Nightcall Drive is a 2011 neo-noir crime film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling. The film follows a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. The song “Nightcall” by Kavinsky is used prominently in the film, and it is […]

Stay I’m a huge Ghost fan, and I absolutely love this song. ‘Stay’ features actor/director Patrick Wilson on vocals and his singing is remarkable. This song is played during the end credits of the new film, Insidious: The Red Door (also directed by Patrick Wilson). […]

Unchained Melody Unchained Melody is nearly 70 years old. It was initially written (by Alex North and Hy Zaret) as a theme for a prison film entitled, Unchained (1955).  The song was popularized by The Righteous Brothers a decade later in 1965. My favorite is […]

Wake Me Up When September Ends (Jonathan’s Version) I couldn’t stand Green Day. I respected the band as musicians and songwriters, but as a guitar teacher, they’ve been the bane of my existence for 30 years. A constant deluge of ever changing power chord riffs […]

Never Let Me Down Again Never Let Me Down Again, is a song by the English band Depeche Mode, who were pioneers of electronic and “alternative” music in the 1980’s. This song is from their 6th album, Music for the Masses (1987) My arrangement is directly […]

Video Games I’ve always loved the song, Video Games by Lana Del Rey. With her usual deft lyricism and poetry — Lana sings about the relationship she has versus the relationship she fantasizes. It’s all stylized with her signature ‘longing in California’ vibe. Composer Ramin […]

I’m Tired I’m Tired is the signature track from Euphoria (HBO) season 2. The music is from English musician, Labrinth, who scores the entire show. Labrinth (a singer, rapper, songwriter, and producer) is in Alt-hip hop space where musicality reigns supreme. I’m Tired is an […]

My Heart Will Go On I recently heard a super minimal version of My Heart Will Go On played with two cellos. I believe the duo’s name was literally 2CELLOS. It was beautiful and I wanted to create a subtle and minimal guitar version too. […]

Running Up That Hill If you’re right around my age (or older) you might fondly remember Kate Bush’s 1985 hit, Running Up That Hill. I was in second grade when that came out. Like everything from the 80’s — it’s a reminder of a far […]

The House I highly recommend The House on Netflix. In general, stop-animation is incredibly engaging — with a weirdness and authenticity that’s impossible to look away from. The House couples this with excellent writing and a creeping dread. This film is an easy watch — […]

The Music of the Night My Dad was a massive fan of the arts — specifically music and poetry. As an early adolescent (in the late 80’s) my family belonged to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. I was fortunate to see every Broadway show you can […]

I Get to Love You As I write this post, I’m sitting in a hotel room in Harrisburg PA on New Years Eve. I’ll be performing ‘I Get to Love You’ as a bride processional this evening for my wife’s cousin’s wedding. I guess that […]