Original songs Creed and Long Time chosen for Songs for Sisters (and Brothers): A Benefit for Sisters of the Road Cafe   [compilation album released by the Cascade Songwriters' Collective]    ” - Producer: Ken Vigil

— Sisters of the Road Cafe

Original song The Longer I Live chosen for Bridges [compilation album - Winner of Music Spectator Magazine's Portland Music Award for Best Compilation of 2007] ” - Producer: Chuck Rudd/Joanna Lezak

— Pacific Oncology Foundation

Honorable Mention award for the original song Long Time” - ISSA Songwriter Contest 2008

— Independent Singer Songwriter Association

Honorable Mention award for the original song Creed” - March/April 2007 Lyric Contest

— American Songwriter Magazine

Thank you for your participation is the Pete and Brenda Home for the Holidays Show! Your performance was truly amazing!” - Jordan Smith, Director of Marketing and Promotions

— Letter from Salem Communications - 104.1 FM The Fish

Review of "Die Happy Night" at the Satyricon: ..."First up was Dennis' Living Room, two guys [Dennis Childers, Tony Sprando] and a girl [KL] doing some kind of a mouth music, it was cool. The two guys did these drum/guitar sounds with their mouths, sometimes with distortion. One of the songs that they did was a Larry Norman song. The woman had a rad voice, it was very gospel-ish.” - Editor

— True X (Portland local 'zine)

I'M GRACIE, AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE: Sandy Actors Theatre takes the 'pain' out of 'campaign' Women have made an indelible mark in politics this year - Hilary Clinton made a run at the presidency, Sarah Palin is now a candidate for vice president and Gracie Allen will follow their footsteps in an attempt to become the leader of the free world. Perhaps you haven't heard about that last one, so here are a few details about Gracie and her platform: Gracie is running as a member of the Surprise Party since, as she says, "My father was a Republican, my mother was a Democrat and I was a surprise. The founding principle of the party is "everyone is just as good as anyone else, even if they aren't quite so smart. Gracie's stance on foreign relations is that they're OK, as long as they bring their own bedding and don't stay long. She also thinks that women in politics are a good thing because "everyone knows that a woman is much better than a man when it comes to introducing bills in a house. If that sounds like a candidate you can get behind, you'll want to head to the Sandy Actors Theatre and cast your vote for the company's season opening production, "Gracie for President" a comedy by Norma Van Der Zanden that opens Friday, Sept. 12. Though the play deals with the typically touchy subject of politics, director Jim Wilhite see the production as one that will appeal to Democrats, Republicans, independents and even "Surprisers". When you or I or a group of people get together and talk about politics, we're like this: 'Grr!' Wilhite said, slamming his fist on a table. "I think what this play does is, it lampoons the absurdity of politics... in a way that everybody can have fun. She doesn't take herself seriously," Wilhite continued. "George [Burns, who is selected as Gracie's running mate] doesn't take it seriously; he goes along with it.  You can come and have a lot of fun. The production is the world premiere of the play, which was chosen as part of a playwriting contest the theater held. Van Der Zanden, a resident of Forest Grove, submitted the play to a number of theaters in the state and was pleasantly surprised when the Sandy Actors Theater picked it. It just was almost unbelievable when they called," said Van Der Zanden, who has also written numerous other plays, fairy tales, and a musical melodrama. "I was really happy that somebody was willing to take a chance. Van Der Zanden borrowed from the famous "Burns and Allen" television show of the 1950s and other radio and television comedy routines to write the play. Wilhite noted that the production will include Allen's classic campaign song, a theme song, campaign buttons and more. The plot, obviously, deals with Allen's run for the White House, but Wilhite noted that the production does not try to copy the inimitable icons but instead give a sense of who they were. What we wanted to do is capture the essence of George and Gracie without going too far with it," Wilhite said. "And the actors have done an amazing job with doing this. Kathleen Lundquist, a Portland-based actor, singer-songwriter and jewelry maker, landed the role of Gracie and incorporated little suggestions, such as in her voice, to help define her character. I could never do an impression of Gracie, but what I'm really hoping is to project a little bit of her spirit and her energy and just the goodness of what she was," Lundquist said. "I'm myself, and I bring myself to the role, but I really identify with her in several ways and I appreciate very much what she did in the world of show business. Gracie for President" runs Sept. 12 through Oct. 11 at the Sandy Actors Theatre, 17433 Meinig Ave. in Sandy (located in Heritage Square behind ACE Hardware). Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 6 p.m. Sundays. It is rated G. Tickets are $12 general admission and $10 for students and seniors. For more information, call 503-668-6834 or visit www.sandyactorstheatre.org.” - Garth Guibord

— Acting Review: The Sandy Post

The more of us musicians there are, the crazier we all become."   -- Erik Satie”

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