A Score To Settle

Hello again, everyone! On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by the brilliantly skilled composer Benji Merrison. Benji is based in London and has provided music across a wide spectrum of media, from TV to film, documentaries and art installations. His background includes both formal music schooling as well as music production and engineering. Some of Benji Merrison's previous projects include TV series for BBC 1 such as FORCES OF NATURE, DYNASTIES and GREEN PLANET. Today, I have welcomed him to my podcast to talk about his latest feature film score, for the action thriller SAS: RED NOTICE, directed by Magnus Martens. The soundtrack for SAS: RED NOTICE is available from Lakeshore Records.
 
Stay safe out there, wear a mask and take care of yourself and each other! 
 
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Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com 

Welcome back to the podcast! Marvelously proficient composer, arranger and songwriter Matthew Head joins me on this episode to discuss his background and diverse career. Matthew's soundtracks have garnered Grammy, Emmy, Peabody and NAACP awards and nominations, all while working from his home in Marietta, Georgia. His notable projects include TV series such as GREENLEAF (on OWN), Boomerang (on BET), THE FAMILY and P-VALLEY. Here I talk with Matthew about composing and arranging score and songs for the new Lifetime feature, ROBIN ROBERTS PRESENTS: MAHALIA, which details the life of gospel music legend Mahalia Jackson, starring Danielle Brooks and directed by Kenny Leon.
 
The soundtrack for ROBIN ROBERTS PRESENTS: MAHALIA, produced by Matthew Head, including both score and songs with performances by Danielle Brooks, is available from ABKCO Music & Records.
 
Stay safe out there, wear a mask and take care of yourself and each other! 
 
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
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Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com 
 

Hello all! In this new episode of the podcast, I am joined by the wonderfully innovative composer Grant Fonda. Grant has contributed music to various multi-media projects, including notable documentaries such as THE DATING PROJECT and the award-winning DOWN THE FENCE, and is graciously taking time to talk about his score for the new documentary feature film entitled THE HOUSE THAT ROB BUILT, which premiered in February 2021. THE HOUSE THAT ROB BUILT was directed by Jonathan Cipiti and Megan Harrington and focuses on the formation of women’s collegiate basketball in the state of Montana, specifically the Lady Griz basketball team as coached by Rob Selvig. Grant Fonda’s music is now available to purchase through the major streaming music services.
 
Stay safe out there, wear a mask and take care of yourself and each other! 
 
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
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Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com 
 
 
 

Welcome back, everyone! In this new episode, I talk with multi-talented composer Enis Rotthoff. Born in Berlin, Enis is a well established and distinct musical voice in German cinema and in recent years has been been cultivating a similarly impressive reputation here in the United States. He has composed music for diverse films such as GUNS AKIMBO and THE SUNLIT NIGHT and I'm pleased to welcome Enis to the podcast to discuss his latest feature, LOVE SARAH. Released in January 2021, LOVE SARAH was directed by Eliza Shroeder and is now available on all major streaming platforms. Rotthoff collaborated closely with director Eliza Schroeder on the score, recording the music with the Budapest Art Orchestra and also blending electronic sounds with acoustic instruments.
 
Stay safe out there, wear a mask, take care of yourself and each other! 
 
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
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Welcome to the first new episode of 2021! I am graciously joined once more by soundtrack album producer and editor Neil S. Bulk to review his projects from the previous year and discuss surprises, roadblocks and highlights along the way. Titles covered in this episode include THE KARATE KID II (1986) and THE KARATE KID III (1989), with music composed by Bill Conti, both available in deluxe editions released from La-La Land Records, completing the trilogy alongside their previous release of 1984's THE KARATE KID. 
 
Following on from this, we discuss HOFFA (David Newman), DARKMAN (Danny Elfman) and the 4-CD set of music from the Irwin Allen produced 1960's TV series VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. Next, we delve into MR. MOM (Lee Holdridge), JACOB'S LADDER (Maurice Jarre) and a batch of 1960's era Jerry Goldsmith scores presented on the new GOLDSMITH AT 20TH (formerly 20th Century Fox) series from the aforementioned La-La Land Records. Neil also adds comments about working on the recently expanded 2-CD edition of Goldsmith's final theatrical score, LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION, from 2003. 
 
Stay safe out there, wear a mask, take care of yourself and each other! 
 
Albums discussed now available at:
https://lalalandrecords.com/
https://www.quartetrecords.com/
https://www.varesesarabande.com/
 
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
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https://twitter.com/score2settlepod
 
Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com 
 

Welcome back, everyone! In this episode of the podcast, I am charting the musical journey of the popular TV series, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, which ran from 1987 to 1994. THE NEXT GENERATION, or TNG, was a syndicated sequel series to the beloved original STAR TREK series, the first spin-off in what is now a long-running media franchise. Personally, it happens to be my favorite TV series, it's what made me into a Star Trek fan and features some of my favorite music for television. 
 
The three primary composers on TNG were Dennis McCarthy, Ron Jones and Jay Chattaway. My aim, as with other installments in my "Listening To..." episodes, is to identify the hallmarks of the show's overall musical style, where each composer's sound represented this and differed and how the music evolved during its 7-year run. 
 
Stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other! 
 
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
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Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com 
 
 
 

Welcome to the next new episode of the podcast! It's been awhile since my last episode of this variety, being that it is split into two segments - the first focuses on a notable and favorite score of mine, followed by a segment that is a free-wheeling chat between myself and another soundtrack fan! 
Modernist composer Alex North's challenging, complex and arresting score for the 1981 dark fantasy film DRAGONSLAYER has long been considered memorable for the genre overall. I briefly present North's background before turning my attention to DRAGONSLAYER, its recurring themes and where it fits among his other epic scores.
Afterwards, I talk with a fellow movie music fan and my good friend for more than 25 years, Todd Smith. He shares what scores caught his attention, becoming a soundtrack collector, what makes this music memorable and many mentions of James Horner's music. The beginning of our own friendship is revealed as well, all thanks to the early days of Film Score Monthly.
Stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other! 
 
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
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Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com 
 

Welcome back, everyone! This is part two of my investigation into music of the popular cop/action film series, LETHAL WEAPON, composed by Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton and David Sanborn, and its fusion of rock, blues and orchestral stylings. In part one, I focused on the original, released in 1987, and the first sequel, along with presenting contextual examples from scores for police and detective movies which preceded this series. Here, I continue on into LETHAL WEAPON 3 (1992) and LETHAL WEAPON 4 (1998) while for context I touch upon other scores by Michael Kamen from around the same time period. In the late 1980's and throughout much of the 90's, Kamen's stirring approach of orchestral acrobatics defined the sound of cinematic action, including genre highlights such as DIE HARD, HUDSON HAWK and ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES. 
 
Stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other! 
 
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
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Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com 
 

Welcome to the next new episode! In another of my "Listening To" series, I am exploring the music of the popular cop/action film series, LETHAL WEAPON, which appeared onscreen in 1987 in its initial installment and then wrapped up in 1998 with LETHAL WEAPON 4. The core cast and crew remained mostly the same throughout the entire production, with Richard Donner as director, superstars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover headlining and music composed by Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton and David Sanborn. Specifically, Clapton and Sanborn provided wonderful tonal color via their respective solo instruments, guitar (acoustic, blues, electric) and saxophone. 
 
I open by spotlighting some examples of music for cop & detective movies that preceded LETHAL WEAPON, noting how the styles moved from dissonant, dark orchestral turmoil to downtrodden, lonely sounds that often incorporated popular trends of the time, such as blues, jazz, funk and synth elements. I aim to provide some context for where the LETHAL WEAPON scores both follow this model and chart a new path, the latter through recurring character themes and motifs. 
 
Everyone stay safe out there, take care of yourself and each other! 
 
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
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Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com 
 

Soundtrack album producer and editor Neil S. Bulk returns as an honored guest to the podcast to discuss several of his notable film score restorations completed during 2019. He shares behind-the-scenes information and anecdotes from wonderful projects he guided last year for fan favorite record labels, including La-La Land Records, Quartet Records and Varese Sarabande. I ask Neil about his efforts on the 5-disc PLANET OF THE APES box set, which collects all music from the original five films in the beloved franchise.
 
In addition, we chat about eagerly anticipated expanded album releases such as THE SWARM, THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY and U.S. MARSHALS, all composed by Jerry Goldsmith, THE KARATE KID by Bill Conti and STARGATE by David Arnold. We also spend some time talking James Horner's lush score for LEGENDS OF THE FALL from 1994, and its expanded edition from Intrada Records. This interview was conducted on April 17, 2020. Stay safe and healthy, everyone!
 
Find these albums available at:
https://lalalandrecords.com/
https://www.quartetrecords.com/
http://store.intrada.com/
http://www.kritzerland.com/
https://www.varesesarabande.com/
 
Connect with the podcast on Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/ascoretosettle
https://twitter.com/score2settlepod
 
Email the show at ascoretosettlepodcast@gmail.com