Narrator: Daniel's Music Foundation presents, "Just Call Me By My Name", a record label for musicians with disabilities, distributed by The Orchard.
(Footage of The Orchard logo, mounted on a wall at their New York headquarters)
Speaking in this video, in order of appearance: Ken Trush, DMF Co-Founder & Managing Director, Daniel Trush, DMF Co-Founder & Singer/Songwriter, Richard Gottehrer, The Orchard Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer.
Ken: Everyone has a talent. If we have patience and understanding, we can find that talent, and that's what we do at Daniel's Music Foundation. So we started the label, and it's called...
Daniel: It's called "Just Call Me By My Name," which means, don't call me a "brain aneurism survivor," or "stroke victim," just call me Daniel, Dan, Danny, or "Dan the Man from Manhattan." (Audience laughs)
(Footage of staff members of The Orchard in attendance)
Ken: It's about great music, and great stories, and how they come together, and my hope is that people will understand more, without preaching, or being on a soapbox, and just look at people and say, "wow, what a great artist, what a great musician, what a great performer."
Daniel: My hope for musicians with disabilities is that one day they'll just be known as musicians, not "musicians with disabilities."
Richard: This is a very good association for us, because, The Orchard was started almost by accident, and then expanded--I mean, very much the same way as Daniel's Foundation happened. Just like Daniel's Foundation started with particular artists with disabilities, we distributed independent artists, who, at the time, did not have access to the traditional music system.
(Footage of a wall at The Orchard, featuring photographs of independent musicians)
Ken: We absolutely believe there's a need for a label for musicians with disabilities. Sometimes when I'm in the audience, or when we're at the music center, and I'm hearing some of the members and musicians performing, I just shake my head--it's unbelievable.
Richard: (On stage during Danny Awards) There's a soul and a spirit to music. (At The Orchard) I was asked to make a presentation at The Danny Awards, and then I got backstage, and got to talk to a lot of the people, and you begin to get a feeling that there's something there.
(Video footage of performers at the Danny Awards)
Richard: Then when you see the people on stage, and you see the presentations really are unique and special, and the music is good, you know? I thought, "wow!"
Ken: We find our artists for the label through The Danny Awards. We ask for call for entries, video submissions from all over the world, and we get some of the most amazing performances. We look at it and say "okay, is this artist someone that should be on the EP?" Do they have that kind of musicality--that connection with the audience.
(Video footage of Danny Award honorees receiving a standing ovation)
Richard: We're very happy that you're here with The Orchard, and we're going to do everything we can to make this EP, and the ongoing EPs in the future a success.
Ken: Super excited--super excited.