Michael Giacchino Invited To Join The Academy

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has invited Michael Giacchino to join their ranks. Will he accept? I imagine he would. That way he can vote for himself in the future. One Oscar is never enough!!!

Via Lostpedia Blog

"Lost": Kuroloft's Michael Giacchino Interview

Check out this interview with Michael Giacchino. He discusses his process on scoring for Lost among other things. Thanks to Denise for sending this one in.

Via Kuroloft

Old But Awesome: The Final Countdown

Europe's The Final Countdown in The Swan. I know the vid is a bit old, but it's too awesome to not post.

"Previously On Lost" Live - Part 3: Sonically Found

Previously On Lost is a band that re-caps each episode of Lost. They had a show Sunday, June 1st at The Knitting Factory in Manhattan. The following is the third and final chapter of my adventure to see them live, where I discuss the actual show. To read about what happened prior to the show read Part One and Part Two.

These guys are amazingly talented; incredibly inventive. They create original songs evoking a wide range of genres and incredibly detailed and provocatively subtle overtones of meaning in every word of the lyrics. I was overwhelmed while writing this. Repeatedly returning to their album and listening to some of the songs I missed at the live show reinforced how truly amazing this stuff was. I am not exaggerating. Familiarity with the intricacies of Lost's dialogue and plot enhances the experience with this music 10-fold, you can appreciate the lyrics much more if you've seen the show. But even people who have never seen Lost could easily be drawn into the music that Previously On Lost has created.

And now, the final chapter from my evening with Previously On Lost, live, at The Knitting Factory on June 1st.

9:10pm - Nicotine buzz now vanished, PBR buzz kicking in; elated that the show was beginning to start. As I entered the venue hall I was handed a lei, which I draped around my neck. That, the PBR, the stage decorations and the no re-entry policy really created the atmosphere of being somewhere else.

Some overall impressions about the performance; there was a lot going on musically here. Many Lost parody bands use other songs much in the way that Weird Al Yankovic does, but not these guys. They take an episode, apply a genre (or "sound"), write the lyrics, which are incredibly funny, ESPECIALLY live, and then put it all together to make an original song. These songs are free of direct imitation of specific artists (or at least as far as I could tell). When you listen to these guys you don't sit there and think "Oh, they are parodying that song." Instead it's clear that each piece is Previously On Lost's pure creation, not just their lyrics. If you missed it in Part Two, here's how the concert kicked off:

We're Goin' Home! - Yeah, yeah, yeah! We're goin' home! The song re-capping The Beginning Of The End proclaims. A very upbeat start to things, for an episode, that in retrospect, was pretty dark as far as Lost is concerned. This song began the comedic trend of the evening, while having ominous tones of the dark aspects of the episode. We are the Oceanic Six, We are the Oceanic Six was a repetitive and brilliant end to the song and opening of the concert (considering they wrote the song before having seen the entire season), as the experiences of the Oceanic Six ended up being a major theme throughout Season 4.

Adam and Jeff take time between each song to talk to the audience. I wish I had gotten more of these interactions on video, because it would make it clear how funny these guys were in person, as opposed to just on record. Adam began talking about the next song, and who it centered on, without naming him. Of course, I knew the episode was The Economist and was Sayid-centric, Sayid being my favorite character on Lost. Without hesitation I yelled out "Sayid!" "Who was that?" Adam said. "SAYID!" I repeated. "Ah Sayid. Did anyone else know that?" Adam asked the audience. No one raised a hand or shouted back. "No? Ah okay, so just that guy." I was representing for Sayid. And the rest of the audience was just too weak to go along with it. So began....

The Ballad Of Sayid Jarrah - One of my favorite songs of the evening. A group of back up singers joined Jeff and Adam on stage for this one. Here's a sample from the song, when they describe Sayid's double-crossed relationship with Elsa, who is working for The Economist:


Wherever Sun Go - Another favorite of mine. If you're reading upside down books, you're fishing without karma on your hooks. Genius. The variety of motifs these guys used in this song worked really well. As the lyrics are hitting you, and these guys are up there singing them, with a full band, you can't help but laugh and be in awe all at once. The humor definitely radiated into the audience. Everyone seeemed to be having just as much fun as I was, I can only hope that other Lost fans present were also soaking up the wonderful subtleties of the lyrics that are amalgamated with the truly beautiful sounds of the music. For example:



About 1/2 way into Season 4 (and the show) I decided I'd test the re-entry rule for a cigarette. This is when my Lost-cross of the evening took place.

"You mind if I have a smoke?" I asked the irritable security guard, who seemed to be busy fending of more Punkies. He looked at me, then looked around for a second, and motioned me over to the red rope on the sidewalk.

"Stand behind the red rope."

"Thanks buddy." I tell people they are my buddy whenever I have doubts about their character.

I was not alone in the journey to smoke. Another young man, without the piercings and tatoos, joined me behind the red rope.

"So, what do you think of the show?" He asked.

"It's great, I'm a big fan of Lost, these guys really know what they're talking about" I said. We got talking and schooling came up fairly quickly. I found out what college he went to and mentioned that I knew a bunch of people that went there. I spouted off some names and one lit his eyebrow.

"You know her?" He said.

"Yeah, I dated her when I was like 14."

"Really?" He didn't seem too proud of me. "She was my P.C." I had no idea what a P.C. was.

"P.C.?" I asked.

"Yeah, was she really controlling?" He continued, oblivious to the fact that I didn't understand what "P.C." meant.

"I suppose she was...." Wow. So this guy knew her. My Lost evening had become that much more complete with its own Lost-cross. I might say "only in New York"... but clearly this was an "only on The Island" sort of moment. We went back inside.

Smoking had cost me. I ended up missing Michael's return, Ben's trip to the future and Jack's introduction to a fiendishly self-destructive lifestyle. Within seconds it became clear that we had reached Cabin Fever, or, Move It! as Previously On Lost calls their re-cap of that episode. Excellent. While I had missed a good deal, I was just in time for the episodes There's No Place Like Home, There's No Place Like Home and There's No Place Like Home.

BFF (Best Found Friends) - BFF was another one of my favorites for the evening. It starts off picking up where the first song of the evening ended... We are the Oceanic Six, We are the Oceanic Six... that really brought things full circle for me. It definitley was feeling like a completely sonic Season 4 experience.

Towards the end of BFF I noticed some girls walking around the audience handing out cake. Or, should I say, "surprise birthday cake". I didn't get a piece, but I would have only settled for the last piece, if given the opportunity, because, you know, those are the best.

Minutes later began the final song, All My Friends Go Back, a Lost meets Amazing Grace gospel rendition. They had a lot of fun with this one, as did I.

At that point Jeff and Adam made it clear that we were going back to the island (like The Oceanic 6 need to do, pay attention) and going back to the island, in this case meant, well, you just have to watch:

With that the show had come to a close, a truly bittersweet moment. I had really enjoyed myself. I got a chance to meet the band and get a copy of their album, and with that I took off my lei, put my CD in my pocket and headed for the A Train.

An hour later I was back uptown.

Uh-oh. Shuttle bus time.

I decided instead of cramming onto the bus I would just walk home, who knows, maybe I'd find more money on the street (I didn't). When I got home I took a picture of my tangible memories of a truly wonderful evening.

I leave you with this folks, a piece of a song that I missed on my smoke break, but later came to love when listening to their album:



Previously On Lost is a band that re-caps each episode of Lost. "The Tale Of Season 4 And The Oceanic Six" is available now for $7, a true bargain, so make sure to pick it up. To check out Previously On Lost online, visit their MySpace page. Also make sure to read Part One of this story, where I chronicle my discovery of $21 on the sidewalk, and Part Two, where I end up spending it all.

Lost Music: Xanadu

A song that pops up in Eggtown as Hurley checks out New Otherton's U-Matic tape collection. Olivia Newton-John's Xanadu. Enjoy:

Another Oceanic Six Theme Added

It appears I missed one rendition of The Oceanic 6 Theme in my recent post updating the track from the finale. Here it is:



To download it click here. To listen to and download the other renditions click here.

"Previously On Lost" Season 4 Lyrics

Previously On Lost, the band I've been blogging about this week, has posted lyrics of their The Tale of Season 4 and the Oceanic Six album on their my space page. Here is a sample (with audio):

How does Penny's dad know of the backup plans Ben had?

the Widmeister always knows what's occurring
whenever there is trouble stirring choppers are a-whiring
and the camouflaged men are conferring

Best Found Friends stick together (through whatever)
Sharing moms and hanging out dead dad's wakes
Best Found Friends stick together (forever)
Let you grab the last piece of surprise birthday cakes (oh those are the best!)

Leading, the way against doctors orders
Mr. Mom and Genghis Khan tell them why Claire wasn't there
the camouflaged men are longing for their quarters

This is the way to enter the station:
Go in through the hole there and go left 20 paces till you see a
Patch of anthuriums in alcove near the north wall.
Reach down with your left hand and activate the elevator that takes you down to the real orchid station!

I'll be posting Part Three of my trip to see Previously On Lost live tomorrow. To listen to Previously On Lost and purchase their new album visit their MySpace page. The live song recorded last Sunday is on their MySpace page as a free download at the moment so make sure to grab it.

Via POL's Blog on MySpace

"Previously On Lost" Live - Part 1: Money Train

UPDATE: Part Two is up. Read it here.

Previously On Lost is a band that re-caps each episode of Lost. They had a show Sunday, June 1st at The Knitting Factory in Manhattan. The following is the story of how I got to the show. Parts Two and Three are about the show itself.

7:10pm - So began my lonely walk to the subway station. I failed at getting any of my friends to come with me, which meant there would be no one else to fall back on if things went sour.

I was in this one for the long haul. Add to that, the A train was not running due to repairs. I weighed taking the temporary replacement shuttle bus with simply walking to the nearest in-service station and opted with the latter. Two blocks later the shuttle bus came roaring past me with its bright yellow "SHUTTLE BUS - A TRAIN" lights mocking my decision to walk. I was not happy. However, my luck soon changed.

That's right folks. $21. On the ground, right in front of me. Yes. No joke. $21. Found on the sidewalk. Lucky, lucky me. I was no longer upset about the bus. I managed to shoot off a few text messages to friends who declined my invite to let them know how my evening had started, without them. [+$21]

As I entered the train station there was a guy begging for spare change. When I saw him, I rolled my eyes, I knew I couldn't just pass him knowing that, in addition to finding a twently dollar bill, the heavens had also thrown in a single. So I gave him the dollar and kept the twenty for myself.

I managed to feel both proud of the decision and guilty all at once. Proud, for the $1 donation. Guilty, because I considered taking a picture of him not getting the other $20 with my $300 camera for this blog post. And maybe he needed the $20 more than I did. [-$1]

I had a full MetroCard, so I wasn't forced to use my dirty street money to get on the subway, however, moments after I swiped my card I was greeted by an evil-foreshadowing-poster of my return voyage.

I hopped on the elevator as two other public transport riders followed me in. They were chatting away about something I attempted to eavesdrop on, but was completely unable to. They didn't even notice me taking pictures as we descended to the IRT.

Moments later the train was coming. With 45 minutes to spare so I was well on my way without spending any more of my new found $21.

An (iPod) album later I found myself in Tribeca, making my way towards The Knitting Factory, and what would be an evening that neither I, nor the caching algorithms of Google, would ever forget.

Stay tuned for the second and third parts of this story. With them comes the demise of the $21 (now $20) and the real meat, a review of Previously On Lost's show that was performed June 1st at The Knitting Factory. Consider this post the teaser.

For more info about Previously On Lost visit their MySpace page.

UPDATE: Part Two is up. Read it here.

UPDATE: Part Three is now up.

On My Way...

...down to The Knitting Factory to see Previously On Lost. If you see a handsome young man dancing with a group of five or six girls then you've found me. :> Is anyone else going? Or if it's after the show did anyone else go?

I'll be posting about my experience tonight or tomorrow. For last minute info about the show check out this post.

Michael Giacchino @ Varèse Sarabande's 30th Anniversary Party

Here are some clips which include interviews with Lost composer Michael Giacchino from a recent Varèse Sarabande 30th Anniversary Party:

"Previously On Lost" In New York Times & Live Show Announcement

Awesome news for anyone in New York. The band Previously On Lost will be performing live, tomorrow night at The Knitting Factory, and will perform a song based on There's No Place Like Home and the rest of Season 4 in its entirety. The show is $10 and you can purchase tickets on Ticketweb.com.

PREVIOUSLY ON LOST Fan-fiction writers have nothing on Adam Schatz and Jeff Curtin, Brooklynites and the founders of what they believe is the world’s first (only?) TV-recap rock band. Technically a duo, Previously on Lost was born about a year ago, when Mr. Schatz, 20, a jazz saxophone studies major at New York University, and Mr. Curtin, 25, who runs a recording studio, decided to parlay their love of “Lost,” the byzantine ABC series about a group of plane-crash survivors on an island, into a musical entity. “The fan base was already there,” Mr. Schatz noted.

Their first effort coincided with the start of the show’s fourth season, early this year. Since then they have watched every new episode (on Thursdays) and, after a marathon Sunday writing session, posted a song about each one to their MySpace page (myspace.com/previouslyonlostmusic) by Monday. Each tune gets thousands of listens. Not quite as large as the television audience, but so what?

“We’ve roped other people into ‘Lost’ who weren’t into the show before, like my grandparents,” Mr. Schatz, above left, said. “The songs still carry even when you don’t know the show, just because they’re really ridiculous.”

On Sunday, for the first time, Previously on Lost will have its premiere as a full-fledged seven-member band, recapping the show’s entire season. “It’s all very abbreviated as far as the growth of the band goes,” Mr. Schatz said. “We skipped that middle step of playing songs for nobody.” Yes, they’re planning to release an album; the song recapping the series finale, shown on Thursday, will be recorded live on Sunday. “There’s going to be some severe audience participation,” Mr. Schatz predicted.

“Lost” is scheduled to last through the spring of 2010; what will Previously on Lost do after its previously scheduled demise? “We’re actually really relieved,” Mr. Schatz said, adding that though they’ve mined all the “Lost” potential in one season, there are always other mediums.

“We really feel we can break the boundaries of what can and can’t be recapped in musical form,” He said. Here’s hoping for “2008 Democratic Primary,” the hip-hopera. (Sunday at 8 p.m., Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard Street, TriBeCa, (866) 468-7619, ticketweb.com; $10.) MELENA RYZIK

Via The New York Times

UPDATE: Listen to this NPR interview with the band, conducted earlier today.

Lost Music: Gouge Away

Wednesday I posted Scentless Apprentice, which Jack was listening to en-route to the Hoffs/Drawlar Funeral Parlor, as an homage to the Season 3 finale. Jack apparently is continuing his alternative rock phase post-island. In the Season 4 finale, as he was re-approaching the funeral home, he was listening to The Pixies's Gouge Away. As usual, recent Audibly Lost tracks are included in the player. Enjoy.

Lost Music: Oceanic 6 Theme (reprise)

Here is another rendition of "The Oceanic Six Theme" which I posted about a couple weeks ago. Included in the player is the version from Part Two of There's No Place Like Home, and the versions I posted from Part One.

• Download Oceanic Six Themes from There's No Place Like Home Part One
  
• Download Oceanic Six Theme from There's No Place Like Home Part Two

Lost Music: Scentless Apprentice

With the Season 4 finale tomorrow I thought it'd be nice to feature a song from the Season 3 finale, Through The Looking Glass. Nirvana's Scentless Apprentice is what Jack is listening to as he's approaching the funeral home where the mysterious coffin is. Given the producer's comments on recent podcasts I think there's a good chance we'll be finding out who's in the coffin.

My theory is that it's Michael and the reason Walt and Michael's mother aren't there is because they aren't used to driving in L.A. and got caught in traffic.

Enjoy Scentless Apprentice (and some other recently featured music).

The Others - Primary Objective

The Others is a band that writes and performs their own Lost tribute songs. They also perform them live. One that recently caught my attention was Primary Objective, which outlines the story of the freighter people as seen in Confirmed Dead.

I plan on featuring more of their music over the hiatus, and if I hear about any upcoming live shows I'll be sure to post about them. Here is Primary Objective.

Via The Others

Giacchino Scores

Thursday night marked hour one of the Lost Season Four finale. With it, came a new score from Michael Giacchino which I will dub as "The Oceanic Six Theme." It was amazing. Anyone who is a fan of the music on the show would have noticed it immediately. So now, for anyone who didn't notice it, I have uploaded its two appearences in the first hour for the blog. Enjoy "The Oceanic Six Theme."

Lost Music: Easy Money

Billy Joel's Easy Money shows up in the Season 2 episode Everybody Hates Hugo as Hurley and his friend are driving around prior to Hurley collecting his lotto money.

Lost Season 3 Soundtrack Interview: Producer Robert Townson Of Varese

Here's an interview with Robert Townson, a producer for Varese Sarabande. He worked with Michael Giacchino to put together the Lost soundtracks for Seasons 1, 2 & 3 and discusses the Season 3 soundtrack in this interview. Listen @ 39:00 for talk about the new Lost score and how it came together.

Via Varse Sarabande

New Release Date For Lost Season 3 Soundtrack

Just this week I got an email from the people working on the Season 3 soundtrack of Lost assuring me that the release was still on schedule for April 29th. Apparently someone at Varese didn't get the memo because I got another email this morning with full details on the project and a new release date of May 6th. Needless to say my intuition that the project was being delayed was correct.

The email I got this morning also detailed a Michael Giacchino signing event for May 10th, which you can read about over on Varese's site.

Check out more info and the track listing for the Season 3 OST here.

Lost Music: Slowly

Ann Margret's Slowly was featured at the head of I Do, Kate's first charachter centric episode of Season 3 of Lost.

Other recent Lost music tracks are featured in the player.