Don Bodin's Music, Life and Art Blog

Oprah, Discovery Channel and VH1

2010-10-20T22:01:00.001-07:00

Happy to announce that some of my music has been picked up and used in a few TV shows this fall including: Fantastic Festivals of the World, Hunting The Lost Symbol (both on Discovery HD) VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Datugan Dances with Bodin

2010-09-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

The Datugan Dance Theater will be dancing to my music on Oct. 9 & 16 at Studio A in Silverlake LA CA.

This is the 3rd time the dance troupe's creative director, Ken Datugan, has selected my work to choreograph to. The will be performing with selections from my albums Like Rabbits as well as my Silentium Est Alurum. It is always a pleasure to see his talented group of modern dancers perform.

For tickets and info visit: http://www.datugandancetheatre.com/

Dark Crossing

2010-04-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

What a year. Things are flying by and looking good. So good I haven't had much time to blog.

Been a great year so far. Scored two independent films and had a chance to travel to Cape Town south Africa for a month.

The latest film I completed was Dark Crossing, an indy film centered around young Mexican man who risks his life to cross over into the US to search for his abducted sister. I have included a sample below from the score.

The film, which is primarily in Spanish, will have a limited theatrical release later this month.

'Dark Crossing Theme'
Theme From Dark Crossing
written and produced by Don Bodin

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

2010 - a new year - week 1

2010-01-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

I tend to get a jump start on "Resolutions" . I'm a big fan of change and I like to shake things up . . . maybe a little more than is necessary. The new year has just begun but I am happy to say that I started implementing most of my resolutions in November and December.

I also aspire to update my blog more frequently.

Some personal goals are already underway. You know, the usual, stay in shape and get regular physical activity to become a part of my life.
Although I tend to stay physically active (hiking a couple times a week) and run, I decided to give yoga a shot. I joined the yoga studio down the street and have been going to pilates classes a couple times a week - going on week 5. The yoga classes are a little "lite" for me but I am getting into the challenges of pilates.

Business goals weigh in with equal and often more importance. I want to utilize more of my creativity to contribute to new and exciting projects and of course, get projects to score with larger budgets. I have an indie film to score in February, but my ambitions are to be working with more directors and producers who I click with. To find people with projects that welcome experimenting with music arrangements and textures against the picture.

Getting to work with Lance Hayes on Forza Motorspot 3 was a great experience. Ideally at this time next year I want to be leading a games music team. I have a passion for creating unique orchestrations and aspire to add depth to a game's world through musical texture.

Many people I talk to about continuing my career forward say to give it time, that eventually people will hear what you do and want to work with you. Maybe I am asking to much for only scoring professionally for just 4 years.

A good friend said advised I share your music in videos on the internet. "People will spend more time watching and have a richer experience then if you just have music samples." she said.

This bit of advice really resonated in me. I don't even have a scoring reel.
So moving forward I decided that along with my bi-monthly newsletter to all my friends, filmmakers, game developers and directors, that I would include a promo video for each one in 2010. I was motivated enough that I completed the first video (First Snow - Holiday Greeting) for the Holidays in December.

I taught myself how to animate over a weekend and completed the video. It was fun and since it was also a holiday greeting, I was able to not take it so seriously. This allowed me to experiment and learn a little bit about animation and have some first hand insight as to the process of making a film.

As soon as I completed that I realized that there are so many great opportunities for me to make short films and videos to go along with my music. And then after speaking to my brothers (Tbob - the screenwriter and Bernard - the aspiring film maker) I knew that we already had a little short animated project that we could all work on together. Dispite the fact that none of us are illlustrators or animators we had come up with a fun concept last year and will be documenting our attempt to animate a short film.

It's taken many years to realize that most people don't have a relationship like I do with my brothers. I feel really lucky that I have two creative, talented and positive friends to share ideas with. Both Tbob and Bernard were instrumental in the birth of The Radioactive Werewolf album as well as supporting and advising me on several of my other personal projects. I have always thought "They are my brothers and this is how siblings do things" but I guess most people don't have the same kind of experience - brainstorming, supporting, facilitating each others creative endeavors.
I am lucky to have them as well as so many talented creative friends.

Forza 3 Racking Up Awards

2009-12-17T12:37:00.000-08:00

Microsoft releases "Dream" trailer for Forza Motorsport 3 I'm proud that I was able to work with Lance Hayes on music for Forza Motorspot 3 for XBOX. Congratulations to the entire Turn 10 team - so far Forza 3 has received the following awards.

IGN.com: Best Xbox 360 Racing Game of the Year

G4TV: Best Racing Game of 2009

CNNTech: Best Racing Game of 2009

SpikeTV: Best Driving Game of 2009

Details at: http://forums.forzamotorsport.net/blogs/post.aspx?App=turn_10s_forza_motorsport_blog&y=2009&m=12&d=16&PostName=forza-motorsport-3-racing-game-of-the-year

VS. Mad Max Daily Vault Review

2009-12-16T17:16:00.000-08:00

Reviewer Vish Iyer takes my apocalyptic ode to the Mad Max trilogyVS Mad Max for a spin and publishes the review on DailyVault.com.

" . . . frenzied as the concepts themselves. With a sound that can be best described as a mishmash of speed metal and techno, the paltry thirty-three minutes of this record throws in enough punches"

" Even with its inescapably strong nuances of speed metal, Vs Mad Max is a surprisingly accessible record, especially to someone who isn’t particularly into this genre. The tight compositions are simple and have the same allure for pop as ‘80s goth did. The album is more fun and less dark than it appears to be, much like the Mad Max movies themselves."

Full review here: http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=6301

First Snow Holiday Video

2009-12-15T09:48:00.000-08:00

Finished my first Holiday Animated Video for the theme "First Snow"

Download it and 4 other Holiday tracks at: DonBodin.com/Holiday

Forza 3 Soundtrack CD available now!

2009-12-09T10:03:00.000-08:00

I am excited to announce the release of the Forza Motorsport 3 soundtrack. I was thrilled to contribute to the score and work with Lance Hayes and am proud to be apart of this critically acclaimed - best selling racing game.

Sumthing Else Music Works and Microsoft Game Studios, proudly presents Forza Motorsport® 3 Original Soundtrack featuring the original music from the critically acclaimed racing game developed exclusively for Xbox 360. The soundtrack is available at Amazon.com as well as on Sumthing Digital www.sumthingdigital.com and iTunes®.

Forza Motorsport 3 Original Soundtrack includes 90 minutes of ambient electronica music created by award-winning composer and producer Lance Hayes aka DJ Drunken Master. The soundtrack features a broad range of music styles and overall chill demeanor encompassing primarily electronica, ambient and downtempo with forays into ambient breaks, illbient and acid jazz.

Composer Lance Hayes said, "This was truly a rare and amazing project to work on. I knew it had to be perfect because this was Forza but we also agreed that it had to be music that could stand on its own. We were looking for the right balance of listen-ability and edge."

Forza Motorsport 3 nominated for Spike TV Video Game Awards

2009-11-20T09:21:00.000-08:00

Forza Motorsport 3 for XBOX 360 (game includes music by Lance Hayes & Don Bodin ) has been nominated for a couple Spike TV! Video Game Awards.

FM3 has been nominated in the categories of: Best XBOX 360 Game & Best Driving Game

The Spike TV! awards show will be broadcast live on December 12, 2009 at 8pm.

The nominations were announced just days after Forza 3 has officially sold over 1 million copies.

You can VOTE and view the other nominees here

Bobby Fischer Live Premiere

2009-10-29T12:30:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, November 10, 2009 
7:30pm 
7907 Beverly Blvd at Fairfax Ave. 
Los Angeles, CA 
Invitation Only 

Bobby Fischer Live premieres Tuesday!

  I created the score for this bio-pictorial about the world famous, eccentric chess champion earlier this year and it had a few musical challenges.  

Not only was I brought in to create the "underscore" instrumental music, but I was also asked to write and produce several "Could-Have-Been" tracks which essentially reflect the spirit of the music from the 50's through the 80's - the music of Fischer's life time. 

"The Girl You Loved"
written and performed by Don Bodin and Linda Abbott

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

The highlight of these tracks was "The Girl You Loved". This was my first collaboration with Linda Abbott. After I sketched out a rough arrangement and melody with a nod to the Ronnie Spector sound, I shared it with Linda so she could lend her unique vocal sound to the track.

We had just a few hours to finish the track and couldn’t find the right lyrics for the tune. We gave up and decided to revisit it later in the week but  as Linda drove home from the session she called me and said "I have the lyrics for the chorus!". They were perfect. We ended up using her line "You never told me the girl you loved wasn't me".   

With the chorus lyrics in place I was able to quickly write the verse and bridge lyrics and by the next day, we had the song recorded and mixed.

CLOCK THEME
Main theme written for the film
written and produced by Don Bodin

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

Composing the instrumental themes and score presented another exciting challenge.

Since the film’s chess competition sequences are shot in slow motion, the music takes a dominant role. It was essential that the music conveyed the tension of the match and the characters’ internal conflict.

'Big Match'
cue from the film Bobby Fischer Live
written and produced by Don Bodin

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

Forza Motorsport 3 Races up the Charts

2009-10-27T12:09:00.001-07:00

Happy to announce that FM3 is 'racing' up the sales charts on its first day out. It was a pleasure working with DJDM on music for this incredibly realistic racing game.

FM3 opened as the top selling XBOX 360 game upon it's release this morning.

In addition GameStop is selling a Limited Edition Forza Motorsport 3 version with a key chain and USB stick. This Limited Edition pack is selling for 79.99.

VS MAD MAX on iTunes

2009-10-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

Happy to announce the release of my new album "VS MAD MAX" on the iTunes music store.

The album, which is a post-punk apocalyptic ode to the Mad Max trilogy is available now at iTunes A digital download with pdf lyric booklet and cover art are available for free download at: TheFugitiveMind.com

"Hot Wheel Hawks" used in Forza Motorsport 3 - Fujimi Kaido Video

2009-10-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

I am Thrilled to announce that a track I collaborated on with Lance Hayes (DJDM) for Forza Motorsport 3 is being used in the intro of the new FM3 Drifting video.

Composer Lance Hayes (who was the main force behind the music for FM3) brought me on board to collaborate on music for this project.

Forza Motorsport 3 for XBOX 360 will be released on October 27, 2009 and will be available everywhere.

Making of the Music for Death of Evil

2009-09-25T19:15:00.001-07:00

DEATH OF EVIL Movie Premier
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Regency Fairfax Cinemas
Los Angeles, CA 90039

When I first discussed the score for the film Death of Evil with the director, Damian Chapa, he was really passionate about a sound for the film. He mentioned the mood and feel of singer Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance). I have been a fan of her voice and some of the soundtracks she has worked on, but I also saw an opportunity to bring some of my own inspiration from Wojciech Kilar (Bram Stroker's Darcula, The Ninth Gate) into the DNA for the score.

'Night Of The Gun'
Theme From Death of Evil
written and produced by Don Bodin

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

Knowing that Damian really wanted a haunting/ethereal female vocal on the score, I wrote melodies and phases in latin and brought in my favorite operatic Soprano, Elif Savas (www.ElifSavas.com).

A few years ago I had the pleasure of sitting in on a film scoring class conducted by composer Charles Bernstein of Nightmare on Elm Street fame. Charles has an incredible way of breaking down music and the feelings they produce in simple and easy to communicate terms. As I focused on creating haunting and suspenseful themes for Death of Evil using pounding yet sporadic repetition in the rhythm and melody, I often reflected on some of the concepts Charles proposed.

With Elif's erie vocals set as the lead instrument, I took to creating a different group of instruments to perform the score and was drawn to the "junk yard" percussion sounds that Michael Blair made famous on Tom Waits's Rain Dogs album.
I loved how the harsh percussion was so jarring - the striking of trash cans and pots and pans under the traditional string orchestration playing traditionally as well as in contemporary styles with an ominous organ drone creeping below them all.

Death of Evil Film Premier

2009-09-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

DEATH OF EVIL
Movie Premier

Location:
Regency Fairfax Cinemas

Date:
Thursday, October 1, 2009

Time:
6:30pm

Staring Natasha Blasick & Damian Chapa
Original Score by Don Bodin

'Night Of The Gun'
Theme From Death of Evil
written and produced by Don Bodin

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

Campfire Companion Video

2009-09-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

Linda Abbott (Blimpa Photography) made this video to my "Campfire Companion" song from the Radioactive Werewolf album

Vampiro Crawls from the Grave November 3rd

2009-09-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

In July I had the pleasure of working with Director Jorge Ramirez Rivera and Editor Keita Ideno on the score for the film Vampiro.

The film was picked up for distribution before completion and is now scheduled for release on DVD on November 3rd 2009.

New "TuneCore" music player widget

2009-09-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

TuneCore is now offering this very easy to make customizable music widget to allow users to sample music and access the iTunes music store right from the "Buy" button on the widget.

Easy to create, easy to implement into several existing social media website as well as custom web pages and emails.

It also allows the user to copy the code and share it on the social media website, blog or webpage!

I give it a big thumbs up!

Please share this widget that plays my new album on your blog or webpage, facebook, myspace page. . . it's easy. Hover over the album cover art work and just click on the "share" button (diamond shape) and choose the code you would like to generate.

For more info on VS MAD MAX visit: www.TheFugitiveMind.com

Microsoft & PUMA Team Up for Forza Motorsport 3

2009-08-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

Forza Motorsport 3 ties in Microsoft and Puma

This article talks about special edition, PUMA-Forza Motorsport 3 sneakers being released. Got to work on music with Lanmce Hayes (DJDM) for the game and I am hoping to get my hangs on a pair of size 8 1/2 promotional sneakers!!!

More info at: ForzaMotorsport.net

Forza Motorsport 3 "Dream" Trailer

2009-08-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

Microsoft releases "Dream" trailer for Forza Motorsport 3 with music by Lance Hayes.

FM3 which is scheduled to hit stores in October, includes music composed by Lance Hayes (DJDM). Lance brought me on board to collaborate on some music for this projects on in game menu screens.

More info at: ForzaMotorsport.net

Vs Mad Max Album complete

2009-07-27T13:20:00.000-07:00

Happy to announce the release of my new album "VS MAD MAX".

The album, which is a post-punk apocalyptic ode to the Mad Max trilogy is available for $5.55 for a limited time as a digital download with pdf lyric booklet and cover art.

Have an apocalyptic day!

Music from BAD COP

2009-07-27T12:57:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of this year I scored music for the film BAD COP which was David Carradine's last completed film in a starring role. While listening to my iTunes on shuffle today I came across 2 cues I created for the score that I was very fond of and wanted to share.

'Reflections'
cue from the film BAD COP
written and produced by Don Bodin

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

'Piano Sonata No. 14'
(Beethoven's moonlight sonata) a cue from the film BAD COP
arranged by Don Bodin

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

Like Rabbits creates a "wonderful world"

2009-07-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

Got a new review from The Daily Vault for my minimal orchestral album Like Rabbits

"Bodin creates a wonderful world where it’s all about the minute details. Every note, every teeny twang plays a special part in bringing into being the mosaic of fragmented beauty hidden within"

You can read critic Vish Ivar's the entire review of the album here

Don Bodin Shifts Into Gear with Lance Hayes on XBOX's Forza Motorsport 3

2009-07-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

Last month at the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Microsoft officially announced the release of the much anticipated video game Forza Motorsport 3.

Composer Lance Hayes, who has been hard at work creating sound design and original music for FM3, brought composer Don Bodin on board to collaborate on music for this project.

Check out in-game action and screenshots at: ForzaMotorsport.net

The Craving Teaser Music

2009-06-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to be working with Emmy Award winning Producer/Director Ed Polgardy (of Graphic Novel "From Dusk Till Dawn" fame) on the teaser for his film The Craving .

I completed the music for the teaser this week. Cool story and promises to have great special effects from some of the best in the business.

"The Craving Teaser Exerpt"
written and produced by Don Bodin

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

Cat's Got Tail

2009-06-18T17:11:00.001-07:00

The past week has been spent wrapping up scores for a horror teaser, a short film and getting my holiday album back on track.

In addition I got a call to submit demos for a new online ad campaign for a high profile clothing company and had a great time working up a couple demos for them.

"Runway Demo D (or) The Cat's got Tail"
written and produced by Don Bodin

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

This is my favorite from the batch of demos.

Bobby Fischer String Cues

2009-06-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

Very excited to share some of the cues from the film Bobby Fischer Live that I am scoring. After discussion with director Damian Chapa, we were able move forward with hiring some string players to track the dramatic cues.

'Big Match'
cue from the film Bobby Fischer Live
written and produced by Don Bodin

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

Edge of Magic

2009-05-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

Managed to sneak in a couple hours and mix another track for 'The John Hughes Tapes'

"Edge of Magic"
written and produced by Don Bodin

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

Doo Wop

2009-04-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about creating music for media is that you never know what genre of music you'll get to work in next.

Writing in many genres of music is surprisingly liberating. After all, we are all rich, complex characters with more than just one simple aspect to our lives and working in different genres allows me to express myself in different ways.

"The Girl You Love"
written and performed by Don Bodin and Linda Abbott

The current film I am working on, Bobby Fischer, is a bio picture that documents the life of a world chess champion. The film spans from the 1940's to Fischer's death in 2008. In addition to instrumental underscore that I am creating for the film, music based on the popular music of each decade is needed as the film follows Fischer from childhood to his adult life.

Now, I am usually the last composer you want to hire to make "Sound-Alikes" - my forte isn't copying specific songs or themes. Luckily, director Damian Chapa trusts in my ability to create 'inspired' music that reflects the time periods and lets me run with it. I think of it like I am taking in the sound /language of the time, and creating something that could have been. In this case, one might even say I get to create across a "Phil Specter-um" of musical genres for this film ;).

I now call them 'Could-Have-Been' tracks. I usually only have about 4-6 hours to write, record, and mix the songs, but in that short time I invariably learn more about a style, music period or production technique that I otherwise might not have spent time absorbing.

Special thanks to vocalist Linda Abbott for a great performance as well as coming up with the lyric "You never told me the girl you loved, wasn't me."

The John Hughes Project

2009-04-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

Had a couple discussions over the last week with close friends and realized that even some of my closest friends don't know about some the projects I am working on.

It didn't surprise me, since I am always finding or coming up with new music/song/art projects to work on and can barley keep track of them all myself. Last count was at 11 album projects and at least a dozen art projects.

Now I am not talking about projects for film or TV or ads, I am just speaking of projects for myself. I call them 'vanity' projects because I just want to do them and see what happens during the process. Its were I find an outlet for my creative juices, the juices that may not necessarily serve a film or other project.

Shall We Drive - First Mix
from upcoming release "The John Hughes Tapes"

One of the most satisfying parts of my 'vanity' projects (other than the process of creating) is that they always land me paying gigs and sometimes even get air play on radio stations or published in magazines etc . . They tend to make it out into the world and slowly find a home - despite my meager marketing budgets :)

For a couple months I have been working on a project with the working title "The John Hughes Tapes". Anyone who grew up in the 80's, like myself, was most likely influenced by the music from john Hughes' films (Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink . . etc )
The idea I had was to create a bunch of songs and with the aid of my trusty time machine, travel back to 1981 and deliver them to John Hughes in hopes he would license them for his next teen comedy.

This week has been about trying to wrap up this project. Will try to list more of my other 'vanity' projects as they start to crown.

Themes for Bobby Fischer Bio Pic

2009-04-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

Working on the score for Director Damian Chapa's biographical dramatization of the life of world renown chess champion Bobby Fischer.

Got a few versions of the main theme written and wanted to share my current favorite.

CLOCK THEME
One of 5 possible main themes written for the film

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

The film, which was filmed on location in LA, NYC, Russia and Iceland, follows the life of Bobby Fischer who is considered to be the greatest chess player of all time. He beat the Russians during the Cold War. The Chess match was historical in bringing relations between the USA and Russia to a more calm and cordial state as well as elevating chess to a much more mainstream and "cooler" status.

After his win, Bobby Fischer became a recluse and was exiled by then President George Bush Sr. As a result, Fischer lost all of his rewards, could not return to his home in Brooklyn USA and traveled in seclusion while spiraling down into psychological torment. He developed a strange rant of terrorist-like hatred towards America and Israel- even becoming anti-semitic even though he himself was Jewish.

Chapa has direct and stars in the feature film that spans the entire life of one of the most controversial historic figures in the game of chess

Radioactive Werewolf Claws It's Way Up the Top-Sellers List

2009-04-14T10:58:00.001-07:00

I am happy to announce that my latest album, The Radioactive Werewolf and other Tales from the Southwest, makes a dramatic move for the first full moon of Spring.

The album has reached the 119th spot on the Classical/Film Score Top-Sellers list on CDBaby, the world's largest independent music distributor.

Though The Radioactive Werewolf plays out like a David Lynch soundtrack, the album is not a film score, nor is it a classical album as it spans several genres from hybrid 'Western' orchestrals to Southern rock songs.

Listen to
'DEVIL DOG ROAD'
from
The Radioactive Werewolf and other Tales from the Southwest

Unable to hear the track? Download the MP3 here.

DOWNLOAD FREE tracks from the album at: TheRadioactiveWerewolf.com

The album is available on CD or as an MP3 download.

FREE vs Paid digital content

2008-12-18T22:23:00.000-08:00

The debate lives on, but the writing seems to be on the wall. With Hulu on the rise TV is free on the net. Napster changed the way people steal music and now as Chris Anderson of Esquire puts it:

A decade and a half into the great online experiment, the last debates over free versus pay online are ending. In 2007 The New York Times went free; this year, so will much of The Wall Street Journal.
Once a marketing gimmick, free has emerged as a full-fledged economy. Offering free music proved successful for Radiohead, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, and a swarm of other bands on MySpace that grasped the audience-building merits of zero. Virtually everything Google does is free to consumers, from Gmail to Picasa to GOOG-411.

So what is an independent music producer, composer and recording artist to do? If selling mp3s is not the way to make a living and making mp3s is what you do, where does that leave the artist?

I sometimes find a band, author or movie director that I just love. When I do I tend to buy almost everything I can that they have done. Don't laugh, but I just recently saw every movie Ryan Reynolds has been in. Earlier this year I spent about $200 buying every Autechture album that was available at Amoeba music. I completely am sold on the giving out free sample position. But giving away all your music for free?

My friend and I had a conversation about the Merchandise based model ( or as Chris Thomas calls it the TShirt Economy) and I have to admit, saying my music has no value and trying to convince me that only the most devoted "FAN" will buy the merchandise to keep me from living on the street was a little scary. But it got me thinking . . .

Unlike so many songwriters, composers and recording artists I do not make a significant portion of my income from album or digital download sales. I make a living composing custom music scores and from licensing music for use in TV, film and commercials. And not until my last release did I design a couple T Shirt and put together a merch store. I even sold a couple shirts which was a surprise.

So what I realized is that I have an interesting and unique opportunity to play with the T Shirt Economy model and see what happens.

So I am starting today by offering 5 songs free from my new album The Radioactive Werewolf and retooling my online efforts to see how I could make this work.

Perhaps I need more merchandise. Perhaps I need a donate button like Radiohead did. Perhaps I should start a vote by donation section to see what kind of music my fans would like to hear me put out next.

More as I figure this out.

Tokyo, Japan or Domo Arigato Mr Roboto

2008-11-29T21:35:00.000-08:00

first, these Japanese keyboards are so hard to type on so i Japanese keyboards are so　hard to type on so i will make this quick.

Our first full day in Tokyo and really took it in. Got up about 4am and headed to the the Tsukiji fish market. Charlie and I had a lot of fun watching the hustle of the worlds largest fish market. Ｔｈｅn got in line for fresh sushi and waited about 2 2 hours to get into the place. Really can't get any fresher than 50 yards from the boat doc.

Had cell phone problems, Japan has the most advanced phone system in the world so of COURSE our blackberries don't work, and we couldn't get money from the ATM, so I called my friend Brian Kemper who lives here in Tokyo.

I`ve known Brian since I was in junior high and have him to thank for convincing me to play the euphonium in high school band. This lead me to getting a scholarship to study music in college. Brian now does web and data base programming and implementation for a project for Tokyo Univ and has lived here for about 6 years. Back in junior high, Brian and I and our back in junior high, Brian and I and our friend Mike started a punk electronic band (ala Ministry meets Dead Milkmen) "The Dead Potato Heads"

Some of my first songwriting collaborations . . will have to dig up those tapes to share.

Ended up having dinner, with Brian and his family and friends. His friend, Japanese Buddhist Monk, was our host and the little bar/restraunt must have been on of his regular hangouts. The food never stopped coming and the Sake flowed freely.

The evening quickly turned to Karaoke and we were singing some of the great song hits of the last 50 years. Between Brian and I belting out Elvis and Axel Rose impersonations the 6 kids (yes I did say families) their chance to sing along to the Pokemon songs. I didn't know there were so many.

The evening ended for me at around 9:30pm with Brian and I doing a duet of Styx classic which I am sure made us look like the silly americans we are.

Fish Market, Sushi, Karaoke good first day in Tokyo

The Package : or : the Bottled Water Montra

2008-11-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

A very talented and accomplished composer friend of mine once told me
that "Music is every where, its in cafes, wall to wall on reality
shows, at the grocery - it's like water."

There is so much music being made now and the tools to create a 'quality master' are
inexpensive and available to any 'musician' with a mac or pc. In the
search for making music for a living I have explored the paths of music
libraries and production houses and have seen the vast quantity (and
some great quality) music that is my competition.

So about a year ago, after hearing the "music is like water" comment, I set about
with a new clear yet metaphoric mission statement - "I am selling
BOTTLED water" - my new montra!

This mission has really started
to help me clarify the kind of composer I want to be and the level of
music I want to make. It has also helped me clearly focus on the way in
which I present my goods = The Package.

On a very superficial level the package is print, image and design on paper, web or other material. It is tangible - SO UNLIKE the music that it contains.
Luckily I can fall back on my years of working in marketing and advertising
and focus on communicating with images and design. I have even hired
people far more talented than I am and payed them well over the
material costs of 'CD manufacturing' to get the right packaging for my
projects.

On my last album ( The Radioactive Werewolf ) It was very difficult to come up with concept that would meet my packaging criteria.

1. It needed to show the brand (a photo of ME)
2. It needed to enhance the 'universe' in which the music exists
3. It needed to sit comfortably among the shelves of the products I am looking to score music for

All of these requirements needed to come together to not just look pretty
but sit well with my gut. My 'gut' instincts are all I can usually
count on and are the final litmus test. I write music from the gut, I
need to market from my gut also.

My first concept was quickly mocked up using some stock images. I do this so I can communicate to my photographer (Charlie Grosso) what kind of concept I have. As you can see this mock up did not meet packaging criteria #1 "Show the Brand"

Also, with Charlie's suggestions I was able to more clearly communicate a
mood, rather than be so literal: Hazmat Suit 86ed •add Full Moon night
shot and vast desert land scape.

The final image was completed from original photography and illustration.
It was a collaboration of ideas and reality utilizing my concept and
the photographers expertise.

Examples of inside packing inspiration

Final inside art design

Final Outside Cover Back Cover art with Text

Above the Line, Below the cut : First Hollywood Premier

2008-11-23T10:01:00.000-08:00

Went to the Mexican Gangster movie premier the other night. This was the first film I have scored that had a full blown premier with a red carpet and photographers and everything. I showed up dressed nicely and even walked the red carpet. So this morning I decided to do a quick wireimage (wireimage.com) search and see if I could find a nice picture of me with a celebrity on the red carpet to send to mom and dad. It looks like I didn't make the cut.

Here you can see Director Damian Chapa with Miss Maribel Montalvo (3rd place Miss Universe) Isn't that a nice shot? I was just off to the left out of frame. I even posed with a couple other 'celebrities' and models . but alas no photos of me.

As a composer, we have such a responsibility to the film / project. Composers can really add life and emotion or f&@k the whole thing up and really detract from the film. The composers get above the line billing (under the actors and directors) because it is recognized that we provide another character to the film, and much of the emotion.

After the screening I ran into a few producers who I have meet before. One of them gave a my music such a huge compliment I am embarred to quote it . I take most 'LA' peoples comments with a grain of salt. But he was right, I did a great job delivering 90 minuted of music in the 10days I had to work on the film and I am happy I was able to serve the film and enhance it.

So I am sorry mom and dad, I am afraid you will have to except this bad photoshop job as proof of my first big hollywood premier.

The Pitch - Trying to communicate clearly in a world of shouting nonsense

2008-11-14T06:58:00.000-08:00

I have known for years that clarity is king when it comes to communication. Communication is key in personal relationships which I can not begin to cover here as I have not received your release forms for my psychotherapy services. And many agree the main factor in successful business relationships is communication.

Being able to quickly and accurately describe myself as a composer in an interesting way can make all the difference for a first impression. I can either blow an opportunity and be the guy that say, "Hello, you should check out this demo," or I can have invested time in developing a 'Pitch'.

I'm not a used car sales man. I'm not selling snake oil. I am a composer who believes in the music he is making. I want to take the time to prepare so that I can articulate to a stranger what why my music has value.

I was at the Billboard TV and Film Music Conference yesterday and had to get into that 'Pitch' state of mind. I met numerous composers/songwriters. After having a pleasant exchange with several of them I sit here now entering business cards into my data base and realize only one composers I met had a Pitch. And I can tell you exactly what kind of music he specializes in (though I have never heard it) and what kind of commercial spots he works on. Ironically, the composer, Geoff Aymar, works in house at the ad agency The Designory.

I am still getting all my materials together for press/publicity for my new album The Radioactive Werewolf and other Tales from the Southwest. And I realize I should have been preparing my pitch for this album months ago. It is complicated - spanning genres - and has some performances by talented musicians including: Alain Whyte (Morrisey) , Chris Schleyer (Kidney Theives, Zero Mancer) and opratic saprono Elif Savas.

So I talk with my brother (T-bob, a screenwriter who HAS to know how to pitch) and he develops a couple Pitch idea for me in no time. Now this outside perspective was priceless. And coming from someone I trust makes it even easier to openly except his point of view on how to communicate what the album is.

His first attempt sounded like a film:
"Take a dash of classic horror film soundtracks, a generous helping of Aaron Copeland, a batch of roughly chopped Southern rock, and add Angelo Baldamenti sparingly. Process in the blender of Bodin's unique mind. Serve immediately for an inspiring mental road trip."

Funny, interesting but WAY to complicated. So we pass back a few more ideas and come up with:
"Comprised of instrumentals with a western slant and southern style rock songs, The Radioactive Werewolf is strung together like a David Lynch soundtrack."

Now we got somewhere. Now I believe this IS what it sounds like and I can happily convey this with confidence to anyone.

As I have grown as a composer I have also developed my ability to Pitch. As I look at my past 2 years of releases I see a trend. Do you agree?

Greed, Lust And Cloning
"Score for a film that never was. A thrilling tale of espionage and adventure painted through a dynamic score"

Like Rabbits

"Intimate orchestral and acoustic modern minimalist arrangements that tip my hat to Debussy and Satie, with viola solos performed by Leah Nelson."

The Ballad of Big Shot Volume 1
"Sports anthems thats will get them stompin' in the bleachers."

Silentium Est Alurum
"Sounds like Dr. Dre produced the Star Wars cantina band."

The Radioactive Werewolf and othe Tales from the Southwest
"Instrumentals with a western slant and alternative southern rock songs strung together like a David Lynch soundtrack."

Current options for on-demand T-Shirts

2008-11-12T06:10:00.000-08:00

As I venture into final planning stages for promoting my new album release "The Radioactive Werewolf and other tales from the Southwest" I seriously look into on demand custom printing. I want to find the one that best meets my needs: a simple black T-shirt, good quality, ability to print multiple colors at an affordable price.

I have been creating T-shirt designs for a couple years, but have been focused on my change in career path (composing for film, tv interactive) and put all my efforts into that rather than distract myself by trying to start a clothing company. When I realized that my budget for promoting my new album was going fast I decided to spend an afternoon and do my own research on on demand product and custom printing.

I signed up for accounts with Zazzle, Cafe Press and Spreadshirt. My first instinct was to go with Zazzle.com becasue of it's website design 'feel'. Since all companies provide what apears to be similar items for my custom printing need (clothing, accessories, coffee mugs) that didn't help me with my desision.

I decided to uploaded a simple one color designs to all three and created the a the least expensive T-shirt I could to understand the proccess. I quickly desiced to focus on Zazzle and Spreadshirts to speed the proccess. I uploaded a simple design on a entry level (Haynes) T-shirt and choose to have the shirt in the color black.

I found that with Zazzle ( becasue I was looking for a black shirt) the was at a minimum whole sale price of $21.95 (about $16 for white). With Spreadshirts I found I could make whole sale price of about $10.

I was most satisfied with the Zazzle tools as they allowing customers to zoom in to the printing and see the design more clearly (first image above), were as the Spreadshirt does not have this functionality (second image -->).

With a $10 whole sale price for an on demand T-shirt I am leaning strongly twords Spreadshirts as my custom printing provider. This gives me the ability to have inexpensive items (after mark up) for fans and doesn't break the bank for me to thank the performers who played on the album by getting them all shirts.

So I order the shirt shown in the second image (Spreadshirt) Not real happy about the $5 shipping for one $10 item when I finsh check out. In about 5 days I get my new Radioactive Werewolf Shirt and it looks pretty good. I still have to wash it and see how the "flock' printing holds up with time but I move forward and open up a store ( http://endocrine.spreadshirt.com ) customize the layout and incorporate sales links into my album web page.

Parachute Pants : or : finding personal voice

2008-11-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

I don't want to sound like an old guy, but there is a certain point in your life where something leaves your mouth and you have this vision (complete with a cane, gray hair and osteoporosis) saying something like: "Would you darn kids turn down that noisy rock-n-roll music."

Luckily I still like the noisy rock n roll music (sometime very noisy) but I hear myself saying "these kids and there fashion - those pants where silly in 1987 - why do they think they are cool now?"

While taking classes at UCLA for a semester in 2005 to refresh my skills for film scoring, my then-teacher, now friend and accomplished composer Charles Bernstein taught me how music is fashion. He helped me to embrace my own fashion sense (music wise that is) and develop my sound, my style and find my voice.

This past weekend attending the TAXI music conference I saw skinny leg pants, purple bananas, studded bracelets and even one Michael Jackson 1984 red leather jacket - both material and metaphorical.

Like watching several bad 80's video in a row I heard many demos and wondered, "What style must this artist think they are wearing."

Since uncovering my "voice" I see how easy it is to walk around in a patchwork of others styles. To wear the musical fashion of decades past. To not know when to not wear white. (I rarely wear white as it is so I always forget .. . is it labor day ? groundhogs day? :)

I can now get out my army boots out from time to time and be comfortable. And even recently and found a way to be comfortable in those old particulate pants and my died black denim jacket covered in safety pins.
But now I see that they merely hang on my style, my voice.