I feel blessed to have had so many great experiences in life and in doing what I love! It was truly an honor to work with such an amazing band and production team!
Thank you Réaul and director, Daniel Risk for letting me be a part of it!
Special thanks also to makeup artist, Gabrielle Thompson, for doing a fabulous job on my makeup! You’re one of the best! (…remember when I showed up to your salon door with rollers still in my hair! lol)
Amy
About a year ago I had the good fortune of being selected as the lead female for the music video, “My Casino Heart”, by the band Réaul. I was so excited as it was my first music video. Production began last summer and in Elkhart, Indiana of all places! …The city where I was born and raised! I got to play the part of the temptress.
I remember it was really hot that day. I remember eating pizza. I remember going almost 200mph in that yellow Ferrari with the top down through some back road cornfields! lol (don’t tell my dad! ) …So yeah… it was a pretty good day!
The scene at the end of the video where I pull up in the Mustang was my favorite part of the shoot. It doesn’t look like it…but it was so intense! I had to drive up at a decent speed, slam on the breaks, put the car in park, and swing open the passenger door for Rick, the lead singer …all in one swift, fluid movement and under a certain amount of time. The timing had to be just right!
Me and director Daniel Risk of Risk Productions
The music video released this past weekend (May 21, 2011). Look for it soon on the Indy Music Channel! It’s also available as a FREE download via ITunes under their podcast channel (“Reaul tv”). Their new album, which includes the song “My Casino Heart”, is in stores and online now!
A little about the band:
Réaul is a Pop/Rock group reminiscent of bands such as OneRepublic, Nickelback, and Anberlin all rolled into one. In the last three years the band has traveled throughout the country playing over 250 shows on a variety of different tours. They’ve been working with producer Chip Znuff, of the band Enuff Z’nuff, and Grammy winning engineer, Jeff Luif (Janet Jackson, Twista) for the last several months. In talking about their new album (including the song “My Casino Heart”), front man Rick Connell states, “We have spent over a year of literal blood, sweat, and tears writing and recording our new album and there is a lot of anticipation from us and our fans for the release of this album”.
Réaul has recently been endorsed as a national partner with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and is planning on taking the country by storm in a Nationwide tour of walks starting this Spring continuing into the Fall. “We have an amazing group of people that we are working with. We would definitely not be able to do this without them,” stated Connell.
The group’s passion for JDRF was first ignited when the band’s drummer (Nate Metzler) began giving drum lessons to a boy named Ian McCollum who happened to have Type 1 Diabetes. Ian’s father and mother (Mark and Cindy McCollum) who are heavily involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, wanted to help the band make an impact in this endeavor and began forming a relationship that has turned into a nationwide partnership between Réaul and JDRF. Réaul was invited to perform at the first annual “Rock it to a Cure” in 2010 held in Indianapolis, Indiana as well as play for the 2010 Indianapolis JDRF Walk. The walk is held annually in Indianapolis’ downtown Military Park with more than 5,000 people in attendance.
Needless to say, both these events were a huge success. “We have had our fair share of challenges, but somehow we always seem to pull through. We don’t have an overnight success story and nothing has just fallen into our lap. We have a great team of people, a wonderful organization to be working with, a bus, gear, a new album, and this dream that we can ‘change the world for the better’ that just won’t quit,” states the band’s drummer, Nate Metzler. “I really think this is going to be the year that we see things change on all fronts”.
I remember it was really hot that day. I remember eating pizza. I remember going almost 200mph in that yellow Ferrari with the top down through some back road cornfields! lol (don’t tell my dad! ) …So yeah… it was a pretty good day!
