Howdy cowpokes!

Wow, can’t believe it’s already been another month! Even though February was short, we made a lot of progress on “The Radio Adventures of Ranger Roscoe.”

I say “we” because I definitely wouldn’t be able to accomplish this whole project on my own. So in this installment, you’re going to meet a bunch of my friends, starting with…

ROSCOE RETURNS!

That’s right folks! Gary Clendenning has returned to reprise his role as the abso-lutinest, rootinest, tootinest singing cowboy the world has ever known… Ranger Roscoe! If you listened to “Ranger Roscoe Rides Again!” you may remember he did double-duty as both Ranger Roscoe and the man-behind-the-character, Percy Penn.

Gary’s a real cowboy, growing up around cattle in Tonopah. He worked in broadcasting for many years, finishing an impressive career at Vegas PBS. I’m incredibly grateful that he took some time out of his retirement to step back into the studio. Gary truly embodies everything Ranger Roscoe stands for: Kindness, compassion, and a love for life.

AND INTRODUCING… DON GUILLERMO!

Without giving too much away, Don Guillermo is a friend of Ranger Roscoe’s who needs his help. He has a little homestead in Red Rock Canyon (loosely based off the Wilson homestead in Pine Creek Canyon). I asked my padrino (godfather) Roberto if he’d be willing to voice this character. He used to be a DJ in Los Angeles in the ’90s, so he’s a natural behind the mic.

Tío Roberto also had the bright idea to ad-lib some lines in Spanish, which actually made a lot of sense for the character. Now we can add multilingualism to our learning outcomes! 😉

LEARNING TOGETHER

As I mentioned in January’s update, designing and executing a way for kids and parents to learn together using this podcast is a driving component of this project. Thankfully, my dear friend Jessica at Vegas PBS literally does just that every day.

I shadowed Jessica on a Family Learning workshop about nutrition. Using a combination of lecture, visual demonstrations, media, and a hands-on activity, she was able to teach both grown-ups and their little ones about portions in an engaging way. I definitely got some great pedagogical instruction by watching her work, and now I’m thinking of ways to incorporate those tactics.

Quick lessons for you: the recommended daily sugar intake for an adult is between 24-36 grams. The amount of added sugars in a can of cola? 40 grams 😨

ALL (HUMAN) DIALOGUE: DONE!

With the Nate-a-rator, Ranger Roscoe, Don Guillermo, and now the Scoundrel’s lines all recorded and pretty much edited, all of the dialogue is COMPLETE! With one exception: Sarsaparilla, Roscoe’s trusty steed.

So I took a trip to Lone Mountain Equestrian Park with a TASCAM recorder (thank you, Meg Bernhard) and interviewed a horse LIVE and in-person!

Just kidding: I bought an sound FX library. Turns out horses don’t really neigh on command. Was still fun, though.

“NOW IT’S SOUNDING REAL”

You may remember that my marching band comrades helped me compose the score, and I’m pretty happy with what we ended up with. The composition calls for a full orchestra. For “Ranger Roscoe Rides Again,” I literally recorded every instrument one at a time. I’m enjoy that process, but it takes a really long time. And it’s just not feasible with this project’s timeline.

Thankfully, I know one of the best music producers this side of the world: Dean Gray. Dean attended Berklee College of Music, is a label-signed musician, and an expert at getting the most of a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). So he’s taking the MIDI files and figuring out how to make it sound as close to the real thing as possible.

I may still properly record a few instruments that don’t sound right as MIDI, but we got a pretty good start already.

THE BOTTOM LINE/USE OF GRANT FUNDS

  • Script printing and binding materials: $18.52
  • Audio mixing services: $160
  • Western & Horses Sound FX: $50

Grant monies spent: $228.52 / $2,550.00

Okay, that’s my progress report for February. Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for March’s update, cowpokes 🤠

’til then, Happy Trails.