Investment Advice for Artists: Buy Old Mugs. Plus...

...a taste of my latest film score, music updates, and lots of recommended music, videos, film, and books.

Me with a new mug I just got from a secondhand store here in Scranton. Penn Central, a pathetically unsuccessful merger in the late 60s of three railroads in the New York metropolitan area. They declared bankruptcy only 2 years after incorporating. One of the last vestiges of a bygone era. I love it - the history it led me to learn about, the color, the gold band around the top, the retro logo, the smaller size, the yellowed coloring, the handle’s even been glued back on.

I got it not because I need it or have room for it, but because I love it. It took me on a little journey that inspired me. When I drink from it, I feel connected to that journey and to the history of my community here in northeast PA.

Artists need these little - punn intended - cup fillings. They’re so silly, but the rewards so outweigh the cost of a couple dollars and a new spot in the cupboard. Why would we pass up such an investment? Little gifts and pleasures like this remind us that life is all around us all the time, that new sources of creativity can be found in even the most mundane places, that it doesn’t have to take travel agents and mortgage lenders and financial planners and dating apps and strong substances and “big breaks” to bring joy into our lives. All we have to do is wake up.

I was reminded of this as I’ve been re-reading Julia Cameron’s classic, The Artist’s Way. According to her, these little spoilings are vital for artists. I’m glad I followed her advice.

I like to put my name in my books and the dates I finished reading them.

In the Studio

It’s been a busy month!

I finished a film score that was due last week. I mentioned in my last post that I’ve had some follow-up work for a pilot I scored last year. Here I am in the studio recording some real violin for it. You can’t always afford to bring in real musicians on these projects, but I was able to budget some for this. What a HUGE difference it made on the final product.

[On the violin: Leah Valenches]

Here’s that part mixed in with the final audio:

Here’s the opening cue:

And here’s the final cue (this one is a full statement of the theme I discussed in my last post):

• In addition to that, I finished a commissioned work for Piano Day that will be released on a Spain-based label called AD21 Music on March 29th. I was going to share it with you today, but I think I want to save it for its own post. It was bear to finish, but I’m really proud of it.

• Finally, I’m playing keyboards for Little Shop of Horrors the next couple weeks at the University of Scranton. I can’t say I’ll be any good, but the actors are INSANELY good. I can’t wait for it just to see them perform. Hopefully I’ll catch some behind-the-scenes footage to share with you. If you’re local, come out!

Recommendations

Music

I’ve been very intentional so far this year about carving out time every morning, even just a little bit, to be creative without any expectations or goals. Just have fun. Because of that, I’m finding myself drawn to more experimental stuff - or at least stuff that’s feeding this sense of exploration I’ve had.

• GRIEF by Samora Pinderhughes - a mosaic of jazz, vocal, alternative, classical. Hard to describe.

• The Ascension by Sufjan Stevens - electronic folk

• Winterreise by Jerskin Fendrix - avant-garde, avant-pop. This is the guy who did the score for Poor Things (see below).

Videos

• Outstanding advice for artists from the guy who started JHS pedals. This guy’s channel is fantastic and I’ll be sharing more of his videos in the future.

• I actually saw the original interview Rick is responding to here. It’s from a music marketing agency called Burstimo, posted a couple years ago. I had the same thoughts as Rick at the time and it’s why I’ve never pursued a record deal since (or ever will).

• No clickbait here. This is exactly what this video is about. And it’s dynamite. I’ve bookmarked it and have already revisited it.

Film

• Poor Things (2023). A neo-expressionist film, I learned this week. So cool that, in our risk-averse Hollywood world right now, this got made. Beautiful film packed with imagery, depth, and creativity. The acting is as good as it gets. The cinematography and set design were breathtaking. AND THE SCORE, PEOPLE! Jerskin Fendrix’s first film score too! He lost at the oscars to (the better-connected and has-made-more-people-rich) Ludwig Göransson. What a shame. (Not that Göransson’s score for Oppenheimer was bad - Fendrix’s was just that good.)

Books

• The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. If you’re an artist, you must read this.

• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. A true novel written in 1965. The first of its kind, I believe. It’s the story of the mass murder in 1959 of the Clutter family. The film Capote was one of my favorites last year, which is why I decided to read the book.

• Mindful Eating by Jan Chozen Bays. I’m not exaggerating when I say this book has transformed my eating habits and experiences.

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