MUSIC PORTFOLIO
This page lists out a portfolio of my work that is publicly available so far. The first section is my body of work outside of film, and the second is soundtracks I've made for short films. Both sections are organized chronologically, with the most recent being first, followed by older work.
INDEPENDENT MUSIC
LOST IN THE CLOCKWORK
Release date: May 12, 2022
Lost in the Clockwork is a symphonic piece lead by a saxophone quartet. This piece has a dark, layered atmosphere and has a driving rhythmic energy throughout most of the song. The main goal behind this piece was to, in some way, communicate the emotional landscape of endless cycles that we want to get out of. The story of this piece is the tragedy of almost leaving this cycle, but falling back in despite your best efforts, with a triumphant call to action at the end to finally take your life back.
This piece is a monstrous 10 minutes long, which I figure will scare some people off, but I am very happy with how it turned out. If you give this piece a chance, you might find that captivates you with its rich atmosphere and entrancing rhythmic energy. It has been a very long journey for me in writing, mixing and mastering this piece and it is surreal to me that it is finally released. I am also very happy with the album artwork, which was drawn by my wonderful fiance. I hope you give this piece and chance and I hope you can find some connection to what it wants to say.
PINGO THERAPY
Release date: November 17, 2021
This is my first album and contains most of the music I have created as of writing this. This album contains 8 songs of varying instrumentation, including pieces for string quartet, piano, winds, and all of the above. There is even an alt-rock piece thrown in the mix. The main goal of this album was to tell a story that is very personal to me through the medium of instrumental music, and to also enable anyone else to experience their own story when listening.
This album is the product of over 2 years of writing music in my spare time (assuming I had any to begin with). These are also the first pieces that I've legitimately mixed and mastered, and through this process I now have a decent grasp of sound engineering. I am very proud of how these pieces came out and I hope you can get something out of taking a listen.
SOUNDTRACKS
RED FLAGS
Directed by: Mitchell Hedrick
Release date: January 31, 2020
This is a short film that I wrote, directed and composed music for. The soundtrack is written for 2 cellos and a double bass, which I did just because I thought it would be fun to limit myself to a small ensemble of lower strings, and also because I thought that particular sound was appropriate for the story. The script is a bit shaky as I'm not much of a screenwriter, but I am proud of how the soundtrack turned out. I am also very proud of how well this film turned out generally, as this was my directorial debut.
ONE MOMENT FOREVER
Directed by: Zong Muas
Release date: April 15, 2019
This is a short film that was written and directed by Zong Muas. The story of this film is about a couple that is going through a rough patch. After reminiscing on the good times they've had they begin to remember what they have with each other, and they fall in love again. This is a sweet and heartfelt story, with some amazing acting by Eric Barragan and Serena Wiswar.
My involvement in this project is minimal, as the only piece of music that I wrote for this shows up from around 4:50 to 5:15. All Zong needed from me was to write a small loop of music that generally sounded happy. I wrote an 8 bar loop on the piano that smoothly repeated itself and sounded bright and cheery. He was happy with what I wrote, and after seeing where he wanted to include it I felt good about how it added to the emotional beat.
Even though my involvement with this film is minimal, I wanted to include One Moment Forever because it is worth checking out, along with Zong's other short films. Zong Muas is a talented director and photographer that has a knack for making stories that are simple, charming and funny.
SHIT HAPPENS
Directed by: Fischer Knapp
Release date: February 24, 2019
This is a short film that was written and directed by Fischer Knapp. The story of this video is absurd, involving a downtrodden man whos life changes when he meets the handsome Guardian of the Shitter (played by Eric Barragan). The soundtrack is composed of three piano pieces. The first is a somber, depressing piece meant to convey that "The Man" (played by Fischer Knapp) is in a depressing place in life. The second is happy and almost erratic in a couple ways, especially as the piece approaches its end. The third is a bittersweet, slow piece that plays over the credits.
This was my debut as a composer and marked the beginning of my long and fulfilling journey to understand and create music. The pieces are simple, the piano is horribly out of tune and the quality of the recording is bad, but that didn't change the fact that the whole process of making this soundtrack was really fun. In short, I want to give a very heartfelt thank you to my friend Fischer. If it wasn't for his willing to give me a chance, I don't know if would have discovered my passion for music until much later, which would have been a waste.
Sappy stuff aside, watch "Shit Happens," a weird and funny video by a weird and funny guy.