Jeff Rona Interview at Apple.com

The great-white-marketing-machine rolleth on!

Apple has recently posted an interview with compoer JEFF RONA (WHITESQUALL, SLOW BURN). In it, Rona talks about his use of Apple products and how such technology has revolutionized film and film music.

“I use the Mac to make mock-ups of my musical vision. It is literally how I speak to my colleagues. I can’t use words. I have to use what they are going to hear.”

It's nice to see more coverage for film music composers as, a couple years ago, Apple also interviewed composer DANNY ELFMAN.

Read the JEFF RONA interview here

Read the DANNY ELFMAN interview here

Milan Records to release STONED with music from David Arnold

MILAN RECORDS TO RELEASE THE SOUNDTRACK TO STEPHEN WOOLLEY'S NEW FILM, STONED

Featuring exclusive tracks by A Band of Bees, music by The Counterfeit Stones, Jefferson Airplane, The Small Faces, Haley Glennie Smith, and a mesmerizing score by David Arnold.

"We were beginning to sense that more and more people were getting sick of traditional jazz and they were looking around for something different" Brian Jones, 1962

Burbank, CA - March 14, 2006: Milan Records is proud to release the exciting soundtrack to the future cult film, Stoned. Stephen Woolley's film tells the story of the roller coaster life of Brian Jones, the original Rolling Stone who passed away in very shady circumstances - magnificently interpreted by Leo Gregory. Stoned is not a bio flick about The Rolling Stones, but an original and twisted testimony of the genius of one of the 20th century's most amazing musicians, and an investigation into the mysterious death of this legendary guitarist. This is a tale of sex, drugs and Rock & Roll. Stoned does not throw any punches in its investigation of the death of Brian Jones, but rather reflects on his hectic relationship with the band members, his manager, and his paramour, Anita Pallenberg.

The soundtrack to Stoned is a musical achievement. It is not a compilation of Rolling Stones' songs, but a well-conceived album that on one hand reflects the musical mood of an era, and on the other hand is a tribute to the sound of Brian Jones. The album starts strongly with an amazing cover of Little Red Rooster by The Counterfeit Stones. The album's highlights are four songs by A Band of Bees, one of the most successful British rock bands of last year. From the homage to the Stones in Stop Breaking Down with its Blues-influenced riffs and rhythms to the soulful and mellow Time is on my Side, A Band of Bees has genuinely recaptured the various dimensions of 60's music: rock and roll, ballad, psychedelic rock, glamour rock.... It's all there in the Stoned soundtrack, which also features White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane, Lazy Sunday by The Small Faces, Love in Vain by Haley Glennie-Smith, and many others. Stoned is an eclectic album ranging from rock to pop, from blues to psychedelic. This is a musical journey through an era as multidimensional as its icon, Brian Jones.

The album also features a beautiful score by composer David Arnold that underpins and enhances the dramatic flow of the film. David Arnold's superb compositions and arrangements provide a portal for a modern audience to look back to a world that no longer exists. He created a score both sinister and melodic to mirror and contrast the narrative and character development. Stephen Woolley is the acclaimed producer of films such as Breakfast On Pluto, The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire, The End of the Affair... Stoned is his debut as a director. As music is Stephen's first passion, he decided to direct this film on his own and give his unique and passionate perspective on a man who was a musical genius, a visionary, a fashion icon and a complex character whose demons overwhelmed his dedication to his art. The bittersweet and provocative tone of the film is not a glorification of 60's glamour, but a nostalgic look into the sacrificed existence of a man who could have graced the world with outstanding music and formed the super-group he was dreaming to put together with John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix.

Tracklist

Little Red Rooster - The Counterfeit Stones
Stop Breaking Down - A Band of Bees
Lazy Sunday - The Small Faces
White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
Paper Sun - Traffic
Devil in Me - 22-20s
Love in Vain - Haley Glennie-Smith
Brian's Joint - David Arnold
Ballad of a Thin Man - Kula Shaker
Out of Control - David Arnold
Come on in my Kitchen - Haley Glennie-Smith
The Last Time - A Band of Bees
Pool Fight - David Arnold
Love in Vain - Paul Butler and Little Barrie
Angel / Devil - David Arnold
Not Fade Away - A Band of Bees
Time is on my Side - A Band of Bees
Stop Breakin' Down Blues - Robert Johnson


Purchase STONED here:

DOOGAL by Mark Thomas, James L. Venable, John M. Davis, Danail Getz

In the score-by-committee-style made famous or infamous by the many of the old Media Ventures affiliates, comes Doogal, an early 3-D animated entry for 2006.

For Doogal, veteran composer James L. Venable combines talents with the likes of Mark Thomas, Danail Gets and John M. Davis. The general timbre of the score ranges from the clearly comedic to interestingly dramatic to some downright thrilling action pieces.

For the film music fan, it is unfortunate that the soundtrack also includes enough pop songs to resurrect the career of Dick Clark! These songs are scattered throughout the disc and makes for a more difficult listen than need be. The other unfortunate thing is that most of the tracks containing the entertaining score are under two minutes each - many of which are close to only 1 minute! A nicely edited suite would have been a nice addition.

Fans of John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams work for projects such as Chicken Run, Shrek and Shrek 2 should find the score an entertaining listen... and a little playlist editing will give the listener a few minutes of pleasurable score indulgence.

Tracksounds Rating: 6/10

Purchase DOOGAL here:

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST - Symphony coming to Arkansas

OSCAR NOMINATED SCORE TO THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST BECOMES THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST SYMPHONY ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY MAY 6 IN NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR Conducted by Academy Award nominee John Debney

(Los Angeles, CA) Film composer John Debney brings his Passion of the Christ Symphony based on his Oscar-nominated score for the film to North Little Rock's Alltell Arena on Sat., May 6, 7 p.m.. Debney will conduct over 200 musicians performing his inspiring work, which made its worldwide premiere last July at Rome's Saint Cecilia Arena and ended with a 15 minute standing ovation. Tickets are available now at $41.75, $51.75, or for premium seats at $76.75. With purchase of a premium seat, audience members will be invited to a "Meet & Greet" with John Debney and vocal soloists and will also receive a copy of The Passion of the Christ Symphony. Group tickets are available for $25 on orders of 15 tickets or more and also receive a pair of complimentary tickets.

Tickets are available by phone or online by calling 501-975-7575 or logging onto www.ticketmaster.com .

Under Debney's direction, the performance will feature a full orchestra, ethnic and ancient instruments such as duduk, bamboo flute, and Japanese taiko drums. A visual arts presentation will accompany the show featuring images of artwork and photography highlighting key moments in the music. According to Debney, "The Passion of the Christ Symphony is something I have wanted to do ever since I composed the musical score to Mel Gibson's film."
Referring to the music, director/producer Mel Gibson commented, "This score, with its mix of ethnic authenticity and symphonic sweetness, propels the images to a higher, almost lyrical plane. It had to be an extraordinary piece of work, something that helped the images. It had to tell a lot. John made my film 10 times better."

The RIAA Gold Certified "The Passion of the Christ" original soundtrack recording on Sony Music/Integrity topped Billboard's Soundtrack Chart its first full week of sales and remained number one for weeks. The film has grossed over half a billion dollars at the box office worldwide.

John Debney is one of the most successful composers in Hollywood. Last year, he became the youngest recipient of ASCAP's Henry Mancini lifetime achievement award. Debney's diverse list of film credits includes Sin City, Elf, Chicken Little, The Scorpion King, Bruce Almighty and Spy Kids. Debney utilizes his classical training along with a strong knowledge of contemporary sounds in order to adapt to his assignments.

Order Your Tickets : http://www.ticketmaster.com/.

Order The Passion of the Christ Original Soundtrack from Amazon.com

V FOR VENDETTA by Dario Marianelli clips online!

The official site of one of the year's most anticipated films, V FOR VENDETTA, has just posted several clips from the upcoming soundtrack.

As most know, the film was delayed from releasing at the close of 2005, and now is scheduled to hit theaters in just over one week. The clips seems to give a good idea of the overall soundtrack, qwerky pop songs included.

Still, there are a couple moments from DARIO MARIANELLI's score that seem to hold some promise.

Check out the clips here!

Or Pre-order V for Vendetta by Dario Marianelli from Amazon.com

2005 Cue Awards - The Best in Soundtracks Now Online

While congratulations are in order for Gustavo Santaolalla for winning "Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)" for his work for BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, Tracksounds is proud to award our "annual-with-a-few-years-in-between-awards," The Cues, out today.

This years awards include: Best Score for Television, Best Score for Video Game, Composer of the Year, Surprise of the Year, Disappointment of the Year, Best Cue as Heard in Film, Record Label of the Year...and much more!

Nominees include: KING KONG, THE GREAT RAID, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, SAHARA, KAMEO: THE ELEMENTS OF POWER, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, CORPSE BRIDE, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, THE LEGEND OF ZORRO, WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, BATMAN BEGINS...and others.

Visit the 2005 Cue Awards!