Category: Listening Posts

by Gary Powell

As a creative strategy in scoring Glendalough Studios’ movie Guilty, I first composed the song “Obscura la Noche”. Although the movie is in English Gabe Folse, the director of the film, and I agreed that the lyric played more emotionally when sung in Spanish. In the truest sense, this song is a “theme song” in that the melodic content and harmonization reflect the Latino culture and the layered internal compromises of the characters. Many of the film’s musical cues quote themes taken from both the harmonization and the melodies from the song itself. These musical components of the song are indeed inner-woven into the score which purposefully presents itself as one piece of music. The end effect of this compositional technique is that as the song is finally revealed at the end of the movie, audiences will already be familiar with it like an old friend you haven’t seen in years.

by Gary Powell, Vocal Arranger/Producer

“Battle Hymn of the Republic”
             Gary Powell, Arranger/Producer

Shortly after September 11th, 2001, a new century of American flag-waving began. It’s hard to know whether this display of nationalism was a sign of solidarity or just unconscious rage. When our behavior is unconscious, some simple math will reveal that the forthcoming ramifications from that behavior will also be cloaked. Whether war is in our nature or just our birthright, it may be time to step back and search out new teachers and healers.