16
April 2010
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Cue of the Week: “The First Wave”

A raucous, guitar-and-drums based action cue. No fancy thematic development here; this one just starts at a run and keeps going. Guitar courtesy of sublime axe-wielder Tom Strahle.


(Click on the play button to stream, or the cue title to download.)

The First Wave
 

22
March 2010
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“Santa Monica” now available on ITunes, Amazon

Michael has collaborated with recording artist Natalie Nicole Gilbert to produce a pop ballad, Santa Monica. The song is now available as a single most major online music vendors, including iTunes and Amazon.com. It will also be included in the forthcoming The Best of Natalie Nicole Gilbert.


Natalie Nicole Gilbert

“It was a really relaxing and refreshing departure to work on someone else’s lyrics and composition for a change – in someone else’s studio, with someone else mixing it all down. No buttons to push, no meters to watch, no finger to lift on an instrument. Offering vocals to it felt a bit like contributing eggs to the batter: a small, messy contribution that’s simply pulling together all the more important elements. Thankfully, Mike knew just how to bake the dynamics. In my hands, I would have set off the fire alarm, for sure. ;)”

19
March 2010
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Cue of the Week: “Defeat and Resolve”

I’d originally imagined this cue’s introductory solo on trumpet, this being the traditional “sad military” sound. In a fit of what I like to consider inspiration, I switched it to solo bassoon, giving the melody a more ethereal tone. (I’ll also admit being a stickler for the underdog, and the bassoon definitely qualifies in that regard.)

Eventually the music becomes proud and brassy, so perhaps it’s best that I featured the soft instrument while it was still audible!


(Click on the play button to stream, or the cue title to download.)

Defeat and Resolve
 

12
March 2010
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Cue of the Week: “The Hospital”

Part of the same dramatic sequence as “A Lost Brother”, this week’s selection is a dark and sobering cue featuring orchestra, piano, and mallet percussion.

I’m fond of the often-underutilized low registers of mallet percussion instruments. Here the vibraphone, normally something we might normally consider jazzy or relaxing, takes on a subtle ominous character when played in its low register. The harp, played similarly in the bottom of its range, makes for a nice (and creepy) complement.

(Click on the play button to stream, or the cue title to download.)

The Hospital
 

05
March 2010
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Cue of the Week: “Anvil Cloud”

This week’s selection is a rock groove with an aggressive and almost ponderous momentum to it. If pressed to characterize the emotional mood, I’d probably say “bulldozery”.

(Click on the play button to stream, or the cue title to download.)

Anvil Cloud
 

Morituri Te Salutant // Michael Gordon Shapiro - Highlights
  1. Morituri Te Salutant // Michael Gordon Shapiro - Highlights
  2. Emerald, Texas // Highlights
  3. Mythic Battle // Highlights
  4. The Yard Sale // Michael Gordon Shapiro - Highlights
  5. Investigations // Highlights
  6. Home Room // Highlights
  7. Sands of Arabia // Highlights
  8. Spider Cult // Highlights
  9. Poker Night // Highlights