Sundance Song

In 1914, composers Irving Berlin, Victor Herbert, James Weldon Johnson, Jerome Kern, and John Phillip Sousa formed ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, the first performance rights organization (PRO) in the United States. They proceeded to file suit against New York restaurant Shanley’s, which often played unlicensed compositions on its player piano. The case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court, and in a landmark decision in 1917, ASCAP won, thereby establishing for the very first time, a performance royalty for public performances. Today, as the performing rights organization world leader and one of three PROs in the United States, they are the only U.S. PRO that is fully owned by their members, 600,000 of the world’s greatest songwriters, composers, and music publishers.  In 2016 they earned more than $1 billion, distributing more than $918 million in royalties to the members.  ASCAP Delivers Record-High 2016 Financial Results.

In their 19^th year hosting the Sundance Film Festival Music Café, ASCAP returned to the intimate Rich Haines Gallery at 751 Main Street in breathtaking Park City, Utah, a few hundred feet from Robert Redford’s iconic restaurant Zoom that offers fresh locally sourced food. Can you imagine the movies without music? The ASCAP Music Café is an eight day extravaganza of musical performance by world class songwriters, right in the heart of the Sundance Film Festival.  2017 Sundance ASCAP Music Cafe.

I arrived in Salt Lake City Monday evening January 23.  After settling in to my lovely hotel nestled among the mountains, I checked in with the very cool and lovely Andy Morris, the guy who makes things happen.. for just about everyone! Whether it be sound production for David Bowie or The Rolling Stones in the hey of the British rock invasion in the 70’s, David Bowie Diamond Dogs Interview with Andrew Morris, or Artist management today for the latest sensation from Australia, The Rumjacks, about to embark on their very first U.S. tour, or simply to help an energetic finance rocker and Berklee College of Music student get connected to music industry decision makers. Of course this all started with the help of some terrific friends and incredible New York based SAG talent Robert O’Gorman, whose many film and television credits include the role of Frankie Fisher on the Sopranos, and Emmy Award winner Gina Tuttle who we missed at Sundance this year, but thrilled she was home in New York filming Homeland.

The next day my Sundance Song adventure began at 2PM with the divine Antonique Smith, a Broadway, film, and television actress, and Grammy nominated singer and songwriter, as she opened the ASCAP Music Café Tuesday afternoon. With a gracious and warm down to earth presence and a stunning and powerful Whitney Houston voice, she blew us all away. KOLARS followed, an incredibly talented 2 person Rock band, with Rob Kolar on lead vocals and guitar, and Lauren Brown delivering a very unique performance on the drum kit. You have to go see them! One word. Intriguing.  Next up was new Atlantic Records recording artist Niia, the daughter of an Italian opera singer, raised in Needham, MA. She was a featured singer at 18 years of age in the 2007 hit “Sweetest Girl” with Wyclef Jean, Akon, and Lil Wayne, that has achieved RIAA certified platinum status. She’s amazing!  The very versatile and talented Josh Kelley closed out the Café Tuesday afternoon. I am not a country music fan, but let me tell you, he certainly made an impression. A singer songwriter from a family of musical talent, he began his music career at the age of 11. He has an incredible presence on stage, with great musicality and a gifted sense of humor. He immediately introduced his star actress wife Katherine Heigl, from Gray’s Anatomy, and their lovely 30 day young newborn watching intently from the audience. The family actually lives in Park City, and they had to scoot out right after the performance to pick up their other two children.

Over the next three days, we were treated to a wide range of musical talent, assembled by the lovely creative team at ASCAP including Zac Clark of the indie pop act Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and Peter Bradley Adams.  If you don’t recognize the name Lee DeWyze, the 2010 American Idol winner, you probably know his work as composer and artist of “The Blackbird Song” from The Walking Dead television series, a big powerful and passionate voice singing the blues.  On Friday, I got my first taste of up and coming R&B Artist Brent Faiyaz.  Young and very talented, he seemed genuinely surprised by all the excitement he created. He was all smiles when I asked him if I could get a picture with him.  One final musical standout to mention, was J.T. Harding performing with Rivers Rutherford and Brett Young as part of the Bluebird Café Series, considered to be among the best in country music songwriting today. J.T. Harding co-wrote the song “Sangria” for country music star Blake Shelton. He had all of us engaged quite intently in the chorus line, “..your lips taste like sangria…”

Thankfully, due to the kindness and generosity of a promising young film producer named Toby Louie, whose Short “Good Crazy” was selected for inclusion this year, I return home from Sundance with an actual film movie experience to share.  Mr. Louie, who was extremely gracious and humble, sat down next to me at the Music Cafe Wednesday afternoon and ultimately offered me two tickets to his film Thursday Night at the Egyptian Theatre. Wow!   He also shared his goal of turning this work into a television series. I hope it happens! In the span of 14 minutes, this brilliant little piece somehow managed to develop the complex character of a driven, emotionally effusive young woman, hell bent on being an integral part of the greater good in our society. Director and lead actress Rosa Salazar knocked it out of the park!  It was wildly entertaining and certainly the best Short of the Program 2 collection, which featured an eclectic group of seven very creative works including “Kao Shi (A Test)”, “Dear Mr. Shakespeare”, “Rubber Heart”, “Pedro”, “Kaiju Bunraku”, and “Slapper”.  Mr. Louie also commented how important music was in film, and how an earlier production of his took on significant new meaning with the addition of music, and that he wants to learn more about music selection in film. I can tell you he is not alone. Synchronization (Sync) licensing is a whole complex industry unto itself, the combining of the master recording and underlying composition of a musical work in synchronization with a moving visual image, as in film, television, advertising and video games. The key player, the Music Supervisor, who works very closely with the Producer, has the awesome responsibility of basically keeping a treasure trove of knowledge of wide musical inventory in their creative purview, making selections that will drive viewer interest and studio P&L performance, while effecting proper licensing across a widely fragmented and complex landscape, often under very tight deadlines. ASCAP plays an important role in the business of Sync licensing, connecting Composers with Music Supervisors and Producers. Did you know that 80% of the 2016 Oscar nominations in music went to ASCAP composers?  Oscar music nominations.

My article would not be complete without the mention of Erik Philbrook, a driving force of the Creative team at ASCAP, who certainly had his hands full delivering an impressive music film experience at Sundance, but still managed to give me some face time, to understand my finance background and passion and interest around music. 2017 ASCAP Music Cafe. We also talked about ASCAP’s I Create Music Expo in Los Angeles in April. I am certainly looking forward to this premiere event!

As I close out my first annual post on the ASCAP Movie Café at the Sundance Film Festival, I’d like to congratulate all the amazing ASCAP musical talent for their many accomplishments as they strive tirelessly to fill our world with epic musical masterpiece!  I’ll leave you with this classic, a debut hit for the British rock band Procol Harum, recorded at the famous Olympic Studios in West London, released by Deram records May 12, 1967, composed by Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, and Matthew Fisher. Included in many film music compilations, it stands out for me in the 1983 film “The Big Chill”, one of my favorites, where I vividly recall actor Kevin Kline commenting, “..There is no other music..” when referring to this era and genre of music.  Synchronizing provocative and emotion filled music to a provocative and emotion filled story. Congratulations to Big Chill Music Supervisor Meg Kasdan on a job very well done!

“We skipped the light fandango                                                                                                       Turned cartwheels ‘cross the floor …                                                                                                     A Whiter Shade of Pale 

Enjoy!