For Orchestra!

I’m here at the Boston Symphony orchestra as they rehearse ForOrchestra.

I’m so excited. More on this when it happens. You guys rock. We’re making this happen

I was recently invited to the Perez Hilton and Blogads event a few days ago along with Jon Accarrino of MethodShop to meet up with some other people.

Met Perez Hilton

He blogged about my work on his website and also on his Twitter Feed.

So I was excited to go, and had a great time seeing Kid Sister open up, and a few others. As I was on my way out I bumped into Questlove from The Roots. I mentioned to him about ‘For Orchestra’ and as we all decided – Seed 2.0 was the song we should do for him.

Questlove from The Roots

The whole night was fun, and I’m glad I got to connect with Perez, and thank him for the support of my work. Thanks to Jon, BlogAds, Questo, and all of you too!

Merry Christmas everyone. I’m pulling into my first year in Manhattan, and am already a little sick of the snow haha

I have a little present for you all – here’s a picture of my Christmas Tree that looks like it’s something Charlie Brown would have.

I’ve also been working hard on a Christmas CD which will come out next year, more on that later!

Anyway, thanks for the support! Be safe, enjoy the holiday, and have fun!

Every year during Christmas I always see these light shows, in which the most famous one is the “Winter of the Wizards” Video by the Trans Siberian Orchestra. I used to study lighting, but will refrain from getting technical (for those who care its referred to as DMX 512).

I always compare these light shows to orchestrating my music. In the video below you’ll notice there are 5 or so “sections”. Similarly, there are 5 or so sections in an orchestra (winds, brass, strings, percussion, chorus, etc.). So assign each light section as an instrument section. When either section is playing you have them ‘perform’. Its much more complicated than that, but the arrangement is the same idea. It also helps to have dynamics and to start with a song that is arranged well.

I like the idea of how something like this can be uploaded onto Youtube, and then find its way into a Suberbowl commercial. This helped explode the idea of arranging lights to music – and everyone knows I’m a big fan of inter arts (combining more than one art form together).

The reason I say that dynamics are important are because the power is in the peaks and valleys. Good art tells a story, and every good story takes you on a journey of highs and lows. Notice how there are times when only one light is ‘playing’ to create the sense of one instrument playing, etc.

The lightshow ‘arranger’ creates a perfect visual interpretation of a piece of music – saving the climactic moment for the very end. You can’t have all the lights on at once – you need build up – just like a piece of music. So there you have it – Arranging is like dancing Christmas lights.

“Caught in a Bad Romance”

I said it before: Gaga’s music makes the perfect orchestration when I use my style of arranging. Everything fits, and I love the lyrical content and direction of this piece. Even the video is beautiful. My good friend Andy Jordan put it best by saying it was “visually stunning”. I wanted to capture that atmosphere with this piece:

Hear It!     Buy It!

[Songs Archive]

This composition meant a lot to me. I felt Bad Romance, similar to how I felt about “Simply Being Loved” could be about anything that leaves us in a place we aren’t comfortable in. It doesn’t have to be about another person, it could be about your career, or your choices. “I don’t wanna be friends” echos to me the idea that we want relationships – relationships show commitment, and we should always be committed and passionate in everything we do. In the words of Derek Sivers: “It’s Hell Yea or No“. I’ve worked at places where I was a “bad romance” between my heart and the career I was in. These are all things we all go through, and help us in the long run.

Eclipsing near the 5 minute mark, this epic arrangement starts with the violins whispering the melody, just as the harp and winds stay underneath before the drums kick in. In the second verse, the blank measure on ‘Love, Love, Love’ within the 4 octaves was put there because that’s how I kept singing it in the shower, haha. It’s no secret that this piece gave me trouble – it was supposed to come out last month, but I wanted it to be perfect. There were times when the trumpets sounded better in some parts than others. The one thing I was excited for were the dynamics – I throw in soft pizzicatos, orchestra chimes, drop out the drums, have JUST the flutes play, and even create a monstrous roar leading into the final Chorus. The length of this piece allowed me to tell a story, and so I did.

If you like this, I arranged Lady Gaga’s Love Game and also Poker Face! Check them out!

I like everything about this story that I first read through Arts Journal. There is an orchestra in British Columbia that won’t “die”. When all of its chips are stacked against it, the directors still see light. Call it bliss, call it ignorance, but its everything I wish things were. Not just about classical music, but everything.

It’s no secret, orchestras aren’t as popular as they once were – but with new music comes new audiences, and new ways of interacting and growing.

I’ve worked with bands for years that throw in the towel after an unsuccessful tour or a bad show. Here we have not just a band, but an entire orchestra. It’s currently $250,000 in dept, and they still claim they will find a way to work out. I think they will too, because half of the game is the mentality behind it.

So what do you think – is this orchestra crazy to keep on going? Or do you stand behind their thoughts and hope?

I started working out these last few months. Why? Because it’s important to be on the best shape possible as a composer. When writing for 100 musicians the hours are long and there’s alot going on.

I don’t plan to be able to throw a keg over a wall or lift a car, but it’s about the full circle. It’s about being mentally sharp, as well as physically fit. I sleep well, eat well, exercise, and play sports. When you do this you begin to meet amazing people, do new things, and have a blast along the way. I used to get so tied up in practicing 16 hours a day, that I was doing more harm than good to my career.

These things enrich my life, which in turn gives me the experiences that inspire me to write and compose music. It all comes full circle, and I think that those who live complete lives write complete music.

I think people sometimes forget this, myself including.

Not in any particular order: my 3 biggest musical influences are Frank Zappa, Pearl Jam, and BT. I always liked the idea of having a mentor – it was something that my good friend (and mentor) David Weiss taught me to do years ago. You grow faster and better when you look up to someone, follow them, learn from them, and in turn become someone else’s mentor too. It’s a circle, and it comes back to you.

Me and BT

A few weeks ago I arranged BT’s Simply Being Loved for orchestra, and also was invited to meet him at the Santos Party House. He’s a super cool guy, and is into all the stuff I’m into like Super Collider, Max/MSP and more. I grew up listening to him, and advise all of you to check him out – his next album looks to be the best one yet. It was really cool connecting with someone who I respect so much. I would also like to have a drink with Eddie Vedder too. Makes me always remind myself why I work these long hours.

So who are your musical influences, and what are your goals? Write them down so we can keep track together!

This is my first release of ‘Last Words’ – one of my original composition that I have written. I originally wanted ‘For Orchestra’ to be all covers, but continually get asked to release some originals, so here we go! Of course, I’ll continue to release the other arrangements of Lady Gaga and The Roots in the coming weeks.

Preview!     Buy It!

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[Songs Archive]

I always feel that people are at their strongest when their back is against a wall. In turn, the power of this piece represents that exact moment – when things are looking down, possibilities are stacked against us, and we feel it’s near our ‘Last Words’, that we are in fact at our strongest – because our strengths are found in times of anguish, not happiness.

You may recall this piece used as the intro to my Revision3 show. This piece starts off with the flutes introducing the rhythm, then the drums take the pulse to a new height. I include the triangle, harp, and staccato violins to offset the ‘aggressiveness’ in the intro – which creates a strong peak and valley for what’s to come. As the melody takes hold, you are met with a soft ‘bridge’ section leading into the final chorus before the ‘Last Words’. The violins played a perfect role in this piece, as did the powerful drums and trumpets -which play the ending melody that the flutes played in the beginning.

This morning has started out pretty interesting. I’m laying in bed catching up on emails and I get a phone call from an unknown NYC phone number. So I answered it, and it turns out to be 101.9 RXP with ex MTV Host Matt Pinfield!

“Hey Walt, we’re gonna have you on in 5 minutes, tell us how to pronounce your last name. Ready?” “Ummm, Hell Yea!”

It was super quick (probably about 2 min. long) and was my first radio interview in a while. The thing is, that these things happen so fast that when you’re on air you forget what to say. When asked “So what songs have you done?” I kind of choked and only remembered Lady Gaga, Beatles, BT, and The Roots. I totally forgot about Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Radiohead, MGMT and more. Seriously, how are you supposed to prepare for a radio show with tons of listeners and an on-the-spot appearance?

There were events for Mashable at RS Hotel, Drop.io, and NY Times which I turned down and instead got a FULL night’s sleep and tons of work done. I’m usually out late to these things anyway, and if I had, then I would’ve slept in and surely missed this early surprise 8am phone call.

I like how things are going and people are beginning to really enjoy what I do here. But I’m a little upset – am I the only one who chokes under pressure? haha