***15th Anniversary Edition***
July 19, 2002
NYANA PLAYS TO PACKED HOUSE
MONSTER TRACKS was pleased to work with Gillespie on a short film for the New York Association of New Americans, or NYANA (a non-profit group dedicated to helping immigrants to the United States). The film was the show opener for a recent NYANA awards ceremony held in New York City, and offered a touching overview of the history and mission of the organization. The film was directed by award-winning photographer/director Steve Belkowitz, and produced by Gillespie’s Donna Hearn and CD Michael Edelstein. “Mike was talking about an orchestral score from the very beginning,” recalls MONSTER TRACKS composer Chuck Butler, “but we knew that the budget was going to be tight. Mike had heard some hybrid electronic/acoustic orchestral pieces I had produced, so the agency was confident that we could produce a track that had the right feel despite the budget constraints.” Composing concurrently with the video editing process was made necessary by the tight time constraints. “They would literally send me a new cut of the film every day or so, and I would write new material, edit out unused sections…whatever it took to make it work.” Despite the compressed production process, the piece was an enormous success. “It was a terrific showing,” enthused CD Edelstein. “The client -- and the audience -- was really moved by the show. The music goes a long way to holding the piece together."
RED TETTEMER INTO INSIGHT
MONSTER TRACKS has scored three new television spots for Insight Communications, based in New York City. Insight is a major cable/communications provider in the United States, serving customers in Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. Each of the spots uses humor to depict ways in which Insight Digital Cable service has affected the lives of its customers. In one spot, titled “Installer”, an Insight cable installer relates his experience with a woman who literally goes wild while playing video poker on her Insight cable system. In another spot, “Rita and Ralph”, Ralph is speechless as he discovers the wonderful features his Insight remote can offer. Each of the spots features distinctive music, from a sweet, “Woody Allen-ish” jazz clarinet piece, to a loungy “Xavier Cougat meets Brian Wilson” 60s piece, to the quirky “accordion meets percussion” Latin approach that underscores the “Installer” spot. Sound-design and mix were also handled at Baker Sound.
SG&W IS TWICE AS NICE
Working with producer/director Victor Sonder, MONSTER TRACKS has produced music for two clients handled by SG&W (SSDW) Marketing Communications of Monteville, New Jersey. First, MONSTER TRACKS created music for New Jersey Travel & Tourism’s spring campaign. The 30-second jingle, which features the line “Make these days the best days of your life”, beautifully depicts some of the many activities and vacation spots offered by the Garden State. The spots were directed by Sonder, and posted at NFL films. Working with the same creative team, MONSTER TRACKS also composed a hard-driving radio jingle for The Warnock Automotive Group, the northeast’s largest auto dealership.
Listen to our jingle for New Jersey Travel & Tourism now...
PREPASS
It was great to work with our old friends from Radio Direct Response on a jingle for Prepass (a new way for truck drivers to bypass weigh stations in the same way that EZ-PASS allows motorists to “bypass” tolls). Producer Mark Lipsky developed the lyric, and asked us to create a Johnny Cash-like music track that would appeal to long-haul truckers nationwide. Voice artist Wes Heywood handled the lead vocal, backed by a cowboy chorus including Music Director Chuck Butler, singer Chet Brown, and guitarist Jeff Kay.
POTPOURII
The beginning of 2002 has been (thankfully) a busy time at MONSTER TRACKS. Political consultant Chris Mottola asked us to score spots for George Pataki for Governor of New York, as well as a campaign for Florida Phosphates. The Brownstein Group asked us to produce a campy, 50s filmstrip-style radio jingle for Baquaspa. The Rosie O'Donnell Show has been using a track from "Lite Whimsy" (produced by MONSTER TRACKS for the Sonoton music library) as bumper music on their daily telecast. Finally, we’re pleased to announce that WHYY TV12 in Philadelphia is scheduled to present the broadcast debut of Jim Starr’s feature “Seduction of the Will” on Thursday, August 22 at 9pm. MONSTER TRACKS’ Chuck Butler composed the complete score for this film about the life of German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl.
GIGASTUDIO ARRIVES!
We don’t normally announce technical updates in our newsletter, but this one is special: MONSTER TRACKS is now home to a new GigaStudio 160 sampling system. Sampling technology is what allows electronic instruments to approach realistic acoustic performances, as well as all manner of interesting sound manipulation. GigaStudio is the latest advancement in sampling, allowing greater variety of sounds and higher quality of reproduction due to it’s ability to stream digital recordings directly from hard disc (older samplers were limited by the amount of sample data they could store in RAM). What this means is that MONSTER TRACKS productions will continue to offer the latest and highest-quality sounds available, combined with Chuck’s unique ability to manipulate them into music that is effective. “I’m unbelievably excited about the possibilities, particularly in terms of orchestral simulations,” remarks Chuck. “We’ve invested in the complete Garritan Strings library…I’ve never heard such realistic string ensemble samples. As an orchestrator, it’s exciting to be able to have such a broad palette of articulations at my disposal. We’ve produced many orchestral pieces over the years; I think GigaStudio will allow us to take these productions to the next level.” Feel free to ask Chuck about GigaStudio the next time you’re at Baker Sound.
***OUR 15th ANNIVERSARY 1987-2002***
We're celebrating MONSTER TRACKS 15th Anniversary this month, and we'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of you who have made our service possible. MONSTER TRACKS began when radio/advertising/folk personality Gene Shay introduced Chuck Butler to Baker Sound Studios President Gary Moskowitz. We've made a lot of "donuts" since then, and we're proud to be part of the Philadelphia production community. On behalf of all the talented musicians who work with us, and the staff at Baker Sound, a heartfelt "thank-you" for giving us the opportunity to do what we love!
