We’ve got some hot t-shirt action going on over here at The Music Playground. Email if you want one! funpolice@themusicplayground.net
In addition to several other exciting projects, we had the opportunity last month to music supervise the documentary feature Life 2.0, which made its debut in January as an official selection of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival! The film, directed by Jason Spingarn-Koff, explores the online virtual community known as Second Life, following the stories of 4 Second Life users and their avatars as their virtual lives begin to effect their real lives, and the separation between the two begins to blur.
Featured artists include Kites, Locksley, Maiysha, and Lucy Woodward. Keep an eye out for the film – and if you happen to be in Austin next month, check it out as an official selection at the 2010 South By Southwest Film Festival, where it will be simulcast in a virtual screening within Second Life, followed by an interactive question and answer session in both the real and virtual theaters with the director and other key members of the production team.
The project was also a great example of the potential for collaboration between The Music Playground and its sister companies, The Lodge and The Diner. Lodge engineer and creative director Colin Thibadeau mixed the film in 5.1 surround sound, Lodge composer Demian Sims worked with composer Justin Melland to help round out some of the cues, and the Diner also contributed music to the film’s diverse soundtrack.
For more info about the film, check out its website: http://life2movie.com/
Watch the first 2 minutes of the film here:
“Director Jason Spingarn-Koff digs deeply into the core of basic human interaction by assuming his own avatar and immersing himself in the worlds of Second Life residents, whose real lives have been drastically transformed by the new lives they lead in cyberspace. In doing so, he manages to create an intimate, character-based drama that forces us to question not only who we are, but who we long to be.”
-from the Sundance Film Festival Film Guide
Rosa Chance Well’s haunting cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Bad Moon Rising’ was featured in a recent episode of ABC’s Eastwick! The song beautifully underscores a pivotal and very dark pair of scenes, with one character gushing blood in a bathtub and another involved in a knock-down drag-out fight! We’ll put a clip up when we can, but for now, take a listen to the track and enjoy!
Chrysalis Music Group Joins Forces With The Lodge Music House to Create New Arrangements of Top Catalog Songs for Advertising, Film and TV
Chrysalis Music Group USA, the industry’s leading independent music publisher, has partnered with the award-winning, bicoastal music production house The Lodge in a first-of-a-kind deal to create and market new arrangements, cover versions and newly recorded master versions of Chrysalis’ top and back catalog hits for the advertising, film and TV industries. In doing so, the companies will tap Chrysalis’ deep catalog, which is home to such legendary artists as David Bowie, Billy Idol, Blondie and Richard Marx, as well as cutting-edge contemporary acts like Ray LaMontagne, My Morning Jacket, OutKast, TV on the Radio and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
In making this agreement, Chrysalis and The Lodge are looking to further the trend of remaking classic hit songs from well-known artists with different arrangements from the original versions, while also deepening the creative relationships between this Classic-filled catalog and advertising agencies, as well as film and TV music supervisors. The recording of new arrangements of classic hits has become increasingly popular as ad agencies and filmmakers alike have shifted away from the all but exclusive use of master recordings, for reasons both creative and budgetary in nature. Chrysalis and The Lodge are hoping to break new ground in this burgeoning area by providing a more streamlined process, as well as offering, through their partnership, the in-house creative services to deliver new masters.
“Pushing the boundaries of music publishing and furthering the relationships between our artists’ catalog and advertisers, filmmakers and TV producers is a major priority for us,” said Kenny MacPherson, President, Chrysalis Music Group USA. “This partnership shows our commitment to increasing the Chrysalis catalog’s accessibility in an effort to better coordinate our creative undertakings with the agencies. With Don Ienner on board, The Lodge’s reputation and integrity are unparalleled in this area, and we’re confident in their composers’ ability to interpret our songs with intriguing new wrinkles.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Kenny and the entire Chrysalis team,” said Drew Stein, Chief Creative Officer of The Lodge. “Often times our clients want the instant recognition of a classic hit song but also want a new look and a modern take on the arrangement scored to their picture. This partnership represents those creative desires and is something truly exciting for the future of music publishing. It expands the limits beyond the master recording and creates so many new possibilities for an incredible, world-class catalog.”
An autonomous force alongside the UK operation, Chrysalis Music Group USA is widely known as one of the most innovative independent music publishers in the business. Under MacPherson’s veteran leadership, Chrysalis has broadened the scope of its operations and the depth of its catalog, which boasts a diverse array of artists including (along with those listed above) Velvet Revolver, Bon Iver, Mastodon, Thom Yorke, Dinosaur Jr., Andrew Bird, the Low Anthem, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Secret Machines, Dan Wilson, Underworld, Joe Henry, Page Hamilton, as well as renowned producers No ID and Ethan Johns. Chrysalis is also renowned for a storied catalog encompassing the hits of Jethro Tull, Cy Coleman, Paul Anka, Roy Ayers and Andrew Gold. At the same time, the company continues to push the envelope by nurturing a vital roster of up-and-coming writer/artists and songwriter/producers.
With studios in New York and Los Angeles, The Lodge is a leading original music production company for advertising, film and television with composers in London, New York, L.A. and Asia. The Lodge works on over 500 music projects every year, and its client list is a who’s who of the entertainment and commercial worlds, including companies such as HewlettPackard, Coca-Cola, Mercedes Benz, Pepsi, McDonalds, AT&T, Pfizer, Ford, Wal-Mart, MTV and many other prominent global brands.
To hear some of the great new Chrysalis arrangements please visit:
http://www.thelodge.com/chrysalis
To learn more about Chrysalis or The Lodge, please go to their respective websites:
http://www.chrysalismusicusa.com
http://www.thelodge.com/musicproduction
For Press Inquiries:
Bettie Levy
The Lodge
bettie@thelodge.com
Ken Weinstein
Big Hassle Publicity
weinstein@bighassle.com
If you are in New York, or happen to be passing through on May 20th…
Please come join us for the first of many Music Playground showcase parties, presented by The Lodge!
4 Bands/Artists from The Music Playground roster will be performing live at the Parkside Lounge May 20th! Please be sure to RSVP, as it will be a limited guest list.
Party starts at 7 PM (bands start at 8) so please join us for a night of amazing free music, brought to you by The Music Playground!
Artists performing:
Lionel Neykov
Maiysha
Lucy Woodward
Kites
Here’s the info:
Parkside Lounge
317 E. Houston St.
New York, NY 10002
at Attorney St.
F to 2nd Avenue
See you there!
The Music Playground was born out of the evident shift in the way that artists, and their music, are now marketed and disseminated. The typical channels are no longer typical and are quickly becoming rare or obsolete. The “Music Playground”, at its most basic and fundamental level is an alternative to the traditional. Surrounded daily by extraordinary talent, we here at the Music Playground seek to showcase the music created by those we work with and appreciate. These are the people from our network, from our playground.
We are proud to introduce to you the first in a series of record releases entitled, “The Music Playground”.
(Please be specific and include a detailed video title)
