Lakeshore Records Podcast lakeshorerecords

For today’s episode, Alon Levitan had an enlightening and fun conversation with masterful composer and hilarious badass Ruth Barrett. Ruth is amazingly versatile, she's a real riot, and incredibly insightful when it comes to the craft and all things music.  In their wide-ranging conversation they discussed Knightrider & the Flash Gordon soundtrack, Stravinsky riffs & Jazz improv, fear as an integral part of the creative process, ripping off the band aid off with Antoine Fuqua and Chris Pratt in his underwear, bringing Hitchcock and Bernard Hermann into the world of drums and synths, popcorn TV & musical crack cocaine, the mysterious alchemy of noodling around on a keyboard, Ruth's inner Incredible Hulk, Martin Phipps and orchestral goosebumps, how to find the scene that speaks to you, the brilliance of Prince and Grace Jones, how animals communicate, and so much more. Ruth's scores to Law & Order: Organized Crime, Big Beasts, and The Terminal List are out now worldwide.

For today’s episode, I had a superb conversation with the great Steve Jablonsky. His wide-ranging compositions have had a profound impact on me, my son, and listeners all across the globe.  He's such a pro, and just a great all around guy. It was an honor picking his brain for a few hours. In our expansive conversation we discussed how to create dramatic weight and get of your own way in the creative process, the importance of silence, Michael Bay as a metaphor for God, the truly transformative nature of Transformers music, how Hans Zimmer helped Steve channel his grief, listening to the Beatles and the rise of "quote" epic music", collaborating on the Pirates of the Caribbean,  the maestro Ennio Morricone and The Untouchables,  how the sounds of skateboards influenced The Tiger's Apprentice, the Jablonsky track that impressed Steven Spielberg, Steve's Japanese heritage, the brilliance of Harry Gregson-Williams,Yoko Kano, and Ari Aster, the pitfalls of overthinking, fatherhood, parenting and work/life balance, and so much more. Steve's score to The Tiger's Apprentice is out now worldwide . I hope you enjoy my conversation with Steve as much as I did.

Today’s episode is a real keeper. All around music powerhouse Gary Clark has performed, written, produced, and composed incredible sonic gems that span every genre time adores, and our host Brian McNelis (president of Lakeshore Records) has released thousands of soundtracks and music supervised countless films, video games and more. In Gary and Brian's wide ranging conversation they discussed how Gary came up in a classic Scottish Irish musical household, the perennial wisdom of David Bowie, the bravery and trust of John Carney and "The John Carney Test", magical co-writing moments with stars Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the Flora and Son songwriting room, Musicals that aren't Musicals, the brilliant jazz harmony of Duke Ellington, the intimacy of songwriting, always diving into new situations as a creative, the fine line between God and Steely Dan, practicing until your fingers bleed, the song that sparked Sing Street, the politics of song selection, how to marry exclusive original songs to films, and much more.
We highly recommend you put your good listening ears on for this interview, watch Flora and Son today, and listen to the incredible soundtrack (out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records). Enjoy! 

Award winning composer / co-director Kris Bowers and Katya Richardson discuss The Last Repair Shop, music education and much more with our host Alon Levitan. The Last Repair Shop is one of those incredibly rare life-affirming projects where everyone on camera and behind the scenes is a wellspring of inspiration. In their wide-ranging conversation Katya, Kris and Alon discussed the many splendors of learning an instrument, the genius of Keith Jarrett, Prokofiev, Flying Lotus and Bach, the connection between persistence & authenticity, recording an orchestra of LAUSD alumni, the hidden contributions of our ancestors, how to destroy the ego with insignificance, the orchestration of Peter and the Wolf, self-discovery and the road to catharsis, what musical instruments would say about us if they could speak, the purity & darkness of childhood, the externalization of the idea of repair, and so much more. We highly recommend you watch The Last Repair Shop today and listen to Katya and Kris’ phenomenal score album, which is out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records.

"The only people who don’t make it are the ones who quit"
Emmy award-nominated composer Ariel Marx redefines what a composer can be. If you are an artist or creator of any sort, you should be hanging on Ariel’s every word. She’s a one of a kind, avante-garde risk taker with a knack for pushing boundaries and getting under our collective skin in the best way possible. Alon and Ariel covered a lot of ground including breakdowns of her brilliant approach to the scores for Sanctuary, Shiva Baby and A Small Light, the importance of perpetual contrast, Ravel’s string Quartet, Judaism’s deep cuts, The Alliance for Women Film Composers, the hidden dangers of the word “compromise”, and more.  We highly recommend you go down your own private Ariel Marx rabbit hole and make her music part of your essential playlist.
 

Award winning composer and producer Trevor Gureckis breaks down the visceral sound of Dead Space as an intimate journey through Hell, his outside the box collaboration with M. Night Shyamalan and how the master of thrillers keeps Trevor on his toes, the influence of Aphex Twin and Stanley Kubrick, Phillip Glass’ minimalism vs. a more dense maximilist approach to composition, pushing the boundaries of organic instruments, archetypal dread and Dante’s inferno, and so much more. Trevor’s scores for Dead Space and Servant are out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records.