Melodic Treks: A Star Trek Music Podcast

Music that Inspires David Mack to Write. ***Please note that this podcast contains spoilers for the entire Star Trek: Vanguard series of novels.***   Writing novels can be challenging, considering the amount of details needed to flush out a entertaining story. Each author has their own method for keeping track of the details, but sometimes detailed plan for plot and character developments aren't enough, and writers can find themselves stuck with where to go, or they may have difficulty in conveying the proper emotional tone on the page. So where can an author turn when they need to find just the right inspiration for the key moments in their book?  In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by New York Times Best-Selling author David Mack to discuss the music that inspired Mack in writing certain elements of the Star Trek: Vanguard series of novels. In addition to an in depth, spoiler filled discussion of the Vanguard novels, we also discuss how the series came to be, how David star

Star Trek: The Motion Picture's 40th Anniversary.    After its cancellation in 1969, Star Trek fans didn't have many options for new adventures of Captain Kirk and the Enterprise aside from a few comics and novels, and a short lived Saturday morning animated series. Even with very limited new material, television reruns fanned the flames of fandom. Star Trek conventions began to pop up, and one burning question that every fan asked was whether or not their show would return to television. Attributed by many to the success of Star Wars, Paramount shelved the plans of a new series in favor of a big screen voyage. Over the years, the first movie of the franchise has been very divisive among fans. While there are many people who pan the film, there are just as many loyal lovers who continue to champion the originality of the movie. Now, with the 40th anniversary upon us, Star Trek: The Motion Picture is having a renaissance with many people giving it a new look with a fresh perspective. In this episode of Melodi

James Horner's score for Aliens.   Hot off the success of works such as Cocoon, Krull, Brainstorm, 48 HRS., and his two Star Trek sequels, James Horner was hired to score Aliens. Unfortunately, Horner’s experience on Aliens was one of the worst of his career. Thinking he had six weeks to write and record the score, Horner arrived on set to find Cameron still in the middle of editing, and pre-occupied with the film’s sound effects. The relationship between the two men deteriorated to such an extent that the two men would not reconcile for almost a decade, until they eventually came together to work on Titanic in 1997.  In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Carl Wonders to discuss James Horner's Academy Award nominated score to the 1986 film Aliens. We talk about working with director James Cameron, self plagiarism, chopping up the score, and Die Hard. Chapters Intro (00:00:00)  Welcome to Melodic Treks (00:01:00)  Trouble on the Set (00:09:00)  Chopping it Up (00:13:00)  "Com

Star Trek: Dark Remnant with Matthew Carl Earl.    Star Trek: Dark Remnant puts you in control of the U.S.S. Galileo, Starfleet’s latest and most advanced stellar research vessel, accompanying the U.S.S. Enterprise on a routine mission to evacuate a stellar observatory located in the middle of the Klingon Neutral Zone and learn more about the decaying neutron star it orbits. When the neutron star collapses prematurely it leaves the Enterprise incapacitated. It’s now up to YOU to protect her from stellar debris – and the unwelcome arrival of a Klingon ship out for vengeance. With several completely different endings combined with other elements of variability, including subtle differences in gameplay, randomized player characters, and dialogue that responds real-time to your performance, Star Trek: Dark Remnant is never the same experience twice. You might even observe the fate of a poor redshirt ensign! In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Matthew Carl Earl, composer for S

"Desert Crossing" With Jim Moorhouse.     Once a podcaster has chosen a format for their show, one eseential element that is vital to help set the tone of their show is the main theme. Some shows will have a new theme created and others will choose apiece of Royalty free music. However, every once in a while, there exists a song that perfectly encapsulates exactly what the host  is looking for. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Jim Moorhouse of the Trek Ranks podcast to discuss the score to the episode "Desert Crossing" from the first season of Enterprise. We talk about composer Velton Ray Bunch, how the music fits the episode, the tone of the score, and choosing this score as the theme for Moorehouse's podcast. Chapters Intro (00:00:00)  Welcome to Melodic Treks (00:01:01)  Velton Ray Bunch and the TrekRanks Theme? (00:02:37)  "Warm Welcome" (00:09:06)  "Geskana Match" (00:012:52)  "Trip's Menu" (00:16:37)  "The Rescue" (00:19:24)  "Not Why We're Here" (00:24:36)  Findi

Five Favorites with C Bryan Jones.     Podcasting is a medium that provides an outlet for fans to discuss elements of their fandom in an inexpensive and easily accessible way. However, many podcasts don't last to make their milestone of a 100th episode. Beginning in December of 2013 with host Colin Higgins, Brandon-Shea Mutala would take the reigns with episode 25 in 2016. The show would have many tangents with non-Trek related scores by Trek composers, as well as many interviews with composers and producers of soundtrack releases. After all that, it seemed an easy choice for who to have on as a special guest for the 100th episode of the show. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by the founder of the TrekFM network, C Bryan Jones (for his first appearance on the show) to discuss his five favorite Star Trek score tracks in this special milestone episode. We also discuss Chris's history with music, Wil Wheaton's new polka album, and peak Star Trek. Chapters Intro (00:00:00)  We

Five Favorites with Zach Moore.   Star Trek III: The Search For Spock continued the story of the Genesis planet and revealed the ultimate fate of Spock, who nobly sacrificed himself to save his crew mates at the end of the last film. One great success from the previous film was its score, composed by James Horner. When Leonard Nimoy came on board to helm the film, he wanted to go a different direction, utilizing his friend Leonard Rosenman, but the studio won the day, and Honorer returned, and, according to some, surpassed his previous Trek accomplishment. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Zach Moore of Standard Orbit to talk about his five favorite tracks from the score to Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, composed by James Horner. We also discuss why this is his favorite Trek film, and, as always, we have a few tangents along the way. Chapters Intro (00:00:00)  Welcome to Melodic Treks (00:00:57)  Whys is This Your Favorite Star Trek Movie? (00:02:27)  Zach Moore's

Charles-Henri Avelange Interview.   Composer Charles-Henri Avelange grew up in France, inspired by the sounds of John Williams in the Star Wars films. Williams' music would inspire Avelange to compose themes in his head while playing out fantasy=tical stories in the corridors of the  12th century Knight Templar castle in Southwest France that he lived in for seven years as a youth. With these amazing pillars holding up the imagination of a young boy, what possible journey could lead him to compose a synth version of the theme song to Star Trek: Voyager? In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala interviews composer Charles-Henri Avelange. We discuss growing up in a castle, writing a score in five hours, composing theme songs, the status of film scoring, his passion project of creating the Star trek: Voyager theme song on the now discontinued minimoog voyager synthesizer. We also play for you Avelange's submission to become a compser for Star Trek: Discovery. Chapters Intro (00:00:00)  Welcome

The Musical Era of "Far Beyond the Stars."    According to the novelization of the episode "Far Beyond the Stars" by Steve Barnes, the episode takes place in 1953. A time of societal unrest, racism was affecting people all over the world. This episode tackles the issue head on, showing us the struggles of Benny Russel, a science-fiction writer whose race is kept hidden from the readers of the pulp magazine that publishes his stories. During this era, several important musical artists including Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, and Ralph Ellison, as well th epoet Langston Hughes were mentioned as inspirations for Benny.   In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Andy Farber to discuss the music of the early 1950's. We talk about different styles of music, artists that Benny Russel name drops in the episode, the charts, source music, and the score. Chapters  Intro (00:00:00)   Welcome to Melodic Treks (00:01:01)   Keeping up with Andy (00:01:30)   The Musical Era of "F

When the Train Stops.    Clive Emerson (Darren Jacobs) is a young fugitive with a troubled past and bleak future. When the law catches up with him, he's taken into custody by U.S. Marshal Preston Booth (Michael Forest) and begins a long train trip across the American southwest back to prison. Though Booth takes a personal interest in the case when Clive insists upon his innocence, the young man ultimately resigns himself to his sad fate. But little does Clive know that the future waiting for him when the train stops isn't at all what he expects - and neither, for that matter, is Marshal Booth... In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by James Kerwin, Mike Avenaim, and Rekha Sharma to discuss the score to the short film When the Train Stops. They talk about the sarangi, what they feel this instrument represents, recording sessions, teachers and father figures, and some of the challenges in  distribution of a short film.  Chapters Intro (00:00:00)  Welcome to Melodic Treks (00:00:5

"Code of Honor."   Considered by many to be one of the worst episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the first season episode "Code of Honor" portrays a planet of black people with many of the negative stereo types that have been associated with African culture on film and in literature. Fred Steiner, know to Star Trek fans as the composer of several original episodes, including "Charlie X," "What Are Little Girls Made Of?," "The Corbomite Maneuver," and "Balance of Terror," composed only one episode of The Next Generation. The score is filled with many familiar elements such as muted horns and stand up bass, however, the producers considered the music to be too "retro." In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by trombonist Lance Laster to discuss the episode and the music of the episode "Code of Honor." We discuss racism, interpretations, muted trumpets and trombones, Fred Steiner, and weather or not this could be the score to a missing episode of TOS. Chapters Intro (00:00:

Cliff Eidelman Interview.   Jerry Goldsmith created an epic and memorable theme when he composed the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture, a theme that would become synonymous with Star Trek due to its use as the main title for the hit television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. In 1989, the theme would be used again for the film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Given its popularity, many Trek fans were surprised when this theme did not greet them for the 25th anniversary film of their beloved franchise. Instead of Goldsmith's bright patriotic tones, a dark and moody operatic piece with an unusual addition of male choir greeted cinema goers.  In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Cliff Eidelman to discuss his career as a composer. We talk about his new project that was inspired by art, working with the both the London and Munich Symphony Orchestras, his vocal album, and getting the job as the composer for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Chapters Intro (00:00

Nicholas Meyer Interview.     The director of a film guides actors and creative elements of the crew, leading them to the ultimate goal of realizing their vision on the big screen. While not something seen, one of the most important elements for a film is the score. The score is important to help guide the viewers emotions so that they know how to interpret the scenes that they ae watching. If you change to score, then the exact same visuals could have multiple different interpretations. So how does a director choose and work with a composer to get the right emotional feel for their film? In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Nicholas Meyer, writer and director of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, to talk about film composing from a director's perspective. We talk about temp scores, favorite scores, Bernard Herrmann, and we also discuss his friendship with James Horner.  Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Welcome to Melodic Treks (00:01:01) "

"11001001" with Brian McVickar.   The majority of scores for season one of Star Trek: The Next Generation were primarily composed by two people; Dennis McCarthy and Ron Jones. It has been said in many interviews that the composers were directed to tone the music down, and it has been described by many as "wallpaper" music, but in the opinion of this host, that isn't a fair assessment. The score to the episode "11001001" was influenced by jazz, but it also had significant influence from James Horner's score from the film Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and even a famous jazz song called "Nearness of You" was arranged by Jones for the episode. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Brian McVickar, host of A Score to Settle, to discuss the music of the first season Next Generation episode "11001001." We discuss influences by Goldsmith, Riker and Troi's relationship, the Bynars, and Jazz. We also discuss Shatner's new Christmas album called "Shatner Claus: The Christmas Albu

James Horner's Clear and Present Danger.   After the success of the 1992 film Patriot Games, a third film in the Jack Ryan series was quickly produced. With the powerful combination of star Harrison Ford, director Phillip Noyce, and composer James Horner, all of whom would return for the project, a box office smash was basically guaranteed. While different in tone, there were many similar aspects of the production that would cement this film as a classic piece of American cinema. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by film score expert John Takis to discuss James Horner's score to the 1994 film Clear and Present Danger. We discuss its importance in Horner's career, the complexity of the film's plot, Star Trek actors, and how this score is a spiritual sequel to Patriot Games, while still standing on its own. Chapters Intro (00:00:00)  Welcome to Melodic Treks (00:01:10)  Welcome Back, John! (00:02:58)  A Horner Staple (00:04:52)  "Operation Reciprocity" (00:06:13)  The Film (0

Star Trek Beyond at the Albert Hall.  Over the past several years, film scoring has started to become more mainstream and has become more of a noticeable part of a movie due to documentaries and specialty labels placing emphasis on this often overlooked art. Another special event that has occurred in some major centers is a live orchestra performing the score to a film while it is being projected to an audience. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala is joined by Tony Robinson, host of Continuing Mission, to discuss the showing of the film Star Trek Beyond at the Royal Albert Hall, with the score provided by a live symphony. Chapters Intro (00:00:00)  Welcome to Melodic Treks! (00:01:40)  Recent Visit to the Hall (00:02:35)  "Star Trek Main Theme" (00:03:57)  "Night on the Yorktown" (00:12:55) Final Thoughts (00:27:15)  Closing (00:31:53) All music used in this episode from Star Trek Beyond composed by Michael Giacchino. Opening and closing music from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countr

Dennis McCarthy Interview.   Dennis McCarthy defined the sound of Star Trek by composing 257 episodes and movies of the franchise. However, the road to Trek was paved with hard work and trial-by-fire education sessions. McCarthy learned how to compose and orchestrate while on the road as a young man, playing various musical shows. McCarthy ever refers to his education as the  "college of the road." After working with composers such as Nelson Riddle and Alex North, his first big break would come with the 1983 phenomenon V: The Final Battle. Dennis showcased his ability to write good quality music quickly, and this would lead him to many other opportunities, which continue to this day. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala has an in depth discussion with Dennis McCarthy, the person who has composed the most Star Trek episodes and films. We talk about getting into the business, working with Kevin Kiner, as well as his extensive career composing for Star Trek. Chapters Intro (00:00:00)  Welc

Remembering Harlan Ellison's "The City on the Edge of Forever."   Heralded by many as the greatest episode, not only of the original Star Trek, but the whole franchise, "The City on the Edge of Forever" was written by science-fiction legend Harlan Ellison. While Star Trek fans know him best for this episode, he is well know for writing books and episodes of many other shows including The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and many more. Harlan Ellison died at his home in Los Angeles in the morning of June 28, 2018  In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala takes a look at the score to the episode that many fans consider to be the best episode of the original Star Trek. While this episode primarily used library cues recorded earlier in the season, composer Fred Steiner did write approximately ten minutes of music, not all of which was used. We play several tracks from the score, which is available in La La Land's 15 disc box set Star Trek: The Original Series Soundtra

Jeff Russo Interview. Two-time Grammy Award nominee and Emmy Award-winning composer Jeff Russo is at the top of his field, scoring varied and compelling music for television, film, and video games. Russo won an Emmy and received two additional nominations for his thrilling and angst-producing score the FX series Fargo, which itself has been honored by the Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. Two recent shows, The Night Of and Counterpart, as well as the currently airing Legion, are fine examples of this young composer’s stylistic work, and he scored the first season of the CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery. In addition to film and television, Russo recently received a BAFTA nomination for Best Music for Annapurna Interactive’s indie video game, What Remains of Edith Finch. In this episode of Melodic Treks, host Brandon-Shea Mutala talks with Russo about his early days with his band Tonic and how he progressed to become one of the hottest composers for film and television. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Welcome B

Restarting the music. In November 2017, Melodic Treks came to an untimely end when Suliban experimentation with temporal mechanics sent ripples throughout the universe that stopped the turntable’s spin. But when associate producer Tony Robinson heard Brandon-Shea Mutala say that episode 85 was the last in the series, he knew something was wrong. From a nearby transporter room, he was able to beam to planet Gateway and engage with the Guardian of Forever to correct the timeline. In this episode of Melodic Treks, we recount these events as Tony explains to Brandon what went wrong, why the show must go on, and plays a clip from the next episode that has yet to be recorded … or already was. Chapters Intro (00:00:00) Thank You (00:00:19) What Did I Just Hear? (00:00:25) Welcome (00:00:39) Turbolift (00:0:38) GOF (00:02:13) Back to the Future (00:06:42) Host Brandon Shea-Mutala Guests Tony Robinson, Colin Higgins, and the Guardian Of Forever Production Tony Robinson (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive