It was a real pleasure working with Robin Esterhammer and Perseverance Records on this album titled Forsaken Themes From Fantastic Films, Vol. 1: Tears in Rain. Part of it is a new production of the unused film score for the 1987 horror film Hellraiser. Christopher Young wrote the brilliant soundtrack that ended up in the film. A band named Coil wrote a synth score prior which went unused. I transcribed it in excruciating detail, and Ryan Dodson produced it beautifully. It’s a substantial improvement over the 1987 synths, and Coil’s music might have made it into the film if it sounded like this back then!
Matt Cook recording session in Prague
Today Matt Cook and I had a very good recording session with the orchestra in Prague. Matt is working on an ambitious demo project and has written a lot of really interesting music. I’m orchestrating and doing score prep for him, but also coaching him a bit on orchestration. I’ll be doing the music mixes later on also.
Matt travelled to Prague for the session and I stayed in Los Angeles. In the past I have produced sessions both in person and remotely, but this was my first time co-producing a session when one of us was there and one of us was not. It took a bit of getting used to, but it worked well in the end.
The orchestra in Prague sounds really good. When I first used them perhaps 12-14 years ago they were notably weaker, and it took 4 hours there to accomplish what we could do in 3 in LA. They have closed that gap almost entirely, and at 60% the cost of LA or Nashville it’s unfortunately hard to justify keeping the money in our own local music economy.
Recording the score for Gosnell
I was the orchestrator, music copyist, and conductor during the recording sessions for the film Gosnell: America’s Biggest Serial Killer. I worked with composer Boris Zelkin, and we had the good fortune to work with a fantastic union orchestra in Oklahoma City at Castle Row Studios. The score was almost entirely orchestral, and there are many more recording session photos here.
Worlds first reggae schlager
One of the most unique albums I have worked on is coming out new years day!
Viola Steffens, the well known actress and musician, hits the scene again with this surprising reinterpretation of Hildegard Knef’s music. A German citizen who has lived in Los Angeles for almost two decades, Steffens is uniquely able to deliver a German-Californian fusion that completely transcends the originals.
Composer, orchestrator, and producer Jeremy Borum is a California native and has toured the world extensively in both classical and rock-reggae contexts. He completely re-imagined the old classic songs and created the first ever fusion of German Schlager and California rock-reggae.
In a genre dominated by male leads, Steffens and Borum have created the first ever rock-reggae-schlager led by a woman: an island-ready, feel-good, German-Californian, neo-classic style.
Time Machine Rock Opera
The Time Machine is a new rock opera written by Los Angeles based composer Steve Altman, and I am the music copyist and keyboard player. We have been playing throughout June at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and our closing night was standing room only, sold out to 120% of capacity. It was a great run and I look forward to orchestrating the music when the show takes a bigger stage.
Recording Vanessa Jourdan
I have had the pleasure of recording and producing Vanessa Jourdan over the last month or so, and today we finished all of the guitar and vocal tracks for her new album. She KILLED it today in my studio. I really love her voice and it is a pleasure to produce such a fantastic talent. This girl can SING! We caught the final vocal takes for two songs on video today, a sneak preview of her upcoming album.
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- Vanessa Jordan in my recording studio
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- Vanessa Jordan in my recording studio
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- Vanessa Jordan in my recording studio
Recording Shantell Ogden
Shantell Ogden, a singer/songwriter based in Nashville, came out to LA in part to record some tracks with me at my studio. We are laying the foundation for a new album called Better At Goodbye, which will come out late this year. She’s a great song writer and it was a pleasure to record, produce, and play for her.
Composer’s salon performance in Venice
Today I will give world premieres of some contemporary classical pieces for piano and voice at a composer’s salon in Venice Beach. Hosted by Kubilay Üner, the event is a European style salon in which composers can present and discuss the creation of music. The songs are new works by composer Mark Abel, with whom I produced the album Dream Gallery.
Dream Gallery on Amazon’s Hot New Releases
The orchestral album I orchestrated and produced with composer Mark Abel, Dream Gallery, has been in the top 20 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases list for more than a month now, and today we made it up to #2. I’m flattered, proud, and a little surprised all at the same time.