As die-hard fans of film scores, one of our favorite people to speak with is composer Patrick Doyle. While he’s known the world over for his sensational, rousing, and robust music, that’s really only a portion of the man. Whenever we talk to him about his life, we segue into topics that, some times, are even more fascinating than the topic du jour. For instance, Patrick lives in London and has had a holiday home in France for 30 years; a building that conservatively one could estimate was built in the 1700s. Also, not many people can claim to own a tapestry that adorns a centuries old wall. That’s pretty…
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G-S-T Review…’Alien: Romulus’ Is A Triumph
“In space, no one can hear you scream.” Those words have echoed in film and pop culture circles for decades. And rightly so. Space is the perfect setting for high stakes stories with little hope for safety or rescue. Read: the ultimate pit of despair. But does it have to be? Well, in the Alien universe, the answer is always yes! To add comic insult to xenomorph injury, there’s another quote that resounds just as well (albeit from a more lighthearted sci-fi film), “this will all end in tears.” And coming from Fede Alvarez, that couldn’t be more true. With Alien: Romulus, Alvarez and co-writer Royo Sayagues have done fans…
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Interview…Lawrence Loh on Conducting ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ and Other Films In Concert
In advance of the live-to-picture performances of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra this month, Lawrence Loh sat with us to discuss his career, the nuances of conducting as well as his recent appointment to Music Director of the Waco Symphony Orchestra. Those of you North Texas symphony fans and concert goers will likely have seen Lawrence at numerous events (like the Christmas Pops) as Associate Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra where he has delighted audiences for years. As a self-described “Star Wars geek” and film music enthusiast, Loh has conducted numerous sold-out John Williams and film music tribute concerts. This month’s program…
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[Exclusive] Interview…Kip Winger – Rock Legend & Classical Compositional Master
Once in a great while we get the chance to speak with someone we’ve truly admired for years. In this case it is decades, plural, and Winger has been deep in our acoustic DNA since 1991. On today’s show we reached for an out of this world guest and are so excited to share this interview with you. It was a true thrill speaking to Kip Winger about the impressive and dizzying number of projects and albums from the rock world to the classical music landscape. Those of you who are fans of hits like “Down Incognito“, “Easy Come Easy Go” or “Headed For A Heartbreak” (just to name a…
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Interview…Director James Marsh on the Brilliant Writing and Acting in ‘Dance First’
We live for films that surprise, entertain and delight. Whether it is the subject matter or the talent involved, when something raises eyebrows or pulses it tends to stick with you. One such film is James Marsh’s latest effort. The BAFTA and Academy Award winner (The Theory of Everything) brings us a stunning adaptation of the life of playwright Samuel Beckett. In our eyes, the most remarkable part of Dance First is the writing from Neil Forsyth. It’s sharp on paper but is increasingly elevated by the amazing cast which make the scenes and dialog so compelling. So it’s no surprise that we were excited to speak to Marsh about…
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Music Review…Jasmine Myra’s Mellifluous and Radiant Sounds on ‘Rising’
Jasmine Myra is a UK-based jazz musician who continues her hot streak with the sultry and sophisticated sounds on her sophomore album. Rising sports some more subdued compositions, and they are quite different in texture and timbre than her 2022 release. We spoke to Myra last year to talk all about Horizons and had such a great time chatting about her interests and background. It’s been just about two months since Rising was released, and Jasmine has recently finished a pretty robust touring schedule, and yet she’s already got the itch to start work on her next release. But for now, let’s talk about this one which is quite the…
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Interview…Composer John Debney Blazes the Trail for ‘Horizon: An American Saga’
When you think of Westerns, and the truly great scores and soundtracks that propelled them into legendary status, there are a staggering number of all-time greats. Much of that credit is thanks to a wide range of composers who have tried their hand in this sacred genre: Elmer Bernstein, Dimitri Tiomkin, and Alfred Newman for starters. Then there are contemporaries like Bruce Broughton, Alan Silvestri, John Barry, Michael Kamen, James Newton Howard, Harry Gregson-Williams and James Horner as well as those just dipping their toe in for a particular film David Newman and Michael Abels. Part of that great pantheon is John Debney who has been around the corral a…
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Interview…William Moseley on History and Honesty in ‘Murder Company’
We recently had the chance to speak with William Moseley, one of Britain’s ever brilliant actors, and were thrilled to have him on the podcast. At a young age he started his career with The Chronicles of Narnia, and right out of the gate he began proving his capable, captivating and complex skills as a thespian. Over the years, he’s brandished swords, ridden horses, fired guns and looked as excellent in a suit as he would a suit of armor. Last year he starred alongside Mel Gibson in the tenses actioner On the Line (which I think deserves a lot more credit), and now he finds himself in his second…
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Music Review…Scott Pilgrim Truly ‘Takes Off’ Thanks to Anamanaguchi and Joseph Trapanese
The animated series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off gets us back into the wonderful, wild and insanely colorful world of Bryan Lee O’Malley‘s original graphic novels. Our first entry point to this universe was Edgar Wright‘s 2010 film which lovingly adapted those works. It was awesome – filled to the brim with Wright’s style and charm, yet the great live-action film retained the 2D atmosphere of the books. Now fast-forward more than a decade later and Netflix dropped this incredibly reverent and all encompassing eight-part animated series. It cherry picks the best from O’Malley’s ideas and Wright’s film (including the voice cast who return to reprising their roles) to expand/explore the…
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Jon & Josh Baker to Pursue ‘The Blackbird’ As Feature Film
We’ve been a fan of Jon & Josh Baker since we met them in 2016. By a lucky encounter, we hosted the Q&A of their stunning debut effort, Kin from Lionsgate. They have talent that can’t be measured and the world is blessed with what their creative minds can offer. This year, they collaborated with ace spy author Thomas Ray on the whirlwind spy thriller “The Blackbird“. Surprise to no one, the book has become the bestselling title by Ray and has reached bestseller status in its genre for the distributor. So it was only a matter of time before the gritty world they built would/could be brought to screens…
