Album cover painting by Matthew Joseph Peak

Seth MacFarlane long form from Benno Nelson on Vimeo.

Universal Republic Records has signed Television Executive Producer/Actor Seth MacFarlane, the multi-talented creator behind the hit Emmy winning FOX Animated Series Family Guy. MacFarlane will record and deliver a fully orchestrated album of 1940s and ‘50’s classic show tunes, scheduled to hit stores and online platforms later this year. With his recent Emmy nomination for Music & Lyrics this year, MacFarlane felt that the timing was right to release his debut solo album. A music enthusiast, MacFarlane is known as one of the few showrunners in Hollywood who utilizes a complete orchestra and talented composers on a weekly basis to score his three animated shows, Family Guy, American Dad!, and The Cleveland Show. MacFarlane is also an experienced live performer, having played to sold out audiences at London’s Royal Albert Hall and New York’s Carnegie Hall, as well as lending his time and voice to numerous charity benefits. MacFarlane stated that, “It’s rare in this day and age to have the opportunity to create an album that celebrates the classic, sophisticated sound of rich, lush swing orchestrations. It will be an absolute joy to sing this music, and I look forward to working with the entire team at Universal Republic on what we intend to make an exceptional project.” The album will be produced and arranged by film and television composer, Joel McNeely. It will include the work of legendary songwriters such as Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Loewe among other talents from the ‘40s,’50s, and ‘60s. All songs have been handpicked by MacFarlane to highlight the work of these great composers. In addition to showtunes, the album will feature some original material, including the song ‘She’s Wonderful Too’ written by Joel McNeely for an episode of the Lucasfilms television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Composed as a short piece for the show, MacFarlane and McNeely (with the blessing of George Lucas) composed additional lyrics and melodies to make a new and more complete song. The production process for the album will reconstruct the techniques used in the great recordings of this era by utilizing a live orchestra and a big band playing together in the same room where MacFarlane will sing live. The album will be recorded in the legendary Capitol Records Recording Studio where Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Rosemary Clooney and many others recorded prolific albums. Great care is being given to replicate the same microphones, mic pre-amps and signal chains that those recordings used, and the record will be recorded to analog tape, to match the sound of those historic records.

You may have heard that Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane is recording a big band album, but check out the freakin’ sweet vocal pipes that he’s just added to the mix. EW has learned exclusively that MacFarlane sings duets with Norah Jones and Sara Bareilles on Music is Better Than Words, which features orchestral big band arrangements of “hidden gems from the ’40s and ’50s.”  Jones joins MacFarlane on “Two Sleepy People,” while Bareilles croons with him on “Love Won’t Let You Get Away.” Music is Better Than Words will be released by Universal Republic Records in September.

WEBSITE: artomat.org

Inspired by the Oscar-winning feature documentary THE COVE, stars from film, TV and music band together to help save Japan’s dolphins. Please sign the petition and help us get the word out, http://www.takepart.com/thecove

Producer: Fisher Stevens, Chris Gartin, Lina Esco
Director: Andres Useche
Editor: Brian Torres, Andres Useche
Camera: Brian Torres, Derek Doneen
Original Music: Andres Useche, Trevor Wayne Howard
Re-recording Engineer: Greg Morgenstein

* jennifer aniston
* hayden panettiere
* the cove
* dolphins
* dolphin
* taiji
* japan
* courtney cox
* james gandolfini
* evan handler
* mariska hargitay
* woody harrelson
* carrie ann inaba
* richard kind
* james kyson lee
* john leguizamo
* fisher stevens
* rob morrow
* jason mraz
* paul rudd
* russell simmons
* ben stiller
* chris tashima
* tamlyn tomita
* naomi watts
* robin williams
* jennifer aniston

LOST is now over….What a great conclusion. I don’t know if they are going to release a final CD soundtrack of Michael Giacchino’s music, but If they do I hope I get to design that one as well.

We have just posted the LOST 4 CD soundtrack design in the portfolio of the studio (with the first 3 to be posted soon!) link: LOST soundtrack CD Design

LOST 4 CD booklet spread 2

Here is the one of the alternate covers I designed, but for contact issues we had to use the cast composite shot (I have no idea how that group shot was cleared?)

LOST4 soundtrack CD cover alternate by SoundChaser Studios

Some Video Clips on Michael Giacchino’s LOST

Michael Giacchino – Jacob Theme LOST

LOST: Michael Giacchino Live in Concert Documentary (Part 1/3)

Some explanations of instrumentation, sounds and arranging on LOST score
BEHIND THE SCENES-season 4

BLOOPERS – season 4

This was done completely in photoshop with the Wacom tablet. Commissioned by Thommy Hutson and Danniel Ferrands of Panic Productions. We were asked to convey Freddy Krueger without really showing him. They are planning on selling a poster of this art as well.

Never Sleep Again, detail

Matthew Peak painted the first 5 original movie posters for the films.

To see the rest of Matthew Peak’s A Nightmare on Elm Street poster art, visit his blog http://mjpeak.com/art/a-nightmare-on-elm-street-never-sleep-again

Limited Edition Photoprint of 125, size 18×19 in. available at: www.SanguinFineArt.com

Limited Edition Giclee of 175, 18×24 in. available at: www.SanguinFineArt.com

A little section of the film with score.