Ryan Bingham leaves West Texas in the Dust...

Since honing his chops alongside many of the Texas/Oklahoma acts I used to follow, Ryan Bingham has signed with Lost Highway, released 2 critically acclaimed albums (the latest of which found my Top 20 Albums of 2009), and....

Sunday Night, New Mexico born, Texas raised Ryan Bingham won himself a Golden Globe Award. He took home the trophy for Best Original Song for 'The Weary Kind,' a tune written by Bingham for the film Crazy Heart starring Jeff Bridges. This film caught my eye as soon as the trailer surfaced. With a cast including Bridges, Robert Duvall, Colin Farrell, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, it was sure to get attention, but surprisingly, focus has been geared toward the music in the film as much as the film itself. Legendary producer T-Bone Burnett oversaw the production of the soundtrack alongside Stephen Bruton.

One of the first things that stood out to me about Crazy Heart was the fact that it was director Scott Cooper's directorial debut. He adapted the script from a book of the same name written by Thomas Cobb. It follows Bad Blake, a fictional yet very familiar country singer who, at 57, seems to have run his course in the business. Cooper had always wanted to tell the life story of Merle Haggard but could never sort out the rights. After finding the book, he learned he could not only tell Haggard's, but also stories of Waylon and Kristofferson, "with a little bit of Billy Joe Shaver and Townes Van Zandt all mixed in." Jeff Bridges pulls off the weary character perfectly, so much that he also picked up a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama.

Trailer:


Pick up the soundtrack (out today) from Amazon. It includes tracks from Buck Owens, The Louvin Brothers, Waylon Jennings, Lightnin' Hopkins, Townes Van Zandt, and a healthy helping from the movie's stars (Bridges and Farrell).

Here's your Golden Globe Winning Song performed earlier this month on Letterman:

Trailer Tuesday.....

The other night, I was watching upcoming movie trailers on my phone and came across a handful of music-related films/ documentaries that really piqued my interest. So here they are:




'It Might Get Loud' is a documentary following a meeting between 3 generations of guitar virtuosos: Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White. Jimmy Page is a legend, but somewhat before my time, U2 just doesn't do it for me, but I'm excited to see Jack White in this film. And judging from this trailer alone, he seems to be the most interesting part of it.




'Taking Woodstock' is Ang Lee's (Brokeback, Crouching Tiger) inspired by a true story take on the events of August 1969 in Bethel, NY. Demitri Martin, Eugene Levy, and Emile Hirsch are among the stars of what looks to be like a pretty entertaining film.




'The Boat That Rocked' is another based on a true story film, directed by Richard Curtis. In The 1960's, before England's elite embraced the power of Rock 'n Roll, the only way to broadcast the music was from a soverign boat off the coast. Phillip Seymour Hoffman leads a cast of young British rebels who just want to rock.

Fiction Sounds Good.......

Time again for one of my sporadic movie/soundtrack posts.

Just finished watching Stranger Than Fiction, and i like. Will Farrell toes the line between humor and oddity better in this film than his other 'dramedies.' This was a movie that i hadn't been dying to see, by any means, but i'm glad that a rainy Monday night allowed me to do so. With a guest list of folks like Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Thompson, the movie has promise from the start. Thematically, it's witty and original - Will plays a remarkably boring/borderline OCD IRS agent whose life inadvertently becomes the subject of a novel written by Emma Thompson's character. In turn, the pages of the novel begin to control Will's own fate and change his lifestyle. You've at least seen the trailer, so i shall not go on.


But we all know the reason why you're here, so let's get to it....

The songs in the film, expertly placed between Thompson's narration and impressively relevant to the movie, are superb. Britt Daniel (above) of Spoon collaborated with soundtrack veteran Brian Reitzell to create half original score/half amazing soundtrack. The tracks that weren't written for the film are made up of a few Spoon songs and a handful of relatively unknown (at least to me) post punk tunes. The movie is somewhat dark, and the contrast between that and the upbeat, sanguine nature of Punk music somehow works perfectly. Hearing Britt's work placed next to this style of music reveals obvious influences i may not have noticed otherwise. i've always thought that Spoon fits the elemental mold of indie-rock, but now i'm starting to see something seep out of the edges. The highlight track is from Wreckless Eric - sounds like a grunge Donovan - Will Farrell gives us an impromptu acoustic version in the movie (see below). This Monday movie night has just presented me with a few new bands to look into.



Wreckless Eric - Whole Wide World
Maximo - Going Missing
Califone - Bottles & Bones (Shade & Sympathy)
Spoon - The Way We Get By
Spoon - The Book I Write



Buy the Soundtrack

Buy the Movie

And then another hehe-hehehe.......

A movie can instantly become a hit, sometimes a cult favorite, simply because of it's soundtrack. Often one song, well placed and well chosen, can help you connect to the movie in a way that wouldn't have been possible without the musical selection. i've found that, even if you notice only one perfect soundtrack choice, chances are - the rest of it will be good.

There are the obvious favorites - Dazed & Confused, Blow, Almost Famous, and most of what Scorsese does - set in the time of real Rock N Roll, that use songs from the era portrayed. The Coen Brothers have always kept their soundtracks interesting (often integral to the movie itself). Judd Apatow, aside from completely redefining comedy, has consistently bolstered his films with great music. His newest, Pineapple Express, is permanently connected to this tune:

M.I.A. - Paper Planes
Although Hip-Hop is not my cup of tea, you gotta admit this song is fun.

Lately, indie films are not only supplying exposure for independent writers, directors, and hip actors, but their soundtracks are essentially an indie music sampler. Zach Braff did this with Garden State - but that soundtrack (and film) deserve it's own post. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - Michael Cera's new one - sports a soundtrack filled by Devendra Banhart, Modest Mouse, and Band of Horses, among others.
check the trailer.....

i started rootin' around looking for soundtrack stuff and found this. It's got all kinds of movie theme songs as well as a few memorable soundtrack picks. In the post, she mentions how she'd like to get a gig making soundtracks for movies. For a while now, that has been my Dream Job - to score movies. Not like Danny Elfman style, but carefully choosing GOOD songs that fit the movie, splicing them, and working with the editor for seamless timing. i guess it would be a Music Supervisor credit for the film. i'd probably have to go to film school for that - i'm done with school. So if any of you out there have a screenplay sittin' around - hit me up....

she posted this one: Axel F
and immediately, i thought of this:

But back to the Coen Brothers......
In only about an hour of looking for great soundtrack selections, i came across half-a-dozen Big Lebowski specific soundtrack posts. A landmark cult-film with an excellent soundtrack:

Bob Dylan - The Man In Me
Kenny Rogers and the First Addition - Just Dropped In
Gipsy Kings - Hotel California

"...and pull the trigger 'til it goes click"

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By the way, stroll on over to Rollo & Grady for not only good soundtrack tunes, but clips of some classic movie lines.....

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Hopefully, this will turn into a recurring feature post on superb soundtracks. Hold down your excitement, please. For now, just see it as an introduction to a new venture here at This Mornin'.... a change of pace that is much-needed to spur a continuous flow of ideas that has recently run dry.

Righteous Kill.....

i don't normally talk about movies here at This Mornin'..... but why not shake things up a bit? i'm workin' on a new computer and just revamped some graphics and colors on my page (new comp has Photoshop, so expect me to go a little crazy getting to know how to use it).

Tonight i came across something that really interested me. For the first time since Heat (1995) Al Pacino and Robert De Niro will co-star in a movie.

"Righteous Kill"

The only other time the two appeared on the bill together was for The Godfather: Part II, but they didn't even share a scene. In Heat, they only had like... 2 scenes together. This time, in an indie film directed by Jon Avnet, these two cinematic badasses team up and share the screen for most of the film. Veteran NYC Detectives, Pacino and De Niro are after a vigilante killer who some say is doing their job for them. Just watch......

mp3: The Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil

buy Beggar's Banquet (1968)

It's due in theaters in September.

From that trailer, the theme of the movie seems to center around the power of the gun, so here are some fitting tunes:

mp3: Reckless Kelly - Sixgun

buy Wicked Twisted Road (2005)

mp3: The Rosewood Thieves - Silver Gun

buy Rise and Shine (2008)

mp3: Cross Canadian Ragweed - Hammer Down

buy Soul Gravy (2004)

mp3: The Black Keys - Just a Little Heat

buy Magic Potion (2006)

mp3: The Felice Brothers - Hey Hey, Revolver

buy Tonight at the Arizona (2007)

** interesting note about this song - Rumor has it that The Felice Brothers did some recording for this album in everything from school buses to leaky chicken coops and tried to get some real rain sounds and so on. i read that the pop you hear about 35 seconds in was a very near lightning strike. Seems plausible to to me, cause if you listen close you'll hear thunder just a few seconds afterwards.....