I’m gutted by the loss of Archie , i feel so blessed to have had the pleasure of making an album for Archie . It was in my tiny backyard shed studio in South Caulfield in 2001 that Paul Kelly and myself put down the backing tracks , recorded and mixed Archie’s incredible voice. He sang shirt off, arms spread like a bird and eyes closed . Nearly every take would have Paul or myself in tears .He was shy and humble yet i always felt i was in the presence of some kind of deep timeless royalty . Archie was staying in a hotel whist we were recording , my wife Michelle would cook a roast lamb or chicken for him periodically as he much preferred home cooking. He really loved the roast lamb. My kids were young at the time and Archie loved their company . we really felt like he was part of the family by the time we had completed the album. We are all going to miss him deeply .
I have just finished work composing my share (11 out of 20 Eps )of the music for Rock Island Mysteries. Its a kids TV series with lots of mystery, adventure and comedy. Nickelodeon and Australia’s Network 10 joined forces to produce it. They were joined in the production by Fremantle Australia, Nordic Entertainment Group and Screen Australia. It was a massive job with each episode driven heavily by music . I hadn’t up till now been involved in children’s TV so it was a bit of a learning curve. I now have a lot of respect for other composers of this genre as it is very tricky . Getting a 22 minute score to not only accent all the jokes , drama and jump scares but to have it feel homogeneous and not bit-sy was no easy task. Having said that – I’m so glad i took up the challenge , Rock Island will be enjoyed by lots of young folk I’m sure.
I’ll post some examples when I’m legally permitted to
I had the pleasure of guesting on stage with Augie March last Wednesday the 26th of May at the Melbourne Recital center. It was to be 2 shows but Covid had other plans. The lock down was announced on the night of the second show alas prohibiting the performance . Never the less the Wednesday night gig was so lovely to be a part of. Augie March are a national treasure.
Michelle and i ( Pleasantville ) have decided to make an album of murder-ballads , songs inspired by the true crime podcasts we are way to addicted to.
It’s been long over due that i should pen a little note to say how appreciative and proud i am of the Wentworth series . Now after 9 seasons it has come to end in it’s production , i’m sure it will live on and prosper in the world of streaming tv drama . It’s nothing short of a miracle that the final season was successfully completed given the complications around Covid . Largely due to the wise heads and clever people producing the show.
Just a quick glance at my computer shows me that i have written literally thousands of cues for the show, some tiny and barely a note , others long and evolving . Whilst the security of such a long running show will be sorely missed i am looking forward to new horizons ( and a bit of fishing ).
I am busy at the moment creating an album of instrumental music .My aim is to record tracks that would be good to paint to. I have a friend who is an artist who enjoys working with instrumental music playing , he set me the challenge
Today i drove down that old road that leads to Melbourne, I hadn’t been there for ages because of covid restrictions but today marks the beginning of my work on Wentworth FINAL hoorah, i needed to be briefed on my first two Eps . So with official work permit in hand i tackled the traffic.
The final season is kind-of an extension to season 8 – its another 10 episodes . Once again i can say it’s fabulous , heaps of explosive drama . I’m fortunate to be attached to such a cool show .
ps ….. The traffic was fairly light , a freaky perk of the Virus .
My dear old friend and musical colleague Stephan Fidock sadly died a month ago , I just can’t find enough good things to say about him . He was an exceptionally tasteful drummer , an artist , an artisan and a cracking whit . To sum up – he had soul , and heaps of it . Whilst i had lost contact with him over the journey , i had recently ( past 2 years) reconnected after bumping into him in Maldon . His fight with cancer was by all accounts very brave and dealt with in a typically Steph manner , good humor and humility . His two boys Lewis and Ruben who i met properly at his wake were his finest pieces of work , they are both fine men .Whilst they are unique individuals , spend some time with them and you will catch glimpses of Steph’s beautiful soul shining through.
Many years ago ( late 80s ) i bought an UN-loved Roland Jupiter 8 , Its the Synthesizer that was the sound of the 80s but like the frizzed up Hair-Do on Howard Jones’s big head it went out out of fashion dramatically around the same time .
I paid about $1000 (They fetch up to $30000 nowif you can find one ) and was told by it’s previous owner that it was too heavy to transport. I used it over the years and had a lot of fun .Decades whizzed by and my teen-aged son Willy discovered it and with my blessings began making music with it . After a while he became involved in other pursuits so retired it to his cupboard where it sat for another 7 years gathering dust ….but wait ….. what’s that sound ?,,,,, Yes . something …. something deep within it’s 14 bit Japanese heart was calling me – throb throb buzz buzz woosh woosh ping ping boing . Like a lead character in the 60s TV series Twilight zone i arose with a dead stare and a non negotiable mission to rescue the JP 8 from the dusty cupboard , bring it home , have it lovingly serviced and let the joy of such a wonderful instrument burst forth again. This brings me to where i am now. I realize that i’m so lucky to own one of these highly sort after iconic keyboards . I have totally fallen in love with it and augmented it’s capabilities with a Kenton DCB midi box which allows me to use it from Protools ,sync the arpeggiator etc. Of coarse these days its so easy to find Synth sounds on your computer and they sound pretty good BUT they really don’t sound as fat as these things . Lets face it , if you are using synth sounds from within a computer that can email your mum – it wont sound as good as the real thing.
I have a new TV comedy commission in development which could be a great fit for the JP8 and all signs point to it being a good fit . We shall see.
richard pleasance 