The holiday season is a great time to get together (safely!) with friends and family. And while the theaters are hurting, there’s still plenty of content hitting streaming platforms that we can enjoy with one another. One such title is the Ashley Avis penned/directed revamp of the classic novel by Anna Sewell which premiered exclusively on Disney+ on November 27. Guillaume Roussel was tapped to bring a fresh sound to Black Beauty. His palette was predominately the piano, but he added to it with a plenty of instruments including a dulcimer and other folkloric sounds/motifs. The result is a warm, heart-felt score that also becomes a bit of a travelog…
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Interview…Composer David Fleming on Ron Howard, Hans Zimmer and ‘Hillbilly Elegy’
This year has taken a toll on all of us, and yet one constant has surfaced: family can get us through almost anything. Or maybe it’s that we’re more likely to survive Covid than our families? Either way, even though every family has its problems, we’re certainly better together than we are apart. As such, Hillbilly Elegy is about family and a whole lot more. The film adaptation of the best-selling book is directed by Ron Howard and, like all his films, there’s a real emotion weight because the story highlights the struggles and triumphs of characters who are broken or about to break. Helping give this tale its heart…
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Interview…Nick Urata on DeVotchKa, Unique Instruments and ‘The True Adventures of Wolfboy’
Formed in Denver by multi-instrumentalists Nick Urata (vocals, guitar, trumpet), Tom Hagerman (violin, accordion), Jeanie Schroder (sousaphone, bass), and percussionist Shawn King, DeVotchKa is a four-piece multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble. Originally a backing group for local burlesque shows, they take their name from the Russian word meaning “girl” and recorded their debut album, SuperMelodrama, in 2000. The band finds their groove as a cross-pollination of numerous influences, and styles of gypsy punk, dark cabaret, indie folk, and indie rock. We spoke to Urata about his amazing career which has been just as varied and unique as his musical tastes. Nick comes from a musical family and his love of music…
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Interview…John Debney on Holiday Magic and the Spirit of Adventure
John Debney is a composer we’ve admired for years, and were lucky enough to speak with him in 2013 about his work on Bonnie & Clyde. This year, he’s got two projects that give him a fanciful canvas to weave his magic. In Come Away, the fantasy drama directed by Brenda Chapman blends key elements from Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. In this emotional ‘what if?’ story, Debney employs lush strings, tender piano, playful cellos, angelic choral work, even a full Irish band. All of those pieces blend and dance while underscoring the children’s active imaginations or, conversely, can pretty near break your heart…even in the same cue. Yes,…
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Interview…Remy van Kesteren on the Alternative Album to ‘The Red Turtle’
On October 30th, Snowstar Records will release a very special album by Remy van Kesteren. The renowned harpist composed and produced an alternative soundtrack to The Red Turtle – the 2016 movie from Studio Ghibli – made by Dutch animator, director and illustrator Michael Dudok de Wit. This album is the first solo harp album by Remy van Kesteren as well, and De Wit even made the artwork for the album and wrote liner notes specific to this release. Earlier this month, we spoke to Remy to get info and insight on his passion project. The album is a serene and hypnotic showcase of his talents which transport the listener…
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Interview…J.C. Chamboredon On the Legacy and Future of Milan Records
Founded over 40 years ago by Emmanuel Chamboredon, Milan Records has released the soundtracks to renowned and critically acclaimed classics such as Ghost and Backdraft. Scan your shelves – it’s a good bet that a sizeable chunk of titles bear the fanciful logo of the winged man with a heart-shaped head. Fitting image as that’s how I feel whenever I listen to a soundtrack. Since 2004, Jean-Christophe Chamboredon continues the legacy for his father who started Milan in 1978. In this week’s podcast, we got to speak with Chamboredon about the iconic company which was recently acquired by Sony Music Masterworks. This business venture offers even more opportunities to put…
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Interview…Genevieve Vincent on ‘The Broken Hearts Gallery’ and Charting Her Own Musical Course
Earlier this month, we got to have a wonderful chat with composer Genevieve Vincent about her work on film music, concert music, and as music producer. She most recently completed scoring the Sony romantic comedy The Broken Hearts Gallery and Moving Art “Hokkaido” for Netflix for which she wrote a Japanese inspired orchestral hybrid score. Born in Vancouver, BC, based in Los Angeles, Vincent studied the Suzuki violin method, and was a student of The Royal Conservatory of Music in Vancouver. She went on to attend Berklee College of Music where she graduated with a dual major in Film Scoring and Composition and studied privately under concert music composer Alla Elena…
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Interview…David Wingo Discusses Patriotism in ‘The Report’ and Sound Design in HBO’s ‘Barry’
The last time we spoke with David Wingo, he was wrapping up work on Loving, the latest in a series of continuous collaborations with friend and director Jeff Nichols. Their relationship has resulted in some standout music in films like Take Shelter and Midnight Special. Since then, Wingo has taken a crack at TV shows. Musicians don’t like being pigeon-holed, and lucky for Wingo that Kidding and Barry couldn’t be any further removed from each other. Last month, Scott Z. Burns‘ film, The Report, hit theaters (and is now on Amazon Prime). It’s a riveting thriller (based on actual events) that follows idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones who, tasked…
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Interview…Composer Rendra Zawawi on the Emotion and Empowerment of ‘M for Malaysia’
Rendra Zawawi is an award-winning composer, songwriter and music producer. He composed the song “Arena Cahaya” for the 2016 Malaysian sports football film, Ola Bola, which won Best Film Song at the 2017 Malaysian Film Festival and a Golden Horse Award for Best OriginalTheme Song at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. Rendra’s credits include working with Emmy-winning composer Mac Quayle on shows including Mr. Robot, FEUD: Bette and Joan, 9-1-1, FOX’s Scream Queens and Netflix’s The Politician. Rendra also contributed additional music to American Horror Story and American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. He most recently scored the drama documentary M for Malaysia, which was selected as…
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Exclusive: Interview…Composer David Newman to Conduct 20th Anniversary Concert for ‘Galaxy Quest’
Next month, the San Diego Symphony will put on a live–to-picture performance of Galaxy Quest, the classic sci-fi comedy from 1999 starring Tim Allen, Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Rockwell and Tony Shaloub. What’s that you ask? Why would a symphony play the music to a comedy? Well, two reasons: One, it’s really great music to a really fun film. Two, it’s really great music written by David Newman. These days, orchestras know they have to inclusive – they can’t be exclusive – and there’s no benefit to being closed-minded. Orchestras used to just play the same canonical works, but now they have really embraced the popularity and the artistry…
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Interview…Composer Miles Hankins on the Musical Backdrop to ‘Long Shot’
Award-winning composer Miles Hankins boasts a diverse body of work spanning the entertainment industry. He most recently co-composed Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron’s romantic comedy, Long Shot with Marco Beltrami. Additionally, Miles received a Sports Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music Direction on the HBO documentary series Being Serena and was recently honored at the awards ceremony in New York. As an exceptionally creative independent composer, Miles has collaborated with Beltrami on several critically-acclaimed scores including A Quiet Place, which received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score, Marvel’s Fantastic Four, Sony’s The Shallows, and Columbia Pictures’ The Night Before. In addition to film, Miles scored CBS’s primetime series, 3…
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Interview…Mo Shafeek on Mondo’s Marvelous Vinyl Releases
At Mondo (the Austin-based boutique poster and music label), Record Label Production Manager, Mo Shafeek, is responsible for plenty of vinyl soundtracks and film scores you probably spin regularly. Shafeek is a veteran of company, a die-hard film fan and can wax poetic about anything horror, indie, or pop-culture related in the same breath. He’s also just one of two (two!) people producing and releasing a staggering amount of albums in any given calendar year. While 2019 celebrates the end of Marvel Studios’ eleven-year cinematic journey with Avengers: Endgame, Walt Disney Records and Mondo are starting something new. Both companies are working together to release a select number of exclusive…
