Meet Composer and Sound Designer Adam Ditroia!

Introduction

Mumblesomething years ago, in the beforetimes, I went to this thing called high school wherein I met many persons, one of whom is Adam Ditroia.

I'm not going to tell you embarrassing stories about our misadventures participating in High School Rock Band during which I sang lead for a cover of the Bangles "Eternal Flame" and Adam graciously handled the keys, because ... well... what happened in the beforetimes stays in the beforetimes, or something like that. What I remember most about him is that he was very focused and at a time when most of us were still sort of figuring things out, he seemed like a guy who knew exactly what he wanted to do.

He has long since moved on to bigger and better projects. He's written music that has been featured on the Travel Channel, the History Channel, and MTV just to name a few. His aural stamp has also graced several video games, phone apps and websites. I'm happy to be able to say, "I knew him when..."

Find him on Twitter: @ditroiamusic

Find out about Adam Ditroia's music here.

Check out his new endeavor Trailer Music, A.D on facebook

*note: the beforetimes refer to those halcyon days wherein there was no internet...



Interview


Q) White socks or argyle?

A) White most of the time.


Q) When did you first know you wanted to be a musician/composer?

A)  I think I knew on a subconscious level as a child. But it became real when I was about 15.


Q) Favorite internet meme?

A) Good question...probably that miserable cat on Facebook lol.


Q) First thought when confronted with waking up?

A) Usually, "Dear God ,I'm tired!"


Q) What inspired you to begin 570 Music and Sound and Trailer Music, A.D? Can you tell us a little bit about your companies?

A) 570 Music and Sound is the local part of what I do. It focuses on providing “Hollywood” quality audio at much more affordable rates. I offer services like custom music, sound effects, location sound, jingles, songwriting, music licensing, audio editing, etc. Trailer Music A.D exists solely to create and license music for film and game trailers as well as DVD/Blu-Ray “behind the scenes”, and television spots.


Q) What were you doing right before I started asking you a bunch of inane questions?

A) Working on the music and sounds for an upcoming iphone/ipad game.


Q) What’s on your music stand right now?

A) DUST! Lol. Really need to dig it out.


Q) If you could work on a musical project with anyone living, dead, real or imaginary who would that be?

A)  I'd probably want to join Spongebob's band. The one that played at the Bikini Bottom Bowl :) Other than that...I'd really like to do a studio album with Steve Vai.


Q) Favorite food thing of the moment?

A) Granola bars.


Q) What are your favorite instruments/tools to work with?

A) My main recording software is Cakewalk's Sonar X1 at the moment. I also use Propellerhead's Reason sometimes. For sound design/editing, etc I mostly use Sony Soundforge and Vegas. I have a ton of virtual instruments with a few I usually gravitate towards.


Q) Tell us about your current creative project/s?

A) Currently, I'm working on about 6 different iOS games/apps. I'm also trying to finish up my first Trailer Music A.D release and a few other projects.

Meet Composer Paul Shapera!

Introduction

I have known Paul Shapera since the 90s times. We served coffee, drank a lot of coffee, drank a lot of beer and I suppose, after all those beverages, we peed a lot. (Never at the same place or time, to the best of my knowledge.)

The coffee place we worked at together had a piano and I remember a lot of people asking him to play Billy Joel. Paul was our own personal Piano Man. (I totally expect to get smacked for saying that, by the way. )

Here's the thing, though. His skill at playing Scenes from an Italian Restaurant is just a tiny needle jump on one song of his eight-sided vinyl record of musical knowledge. Or, uh, something. I don't really know if that metaphor works. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that his musical breadth is as ridiculously large as computer disc drives in 1983.  (Can I get a shout out for the 1980s film classic, War Games?)

To give you a more concrete idea, he is a font of knowledge on all things progressive rock, he's worked on hip-hop and electronica projects as Mochalab and I would be remiss if I neglected to mention Cthulhu: The Funksical. Currently working on the Dieselpunk Opera, he recently returned to his home in Serbia after workshopping the Steampunk Opera in London. (No typos or fabrication there, kids. Paul Shapera is truly a citizen of the world. )

In search of other perspectives in describing Paul Shapera, the human, like other social media junkies, I went on Facebook and polled my friends. Combining the responses, according to our mutual acquaintances, Paul Shapera is "an enthusiastic bitch who just wants to mop and mop."
(Of course, I am paraphrasing.)

Want more Paul? (I'm still wearing my Incredibly Effective Hypnosis Pants, so your answer is yes.)
You can find him here .

You can purchase The Dolls of New Albion, A Steampunk Opera, the album here

And as you go on to read the interview, you can listen to the Steampunk Opera Overture.

...because really, when you are writing about music it's best to let the music speak. But I guess we can let Paul talk as well since he made this stuff.

Interview


Q. Boxers or briefs?

A. There can only be one: Boxers.

 

 

Q. Space opera or space junk?

 

A. Space opera with a percussion section of clanging junk. This is actually how my operas sound.

 

Q. Favorite fabric?

 

A. Favorite... fabric.... what the fuck is this?!?! I don't know what kind of fabric a single piece of clothing I own is. I don't even know what my damn jeans are made out of. Jeans? Is that the fabric? Denim? That's not even my favorite fabric, it's just the only one I know. Cotton. Can you even get pure cotton anymore? Doesn't the old testament tell us we can't wear clothes that mix fabrics? Wtf is up with that? WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME THIS QUESTION?!?!?

Wait! Okay, I got an answer. In the movie The Hunger, there's some flowing curtains at some point. Those curtains are AWE-some. I have no idea what they're made out of, but whatever they're made of, that's my favorite fabric.

Q. First thought when confronted with waking up?

 

A. "Is there anyway around this?"

 

Q. Best/worst experiences as a musician during a live performance?

 

A. The best aren't really interesting. They just involve me blissing out to people who are really into it. The worst are vastly more entertaining. I once spent a summer playing piano (digital keyboard technically) on the street of a little eastern european town for money. One afternoon I had to punch a guy who was stealing me tips. He just fucking walked up, stuck his hand in the box and started taking it. I caught two other guys at other times before that, one of whom I chased and caught, but by the time this motherfucker tried it I was not going to put up with it. He was drunk, went down, then scurried away so for the rest of the afternoon I had like, Bruce Willis testicles.

 

Q. Favorite keyboard?

 

A. I don't care about keyboards. My studio work involves triggering sounds from a hard drive. My main go to instruments are: Omniverse, BFDrums and Kontakt 5. I use Sonar X1 as my DAW (for those geeky music types who understand what i'm talking about).

 

Q. What were you doing right before I started asking you a bunch of inane questions?

 

A. Finishing my new staggering work of towering genius.

 

Q. Most influential composer?

A. I don't know if I can answer this. Bands I listened to in high school and college as well as some musicals from that time are the most influential since that's when you're a blank slate still finding your voice. So... Pink Floyd... at 16 all I wanted in life was to grow up and make something as epic as The Wall.... Genesis (old, bitches), Yes, Marillian, Sondheim (came a bit later but hugely influential to my musical storytelling) and Les Mis. Oh... Superstar. Yeah, that was a biggie. Since then I am influenced in very small ways by a thousandfold things.

 

Q.  What foodstuffs and beverages best sustain you through productions?

 

A. CHAI TEA. Sweet, sweet chai tea. Every now and then I have a little cookie stash behind the computer.

 

Q. If you could collaborate on a project with anyone living, dead or imaginary who would it be?

 

A. Wow. I have.... no idea. I.. look I just want to see my Steampunk Opera (and eventually the following two) go up in biiiiiiig theaters. I will basically blow whoever can make that happen. But I don't think that's quite what the question is... who would I want to.... you know, the truth is, there's no one in particular I've been dreaming for years to work with. The better question is who in history I dream of getting drunk with. THAT is a list I can pull out. And I'm not sure you have enough room on this blog to fit it.

 

 

Q. Tell us about your current creative project/s?

A. I'm finishing up the recording of a dieselpunk opera. It's the second in a trilogy. The steampunk opera has proven to be a big online hit. Dieslepunk comes next and in 2014 year we will finish with the Atompunk Opera. You can listen to the steampunk opera here: http://mochalab.bandcamp.com/album/the-dolls-of-new-albion-a-steampunk-opera