Seasoned composer Mark Isham (pronounced I-sham) has one of the most diverse and prolific careers in film and television. With a background in jazz, and proficiency with trumpet and piano, Isham has scored innumerable titles and given a incredible flair to each of his projects. His latest works graced with his musical muscle is Hulu’s familial drama Little Fires Everywhere. Taking inspiration from the narrative, Isham’s themes mirror the duality of the interweaving characters (from two vastly different worlds). Even the main theme represents the delicate and sometimes violent interactions between lead characters played by Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington – what starts out prim and proper soon segues into…
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Interview…Composer Michael Abels on Get Out, Us, Bad Education and The Shags
Music is an intangible element in film, TV, and video games. Many times, a score, theme, or even a few notes is asked to deliver the emotions that either a story or character lacks. Granted, that’s the worst case scenario. But when both the narrative and music work in harmony, it can yield the some legendary cinematic experiences. Submitted for your approval are a handful of those: Lawrence of Arabia, Taxi Driver, Blade Runner, Inception, and, for you horror fans, 2019’s Us. Recently, we spoke with composer Michael Abels about his craft. Abels got the bug for music with those three famous notes from The Sound of Music. After that,…
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Interview…Gareth Coker on the Score to ‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’
Gareth Coker grew up playing video games, and has a true knack for writing music which services the gameplay. It mainly comes down to his number one rule: composers have to play they game they work on. In our hour-long discussion, we chatted about his early days playing piano, the hundreds of hours spend devouring numerous games, and how the story (not necessarily the music) makes certain titles so impacting. Coker made a name for himself with the 2015 mega hit Ori and the Blind Forest. The success of this phenomenal Metroidvania style game was half attributed to Coker’s bold, lush, and wondrous score. The 2020 follow-up is just as…
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Interview…Composer Scott Bomar on the Funky Soundtrack to ‘Dolemite Is My Name’
When Dolemite Is My Name came out last year, it blew everyone away. And how could it not? It had Eddie Murphy in the lead role, the story was charming, heart-warming and hilarious, it featured amazing costume design from Ruth Carter (she won an Oscar for Black Panther), and the grooviest soundtrack you could ask for. Having grown up in the ’70s, Memphis-based musician Scott Bomar knows this sound well. With a combination of horns, mean guitar riffs, a well-placed harmonica, and one funky clavinet, he weaves a magical tapestry of soul over Craig Brewer’s film. As fans of the film and the score, we were thrilled to speak to…
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Interview…Jason Graves on Scoring TV and Video Games Galore
In the world of music composition – whether it’s film, video games, TV or all three – there are plenty of people working very hard. They may not be household names like Williams or Elfman, but it doesn’t mean they are any less talented. And to stay in the game, nearly everyone penning music is downright prolific. One of these unsung musicians is two-time BAFTA award winner Jason Graves. You may not recognize him at first, but we’re pretty sure you’ll know everything he’s ever touched: Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-O, Tomb Raider, Far Cry, Friday the 13th, and that’s just the short list. Graves started playing music early on, and…
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Music Review…’Dolemite Is My Name’ is Positively Groovy
Mondo is the premiere vinyl soundtrack record label and destination for all sorts of palette-expanding music. Pretty sure that no matter what your appetite is, they’ve got something to whet (and satisfy) it. Case in point. How many times have you asked yourself, “why aren’t there more blaxploitation revival albums out there?” The short answer is that there are. And thanks to these purveyors of acoustic awesomeness, you can easily get your hands on it. Luckily, they didn’t have to dig through obscure catalogs to unearth this glorious title; you can thank Eddie Murphy and Netflix for giving the gift of Dolemite Is My Name to the world just last year. A pet project…
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Interview…Le Matos on Outrun, RKSS, and Mondo/Death Waltz Vinyl Releases
Last month, we had the great pleasure to speak with a team of composers we’ve admired for some time. Hailing from Montreal, Le Matos has found their way into the hearts of ‘80s fans around the globe with their energetic sound – one that is as catchy as it is perfect for the films to which the music is attached. From their debut album Join Us to the scores to Turbo Kid and Summer of 84, they continue to improve and expand their audio palette. If that wasn’t awesome enough, they’ve won tons of acclaim and scores of fans with their theme remixes from genre classics like Akira, Blade Runner…
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Exclusive: Title Theme from USA Network’s ‘Briarpatch’
Tomorrow is the premiere of USA Network’s newest drama from show runner Andy Greenwald and executive producer Sam Esmail. Briarpatch tells the story of Allegra Dill (played by Rosario Dawson), a dogged investigator returning to her border-town Texas home after her sister is murdered. What begins as a search for a killer turns into an all-consuming fight to bring her corrupt hometown to its knees. Last month, we got to speak with composer Giancarlo Vulcano about his score for the surreal new series. Today we are pleased to host the theme music exclusively on GoSeeTalk. Have a listen, and we hope you enjoy the show!! From our interview with him…
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Interview…Nathan Johnson on the Lush Orchestral Score to ‘Knives Out’
One of our favorite composers, and one we’ve been fortunate enough to speak with several times over the years, is Nathan Johnson. With each film score, he’s continually gained an audience with a signature and stylistic approach to his work. That’s partly because he and his cousin are a package deal. Nathan and long time collaborator, Rian Johnson, go way back…even before Brick. The two grew up on the East Coast bringing their stories to life any way they could, hoping to one day break into the biz. Well, they did, and in a very big way. Thanks to titles like Looper, The Last Jedi, and now Knives Out, the…
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Interview…Giancarlo Vulcano on the Surrealism of USA’s ‘Briarpatch’
Composer Giancarlo Vulcano has years of experience in television writing music for long running series. The trick, so he tells us, is to have a system to getting his cues put together. As Michael Giacchino told us long ago, TV is a non-stop grind. Writing music for film can be a thankless job. Moreover, what Vulcano shared with us is that the perception of being a composer doesn’t exactly line up with the reality. It’s still difficult using music to convey emotion that the audience should feel while looking at moving images, but the most comforting aspect of our exchange was that the creative process can yield many answers to…
