My goal as a composer is to bring comedy and drama to life. I try to find some sort of unique way to give a voice and support the drama, whether it is through instrumentation or through the composition process in general. Each composition is fairly unique, however, there will always be some sort of thread that I will use. There’s always something of my voice in it
My most recent projects included composing for the third season of the ABC comedy The Middle, which is “quirky” music with a Tom Petty-ish edge, and the Travis Fine drama Any Day Now, starring Alan Cumming.
My dream of becoming a studio drummer led me from my home in Los Angeles, California, to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, where I earned a Bachelor of Music. At the school, there were so many things I was opened up to, including composition and film scoring. I no longer saw myself playing drums the rest of my life.
In choosing this vocation, I ended up following in a long line of union composers in my family, beginning with my grandfather Lionel Newman and great uncle Alfred Newman, who were both members of Professional Musicians Local 47, Los Angeles. The current generation of family composers includes cousins David, Thomas, and Randy Newman, all also members of Local 47.
I joined the American Federation of Musician’s Local 47 in 1997. The best part of being a member is getting health insurance, guaranteed scale wages, and special payments. I think that being a union member is being a part of an extremely high quality set of individuals and talented musicians. The union guys in town are just the best in the business, and this city, in particular, has the best in the business.
