Thunder Valley

53 in, 10 out.

We are down to the final ten in what has started as fifty-three.

• Ten immediately went to record contracts with XL.
• Another five went to record contracts with Jive.
• Twenty more recorded 78 songs and are now pooled with fifteen studios associated with Thunder Valley.
• Five are Thunder Valley reserves that are marketable, but need improvements in style.
• The final ten; Al, Terrance, Eileen, Tina, Terry, John, Crystal, Arlene, Samantha and Samuel must now compete in the song writing championship. Each must write twenty songs to be placed into a pool, then they must perform 10 selected songs by the staff out of that pool. Each performance will be video-taped and graded by the producers. Excluded are their proprietary songs.
• During the last month, 304 songs were recorded or video-taped at Thunder Valley. 116 in one week.
• Some of the future artists will perform on IDOL.
• 1007 demos have been received since February 17,2011.

Mar 30, 2011, Vol: 18, No: 12

Real Change News

Advocates for the homeless are creating a permanent memorial in Victor Steinbrueck Park to remember the 380 homeless people who have died or have been killed in King County in the past decade.

Carol Cameron of the Homeless Remembrance Project, which is sponsoring the sculpture, said the group chose a tree to represent the circle of life.

The sculpture will be placed in an illuminated plaza and will have a leaf pattern, with some of its leaves missing, a metaphor for the community. Leaves will list the person’s name and years of birth and death, if available.

These “leaves of remembrance” will be placed where people have died and at important places for the homeless community. The first will be outside Noel House/Bakhita Gardens at Second and Bell, outside Angeline’s/Opportunity Place and the Family and Adult Service Center (FASC) at Third between Virginia and Lenora, and, in honor of Real Change vendor Robert Hansen, outside the Seward Park PCC.

“The goal of the group is to create a place where people can gather,” said Clark Wiegman, one of the project’s designers. “We’re trying to raise consciousness, trying to create something that will have personal impact.”

The sculpture’s visibility is intentional, Cameron said: “Homelessness is a public problem, so it should be in a public place.”

Installation of the leaves is planned to start in late spring. The project has received a $15,000 Small and Simple Award from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and a $54,849 Large Project Fund Matching Grant from the Department of Neighborhoods. The total budget is expected to range between $190,000-$220,000.

To donate or find more information, visit homelessproject.org, call 206.956.0334 or email wheelorg@yahoo.com.