Who Are We?

 

What is BellMojo?

Well, we are a production company that was started by Patrick J. Kennedy and Stewart Goldstein with A NIGHT OF JOE R. LANSDALE, a multi-media variety show featuring the world premier of the Joe’s one-act play BY BIZARRE HANDS, a reading of Joe’s short story BOB THE DINOSAUR GOES TO DISNEYLAND, Mike Salva’s award winning cartoon MAX THE HERO and an original score written by Paul Ranieri and performed by The Ass-Kickers Of The Fantastic. Renowned fantasy artist Travis Louie provided poster art for this show, which included a rare early work, as well as a new piece commissioned exclusively for this event. Joe was so impressed by the show that he has asked BellMojo to help him develop a musical version of his novella BUBBA HOTEP. While in New York, Joe was introduced to filmmakers Damian Maffei; who served as master of ceremonies for A NIGHT OF JOE R. LANSDALE, and Brian James Fitzpatrick, co-creator of the hobo-horror short THROWAWAY, who are currently working on a feature film adaptation of Joe’s short-story MISTER WEED-EATER. BellMojo’s founders have always supported PROTECT, The National Association To Protect Children, and have been asked by Joe and Andrew Vachss; author of the BURKE series and an attorney that represents only children and youth that have been abused, to produce a music festival to benefit this great cause, and we consider it an honor to do so. As a prelude, BellMojo has produced 2 small scale festivals so far; CHRISTMAS AFTERMATH and Valentine Eve’s BROKEN HEARTS’ BASH, featuring music from Dangered Ace, The Vinyl Stash, Dead Seven, Korotory and Part-Time Junkies and burlesque performances by Gal Friday, Legs Malone and RunAround Sue from The Sugar Shack. BellMojo is currently booking various music acts including The Party Revue; which features some of New Yorks best session players, The Professionals; heavy guns-for-hire, The Velvet Ropes; an instrumental groove quartet, Farrell and White; 2 voices and 1 guitar, and soul-songstress Margot Blanche at several New York area venues. Film production is also on our agenda; BellMojo provided casting for Mindless Self Indulgence’s video NEVER WANTED TO DANCE at the behest of our good friend Jim Muscarella, one of the founders of The Royal Flush Film Festival, who was instrumental in the production of A NIGHT OF JOE R. LANSDALE. And, we are actively recruiting cast and crew for ALLEY-WAY, an original short being filmed by Patrick J. Kennedy. Please send your head-shots, resumes and contact info, including your MS, FB and Twitter, to patrick@bellmojo.com

Patrick J. Kennedy
Founder
Patrick is a life long aficionado of the macabre and the fantastic, being a fan of comic-books since before he could read, as well as having a personal imaginary relationship with King Kong at that age. As a young man he devoured the works of  H.P. Lovecraft, his two-fisted counterpart Robert E. Howard and later Bloch, Leiber, Moorcock, Ellison and Zelazny. Being the son and grandson of cinematographers, his grandfather having filmed the Hindenburg disaster, Patrick was also heavily influenced by the films on which his father had worked, such as GOLDFINGER and THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1, 2, 3; the fair he watched on the 4 O’clock Movie and selections found during the golden age of the video store. Having studied acting for 25 years, Patrick has performed off-Broadway, toured nationally and produced the world premiers of 2 plays. He is also extensively trained in stage combat, having studied fencing with Master Joe Daly and is proficient with rapier, rapier and dagger, court sword and broadsword. Patrick has appeared in such roles as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet; Stanton in DANGEROUS CORNER; Amundsen in TERRA NOVA; Charles Dickens in A CHRISTMAS CAROL and John Barrymore in I HATE HAMLET.

Paul Ranieri
Music Director
Born in New York City and raised in a musical and artistic environment, Paul started studying music and playing bass at age 11. Influenced early on by the music from cartoons, science fiction and monster movies; and then later by all the greatest rock, funk, and jazz bass players, Paul is now involved in many diverse musical projects and has developed a melodically ferocious and powerful playing style all his own. With a degree in Jazz Performance from New York’s New School University and Mannes College of Music, Paul’s talents encompass a high level of technical expertise and professionalism. Paul is currently the bassist for producer, inventor, Emmy Award-winning composer and highly acclaimed international recording artist Mark Wood. He has been touring the United States with Mark’s “Electrify Your Strings” series of music education programs; working alongside Mark to participate in the creation of rock orchestras with student musicians at schools and universities across the nation.