August 2010 -
New Pics of the Tarot Deck can be found on the Tarot page.
July 2010
..........
MARK RYAN GIVES A SNEAK PEAK
INTO THE NEW DECK FOR “THE WILDWOOD TAROT” CREATED WITH JOHN
MATTHEWS
& WILL WORTHINGTON
The Reconceived 1996 Cult
Classic, “The Greenwood Tarot” is Due in Spring 2011
Los Angeles, CA – July 6, 2010:
Mark Ryan, actor and swordmaster, is best known for his role as
Nasir in the TV series Robin of Sherwood and as the voice
of Bumble Bee and Jetfire in the Transformers films. In
1996, Ryan and visionary artist Chesca Potter collaborated to
produce The Greenwood Tarot. The Greenwood Tarot
quickly achieved cult status and has been out of print for several
years. Now Ryan and long-time friend and Tarot expert, John
Matthews, have combined their skills and love of the ancient woods
to reconceive the original deck and book pack and release it as
The Wildwood Tarot. The Wildwood Tarot will be
available spring 2011 through Sterling Publishing (US) and
Connections Book Publishing (UK).
Ever since the original creation
went out of print, people have clamoured for its re-release,
something that Ryan has also wanted. The completely reconceived
and redesigned Wildwood Tarot deck and book is the revival
that fans and Ryan have been waiting for. Many of the original
images have changed and the new artist, Will Worthington, has
imparted his own aesthetic onto the deck. The result is a new deck
that is reminiscent of the Greenwood deck, but now blossoms
into a more powerful dimension.
Ryan describes this new journey
into The Wildwood as a labour of love, one that by its very
nature invites curious lessons and delightful insights. “This time
along with fellow wanderers, John Matthews and Will Worthington,
I'm very grateful to be given the chance to refine the original
system and also chronicle the deeply esoteric mystery and
enigmatic allure of The Wildwood's song,” explains Ryan.
“These timeless rhythms remain intrinsically powerful and deeply
embedded in humanity's psyche, calling all those who know how to
listen that we need to renew our efforts to protect, cherish and
heal our home with refocused respect and a sense of some urgency.”
Based on the seasonal rhythms and
festivals of the ancient year, The Wildwood Tarot draws its
inspiration from pre-Celtic mythology and shamanic mysteries,
placing mystical archetypes such as The Green Man, The Blasted
Oak, the Archer and the Hooded Man into a nature-based system rich
in shamanic wisdom and forest lore. The Archetypal forces of the
pack act as both guides and interpreters, taking the user on a
spiritual, mystical and psychological journey deep into the
labyrinth of Earth’s primal mysteries. Used as a meditation
system, divinatory Oracle, or as a reference work for the seeker
of profound knowledge, The Wildwood Tarot will draws
readers into the heart of the ancient forest world and enable them
to realize interconnectedness with its green energy.
Ryan is offering a preview of six
new images from The Wildwood Tarot to fans anticipating the
release of the full deck. Card(s) copyright Will Worthington 2010,
reproduced from The Wildwood Tarot by Mark Ryan and John
Matthews with permission from Eddison Sadd Editions, London.
Further reproduction is prohibited. The Wildwood Tarot is
currently in preparation for publication spring 2011 by Sterling
Publishing (US) and Connections Book Publishing (UK).
The short promo video: "Blood Type" I directed last year for
Mythwood Films has been chosen for the BAFTA Short Film Showcase
in LA on Wednesday 24th!
They'll
also be a Q&A. Come on by and see it!
"IT'S
BEHIND YOU!"
I'm off to Dallas on Monday 2nd November, courtesy of Sue Birch
and the Theatre Britain crew, to do some promotion for
their forthcoming Christmas season production of "Puss In Boots"
and talk all things Transformers, voice acting and the tradition
of screaming: “Oh no it isn't!”
Theatre Britain has been bringing pantomime to Dallas for over ten
years now and has firmly established this much-loved British
theatre tradition as part of family holyday season entertainment
in Texas!
http://www.theatre-britain.com/
Among other things I'll be visiting various locations,
including Southern Methodist University to talk about my theatre
experiences and voice acting and visiting Keith's Comics to sign
Transformers merchandise.
I'll be doing some interviews about the history of pantomime and
my personal experience at the Manchester Opera House in 1976
performing in Cinderella and understudying much loved British
comic genius: Billy Dainty! (Oh yes he did!)
Come up and say hello!
SEPTEMBER UPDATE!
Wuthering Heights & Wildwood Tarot
More Wuthering Heights music is in the works, as Robb,
Katie and I went back into the studio to record the new track:
“Look At Me.”
The song is a musical dramatization of Isabella's plea to
Heathcliff to look at her both as a woman and his wife and
confronts him with her tragic conclusion that if Catherine
Earnshaw were dead, she might begin to have a life with the
demented and revenge obsessed Heathcliff. Isabella naively
believes she can heal and rehabilitate Heathcliff with her love
and devotion. Katie Boeck powerfully and movingly performs this
new piece. We'll be working on more Wuthering Heights songs
throughout the rest of the autumn.
The “Behold The Glory Of Jetfire!” watch contest we ran while I
was in Hong Kong got a massive online response from Transformers
fans. I was knocked out by the skill and humor of the entries!
Congrats to Dane Pavitt for his hilarious “British” Jetfire video
and Michael Wright for his marvelous claymation effort. Special
mentions also go to Fariz for his very funny “mockumentary” style
news tribute and Tino for his drawing but all the finalists were
brilliant and I'm glad I did not have to pick the final two
winners! The Transformers fans got that honor!
After all the vitriolic hullabaloo from the critics regarding
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it was nice to see the US
domestic box office top $400 million, making the worldwide gross
over $825 million. This pushed the movie into the “Top Ten” of
most successful films of all time. I guess the summer film
audiences have spoken! The Blu-Ray DVD will be released on October
20th.
So! After a highly enjoyable and productive trip to the
international toy events in Japan and Hong Kong, it was straight
back to work in Los Angeles, first with John Matthews on The
Wildwood Tarot and then onto finishing up some new material
for The Pilgrim. There's been further discussions about the
future development of Blood Type, which has now caught the
attention of several production entities. Good luck John and Wil!
As folks may know, The Greenwood Tarot has been out of print for
some years and when I got the offer to rework the system with John
Matthews with artwork by Will Worthington, I absolutely jumped at
the chance!
It's been really enjoyable working with John and Will and the
whole Eddison-Sadd team involved with the new version.
The Wildwood Tarot will now be published by Eddison-Sadd in 2011.
We may have an exciting announcement regarding a live performance
of some of the Wuthering Heights material in an exciting
location, to be announced in the near future.
Take care folks!
Mark
Thursday 30th
July 2009
Well folks! I’m
back in Los Angeles from the UK and The London Film & Comic
Convention. It was a massively successful event with people
traveling from all over the world to get there and I really
enjoyed talking with everyone and meeting so many dedicated fans.
I was pleasantly
surprised at the number of Robin Of Sherwood fans who
attended and it was great to see the show find a whole new
audience with the younger crowd finding the show for the first
time!
Of course, Jetfire
was a huge favorite with the British Transformers - Revenge of
the Fallen fans because of the character’s eloquent use of a
colorful British expression! It seems Jetfire has added at least
one new word to the Transformers lexicon! However Bumblebee
remains everyone’s favorite yellow, alien-robot guardian and I’m
extremely proud to be associated with the character.
Special thanks go
to Jason Joiner and Paul Jones for your friendship and support and
all the incredibly hardworking staff at the event.
We also launched
the Blood Type trailer (which I directed) on Saturday and
the stars: RJ Gibb and Edward Blagrove were literally swamped by
autograph hunters and writers, John Matthews and Wil Kinghan also
ended up signing away for dozens of enthusiastic vampire
aficionados!
Blood Type is a new
take on the Vampire myth, created by John and Wil with music by RJ
and Robin Gibb with a brand new score by Mick Kiely. Featuring
narration from Jason Connery and a talented cast of young actors
the film follows the story of Sophie (Emily Berrington) whose
unique blood carries a deadly secret that can kill or cure.
Pursued by a savage assassin Galen (Edward Blagrove) aided by a
young American doctor, Stephen Hampton (Emrys Matthews). Sophie
flees through time and across worlds on a mission to save her
world-and ours.
Stay tuned for
further Blood Type production news as it happens.
On another
Transformers note, the competition for the two Seahope watches
has turned into an Internet phenomenon! Thousands of fans have
watched the various YouTube promotions and fan supporters online
and entered the competition with the hope of winning those two
unique watches! We’ll wade through them all, I promise and
hopefully have two winners by August 1st! Keep sending
them in and we’ll do our best to keep up!
Work on new issues
of The Pilgrim has commenced and online Graphic Novel
publisher: ComicMix will be running the new material through the
fall. Mike Grell (Warlord, John Sable - Freelance, Green Arrow) is
hard at work, drawing the series and Mike’s new material really
rocks!
We’ve also laid
down the basic musical tracks for two more songs from Wuthering
Heights and I’ll keep you posted as to when they are ready to
be released on the site…Probably sometime in the fall!
I’m also very happy
to announce that The Wildwood Tarot has now been officially
commissioned by publishers: Eddison-Sadd Editions and co-authored
by John Matthews with artwork by award winning artist: Will
Worthington. The Greenwood Tarot has been out of print for
some years now, so it’s timely and fitting that a revised and
updated version be produced by this high-quality publishing house.
The Wildwood Tarot
has actually come full circle in many ways, as I originally
pitched the idea to Nick Eddison and Ian Jackson of Eddison-Sadd
in the early nineties. At that time it was not a project we could
go forward with together and Harper Collins picked it up and
requested we change the name to The Greenwood Tarot. So in
a way The Wildwood Tarot (It’s original name) has completed
it’s journey around “The Wheel” and it has finally come home!
Developing a new Tarot is a long and demanding process that cannot
be rushed but we project The Wildwood Tarot will be
available sometime in 2011.
Now! I am very
excited to announce I can confirm I’ll be traveling to Tokyo and
Hong Kong to represent Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
characters at several events in Japan and China and I’ll post the
event details next week.
Thanks again for
all the support and keep those Jetfire competition entries flowing.
Love to all,
Mark
Saturday 18th July and Sunday
19th July 2009
London Film and Comic Con -
Mark will be attending both days.
Added Blood Type Pics to Gallery
MONDAY, MAY 18, 2009
Post Production: Blood Type Trailer & Shawshank Redemption in
Dublin
I'll be heading back to California today after a fantastic
post-production and editing stint in Dublin based in the Screen
Scene Production Facility. Hosted and supported by Jim Duggen and
his staff the promo/trailer looks great and the brilliant editing
skills of Paul Mullen (Once) help cut the material together with
efficiency, patience and insight! Paul listened to my sometimes
unusual, symbolic ideas during the edit and smiled with a curious,
if bemused humor and we finally got a twelve minute trailer which
also includes the track: Instant Love written by RJ and Robin
Gibb.
The whole project is coming together very well although there'll
be some more sound mixing and effects work to be completed but the
whole "Vampire Universe" concept works really well and all the
performers look great! The sword cane duel looks very good as
well, though I say so myself, considering the limited rehearsal
time the boys had to get it together.
RJ and Robin's beautiful new song: Instant Love set's off
the atmosphere and really captures the essence of the emotional
back-story involving all the characters. We all ended up humming
and whistling the tune for most of the week! RJ seems to be a chip
off the old block when it comes to writing catchy tunes...
Also, Mick Kiely's eerie soundtrack and incidental music also sets
up the gothic and edgy atmosphere of a menacing and insane world
turned up side down. Great stuff Mick!
More news on Blood Type as it develops.
On different note, I had a fantastic evening on Saturday watching
the Lane Productions preview of The Shawshank Redemption at the
Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. My old King Arthur pal; Paul
Burke is the Fight Coordinator and the multi international-award
winning director; Peter Sheridan helms this marvelous piece.
As the production is still in preview I'll not say too much, other
than the show is really a highly creative theatrical adaptation of
the Stephen King novel and is wonderfully executed by a very
talented cast. It's a fantastic evening out in the theater and
special mention must go to Reg E. Clathey as Red and Kevin
Anderson as Andy Dufresne, who really take the audience on a
deeply moving and ironically humorous journey. It was also
wonderful to see Keir Dullea (2001-A Space Odyssey) as Brooksie.
Of course, Paul Burke's well-staged and brutal action keeps the
constant threat of prison violence bubbling just below the surface
and the fights are tight, bloody and full of menace. Great work
mate!
I'll be back in L.A. tomorrow and I'm looking forward to working
on a new track for Wuthering Heights (Look At Me) with Robb
Vallier later in the week.
More when I get over the dreaded jet lag...
23/04/09 No Rest for
The Wicked
I am feeling rather fortunate to be working so much, to be
actively involved with so many cool projects and surrounded by so
much creative talent.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
is coming out in June and it’s been, once again, another great
experience. I’ve been enjoying myself thoroughly in the ADR studio
this past week and I have so much respect for Michael Bay
and the amazing team that’s putting this sequel together.
There’s not a lot I can say right now, but if you thought the
first one was a wild ride…you’d better buckle up! Michael Bay has
outdone himself this time and even Steven Spielberg said:
“Awesome!” ‘Nuff said!
Filming for the Blood Type pilot is completed and I have to
say the terrific cast and crew made it possible to wrap with tons
of amazing footage. Even London’s fickle weather behaved. I’ll be
heading to Dublin in May to work on the editing and I’ll
definitely post some sneak peeks here when I have more to share.
The vampire “universe” John Matthews and Wil Kinghan of
Mythwood Films have created, really set’s up a whole new
psychological spin on the vampire mythos and I’m sure the project
will pick up a strong gothic following. All you Vampire fans
thirsting for more info, check back for news soon.
Many of you are asking me about The Pilgrim over at
ComicMix.com – sorry we were on hold there for a bit, but we
expect to have another episode up in May. Mike Grell is a
popular fellow and you just can’t rush genius, why would you want
to? Speaking of Grelly, we’ll be back at Comic-Con in San
Diego in July – hope to see you there.
Clamoring for more Wuthering Heights Music? I’m also
heading back into the studio with Robb Vallier to record more
tracks and working on a framework for a screenplay progresses.
Remember I said there are 18 songs total? It will be a little bit
before the next one is available but please let me know how you’re
enjoying the first six. All six are on sale through iTunes and I
am working on making them available on Amazon.com also. But
seriously, how chilling is Ray Winstone’s narration? He and I are
teaming up again for an independent film later this year and it’s
one of the funniest scripts I’ve ever read…Really clever. More
about that little flick later.
For all you awaiting news of The Wildwood Tarot, great news! Our
publisher is presenting The Wildwood Tarot this week (as we speak)
at the London Book Fair. The project is really coming together
wonderfully and our illustrator, Will Worthington, continues to
turn out amazingly beautiful art for the cards. I am confident
that Greenwood Tarot devotees will love this new version.
As always, I am grateful you stopped by and I do love getting your
emails and reading comments.
Now, it’s back to work…Lots to do….
THURSDAY, APRIL 16,
2009
More from Blood Type - The Search
What can I say!
I got back from the UK Tuesday night and went straight back into
the ADR studio yesterday. So, my apologies for not posting about
BLOOD TYPE sooner. I was totally blown away with the whole
experience and owe so many folks a huge thank you!
We first filmed on location in London at Atlantis Bookshop on
Museum Street, world-famous for its occult links with Alestair
Crowley and Denis Wheatley and WW2 esoteric warfare history. The
place exudes atmosphere and authenticity. Many thanks to Geraldine
and Bali for their generosity and patience!
We started shooting the opening scenes with Hamilton (Emrys
Matthews) and Sophie (Emily Berrington) in the alley and moved
onto the fight scene with Galen (Ed Blagrove) and Hamilton in the
stairwell.
It was pretty tight maneuvering around those spaces but Anthony
Straeger's “Quid in Shrapnel” productions crew, Dennis Morgan (DOP)
Chris Reading (Sound) and Sally Alcott (Makeup and blood-dripper
extraordinaire), all performed like magic and with exceptional
good humor and enthusiasm!
Special mention must go to Anthony; he offered sound shooting
advice and kept the whole thing moving as 1st AD. Also to Dennis,
for capturing the incredibly claustrophobic and creepy wartime
atmosphere in the period underground alleys and stairwells with
his amazing use of light, shadow and smoke. Thanks a million
chaps!
Our second location was The Prebendal, Thame in Oxfordshire, an
amazingly beautiful 12th Century estate and home of Robin and
Dwina Gibb. Robin-John Gibb (Robin and Dwina's son) also plays the
part of Belisar, lord of the vampire clans, and an amazing
discovery as a new face on the screen! Without doubt a highly
charismatic and poised young man, RJ took in my multi-layered
direction and guidance with focus and professional skill and
turned Belisar into a leading BLOOD TYPE protagonist with a
mesmeric and chilling charm.
We shot all the “Vampire Universe” scenes, including the stone
circle and sword cane duel at The Prebendal. The wonderful
support, enthusiasm and hospitality of the Gibb family, especially
Dwina Murphy-Gibb and all the staff were amazing! Dwina, you're an
angel!
The grounds at the Prebendal are surreal and suited to represent
an alternative universe where Earth is ruled by “royal” vampire
clans, and humans are slaves, owned and controlled as a convenient
and docile work and food source.
Sophie, played by the beautiful and talented Emily Berrington
escapes this terrifying world and arrives in our reality during
the London Blitz, running for her life and suffering from amnesia.
A fugitive, carrying an unknown strain of blood, Sophie is helped
by a young psychiatric doctor, played with compassion and
intensity by Emrys Matthews, who discovers her unusual blood type
and falls in love with her.
Galen, (Ed Blagrove) a ruthless vampire assassin sent to bring
Sophie back at all costs, is dispatched by Sophie's master,
Belisar (Robin-John Gibb), and the pursuit and clash of wills
begins. This dramatic framework is unique, and a very colorful and
darkly rich canvass on which to paint the conflicted brushstrokes
symbolizing the drives and emotions churning within these
characters.
This conflict results in the deadly sword-cane duel between Emrys
and Ed, who threw themselves into the fight with gusto! Very well
done chaps! It looked really exciting and dangerous indeed!
So! Thanks to John and Wil for their confidence, support and trust
in me to handle their thrilling and complex material. Thanks also
to the entire cast who brought it all to life!
And remember: “Lots to do. It's four o clock”...
BLOOD
TYPE - THE SEARCH
I'm
here in Oxford preparing to direct the teaser promo trailer for a
new vampire Sci-Fi show called BLOOD TYPE!
Written by John Matthews and Wil Kingham,
BLOOD TYPE
is a multidimensional new take on the ancient story of Vampires.
Two very different Vampires form an unlikely alliance to hunt for
a girl who holds a terrible secret in her blood. The
show revolves around the struggles and conflicts of two
alternative universes, one ruled by vampires where humans are
feudal slaves, kept as a subjugated food-source, and our own
reality, where vampires are only perceived as creatures of myth
and legend, their real interaction with our world a well kept but
deadly secret.
Starring Emily Berrington, Emrys Matthews, Edward Blagrove,
Robin-John Gibb and narrated by Jason Connery I was very excited
to be asked to direct the promo-trailer: BLOOD TYPE - THE SEARCH
here on location in UK.
I'll also be choreographing a sword-cane duel between the two main
protagonists who both search for "Sophie" (Emily Berrington) who's
escape to our world triggers the struggle to control her destiny,
as her blood contains a cure for the deadly epidemic now raging
through the vampire world.
It's great to be working with John and Wil on BLOOD TYPE - THE
SEARCH and many thanks go out to all who have supported the
project including: Dwina Murphy-Gibb, The Atlantis Bookshop,
Anthony Streger and of course Caitlin Matthews.
Shooting commences in London on the April 11th at various
locations in London, Oxford and Thame.
Love to all,
Mark
IDW
and ComicMix Join Forces
Renowned comics publisher to distribute online comics in print
form.
Well, we've been hinting at this for about six months now. Some of
you traditionalists have been asking when and how and where and
when you can buy printed versions of the ComicMix comics. I'm
proud to announce that we have partnered up with our friends at
IDW (where GrimJack and Jon Sable Freelance and
Mars last appeared) to produce one graphic novel and two
comic books each month, starting this fall. Plus hardcovers and
omnibuses and such, as the market demands.
O.K., I'm one of those traditionalists as well, and while I love
reading this stuff online (particularly on my iPhone), I'm looking
forward to seeing them in print. And I'm looking forward to
running my typical long-winded introductions in the trades and
letter columns -- yet, genuine letter columns! -- in the comics.
So if you'd like to email us a letter for publication, just post 'em
as comments to the comics. Oh, yeah, we're starting off with
GrimJack: The Manx Cat and Jon Sable Freelance: Ashes of
Eden in mini-series format. As if we should start somewhere
else? IDW's press release, for the record:
SAN DIEGO, CA (March 25, 2009) – IDW Publishing, a leading
publisher of comic books and graphic novels, has begun an
innovative partnership with ComicMix.com, a free website offering
new and classic comics. Through this multi-year agreement, IDW
will publish graphic novels, books and comics for ComicMix.com
properties, enabling both companies to expand their offerings to
customers and retailers, and combine their audience reach.
“ComicMix has a great line up of original and classic brands that
are currently only available online, and despite the shift to the
virtual world, there is still something unmistakable about reading
a real-life book” said Greg Goldstein, chief operating officer of
IDW. “IDW is known for producing some of the highest quality books
in our industry, and we are looking forward to offering this to
fans of ComicMix properties.”
Beginning in the fall of 2009, IDW will release trade paperbacks
of ComicMix comics, as well as monthly comics, including many new
stories that have previously been only available online at
ComicMix.com. Initial titles will include GrimJack: The Manx
Cat by John Ostrander and Timothy Truman, Jon Sable
Freelance: Ashes of Eden by Mike Grell, and Hammer of the
Gods by Mark Wheatley and Mike Avon Oeming, among others.
“This is a bit of a homecoming for many of us at ComicMix, because
we have had a professional relationship with IDW Publishing over
the past several years,” ComicMix Editor-In-Chief Mike Gold noted.
“We’re honored to be among such first-rate comics and graphic
novels. Quite frankly, I don’t think the ComicMix properties could
find a better publishing home than IDW.”
The partnership with ComicMix allows IDW to distribute comics via
mobile devices, increasing the company's growing digital,
downloadable publishing program, which already includes several
major titles such as Star Trek: Countdown and
Ghostbusters.
About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels
and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. As a leader
in the horror, action, and sci-fi genres, IDW publishes some of
the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including
television's #1 prime time series, CBS' “CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation;” Paramount's “Star Trek;” Fox's “Angel;” Hasbro's
“The Transformers;” and the BBC's “Doctor Who.” IDW's original
horror series, "30 Days of Night," was launched as a major motion
picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in
its first week of release. In April 2008, IDW released "Michael
Recycle," the first title from its new children's book imprint,
Worthwhile Books. More information about the company can be found
at IDWPublishing.com.
About ComicMix.com
Organized in 2007, ComicMix.com is the free website for brand-new
comics, news, opinion and historical research. Organized by comics
veteran Mike Gold (DC Comics, First Comics, Image Comics),
Internet pioneer Brian Alvey (WebLogs Inc., Blogsmith, AOL,
Netscape) and print and online publishing vet Glenn Hauman (Random
House, Simon & Schuster, BiblioBytes, DC Comics), ComicMix has
been leading the comics industry in the production and online
distribution of new comic book stories by major talent.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2009
Wuthering Heights on iTunes, Transformers 2 and The Wildwood Tarot
Well!
‘09 got off to a roaring start!
I can now announce that the first six songs
from the Wuthering
Heights Musical Adaptation have now been
delivered via CD Baby
to:
• Apple iTunes (search Mark
Ryan)
• Ruckus
• Rhapsody
• VerizonTradebit
• Napster
Six tracks will be available to download either as a single track
or as a an EP featuring of course Jenn
Korbee,
Katie Boeck and Jessica
Keenan Wynn.
As soon as I get back to the U.S. we'll be working on more
material for the production and I'm hoping to finish the whole
project during the next few months. This will probably include a
screenplay integrating the whole musical framework similar to
Moulin Rouge in the Sin City style. If you like what you hear,
please add a review to iTunes and become a fan on Facebook!
So! I'm actually in the UK right now, talking with a prospective
new publisher for The
Wildwood Tarot
and taking meetings with various possible illustrators for the
project. I'm working with world-famous Arthurian and esoteric
expert and old mate: John Matthews on the system and we're
reverting to the original name for the deck. More news as it
develops.
On the
Transformers front, I got
called back into the studio recently but for what? I am sworn to
silence! All will be revealed in good time!
All the best from London!
09/01/09 Mark Ryan Releases Two More Tracks from "Wuthering
Heights" Musical Project Based on the Novel by Emily Bronte - Six
Songs Now Live at WutheringHeightsMusic.com
January 5, 2009
Mark Ryan's musical adaptation of Emily Bronte's "Wuthering
Heights" includes a total of eighteen songs produced by Ryan and
Robb Vallier. Six songs are currently available featuring
performances by Ryan, Jenn Korbee, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Katie
Boeck, Tina Guo and Brad Fernquist.
REDONDO BEACH, CA, January 05, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ --
Singer/songwriter/actor Mark Ryan and co-producer Robb Vallier
have completed two more tracks from Ryan's musical adaptation of
Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights" which are now available for
streaming at http://www.wutheringheightsmusic.com and
http://www.myspace.com/wutheringheightsmusic. Recording
commenced in June 2008 and there are now a total of six songs
online for streaming while one song, "Women," remains as a free
download at the Wuthering Heights Music website. Jenn Korbee
performs "I Am The Man" and "Kiss The Moon" features Ryan. A total
of eighteen songs will be released online by LMB Entertainment in
the coming year, while Ryan continues to develop his musical
adaptation of "Wuthering Heights" as a screenplay.
The vocal ensemble for Wuthering Heights Music includes Ryan
performing as Heathcliff; Jenn Korbee in the role of Cathy;
Jessica Keenan Wynn as Nelly; and Katie Boeck as Isabella. Since
launching in September 2008, the website has received visitors
from all over the world, streaming the initial four songs: Dark
Passion, Women, Heathcliff's Prayer and I love The Wind. The music
video for "Women" featuring Korbee, Keenan Wynn, and Boeck, has
also generated a great deal of activity on the website, YouTube,
and MySpace Music.
"I am touched by the reaction Wuthering Heights Music has received
and am enjoying the positive feedback from Bronte fans," commented
a proud Ryan. "This truly is a labor of love for me because of my
childhood in Yorkshire. It's a real pleasure to be working with
Robb Vallier who brings the tracks to life with such powerful
vocal performances by Jenn, Jessica and Katie and world-class
musical contributions by Brad Fernquist and Tina Guo."
Growing up amongst the hauntingly romantic landscapes of
Yorkshire, Ryan developed an emotional connection to the story of
Wuthering Heights, inspiring him to write eighteen original songs.
The project was put on hold for Ryan's burgeoning film and
television career, and with the success of Transformers (Ryan
voices Bumblebee), he decided it was finally the right time to
record the music. Fans of Ryan, from his early days on Robin of
Sherwood to his young Transformers fans, have embraced the new
project and helped to support it online.
Mark Ryan has had a successful career in theater, film and
television for over 30 years, including Evita in London's West End
originating the role of Magaldi and most recently voicing
Bumblebee in the blockbuster film Transformers. http://www.markryan.info.
07-12-08
Hello Folks!
It’s been a pretty busy time
here in Los Angeles!
This week Robb Vallier and I
went back into the studio to finish up work on two more tracks for
Wuthering Heights. Once again Robb has done an amazing job
with the arrangements and production on: “I Am The Man” and “Kiss
The Moon.” Both tracks are unique and yet hold true to the starkly
emotional themes and symbolism running through Emily Bronte’s
powerful novel. The site has received thousands of visitors from
around the globe and I’m very grateful for the kind words and
requests to know when the tracks will be available for download.
Well! We’re working on it and
I’ll make an announcement regarding the downloadable EP in the
very near future.
Work commenced on new the tracks
in June, when we laid down the basic framework and vocals with
Jennifer Korbee for “I Am The Man.” I sang the vocals on “Kiss The
Moon.” Once again, Jennifer brought an emotional and soulful
rendition of the vocals and Robb and I wanted to take our time and
encase Jenn’s performance in a unique and powerful musical
structure. Both tracks have turned out better than we ever hoped
and the resulting “feel” of the songs (mainly due to Robb’s
amazing arrangements) will hopefully be as well received as the
first four tracks.
During these latest sessions, we
were very lucky to find a space in the very busy recording
schedule of a very special guest, world-class cello phenomenon:
Tina Guo. At 23, Tina is a stunningly talented musician and her
playing on both tracks really gives an emotional depth and
resonance to the songs and raises the hairs on the back of the
neck! Needless to say I’m very excited and inspired by the
resulting texture of harmonics and rhythms entwined within this
marriage of classical and contemporary instrumental elements that
have become the hallmark of our dramatic musical adaptation of
Wuthering Heights.
What really blew us all away was
crossing Jenn’s powerful vocals with Tina’s unique cello riffs and
Brad Fernquist’s rocking guitar solos! Brad Fernquist (Goo Goo
Dolls) had recorded a pretty edgy solo a couple of weeks ago for
us and mixing the two together was a real blast. You’ll have to
wait to hear the results…But it’s pretty damn awesome, even if I
say so myself!
So! The Pilgrim received
its debut on ComicMix and I’m happy to say more pages were posted
in Early December. More pages are to follow and Mike Grell and I
are very pleased with the work done by Jason Millet (Colorist)
John Workman (Letterer) Glenn Hauman (Production) and of course
Mike Gold (Editor).
The Pilgrim
is attracting a steady and enthusiastic readership and it’s very
exciting to see the story finally come to fruition. There’s been
lot’s of questions about the origin of the story and my personal
experiences regarding the research for the script. I’ll blog about
this material at a later date, but once again, thanks to everyone
for the kind words and support with the project.
In the meantime, John Matthews
and I have been reworking The Greenwood Tarot with a new
artist. Originally GWT was called The Wildwood Tarot but
that title was considered too racy by the publisher. So! John and
I are taking a new look at the system, the totem animals and the
symbolic linkages and roots shared with the Native American Indian
Medicine Wheel. It’s great working with John and we’re having fun
making the ancient connections and esoteric Wildwood Tarot
So all in all a busy time!
Thanks again to everyone for all
the support!
Mark
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