Recording - August 2011 - 51

AUGUST 2011 TAXI Road Rally 2010

Composing for TV Panel, Part 3
Moderated by Michael Laskow
Kevin Kiner has won eight BMI awards; he’s been nominated for five ANI Awards—which are animation awards—and he’s also been nominated for a couple of Emmy Awards for his work on TV. Kevin is well-known in Hollywood for his orchestral scores for Wing Commander; Stargate SG-1; Madison; Walker, Texas Ranger; and; most recently; Star Wars: The Clone Wars; CSI: Miami; Dance Wars; Carrie vs. Bruno; and dozens of other live action/animated TV series and movies. Let’s hear it for Kevin Kiner. [applause] Matt Hirt is a very longtime TAXI member who became our prototype for success, if you will. He’s a songwriter/composer and his music can be heard daily on network and cable TV, and his work has also been in more than 10 motion pictures. Among Matt’s credits are Tropic Thunder; Rush Hour 3; Body of Lies; Mr. and Mrs. Smith; Dancing With the Stars; American Idol; America’s Next Top Model; Law and Order; and Dateline NBC; just to mention a few. Matt is the production music library king of all TAXI members, and a pretty darn modest guy to boot. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Matt Hirt. [applause] John Lewis Parker started his career as a bandleader for the legendary blues artist Papa John Creach. He’s a hit songwriter with a Grammynominated Song of the Year for “A Hard Habit to Break” by Chicago—a classic. He’s a Grammywinner as a producer/songwriter for Best Contemporary Blues Album for Slow Down by Keb Mo. As a film and TV composer, John has written title themes and cues for such television shows as Frances Ford Coppola’s First Wave; Family Feud; Teen Wolf; Baywatch; The Hills; Party of Five; and Touched by an Angel, as well as films including Big Bully; Tin Cup; One Fine Day; Police Academy; and many more. He is also the owner of the independent record label Throwback Records. Let’s hear it for John Lewis Parker. [applause] Kevin, are you ever in your bedroom or your family room or at the dinner table and have an inspiration for just a great piece, which pops into

Michael Laskow, John Lewis Parker, Matt Hirt, and Kevin Kiner line up for a quick photo right after the panel.

your head, you run out of the house out to the studio and just lay down the piece in some form or fashion so that you’ve got it, and try and find it a home in one of the shows? Kevin: Never. I mean, I write so much music that I listen to talk radio in my car, and if my kids are playing the stereo too loud, I’ll yell at them. I don’t want to hear music the rest of the day. The last thing I want to do when I’m sitting on my couch is listen to music. I mean, that’s kind of sad. Now, I’ve had a few dry spells where I’d go for a month without writing a cue, then I’ll start listening to the radio and stuff all of a sudden. But, for the most part, I’ve just been slammed. I just want to say this one thing. I just loved what John was talking about. I saw Henry Mancini interviewed once, and he played “Moon River” and he had this look in his eye. He was playing the melody on the piano and he goes, “Look, it’s all on the white keys.” It’s

not really all on the white keys, but he said that. But he had this look in his eye, and you just knew that he wanted to do that again— write one of the immortal hits of all time. It doesn’t come every day, does it? We all control a substance, an energy—and I don’t want to get new age-y—but we control this thing. It’s like the wind, you can’t see it, but it affects your emotions. All of us in this room can control this marvelous phenomenon. It’s just such a gift; it’s so fantastic that you can do that. And like John said, when you come up with a melody—there are only 12 notes—don’t overthink it, go with your instincts. It’s like Jazz. You’re done, you can’t get that back, it’s a great lick. When you find a great melody, it’s usually the first one you think of, and trust yourself and don’t overanalyze it. I think that’s really important. Great advice Kevin, thanks. Continued on page 52
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Recording - August 2011

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