The incredible Swedish duo, The Sound of Arrows, released their debut LP, Voyage, earlier this year, and it quickly became my favourite album of 2011. On a whim, I offered to do whatever orchestral arranging they wanted (on Twitter, of all places), and the result, after much backing-and-forthing is now their Christmas gift to their online fan community.
The gorgeous short film, Single Waltz, directed by the brilliant HsinYin Sung, will be premiering at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival in Taiwan this November.
I’m thrilled to have my music officially reaching Asia. If you happen to be there next month, be sure to check it out!
I was incredibly privileged to write the music for this brilliant documentary, which chronicles the life and legacy of Muhammad Iqbal. Known as the National Poet of Pakistan — a figure on a level with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi for the Pakistani people — his vision and insight into the world, and how Islam must evolve, is still resonant today. It’s a gorgeously shot film, on location from Pakistan, Turkey, London, and many other places, which features profound and thought-provoking images and Iqbal’s beautiful words. Additionally, experts from all over the world, including Iqbal’s son, shed new light on the continued relevance of his philosophies.
Early June was dominated by finishing sound designs and music, cranking out library tracks, and prepping for our big live performance with Chicago Tap Theatre. Late June was dominated by packing, closing, painting, moving, and unpacking (which is still ongoing), as we relocated to our swank new digs in Edgewater!
So much space!
But the work is about to pick up again, and I wanted to post an update before the unpacking continues!
– Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles – The Wanderer – This is an absolute dream come true! I’ve just completed the music and sound design for Big Finish Audio’s original production of “The Wanderer” starring classic Doctor Who cast member, William Russell (Ian Chesterton). It will be released in April of 2012, and is available for pre-order now at the Big Finish website! Additionally, I’m thrilled to announce here, exclusively, that I’ve been asked to do another Doctor Who Audio Adventure for Big Finish! Starring another incredibly esteemed member of the classic Doctor Who cast, it’s sure to be a brilliant addition to the Doctor Who canon! Stay tuned!
– Prince of Thieves — I’m working with SIGSALY Entertainment to bring the classic legend of Robin Hood into the modern era. Promo photos and media packs are already out, and shooting on the feature-length pilot will begin this fall. I’ve written a spec theme song (see below), and you can follow the production by Liking their fan page on Facebook.
– I am the Water, You are the Sea — I Am the Water, You Are the Sea tells the true story of two lovers: Alex, an American Peace Corps volunteer; and Ali, an Iranian Muslim. In 1977, the young lovers were torn apart by the Iranian revolution. As of this writing, the two have been separated for more than 33 years. But this Fall, they will be reunited, and our crew will be there, both to document their reunion, and to tell the epic true story of their forbidden love in Iran in the 60’s and 70’s. I’m so honoured to be a part of this production. We just had a very successful Kickstarter campaign, and pre-production is going full steam. Check out the teaser at the Kickstarter page.
– Bailout – The Dukes of Moral Hazard will be ploughing their Winnebago into theatres later this year. What would happen if we started gambling with our mortgage money the way the banksters did before the bubble burst? Find out when these guys drive from Chicago to Vegas discovering how the mortgage crisis has affected the country (and hitting the tables!). Be sure to like the film’s Facebook page! The trailer is here!
I’m so proud to have been a part of this documentary about the American Bar Association’s human rights outreach work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This is an insane epidemic and I’m so relieved that they are working so diligently to raise awareness and bring justice to these women and girls.
I was incredibly pleased to get a chance to work with Kim Sopata again (Message from the East), and with soprano Allison Setke (with whom I worked on a Chicago Tap Theatre live show last summer).
The music turned out beautifully and I think it complements the incredibly difficult material addressed in the film very well.
Please take a few minutes to click the link below and watch it, and let me know what you think.
A ton of projects have been moving through the pipeline here at Blue Police Box Music over the last couple of months. I’m incredibly excited about everything, so without further ado. here we go:
- I’m thrilled to announce that I have been contracted to be a composer/sound designer for the Big Finish Doctor Who Audio Adventures. My first project with them is to be in the Companion Chronicles series. I’m working with the incredibly talented Lisa Bowerman (Karra in Doctor Who: Survival, Benny Summerfield), and I couldn’t be any more stoked. My little 7-year-old self is running in gleeful circles around his homemade TARDIS console in the basement of our old house. More on that very soon!
- The first 3 episodes of Trep Life, the new web series showcasing some of Chicago’s most successful young entrepreneurs, are now online! I’m thrilled to be working with Left Brain Right Brain Productions and Cadenworks LLC on this awesome series. The foundation of the music is the incredible drum work of Kevin O’Donnell. We had a stellar recording session at Wall to Wall Studios in downtown Chicago to lay down the loops, and the music department here at Blue Police Box Music (Jon Brennan) painstakingly performed surgery on the tracks. The end result can be heard, with the addition of one unique instrument(s), in every episode. Stay tuned for new ones very soon. You can also read about the music creation process and watch the first three episodes below!
- My chamber ensemble piece, The Glacier Sequence, premiered at The Kennedy Center on February 6th. It was performed by the incomparable Pershing’s Own Contemporary Chamber Ensemble. I had the distinct honour to be there for the performance, and it was killer. The piece was included on an excellent program, featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon, and Thomas Albert. The concert is archived at the Kennedy Center website, and you can check it out here. (Scrub forward to 26:22 for my piece, or simply enjoy the entire, hour-long concert.)
- I just completed the score for Bringing Hope to Justice: How ABA ROLI Is Combatting Sexual Violence in the DRC, a documentary about the American Bar Association’s important human rights outreach work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I’m really proud to be a part of this project, as it addresses a devastating issue that doesn’t get much air time in the US corporate media. This was another collaboration with Malachi Leopold and Left Brain Right Brain Productions, and was shot on location in the Congo. We had amazing recording sessions with Kim Sopata (Ney Flute) and Allison Setzke (Soprano) here in the studio for the score. Their gorgeous contributions can be heard in the film, which you can view here. The password to access the film is “abaroli”. Please be advised: The film deals with mature subject matter and contains some graphic language.
- My first collaboration with Lin Shook and Perceptual Motion Dance will see its premiere on April 28th at the Hamlin Park Studio Theatre in Chicago. The piece is entitled, “A Breath in Time” and is the fruit of an excellent 4 month process with Lin and the company. It was a genuine thrill to work with Lin, and I look forward to future endeavours. I’ll be there for the Friday, April 29th performance and the post-performance discussion. Come on out and support one of Chicago’s true gems.
Several other exciting projects are on the horizon, and I can’t wait to share them with you. Stay tuned, and, as always, thank you for listening!
Before I had seen any footage for this episode, I was debating with myself over which unique instrument to use for it (in addition to Kevin O’Donnell’s excellent drumming). It had come down to Hammond Organ vs. String Quartet, and I was waiting to screen some of the episode before making the final decision. After seeing clips of Howard with his eclectic art collection, Team String Quartet won handily. Because the string quartet is capable of infinite combinations — and since I had about 12 hours to write and produce the score — I decided to limit myself to three playing techniques: Spiccato, Pizzicato, and Legato/Sustained.
For the energetic Grind section, I chose to use a fast, repeating Spiccato pattern over a simple, pop chord progression. When putting string quartet with drums, one has to approach it very carefully. That pairing can very easily sound cheesy, and I wanted to be very sure that it didn’t. I wanted a cool, polished sound (and I HATE cheese). I used the work of Owen Pallett/Final Fantasy as inspiration, and took off. There’s a short melodic B section in the middle to break it up, before it returns to the driving rhythm of the A section. A section with no music follows.
Howard current project is in digital media, and the Hustle section gives us our first glimpse into the TriBeCa Flashpoint Academy. I wanted to reflect the dynamic of this digital environment, so this second section is our Pizzicato cue. A very fast, pointillistic, minimalist groove locks into one of Kevin’s “Idiotheque”-esque drum tracks. I think it’s an exciting texture that worked out beautifully. The drums drop out halfway through the cue, leaving Cello and Viola to lay down a quieter second pattern underneath Howard in the control room.
This segues directly into the Payoff. A mellower track, this third cue starts with Pizzicato Viola and Cello alone, joined by a simple line of descending thirds in the Violins. The drums drop in halfway through, as the Cello switches to long supportive lines, as we draw towards the inspirational ending.
This score created itself in about 4 total hours over a 12-hour period (the other 7 hours were sleep), and I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out.
I hope you enjoy Episode 3 of this excellent series!
Thanks for watching!
You can visit the official Trep Life website here.
You can follow Trep Life on Twitter here.
The second installment of Trep Life features eco-friendly fashion designer Lara Miller. I chose a classic Wurlitzer electric piano to use for Lara’s episode. I felt that it had the range to evoke the slick, glamorous world of the fashion industry, as well as a warm intimacy that I thought fit perfectly with Lara’s genuine and heartfelt responses. The episode opens (“The Grind”) with a photo shoot, accompanied by a fast-paced, clubby bass line. “The Hustle” takes us through some beautiful shots of Lara going for a run on a snowy Chicago winter day. The music slows down here, becoming more introspective and stark. A loop of Kevin playing the bass drum is the pulse for this section. The Wurli lays down a slow, minimalist groove, with sparse ambient guitar floating over the top. I found this section so moody and cool — especially having just lived through a Chicago winter myself — and I wanted the music to really capture that vibe.
Overall, this episode was a lot more melancholy than its predecessor, which ran at a frenetic pace. I had originally used the lick that now carries the entirety of “The Payoff” section as just a transition, returning instead to a very slow groove as I had done in Episode 1. [Director/Producer] Malachi asked if I could use that lick for the whole section instead, and it turned out to be the exact right call. The jaunty motive is cheery and optimistic, without being cheesy, and — with the addition of some electric guitar — blossoms into a chiming hopeful crescendo at the episode’s end.
Check it out!
You can visit the official Trep Life website here.
You can follow Trep Life on Twitter here.
