Lakeshore Records Podcast

Today’s episode features the hilarious and talented musical team behind Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, the latest film in the SpongeBob saga. Our host, Arielle Paul, is joined by singer-songwriter Tami Neilson, the composing trio Moniker and legendary music supervisor Karyn Rachtman, who put this dream team together.  We’ll get an insider’s look at what it took to make the film’s colorful, genre-hopping sound and why this project was truly “kismet.” So fasten your seatbelt, grab your Krusty Krab pizza, and turn up the AC because things are about to get hotter than a hickory-smoked sausage!

Today’s special episode features composer Chanda Dancy, and our new host, journalist, musician and songwriter Arielle Paul. Chanda takes us through her breathtaking score for Lawmen: Bass Reeves on Paramount + which is nominated for an Emmy® for Outstanding Music Composition For A Limited Or Anthology Series, Movie Or Special (Original Dramatic Score). From Dvorak to plastic cutlery, Chanda shares her inspiration and insider secrets to create this phenomenal score.

Meet Arielle Paul, the new host of The Lakeshore Records Podcast, and a journalist, musician, songwriter and lifelong lover of film and television. She’s giving the podcast a new spin, interviewing composers, directors, actors and showrunners about their unique creative processes on specific projects. Tune in next week for her exciting first guest, composer Chanda Dancy, who takes us through her Emmy-nominated score for Lawmen: Bass Reeves on Paramount +.

For today's episode, host Alon Levitan speaks with composer Ludvig Forssell about musical puzzles and double tasting your creative output, the soul of anime storytelling and its influence on the west, workflow with the great Hideo Kojima, music as a language in Swedish culture, the serenity of the bleak countryside in Takeshi Kitano's Kikujiro, , Musique Concrète, Metal Gear and Death Stranding, 3rd person objectivity,  Oppenheimer's strings, the varied brilliance of Johann Johansson and Joe Hisaishi, Zootopia on a desert island, sticking to the plan for the best path forward, and more.

For today’s episode, I had a superb conversation with the great Steve Jablonsky. His wide-ranging compositions have had a profound impact on me, my son, and listeners all across the globe.  He's such a pro, and just a great all around guy. It was an honor picking his brain for a few hours. In our expansive conversation we discussed how to create dramatic weight and get of your own way in the creative process, the importance of silence, Michael Bay as a metaphor for God, the truly transformative nature of Transformers music, how Hans Zimmer helped Steve channel his grief, listening to the Beatles and the rise of "quote" epic music", collaborating on the Pirates of the Caribbean,  the maestro Ennio Morricone and The Untouchables,  how the sounds of skateboards influenced The Tiger's Apprentice, the Jablonsky track that impressed Steven Spielberg, Steve's Japanese heritage, the brilliance of Harry Gregson-Williams,Yoko Kano, and Ari Aster, the pitfalls of overthinking, fatherhood, parenting and work/life balance, and so much more. Steve's score to The Tiger's Apprentice is out now worldwide . I hope you enjoy my conversation with Steve as much as I did.

Today’s episode is a real keeper. All around music powerhouse Gary Clark has performed, written, produced, and composed incredible sonic gems that span every genre time adores, and our host Brian McNelis (president of Lakeshore Records) has released thousands of soundtracks and music supervised countless films, video games and more. In Gary and Brian's wide ranging conversation they discussed how Gary came up in a classic Scottish Irish musical household, the perennial wisdom of David Bowie, the bravery and trust of John Carney and "The John Carney Test", magical co-writing moments with stars Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the Flora and Son songwriting room, Musicals that aren't Musicals, the brilliant jazz harmony of Duke Ellington, the intimacy of songwriting, always diving into new situations as a creative, the fine line between God and Steely Dan, practicing until your fingers bleed, the song that sparked Sing Street, the politics of song selection, how to marry exclusive original songs to films, and much more.

We highly recommend you put your good listening ears on for this interview, watch Flora and Son today, and listen to the incredible soundtrack (out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records). Enjoy! 

Award winning composer / co-director Kris Bowers and Katya Richardson discuss The Last Repair Shop, music education and much more with our host Alon Levitan. The Last Repair Shop is one of those incredibly rare life-affirming projects where everyone on camera and behind the scenes is a wellspring of inspiration. In their wide-ranging conversation Katya, Kris and Alon discussed the many splendors of learning an instrument, the genius of Keith Jarrett, Prokofiev, Flying Lotus and Bach, the connection between persistence & authenticity, recording an orchestra of LAUSD alumni, the hidden contributions of our ancestors, how to destroy the ego with insignificance, the orchestration of Peter and the Wolf, self-discovery and the road to catharsis, what musical instruments would say about us if they could speak, the purity & darkness of childhood, the externalization of the idea of repair, and so much more. We highly recommend you watch The Last Repair Shop today and listen to Katya and Kris’ phenomenal score album, which is out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records.

"The only people who don’t make it are the ones who quit"

Emmy award-nominated composer Ariel Marx redefines what a composer can be. If you are an artist or creator of any sort, you should be hanging on Ariel’s every word. She’s a one of a kind, avante-garde risk taker with a knack for pushing boundaries and getting under our collective skin in the best way possible. Alon and Ariel covered a lot of ground including breakdowns of her brilliant approach to the scores for Sanctuary, Shiva Baby and A Small Light, the importance of perpetual contrast, Ravel’s string Quartet, Judaism’s deep cuts, The Alliance for Women Film Composers, the hidden dangers of the word “compromise”, and more.  We highly recommend you go down your own private Ariel Marx rabbit hole and make her music part of your essential playlist.

Award winning composer and producer Trevor Gureckis breaks down the visceral sound of Dead Space as an intimate journey through Hell, his outside the box collaboration with M. Night Shyamalan and how the master of thrillers keeps Trevor on his toes, the influence of Aphex Twin and Stanley Kubrick, Phillip Glass’ minimalism vs. a more dense maximilist approach to composition, pushing the boundaries of organic instruments, archetypal dread and Dante’s inferno, and so much more. Trevor’s scores for Dead Space and Servant are out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records.