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April 7, 2008
MUSIC FOR PHILLY, AND A NEW BEAU
BEAU RIVAGE RESORT & CASINO GETS A NEW SOUND
When MONSTER TRACKS composer Chuck Butler graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1987, he faced a decision. "I knew that I wanted to go into commercial composing," recalls Chuck, "and that New York or LA were the established hubs for that kind of work. But I grew up in South Jersey and the Philadelphia region is my home, so in the end I decided that the priorities were to be near my family and to love where I live. I decided to take my shot here, and 21 years later, I'm glad I did."
With those sentiments in mind, it's not hard to understand how excited Chuck was to contribute to The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation's new campaign promoting the City of Philadelphia. "I wanted to create a sound that captures a modern Philly vibe," reports Chuck. "This is how Philly 'sounds' to me--energetic, rhythmic--but with a strong jazz influence as well." Ron Kerber is featured on flute and sax, along with vocals by Lauren Lark, a former student of Chuck's at University of the Arts. The spot, which features the slogan "Philly's More...Fun," was produced by LevLane Advertising, and runs on TV, Internet, and in movie theaters in markets surrounding Philadelphia.
BEAU RIVAGE RESORT & CASINO GETS A NEW SOUND
With hurricane Katrina fully behind them, Beau Rivage Resort & Casino asked Masterminds Advertising to create a new television campaign reintroducing the completely remodeled Biloxi, Mississippi resort. Combining alternative rock and classical musical influences, MONSTER TRACKS created an enticing musical vibe that (we think) perfectly compliments the visual style of the advertising, and anticipates the kind of experience that visitors of the resort will enjoy. The spot features guitar work by Jeff Kay, strings by Greg Tepperman and Tony Pirollo, and vocals by Patty Balbo. There are 4 spots in the initial series; while they all feature the same thematic material, each was customized to reflect different aspects of the resort experience. These spots air in the south and central U.S.
Last fall, MONSTER TRACKS was busy scoring music for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign. On November 14th 2007, The New York Times reviewed the first spot we scored for the Giuliani campaign, characterizing our music as "inspirational" and "decidedly upbeat." Apparently the Times does occasionally get something right!
After Giuliani's bid proved unsuccessful, we were thrilled to be asked to score the first general election campaign ad for presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. The McCain spot, titled "624787" (which was McCain's Navy ID), is currently airing statewide in New Mexico and in the Washington DC market. You can view the spot on YouTube by clicking HERE.
Speaking of politics, we have to send a shout out to our friends at The Campaign Group. The spots they produced for Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter's 2007 campaign won this year's Gold "Pollie" award for Best Television Campaign. This is a national competition sponsored by the American Association of Political Consultants; Nutter's ads came in first among a field of some 1,300 entries. MONSTER TRACKS congratulates The Campaign Group; we were pleased to provide the music for this outstanding campaign. Read the full story HERE.
While the "Pollie" award is certainly a big deal, we should also mention that a little indy film we scored last year called Revelation was selected as Best Drama at the Delaware Valley Film Festival. Congratulations to director Mike Giletto and the guys at Siberian Productions. You're welcome to pick up a free copy of the film the next time you're at Baker Sound (while supplies last).
As long as there's a TV or radio nearby, you'll always be close to MONSTER TRACKS. Our music has been heard in recent episodes of Oprah, Zoom, Food Crazy, Baby Story, Wedding Story, Top Ten Travel, and Healthy Flavors.
Working with Center City Film & Video, we produced a funky version of the Isley Brothers' classic "It's Your Thing"--which became "Do Your Thing" in national spots for Ramada Hotels. We teamed up with iBOXfilms, scoring new spots for Colonial Penn and OptionsExpress.com, and we worked with Caspari McCormick on new radio spots for Jefferson featuring Eagles' kicker David Akers. The Goffman Group gave us to opportunity to exercise our rock chops when they asked us to score a cool Michael Bense-penned radio spot for Princeton BMW. Finally, for red-hot Holton Sentivan + Gury, we produced TV and radio tracks with a country flair for Adams County National Bank, and then shifted genres to provide Electronica with a (believe it or not) classical influence for Comcast.
Don't forget to visit our FREE MUSIC page, where you can download tracks for your productions at no charge. We're always adding new tracks, so check back often.
Thanks to all of our clients for your support! Enjoy the spring, have a great summer, and don't forget to vote in the fall.
