IARP Tape from SCV 1997

In the late 90's, the internet wasn't yet as commonplace as it is now, so the way people shared ideas was very different.

The now-defunct International Association of Rudimental Drummers (I.A.R.P.) was a small organization founded by Dave Vose from Massachusetts. He'd send out a monthly newsletter with articles on rudimental drumming, and every so often (maybe once a quarter?) they'd include a cassette tape called The Sound Source. Cassettes in the mail were almost as cool as those floppy plastic records that would occasionally come in some issues of Modern Drummer!

I started writing the percussion book for the Santa Clara Vanguard in 1996 and was still rather young. Had it not been for JW Koester's faith in hiring me after a few years at the SCV Cadets, and a passionate, talented group of friends who joined me on the percussion staff during those late-90's, I probably never would have had the chance to hone this unique craft of writing for percussion. Those were fertile years both for the corps and for us young bucks on the staff looking to make a statement. I'm deeply grateful for that time. 

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Pre-You-Tube sharing mechanism

During the 1997 season, the corps really started picking up some steam and I think that was around the time I really started finding my voice as an arranger. Dave from IARP had asked me to contribute an audio article for a 1998 edition of The Sound Source discussing my approach to arranging for SCV. What the members of IARP received was the cassette tape you see pictured here. It was an honor to contribute something to an organization whose membership had such a rich lineage of experience in this musical art form.

I'm feeling a little sentimental about those years and proud of what we did. So I recently dug into some of those old photos and scores (man...I've come a long way with my notation software chops!) and added them to the audio from the original tape. If not a more visual experience, maybe it'll add some pizazz to a young arranger trying to explain his approach.

Roller Coaster Awards and Screenings

Since its premiere in Hollywood last November, the short film Roller Coaster has been on quite the ride, playing in film festivals nationwide and picking up some awards along the way.

Upcoming Screenings

If you're in one of the following areas, there are some upcoming screenings!

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Jersey City, NJ
Sunday March 6, 2016 12:40pm

Brightside Tavern Film Festival
141 Bright Sreet
Jersey City, NJ 07302

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Pasadena, CA
Wedesday March 9, 2016 7:45pm

Pasadena International Film Festival
Laemmle Playhouse 7 Movie Theater
673 East Colorado Blvd,
Pasadena, CA 91101

West Chester, PA
Saturday April 23, 2016 9:15pm

West Chester Film Festival
Chester County Historic Courthouse
2 South High Street
West Chester, PA 19380

West Chester, PA
Sunday April 24, 2016 2:30pm

West Chester Film Festival
Chester County Historic Courthouse
2 South High Street
West Chester, PA 19380

Awards!

I'm excited to share that Roller Coaster has received numerous awards these past few months, and even more excited that a few of these were for my music score!

International Independent Film Festival Awards

On March 4, 2016, Roller Coaster chalked up FOUR awards from the  International Independent Film Festival Awards in Encino, CA. The film won Silver Awards for Narrative Short (executive producers Jared Odrick, Karl Holtz, Rolando G. Vega; producer Bradley Hawkins; assoc. producer, Michael Ortiz) Directing (Bradley Hawkins), Actress in a Lead Role (Sarah Hawkins), and Original Score (Jim Casella).

Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards

On Feb. 21, 2016, Roller Coaster added two more awards to its growing collection at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards in Hollywood. The film won for Best Comedy/Dramedy (exec. producers Jared Odrick, Karl Holtz, Rolando G. Vega; producer Bradley Hawkins; assoc. producer, Michael Ortiz) and for Best Actress (Sarah Hawkins).

IndieFEST Film Awards

On Nov. 16, 2015, Roller Coaster won five International IndieFEST Film Awards
just one week after its Hollywood Premiere! The film was honored with Awards of Merit for Short Film (exec. producers Jared Odrick, Karl Holtz, Rolando G. Vega; producer Bradley Hawkins; assoc. producer, Michael Ortiz), Direction (Bradley Hawkins), Editing (Daniel Hoppes), Music Score (Jim Casella), and Sound Editing/Sound Mixing (Tyler J. Bailey).

For an ongoing accounting and to listen to the original score, visit the Roller Coaster page.

Stormbreak for Orchestra

I recently finished work on an adaptation of Stormbreak for symphony orchestra. This piece was originally written for medium-easy percussion ensemble (with optional wind ensemble accompaniment) and it's been a popular piece in the Tapspace catalog.

This new version maintains most of the approach of the original but adds a slightly new twist to the middle section where the snare, toms, and timpani players each take a small solo. It makes use of a lot of col legno from the strings, adding to the percussive nature of the piece.

I created this mock-up recording in Logic Pro X using Virtual Drumline and various string, brass, and woodwind libraries from Cinesamples. Since the piece is primarily a stand-alone percussion ensemble and the orchestra is added to it, it can get a little thick and heavy-handed at times. A lot of music I write ends up this way. The insecure part of me struggles with this. My rational side recognizes that this is just supposed to be a fun, educational piece that hopefully keeps players and audiences engaged. 

This version of Stormbreak was commissioned by Nathan Matherne from the Cibola High School Symphony in Albuquerque, NM. It will be performed at their New Mexico State Orchestra competition in April 2016.

The Eternal Domi Síbe

In 2009, I composed a piece for percussion ensemble called Compound Autonomy. I recently recalled something about my naming process of the piece. 

I'd practically forgotten about this (or maybe I'd hoped to erase it from my memory), but when I first wrote this piece, I had subtitled it The Eternal Domi Síbe. Here's what that's supposed to mean. 

Much of the foundation of the piece is based on a repetitive pattern of the solfège syllables "Do" followed by "Me" (the minor version of "Mi"), in a pattern of 7 beats. "Síbe," roughly translates to "Seven" in German, the language spoken in Zürich, Switzerland - home of Nik Bärtch, the composer whose music inspired me to write this piece. 

Whew...talk about an intellectual exercise! Reflecting on this, it seems really contrived to manufacture such a complicated, mysterious-sounding subtitle. I love Nik Bärtch and his music, but I never used solfège nor do I speak German. Get over yourself, dude! 

I'm glad I didn't publish it that way. The finalized subtitle "for percussion ensemble" does the trick just fine. Hopefully the music will speak for itself without needing to allude to some sort of forced meaning.

Fight or Flight - New piece for concert band

Last summer, I completed my first fully fledged concert band piece called Fight or Flight.

Since I’ve never actually delved into a full-on wind ensemble piece, I wanted to wait until it had been successfully performed before saying much about it. It was initially commissioned by Hunter McRae and Mary Wilson from the North Gwinnett Middle School Symphonic band to be premiered at the GMEA (Georgia Music Educators Association) convention in Savannah, GA in January of 2013.

Since then, a few other ensembles have taken a crack at the piece, and I now have a couple live recordings posted, as well as making the score available for purchase right here on my little old website. 

Greta on the Greenway

I recently completed the music for another project produced by Animated Traffic Law. Commissioned by the Portland Bureau of Transportation, this traffic safety video was designed to educate viewers about greenway features, safe cycling routes, and “sharrows.”

The soundtrack is intended to create a dramatic build to accompany the family's bicycle journey. The intro and outro utilize a typewriter as an symbol of the government agency presentation, while the samba infused music it accompanies creates a fun and festive atmosphere.

For more info on my commerical work, go here.

New Music for 2012

I’ve recently finished my first fully fledged wind ensemble piece, titled Fight or Flight. It was commissioned by the North Gwinnett Middle School Symphonic Band from Sugar Hill, Georgia. It will be performed in January 2013 at the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) Conference in Savannah.

Also, I’ve been asked to reorchestrate Cache 22 - a military drum piece I originally wrote for the Hellcats of the West Point Military Academy. This rearrangement has been adapted for a more conventional drumline instrumentation and will be performed by the University of Tennessee in Knoxville under the direction of Andy Bliss.

"Meanwhile in a Parallel Universe" completed

At long last, I’ve finished my latest piece titled “Meanwhile in a Parallel Universe.” It’s written to feature a solo marimba accompanied by percussion ensemble and is scheduled to premiere in Singapore in March 2012. 

The piece was a joint commission from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore (Jonathan Fox, director), and Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, PA (Dr. Gifford Howarth, director). Giff first approached me about this project a year ago, and it came with the blessing (and curse) of not really being due until Fall of this year. Since most of my time these days has been dedicated to keeping the wheels turning with Tapspace, my challenge lied in dedicating writing time in smaller increments over a longer span of time. 

I don’t usually tend to work this way. Usually, I dive into a project and it consumes most of my energy until the heavy lifting is done. In many ways, this piece still did consume me. However, it was spread out over a much longer span of time than I’m used to. Before it started taking shape or making much sense, I spent the majority of my time sketching ideas without worrying how they related to each other. Interestingly, this helped generate a wider range of ideas, which ultimately led to my decision to make it a more episodic piece in three parts.

My serious marimba-playing days are long behind me (not that they were ever there), yet the piece really needed to drive on Giff’s command of whiz-bang 4-mallet dexterity. Hopefully it will accomplish this without shedding too much light on the fear it brought me. Also, it was important to me that the ensemble wasn’t just window dressing for the soloist, but that they also didn’t compete. As it turns out, they both rely pretty heavily on each other. Technicalities aside, my hope is that it paints a fantasy-like adventure into which listeners can be easily drawn, while still being left guessing which way the road is going to turn.

Take a listen and read more about it here.

Stitched - new film score

I recently completed work on the score for an upcoming short film by A-list comic book writer, Garth Ennis called “Stitched.”

The score is an interesting mix of minimal simplicity (as heard in “Blackhawk Idaho Six,” the main theme of our heroes), eerie horror music, and a densely orchestrated militaristic war march (“Martial Horizon/End Credits.”) The film will have its world premiere at the San Diego Comic-Con International with a large number in attendance. 

For more info on this project go here.

New radio spot for Oregon State Marine Board

I’ve just completed a new 60-second radio spot called “Stayin’ Afloat” that will be airing statewide in Oregon for the coming year. It’s another public service announcement. This message is for lifejacket safety by the Oregon State Marine Board.

Written as a parody of...ahem...a popular song from the 70’s, our goal was to make this a fun and catchy reminder to always wear your lifejacket.

Credits:

Agency: Gard Communications
Producers: Mary Ann Aldridge, John Plymale
Lyrics: Daryle Rico
Music: Jim Casella
Vocals performed by: Sean Holmes

For more info on my commercial projects, go here.