Primal Scream, a Santa Monica-based music and sound design company under the aegis of president/ executive producer Nicole Dionne, has contracted a group of composers from diverse backgrounds for spot representation. The influx of talent comes shortly after the shop secured Claude Letessier as its sound designer/ creative director (SHOOT, 10/13, p. 7).
Coming aboard are composers George S. Clinton, Alan Elliott, Russ Landau, Mark Governor, Todd Cochran, Jay Gruska, Richard Marvin, Peter Manning Robinson, Karl Fredrik Lundeberg and Michael Wandmacher. Additionally Peter Himmelman, who has worked off and on with Primal Scream during the past four years, has officially made the company his commercial composing roost.
Clinton has extensive longform experience, ranging from major orchestral pieces as in The Astronaut’s Wife, to the intense music in Wild Things and Red Shoe Diaries, to the eclectic style of Austin Powers and its sequel. Clinton has also composed music for action films Mortal Kombat and Beverly Hills Ninja.
Elliott brings an alternative music portfolio to Primal Scream. His styles range from 1970s funk to techno, groove, hip-hop, house, rap and dance. Additionally he has written string arrangements for the band Supergrass, produced recordings from Speakeasy (featuring Ry and Joachim Cooder), and worked on Jamiroquai’s last album. Elliott also composed the music on the soundtrack for Dead Man on Campus, with The Dust Brothers. He recently finished a Seagrams spot through Primal Scream, directed by Luke Scott of bicoastal RSA USA.
Landau has gained recent notoriety for his music on the hit reality TV series Survivor. His work also includes The Rock and the Discovery Channel documentary Carrier Fortress of the Sea.
Governor’s endeavors span spots and features. Commercially, he has worked for clients such as RE/MAX, Pepsi, Universal Studios, Los Angeles Times, and the Wherehouse. He has composed additional scores and collaborated with Iggy Pop on the film The Brave, a submission to the 1997 Cannes Festival.
A classically trained pianist and accomplished jazz musician, Cochran has worked on spots for such clients as Coors, Chrysler, General Foods and Ford. His latest film was The Hurricane, and before that he worked on Five Heartbeats and Clint Eastwood’s 40-Year History of The Monterey Jazz Festival. Cochran is a composer, producer, writer, arranger and musician, and has worked with Joan Armatrading, Peter Gabriel, Herbie Hancock, Natalie Cole, Grover Washington Jr. and Maya Angelou, among others.
Gruska specializes in composing jazz and orchestral pieces, and in working with vocals (lyric-writing included). He wrote the main title theme for the movie Adventures in Babysitting, and composed the music for features Mo’ Money and Shadow Dancing. A few of his TV series credits are Beverly Hills 90210, Lois & Clark, thirtysomething and Charmed.
Marvin is known for his action fare, with music that generates intensity and drama. His music is in such movies as Breakdown, U-571, Interceptor, 3 Ninjas, Final Mission, Desert Saints and Dead Men Can’t Dance.
Robinson has worked on a variety of film, TV and commercial projects. His miniseries endeavors include The 70s, A Season in Purgatory, And the Sea Will Tell, and Small Sacrifices.
Lundeberg, who is a composer-in-residence at the Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, has also developed a reputation in world music. He has recreated the scales, melodies, harmonies, rhythms and music forms of assorted global communities, and employed acoustic and traditional instruments, as well as vocal styles indigenous to varied cultures. His specialties include world beat music and world rock music.
Wandmacher’s spot resume has such clients as BMW, Apple Computer, Diet Coke, Sony, Samuel Adams, Black & Decker, Miller Lite, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. He recently finished composing the score for Jackie Chan’s action film Drunken Master II, for which he learned authentic Chinese music. Wandmacher also just wrapped scoring Arnold Schwarzenegger’s newest film, The 6th Day.
Himmelman creates a wide range of music and has put out seven albums, in addition to working on many independent and eclectic films. He is currently composing the music for the television series Judging Amy, and has received such positive feedback for this work that the producers plan to put out an album featuring his music for the show. Himmelman has extensive spot experience, including campaigns for Lexus, Boston Market, General Mills, Renault and Budweiser.
All of the composers who have just come on board Primal Scream are represented for film work by The Seth Kaplan Entertainment Company, Los Angeles.
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