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SPRING 2009...
 FOOD, INC. is coming to theaters June 12th. This documentary feature by filmmaker Robert Kenner (our tenth project together) lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farm's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here. The film received a standing ovation when it premiered at last year's Toronto Film Festival. The 70 minutes of score was recorded with a 28 piece chamber orchestra and rock and roll band at Capitol Studios; in addition, solo guitars, fiddle, keyboards, and Strumstick were recorded in my home studio.
I'm fortunate to count guitarists Peter Maunu and Paul Viapiano as friends, as well as long-time collaborators. Peter was a founding member of the ground-breaking band Group 87, and has played on dozens of film scores, as well as on sessions with Jean-Luc Ponty, The Pointer Sisters and The Commodores. Paul is fine classical guitarist (who is equally at home with folk, rock and jazz). He appears frequently with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where I recently heard him perform Pierre Boulez' extraordinarily demanding Le marteau sans maître. On "Food, Inc.," the two of them covered everything from rootsy dobro and acoustic guitar to ambient electronica loops to heavy metal leads, as well as joining with bass player Bob Glaub (Jackson Brown, Tracy Chapman, Carole King) and drummer Matt Laub (Alanis Morisette, Edgar Winter) to form one amazing band. David Low played cello and contracted the superb orchestra with René Mandel as concertmaster, and the music prep was (as usual) beautifully done by Julie and John Eidsvoog. Other soloists included session veteran Tom Boyd on oboe and Grammy-winner Charlie Bisharat on fiddle. I played keyboards (piano, celeste, organ, and industrial samples) and Strumstick. Engineer Daryn Roven achieved the great orchestra and drum sound at Capitol Studio A.
This spring and summer, I'll be touring with the newly-formed Donna Jean Godchaux Band, with Greg Mattson of the Zen Tricksters. Donna Jean, her husband David and I go way back (see Heart of Gold Band, below), and it's great to be performing with them again. Donna began her early vocal work as a session singer in Muscle Shoals, where she appeared on recordings with Elvis Presley and Percy Sledge. Throughout most of the 70's she was a member of the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band with then-husband Keith Godchaux. We'll be playing a lot of Dead songs in the new group, along with a good dose of original material. Stay tuned for tour dates (see sidebar).
 Venice Magazine has named the music from BOTTLE SHOCK a runner up for the ten best scores of 2008. The film is now out on DVD. Starring Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, Chris Pine, Rachael Taylor, Freddy Rodriguez, Eliza Dushku, and Dennis Farina, BOTTLE SHOCK tells the story of the early break-through days of California wine making. Based on a true story, the narrative centers on the now infamous Paris wine tasting of 1976 (which has come to be known as the "Judgment of Paris"), when California wines trumped French wines in a blindfold contest. The film provided the opportunity to reunite with some great individuals I've worked with over the years, including director Randy Miller, co-writer/producer Jody Savin, violinist Sid Page, clarinetist Larry London, guitarist Peter Maunu, concertmaster Endré Granat, cellist and contractor David Low, trumpeter Tim Larkin, copyist Julie Eidsvoog, orchestrator John Eidsvoog, scoring mixer Dennis Sands, and music editor Joanie Diener. The result of our efforts is one of my most eclectic scores to date, covering jazz, blues, folk-rock, orchestral, French café, and my own peculiar brand of quirky-alternative music utilizing detuned kantele and bowed psaltery (improbably, it all hangs together.) This is my fifth collaboration with Randy and his wife, Jody, and my tenth film to have had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. More on Bottle Shock...
 Also out on DVD is NOBEL SON, directed by Randy Miller. The film is a taught thriller spiked with droll humor, and features Alan Rickman, Shawn Hatosy, Brian Greenburg, Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson, and Eliza Dushku. I worked with producer and re-mix artist Paul Oakenfold on the score, and the result of our collaboration is an edgy track combining techno/electronica grooves and agitato strings. The film had it's premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.
More on Nobel Son...
 Cutting edge science and Arctic adventure come alive in WAKING THE BABY MAMMOTH premiering in April on the National Geographic Channel. The film tells the story of a unique discovery: a perfectly preserved baby woolly mammoth that suddenly appears on a Siberian riverbank, triggering an extraordinary investigation into her life and death at the end of the Ice Age. Solving the mystery of her origins unites men whose lives are worlds apart except for their link to the woolly mammoth. The film interweaves the stories of the Nenet reindeer herder who found 40-thousand-year-old Baby Lyuba—and a renowned paleontologist who attempts to unlock her secrets. I developed themes inspired by folk melodies of the Nenets people for the 77 minute orchestral score.
 HOLLYWOOD CHINESE is airing May 27th on PBS, as part of the series "American Masters." This award-winning feature documentary is a multi-faceted look at American cinema through the lens of the Chinese-American experience, and through films from an industry that was often uninformed about issues regarding race, yet at times could be surprisingly sensitive.
The film (my third project with Academy Award-nominated director Arthur Dong) includes interviews with Ang Lee, Nancy Kwan, Joan Chen, David Henry Hwang, Amy Tan, and others, as well as clips from classic and current films.
 PRIMARIES AND SECONDARIES is the name of Robert Irwin's recent retrospective at the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art. It's also the title of Leonard Feinstein's 18 minute film which accompanies the exhibition. Lenny and I have collaborated on numerous projects over the years, and this marks our third film about the artist. Irwin's work is rooted in Abstract Expressionism, but during his fifty year career he has moved from gestural painting to major installation projects such as the Los Angeles Getty Museum's monumental gardens. His interest in altered consciousness helped define the aesthetic of the West Coast Light movement in the late '60s. The show also featured five new site-specific installation pieces (see photo.) The film documents the creation of one of the pieces, and includes extensive interviews with Irwin.
 The soundtrack of MARILYN HOTCHKISS' BALLROOM DANCING & CHARM SCHOOL made Film Music Magazine's Cineradio Top 20 for the month of May in 2006. (This list reflects airplay of film score music on terrestrial, internet and satellite radio in the US and Canada.) The CD is available from Milan Records, and the DVD is currently in release. Director Randall Miller's film had its premiere at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where its initial screening was greeted with a standing ovation. Festival director Gary Gilmore describes the film this way: "There is a purity of spirit and heart in Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School that hearkens back to a simpler, more straightforward place, a place that draws from emotional memories of growing up, with its scars and lost dreams.... Without question, Marilyn Hotchkiss reaches out and touches you deeply." The cast includes Robert Carlyle, Marisa Tomei, John Goodman, Mary Steenburgen, Donnie Wahlberg, Sean Astin, David Paymer, Sonia Braga, Camryn Manheim, and Danny DeVito. I play piano on the orchestral score, which also incorporates tin whistle, Tibetan bowls, gamelan, and wind chimes, and features violin solos by Sid Page.
 WHEN DO WE EAT? is now available on DVD. This first feature from director Salvador Litvack (who co-wrote the film with his wife Nina Davidovich) tells the story of a Passover gone crazy when the family patriarch unknowingly ingests a hit of ecstasy. The film features a great ensemble cast, including Jack Klugman, Michael Lerner, Lesley Ann Warren, Max Greenfield, and Adam Lamberg. WHEN DO WE EAT? was also named Best Comedy at the Napa/Sonoma Wine Country Film Festival, and Sal received Best Director award at the Tahoe/Reno International Film Festival. The klezmer-inspired score features Leo Chelyopov on clarinet, René Mandel on violin, Paul Viapiano on guitar, Jim Self on tuba, Dave Carpenter on bass, and Wayne Bergeron on trumpet. The soundtrack is available from JMG Records.
More on "When Do We Eat?"...
THE RON CLARK STORY premiered in 2006. Directed by Randa Haines and featuring Mathew Perry in the thoughtfully underplayed title role, this Emmy-nominated television movie tells the true story of an elementary school teacher whose work with inner city kids turns their failing grades to "A"s and transforms their lives. (The kids' performances are outstanding.) Perry received Golden Globe, SAG, and Emmy nominations for his performance, Randa was honored with a DGA nomination, film editor Heather Persons received an EDDIE nomination, and music editor Joanie Diener was nominated for an MPSE Golden Reel Award. The score uses guitar, bowed autoharp, glass jars, metal pots and plastic pipes.
Also premiering in 2006 (on Lifetime) was LIFE OF THE PARTY, a
comedy drama from writer/director Barra Grant. Starring Eion Bailey and
Ellen Pompeo, the film tells the story of an affable alcoholic whose friends
and family arrange a psychological intervention in an attempt to help him.
When the psychologist fails to show, events take an unexpected turn. The
film is highlighted by strong performances and a great script. The score
features clarinet, bass clarinet, melodica, harp, and percussion.
 THE FALL OF FUJIMORI had its premiere broadcast on the PBS series POV in 2006. Director Ellen Perry's critically acclaimed documentary premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival, and features her unprecedented interviews with the former Peruvian president (which were conducted when he was living in Japan and was shielded from extradition.) Though recognized for effectively squashing terrorism in his country, Interpol is seeking to indict Fujimori on charges of kidnapping, murder and corruption. I worked on the score with my friend, Chilean musician Quique Cruz. The soundtrack includes many indigenous Andean percussion, wind, and string instruments. The film screened theatrically in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and was honored with a Writer's Guild nomination for Best Documentary Screenplay. More on "The Fall of Fujimori"...
 In the turbulent fall of 1967, a devastating ambush killed more than 60 U.S. soldiers in a Vietnamese jungle, while half a world away at the University of Wisconsin, a peaceful protest against the war spiraled out of control. These events are chronicled in TWO DAYS IN OCTOBER, a powerful, Peabody and Emmy Award-winning documentary directed by Robert Kenner. Based on the Pulitizer Prize-winning book, "They Marched Into Sunlight," the film launched the 2006 season of American Experience, on PBS. (The project marks my ninth collaboration with Robby.) It's a mostly electronic score, featuring solos by Tim Larkin on trumpet and Chris Bleth on bamboo flutes.
 LIVING WITH WOLVES premiered on Discovery Channel in 2005. This two-hour program offers a compelling behind-the-scenes account of wildlife filmmakers husband and wife Jim and Jamie Dutcher, in a prequel to the Dutcher's Emmy award-winning documentary WOLVES AT OUR DOOR (I had also scored their earlier film.) The beautifully photographed program (which received an Emmy nomination for cinematography) delves into the filming, memorable moments, struggles and logistical problems faced by the couple as they spent six years living with a pack of captive wolves in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. The folk-flavored orchestral score features guitar and fiddle solos.
 THE HEART OF GOLD BAND is alive (though currently on hiatus). I'd played with the band in the early 1980s, and we reunited in May of 2004 to play eight venues, including the House of Blues in L.A. and the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. The band features former Grateful Dead vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay; David MacKay on bass; Zion Godchaux on guitar and vocals; Greg Anton on drums; Brian Godchaux on electric violin, mandolin and vocals; Joanie Diener on vocals; Russ Randolph on percussion; and me on keyboards and vocals. Reuniting with Donna, David and Greg was the best, as was playing for the first time with Brian, Russ, and Zion (who was six the last time I'd seen him!). David and I first played together when we were in our teens, and my wife Joanie was drafted to sing background vocals – so the tour was a rich experience on many levels. Photos from the tour can be seen in the SIGHTS section. Additional photos can be found on the Heart of Gold Band
website. More on the Heart of Gold Band...
 2005 saw the untimely loss of a friend and collaborator, the co-writer and director of the film PICTURE BRIDE. Kayo Hatta was one of the most gifted, beautiful, down-to-earth, and genuinely spiritual people I've had the good fortune to know. Much of who she was continues to live on in her beautiful film.
Starring Youki Kudoh and Tamlyn Tomita, this story of a young Japanese woman who comes to Hawaii in 1918 to work in the sugar cane fields won the Audience Award at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival and received critical praise on its theatrical release. (Toshiro Mifune has a cameo in one of his last roles.) The orchestral score features James Walker on bamboo flutes and Peter Maunu on guitar. Miramax released "Picture Bride" on DVD last year.
 Wayne Wang's EAT A BOWL OF TEA is also now available on DVD. The score is a hybrid of jazz (inspired by Monk and Ellington) and traditional Chinese music, and features an original song, "Spring In New York," which I wrote for the film. (See the PRESS page for a review excerpt.) Purchase "Eat A Bowl of Tea"...
 LEO (starring Joseph Fiennes, Elizabeth Shue, Dennis Hopper, Sam Shepard, Deborah Unger, Justin Chambers, and Mary Stuart Masterson) is now available on DVD. Set in rural Mississippi, the film tells the story of a former prisoner and the lives he changes on his journey toward redemption. The eclectic score moves from ambient textures to orchestral ensembles, and features duduk and piano solos, as well as rootsy guitar and dobro. Purchase "Leo"...
 INHALING THE SPORE,a documentary on the Museum of Jurassic Technology, had its premiere in 2004 at the museum's new screening room. Directed by Leonard Feinstein, the film features interviews with (among others) Lawrence Weschler, who penned the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book on the museum, and David Wilson, the museum's founder. The score uses a small ensemble featuring accordion, violin, clarinet, and piano. The DVD is available for purchase through the museum. Purchase "Inhaling The Spore"... More on the Museum of Jurassic Technology...
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