Intellimusica

Haven Haven is a little gem by Gustavo Santaolalla. It’s from HBO’s The Last of Us. I have no idea which (if any) episode this song was used in — but it did make the soundtrack, and it’s a beautiful composition. Haven is actually played […]

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 […]

The Poet Acts Philip Glass (1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass is the godfather of the post-classical movement – as his music is minimalist, and built upon repetitive phrases. It […]

Reclamation I’m frequently involved with (or commissioned for) short-films. Often, these filmmakers are professionals on much larger projects. ‘Short-films’ are a vehicle for their own talents, and a way to display their skill sets. Sometimes these projects make it to the film festival circuit. Most […]

Vanishing Grace (a variation) I’ve been steeped in Gustavo Santaolalla’s music and guitar playing since 2005 when his iconic score for Brokeback Mountain was first released. The minimalism of his playing captivated me immediately. Santaolalla’s style has informed my playing ever since. Gustavo Santaolalla has […]

The Last of Us (HBO) The HBO series “The Last of Us” is a critically acclaimed adaptation of the popular video game. Contributing to the show’s atmosphere, is the soundtrack by composer Gustavo Santaolalla. Having also composed the music for the original game, Santaolalla’s work […]

1923 1923 is a Yellowstone origin story, where the Duttons face challenges to the ranch, in the early 20th century. I particularly like the character of Spencer — a WW1 soldier suffering from PTSD who’s biding time as ‘man-eater’ hunter in Africa. Kind of like […]

The Pale Blue Eye I was REALLY excited to see The Pale Blue Eye – as the whole thing was shot around my hometown of Pittsburgh. Western PA is filled with well-preserved colonial sites that are located within state parks. Specifically, I spend a lot […]

Adagio in C Minor HBO’s Succession has definitely been on my list to watch. A friendly listener suggested Impromptu No. 1 from the soundtrack of Season 3. I had no idea the classically inspired music was from composer, Nicholas Britell. He’s one of my all […]

Silent Night Silent Night originated in Austria in 1818. It was written as a poem, “Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!”, by Joseph Mohr, a young priest in the town of Oberndorf. The melody was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, a schoolteacher and organist in the nearby […]

Coventry Carol is a Christmas EP that I’ve long wanted to release. It’s a short collection of 5 songs. All are my own arrangements, and two of them are written by me: The Holly in the Windy Hedge and Ode to the Season. I’ve been […]