Location: Derby, United Kingdom

Member since: August 5, 2010

Tracks in portfolio on MusicRevolution.com: 289 (click here to hear all tracks) http://www.musicrevolution.com/search?artist=326

–Background—Alex Plowright of 4 Seasons Music is a freelance composer from the UK Midlands. He graduated from Oxford University with a BA in music. Alex specializes in techniques of composition, performance and orchestration. He began playing the piano aged 7, and started composing at 13, for a local theatre company. Alex began composing professionally once he left university, quickly gaining my first TV credit with a documentary series on BBC World.

–High profile projects or clients you have worked for?

Recently I have written custom music for Coca Cola, Nokia and Crayola. I spend most of my time writing library music, which has found its way onto everything from bra adverts to ‘The Apprentice’.

–Primary instrument?

My main instrument is the piano, which I have played for over 20 years, and I also play a bit of guitar.

–Favorite music-making piece of gear or software you currently use?

My favourite piece of software is the ProjectSAM Symphobia libraries, which are great if you need a cinematic orchestral sound.

–Piece of gear or software you wish you owned?

Eventually I would like to get a Yamaha silent baby grand piano – they have a headphone socket so that you can practice without annoying other people.

–Film score or song you admire? Why?

I used to be obsessed with Vangelis, whose soundtracks inspired me to become a composer. My favourite of his is Bladerunner. I liked the way that a perfectly cinematic score could be created just using synthesizers, and it still sounds pretty futuristic to my ears. I’m also a fan of Bernard Herrmann and John Barry.

–Music education background?

I have a music degree from Oxford University, but I concentrated on the history and theory of music. I’m a self-taught composer and producer.

–Most embarrassing music-related moment?

I once sneezed into my saxophone during a school band rendition of ‘Silent Night’, which produced the sound of an angry Christmas goose.

–Moment you first knew you would be a musician?

Due to my poor sight-reading skills, I had to teach myself how to play by ear… I spent ages playing TV and video game music from memory, and when I realized I’d effectively gained perfect pitch I thought I should put it to good use by composing.

–Advice you would give to a younger family member interested in a music career?

I would stress the importance of learning how to mix and master properly, and to create backups of all of your work.

–Five songs or albums you’d take with you to a desert island?

Serge Gainsbourg – Initials SG
The Olivia Tremor Control – Black Foliage: Animation Music
The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema
Moon – Without Earth and the Moon
The Microphones – The Glow Pt. 2

–If you could master another instrument, what would it be?

If I could go back in time I would have chosen an inconspicuous orchestral instrument like the bassoon. (There weren’t many opportunities to hang out with other musicians if you weren’t in an orchestra at university.) These days I would rather master the guitar.

–Favorite time of day to work in your studio?

I find that the early hours of the morning are my most creative time. I don’t seem to have a body clock, so I often work at bizarre hours.

–Any studio collaboration you experienced that stands out in your mind?

I don’t really have much studio experience… My band once recorded some songs for a student on the most famous music production course in the UK, but the analogue tape reels malfunctioned and recorded us at slightly different speeds, so the end result was unlistenable.

–Some of your favorite tracks that you would want us to feature in the blog.

“Roy G. Biv”

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=45143

“Banana”

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=45071

“Making Progress”, if you need an uplifting indie track that works well in charity and corporate videos.

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=45116

‘Numerator Seven’, which is in an unusual 7/8 time signature.

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=45017

‘Chasing Rabbits’, a bouncy chamber music track in the style of Michael Nyman.

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=45080

We thank Alex for sharing some of his musical background with us and for contributing his tracks to MusicRevolution.com, the Royalty-Free Music Marketplace. The next time you need uplifting instrumental music in a range of styles, including classical, ambient and minimalist styles, check out 4 Seasons Music on MusicRevolution.com.

________________________________________________________________________

Chris Cardell is the co-founder of MusicRevolution.com http://www.musicrevolution.com, a royalty-free music marketplace with nearly 29,000 tracks online where media producers, video producers, filmmakers, game developers, advertisers, businesses and other music buyers can license high-quality, affordable royalty-free music from an online community of professional musicians. MusicRevolution.com also provides custom music production and custom music streams. The entire MusicRevolution.com production music library is available for third-party distribution and bulk licensing for background music for retail, restaurants and businesses, and for other commercial applications. Cardell has been involved with digital content and E-Commerce since the mid-1990’s.

Location: Dublin, Ohio, U.S.A.

Member since: March 26, 2010

Tracks in portfolio on MusicRevolution.com: 222 (click here to hear all tracks) http://www.musicrevolution.com/search?artist=155

–Background—Stephen Bashaw of Sonic Imagery has been a composer for media for over 25 years. Sonic Imagery’s music includes 20+ categories of themes and underscores for use in a range of media applications.

–High profile projects or clients you have worked for? – Discovery Channel, Honda, Foot-Joy, Nationwide, USA Today, TNT. “The Bucket List” – Feature Film

–Primary instrument?  Keyboards

–Favorite music-making piece of gear or software you currently use? Symphobia Orchestral Samples

–Piece of gear or software you wish you owned? Cinesamples – Their entire series 🙂

–Film score or song you admire? Why?  Any score by James Newton Howard going all the way back to The Fugitive. I thought he captured the mood of that film perfectly.

–Music education background?  Bachelors Degree in Jazz Composition

–Memorable “Aha!” moment during your musical education? The first time I played an original song for the band I was in and everyone liked it.

–Most embarrassing music-related moment?   A piano recital where I had practiced a Bach piece so many times that when I performed it I drew a blank halfway through the performance. I then tried to make something up to finish the piece.

–If you had a time machine and could record or perform once with any artist, who would it be?   Chicago in the early 1970s.

–Moment you first knew you would be a musician?  Not sure, I guess from an early age I never thought about “not” being a musician.

–Advice you would give to a younger family member interested in a music career?  Find your place in the music world where you fit artistically and philosophically. Be true to yourself.

–If you could master another instrument, what would it be?  Guitar

–Favorite time of day to work in your studio?  Mornings.

–Some of your favorite tracks that you would want us to feature in the blog. 

“Sophisticated Swing”, if you needa jazzy show piece– http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=3023

“Bubblegummin” if you need an energetic, fun, pop rock track —                     http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=3089

“World of Hope”, if you need a moving, inspirational track–

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=3229

We thank Stephen for sharing some of his musical background with us and for contributing his tracks to MusicRevolution.com, the Royalty-Free Music Marketplace. The next time you need retro 1960s, World or Cinematic genres, check out Sonic Imagery’s music on MusicRevolution.com.

________________________________________________________________________

Chris Cardell is the co-founder of MusicRevolution.com http://www.musicrevolution.com, a royalty-free music marketplace with nearly 29,000 tracks online where media producers, video producers, filmmakers, game developers, advertisers, businesses and other music buyers can license high-quality, affordable royalty-free music from an online community of professional musicians. MusicRevolution.com also provides custom music production and custom music streams. The entire MusicRevolution.com production music library is available for third-party distribution and bulk licensing for background music for retail, restaurants and businesses, and for other commercial applications. Cardell has been involved with digital content and E-Commerce since the mid-1990’s.

Most music fans in 2014 can’t imagine a fight breaking out between the notes written on a musical score and the digital recording of a vocalist singing those notes. That’s a stupid distinction – and it would be weird fight to watch. To most listeners, it’s just…the melody. Without Frank Sinatra, the intro to “New York, New York” is just black dots on a page. And without those black dots the best use of Frank’s time at that 1979 recording session would have been to just lay down and sleep off the bourbon.

But for decades that exact line has existed between the RIAA, representing the artists who sing your favorite hits, and ASCAP, representing the composers and lyricists who write those hits. And it’s been working. RIAA makes money whenever the songs are digitally downloaded while ASCAP earns money whenever the songs are played on TV or radio.

However, with the advent of internet streaming, Napster and the fact that no one buys whole records anymore, both organizations have recently been picking fights in the courts and in Congress; and sometimes with each other. In this blog series I’ll explain these scuffles through the perspective of the artists who play guitar much better than the government appointees who shall soon be making big decisions about song royalties.

Before I go further, let’s define some terms for this series:

“Publishers” shall mean composers and lyricists who spend time at pianos, coffee shops, jam sessions and wine cellars racking their brains for the perfect melody, heartbreaking lyric and perfect chord structure. They do not look great on camera. Their voices are just ok. They’re grouchy and prefer to stay behind the scenes. Those composers/lyricists are represented by business people. Those business people are called publishers. Publishers are represented in Congress by ASCAP.

“Labels” shall mean vocalists and producers who don’t have time to focus on the minutiae of melody structure and lyrical perspective. Instead they spend their time choosing the best songs for that artist to sing. They focus on getting a great performance out of the singer. Perhaps most importantly, they cover the recording and marketing costs required to get the best possible representation of that song out into the public at large. Record labels, to whom those singers/producers are contractually obligated, own anything those artists/producers record. Labels are represented in Congress by the RIAA.

Is this is a gross over-simplification? Yes. Do record labels sometimes also act as the publisher? Yes. Do publishers sometimes act as the record label? Yes. Do artists who see no distinction between the writing process and the recording process (i.e. Prince) think this system is ridiculous? Surely.
But for now, think of “publishers” as the people who write the dialog for the movie. And think of “labels” as the actors and directors who film the story. One cannot live without the other.

Now that that’s been established, let the war stories begin. In the next installment of this series I’ll explain how a 1941 government ruling forced publishers to give Pandora a bargain it didn’t want to give. Stay tuned.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Mike Bielenberg is a professional musician and co-founder of http://www.musicrevolution.com, a production music marketplace with over 28,000 tracks online where media producers, video producers, filmmakers, game developers, businesses and other music buyers can license high-quality, affordable royalty-free music from an online community of musicians mbielenberg@musicrevolution.com.

The acoustic guitar is widely used in many musical genres. No instrument conveys friendliness like the acoustic guitar. We wanted to highlight some of the excellent royalty-free acoustic guitar music available on MusicRevolution.com (www.musicrevolution.com) that could be used for film, TV, video, advertising campaigns, media productions, background music and a range of other applications. We have an amazing selection of royalty-free acoustic guitar music.

MusicRevolution.com has a number of CDs, available in both physical and download CD formats, with hand-selected royalty-free music tracks. We assembled an outstanding collection of royalty-free acoustic guitar music on “Acoustic Guitar, Vol. 1” —

http://www.musicrevolution.com/cd_details/acoustic_guitar_vol_1/

The royalty-free acoustic guitar tracks on this CD come in a variety of tempos and keys but all contain a certain kind of warmth that can only be created with a well-crafted, well-played six string acoustic guitar. In addition to the CD, these acoustic guitar tracks can be purchased as individual tracks as well. This is a collection of royalty-free acoustic guitar tracks that is worth checking out.

A search on MusicRevolution.com for “acoustic guitar” yields over 4,800 royalty-free music tracks where the acoustic guitar is used—

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?keyword=acoustic+guitar&application=0&mood=0&genre=0&instrument=0&influence=&vocals=1&results=20&x=21&y=5

A search for “acoustic guitar solo” yields the following 21 royalty-free music tracks—

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?keyword=acoustic+guitar+solo&application=0&mood=0&genre=0&instrument=0&influence=&vocals=1&results=20&x=47&y=6

A search for “classical guitar” yields the following 62 royalty-free music tracks—

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?keyword=classical+guitar&application=0&mood=0&genre=0&instrument=0&influence=&vocals=1&results=20&x=0&y=0

A search for “jazz guitar” yields the following 40 royalty-free music tracks—

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?keyword=jazz+guitar&application=0&mood=0&genre=0&instrument=0&influence=&vocals=1&results=20&x=48&y=9

A search for “folk guitar” yields the following 14 royalty-free music tracks—

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?keyword=folk+guitar&application=0&mood=0&genre=0&instrument=0&influence=&vocals=1&results=20&x=48&y=3

A search for “Spanish guitar” yields the following 73 royalty-free music tracks—

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?keyword=spanish+guitar&application=0&mood=0&genre=0&instrument=0&influence=&vocals=1&results=20&x=34&y=7

And for background music for your retail establishment, restaurant, business, fitness club or website, MusicRevolution.com’s Internet Music Stream offers nine unique playlists that provide a continuous stream of royalty-free background music for your commercial environment. MusicRevolution’s Internet Music Stream playlist includes an “Acoustic Vibes” playlist that provides a stream of continuous acoustic guitar music—

http://www.musicrevolution.com/music_streams

With nearly 29,000 tracks of royalty-free music online in our production music library, there are many other possible music choices to set the right mood for your film, video, ad campaign, media project, background music or on hold music on MusicRevolution.com.

MusicRevolution.com has some of the best royalty-free music available anywhere.

______________________________________________________________________________

Chris Cardell is the co-founder of MusicRevolution.com http://www.musicrevolution.com, a royalty-free music marketplace with nearly 29,000 tracks online where media producers, video producers, filmmakers, game developers, advertisers, businesses and other music buyers can license high-quality, affordable royalty-free music from an online community of professional musicians. MusicRevolution.com also provides custom music production and custom music streams. The entire MusicRevolution.com production music library is available for third-party distribution and bulk licensing for background music for retail, restaurants and businesses, and for other commercial applications. Cardell has been involved with digital content and E-Commerce since the mid-1990’s.

The longer I work in advertising, the more respect I gain for ad agency account executives who succeed at getting good creative pushed up through the chain of command. Oh to be a fly on the wall when the newly appointed chief marketing officer tries to explain the virtues of self-deprecation – on national television at a cost of millions per day – to the chief financial officer.

So what happens when that conversation doesn’t go well? What happens when the creative team must deliver a great spot when no one can agree on the text?

Enter the “image” spot. As a music producer, I loved getting these phone calls. “Our original idea didn’t make it. We’ve kind of given up. If we just give you a montage of images can you score something cool under it?” You bet I can, client. Tell the voice-over guy to stay home.

I have no idea if that’s the story behind this awesome Netflix spot created by our good friends at Deutsche LA. But I’m going to imagine that, for whatever reason, a gifted editor artfully stitched a bunch of Netflix movie clips together with a great piece of music to create a spot that couldn’t lose:

The song is “Stars (Hold On)” by LA indie band Youngblood Hawke.

It’s from their album Wake Up. With its Mary Jane inspired lyrics and a lead singer who seems cut from the same cloth as fun’s Nate Ruess, this music track possess the exact kind of canyon-sized happiness a big national spot requires.

Our commendations and congratulations to the creative team at Deutsche LA. This spot was a lay up, but whatever. It’s the score that counts.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Mike Bielenberg is a professional musician and co-founder of http://www.musicrevolution.com, a production music marketplace with over 28,000 tracks online where media producers, video producers, filmmakers, game developers, businesses and other music buyers can license high-quality, affordable royalty-free music from an online community of musicians mbielenberg@musicrevolution.com.

The piano is among the most popular musical instruments in the world. The piano is widely used in classical music and jazz music, as well as in many other musical genres. The acoustic piano has an emotional range unlike any other instrument. We wanted to highlight some of the excellent royalty-free piano music on MusicRevolution.com (www.musicrevolution.com) that could be used for film, TV, video, ad campaigns, media productions, background music and a range of other applications. We have an outstanding selection of royalty-free piano music.

MusicRevolution.com has a number of CDs, available in both physical and download CD formats, with hand-selected royalty-free music tracks. We created an amazing collection of royalty-free piano music on “Piano, Vol. 1” —

http://www.musicrevolution.com/cd_details/piano_vol_1/

In addition to the CD, these piano tracks can be purchased as individual tracks as well.

A search on MusicRevolution.com for “piano” yields nearly 10,000 royalty-free music tracks where the piano is used—

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?keyword=piano&application=0&mood=0&genre=0&instrument=0&influence=&vocals=1&results=20&x=26&y=5

A search for “piano solo” yields over 150 royalty-free music tracks—

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?keyword=piano+solo&application=0&mood=0&genre=0&instrument=0&influence=&vocals=1&results=20&x=33&y=8

A search for “classical piano” yields nearly 100 royalty-free music tracks—

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?keyword=classical+piano&application=0&mood=0&genre=0&instrument=0&influence=&vocals=1&results=20&x=24&y=9

A search for “jazz piano” yields the following 35 royalty-free music tracks—

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?keyword=jazz+piano&application=0&mood=0&genre=0&instrument=0&influence=&vocals=1&results=20&x=35&y=6

A search for “keyboard” yields over 300 royalty-free music tracks—

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?keyword=keyboard&application=0&mood=0&genre=0&instrument=0&influence=&vocals=1&results=20&x=33&y=9

And in addition to the acoustic piano, we also have tracks where the electric piano is used. A search for “electric piano” yields over 2,600 royalty-free music tracks where the electric piano is used—

http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?keyword=electric+piano&application=0&mood=0&genre=0&instrument=0&influence=&vocals=1&results=20&x=24&y=5

With nearly 29,000 tracks of royalty-free music online in our production music library, there are many other possible music choices to set the right mood for your film, video, ad campaign, media project, background music or on hold music on MusicRevolution.com.

MusicRevolution.com has some of the best royalty-free music available anywhere.

______________________________________________________________________________

Chris Cardell is the co-founder of MusicRevolution.com http://www.musicrevolution.com, a royalty-free music marketplace with nearly 29,000 tracks online where media producers, video producers, filmmakers, game developers, advertisers, businesses and other music buyers can license high-quality, affordable royalty-free music from an online community of professional musicians. MusicRevolution.com also provides custom music production and custom music streams. The entire MusicRevolution.com production music library is available for third-party distribution and bulk licensing for background music for retail, restaurants and businesses, and for other commercial applications. Cardell has been involved with digital content and E-Commerce since the mid-1990’s.

Location: Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.

Member since: March 21, 2011

Tracks in portfolio on MusicRevolution.com: 112 (click here to hear all tracks) http://www.musicrevolution.com/search?artist=536

Background—

Joel Hunger of JHunger Music has been writing, performing and recording music for over 20 years. Although Joel writes in many different styles, his main genre is acoustic folk and rock.

–High profile projects or clients you have worked for?

As somebody who writes stock music I usually don’t know who my clients are unless I stumble upon them in the wild. Some of the ones I know about are BP, MercyCorps, NW Natural, Swedish Air. There may be more, but honestly I don’t really seek them out – I get more pleasure out of producing music that’s accessible to everyone who needs background music, and I’ve met a lot of interesting people along the way.

–Primary instrument?

Acoustic guitar. You’ll also hear a lot of keys and other stringed instruments in my music.

–Favorite music-making piece of gear or software you currently use?

I have lots of gear I’m in love with, but my current favorite is the Black Lion White Sparrow Mk II analogue to digital converter. Until I started recording through that I was rarely satisfied with the sound of my acoustic – now it’s a joy to hear the playback.

–Piece of gear or software you wish you owned?

Sheesh – everything I don’t already have! If I had to pick, I’d like to get a ribbon mic like a Royer 121 or Coles 4038. Or I would upgrade to a Shoeps or Gefell SDC.

–Film score or song you admire? Why?

Just pick one? Okay, here’s one. A Quick One While He’s Away, by The Who. There’s a part in the “You Are Forgiven” section where they wanted cellos, and their producer Kit Lambert said it was too expensive and they weren’t the Beatles for god’s sake. So they just sang “Cello! Cello! Cello!” and it turned out to be the coolest part of the song. There’s a scene in the movie Rushmore where this part kicks in and is just perfect. Anyway, I love that they took a creative turn like that, and I like to remember that even though you can do anything in the studio now, sometimes it’s good to think outside the box, because otherwise you might miss strokes of genius.

–Music education background?

Piano lessons from about 5-11, and then self-taught all the rest of the way.

–Memorable “Aha!” moment during your musical education?

When I learned the fingerpicking pattern that Paul Simon uses in The Boxer. Everything else came out of that.

–Most embarrassing music-related moment?

Probably when I was in a “band” in college and tried to play a gig (where I was singing 80% of the tunes) after having strep throat. I couldn’t stay in tune and sounded like a frog. The patient audience was relieved, I think, when I decided not to play the second set 🙂

–Moment you first knew you would be a musician?

Well, I don’t think of myself as a musician as much as a guy who plays music, if that makes sense. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t. There have been times when I wished I didn’t get distracted by music and could have concentrated on school, career, etc,, like most of my friends.

–Five songs or albums you’d take with you to a desert island?

Ask me any given year and they’ll be different. Um. How about:

“Exile on Main Street” (The Rolling Stones)

“Doolittle” (Pixies)

“The Woods” (Sleater-Kinney)

“Teaser and The Firecat” (Cat Stevens)

“Ram” (Paul and Linda McCartney)

–If you could master another instrument, what would it be?

Mandolin or Banjo

–Favorite time of day to work in your studio?

I have a day job and a family, so by necessity when I get in the studio it’s usually between 9 and 10 PM. I have to work quickly 🙂

–Some of your favorite tracks that you would want us to feature in the blog.

These aren’t necessarily my favorite but are among my better selling tunes:

“Clapping Ukulele” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=25058

“Relax a While” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=18943

“Moonrise” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=26397

And the creatively named—

“Acoustic Loop – 9” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=26171

“Acoustic Loop 26” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=26188

We thank Joel for sharing some of his musical background with us and for contributing his tracks to MusicRevolution.com, the Royalty-Free Music Marketplace. The next time you need acoustic folk and rock music tracks, check out JHunger Music on MusicRevolution.com.

________________________________________________________________________

Chris Cardell is the co-founder of MusicRevolution.com http://www.musicrevolution.com, a royalty-free music marketplace with nearly 29,000 tracks online where media producers, video producers, filmmakers, game developers, advertisers, businesses and other music buyers can license high-quality, affordable royalty-free music from an online community of professional musicians. MusicRevolution.com also provides custom music production and custom music streams. The entire MusicRevolution.com production music library is available for third-party distribution and bulk licensing for background music for retail, restaurants and businesses, and for other commercial applications. Cardell has been involved with digital content and E-Commerce since the mid-1990’s.

Location: Austin, Texas, U.S.A.

Member since: April 28, 2010

Tracks in portfolio on MusicRevolution.com: 399 (click here to hear all tracks) http://www.musicrevolution.com/search?artist=181

Background—

Jonathan Geer’s music has appeared on American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Access Hollywood, the 700 Club and numerous other shows. He has also composed soundtracks for games appearing on Mac, PC, Nintendo DS and iPhone/iPad.

–High profile projects or clients you have worked for?

Most of my high profile work has just come from library placements.  I’ve had music used on American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, the BBC, and numerous commercials and trailers.  I also compose soundtracks for videogames fairly frequently (mostly PC and iOS).

–Primary instrument?



Piano

–Favorite music-making piece of gear or software you currently use?

This probably changes every other day, but since I’m trying to incorporate more live instruments into all my mixes this year I’m really enjoying the Shure KSM44 microphone.  I’m actually borrowing it from a friend now so if I he asks for it back anytime soon I’ll certainly be getting one of my own.

–Piece of gear or software you wish you owned?

Now that the new generation of Mac Pros are out I am definitely tempted by them, but my current setup is working quite well so I’m not in a massive hurry to change things too much.

–Film score or song you admire? Why?


A song that I have always loved and admired since I first heard it is Joanna Newsom’s “Emily”.  It’s just incredible in so many ways.  The orchestration by Van Dyke Parks is brilliant.  The lyrics are gorgeous and poetic.  It manages to be kind of epic in scope and still very intimate at the same time.

–Music education background?


I started private piano lessons when I was 10 and I played French horn in band.  I also started playing jazz piano in high school and then went on to major in film scoring at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.

I graduated from Berklee in 2001, moved back to Texas, and was eventually able to transition into full-time freelance composing.  I also play with a couple wonderful groups here in Austin.  One is the Austin Piazzolla Quintet.  We specialize in the nuevo tango music of Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla and I’ve written quite a few original pieces for the group.  The other is Waterloo Trio, a piano trio that plays an eclectic mix of classical, jazz, pop and originals.

–If you had a time machine and could record or perform once with any artist, who would it be?



Maurice Ravel

–Moment you first knew you would be a musician?

Despite having a bit of a late start once I was at the piano playing and composing music it became pretty obvious to me.

–Five songs or albums you’d take with you to a desert island?

“Chains of Love” by Erasure

“Emily” by Joanna Newsom

“Piano Trio” by Maurice Ravel

“Bill” by Tin Hat Trio

“It’s Oh So Quiet” by Bjork

–If you could master another instrument, what would it be?

Guitar.  It would just be super handy.  Much more portable than a piano too!

–Some of your favorite tracks that you would want us to feature in the blog.



“Attention Shoppers” and “Happy Elevator” just because they seem to sell well—

“Attention Shoppers” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=5135

“Happy Elevator (loop)” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=46016

A couple of my personal favorites are “Astraea’s Requiem” and “Orbiting the Station”–

“Astraea’s Requiem” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=45891

“Orbiting the Station” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=46128

A few others that have been pretty consistent are “Elysium”, “Plains Song”, “Carnival Kid” and “Changing Seasons”.

“Elysium” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=45971

“Plains Song” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=46160

“Carnival Kid” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=5151

“Changing Seasons” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=5156

We thank Jonathan for sharing some of his musical background with us and for contributing his tracks to MusicRevolution.com, the Royalty-Free Music Marketplace.  The next time you need tracks ranging from fun and quirky to cinematic, check out Jonathan Geer’s music on MusicRevolution.com.

_______________________________________________________________________

Chris Cardell is the co-founder of MusicRevolution.com http://www.musicrevolution.com, a royalty-free music marketplace with nearly 29,000 tracks online where media producers, video producers, filmmakers, game developers, advertisers, businesses and other music buyers can license high-quality, affordable royalty-free music from an online community of professional musicians. MusicRevolution.com also provides custom music production and custom music streams. The entire MusicRevolution.com production music library is available for third-party distribution and bulk licensing for background music for retail, restaurants and businesses, and for other commercial applications. Cardell has been involved with digital content and E-Commerce since the mid-1990’s.

Location: Fano, PU, Italy

Member since: October 31, 2013

Tracks in portfolio on MusicRevolution.com: 50 (click here to hear all tracks) http://www.musicrevolution.com/search?artist=85674

Background—

Stefano Fucili is an Italian singer, songwriter, composer and producer who creates both vocal and instrumental music with Pop, Rock, Folk, and World influences. He’s worked with famous Italian artists like Lucio Dalla, for whom he wrote the song “Anni Luce” (Sony BMG CD “Luna Matana”), and he’s published several CDs of his own, including Peter Pan (JPFolks Nashville Music Awards Winner 2009) and Tristano e Isotta. Stefano’s work has also been featured in the TV series Missing (ABC), and in Italian cartoons on the Fox and Medusa networks.

Stefano Fucili has worked with Stefano Melone, Keope, and Francesco Gazzè, and he’s opened concerts for Laura Pausini, Lucio Dalla, and Ron. His additional credits include Warner Music Italy/Sony-BMG (CD “Le più belle canzoni dedicate alla Mamma”- song “Ninna Mamma” 2002).

–High profile projects or clients you have worked for?
ABC, Placing my song “Baciami” on the soundtrack of the episode Ice Queen of the television series Missing (aired in 2012/13 to over 40 TV from as many countries).

–Primary instrument?
Guitar

–Favorite music-making piece of gear or software you currently use?

I love to use rode microphones with Golden Age Pre 73 for guitars, vocals and all acoustic instruments recording.

I use Sonar Producer software.

–Film score or song you admire? Why?
I admire all the soundtracks of Ennio Morricone, he is a genius. For example, “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”.

–Music education background?

After lessons from a talented young guitar professor of the conservatory, I have built my experience in recording studios and live stage.

–Memorable “Aha!” moment during your musical education?
Working with the great Lucio Dalla for the realization of his CD “Luna Matana”.

–If you had a time machine and could record or perform once with any artist, who would it be?
The Beatles

–Moment you first knew you would be a musician?
At the concert of high school when I was sixteen.

–Advice you would give to a younger family member interested in a music career?
Follow your instincts and do what you feel.

–Five songs or albums you’d take with you to a desert island?
“Fragile” (Sting), “Where the Streets Have No Name” (U2), “Caruso” (Lucio Dalla), “The Four Seasons” (Vivaldi), “Mission” (Ennio Morricone).

–If you could master another instrument, what would it be?
Piano

–Favorite time of day to work in your studio?
Early morning

–Any studio collaboration you experienced that stands out in your mind?

Recording vocals for the album by Lucio Dalla (Luna Matana).

-Some of your favorite tracks that you would want us to feature in the blog.
“U2 streets” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=44193

“Spaghetti Western Lullaby” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=44256

“Mumsons”  http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=44254

“Baciami” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=44267

Thanks so much.

Best,

Stefano Fucili

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We thank Stefano Fucili for sharing some of his musical background with us and for contributing his tracks to MusicRevolution.com, the Royalty-Free Music Marketplace. The next time you need  instrumental and vocal songs in a pop, folk, rock, world, Celtic, European style with great melody, check out Stefano Fucili’s music on MusicRevolution.com.

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Chris Cardell is the co-founder of MusicRevolution.com http://www.musicrevolution.com, a royalty-free music marketplace with nearly 29,000 tracks online where media producers, video producers, filmmakers, game developers, advertisers, businesses and other music buyers can license high-quality, affordable royalty-free music from an online community of professional musicians. MusicRevolution.com also provides custom music production and custom music streams. The entire MusicRevolution.com production music library is available for third-party distribution and bulk licensing for background music for retail, restaurants and businesses, and for other commercial applications. Cardell has been involved with digital content and E-Commerce since the mid-1990’s.

Location: Montréal, Québec, Canada

Member since: May 10, 2010

Tracks in portfolio on MusicRevolution.com: 437 (click here to hear all tracks) http://www.musicrevolution.com/search?artist=212

Background—

aaronmusic productions is a one-stop music and audio company run by veteran Canadian musician Aaron Saloman. Aaron has composed for video games including American Idol Mobile and Critter Crunch PSN (Best Downloadable Game, 2010 Canadian Video Game Awards), and his music has been used in shows including NCIS (CBS), Jersey Shore (MTV), Gone too Far and Teen Cribs (MTV), Departures (Outdoor Life Network, National Geographic Adventure), American Pickers (History Channel), The TO Show (VH1), Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo), The Bitter End (Canadian web show), Get a Life/Grouille-Toi (TVOntario), The Imploders (TLC), Party Down (Starz), Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best (WE tv), Chris and John to the Rescue (OutTV, MTV Logo), and Gourmet Adventures with Ruth (PBS), to name just a few. He has also produced recordings by Lukas Grant, Eleanore Altman, Lakeport Auto Electric, James Blondeau, and many others. Aaron works from the musical and artistic hotbed of Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Aaron is fluent in several genres, with a focus on styles requiring live instruments. His background as a singer and guitarist in both rock and acoustic settings lends his tracks in these genres a particular authenticity that is rare in production music. Listen to a few tracks and you’ll also find compelling examples of jazz, ambient electronic, post-rock, and many more.

–High profile projects or clients you have worked for?

Back when I was at Berklee, I produced and sang backup vocals on a song for a friend. Esperanza Spalding came in to play the bass. The song was just a piano & voice demo to start. We came up with a nice arrangement with a full band. A couple years later, I’m sitting on Twitter, and Esperanza’s name starts filling up my feed! Turns out she won the Best New Artist Grammy. So that was pretty cool to have a track I produced with her playing.

When I was living in Boston I worked doing live sound and stage crew for Berklee. Depending on the day, I could be mixing a show for Pat Metheney, setting up the stage for James Taylor or Paul Simon, doing lights for John Mayer, security for Henry Rollins….we bounced around between roles depending what needed to be done. So I got to work with & for lots of great musicians in that job.

I also did the music for the hi-res versions of Critter Crunch on PSN, Mac & PC. Critter Crunch was the breakout indie title for Capy Games, and they’ve since gone on to produce a lot of really well-regarded work in the independent gaming world.

–Primary instrument?

I’d say guitar and vocals in roughly equal measure.

–Favorite music-making piece of gear or software you currently use?

I love DrumCore for making convincing drum tracks. Some of my tracks on MusicRevolution have Matt Cameron (Soundgarden) or Alan White (John Lennon) on drums thanks to that software!

–Piece of gear or software you wish you owned?

I wish I could keep current with my versions of Pro Tools and Reason. As it is, I’ve stuck with a combination of old versions that work and I run them on a partition with an older operating system. If I had kept buying every upgrade, my music licensing work have just paid for software!

–Film score or song you admire? Why?

This isn’t a film, but I really like Kevin Schilder’s music for Heretic back in 1994. We’re really spoiled these days with the quality of orchestral samples in all sorts of software. He was working with MIDI files, which would be played by whatever onboard sounds were in the end user’s computer sound card. At that time, it was usually a SoundBlaster 16 or something along those lines. It was a string and timpani-heavy score, and the sounds on those synths were not great. But he managed to make the best of it, and that music consistently creeped me out. I’d be playing the game in a dark basement, and actually get frightened by the music. The cheesiness of the synth sounds just disappeared – the music was so effective you forgot they were there.

–Music education background?

I was self-taught for several years, and started teaching guitar and music theory to people while I was in high school to make some money. I took guitar lessons with my friend’s Dad for about 6 months, but I wasn’t ready for all the jazz stuff and notation at the time – I had to come to that gradually. After I started performing a lot in bars in Ottawa (where I grew up), I started taking voice so I would have the endurance to get through long nights singing. I did that for 2 years.

During all this, I was starting to get into recording. I really enjoyed being in the studio, and tried to learn everything I could working with producer/engineer Jay Ruston, who has since gone on to mix all sorts of great records from his studio in LA. At home, I would record my own demos and some stuff for local bands, and graduated from a reel-to-reel 8 track to a digital 4 track (or regressed I guess, since that’s 4 tracks less).

After high school, I followed up on my technical interests by doing a Bachelor of Music in Music Production & Engineering at Berklee in Boston. While I was learning the more academic end of things in classes, I was getting a trial by fire as a live sound engineer for the school. I’d often be mixing 3 or 4 shows a day, in different halls, with very short setup and turnaround times. So that was a great way to lose some of the “preciousness” that can come with studio-only experience. It’s amazing how great things can sound in less-than-ideal circumstances. That was a great lesson for what I do now, where I’m often recording albums for clients in living rooms and closets.

–Memorable “Aha!” moment during your musical education?

There were a lot of them. Probably some of the best were when people would come up to me to say how great a show I was mixing sounded, and I hadn’t done anything. It was all the sound of the artist and their equipment.

–Most embarrassing music-related moment?

Oh there have been many. A few years ago I played this little showcase for a bunch of people I wanted to impress. I hadn’t been singing a lot, but I went into it as I normally would. Turns out I should have warmed up a bit more…. I was singing Jeff Buckley’s “Everybody Here Wants You” and had a giant voice crack at a key moment. And it wasn’t one of those things where nobody notices. So yeah, don’t try to sing Jeff Buckley songs if you’re not keeping your voice in shape.

–If you had a time machine and could record or perform once with any artist, who would it be?

John Lennon? Sure, why not.

–Moment you first knew you would be a musician?

I guess when I was 14 and started playing shows. It was a pretty good feeling at that age.

–Advice you would give to a younger family member interested in a music career?

Probably “don’t”.

–Five songs or albums you’d take with you to a desert island?

Jeff Buckley – “Grace”, Nirvana – “In Utero”, Mark Berube – “June in Siberia”, The Beatles – “The White Album”, Rufus Wainwright – “Want One”

–If you could master another instrument, what would it be?

Maybe drums or piano.

–Favorite time of day to work in your studio?

Night.

–-Any studio collaboration you experienced that stands out in your mind?

See question 1.

I also had a lot of fun working on some of my music with drummer Scott Manley and bassist Tim Paul Weiner in Boston. I like working with players who are way too good to be playing the music and then making them really hold back. Something cool always happens when players could be letting loose, but aren’t.

–Some of your favorite tracks that you would want us to feature in the blog.

I’ve been liking a new track I did called “In Love with the Idea”. http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=43740  It’s a really simple piece that just uses the arrangement to build throughout. I put some wordless vocals at the end, which I think worked out nicely.

“Morning Rain” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=6973 is a kind of heart-warming track that starts with solo banjo and then transitions into a nice acoustic arrangement. It’s funny cause I was just doing it as an experiment when I started doing production music; I wanted to test all my equipment and make sure all the software I wanted to use worked together, so I just played this simple folk progression and layered a couple things on it. The whole track took maybe an hour. And now it’s all over a bunch of TV shows and sells more than any other track of mine on stock sites.

“Sunset in Six” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=13449  is a lonely, meandering track in 6/8 with a slide guitar melody. That one’s always been a favourite of mine.

“Decarie Overpass Theme” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=44390  is a fun new synth-y post-rock thing I just did. I wanted to experiment with synth textures a bit more, and came up with something that falls somewhere between The Weeknd and Phil Collins.

“Closed Course” http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=13443 . I did this track in my second big batch of compositions for licensing, in 2010. I had a bit more experience with licensing by that point, and was trying to make the mixes and production a little more refined than my first batch of tracks. This one was another experiment, and it ended up coming out as this perfect corporate advertising or car-commercial track, which I wasn’t really expecting. But people seem to like it. It just got picked up for a big radio ad campaign in Washington DC.

And finally…..”Punk in A”  http://www.musicrevolution.com/search/?trackid=6961 . This is another fun experiment I did when I was just starting out with licensing. I think I have tracks in this same style where the mix or the performance are better, but for some reason people keep coming back to this one, so I guess there must be something appealing there. It’s an all-out noisy punk tune which has been licensed for lots of TV, including “That Metal Show” on VH1. It’s kind of funny, cause Matt Sorum has been on the show, and guess who plays the drum loops that were used to make the track? Yep: Matt Sorum.

Thanks MusicRevolution for asking me to do an interview, I’m happy to be a part of the site!

We thank Aaron Saloman for sharing some of his musical background with us and for contributing his tracks to MusicRevolution.com, the Royalty-Free Music Marketplace.  The next time you need anything from rock and acoustic to jazz and ambient electronic, check out aaronmusic productions on MusicRevolution.com.

________________________________________________________________________

Chris Cardell is the co-founder of MusicRevolution.com http://www.musicrevolution.com, a royalty-free music marketplace with over 28,000 tracks online where media producers, video producers, filmmakers, game developers, advertisers, businesses and other music buyers can license high-quality, affordable royalty-free music from an online community of professional musicians. MusicRevolution.com also provides custom music production and custom music streams. The entire MusicRevolution.com production music library is available for third-party distribution and bulk licensing for background music for retail, restaurants and businesses, and for other commercial applications. Cardell has been involved with digital content and E-Commerce since the mid-1990’s.