On Cue

Perhaps best known for writing and producing The Mexican and Dead Man Down, as well his work on the FOX shows Fringe and Almost Human, Joel is a multi-talented creator with a passion for storytelling, music, and metaphor.

We take a deep dive into his career and projects-- what inspires him, what's at the heart of a good narrative arc, and his take on music being integral to his creative process.

Plus, Liz is pumped about her new 3D printer.

Got a question or topic for discussion in a future episode? Please email us or send a voice memo to [email protected]. 

This episode is produced and edited by Kathleen Gallacher.  

This week’s cocktail or mocktail – THE WHITE TULIP: 

1 oz tequila blanco (for mocktail use lemon or lemon-lime soda) 
½ oz St. Germain elderflower liquor (for mocktail, use chilled hibiscus tea)  
½ oz Creme de Violet (for mocktail, use chilled lavender tea or butterfly pea flower tea) 
½ oz orange blossom water (or rose water) 
½ oz fresh lime juice 

Shake ingredients over ice, then serve strained into a chilled glass and garnish with dried flowers-- we used jasmine!  

MUSIC FROM THIS WEEK'S EPISODE:

Music From Episode 13

Record Of The Week

Theme Song - Ends Of The Earth by Simon Steadman and T.T. Magruber 

For Venzella Joy Williams, also known as Joy The Drummer, Christmas of 1998 was “the most lit Christmas of all time” because at the tender age of ten, she received her very first drum set. These days, she plays with people like Beyonce, Eric Bellinger, Patti LaBelle, Janelle Monáe, and Ari Lennox. 

Joy gives us the dirt on her life behind the drumkit, as well as her thoughts on being a touring musical director, performing on camera, the flaws in our criminal justice system, and the unlikely lessons she learned from the film, The Founder.

Trish's favorite thing this week is musician Amythyst Kiah. 

Got a question or topic for discussion in a future episode? Please email us or send a voice memo to [email protected].

This episode is produced by Kathleen Hasay and edited by Walter Sie.

This week’s cocktail or mocktail – THE SOUTHERN GOTHIC

1 oz Wild Turkey or your favorite bourbon (for a mocktail, use 1½ oz rootbeer)

½ oz Montenegro (skip for mocktail)

½ oz St. Germaine (for mocktail, use raspberry juice)

½ oz fresh lime juice

4 dashes of Hazelnut bitters

Shake all ingredients over ice, then strain into a chilled glass and garnish with fresh raspberries or other fruit.

MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE:

Music From Episode 12

Record Of The Week - We Swarm (Chris DeLuca Remix) - The Glitch Mob

Theme Song - Ends Of The Earth by Simon Steadman and T.T. Magruber

Grammy-nominated K.Flay is a songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist. Her music is a unique, bold, and thoughtful blend of hip-hop, indie rock and electronica. Inspired by artists ranging from Missy Eilliott to Garbage to Liz Phair, her sound is tough to pin down.

This week, we pick K.Flay’s brain on her unlikely musical story, her creative process, her recent and sudden hearing loss, her favorite songs and movies, and even her abstention from alcohol.

Per our discussion, check out the music video for Open Eye Signal, by Jon Hopkins.

And here’s Liz’s current obsession,  The Hoof GP.

Got a question or topic for discussion in a future episode? Please email us or send a voice memo to [email protected].

This episode is produced by Kathleen Hasay and edited by Walter Sie.

This week’s mocktail – THE OTOLARYNGOLOGIST

1 oz strong rooibos tea, chilled

1 oz cream soda

½ oz vanilla rooibos syrup (I used Portland Syrup— but it's fun to experiment with other brands and flavors)

4 dashes of Dram Palo Santo bitters

Shake all ingredients over ice, then strain into a chilled glass and garnish with flowers or a vanilla stick.

MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE:

Music From Episode 11

Record Of The Week - Go Down Sunshine - Odetta

Theme Song - Ends Of The Earth by Simon Steadman and T.T. Magruber

Some songs simply show up over and over again ad nauseum in movies, shows, adverts, video games and even sporting events. This week, we let our judgy, peevish sides out to play, dishing on the tracks we’re most sick of hearing in pop culture and media. 

Plus, Trish gets emo about firefighters, and her Tarot deck addresses weight gain and body image. 

Got a question or topic for discussion in a future episode? Please email us or send a voice memo to [email protected]. 

This episode is produced by Roe Sie and Kathleen Hasay and edited by Walter Sie 

This week’s cocktail or mocktail – CAKE BY THE OCEAN 

1 oz vodka (for mocktail, use 2 oz cream soda) 

1 oz creme de cacao (skip this for mocktail) 

½ oz Tuaca (for mocktail, use vanilla syrup, honey, or butterscotch) 

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 

½ teaspoon heavy cream 

Rainbow nonpareils as garnish 

Rim a chilled glass with nonpareils, using Tuaca or syrup as glue. Then shake all the liquid ingredients over ice and strain into the glass. 

MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE:

Music From Episode 10

Record of the Week - "One Last Gift" by Fink

Theme Song - Ends of the Earth by Simon Steadman and T.T. Magruber

This week, we’re discussing and debating our all-time favorite uses of songs in movies. From romance to cringe, from noise abuse to exquisite irony, we’re gonna yammer on about what makes for an unforgettable musical moment in a film. 

Plus, Liz has thoughts on a couple of humanity’s greatest inventions.

Got a question or topic for discussion in a future episode? Please email us or send a voice memo to [email protected].

On Cue is produced by Roe Sie & Kathleen Hasay and edited by Kathleen Hasay with Liz Gallacher.

This week’s cocktail or mocktail – THE BLOODY FALL:

1 oz gold rum (for mocktail, use ginger beer)

1 oz pineapple juice

½ oz Grand Marnier (for mocktail, use UNSWEETENED cranberry or pomegranate juice)

½ oz lime juice

3 dashes Angostura bitters

For garnish: 1 egg white (beaten until fluffy) and maraschino cherries (chopped into gore)

Shake all liquid ingredients with ice, then strain into a wide-rimmed glass. Top with a snowdrift of beaten egg whites, mangled maraschino bits, and a few extra drops of bitters.

MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE:

Music From Episode 9

Record Of The Week

Theme Song - Ends Of The Earth - Simon Steadman and T.T. Magruber

Award-winning composer Joy Ngiaw has an astonishing body of work. Her passion for experimenting with a diverse range of tones, textures, and vocal techniques infuses her music with a distinct and innovative touch, incorporating elements such as vocalized breaths, mouth percussion, hums, and nature-inspired sounds within her scores. Her passion lies in crafting emotionally driven scores for narratives that evoke nostalgia and bridge thought-provoking perspectives. 

Check out her music in the brand new animated series Wondla and the award-winning short film Blush on Apple+ TV.

Got a question or topic for discussion in a future episode? Please email us or send a voice memo to [email protected].


On Cue is produced and edited by Walter Sie.

Trish’s book recommendation:

Ultra-Processed People, by Chris Van Tulleken

This week’s cocktail or mocktail – THE MISTY CLIFF

1 1/2  oz gin (for mocktail, use 3 oz. tonic water or gin substitute)

1 1/2 oz creme de violette (for mocktail, used 6 drops of violet lavender extract, I like Amoretti)

2 oz strong smoky Earl Gray tea, chilled 

Shake well over ice and strain into a mysterious glass, garnish with lemon, herbs, or fragrant dried flowers.

MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE:

Music From Episode 8

Record Of The Week

Theme Song - Ends Of The Earth by Simon Steadman and T.T. Magruber

Do you know about music libraries? Where did they come from? Who creates all that music, and who gets to use it? What are the rules? Trish has so many questions… and Liz has so many answers. Plus, we talk about pet names and Harvey Wallbanger-- the man, the myth, the legend, the cocktail.

Got a question or topic for discussion in a future episode? Please email us or send a voice memo to [email protected].

On Cue is produced and edited by Walter Sie.

This week’s cocktail or mocktail – THE HENRIETTA WALLBANGER:

1 oz vodka (for mocktail, use 2 oz of lemon soda, lemonade, or ginger ale)

1 oz Galliano (for mocktail, use 3 drops of anise extract and 2 drops of cardamom extract)

1 oz lemon juice

4 dashes of orange bitters

Shake well over ice and then strain into a cold glass. Garnish with a twist, fresh herbs or dried flowers.

MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE:

Music From Episode 7

Record Of The Week

Theme Song - Ends Of The Earth by Simon Steadman and T.T. Magruber

Ever dream of crawling inside a composer’s mind to see how a theme or musical nugget is hatched? This week, Jeff Cardoni cracks his brain wide open and gives us exclusive access to his early demos so we can all have a peek at his creative process; you don’t wanna miss this. 

Jeff’s musical talents range from intimate indie fare to full orchestral majesty. With over 45 feature film scores and many network series to his credit, his unique ability to cross genres has made him a power player in the film composing industry. 

Although as a kid he studied classical piano and played percussion in his school orchestra, it was rock and roll that brought Jeff to Los Angeles in 1997. After a brief stint as lead guitarist for the Warner Bros. band "Alien Crime Syndicate," he left to pursue film scoring full time. He was recently voted ASCAP 2019 TV Composer Of The Year. 

As promised in our conversation, you can check out Dave Matthews starring in Where The Red Fern Grows (the movie that jump-started Jeff’s entire career) right here. 

Got a question or topic for discussion in a future episode? Please email us or send a voice memo to [email protected]. 

On Cue is produced and edited by Walter Sie.  

This week’s cocktail or mocktail – THE CARDONI MOI (aka LESS THAN ZERO) 

2 oz dry gin (for mocktail, use lemon or lemon-lime soda)  
1 oz blue curaçao (for a classy mocktail, use blueberry, cran-blueberry, or blueberry-grape juice… but try blue Gatorade or Powerade if you prefer to tap into the shameless electric tackiness of curaçao) 
Handful of fresh blueberries 
¾ oz lime juice 
4 dashes of peach bitters or peach shrub 

Muddle the blueberries, then add ice and combine all ingredients. Serve on the rocks in a tiki glass, a coconut, or an extravagant fruity goblet of some kind; then garnish with flowers, pineapple slices, tiny umbrellas, maraschino cherries, miniature animals, crazy straws, etc.  

MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE:

Music from Episode 6

Record Of The Week

Theme Song - Ends Of The Earth by Simon Steadman and T.T. Magruber

This week, award-winning film director, screenwriter and producer Laura Terruso joins us to dish on what it was like to direct Robert DeNiro, how she shot her dream sex scene, and the use of music, movement and comedy in her storytelling.  

While Laura specializes in comedy– embracing a heartfelt and character-driven approach– she also enjoys exploring sub-genres within that category. She's directed a literary comedy, a stoner comedy, a dance comedy and a family comedy and is interested in pursuing other sub-genres.   

Got a question or topic for discussion in a future episode? Please email us or send a voice memo to [email protected].  

On Cue is produced and edited by Walter Sie.

This week’s cocktail or mocktail – THE DEVIL’S DANCE: 

1 oz tequila (skip for mocktail) 
½ oz Benedictine (for mocktail, use 4 drops of pure vanilla extract and a small pinch of saffron…. you can also try thyme or coriander and see which you like best) 
1 oz cranberry juice (for mocktail, use 1.5 oz) 
1 oz ginger ale (for mocktail, use 2 oz) 
½ oz lemon juice 
8 drops of cayenne extract 
3 drops of liquid smoke 

Shake over ice, strain into a demonic-looking glass, and garnish with a cucumber slice.   

MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE: 

Music From Episode 5

Record Of The Week - Sailed by Kiasmos

Theme Song - Ends Of The Earth by Simon Steadman and T.T. Magruber

In this week’s episode, we talk to documentary filmmaker, Stephen Kijak. Stephen’s been making critically-acclaimed films for over 25 years, collaborating with and documenting an eclectic playlist of musical icons and legends such as Scott Walker (Scott Walker: 30 Century Man – Executive Produced by David Bowie), The Rolling Stones (Stones in Exile), The Backstreet Boys (Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of), Jaco Pastorius (Jaco), X Japan (We Are X), Lynyrd Skynyrd (If I Leave Here Tomorrow), and Judy Garland (Sid & Judy.)  His first documentary series, EQUAL, about the decades-long fight for LGBTQ rights debuted on HBO Max October 2020 and his first narrative feature in 20 years, Shoplifters of the World, based entirely around the music of iconic British band The Smiths, was released March 2021. His latest documentary feature, Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed tells the story of an icon of Hollywood’s Golden Age, whose death from AIDS in 1985 shocked the world.