Intellimusica

Photo: Hu Chen | Unsplash 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 […]

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 […]

Photo by Ilona Frey | Unsplash 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 […]

Silent Night I really love this understated arrangement of Silent Night. Everything is in the right place. Guitar doesn’t have to be complicated to be beautiful. In fact, I would argue that simplicity in music is virtuous, and we should all be striving to play […]

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 […]

Photo by Linus Nylund | Unsplash The Whale The Whale is a film directed by Darren Aronofsky, and stars Brendan Fraser as a reclusive English teacher, who tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter. Brendan Fraser is easy to like. His career is in […]

Photo by Brandon Mowinkel | Unsplash I’m With You (Always) Bones and All is a romantic/horror/road film directed by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name). The film tells the story of two young cannibals, falling in love, and fleeing together on a road trip […]

21 Grams I completely lifted my right-hand technique from composer, Gustavo Santaolalla. He effectively arpeggiates chord shapes by rolling through them with his fingers. This is a beautiful way to voice chords, and pretty easy to do with a little practice. The best way to […]

Photo by Dana Davis | Unsplash 1883 I’ve been obsessing over Taylor Sheridan’s work since he wrote the screenplay for Sicario (2015). However, I’m only getting a chance to watch his 1883 series now — and IT IS fantastic. 1883 is a prequel to Sheridan’s […]

The Banshees of Inisherin The Banshees of Inisherin, is a 2022 black comedy written and directed by British-Irish playwright, Martin McDonagh. The film follows two lifelong friends (Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson) who find themselves at an impasse, when one abruptly ends their relationship. The predicament […]

The Parting Glass Friends, my new EP is out today, The Parting Glass. It’s a collection of 5 contemplative guitar pieces in the World/New Age genre. This one has more of a Celtic feel as the EP progresses. Links to streaming below: 👇🏻 1. Pale […]

Original photo by Alex Fredrich | Unsplash Yellowstone Yellowstone is a Paramount TV series written and directed by Taylor Sheridan (Sicario, Hell or High Water, Wind River). Kevin Costner plays John Dutton, a father trying to protect his ranch, the largest in the United States, […]