Lakeshore Records Podcast

Gustavo Santaolalla Discusses Scoring Finch, Babel, Brokeback Mountain, and The Last of Us

Two-time Oscar winning and multi-Grammy winning composer, producer, recording artist, and all around badass Gustavo Santaolalla: they say to never meet your heroes, but connecting with Gustavo was an enlightening and fun one-of-a-kind experience.

Topics discussed include how Gustavo became an enemy of the state in jail for having long hair and playing rock n roll, the revolutionary rise of his band Arco Iris and Argentinian folk music, his ever expanding audience from teenage stardom to scoring apocalyptic videogames, composing for The Last of Us, Babel, Finch and his iconic Brokeback Mountain theme, working with NASA to bridge quantum physics, sonic frequencies and music therapy, the immeasurable impact of the Beatles, Che Guevara, Eastern philosophy and experimental drugs, Anne Hathaway’s canny ear for dissonance, the honesty and power of punk rock, what it’s like to win a second Oscar, the wonder of Tom Hanks, creative freedom with Steven Spielberg, good vs bad music and art vs. craftsmanship,  finding the spirit of a sacred instrument like the Ronroco, and so much more.

Finch is out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records.

Isobel Waller-Bridge Discusses Roar

This episode of On Cue With interviews composer Isobel Waller-Bridge (whose music you’ve heard on Roar, Fleabag, Black Mirror, Emma and more). In this wide-ranging conversation, topics discussed include Isobel’s formative years and family radio plays, the resonance of Greek tragedy and empathy, the pros and cons of playing trombone at the pearly gates, the unifying music of Florence and The Machine, unlearning classical music, working with Brian Eno’s Earth percent charity, proper attire for working with synths, composition as a form of language and catharsis, Isobel’s deeply personal relationship with the piano, the brilliance of Wes Andersen, how to lean into genres, Rachmaninoff’s harmonies, the mechanics of a good melody, and so much more. Roar is out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records.

The Legend of Vox Machina’s Sam Riegel, Neal Acree, and Peter Habib discuss Critical Role

Welcome to the Lakeshore Records Podcast series, On Cue With. This episode features The Legend of Vox Machina's Sam Riegel, composer Neal Acree, and producer / songwriter Peter Habib, a.k.a. Mr Fantastic. Discussion topics include:

• The evolution of Critical Role’s enormous success from streaming weekly hangs to Kickstarter to the screen
• Magic lutes, trap beats and heavy metal guitars
• The importance of planting thematic seeds as a composer
• The mysterious bridge between James Brown, funk & fantasy
• Fan culture, honoring OG Critters & welcoming a broader audience
• How to make a nasty nasty boy more sophisticated over time
• The Super Mario Brothers Theme
• Decoding pop songs
• Hints for Season Two

The Legend of Vox Machina is out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Sam Riegel , Neal Acree and Peter Habib.

Danny Elfman Describes the Creative Process in Scoring for Film and TV

James Ponsoldt interviews Danny Elfman about the process of composing for film and TV. In this excerpt from The End Of The Tour, Danny Elfman shares a few insights into his creative process and the collaborative nature of working with directors to realize their vision.

Angel Kristi Williams and Khari Mateen Discuss Really Love

Angel Kristi Williams and Khari Mateen talk Really Love. 

Angel’s exquisite directorial work can be seen in Really Love, Colin in Black and White, Cherish the Day and more. Khari’s incredible songwriting, production, and compositions can be heard on albums by artists such as The Roots, Gill Scott and RJD2, and in films and TV series such as Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story, D Wade Life Unexpected, Really Love and elsewhere.

On this episode of On Cue With, hosted by Alon Levitan, we discuss how Khari and Angel arrived at the beautifully elegant, sophisticated sound of Really Love, experimental film and photography in Baltimore, working with Questlove and the Roots in Philadelphia, art as catharsis, how to capture nuance, hanging out at Prince’s house, what vulnerability, pain, lust and love sound like, the biggest sacrifices of being an artist, Bach’s cello suites, the incomparable Sade, creating revolutionary drama without trauma, getting in the studio with God, and more.

Khari’s phenomenal score for Really Love is out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records.

Fabrice Lecomte Talks Sylvie‘s Love

Fabrice Lecomte talks about creating the beautiful jazz-infused score and songs heard in Sylvie's Love.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Fabrice discusses the crucial advice he received from the late great Ennio Morricone, his early days in Milan listening to music in old school record booths, how he navigates the dichotomy between pop and art, pre-Michael Jackson Quincy Jones, John Coltrane’s mesmerizing ballads, the lyricism of Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins, progressive Jazz and Ornette Coleman, how Fabrice’s compositions reflect the complex tonal shifts in Sylvie’s Love, Keith Jarrett’s mind-blowing harmonic choices, the importance of listening to music with undivided attention, how great musicians bring out the soul of a composition, the great Johnny Mandel, and so much more. 

Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records. 

Jeff Garber Talks Virgin River

Jeff Garber's music can be heard in Netflix’s smash hit VIRGIN RIVER, NANCY DREW, and more.

We discuss why Virgin River un-controversially resonates deeply with so many people, how Jeff transitioned from hard-edged songwriter + rock musician to a chameleon-like composer, his earthy minimalist approach to the music of Virgin River, the genius of Thomas Newman, Lindsey Buckingham, Helmet, The Smiths, and The Cure, the influence of Less than Zero and The Lost Boys, the allure of fingerpicking acoustic guitar, how to unlearn the past and develop new versatility, the importance of college radio and keeping up with the zeitgeist, and so much more.

Note: amidst the conversation we contended w/some internet audio hiccups and dogs barking, but it’s a small price to pay for great conversation. Virgin River (Music from the Netflix Series) is out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records.

Hosted by Alon Levitan.

Jon Ehrlich and Jason Derlatka talk Goliath

Jon Ehrlich and Jason Derlatka are composers who recently scored Amazon’s Goliath, starring Billy Bob Thornton. Each composer has over fifteen years of television composing under his belt, including creating the scores for all eight seasons of House M.D., starring Hugh Laurie. They've also created music for series such as Parenthood, About a Boy, Pitch and APB.

Podcast episode hosted by Gene Priest.

Kris Bowers Talks Bridgerton

Kris Bowers reveals how he created Bridgerton's signature sound.

Welcome to Lakeshore Records’ podcast series, On Cue With. For this episode, we spoke with the incomparable Kris Bowers: an Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning composer, producer, and pianist whose music can be heard in Netflix’s smash hit Bridgerton, as well as Kris’ Oscar-nominated documentary A Concerto is a Conversation, The United States VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY, BAD HAIR, SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY, RESPECT, King Richard, When They See Us, and so much more.

We discuss:

• How Kris created Bridgerton’s signature sound by bridging impressionism, modernity, and traditional classical music
• The exploration of narrative and emotion
• The influence of Ravel’s harmonic language on jazz
• His grandfather’s effortless counter to imposter syndrome
• Adopting a growth mindset vs staying in one lane
• The challenges of diversity discourse
• How recording music in the pandemic can increase intimacy
• Pleasure vs.  work ethic
• Singing and the flow state
• Orchestral swing
• Innate talent vs early exposure
• Stravinsky’s musical storytelling

Kris’ incredible chart-blazing score for Bridgerton is out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Kris as much as we did.

Matt Sweeney Talks Red Dead Redemption 2

Matt Sweeney discusses creating the Red Dead Redemption 2 soundtrack for Rockstar Games.

On this episode we had the enormous pleasure of speaking with the great Matt Sweeney, an incredible guitarist, songwriter, producer and all around badass musician whom you’ve heard on many iconic records (Johnny Cash, Adele, Run the Jewels, Bonnie 'Prince’ Billy, and many more). We discussed Matt’s collaborative process with the Rockstar Games music team and Dave Ferguson on their #1 charting soundtrack to Red Dead Redemption 2: the Housebuilding EP, Thelonius Monk’s rules for life, self – expression as an overrated endeavor, sessions with the incomparable Rick Rubin, Appalachian music as a transcendent art form, Adele’s love of 70’s Dion, playing on Johnny Cash’s American V and VI albums, fingerpicking techniques vs Guitar Center licks, the wisdom of John Prine and Bill Withers, Matt's longtime collaborator Will Oldham, and much more. The Red Dead Redemption 2 Housebuilding EP is out now worldwide via Lakeshore Records.