Today, I delivered the final music stems for Fue Follet, an animated short created by Jess Legendre and scored by me. My approach to this project was to imagine how a child might feel when watching it, and then create music that further taps into those emotions. I'll attach a clip from the film as soon as everything's all wrapped up.

PS Can I just say drones are soooo underappreciated by audiences - they fly under the radar but can play SUCH a strong role in setting the mood.

You probably read this and thought, what music? A valid thought. There's hardly any music in The Pitt, and it's kind of a beautiful thing (and yes, I'm saying this as a composer). We hear some underscore in the form of simple electronic tension pulses, usually an end-credit song, and occasionally splashes of something else. And it works so well. Why? An emergency room inherently carries a heavy dose of drama, and the documentary-style show aims to reflect this reality without unnecessary amplification. Not much music is needed in this particular case, and it's a great lesson for composers who have a tendency to over-write. Always have a reason for including music. Be comfortable in moments without music, as this is part of the score too. Intentionality is everything. 

(Sorry if this felt like a LinkedIn post lol)

• Buju Banton, "Champion"

• Sade, "Mr. Wrong"

• Richard Harris, "McArthur Park" (the Donna Summer cover also slaps)

• Paulo de Carvalho and Diogo Piçarra, "Flor Sem Tempo"

• Judeline, "chica de cristal"

• SOPHIETHEHOMIE, "home demo"

• Tiana Major9 and EARTHGANG, "Collide"

• Devon Again, "Suburbia"

It seems that the number of tracks in an album have gotten shorter and shorter over time. There are still some albums from the past few years that have quite a few tracks (ex. Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter" with 27 tracks), but I've noticed an overall trend of mainstream albums getting increasingly shorter. Maybe to push something out more quickly to maintain audience engagement and ultimately keep the money flowing? Whatever the reason, I think it makes it easier to know an artist's entire repertoire as a listener, but in some cases harder to know all that an artist is capable of because there's so much filtered out.

Today is my first day at a new job! I'm now a music researcher at Audio Network (an outrageously awesome production music library). I'll be primarily pitching music for briefs in TV, ads, film, events, and other forms of media. Really excited for this one, and will of course continue to write music.

I've been listening to a lot of P!nk lately. Similar to MARINA (who I made an earlier post about), I listened to her a lot growing up and then stopped at some point. But now I'm back on the P!nk train, and I'm being reminded of just how cathartic and angsty (in the best way) her music can be, especially the stuff from the early 2000s. Go listen to P!nk. She's awesome. You're welcome.

If I had to only listen to one song for the rest of my life, it might be "Feel Like Making Love" by Roberta Flack. It's only two-ish minutes long, but it truly never gets old.

I finally went for it and ordered a massive cart of items for my home studio. I was pretty minimal with my set-up during school because I had access to quality equipment on campus. But it feels great to have my own now and be able to use it whenever I want. I also ordered the coolest, swaggiest instrument out there for me to learn - the electric bass. I'm planning to start with "Cake by the Ocean" by DNCE, "Feel Good Inc." by the Gorillaz, and "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King!

I wanted to dedicate a blog post to MARINA (aka Marina Diamandis, formerly Marina and the Diamonds). Her music was so central to my listening growing up, and I've always appreciated how she doesn't follow tropes unless it's in an ironic way. After finishing grade school, I didn't listen to her as much, but she released an album in June, and it led me to rediscover her. She's one of those artists whose music you may know without knowing she's the one behind it. An absolute PRINCESS OF POWER (iykyk).

I've been pleasantly surprised to find how warm and welcoming people are in the New York music industry. Sometimes music environments can be toxic, competitive, and gate-keepy, but people here are happy to help and go out of their way to be kind. It's very motivating and greatly appreciated from someone just starting out.

I've been listening to the recently released album, "Love Made Trees" by Loaded Honey. It offers the perfect blend between Motown-esque arrangements and modern production. HIGHLY recommend.

Today was my last day of interning with MIBE Music where I tagged over 500 tracks with metadata for their library. Thanks to my supervisor, Charles Pilgrim, for being the conductor of this experience, guiding us interns from one track to another.

Today, I drove with all of my belongings from Boston to NYC to start the next chapter of my life. (I can't decide which of the two cities has worse drivers.) Excited for lots of live music and everything else to come!

Did a fun gig with my good friend Nathan Suh at the Bebop in Boston. Something to check off my Berklee bucket list!

Lots of projects in the works, stay tuned (music pun?).

This weekend, I am assisting the crew from Talent Is Timeless with filming the pilot for their new TV show in Greenfield, MA. Looking forward to it!

Went to see The Criticals and Sawyer Hill at the Bowery Ballroom (NYC). There's nothing better than when the performers are having fun and being silly on stage. This was truly a fun show. Also, super cool venue.

I played piano for the amazing Alex Hoskyns in a gig at Radio Bean (Burlington, VT). All proceeds went to the National Network of Abortion Funds and the Transgender Program and Thrive Mutual Aid Fund of the Pride Center of Vermont. The turnout was really inspiring. I'm honored to have been a part of this show and to be around such passionate and caring people.

Great set presented by TSHA at Superior Ingredients (NYC).

Attended Soulection's 14th anniversary celebration at the Knockdown Center (NYC). The energy was electrifying!!

Every Thursday, I get to attend the Berklee Global Jazz Institute forums in which student ensembles play for jazz masters like John Patitucci, Danilo Pérez, Joe Lovano, and others. I was in jazz bands as an alto saxophonist at one point in life, but that was several years ago. With that being said, I can still recall the joy and the welcomed challenge of playing swing, Latin styles, funk, and countless other styles that fall under the massive umbrella that we call "jazz." Sitting in on these forums has been a great pleasure and has reminded me of the inclusivity and freedom that jazz embodies. Furthermore, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the extraordinary musicianship of the student players. I have a deep appreciation for the dedication that they have toward developing their craft and the "collective genius" (as Danilo once put it) that is explored during performances.