In the film Emerald Texas, a moment of auto larceny slash teenage self assertion is accompanied by this spirited folk-rock cue. Guitars and mandolin are courtesy of Kyle Johnson and vocals are by Enrique Acosta. (My backing vocals may also be buried in the mix.)
I’ve been busy with a number of projects over the past few months, so I thought I’d do a quick roundup here.
I recently finished scoring filmmaker George Adams’ latest feature, Lady Usher. A modern setting of Edgar Allen Poe’s classic Fall of the House of Usher, the film was as macabre and dark as you’d expect — but with a redemptive arc that elevates it beyond a mere creepy vignette. We recorded a fantastic string quartet here in Los Angeles, supplemented by acoustic steel and nylon string guitar, giving the music a organic but intimate texture. I couldn’t be happier with the results and look forward to sharing the music with everyone.
On the interactive entertainment side, in recent months I scored my second VR game for Occulus. The title is undergoing some re-branding and will be formally launched in January, so mum’s the word at the moment. I wrote a larger-than-life orchestral score in a “dark fairytale” vein with an undercurrent of humor, matching the tone of the game itself.
At present I’m composing my next commissioned piece involving the guzheng, or chinese zither. Commissioned by the Ames Town & Gown Chamber Music society, the piece will combine the traditional Western sound of the string quartet with the traditional Eastern sound of the guzheng. I’m delighted that Su Chang (soloist in all my guzheng pieces so far) will be lending her talents to the piece, along with the renowned Telegraph Quartet. The piece will have its world premiere in Ames, IA on the first of May in 2020. Check out the Town & Gown website for more details.
Also coming up in 2020, and also in the “I can’t talk about it… yet” file is my next game score for DESTINYbit. (I collaborated with them recently on the retro RTS game Empires Apart.) This promises to be a really unique game project, and I’m looking forward to approaching it musically.
That’s the latest and greatest on the music-for-media front. You can get more regular updates on my various social media sites (whose links you can find on this page). More news as events warrant.
A teary-eyed moment late in the film Emerald, Texas. Here I chose to gave the cue’s main melody to the viola rather than violin. The viola has a more raw and less polished sound than its more celebrated soprano sibling, and I felt that a touch of raw longing was just what the scene needed.
Happy Thanksgiving to the American followers of this blog!
The music for the final scene of Emerald, Texas has a happy-go-lucky vibe, with whistling over guitars leading to a finale for piano and strings. However, the film’s denouement is more complex than this cheerful cue suggests!
In one scene from the film Emerald, Texas, protagonist Dee pauses for reflection while her more carefree friends play in a parking lot. Like much of the score, this cue mixes acoustic guitar with strings to reflect both contemporary Americana and the Wizard of Oz parallels of the story.
Guitar performances by Kyle Johnson.
