For Orchestra!

“The microphone explodes, shattering the molds”

When met with a challenge, I usually accept it head on. Bulls on Parade was no different, and I’m thrilled with the result:

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[Songs Archive]

This piece was released in 1996 by Rage Against the Machine (RATM), a Los Angeles band, and part of their 2nd studio album “Evil Empire”

RATM even beat out America Idol for the UK’s Christmas Song. This shows two things – the power of the internet community, and the lasting effects of RATM.

This piece was very difficult to arrange for orchestra – perhaps the most difficult one I’ve done. The reason for this is because of Zack De La Rocha’s rapping. When a vocalist raps, then it’s difficult to determine the exact pitch and translate it to orchestra. Another problem I was up against was the power chords that were used throughout the piece. Generally, power chords don’t always translate easily for orchestra, but I tended to do well with this, while still adding some harmonies.

‘Bulls on Parade’ is one of my favorite songs ever, by a band that heavily influenced my music. This piece is aggressive, and I wanted to capture that emotion, so I added the snare drum to give it the ‘military’ feel. The lyrics are powerful, so I made sure to have the instruments scream the words, while still maintaining the beauty and structure of the orchestra. In addition, I added lots of brass – trumpets, horns, and gave the famous Tom Morello guitar solo to the xylophone.

Arts Journal reported yesterday about the LA Times reaction to the monumental merger yesterday.

This ruling, which can be read here will shake things up in the music industry, and the classical world as a whole.

What will this do for classical music?
LiveNation does a great job of having people discover new music. But so do a handful of others like The Sixty One and Eventful.

The problem with this is that is creates a huge Monopoly, one that even Bruce Springsteen stood up against. It creates a nother big barrier for small ticket businesses to work with other indie musicians. Orchestras rarely fill amphitheaters and stadiums, and so this merger either will greatly effect their position, or not at all. Only time will tell.

Earlier this year I arranged Lady Gaga’s Poker Face for orchestra. Well, on New Year’s Day Amanda Palmer performed it with the Boston Pops.

It was a monumental moment – a true look into bringing the orchestra back, and integrating the arts. We had 120 musicians on stage, 20 Lady Gaga burlesque dancers from The SlutCracker, a lightshow in the background, and a full house at the Boston Symphony Hall

Then the time hit Midnight and everyone celebrated with hugs, kisses, wine, dancing, whistles, and more as the music began to play again. I was there with Stephanie Stetson who works with Maestro Benjamin Zander and we had a great time.

It was an amazing performance, with more to come!

Looking back, and realizing I’ve seen a lot of growth – from my year at The Independent Music Awards, to working with David Weiss of Mix Magazine, and helping with his new launch SonicScoop.

Someone told me I turn “Twenty Sexy” today – and I thought that sounded awesome. This year I’ve sought out my dream of arranging songs for orchestra here at http://www.fororchestra.com – which the support has been overwhelming.

After a cool night, I come home to find a present titled “For Dubbs” on my desk (which was from my awesome brother). So I decided to unwrap it and record it below:

Life’s pleasure comes from its ‘circle’ – good friends, family, health, passion, career, and more. I’m thrilled to say I have all of these things.

I want to thank to everyone for your support, friendship, and guidance. Because in looking back, there’s nothing more exciting to me then looking forward.

“She had the sightless eyes / Telling me no lies”

This is one of my favorite songs for a number of reasons – the lyrics, the simplicity, and the adversity the band went up against. The simplicity of AC/DC’s music proves their gift for songwriting. I wanted to arrange this piece for months, and so here it is:

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[Songs Archive]

I tried to capture the beauty of the above lyrics in this arrangement. I even wrote a song titled “Those Eyes” 2 years ago.

This song is from AC/DC’s album ‘Back in Black‘ released in 1980. The one thing I always think of when I hear their music is their simple, yet effective riffs. I always remember Kid Rock saying “It’s good to hear a drummer that doesn’t have to play a crash symbol on every eighth measure.” This simplicity keeps the song interesting, and in turn makes for a perfect orchestration.

To begin, I had the flutes play the intro, while the violins slowly entered. The simplicity allows me to use bells, chimes, fill ins, and more – all while the drums laid down the groove.

I wanted the dynamics for the verses to be ’soft’, while the chorus should be ‘loud’. As a result, the xylophone takes the 2nd verse, which created a great transition just before the Guitar Solo.

For the guitar solo, I wanted the violins to play in their high range right away, rather than build up to it. The problem arised that as the solo continued, the melody also gets higher. Since the violins were already in their high state, I simply had the Trumpets play the last few measures as to create a sense of ‘building up’. This worked out perfect, because in the final chorus I have the violins re-enter after the trumpets play, which created a fresh, and unexpected surprise.