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 Benjamin Wallfisch on Predators, Aliens and Clowns
It’s a good bet that if a film sticks with you, it’s because of the score. While it doesn’t do all the heavy lifting, a theme can pump a narrative full of so much intangible energy that it is basically a character in the story. So when a composer taps into the feature at hand, they can deliver some of the most impacting sounds you’ll ever hear. And those notes don’t just hit you in the feels, they echo in eternity. Benjamin Wallfisch is one such artist whose sonic blankets literally bring films and television to life. We chatted with him years ago to discuss A Cure For Wellness as…
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Interview…Laura Karpman on Maximalism, Making Her Own Brand of Music, and Letting the World Catch Up
If you’re a film score fan, you are sure to have your favorite composers as well as a collection of soundtracks that mean a lot to you. Over time, if you listen to any musician’s output you’ll notice grooves and rhythms that some refer to as a calling card. Whether it is the repeat use of an instrument, a style of music they play or the “Horner snarl”, a Goldsmith score is a Goldsmith score, a Williams score is a Williams score, and so on. Now what perks up our ears is when the music we hear is not easily discernible. Is that Doyle or Jackman, is that Shapiro or…
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Exclusive First Listen: Depeche Mode’s “Behind The Wheel” Reimagined in ‘Hallow Road’
“It’s Halloween. Everyone’s entitled to one good scare.” That’s a saying that pops up a lot this time of year. Well, as I’ve always asked, does it only have to be scary? What if it’s a treat? On that note (music pun intended) we’re happy to give your ears something special: a surprising and haunting cover of Depeche Mode’s “Behind The Wheel” taken from Hallow Road—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Enjoy this exclusive first listen from the forthcoming Lakeshore Records release below! Lakeshore Records · Behind The Wheel by Lorne Balfe and Peter Adams (From Hallow Road) It is supremely tense, but that’s just what the composers of Hallow Road were going…
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Exclusive First Listen: Two Tracks from Carter Burwell’s Score to ‘Good Fortune’
Getting to break new music to you is a real treat. Sometimes it’s a pinch myself moment, and as such, in this new Lionsgate film starring Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, Sandra O and Keanu Reeves, all I can think to say is “woah!” So, hat tip to our good friends at Lakeshore Records for allowing us to grace your ears with not one, but two cues from Carter Burwell‘s score to Good Fortune. Burwell’s light-hearted score incorporates retro sounding keys and synths and mixes them with strings and vocalizations to create a mischievously whimsical backdrop to the surprising supernatural comedy. The tracks below have a good bit of…
