Storyophonic

She first came on the radar playing keyboards with the Arsenio Hall band. She’s since performed or recorded with artists from Carole King and Carlos Santana to Mariah Carey.  As a composer, Starr Parodi’s illustrious credits span feature films, episodic television, concert works and solo piano artistry. Recently elected President of the Alliance for Women Film composers, Starr exemplifies a multi-faceted career that continues to expand. Starr shines brightly on Storyophonic.

Through a catalog of songs that are undeniably upbeat, songwriter and Rolling Stone’s Hot Producer of the Year Sam Hollander creates vibrant pop hits like Fitz and the Tantrums’ “HandClap” and eight songs for Panic! At the Disco’s Pray for the Wicked, with the #1 hit “High Hopes.” In conversation, he relates how as a member of the supportive SONA community, he has evolved from a young MC into one of the most in-demand songwriters and producers in modern pop music.

Canadian-born Los Angeles-based Christophe Beck is one of Hollywood’s foremost composers. Now, with the release of Frozen 2, Beck expands on the glacial Disney soundscape he devised for Elsa and her cohorts in the mega-hit Frozen. From the Hangover Trilogy to The Peanuts Movie, Christophe Beck explores a remarkable compositional range with powerful emotional substance. He is committed to expanding opportunities in the film music community through SESAC Scores: The Beck Diversity Project

Our music world was stunned by the recent passing of Grammy and Tec Award winning engineer and producer Ed Cherney.  With credits that included the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, Ed was one of the greatest board masters of all time.  His prodigious achievements were mirrored in his immense humor and loving heart.  We thank Ed Cherney for the light that he shared and the music that he illuminated with his genius.  In his honor, we present this encore conversation.

In feature films, documentaries and episodic television, the word “eclectic” only begins to describe music from composer Carl Thiel.For the new Netflix animated series, Seis Manos, Carl cross-pollinatesfolkloric Mexican influences, traditional Chinese instruments and retro Seventies sounds to accompany the story of three orphans raised in Mexico and trained in martial arts, on a mission to avenge the murder of their mentor. Sonic sorcery casts a spell as Carl conjures up the score. 

Even if you don’t know his name, you know his sound: you’ve heard Danny Kortchmar’s magical guitar on tracks with legends like James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, and Bob Dylan. As a songwriter, he’s collaborated with Don Henley and Jackson Browne, and he’s produced projects with a roster that includes Billy Joel and Neil Young.  Now touring and recording with Immediate Family, Danny Kortchmar plugs in on this special episode sponsored by Roland Corporation, Boss, and Universal Audio. 

Doreen Ringer Ross, Vice President of Film, Television and Visual Media at BMI, works with all echelons of composers including legends like John Williams, Thomas Newman and Danny Elfman. She also oversees a full slate of BMI initiatives and workshops nurturing the next generation of compositional creators. Meet Doreen Ringer Ross whose depth of knowledge confirms that she most assuredly knows the score. This episode of our podcast is sponsored by BMI, whose “Music Moves Our World.”  

Emmy nominated composer Miriam Cutler works exclusively on socially relevant Emmy winning, Sundance and Oscar nominated documentaries including RBG, a story of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.  With over forty film scores, six-time Grammy-winning composer, trumpeter and recording artist Terence Blanchard received his first Academy Award nomination for Spike Lee’s BlackKkKlansman. We highlight two recent guests in this episode who exemplify positive changes in the film music community.

Concluding our third Storyophonic season is Brian Kehew, a musician, producer and keyboardist with golden ears and extraordinary skills. A one-man audio excavation team, he explores deep musical vaults, mining hidden gems for bonus tracks and remasters by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin and hundreds of other artists. Currently touring as a technician with The Who, Brian, who co-authored the book Recording the Beatles, presents an annual lecture series at Abbey Road Studios In London.

Attorney Rachel Stilwell represents the legal interests of a vast constituency of the Hollywood entertainment industry in the music, film and literary worlds. Her clients also include the non-profit musicFIRST coalition and she serves on the Board of Governors of the Recording Academy’s LA Chapter and the Board of the Future of Music Coalition. Rachel breaks down the issues and explains vital issues affecting music makers and other creators in this modern age and in the future.

Across a vast span of mediums, Laura Karpman composes for feature films, documentaries, episodic television, concert works, operas and video games. A four time Emmy winner and the composer of the Grammy winning album Ask Your Mama, Laura’s mastery of classic form and modern technology designates her as one of Hollywood’s preeminent creators. We visit her studio at the beach, where surrounded by a museum-worthy collection of instruments, she shares her creative processes and musical methods.

From classic Philly Soul to Progressive Jazz, and beyond: With a career span from the early Seventies until now, recording engineer and producer Don Murray has been behind the board for artists ranging from Phil Collins, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston to jazz icons Terence Blanchard and Dave Grusin. As one of the recording world’s foremost sonic practitioners, with thousands of projects to his credit, Don is a modest and insightful guest in a rare interlude on the other side of the glass.   

A producer-engineer-mixer-composer and player: Irish-born, Liverpool-educated Los Angeles transplant Lynne Earls’ credits include recording K.D. Lang, Calexico, Rumer, Lizz Wright, Wayne Shorter and many others. In this conversation, she compares recording to photography, instinct and intuition guide her as she captures the authentic soul of a sound in the optimal instant.  This episode features "Is Cuma" produced by Lynne, featuring legendary Celtic recording artist - Moya Brennan with Cormac DeBarra from the album “Timeless” on Beo Records

She’s an “American Girl,” one of the “California Girls,” and a “Teenage Dream” who can “Roar.” Artist, songwriter and producer Bonnie McKee might be best known from her multiple award winning collaborations with Katy Perry, as a recording artist, or as a guest vocalist with dance provocateurs Kygo and Armin Van Buuren. If you listen to pop music, you have heard her songs for Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert and many others. Meet the luminous, glamorous and fabulous Bonnie McKee.  

Three distinctively different creators: one special show. In honor of this month’s ASCAP Expo, we have curated segments from three very prominent  ASCAP members:  Pinar Toprak, the composer who scored Captain Marvel; songwriter and producer Dave Bassett, whose hits include “Ex’s and Oh’s,” with Elle King, and “Fight Song” with Rachel Platten, and Lindy Robbins, one of Hollywood’s most accomplished pop songwriters with songs recorded by Jason Derulo, Andra Day, David Guetta and many others. 

Although Pam Sheyne is probably best known for “Genie in a Bottle,” her breakthrough hit for Christina Aguilera, she has thousands of additional credits with recording artists plus songs for network television shows. Likewise, Richard Harris has thousands of credits with a roster of international artists plus television shows, films and national advertising spots. The two recently teamed up for Songwriting Camps, with a mission of mentoring and educating the next generation of music creators. 

The relationship between Songwriters and Music Publishers is integral to the music business. Representing both sides are Kay Hanley, a songwriter and recording artist who writes music for television shows like Doc McStuffins and Josie and the Pussycats among many other credits, and Michael Eames, co-founder and president of PEN Music, promoting legendary catalogs and indie songwriters alike. Kay and Michael are advocates for new legislation impacting the future of the music industry.  

Engineer, producer and mixer Leslie Ann Jones has been behind the board for everyone from Rosemary Clooney and Kronos Quartet to Herbie Hancock and Alice in Chains. As Director of Music Recording and Scoring for Skywalker Sound, she records scores for video games and feature films including Apocalypse Now, Requiem for a Dream and Happy Feet. A multiple Grammy Award winner inducted this year into the NAMM TEC Hall of Fame for her achievements, Leslie Ann Jones is an Audio Icon of the first order.

2019 Grammy Nominee in the Best Historical Album Category, Michael Graves is one of the leading audio restoration and re-mastering specialists in music, The two time Grammy winner works with a vast spectrum of projects, from classic jazz, world music and field recordings to obscure rock cult artists and legendary country originators, including Hank Williams.  Pairing technical knowledge with a deep reverence for the legacy of these recordings, Michael Graves brings audio to life. Experience musical history on Storyophonic.  

A classically trained violinist who has played with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Sting, Josh Groban and George Clinton’s P-Funk, an ethereal vocalist, and a notable singer-songwriter with a rich catalog of albums. Nominated in the New Age category for a 2019 Grammy with her group Opium Moon, Lili Haydn is also an accomplished film composer who scored, contributed songs and co-music supervised the new darkly sardonic indie film Driver X. Lili Haydn takes the wheel on Storyophonic.