Silver Bullet: a Rock Opera
"Silver Bullet: a Rock Opera" is set to go up for its premiere on Sunday, February 23. But the costs have continued to creep up as we move into rehearsals. We want to be able to pay all of our musicians and give stipends to our cast, in addition to the money needed to reserve the house and pay for the technical aspects of lighting and sound. This GoFundMe campaign will help ensure that we can do this story justice and bring you a great show.
The Story Behind "Silver Bullet"
Stan DeWitt and Derek O'Brienhave accomplished much in music. Derek was the original drummer for Social Distortion, and has played with D.I., Agent Orange, The Adolescents, Extra Fancy, Blind House and Recorded / Produced artists such as Fishbone, The Adicts, Lucinda Williams and many others. Stan is a highly sought-after composer, arranger, conductor, guitarist and singer whose work crosses into all realms of music from film scores to church music to published music.
The two met at Fullerton High School while playing in Orchestra, Jazz Band and Marching Band, then started a Rock Cover band. The old friends re-united several years ago and began Producing and Playing on recordings for many other artists.
But a conversation about creating "a bucket list project" led to the creation of "Silver Bullet: A Rock Opera." The first step was a 16-song concept album (2017) that told the story of a returning Iraq veteran with PTSD struggling to hold his life together.
With the help of L.A. theater legend Ken Roht, Stan & Derek honed the material to bring it to the concert and theater stage. The new iteration of "Silver Bullet" has new songs, more characters, and a rewrite that draws even more tightly into the story of Brett, the returning veteran who seeks a solution to his struggles - a 'silver bullet.' It is a story that resonates with today's headlines, a tale that incorporates war, treatment of our veterans and homelessness, but also celebrates love and redemption.
Our premiere concert staging will take place on Sunday, February 23, 2020 at the Gaslamp in Long Beach. From there, our success in this campaign will help us get "Silver Bullet: a Rock Opera" into the hands of producers, so that this important story - that reflects the struggles of our veterans and homeless - can reach a wider audience.
