Holiday Gift Guide 2013
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Hoping to make your holiday shopping a bit easier, I’ve compiled all the records and merch that I’ve put out this year into one blog entry. Any soundtrack geek on your ‘Nice’ list will dig this stuff. And geeks on your ‘Naughty’ list as well! 🙂
T-SHIRTS:
I’m thrilled to announce that Sparks & Shadows has released t-shirts of my iconic “Bear McCreary: Thirteen Notes” design. Originally unveiled during my 2009 “Music of Battlestar Galactica” tours, these notes are in the frakkin’ ship! 🙂 Fans have been asking for shirts for years and thanks to the good folks at S&S, its finally happening!
CLICK HERE TO ORDER. Shirts are available for $21.98, in a wide variety of sizes and colors, and they ship internationally.
- Published in Albums, Battlestar Galactica, Battlestar Galactica Albums, Blog, BSG Albums, Caprica, Da Vinci's Demons, Defiance, Europa Report, Other
Caprica Series Soundtrack Album
This summer has been very exciting! I was recently announced as the composer for Joss Whedon’s new series, Marvel’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” as well Starz’s epic new pirate drama “Black Sails.” That same week, I was nominated for an Emmy for my Main Title Theme for “Da Vinci’s Demons.” My record label Sparks & Shadows shortly thereafter released my new soundtrack for the theatrical feature “Europa Report,” capping off a successful series of albums including “Da Vinci’s Demons” and two albums of “Defiance.” Plus, I directed a music video and co-wrote a new song for a breathtaking time-lapse video! With all that happening to blog about, something very important silently slipped through the cracks, an event I’ve been eager to announce for several years: the release of my expanded soundtrack to the full series “Caprica.” I am thrilled to partner with my friends and La-La Land Records (for a fourteenth time!) to make this music available to fans in a two-disc limited edition CD (Click here to purchase). (more…)
Caprica: Apotheosis
The final five (pun intended) episodes of “Caprica” aired in the United States tonight, thus bringing this dynamic and ambitious series to a close. These episodes comprise the strongest run in the series. The writing, acting, directing and even the music all fuse together to deliver a concise and thrilling narrative. If the show is to end, then at least we’re going out on a high note.
Caprica: Season 1.5
Thus far, Caprica has been an amazing musical journey for me. I’ve written a National Anthem, a Tauron gangster rap, a drag queen burlesque, and an opera for Alessandro Juliani, just to name a few explorations. That journey continues as “Caprica” returns to SyFy, Tuesday nights at 10pm, to complete its first season. (more…)
Caprica: End of Line
SPOILERS & SPECIAL MUSICAL GUEST AHEAD: Writing music for the “Battlestar Galactica” universe has pushed me to compose in some very unusual styles. I’ve written sonatas, fugues, arias, passacaglias, oratorios, lounge music, theme and variations, string quartets, jazz, rock, heavy metal, world music and even hip hop. For tonight’s mid-season finale of “Caprica,” I was asked to write an opera: a challenge I was thrilled to tackle.
End of Line is the most narratively ambitious episode of “Caprica” since the pilot. Fates are decided, characters die (actually, lots of characters die) and the music needed to be appropriately powerful, poignant and dramatic. Here, the boundaries between source and score are shattered once again, as score becomes source and vice versa. (more…)
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…)
Caprica: Ghosts in the Machine
SPOILERS IN THE MACHINE: Tonight’s episode of “Caprica” takes us to the darkest and most surreal corners of New Cap City as well as Daniel’s personality. As usual with this series, scoring the dramatic moments is only half the job. I spent an extraordinary amount of time on Ghosts in the Machine creating various source pieces for Joseph’s adventures in the drag club in New Cap City.
I was originally brought in on this episode prior to production. The script introduced Joseph to a mysterious drag queen named Cerberus who would help him on his quest to find Tamara. There were multiple dance numbers in an extended set of sequences in this environment. I worked with an on-set choreographer and with the actor playing Cerberus and crafted several original compositions for them.
Caprica: The Imperfections of Memory
IMPERFECT SPOILERS AHEAD: Tonight’s episode of “Caprica,” The Imperfections of Memory, explores a lot of territory. The most important plot lines from a musical perspective are Amanda’s visions of her brother Darius and Joseph’s continuing quest for his daughter.
The Amanda story line clearly required some use of the Amanda Theme. The Amanda Theme originated in the pilot, and is a simple ascending minor 7th scale:
Caprica: Know Thy Enemy
KNOW THY SPOILERS: Tonight’s “Caprica” introduces Tomas Vergis, the owner of the rival company that Daniel stole the MCP from in order to complete his U-87 project. That decision finally comes back to haunt him, literally and figuratively, in Know Thy Enemy.
Played brilliantly by John Pyper-Ferguson (recognize him as the Pegasus CAG Pegasus in “BSG” Season 2?), Vergis is a complex and interesting character. He is clearly an antagonist, with his sights set on ruining Daniel Graystone and his company. However, he is also a Tauron, and as such, is understandably motivated by vengeance for the two men who were killed in the theft, whose deaths he blames solely on Daniel.
Caprica: There Is Another Sky
SPOILERS BEYOND: Tonight’s There is Another Sky is the first “Caprica” episode directed by Michael Nankin, whose “BSG” episodes brought me some of the best musical opportunities in that entire series (Someone to Watch Over Me, for example). I assumed that he’d have some challenges for me in “Caprica,” and I was not disappointed.
Another Sky is unique because it’s the first to focus almost exclusively on the Taurons and the Adamas. In addition to exploring the relationship between Willie and Joseph, we also learn a great deal more about Tamara, who finds herself in a V-World videogame called “New Cap City.” She essentially has the Game Genie Code for Infinite Lives (if you know that reference, you’re probably my age or older).
This episode allowed me to push the boundaries of the score with new source music as well as several new themes. (more…)
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