Melodic Treks: A Star Trek Music Podcast

A Musical Journey to the Sadder Side of Trek. The Star Trek franchise is filled with epic heroes who overcome conflict and battles—even when the odds are stacked against them. It is a universe filled with hope and optimism in which humanity can achieve anything. Every once in a while, however, they are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala takes a look at the music that transports us to the sadder side of Star Trek, focusing on the ways in which composers honor fallen heroes. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) "Tasha's Goodbye" (from "Skin of Evil," composed by R. Jones) (00:02:19) "He's Toast" (from "Life Support," composed by D. McCarthy) (00:05:59) "Spock (Dies)" (from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, composed by J. Horner) (00:08:41) "Amazing Grace" (from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, composed by J. Horner) (00:10:30) "Picard's Nightmare" (from "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II," composed by R. Jones) (00:12:20) "Labour of Love" (from Star Trek, c

In Memoriam of James Horner. One of the most successful film composers of the past half century, James Horner began scoring films at the age of 25. By the time of his unfortunate passing, he had amassed a resume comprising more than 150 titles. Some of his most notable works include Braveheart, Krull, The Rocketeer, Clear and Present Danger, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. He was the winner of two Academy Awards for Titanic—one for Best Music, Original Dramatic Score and the other for Best Music, Original Song—and was nominated for an additional eight. In October 2013, Horner received the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award at the Hollywood in Vienna gala. With so much success and so many years ahead of him, it seemed even the stars were no limit for Horner. Sadly, he died at the age of 61 when he crashed his turboprop plane on June 22, 2015. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala reflects on Horner and plays tracks from five of his non-Trek s

Lukas Kendell Interview. To the general public in 1990, the word “soundtrack” meant only a compilation of popular songs from movies such as Top Gun and Footloose. So, to help expand knowledge of and appreciation for the fine art of composing for film, Lukas Kendell created Film Score Monthly. FSM began as a one-page newsletter sent to 11 people. Since then, it has grown into a magazine, a record label, a website, and the home of other publishing endeavors. In addition to releasing the complete scores for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, FSM has also produced a massive fourteen-disc box set that includes almost every note composed by Ron Jones for Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as music from the PC games Starfleet Academy and Starfleet Command. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Kendell to discuss the early days of his magazine, the challenges of CD production, and The Ron Jones Project. We also talk about some holy grail rel

A Musical AMA. Host Brandon-Shea Mutala loves music in all forms. The sounds of Star Trek are great, but this love was making him antsy. He wanted to play different kinds of music on Melodic Treks. Inspired by Reddit's popular "Ask Me Anything," Brandon-Shea opened the floodgates on Twitter, Facebook, and in The Babel Conference. He hoped listeners would ask him to play some other music. They responded admirably. In this episode of Melodic Treks, we take a more intimate look at the man behind the mic. So listen on and discover Brandon-Shea's favorite composer, his favorite summer tunes, the music that changed his life, his five favorite scores, his happy song, and his three favorite albums of all time. He also talks about his faith journey, his favorite character in each Star Trek series, and who he thinks was the best Batman! Chapters Anton Yelchin (00:00:00) "I Gotta Beam Me" (from Star Trek, composed by M. Giacchino) (00:00:47) "Main Title" (from Sisters, composed by B. Herrmann) (00:06:06) "Main Title" (f

Star Trek Generations and Dennis McCarthy. Over the span of 18 years, Dennis McCarthy composed 257 pieces of music for Star Trek, making him the largest contributor to the sound of the franchise. During that period, he composed for 88 episodes of The Next Generation, 76 episodes of Deep Space Nine, 64 of Voyager, and 28 of Enterprise. He also scored the film Star Trek Generations. This work received a fair amount of attention from the Emmy Awards, earning him nine nominations and one win. In addition to taking home the 1993 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, he was nominated in the category of Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for the episodes “The Child,“ “Yesterday's Enterprise,“ “Half a Life,“ “Unification, Part I,“ “All Good Things…,“ “Heroes and Demons,“ “Workforce,“ and “The Expanse.“ In this episode of Melodic Treks, part 2 of a 13-part series on the Star Trek films, host Brandon-

Goldsmith vs. Jones. Ron Jones has said that one of the major influencers on his work was Jerry Goldsmith. The latter brought fans incredible scores for film’s such as Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Final Frontier, and First Contact, as well as the Emmy Award-winning theme from Star Trek: Voyager. The former was a prolific composer of the music that brought TNG to life. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala compares the plots of and scores for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Datalore” and the 1979 Sci-Fi/Horror film Alien, which was scored by Goldsmith. He also conducts an in-depth analysis of the themes and motifs used by Ron Jones in the music of “Datalore.” Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Alien vs ”Datalore” (00:01:48) ”Data's Beginning” (00:04:02) ”Hypersleep” (00:05:21) ”Sleepy Alien” (00:06:46) ”Knock Out” (00:07:15) ”Welcome Home” (00:10:23) ”Omicron Arrival” (00:10:54) ”The Lab” (00:12:40) ”Data's Brother” (00:14:00) ”Trick Question” (00:15:12) ”Suspicion” (00:15:30) ”Pe

Melodic Connections: Avery Brooks and Kevin Conroy. Have you ever played Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon? It's a now-classic game based on the idea that any two people on Earth are just six or fewer acquaintance links apart. While Kevin Bacon has become the game's bundled playing piece, it works with other people too … even in the 24th century. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala casts galactic distances aside to put a Star Trek twist on Six Degrees. We challenged the members of The Babel Conference, Trek.fm's listeners' group on Facebook, to come up with the name of an actor to connect to Avery Brooks. The winning choice, submitted by listener Davis Grayson, was Kevin Conroy. These two actors have been in many films and television productions, so we decided to use only movies whose scores were composed by Star Trek composers. Listen on to trace a path from Brooks to Conroy. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) "Suspicions" (from Dynasty "Suspicions," composed by D. McCarthy) (00:03:12) "Haven/Harpies/

Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage. In the summer of 2015, a series of concerts was announced that would celebrate Star Trek's 50th anniversary in a very special way. With the baton first falling on January 17 in West Palm Beach Florida, Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage is a performance that will visiting 100 cities across North American in 2016. Comprising over 100 minutes of music from the television series and films—and even some from the video game Star Trek: Starfleet Academy—this musical endeavor sets the sounds of the future against footage beamed in high definition to a 40-foot wide screen. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Richard Marquez and Zach Moore to discuss the event, including the venues, stage design, cosplay, and presentation. Also presented is a brief interview with the tour's system engineer, Chris Dietrich, and conductor Nicholas Buc. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Favorite Scores and Composers (00:04:08) Venues (00:06:50) Tickets (00:07:19) Stage (00:08:45) Co

Five Film Favorites with John Tenuto. John Tenuto has been a sociology professor for 20 years, most of those at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois. He and his wife, Maria Jose, have become experts on Star Trek through personal research and the friendships they have cultivated with talent from both behind and in front of the camera. Their research on Star Trek's production history, Star Trek library archives, and Star Trek's cultural influences have been featured on numerous radio stations, television shows, and newspapers including USA Today, BBC Radio, WGN News, and the Chicago Tribune—not to mention many podcast episodes right here on Trek.fm. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by John Tenuto to discuss the scores, composers, and behind-the-scenes information on the Star Trek films. We talk about the music that played at the Tenuto wedding, what part of Titanic inspired Michael Piller when writing Star Trek: Insurrection, the budget for film scores, Cliff Eid

Star Trek IV and Leonard Rosenman. With a career that spans five decades and includes more than 100 films and television productions, Leonard Rosenman was once regarded as one of the most promising young composers in America—yet he was never a Hollywood favorite. He sometimes publicly chastised producers and directors for what he felt was musical ignorance and a lack of taste, but managed to make his voice heard by using film scoring as a way to experiment with advanced musical ideas. Some of the memorable movies that he worked on include East of Eden, Rebel without a Cause, A Man Called Horse, The Car, 1978's animated The Lord of the Rings, The Jazz Singer, and RoboCop 2. His final film was Jurij, an Italian work about a young violinist, released in 2001. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala begins a 13-part series on the Star Trek films. Joining him to examine Rosenman's life and career is Standard Orbit co-host Ken Tripp. Beginning with some of Rosenman's television work from the 1950

Mark Banning Interview. For almost 30 years, Mark Banning, co-founder of BSX Records, has had a hand in producing some of the most outstanding soundtracks, including more than 20 Star Trek releases. He has worked with many record labels, including GNP Crescendo, La-La Land Records, Silva Screen Records, and Creative Sound Production, where his primary duty has been art direction. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Mark to discuss some of the film and television soundtracks he has helped to produce, as well as the process behind the art direction. Mark also recounts a heart-warming story of the healing power of music, how he met his best friend and co-founder of BSX Records, Ford A. Thaxton, and even teases us with a few details about upcoming Star Trek releases. Chapters "Smooth Talker/Attitude Adjustment" (excerpt from "Our Man Bashir," composed by J. Chattaway) (00:02:00) Meeting Mark (00:03:03) Early Television Score Releases (00:04:06) What Is Involved in Art Direction

The Enterprise Theme. The main title sequence is very important for establishing a show's tone and identity. With limited changes over the course of the series, it can become highly memorable and sometimes takes on a life of its own. Star Trek has had some of the most memorable, thanks in part to the music. When Enterprise rolled around, however, many fans were outraged when they heard "Where My Heart Will Take Me." The theme for the new series was a rock ballad? Had lyrics? Was originally written for the 1998 film Patch Adams? Sacrilege! In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala takes a look at the song originally title "Faith of the Heart," the careers of the song's writer, Dianne Warren, and vocalist, tenor Russell Watson. In addition to the two versions used for Enterprise, we showcase three others that have been released, as well as Dennis McCarthy's vocal-free variant, "Archer's Theme." Chapters September 26, 2001 (00:01:05) Dianne Warren (00:02:42) "Faith of the Heart" (excerpt, perfor

Ford A. Thaxton Interview. With a hand in producing soundtracks going back to GNP Crescendo's first-ever Star Trek release, Ford A. Thaxton has worked on more albums than he can count, including: the expanded soundtrack to "Encounter at Farpoint," Star Trek: The Next Generation, Volumes One and Two; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Volume One; Star Trek: Enterprise, Volume One; Battlestar Galactica; and Frankenhooker. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Ford to discuss some of the memorable film and television soundtracks he has produced, such as those for Blade Runner, The Twilight Zone, and Zulu Dawn. Ford also talks about becoming a radio DJ at the age of 16, creating his own record label, his dream composer for the new Trek series, and his opinion on the possibility of Brian Reitzell getting that gig. Chapters News (00:03:21) "Daniels Arrives" (excerpt from "Shockwave, Part 1") (Composed by D. McCarthy and K. Kiner) (00:05:01) Meeting Ford (00:06:36) Special Projects (00:12:2

Andy Farber Interview. Star Trek Continues picks up the story of The Original Series right where it left off in 1969. Essentially a fourth season, the independent production features a talented cast that includes Vic Mignogna as Captain Kirk and Chris Doohan in the role made iconic by his father. Since 2013, Star Trek Continues has brought us five incredible stories from the 23rd century, with two more on the way—the next of which, "Come Not Between the Dragons," is set to premiere at FedCon in Germany on May 13, 2016. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Andy Farber to discuss his contributions to the fan series. As a teacher at the famous Juilliard School and a renowned saxophonist and composer, Andy has been lending his talents to the sound of Star Trek Continues. We talk with him about the influences on his music, what a leitmotif is, and why he feels that the music of the next Star Trek series should still be composed in a traditional manner. Chapters "M18 Flyby" (00:01

Neil S. Bulk Interview. La-La Land Records has become synonymous with Star Trek soundtracks. And not just any soundtracks, but the kind that bring history to life by delving more deeply into the rich tapestry of sounds that is a cornerstone of Gene Roddenberry's creation. One of the men behind this success is Neil S. Bulk. No stranger to film music, he is the producer of many film soundtrack releases including Batman, Batman Returns, Total Recall, Days of Heaven, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Police Academy, Dances with Wolves, and the massive 15-disc Star Trek: The Original Series Soundtrack Collection. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Neil to find out what it means to be a producer of film soundtrack releases, what sort of difficulties come up during production, and the process of transferring tape to digital. Neil also talks about his dream projects and the current status of music from Star Trek: The Animated Series. Chapters "The Force Field (Alternate)" (excerpt)

Imagining “When the Bough Breaks.” A really good score should conjure up images when listened to without the episode. These could be images from the story itself, or they could something altogether new. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by young Trekker Aubrey Mutala to listen to Ron Jones’ score for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "When the Bough Breaks." Join us as one young Trekker tells you what she hears when she listens to music from a Star Trek episode that she hasn't seen yet. Chapters “New Parents/Keep Them Talking” (excerpt) (00:01:48) “Escape from Calculus/Myth Becomes Reality” (excerpt) (00:07:32) “Aldean Log/Radue and Rashella” (00:08:56) “Interesting Choices” (00:10:20) “Scanning the Children” (00:11:49) “The Trade” (excerpt) (00:13:10) “Act of Barbarity/Hand Shake/Regrets” (excerpt) (0:14:39) “Custodian/Power Source/Tricorder Fun/Demonstration of Power” (excerpt) (00:16:17) “Music Lesson/Mind Music” (excerpt) (00:18:14) “Diagnosis/Through the Hole”

Connecting William Shatner and John Lithgow Musically. Have you ever played Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon? In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala head into the Star Trek universe to play the classic game of Six Degrees of Separation… but with a musical twist. We challenged the members of Trek.fm’s Facebook listeners’ group, The Babel Conference, to come up with the name of an actor to connect to William Shatner. The winning choice, submitted by listener Carl Morries, was John Lithgow. These two actors have been in many films and television productions, so we decided to use only movies whose scores were composed by Star Trek composers. Listen on to trace a path back to Lithgow to Shatner. And how does Jamie Lee Curtis fit into all of this? Chapters “Surprise Attack” (Excerpt from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) (Composed by J. Horner) (00:03:16) “The Katra Ritual” (Excerpt from Star Trek III:The Search for Spock) (Composed by J. Horner) (00:06:36) “Main Title” (Excerpt from Escape From the Pl

Jeff Bond Interview and Five Favorites. Jeff Bond is one of the foremost authors on the subject of film and television scoring. Having written books, articles, and countless liner notes on the subject, he is also one of the producers of the massive 15-disc Star Trek: The Original Series Soundtrack Collection from La-La Land Records. He has even tried his hand at acting in the independent production "Mind Sifter" by Star Trek New Voyages. In this episode of Melodic Treks, Jeff joins host Brandon-Shea Mutala to talk about Jerry Goldsmith, Vangelis, Planet of the Apes, eight-track players, his book The Music of Star Trek, the demographic of collectors, and Jeff's five favorite tracks from Star Trek. Chapters "Klingon Battle" (excerpt composed by J. Goldsmith) (00:02:25) Meeting Jeff Bond (00:03:22) Sound Effects Inseparable from the Music (00:05:40) The Score for Planet of the Apes (00:07:48) The First Scores Jeff Bought Were On Eight-Track (00:10:00) Blade Runner (00:12:47) Writing Liner Notes and Books About M

The Music of Star Trek Horizon. Tommy Kraft has labored for three long years as the main creative force behind the film Star Trek Horizon. Now the release date has finally arrived, and Tommy has a lot to say about the rigors of being a one-man-band filmmaker … and composer. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Tommy to discuss the score to his film, which he also composed. Dennis Castello, host of Continuing Mission, also joins in this second installment of our two-part interview as we discuss Tommy's schooling, Bear McCreary's influence, how the score is more calm and toned down than we've heard before, Tommy's comping methods, and more. Listen to part one of the interview on Continuing Mission 28: http://www.trek.fm/continuing-mission/28 Chapters "Remembering Who We Are" (composed by T. Kraft) (00:01:33) Meeting Tommy (00:04:31) Schooling (00:05:15) A Bear's Influence (00:05:55) A Calmer Score (00:08:43) Counterpoint or Underscore? (00:10:24) A Score Should Also Stand on I

The (Musical) Mirror Universe. Alternate melodies? Alternate keys? You never know what you'll find on the soundscape of the Mirror Universe. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala responds to Meta Treks 16: "All the Bubbles," which was itself a response to Standard Orbit 115: "Wibbly Wobbly Primey Wimey," as he takes you on a musical journey into the Mirror Universe. We play music from "In a Mirror Darkly," "Mirror, Mirror," "The Visitor," Star Trek (2009), and Star Trek Into Darkness as we explore alternate timelines, alternate dimensions, and alternate futures. Brandon also shares music by three composers who he wishes would score the next Star Trek Series: Bear McCreary, Ramin Djawadi and Brian Reitzell. (Can you tweet #reitzellfortrek2017?) Chapters "T'Pol Interrogation" (excerpt) (Music by D. McCarthy and K. Kiner) (00:02:32) "Blackship In Space" (Music by F. Steiner) (00:04:09) "One Last Visit" (excerpt) (Music by D. McCarthy) (00:05:18) "I Gotta Beam Me" (excerpt) (Mussic by M. Giac