When a musician is firing on all cylinders, it can be a thing of beauty. Time and again, we’ve been in awe of the raw power and supreme control of soloists, bands or even a full orchestra. How they elicit emotion and really move the mercury is attributed to their skill, and in many cases they can become immortal with just a single note. When they’re on, they’re on, and you’ll remember the sound forever. That brings us to our guest today. With lightning fast fingers, Ultraboss (the moniker for Austria-based PJ D’Atri) is one of the best shredders on the planet. However, his compositions are even more lethal and…
-
-
Interview…Writer/Director Dante Briggins on Authenticity, Work Ethic, and “Who Dat” The JT Money Story’
As film fans, we are always rooting for an underdog. Whether it’s a movie about sports or academia, anyone who fights and then rises against the odds has our full attention. It’s a very universal story when you gain something rather than being gifted it. We’ve been running this site for 15+ years, and understand that it takes knocking on a lot of doors to get any traction or attention. I’ve written several editorial posts to talk about how lucky we are (after a lot of work), to bring home some amazing interviews and entertainment opportunities. I would never say that we were a success, but have been happy with…
-
Interview…Composer Jared DePasquale on Deep Dives Into Audio Soundscapes
For nearly thirty years Jared DePasquale has composed the musical scores for some of Western culture’s most celebrated stories and iconic characters. The recipient of numerous awards and critical acclaim, his work is widely recognized for its ability to musically capture complex characters amidst stories that are rich in texture and meaning. Early in his career, Jared apprenticed under Emmy and ASCAP Award winning composer Joseph LoDuca. With LoDuca, Jared learned the business of composing for A-list projects including the globally syndicated television shows Xena: The Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Immediately following his apprenticeship, Jared scored several horror films for Full Moon Pictures and Rapid Heart Pictures…
-
Interview…Jasmin Mozaffari on the Real Life Inspiration for ‘Motherland’
Set in 1979, at the height of the Iran Hostage Crisis, writer-director Jasmin Mozaffari’s Motherland follows a young Iranian immigrant (played by Behtash Fazlali) who calls into question his future prospects in America after he embarks on a trip to meet his fiancé’s parents. But that’s just a small aspect of the greater story at hand. Bobak struggles being a foreigner in a post-Vietnam America, and things spiral into heartbreaking situations of xenophobia, isolation, and desperation. Jasmin Mozaffari is an award-winning Iranian-Canadian writer/director, and her eye for detail and framing are exceptional. There’s so much depth, competence and composition to the short, this seems like it was plucked from the…
-
Interview…Composer Wilbert Roget II Brings the Emotion and Excitement to Fan-Favorite Games and Properties
On today’s episode, we take a trip to galaxies far, far away, future Earths and adventures replete with robots and robust action. The visuals are impressive, but it’s the expansive score and sound engineering that really sucks us in. We were thrilled to speak to Wilbert Roget II about his work as composer, multi-instrumentalist, and music geek who, as far as we can tell, is living the dream. Roget has done more that dip his toe in fan-favorite and beloved properties; he’s done a back-flipping cannonball into the worlds of Mortal Kombat, Tomb Raider, Call of Duty and score fans are feeling the waves of his gargantuan splash. Now anyone…
-
Interview…Composer Ilan Eshkeri on the Emotional Beauty of ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’
The story of Christopher Reeve is an astonishing rise from unknown actor to iconic movie star, and his definitive portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman set the benchmark for the superhero cinematic universes that dominate cinema today. Reeve portrayed the “Man of Steel” in four Superman films and played dozens of other roles that displayed his talent and range as an actor, before being injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After becoming a quadriplegic, he became a charismatic leader and activist in the quest to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, as well as a passionate advocate for disability rights and…
-
Interview…Talking Synths and Sensibility with Highway Superstar
When it comes to indie music, we go all in, and love finding new artists, new tunes, and new styles. Our lifeline to life-changing sounds has and continues to be Bandcamp. This go-to platform and community is home to hundreds of thousands of folks who are likely to produce your next favorite earworm. We have a solid list of folks whose works have become part of our DNA. While they may not be household names, they live rent free in our heads and on our turntables. As such, we were excited to speak with Highway Superstar about his otherworldly creations and soundscapes. The musical alter ego of Alex Karlinsky (the…
-
Interview…Composer Colin Stetson on the Musical Terror of ‘Uzumaki’
Today, we got to speak with super stylish saxophone wizard Colin Stetson. He’s made a name for himself with vast soundscapes and unnerving compositions in films like Color Out of Space, The Menu and Hereditary. He’s also got a new one coming next month from Hulu called Hold Your Breath where he similarly works his unsettling magic in an intimate, small-scale picture. But the topic du jour is the palette he crafted for the unbearably beautiful yet grotesque adaptation of the Japanese manga Uzumaki. Here are some notes from the official Milan Records press release about the show and the soundtrack. A captivating masterclass in psychological horror and obsession, Uzumaki…
-
Interview…Catherine Grieves on Music Supervision and ‘Baby Reindeer’
Growing up on a healthy diet of No Doubt and ’90s era music, Catherine Grieves was unknowingly charting her course to the field of Music Supervision. Cat was also thinking about music in those terms anyway; she’d always wanted to be the person who chooses songs for Match of the Day, aka the world’s most famous football show. While it didn’t seem a tenable career path, she followed her musical interests (playing flute and piano and singing) before getting a degree in Sound Engineering. The need for music supervision on TV and film in the UK increased, and Cat got an internship at the time more BBC productions were trying…
-
Interview…The Waltzes, Wizards and Wonder of Composer Patrick Doyle
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…
