WRITING
From long, ponderous prose set in far away fantasy lands to compelling literary reportage to sardonic media reviews to technical writing to straight journalism, I continue to write for purpose and pleasure. Here are a few examples.
MUSIC
I've been an active musician most of my life. I've toured nationally, I play multiple instruments, I have produced and engineered albums of all genres, and I continue to create soundtracks and soundscapes for film and games. Here are a few examples.
A Minimalist Approach
Creating the Soundtrack for Mystic Searches
(Clip from The New 8-bit Heroes documentary)
How does one take epic orchestrations and whittle them down into the four voice chiptune music of retro video games? Start by realizing you can't jettison that emotional core of music creation. With commentary by chiptune artists Jake Kauffman (Shovel Knight) and Brendan Becker (Inverse Phase), this is how it starts.
From Simple Melody to Orchestration
Realizing the Soundtrack for Mystic Searches
First, conceptualized on piano. Second, compressed down to what can fit in an 8-bit, chip tune package within the memory constraints of an archaic game cartridge. Third, exploded into a full orchestration. This arrangement is an amalgam of the Myrindin Themes in three movements.
This one goes to eleven.
Eat Your Neighbors - Death of the Heroes
(live at Run For Your Lives)
I have been playing in rock bands since before I was old enough to drive a car. Eat Your Neighbors was a rock band out of Baltimore that achieved moderate success. We put out a few albums, we toured nationally, and we got to perform with bands such as The Toadies and the Misfits. This video is from one of our last performances, though there is always the possibility of reunions and new material.
Melodic Personification
Brush - a Film by Brandon Hyde
Composition
For this scene, it was all about matching the mood. I wanted accent the jump cuts to emulate the frenetic nature of the character's introspection and ultimate consonant resolution of the character. Each component got a complementary motif with its own instrumentation.
Magnifying Vulnerability
Catching Junior Tate - "Ma Tate" Scene
Composition
For this scene, I tried to balance melody and atmosphere to magnify the moment of vulnerability experienced by the main character. Dancing with the cadence and mood of the dialog, I tried to echo each sentiment in the consequent open space with minimalist, improvised guitar.
The Hero's Journey in Song Form
Triumvirate for Peace
Composition
Mr Forest Whitaker, world-famous actor and social activist, was designated as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation. I composed this orchestral accompaniment to complement his messaging for this motion design video. My concept was to recreate the heroes journey melodically in 90 seconds.