Ricky Berger wins “Best Song” at Songwriters at Play: The Finale

Maggie Dave producer & singer/songwriter Ricky Berger took home the “Best Song” award this Sunday at Songwriters at Play: The Finale, presented by Cambria Center for the Arts. The live concert featured ten finalists from the previous year’s showcases performing two original songs each. Berger’s “Novocaine” earned top marks and the grand prize for songwriting from the panel of judges, with Fort Vine and Walk the Whale winning “Best Performance” and “Best Overall” respectively. Will Breman, semifinalist from NBC’s The Voice, closed out the evening with selections from his upcoming opening set for Neil Young.

 Listen to more of Ricky Berger’s music on Spotify!

"Moon Manor" theatrical premiere

Producer/instrumentalist Ricky Berger & lead singer Sean David Christensen take to the red carpet in their finest blues to celebrate the theatrical premiere of Moon Manor. A tender, kaleidoscopic portrait of dying with dignity, the film's soundtrack features two songs by Maggie Dave and was directed by friends of the band Machete Bang Bang & Erin Granat. We're so proud of all the amazing folks who worked so hard to make this dream come true. Moon Manor is available to stream everywhere on demand March 11th, 2022.

The cast & crew of Moon Manor celebrates the theatrical premiere, February 25th-26th, 2022. 1) From left to right: Writer/director Machete Bang Bang, actor Jimmy Carrozo and writer/director Erin Granat. 2) From left to right; Back row: Actors Reshma Gajjar, Galen Howard, Roz Hernandez, Jimmy Carrozo, writer/director Erin Granat; Front row: Writer/director Machete Bang Bang, actor Miles Crawford. 3) The cast and crew at a post-screening Q&A, February 26th. From left to right: Writer/Directors Machete Bang Bang & Erin Granat, actors Jimmy Carrozo, Lou Taylor Pucci & Reshma Gajjar. 4) Writer/Directors Machete Bang Bang & Erin Granat present their film to a sold-out auditorium at Cinelounge Cinemas Hollywood, Los Angeles. (Photos by Lynora Valdez.)

Fest Anča International Animation Festival, August 27th-30th, 2020

What a surprise to discover this week that not only will I'm Not Ready be competing for the "Music Video Award" at the 2020 Fest Anča International Animation Festival, but we made the front page as well! Created by the visionary animator Cassie Shao, our video will join nearly 300 works from 65 countries in this international celebration of groundbreaking animation. Shao's critically-acclaimed There Were Four of Us is also in competition for the "Anca Student Award." Way to go, Cassie! It's great to see so many other animators we love on the lineup as well, including Joao Gonzalez and his nervous meditation on obsession and isolation, Nestor.

"The official selection of Fest Anča’s 13th edition embraces diversity, offers films from renowned as well as up-and-coming creatives, large Slovak film sections, and the very latest animation trends...The international competitive program comprises a selection of stand-out animated films completed in the last two years, highlighting short films, music videos, and non-competitive screening sections." A unique event with so much breadth of programming, we can't wait to take part later this fall (fingers crossed)!

"I'm Not Ready" by Cassie Shao

Animator & visual artist Cassie Shao has left an indelible impression on our song “I’m Not Ready.” Her handcrafted dreamscapes have been awarded with a Vimeo Staff Pick, richly deserved for the visionary labor she poured into each frame. Special thanks to our production team that helped us shape and realize the music, including Ricky Berger (Mixing & vocal production) and Trevor Case (Mastering).

I’m Not Ready (2019) by Cassie Shao

I’m Not Ready (2019) by Cassie Shao

Directed & Animated by Cassie Shao

Produced by Sean David Christensen

“I'm Not Ready” written by Maggie Dave

Vocals & keyboard: Sean David Christensen

Synthesizers: Mark Christopher & Ricky Berger

Vocals engineered by Ricky Berger

Mixed by Ricky Berger & Mark Christopher

Mastering by Trevor Case