Looking Ahead – So Say We All
I will never forget the summer of 2009, when my unique band, The BSG Orchestra, rocked out on a crowded stage in San Diego during Comic Con, performing my score for Battlestar Galactica, just months after the epic series finale aired. The venue was bursting with my brilliant musicians, many of the cast, crew, writers, producers, and executives, as well as fans from around the world. Together, we experienced a collective euphoria, because we all loved the show with the same intense passion. After the last encore, the crowd erupted into an unprompted chant of “So Say We All,” a moment that remains one of the most magical and memorable of my life. As the house lights came up and the crowd dissipated, I collapsed into a sweat-soaked heap on the couch in the greenroom and realized that, for the first in my life, I had no new cues for the show to write. Battlestar Galactica had been the most significant part of my life for six years, and now, with this concert complete, it was over.
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Remembering Richard Hatch
Richard Hatch was my friend. And tonight he is gone.
I first met the dynamic actor, who played Captain Apollo in the original Battlestar Galactica and Tom Zarek in its reincarnation a quarter century later, while I was scoring the new series’ second season. He was the first actor on the show I had the pleasure of meeting, when he interviewed me for a fan website. He quickly put my starstruck nerves at ease with his obvious passion for storytelling. I instantly recognized him as a man for whom art was a spiritual experience. A genuine curiosity about life, music and story radiated from him.
- Published in Battlestar Galactica, Battlestar Galactica Other, Blog, Personal
BSG Piano Book Fan Performances Awards
Last year, I worked with Hal Leonard Publishing to release the “Battlestar Galactica” piano solo sheet music book. The book contains my own personal piano arrangements of the most memorable and significant cues from the series. I knew that BSG fans wanted to connect more directly with the score and the piano book gave them the basic DNA to reconstruct the music on their own instruments.
YouTube had already become a forum for fans to post their own performances of my music, even before there was any sheet music released. So, I was pleased to see a virtual explosion of material pop up on the site after the book was released. The videos range from the sublime to the ludicrous — some are genuinely skilled performances, others creatively entertaining short films, and everything in between. A common love of the music of “BSG” threaded through them all.
I began assembling my personal favorites in a special playlist on my new YouTube channel. And now, I’m presenting my official… 
(more…)
- Published in Battlestar Galactica, Battlestar Galactica Other, Blog, Other
EMP BSG Galactibash
This weekend I was honored to take part in the closing celebration of the EMP Science Fiction Hall of Fame’s “Battlestar Galactica: The Exhibition.” For the past 18 months, the museum has had remarkable memorabilia on display, including two vipers, a cylon raider, costumes and many props from “Battlestar Galactica,” as well as recorded interviews from dozens of the series’ cast and crew.
(photo courtesy of Jill Watson)
For the “Galactibash” last Friday, the EMP invited cast and crew for a QnA panel. On hand were such alumni as Tahmoh Penikett (“Helo”), Luciana Carro (“Kat”), David Weddle (writer / producer), Bradley Thompson (writer / producer), Michael Nankin (director), Mark Verheiden (writer / producer), Glenne Campbell (costume designer) and myself. (more…)
- Published in Battlestar Galactica, Battlestar Galactica Other, Other
BSG Piano Book Videos
My long-awaited “Battlestar Galactica” Piano Music Book is finally available, thanks to Hal Leonard and Universal Music Publishing. To celebrate the release, I have started an official YouTube Channel for fan-made “BSG” music performances: http://www.youtube.com/bearmccreary
Every two weeks, I will upload a new video of me performing a piece from the “BSG” Piano Music Book, at my own living room piano. Let’s kick off with one of my favorites, “Prelude to War:”
This channel isn’t just for me. You are all invited to take part in this “online living room concert.” If you create a YouTube video of your own “BSG” music performance, I want to feature it. Just post a link to your video in the comments section in this blog entry, or email it to us at “staff @ bearmccreary .com.”
- Published in Battlestar Galactica, Battlestar Galactica Other, Blog
EXCLUSIVE: BSG Piano Book Song List
It’s finally here! The official collection of Battlestar Galactica Piano Solo Music is available for pre-order at Amazon.com! (Ships Feb.9)
- Published in Battlestar Galactica, Battlestar Galactica Other, Blog
Bear @GoogleTalks
A few weeks ago, I was honored with an invitation to speak at Google, as part of their @Google Series. The entire presentation is now available in HD on YouTube, or you can see it right here:
For the presentation, Raya Yarbrough interviewed me about my early musical life, career, creative process, influences and turn ons… well, musical turn ons anyway.
Like most music education seminars, we had a grand piano and full-size Cylon Centurian on stage with us! (more…)
BSG BluRay Documentaries
Lame. Today I finally got my BSG Complete Series BluRay Box Set from Amazon (yes, I had to buy my own, which is surprisingly not the “lame” part). To ship it to me, Amazon basically threw it in a cardboard box without additional packing material. And since the box set packaging itself is essentially another cardboard box, it was all smashed up by the time it got here…
… resulting in a hilariously ironic memento of my years working on this series. I was going to bitch to Amazon and make them send me a new one, but the more I look at this pathetically lopsided cube-turned-trapezoid that I paid over $200.00 for, the more it makes me laugh. 🙂
Ok, complaints about packaging aside, there are actually a lot things about this release I’m genuinely excited about. I’ve seen a handful of episodes in high-definition, at various screenings and press events, and the picture quality was always amazing. The VFX in particular are incredibly detailed. So, I’m looking forward to watching the whole series again from the beginning in high def, especially because I’ve never watched an episode again after its original air date with only a few exceptions.
- Published in Battlestar Galactica, Battlestar Galactica Other, Blog
Comic Con Concerts: What Did You Think?
Hey Gang…
Wow. So much going on at Comic Con here. The first day was INTENSE! Richard Hatch’s panel was amazing and I think the first live concert we played was easily the best show the Orchestra has put on yet. Eddie Olmos was an amazing MC, and the surprise visits from Richard Hatch, Luciana Carro and Michael Hogan brought the house down… not to mention the surprise duet with me and Katee Sackhoff playing All Along the Watchtower on piano.
I’ll eventually write an entry about the shows, and put up some photos and media clips. But, in the meantime, check out our official Twitter (@bsglive) and the blog that we’re running on the official band website (bsgorcestra.com). Percussionist Jonathan Ortega is writing it up and he has great insight, cool photos, and a wicked sense of humor!
The only thing that bummed me out tonight: I saw some General Admission audience members being turned away from the signing after the show and it just made me crazy (I always wanted to do a big signing for everybody in the first place). Starting tomorrow, I’m going to make damn sure that EVERYONE at the concerts can come to the signing afterwards. I want a chance to meet all of you! Consider this an official announcement!
Besides, we’re selling the Season 4 CDs and every other record I’ve done as well as limited edition posters, including this killer design by Andrew Craig. You can all pick them up and get them signed by the entire orchestra!
That Emmy Submission Rumor
Hey guys… My inbox is suddenly flooding with emails because of a rumor on Twitter that I didn’t submit a “Battlestar” Score for Emmy consideration.
Let me put this false rumor to rest right now: Yes, SyFy submitted my work for consideration for an Emmy nomination for outstanding score for a television series, as they have every single year I’ve worked on the show.
The Music Branch of the Academy selects the nominees and my “Battlestar” score isn’t on the short list. But these things happen. There are many outstanding composers working in the medium, and one certainly can’t complain about the scores that did get nominated. They are all by outstanding, established composers.
- Published in Battlestar Galactica, Battlestar Galactica Other, Blog