Tag Archive for 'Darrell Grant'

The Warehouse Gala – a benefit for Metro Arts music programs

Published on April 19, 2010 in Events. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .
May 2, 2010
6:30 pmto10:30 pm

Premiering a new version of THE SOLDIER’S TALE featuring Jun Iwasaki, violin; Jeff Johnson, bass; Todd Kuhns, clarinet; Carin Miller, bassoon; Jeff Work, trumpet; Charles Reneau, trombone
Join Niel, Actress Michele Mariana and Principals Of The Oregon Symphony and Oregon Ballet Theatre To Support Arts Education!

May, 2, 2010, 7:00pm
McCoy Millworks Warehouse
342 SE Caruthers St
Portland OR 97214

Dinner/Concert/After Party entertainment: Doors open at 6:30
Concert/After Party entertainment only: Doors open at 7:45
Concert begins at 8:30

2003 Grammy nominee Niel DePonte and his friends are preparing an evening of food and entertainment not to be missed! A one-time-only performance of a theater piece for the ages, THE SOLDIER’S TALE, by Igor Stravinsky, will be the centerpiece of an unforgettable experience as we transform the McCOY MILLWORKS WAREHOUSE, located near OMSI, into an elegant dinner-theater space!

ENJOY the world premiere of choreography by Anne Mueller, featuring dancers Martina Chavez and Brian Simcoe of OBT.

HEAR inspiring young soloists from the 2010 class of MAI’s Young Artist Debut! Program.

AFTER PARTY ENTERTAINMENT Provided by singer Valerie Day and Pianist Darrell Grant.

For more information and tickets, go HERE

The “Monoamine Cocktail” Mixology Contest!

Published on January 21, 2010 in Brain Chemistry, Events and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .
January 22, 2010 4:00 pmtoFebruary 5, 2010 10:00 pm

We just had to know – is it possible?  Can a cocktail be designed that simulates the feelings of falling in love?  For all those in search of the perfect Valentine’s Day Love Potion we present the “Brain Chemistry for Lovers” Monoamine Mixology Contest at 3 Doors Down Café.

The“Brain Chemistry for Lovers” creative team put on their lab coats for this effort.  Aided by expert mixologist Matthew Stiles, bartender at the fantastic 3 Doors Down Café, OHSU neuroscientist Dr. Larry Sherman Ph.D., (Brain Chemistry For Lovers resident science advisor) and other experts, we aimed for nothing less than the perfect love potion.

It turned out it was too hard to create just one cocktail. So we created three delectable drink recipes – the Don Juan, the Mata Hari, and the Scarlett O’Hara – that combine all three monoamines using different ingredients. And so a contest was born. You can decide which monoamine cocktail is the new Love Potion #9.

How the contest works:

Step 1 TRY THE THREE MONOAMINE COCKTAILS
at 3 Doors Down Café between Jan. 22 – Feb. 5 or
at home by viewing the recipes online at:

www.brainchemistryforlovers.com or
www.3doorsdowncafe.com

Step 2 CAST YOUR VOTE IN THE “Monoamine Mixology Contest”

Vote on the Brain Chemistry For Lovers CONTACT PAGE
OR on the Brain Chemistry FACEBOOK PAGE
OR at 3 Doors Down Café

Those who vote at 3 Doors Down Café will be entered in a drawing for a $75 dinner gift certificate, an OMSI family membership and other great prizes. For reservations and information, call 503-236-6886 or visit www.3doorsdowncafe.com.

Step 3 HAVE SOME LOVE POTION

The highest-rated cocktail from the contest will be served at the upcoming performance of Brain Chemistry For Lovers presented by OMSI Science Pub Series on Tues., Feb. 9, at 7:00 pm at McMenamins’ Bagdad.Theater.  Order your tickets here.

Brain Chemistry For Lovers at the Bagdad Theater

Published on November 17, 2009 in Brain Chemistry and Events. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .
February 9, 2010
7:00 pmto8:30 pm

science_pub_header copy The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) presents Brain Chemistry For Lovers at the Bagdad Theater on February 9th as a part of their Science Pub Series. Come learn about the science behind one of our most complex human emotions through a combination cabaret, concert and science lecture. Following the performance, neuroscientist Dr. Larry Sherman PhD. will answer any lingering questions from the audience.

Doors open at 5 PM. Show begins at 7 PM. Come early to eat and drink and get a good seat.

Tickets are $15 and are available at the Bagdad Theater or Crystal Ballroom box offices,
or are available online at TICKETMASTER.com. Please note that Ticketmaster charges significant service fees for tickets purchased online (sorry!), but tickets purchased at the theater box offices will only have an additional $1 fee per ticket.

Brain Chemistry For Lovers from Valerie Day on Vimeo.

Brain Chemistry For Lovers on Oregon Art Beat

Published on April 2, 2009 in Blog and Brain Chemistry. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Vince Patton and the Oregon Art Beat crew goes behind the scenes for “the making of” Brain Chemistry For Lovers with Valerie Day, Darrell Grant, Jim Blashfield, John Smith, Dr. Larry Sherman, and the Portland Chamber Orchestra. (for those who can’t see the OPB widget and would like to see the show – click HERE)

“THIS IS YOUR BRAIN IN LOVE” w/Dr. Larry Sherman and Darrell Grant

Published on March 16, 2009 in Events. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .
April 17, 2009 7:00 pmtoApril 18, 2009 7:00 pm

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On Friday April 17th at 7 PM, OHSU neuroscientist Dr. Larry Sherman gives a musical lecture on how our brains fall in and out of love backed by Grammy nominated vocalist Valerie Day and international jazz pianist and composer Darrell Grant. For those who have seen Brain Chemistry For Lovers and want to know more about the science behind romantic love, this musical lecture is for you!

The performance will be held at Bridlemile Elementary School Auditorium (4300 SW 47th Drive, Portland OR) and will benefit the Bridemile Foundation to support teacher salaries at Bridlemile Elementary and other Portland Public Schools. It’s for the kids!

Tickets ($20 – cash and checks only) can be reserved by calling the Bridlemile office at (503) 916-6292. Ticket price includes light refreshments.

BRAIN CHEMISTRY FOR LOVERS on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s ART BEAT

Published on March 16, 2009 in Blog, Brain Chemistry and Events. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .
April 2, 2009
8:00 pmto8:30 pm

brain-chem-for-lovers-27_21

On Thursday, April 2nd at 8 PM, Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Art Beat will air a program about “the making of” Brain Chemistry For Lovers. Producer Vince Patton and crew follow Valerie Day and Darrell Grant through the different stages of the creative process with filmmaker Jim Blashfield, orchestrator/arranger John Smith, and OHSU’s neuroscientist Dr. Larry Sherman – culminating in a premier performance with the Portland Chamber Orchestra at the Newmark Theater in Portland OR.

This program will be rebroadcast on Sunday, April 6th at 6 PM.

Valerie and Darrell Interview w/Paul Linnman on KEX

Published on February 12, 2009 in Blog and Brain Chemistry. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

morningupdate paul-linnman

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Valerie Day and Darrell Grant go in the 1190 KEX studios to talk with Paul Linnman about their upcoming Brain Chemistry For Lovers performances this coming Valentine’s weekend with the Portland Chamber Orchestra. It’s an action packed three minutes of fun…and you don’t even have to get up early in the past to hear it!

The SOUND of Brain Chemistry For Lovers

Published on February 4, 2009 in Blog and Brain Chemistry. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

One of the reasons music is so powerful is how it makes us feel. In spite of myself, I have an emotional reaction to some of the most inane and psychologically manipulative movies or even commercials because of the background music that’s used in conjunction with the images. My husband John Smith, who has composed and produced the music for 1000’s of commercials, talks about the psychology of chords and how easy it is to manipulate an audience to feel what you want them to feel. For instance, let’s imagine that we’re being shown a scene in a film where little Johnny is about to blow out the candles on his birthday cake. His loving family is around him, but the camera moves to a figure smiling in the background – Johnny’s uncle perhaps. If the chords being played underneath the Happy Birthday song are in a major key (the ones we usually hear) we experience a sense of happiness and that all is well. If the film composer instead uses some disturbing sounding minor chords – or a violin section playing a rhythmic figure that we associate with the soundtrack to horror movies we’re familiar with – we feel discomfort. “Oh no! Something horrible is about to happen to little Johnny! Maybe his uncle is about to go mad and smash his little head to bits!”

You get the idea. Continue reading ‘The SOUND of Brain Chemistry For Lovers’

Darrell Grant on Oregon Art Beat

Published on January 12, 2009 in Blog and Brain Chemistry. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I was just about to write a blog about Darrell and why he’s so great to work with. Then I saw a repeat of a piece that Oregon Art Beat did on him a few years ago and realized my work was done! The interview with Darrell is great – it captures his essence perfectly. You’ll see why I’m so grateful to be playing music with him and why he’s the perfect person to be musical director for the Brain Chemistry For Lovers show. There’s also some footage from Darrell’s “Spirit” CD release concert that shows his deeper spiritual leanings. It was a beautiful concert – and our first one together.

Brain Chemistry For Lovers – the Oregonian Review

Published on December 1, 2008 in Blog and Brain Chemistry. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .


A couple of weeks ago, Darrell Grant and I took Brain Chemistry For Lovers to Wilf’s for a preview show. We were joined for the first time by the “Brain Chemistry Band” – the professors of jazz – Kevin Deitz on bass, Gary Hobbs on drums, and Mike Horsfall on vibes. Also appearing for the first time was the video part of the show created by filmmaker Jim Blashfield. In it, our imaginary lovers, Alice and Bob, come to life, and our “science guy” (and real life science advisor for the script), Dr. Larry Sherman, converses with us through the miracle of modern technology about the science of Romantic Love.

I was insanely nervous. Darrell and I had been “workshopping” the show for a little over a year at Wilf’s – reading from the latest version of the script – trying out new songs or a new order of existing songs. We felt like this was the perfect setting to try out the video, launch the band, and to make an attempt at doing the show from memory. Before we knew it, our little home turf “preview” (read rehearsal in front of live audience) had morphed into a performance in front of OPB’s Art Beat crew, VH1 (who had come to town to videotape an interview with John and I about NU SHOOZ for a show to air March 09), and Marty Hughley from the Oregonian. Continue reading ‘Brain Chemistry For Lovers – the Oregonian Review’