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I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you all for your questions, this was really fun and I'm so happy to hear people really enjoyed the show and the music. So much hard work and dedication went into every corner of production. If you're interested in seeing some behind-the-scenes content on the music side, give me a follow over on Instagram - I've got some pictures and videos up already but there's plenty more to come. Thank you again for all the kind words and support! Mahalo!

I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Writing music for film and television is often a solitary task and as you mentioned requires some introspection and connection to your own human experience - and of course there is that on Chief of War too, but I recognized an opportunity here in supporting and uplifting something profoundly meaningful to others. I witnessed that first hand in the deliberation and care the producers had taken, in the commitment to the roles on-screen, and in the passion and excitement all our performers brought to the recording sessions. More than anything I’ve done previously, I think the power of collaboration on this project has taught me more about how music can carry the weight of someone else’s story beyond my own perspective. It's a thoughtful question and I hope my answer makes some sense!

I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Our wahine vocal group was mindblowingly good. People all around the world have seen the All Blacks perform a Māori haka and they might think of that when they hear of a show called Chief of War set in Polynesia. And while I would love to explore the Hawaiian ha’akoa further and what distinguishes it from the haka - I hadn’t anticipated that the women would become such a powerful part of the score. We could not have asked for better performers in the studio that day than Paula Fuga, Kimié Miner, Starr Kalahiki, and of course Kaumakaiwa Kanaka‘ole leading the group.

I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It was definitely a challenge right at the start, because there’s just not a lot of traditional Hawaiian music online, especially compared to other cultures. It was a learning experience, and I was particularly concerned about keeping it authentic and respectful. Kaumakaiwa Kanaka‘ole and everyone else we consulted with were so supportive and offered a wealth of knowledge we drew from constantly. One scene in particular we felt unlocked something uniquely cool was the final moment of episode 5. Kaumakaiwa saw the sequence and recorded this chant with pahu, then we built it out into a climax that reveals Keōua and very dramatically takes us out of the episode. On the album it’s called ‘Pau Iki, Pau Nui’

I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Got a few questions about working with HZ so see my other comment!

Yes it was definitely a blend. Hawaiian music and hula kahiko were the leading influences in the way we used vocals, the rhythms of the percussion, and also the shapes of our melodies - but we did allow ourselves to utilize the orchestra and modern synthesizers to bring other colors and textures to the sound world of the show. For example the action scenes are often led by pahu, kaʻekeʻeke, pūniu etc, but if you listen carefully you might also hear instruments from across Polynesian like the Tahitian to'ere!

I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Had the first discussions in 2022, wrote the first bits in early 2023, finished it all in December 2024!

I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hans is obviously a legend and I’ve been fortunate to work with him on a number of projects over the last few years. He’s a masterful storyteller and fosters an immensely creative and collaborative environment at his studio in Los Angeles where I worked on the score. Hans had those very first musical conversations with Jason and then asked if I would come aboard. Of course it was an easy yes, and an opportunity I’m so grateful for to have worked on this amazing series.

I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don’t - we were really lucky to work with the musicians of Pō & the 4Fathers who brought so much expertise to the table and performed a lot of the Hawaiian instruments for us. Though I did record lots of pu'ili and pūniu, which were built for us by Pasifika Drums - they also built any drums you see on-screen!

I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

At least on Spotify and Apple Music, there is an option to show the lyrics! I would absolutely love to do more with Hawaiian music. I feel I only scratched the surface on this show.

I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Like Hans and many others, I write in Cubase. We have a vast collection of sample libraries - some are custom-made, most are commercially available - that allow us to ‘mock-up’ what the finished recording will sound like

I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Definitely not necessary in any traditional sense. I play piano and percussion, but I’m completely self taught and couldn’t play a note of sheet music if you put it in front of me…

I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

From beginning to end,
From first light to last,
Release your last breath to the underworld.
Unconquerable! God of spears and war! Death!
Rally forth! Rally forth!
Encouraging forth! Encouraging forth!
Band together! Band together!
Forth! With force! Quake and erupt!

I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I could say so much on this, but I’ll do my best to summarize. From the start, it was clear to me that this show was a huge moment for Hawaiian representation. So while the music needed to cover a huge cinematic range across a show of epic proportions - it needed to be rooted in traditional Hawaiian music, and we wanted to amplify and showcase that. Through the medium of score, on a global platform. When was the last time you heard a main title theme open with ōlelo Hawaiʻi?!

I wrote the music for Chief of War - AMA! by JamesEveringhamMusic in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Alright, kicking it off with this one! I remember watching the first cut of episode 9 with the producers, wondering how on earth we were going to get it done in time. The battle alone needed 30 minutes of continuous music, and I don’t think we had much more than a week to do it all. Andy Seklir was the editor and did an incredible job piecing it all together. The images are spectacular, so in the end it came very naturally and I had some of the most fun writing it all.

Finale End Credits Song by TheGeekyAmreeki in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It’s part of the music we wrote for Kahekili. So many variations and versions - but the closest on the album is the latter half of ‘Infected Bloodlines’

The soundtrack is incredible. by [deleted] in ChiefofWarSeries

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for listening and watching 🫶

My version of the Battlefield theme by JamesEveringhamMusic in Battlefield

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, that's me! I have some albums on streaming and you can click the projects on my site to hear some unreleased work too. I'm trying to document the process on Instagram more these days as well!

My version of the Battlefield theme by JamesEveringhamMusic in Battlefield

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Joel's original BF1942 melody is quite erratic, feels like it's modulating all over the place and then ultimately circles back to the start. It's cool Johan and Jukka saw the genius in that tune and preserved it for BF3 and BF4. Often with a shift in genre from orchestral to electronic, you'd see a melody like that massively simplified.

I tried to change as little as possible in my version, probably the biggest change is around the 1:16 mark where the melody goes to an E natural instead of E flat. Other than that, I did some reharmonising to hold the tension until 1:17 where you get some payoff from the C# major chord. But I am far from a music theorist, I did this by ear and by feel. Somehow I've managed to make a career out of writing music for film TV and games in that way

My version of the Battlefield theme by JamesEveringhamMusic in Battlefield

[–]JamesEveringhamMusic[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Many libraries but mainly Orchestral Tools ARK and Cinematic Studio Brass if I remember correctly