Dust off your boots and grab your hat - in this episode, we’re heading behind the scenes of our Cowboy Songs production music album!

Inspired by the charm of The Three Amigos and City Slickers, we set out to write cowboy songs that feel authentically traditional but cinematic enough for use in Film & TV.

We walk through the full process, from songwriting and orchestration to the logistics of recording across two continents, with rhythm sections in Chicago at Transient Sound Studios, and orchestral sessions at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Along the way we talk about the challenge of finding the right sound, and the even bigger challenge of tracking down rootin’-tootin’ yodelers and world-class Americana musicians to bring it all to life! Easy, right?!

#filmmusic #cowboysongs #cowboymusic #productionmusic #composer #composers #abbeyroad #wildwest #tvmusic #filmcomposer #songwriting #librarymusic #tvcomposer

During a recent recording session in Nashville, we were reminded just how small the music world really is!

In an industry that can often feel remote, and at times pretty lonely, community matters more than ever.
From village choirs to Facebook groups and organisations like the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL), there are endless ways to connect with like-minded musicians/composers, find collaborators, and build lasting relationships.

The truth is, the best networking rarely feels like networking. We talk about how real opportunities come from simply showing up, contributing to a community, and letting connections grow over time.

#musiccommunities #musicindustry #networking #musicnetworking #composernetworking

In the first half of this sit-down, we’re joined by musical polymath Jay Weigel, a Grammy-winning composer, producer, conductor, arranger, orchestrater, and contractor with a career spanning over 40 years!

We start back at the beginning with New Orleans Catholic school bands, early gigs with unlimited beer taps on the wall, Jay’s teenage transformation into the world of prog rock and the ultimate spiral into a world of classical giants like Stravinsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, fuelled by under-the-desk vinyl deals!

Along the way we talk about musical lineage, aural teaching traditions tracing back to Beethoven, and what it really means to switch ‘musical languages’ across genres.

Plus, a refreshing reminder that even Beethoven wrote bad music, so it’s not the end of the world if you do too!

Chapters:

00:51 Jay’s early musical background

5:07 Jay’s transition into classical music

12:28 Switching ‘musical languages’ across genres and Beethoven’s musical lineage

17:08 Making bad music

21:44 Teaching maths and music

Part 2 out now!

#musicindustry #composer #producer #grammywinningcomposer #musicproducer #conductor #musicpodcast #beethoven #classicalmusic