SN) How long have you been composing and what were your inspirations to choose this as your career path?

CN) In the simplest sense, I’ve been creating music as long as I can remember … dreams of tunes, sound colors and all from infancy.  But it wasn’t until sometime after getting my bearings on piano (commencing lessons in 1st grade) that I really began putting worthwhile noodlings down – often scribbles on paper but mostly improvisations onto tape. Like my actress mother, I deeply loved movies as well as musicals and theater.  Williams’ music for Star Wars penetrated my soul like nothing before. But somewhere along the way, with my teenage years, I morphed into more of a songwriter.  It was really through the guitar and rock that I discovered my life’s passion – composing, performing and recording.  By 18, I had stopped counting the more than 300 songs I had composed.

Going on to college, I focused most of my time in the classical music realm studying double bass and voice as a music major at the University of North Texas jazz school in Denton, Texas, eventually graduating with a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Southern Methodist University. While in school, I worked on a couple of student films but mostly created chamber music, more songs and some jazz.  Upon graduating, I composed many works for the New Arts Collective (a multi-disciplinary modern dance group.)  Truly, this is where my scoring career in earnest began.  Many of the techniques, skills and, I suppose, the core of my personal musical language, as well as my ideas about the collaborative process - all that I acquired in working with these choreographers continue to serve me in composing for film. Although I have composed music for music’s sake (several albums, in fact), I often found composing music in conjunction with visuals much more natural to my inclinations as well as a slightly less lonely endeavor.  Stravinsky, Debussy, Bartok and Danny Elfman were big influences in my music for dance as well as my chamber music. 

I moved to New York to better my career, initially composing for even more dance but eventually working my way into short films, songs for children’s television and features, all the while developing my skill set as a musician, singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer.

SN) Can tell us a bit about some of your recent projects?

CN) Well, Most importantly, the huge project of rearing my nearly 6-month old son Xavier ….

But as far as scoring goes:  In the last two months I’ve completed a couple of shorts including Heart by Hugh Plantin and Brother’s Reaction by Eddie Griffith, as well as weekly assignments for the BMI film score workshop (ending in October.)

In the last two years I’ve completed three features - Angelica Torn's Lucky Days (score performed by the composer) and the scores for two Matthew Miele Films - our first collaboration, “Everything’s Jake”, starring Ernie Hudson (score performed by the Composer, Ethel String quartet and saxophonist Andy Middleton) and our 2nd feature called "Eavesdrop.” The first was picked up by Warner Brothers. It’s on Netflix now and is due for Itunes, cable tv, etc. in 2009. The latter film being a life changing and deeply satisfying experience with a score encompassing 84 minutes of music performed by Ethel String Quartet, The Eroica Trio, a jazz quintet and harpist Carol Emannuel.  There’s also an original pop tune (performed by the composer) dropped in.

A complete blog about Eavesdrop’s score can be found at
http://boyfromtexas.blogspot.com/

Presently, I’m working on another short and starting a video game score, as well as chipping away at my double album “space bar.”

SN) What are some of the challenges that independent composers face in this ever-growing industry?

CN) Getting the last check!  That seems to be an epidemic in the industry right now – film makers counting on money that never came in- all understandable but frustrating.

But seriously, the NY independent film industry has and will continue to be pummeled by the downturn of Wall Street and the economic crisis.  As indy films will likely have to be even smaller for a while, it’s important to be more creative with the limited resources as well as creative with the contractuals and negotiating the back end.  Clearly, there’s still lots of films and music to be made. On the up side, it will likely be better for my catalog and one stop licensing web site as I keep all the rights, publishing and get likely push for more returns on the sale of the score and soundtrack. It’s a good time to be making your living with other pursuits and not completely dependent on front end pay from films. Perhaps tv and commercials can fill in that gap.

SN) What would you say is your signature style?

CN) Hopefully, my style is always that which helps tell the story. This has been anything from classical, jazz, and tango to  rock, blues, ambient, etc.  The aim is to be in complete sync with the storytelling and, musically, to make sure that all the audience recalls is the narrative and mood.  Then again, when called upon, I can deliver a tune that only needs to be heard once to be remembered. This is where my background as a singer / songwriter comes in.  But to answer the question more directly, for better or worse (and I’ll probably kick myself later for pigeonholing) I’d say my signature style and strongest suit is New York film music – equal amounts of jazz and modern classical, particularly anything with a bent towards soulful gritty tunes for sax or evocative Hermann-esque string writing.

SN) Growing up, who were some of your musical inspirations? And vice-versa, who are some current composers that you find to be impressive?

Besides the ones I’ve already mentioned, Ennio Morricone’s music has always touched and influenced me so deeply.   I should mention Bernard Hermann again.  Going back, there’s Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, Alex North (no relation), Quincy Jones, Krzysztof Penderecki, Steve Reich, Curtis Mayfield, as well other living main stays – Thomas Newman (particularly Shawshank, Six Feet Under theme), Howard Shore (the Cell, Seven) and Jon Brion.  For the BMI workshop, we studied the music of Don Davis and David Shire extensively. I very much appreciated the opportunity to get to know their scores better. The workshop culminated in the participants’  scoring a scene from Shire's Zodiac for string quartet followed by a critique by Shire himself.)

And onto my competition, I mean, my contemporaries … I’m always intrigued by and continuously follow Michael Giacchino, Dario Marianelli, Yann Tiersen, and Johnny Greenwood.

SN) How is your 2009 schedule shaping up?

CN) First up is to complete the video game score then get my music library web site up and running, the goal being easy placements of back catalog into commercials, tv, film.  Then, onto completion and release double album “Space Bar.”

I’m presently in talks for a couple of features and a short or two.  Hoping they come through. However If things get slow, I’ll further develop some of my back burner projects – a jazz album with yours truly on bass, an ambient album with lots of treated guitar and fx, a children’s tv album/show and a musical, all the while putting old feelers for more music for dance and commissions. 

SN) Lastly, with a wide range of mediums to work in (movies, television, video games), what are some of your long term goals? 

CN) Long term, I would like to be successful enough as a composer and performer so that I would not have to depend on the additional income from teaching or playing as a sideman. It would be great to have the equipment, contacts and demand for my work that I would allow me to live anywhere. I would love for my primary focus to be film scoring, in part, I suppose, as an easy way to support my “composing” habit. I would like to continue to release my own records, collaborate with theater, dance, installations, and hopefully garner more commissions for concert works. I aspire to bigger films with more sonic resources. I do see the possibility of a move to the West Coast in store.  I’m continuing my conducting lessons – all to be ready for that day with a 100 piece orchestra to play my music with me on the podium. Video game, commercial and tv music seem to be the wave of the future as far as music distribution and the best way to keep the bigger boat afloat. 

SN) Thank you for the candid, interesting discussion. I look forward to hearing more of your work in the future.

CN) Thanks so much.  I found out about your site through the Podcast interviews, a wonderful resource of info for all composers.

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