Category Archives: #ListenLA

Unsettling the Score: Interview with composer Nathaniel Blume

How fraught familial drama and steely surgical tools inspired Nathaniel Blume’s killer soundtrack for ‘Prodigal Son’

by Max Weinstein

To say that stories about serial killers enjoy a permanent residency in popular imagination would be to state the obvious. The challenge, now, isn’t for stories about psychopaths to draw an audience, but to offer a fresh take on a subject done to death.

Composer Nathaniel Blume says that “Prodigal Son” — the Fox crime drama he recently scored—meets that challenge by putting family first. The series follows Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne), an ex-FBI profiler whose relationship with his father, serial killer Dr. Martin Whitly (Michael Sheen), gives him unique insight into murderers’ motives. Blume, whose credits include “Arrow” and “The Flash,” approached “Prodigal Son” by focusing more on its characters’ blood ties than on the blood itself. Continue reading →

#AFM47 Spring playlist

Sound clips below. To hear the full playlist, click here to listen on Spotify.

Now More Than Ever, Union Contracts Can Help

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought our industry to a complete halt, and even as we are socially isolated from one another, we are suffering together both economically and artistically.

But we are a diverse union. Our members include musicians who compose, prepare and perform music in an incredibly wide variety of fields, from theater and club work, symphonic, opera and ballet, film, television, sound recordings and other recording work — if it involves music, at least some of us are doing it as part of our livelihoods Continue reading →

Women Who Rock: #AFM47 Playlist

March is Women’s History Month, and to celebrate we’re highlighting just a few of our wonderfully talented female members with our “Women Who Rock” #AFM47 playlist.

Listen below to hear music made by women members of the American Federation of Musicians Local 47, recorded union in Los Angeles.

Congratulations 2019 Emmy Nominees!

Congratulations to all of the fantastic AFM Local 47 members who worked on this year’s Emmy®-nominated television shows!

The 71st Annual Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony will be held over two nights on September 14 & 15, 2019.

Best of luck to all!

Outstanding Music Composition for a Series

Jeff Beal
House Of Cards – “Chapter 73”
Netflix

Siddhartha Khosla
This Is Us – “Songbird Road: Part One”
NBC

Adam Taylor
The Handmaid’s Tale – “The Word”
Hulu Continue reading →

Member spotlight: Finneas O’Connell

This week’s member spotlight: FINNEAS O’CONNELL. Singer, songwriter, record producer, musician, and actor, he has released several singles and has written and produced music for other artists, including his sister, singer Billie Eilish. As an actor, O’Connell is also known for his roles in the TV series Glee, Modern Family and Aquarius, and in the film Bad Teacher.

Making one of the hottest selling records of all time doesn’t always require a fancy, expensive recording studio. Case in point: the March 2019 release by Billie Eilish, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? In this second episode of AWAL’s SPACES series, we follow O’Connell at the humble family abode where he and Billie have written and produced all of their creations currently redefining pop music:

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Michael Giacchino returns once again to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” The acclaimed composer wrote the music to 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and scored both it and this year’s sequel on the Newman Scoring Stage at Fox with a large AFM Local 47 orchestra conducted by Marshall Bowen III. Continue reading →

#ListenLA Pride Playlist

June is Pride Month, and we’re celebrating with our #ListenLA Pride Playlist!

Featuring a mix of prominent artists who belong to the LGBTQ+ community, along with those who are outspoken allies, this playlist features songs featuring empowered lyrics and danceable rhythms that inspire pride and equality for all. And of course, all of these anthems were recorded union in Los Angeles with AFM Local 47 musicians.

“Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter – Anne-Sophie Mutter & John Williams

Available as of May 10, 2019 is “Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter for violin and orchestra, adapted and conducted by John Williams himself and recorded with Anne-Sophie Mutter and the 70-strong Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles at the iconic Sony Studios in Los Angeles. Continue reading →

#AFM47 Member Spotlight: Raphael Saadiq

Raphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, and member of AFM Local 47 since 2013. He has been a standard bearer for “old school” R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné!

He has also produced songs for such artists as Joss Stone, D’Angelo, TLC, En Vogue, Kelis, Mary J. Blige, Ledisi, Whitney Houston, Solange Knowles and John Legend. Continue reading →