music

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While I was gone for over a week (and I’m working on getting a report, some photos and video of the trip up soon) a number of people wrote in asking if I knew anything about whether or not Steve Jablonsky (left) would be returning to score the sequel to last summer’s smash-hit movie Transformers (right now the next chapter is being called Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but I’m still wondering if Michael Bay might have another title up his sleeve). Anyone who’s read this blog over the past year will recall how it became a focal point for the drive to have Jablonsky’s amazing music for Transformers released on CD. Happily it was, but it’s now no longer being published and unless you pay literally hundreds of dollars for it on eBay the only way you can get it is via iTunes or Amazon’s digital download. Hopefully we’ll ...

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It might be a few days before I can watch “Turn Left”, tonight’s new episode of Doctor Who which the BBC just transmitted across the pond to our Brittish brethren (and after two years nobody has still gotten that little joke!). “Turn Left” marks the return of Billie Piper as Rose Tyler: the Doctor’s first companion after the series was revived after a fifteen-year hiatus. Rose, her family and boyfriend Mickey became trapped in the alternate universe at the end of Season 2 (or 28 if we’re counting the original series) and the Doctor said that there was no way to escape. If you’ve been watching this season’s Doctor Who you know already that she wound up back somehow, beginning with her jaw-dropping silent cameo in the season premiere “Partners in Crime”.

So to celebrate the imminent reunion of the Doctor and one of the most beloved of his companions, ...

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A number of people have been writing in to report that “Roar!”, the track that Michael Giacchino composed for the hit monster movie Cloverfield, has disappeared from iTunes just days after it finally became available for download. Here’s my post about when “Roar!” first appeared on iTunes.

I did a search on iTunes also, and “Roar!” isn’t showing up either in results or on Michael Giacchino’s page. However, if you go to the original URL that links directly to “Roar!”‘s page on iTunes, as of this writing it’s still showing up as being available. And for $0.99, the same as most other tracks on iTunes (it was originally selling for $1.99).

It’s probably just a glitch in the iTunes database. I can’t think of any other reason why a track that was in such wild demand would be yanked so quickly, or even at all. Anyhoo, ...

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The one that we did back in the fall of 2007? Transformers composer Steve Jablonsky gave us a signed copy of score CD and we put it up on eBay, with the understanding that 100% of the proceeds would go toward music education here in Rockingham County. When all was said and done the sale netted over $300!

So, wanna know what the money went toward?

The original plan was to assist the funding of a special concert for the elementary students because at the time we didn’t know if we would be able to have it this year. Fortunately that was taken care of. But we were still able to put the proceeds to some good music use.

This is what’s called an Orff Xylophone. Its specially made for use with the Orff Approach to music education. Most of the funds from the auction went to purchase ...

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Scott Kelly sends word that after three months of a lot of people wanting this, that “Roar!”, the instrumental piece by Michael Giacchino that plays over the end credits of Cloverfield (and the only original musical score composed for that movie) is now available for purchase via iTunes as of today. If you have iTunes already loaded on your computer then aim here to go straight to “Roar!”.

I just bought it and am listening to it now. “Roar!” is both monstrous and majestic. I thought that in addition to complementing Cloverfield, that it was a beautiful piece in its own right and a terrific homage to the classic Toho “giant monstah” movies that Cloverfield was inspired by.

Incidentally, the version of “Roar!” that you can download is five minutes longer than the one used in the movie. After listening to both – someone sent me a ...

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By Primus, I never thought that we’d be going through this again. But, it looks like we will! šŸ™‚

If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, then you’re no doubt familiar with the hijinks (among numerous others) that happened this past year regarding the movie Transformers and it’s amazing orchestral score by composer Steve Jablonsky. After seeing the movie I went looking for the score’s CD in stores. It wasn’t available. I made sure to write about it on this blog that I was looking forward to a release of Jablonsky’s Transformers score. Lots of people were looking for it too and began coming to this blog, seeking any information for it. Almost on a lark, I set up an online petition requesting that the Powers That Be release the score. And it got slammed! Some drama ensued and I tried to chronicle it here. In ...

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Not long after Cloverfield came out in January (read my review here) this blog received word from a reliable source (and still a reliable one in spite of things) that Michael Giacchino’s “Roar!”, the one bit of original music score for that movie, was going to be release “soon”. Obviously this did not happen and we are still waiting for it.

Well today Ain’t It Cool News is pointing everyone to a video at Film Score Monthly Online wherein Giacchino addresses the high demand for “Roar!” and the problems that have come with it. Nobody foresaw that a single piece of music like this would become so sought-after, Giacchino says. He also adds that the complete track is 13 minutes long and that when (not “if” but “when”) “Roar!” comes out it will be the full piece.

So sounds like it’s coming after all, just that they’ve ...

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Earlier this week this blog reported the arrest of Popcorn Sutton: perhaps the very last of the original Appalachian moonshiners and an American living legend. As of this writing Popcorn is still in jail in east Tennessee after a raid that caught him with almost a thousand gallons of still-brewed booze and many hundreds of pounds of unfinished mash.

Since his arrest, Popcorn Sutton is gradually gaining support for his cause. I’ve heard that a legal defense fund has been established, and I’m trying to find out more details about that. Someone is even selling “Free Popcorn” shirts on CafePress. And now a couple of musicians have done a short song in honor of Popcorn. Enjoy!

...

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