From blockbuster cinema to interactive media and award-winning series, John Paesano’s work reflects a rare combination of emotional precision and scale. Though his music is already embedded in some of the most successful franchises of the modern era, his creative journey is still unfolding. What makes John different from other composers is that he comes at his profession as fan, that enthusiasm and reverence comes through in his spectacular compositions. Paesano grew up on the music of John Williams, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith, James Newton Howard, and Alan Silvestri. Those composers wrote big, bold, thematic scores that were not afraid to be emotional, adventurous, and completely upfront. For The Boroughs,…
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Interview…Christopher Lennertz & Matt Bowen on Themes, Cues and Emotional Resonance of ‘The Boys’
Gene Simmons once said, “if it weren’t for the fans, we’d be nothing.” and it’s something that all musicians and creatives can relate to. Whether a particular property in pop culture takes the world by storm or just one person considers it their Rosebud, when fans grab hold of something you can almost feel the Earth shift from the passion, fervor, and respect for it. After eight years and five seasons, The Boys has come to an end. Fans truly ate it up, and one reason the themes and characters resonated was the great music from Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen. We sat with this dynamic duo to talk about…
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Interview…’Metropolis’ Redux Jam Session with Jazzy Jeff Beal
Five-time EMMY winner Jeff Beal’s improvisatory method, sense of timing, and sophistication have made him a favorite of directors including Ed Harris, David Fincher, Oliver Stone, and Rob Reiner, and his contributions to powerful documentaries and dramatic scores for TV shows have shown him to be one of the most distinctive and recognizable composers working today. In addition to his distinguished scoring career, Beal is a prolific composer of concert music. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Beal’s grandmother was a pianist and accompanist for silent movies. An avid jazz fan, she gave him Miles Davis’/Gil Evans’ Sketches of Spain album that would influence his development as…
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Interview…Henry Jackman and Kevin Olusola on the Cornucopia of Chaos in ‘The Bluff’
Composer Henry Jackman is on the short list of seasoned composers who can concoct and deliver an elevated musical palette. Whether the story is about mutant, vigilantes, pirates or the mighty Kong, his work serves as more than the backdrop to the narrative. It is the jet fuel that courses through the picture and literally makes characters fly. We’ve spoken to him a handful of times over the years and his approach to composition and the ideas he manifests live on long after you’ve left the theater. To help make his latest cinematic confection oh so sweet, he enlisted an equally talented and courageous musician to try things that, as…
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Interview…Martin MacPhail on the Sound of Adventure in ‘Deathstalker’
We had a fun chat with composer Martin MacPhail. to talk about their work on the ultra rad reboot of Deathstalker. If adventure has one name, then music for the adventure needs two…BLITZ//BERLIN. We spoke to this highly talented and ultra prolific group last year to talk about their career and the trio of genre titles. This time, we dug deep to get into the nitty gritty (and the fun) of the Deathstalker reboot. From the mind (and hands) of Steven Kostanski, this fun throwback film is full of action, humor, excitement and some of the best practical effects & gore since, well, his last film. Herein, he has a…
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Interview…Composer Tom Howe on Unfailing Optimism of Character and Honesty in Music
Tom Howe is an award-winning composer of over 100 films and television projects like Reminders of Him, Wonder Woman, Exodus: Gods and Kings, The Legend of Tarzan, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, and Dog Man. From sweeping orchestral scores and imaginative sonic landscapes to iconic main title themes and hit songs, his versatility as a multi-instrumentalist—combined with his expertise in classical, pop, rock, and electronic sound design—has made him one of today’s most in-demand composers. A gifted songwriter, and two-time Emmy nominee, Howe has collaborated with leading artists and songwriters on original main title themes and songs. He co-wrote the Ted Lasso main title theme with Marcus Mumford and the Shrinking main title theme…
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Interview…Nathan Johnson on the Tense and Beautiful Gothic Score to ‘Wake Up Dead Man’
Towards the end of last year, writer/director Rian Johnson and Netflix released the third entry in the Benoit Blanc mystery series. As expected, it was thrilling, engaging, taught, layered, and chock full of the Kentucky-fried wit that makes the series and character so enjoyable. It was also the most complex head-scratcher in the saga. If you weren’t busy enough asking who? why? and how the hell? in this gothic whodunit, you were likely asking the same thing about elements of the score. And who is the culprit behind this soundtrack? That would be Nathan Johnson – series regular and usual suspect in the Johnson-verse. Their collaboration has spanned decades and…
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Interview…Composer Simon Franglen Goes Back to Pandora (Again) to Craft Lush Soundscapes for ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’
For most things, they say that the third time is the charm. While the latest installment of the Avatar series seems to be trailing the two previous installments by just a bit at the box office, one thing is clear: the music and emotions in this franchise have never run higher. And to that we’re giving hat tips, golf claps, and jumping high-fives to composer Simon Franglen. He’s a pillar in James Cameron’s acoustic armory and has been carrying the musical torch/thematic through-lines established by James Horner for that little blue mega blockbuster way back in 2009. We had the incredible opportunity to speak with Simon about his work on…
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Interview…Composer Nicholas Pike on Finding the Fountain of Youth Through Music at Casa Verdi
Here we are with the first interview of 2026 and it already set the bar super high for the rest of the year. Our exceptionally insightful and entertaining session with multi-hyphenate Nicholas Pike has yielded stunning stories from his time in the music business. From playing flute and piano to writing and composing, Nicholas shared tales and takeaways about music direction, orchestration, working with the likes of Bill Frisell, Michael Jackson and Stan Winston. Those are just a few of the stops on the highway of his career. Like most musicians, Nicholas got his start at an early age, and his focus on jazz and unique playing styles helped him…
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Interview…Scott Bomar Helps Bring the Magic of Lighting and Thunder Through the Speakers and Screen in ‘Song Sung Blue’
There’s a saying that not all heroes wear capes. By that token, you can say that not all superstars get to the big time. Such is the case for the highly enjoyable, rousing and emotional story of Mike and Claire Sardina, a married musical duo called Lightning & Thunder. The couple are true “everyman” entertainers whose dreams and talent were never limited by their resources or their place in the world. Written and directed by Craig Brewer, Song Sung Blue gives the beloved Wisconsin-based act their big screen treatment. While they are far from the Hollywood Bowl, the very fact that this film exists is a testament to the perseverance…
