he performed at venues in Tokyo and Osaka.
"When we're talking to these artists," Powers says, "the things that they don't think will be compelling are actually the things we hang on the most."Thanks, Billboard magazine (via Reuters) for the great write-up and review about... more
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shana
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2 years ago
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Watch a tease of Silversun Pickups behind the scenes at KROQ from Current Music Presents: Embedded, a six part special premiering Wednesday, October 14 at 11/10c.
Silversun's a band close to our hearts—Current has the honor of being their first-ever TV appearance, in a VC2 pod by Embedded senior producer Alex Simmons and Current host Douglas Caballero, It aired back in 2006, when the band was on the brink of putting out their debut, "Carnavas":
They're so big time now they even made Jeopardy:
For Embedded, we rejoined the band as their second album, "Swoon," hit the shelves and the airwaves at KROQ—a station the band's drummer talks about having listened to every day on his way to high school—and prepped songs from "Swoon" to play before a live audience for the first time. It's an offbeat, intimate look at a band solidly stepping into its rock star shoes. (That was me being calm and professional about it. The rock fan in me just wants to say "it's fucking awesome.")
Tune in at 11/10c on Wednesday, October 21 to see Silversun Pickups on Embedded.
Watch a tease of Silversun Pickups behind the scenes at KROQ from Current Music... more
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shana
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2 years ago
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We've spent a lot of time with Common over the last year, as well as the great team that manages him. Somewhere along the way, we started talking about what else we could do together—something a little different and a lot more interactive. In my experience there are two kinds of artists in any media, those who are very proprietary and controlling of what they make, and those who work their asses off to make something great, then enjoy sitting back and seeing what other people do with it. Common's already been throwing his music out there for people to remix at DJ conferences, and his team basically said: what kind of video would your community want to make with us?
We decided to shoot a green-screen performance take, just like Common's done for most of his music videos shot by high-priced pros, then cull through candid footage we have and offer a big old download to anyone who wanted to make it into something more. That's how we ended up with Make Common's Day—your chance to direct the video for his song "Make My Day." Common will hand-pick his favorite, which will be promoted on our site and his site. And, if Current puts yours on TV, you'll get $2,500. Not to mention an impressive notch for your filmmaking resume.
And sorry to be a bit of a tease—we wanted to give you a heads up, but you'll have to come back next Monday, September 14th, to get the song and video assets. Then you can shoot your own footage to go with it, just be sure to upload your final work by September 28th at midnight, and be sure you’re using footage that you own—or that we provided. (We'll offer some tutorials on working with green-screen elements, too.)
We've spent a lot of time with Common over the last year, as well as the... more
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shana
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2 years ago
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We can't really tell you exactly why yet, but Common was on our green screen Friday, and we have the pics to prove it.
Get more about Common on Current.com here.
Photos by Mike BeynartWe can't really tell you exactly why yet, but Common was on our green screen... more
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shana
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2 years ago
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Mos Def's album The Ecstatic drops June 9 from Downtown Records—and yes, no matter what you heard around the online rumor mill yesterday, it's still coming out Tuesday, then August in the UK—but you can hear two more tracks from it, delivered a capella from the streets of Osaka and Tokyo when Current Music was there with him in March.
The Embassy
Auditorium
Get more Mos Des at Current.com.
Mos Def's album The Ecstatic drops June 9 from Downtown Records—and... more
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shana
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2 years ago
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Back March two lucky Current Music producers, Mark Rinehart and Alex Simmons, spent a week in Japan with Mos Def. They tracked him from Osaka to Tokyo and along the way, he decided to drop some a capella versions of songs off The Ecstatic, out Tuesday from Downtown Records.
Today, exclusively from Current.com, you can hear him do the single "Casa Bey" (and talk a little about why overalls are the best duds ever). Come back tomorrow for two totally unreleased tracks shot in Japan.
Tell us what you think over here and get more Mos Des at Current.com.
Back March two lucky Current Music producers, Mark Rinehart and Alex Simmons,... more
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shana
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2 years ago
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Our director/producer Alex Simmons was just up at Lake Tahoe with the Cold War Kids. Before lead singer Nate Willett got sick and the band canceled the exact shows Alex was scheduled to shoot and travel with them to—they've only ever put off two gigs out of 500—he snapped these stunning photographs. (And don't worry, we rescheduled.)
Get more about the Cold War Kids at Current.com.Our director/producer Alex Simmons was just up at Lake Tahoe with the Cold War Kids.... more
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shana
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3 years ago
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Our director Alex Simmons went out to the legendary Glass House in Pomona -- about an hour east of LA -- to see the Silversun Pickups show last night. It was their first SoCal gig promoting the new album, Swoon, out from Dangerbird Records on April 14, and singer Brian Aubert knowingly asked the crowd how many of them were locals -- and how many from Echo Park.
Douglas Cabellero's interview with the band in 2006 was among the first music stories we did here at Current -- back when they were a neighborhood favorite, before they unexpectedly blew the lid off Echo Park & Silverlake's indie rock scene. (See: Rockville, Ca.)
The band will also play Coachella this upcoming Friday. Listen to the full album at MTV's the Leak now and tell us what you think of Swoon at Current.com.
Photo: Alex Simmons
Our director Alex Simmons went out to the legendary Glass House in Pomona -- about... more
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shana
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3 years ago
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A few more photos from our last days in Uganda:
Three mizungos in Uganda: @marianavz, @darren_foster and @arneuganda enjoy our safari van.
Just noticed license plate. Did these guys drive like this all the way from Dubai to Kampala?
A stork over Ugandan Parliament looking for a dead bill to eat.
Final Uganda tape count=52.
More photos of Vanguard in the field while in Uganda.
Follow Vanguard via our Twitter list.
A few more photos from our last days in Uganda:
Three mizungos in Uganda:... more
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Man on the street interviews in Kampala
A few kids playing football here in Kampala
Love the old Chinese bikes in Uganda. (Women aren't supposed to ride solo as it will take virginity.)
Birds in Uganda are the size of a 6th grade bully. And they'll steal your lunch too.
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Read more about Mariana's trip to Uganda and the anti-gay legislation currently being debated there.
Follow Vanguard's Mariana van Zeller (@MarianaVZ), Darren Foster@fineyoungman) and Alex Simmons (@a_simmons) at Current's Twitter list.
Man on the street interviews in Kampala
A few kids playing football here in... more
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We’re here in Uganda tracking a story for the upcoming season of Vanguard.
A Uganda rally goer calls out in response to Pastor Martin Ssempa
Several hundred Ugandans gathered at a church rally today in support of the country’s controversial anti-gay legislation. In recent weeks, the bill has been widely denounced by the international community, with both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemning it at the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC.
Religious leaders pray over the author of the bill, MP David Bahati
At today’s rally, backers of the bill were keen to respond to Obama, Clinton and other critics, and demonstrate that the proposed legislation has popular support here in Uganda. While the event was a scaled-down version of what was supposed to be a large public demonstration, all the key sponsors of the bill were in attendance, including its author, Member of Parliament David Bahati.
A man protests President Obama, who recently condemned the bill
Follow the Vanguard team via our Twitter list, or catch up on our travels from the US to Uganda in this post.
We’re here in Uganda tracking a story for the upcoming season of... more
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Before you can get the story, you have to get to the story.
Vanguard's Mariana van Zeller (@MarianaVZ), Darren Foster (@fineyoungman) and Alex Simmons (@a_simmons) traveled from Los Angeles to Kampala, Uganda this weekend.
Their trip in Twitters:
fineyoungman: Frantic preparations b4 6 week reporting odyssey w/ @MarianaVZ. Africa->Middle East->Europe->Africa & back. Follow here for updates
fineyoungman: There is an angel at the Nigerian embassy and her name is Martha. #you'resocool
MarianaVZ: After 1 wk snowed in at Nigerian embassy, missing 1st flight out and getting lost at LAX, welcome home passport. Now let's go to Uganda!
fineyoungman: A very cute airport moment. http://twitpic.com/131lp6
a_simmons: @fineyoungman Meet you at the top of the Burj Khalifa.
a_simmons: Just a quick 16 hours in the air and I'll be in Dubai.
a_simmons: The Air Emirates flight attendants have half their faces covered with a veil. They are both modern AND traditional all at once. Like Dubai!
a_simmons: The Emirates personal media system is awesome.
fineyoungman: Love me a good sports doc. More Than A Game, abt LeBron James+ teammates growing up in Akron was a nice treat on UA flight to Dulles.
a_simmons: Just landed in Dubai, as you can see by Runway-Cam. http://twitpic.com/138483
fineyoungman: Reunited with @a_simmons and @MarianaVZ at Dubai airport. In 8 hrs we're off to Uganda. http://twitpic.com/139hzy
fineyoungman: In Dubai International Time Warp. Much like a Vegas casino no idea what time it is, everything is open and lots of ways to spend money
a_simmons: No Egg McMuffins!? @fineyoungman http://twitpic.com/13bivr
fineyoungman: Morning call to prayer at Dubai airport...
a_simmons: Emirates is quickly becoming my favorite airline. http://twitpic.com/13cbe1
fineyoungman: Emirates flight 723 to Entebbe, Uganda (via Addis Ababa) w/ @MarianaVZ + @a_simmons http://twitpic.com/13cc5i
fineyoungman: Got a nice suprise gift in the mail for the Uganda trip. Anyone know this book? http://twitpic.com/13cgzr
a_simmons: We are in Africa and open for business.
fineyoungman: KAMPALA, Uganda-Great 1st day of shooting w/ @MarianaVZ +@a_simmons for next #Vanguard. Hoping to get photos up when connection improves
Follow the Vanguard team on Twitter.
Before you can get the story, you have to get to the story.
Vanguard's Mariana... more
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shana
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2 years ago
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Embedded wants you to spread the music love, sing-a-long with Silversun Pickups, and score a poster for it! Log into your current.com account and go to http://current.com/groups/embed-embedded for specific instructions.
Embed Embedded is a viral game in which users get a unique embed code for a sneak peek video from our new six part music special. The user who generates the highest number of video views during a one-week period gets a limited edition poster for the show designed by legendary music artist Justin Hampton. Each week we'll put up a new video and you have a new chance to be our mastermind of viral videos.
In this exclusive clip, Silversun Pickups invite you to sing-a-long to "Panic Switch" off the album, "Swoon." Follow along with the little bouncing ball, and Brian's subtle assistance. We're excited to share this with you, and hope that you'll be just as excited to share it on your blog, MySpace, message boards and anywhere else you hang out online.
Be sure to get your unique embed code to qualify.
Pass it around!Embedded wants you to spread the music love, sing-a-long with Silversun Pickups, and... more
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Just a quick peek from the soundcheck at an empty Glass House in Pomona, California on Sunday night just before the Silversun Pickups rocked the house. Their album Swoon comes out on April 14 -- and we'll have more with them coming soon on Current TV.Just a quick peek from the soundcheck at an empty Glass House in Pomona, California on... more
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shana
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3 years ago
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In an exclusive Current.com interview, Pharrell Williams breaks down the inspiration for his new online community, http://artst.com. It's not what you're thinking, unless you're making a mash-up of Madison Avenue and the Old Testament.In an exclusive Current.com interview, Pharrell Williams breaks down the inspiration... more
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