Benjie Messer

I took my Bad Cactus boys on tour last month, up to Utah and back, and it was a ton of fun! We’re definitely thinking about more doing a more extensive tour next summer, so let me know if you want us to come visit you! Our traditional album, Arizona Mardi Gras, is coming out in the fall, and we’ve been rehearsing a bunch of original tunes with a more modern influence, to bring the band into the 21st century. And we have a great new tuba player, so I’m back in the trombone section!

My Electronic Music I course at Phoenix College is going great. Students are learning about creating music on the computer, I’m learning about teaching, and we’re all having a good time. My home studio is mostly up and running now, though I still have a few more pieces to fit into place before it’s the equal of my studio at OLM. Also, I’m planning a trip to LA at the beginning of August to meet and talk with professional film composers, and particularly to attend Ron Jones’ Ravel Orchestration Study Group.

My latest arranging work is a collection of patriotic music for our new “Special Events” category at Spiritrax, just in time for July 4th. Click through to listen- I’m proud of these arrangements, and they’re selling quite well.

A month ago I wrote that I was being cut down to part-time at One Light Music, and hoping to use it as an opportunity to find something new, and to move my career forward. And it worked! I was just hired as an adjunct professor of electronic music at Phoenix College, the downtown campus of the Maricopa Community College System! My first Electronic Music I course will start on June 2 if enough students register- if not, I’ll start teaching in the fall. And work at OLM has been coming back too, so with those two part-time jobs, I should be quite busy enough.

Bad Cactus Brass Band seems to be avoiding Phoenix’s traditional summer slump. We’ve recorded two albums in the last month- a live traditional album, and a studio Christmas album. The live disc should be ready for release by the end of the summer, and the Christmas one will be ready by November. We also have a ton of interesting gigs coming up- see the calendar in the upper right.

I also got to arrange and transcribe horn parts this month for an upcoming Brit-pop album that’s being produced by veteran recording engineer Jack Howell at WilloDisc. That was a lot of fun- I’ll put up some audio demos soon. I haven’t done any composing this month, but I did finally buy all the software I need to produce music at home- Logic, Sibelius, and a bunch of great sample libraries. Hopefully when the next opportunity knocks, I’ll be ready to answer!

Well, the big news is that One Light Music is finally feeling the results of the recession, which means that my full-time professional musician day job as a composer/arranger is being cut to part-time, and I’m in the market for work. I’ve had a great two years at OLM and learned a lot, and I’m happy to stick around for a while, but it’s definitely time to find something new. I’ll let you know what I find- right now, the sky’s the limit!

I finished writing music for episodes 4 and 5 of Stand-Up Guy, which may be the end of my involvement with that series. I’ve put all non-paying projects on hold until my schedule and budget become more predictable. My friend Ryan Pierson (of At Best Derivative) asked me to write music for his upcoming short noir film “Of Blood and Gin”, so hopefully I’ll have time to fit that in.

Bad Cactus Brass Band continues to stay busy. We have lots of exciting shows coming up (see the calendar in the upper right), and are still finalizing plans to record our first album at a live show in the next few months. We’d love to see you at a show sometime!

It’s been a few months since I wrote- I’ve just been having too much fun with Bad Cactus Brass Band! We had a packed December, performing at the Desert Botanical Garden’s twenty Luminaria Nights, as well as various tree-lighting parties around town. In the spirit of New Years resolutions, we’re shooting to record our first album soon. We’ll be recording it at a live show sometime in the next few months- I’ll post more details when I know more. We’re also looking ahead to Mardi Gras in February, which should be our next really busy season.

I’ve had a nice break from composing, but it’s time to jump back in. This month I’ll be working on the latest episode of Carol Benwell’s “Stand Up Guy”, and writing music for a short film by the Rebel Filmmaker AZ Group titled “Of Blood and Gin.”

At One Light Music, we finally released the first-ever complete karaoke Messiah, which helped push Spiritrax through a great holiday season. We’ve done a few musicals for Desert Stages Theater and a Sondheim collection for Stage Stars Records. We’re also working on some extensive back-end changes to improve the functionality of Productiontrax and give it room to grow.

The Bad Cactus Brass Band has been playing a ton of gigs, having a great time, and sounding awesome. Jim Phillips of the Arizona Classic Jazz Society came to our last show at the Lost Leaf, and described us excitedly as what it would have been like “if Bix Biederbecke had a garage band.” We have many more dates coming up, and it’s always a good time, so if you’re free, come by and say hi! I’ve also been sitting in a bit with the Digital Blues Band and the Sugarthieves, but most of my focus has been on Bad Cactus. The band knows 3-4 hours of material by now. We also have our first “spin-off” gig coming up, where we get to break out our polka and klezmer books- fun!

In composing, I finished the music for “Got Milk?”, a short comedy by Chris Redish. It’s included as a bonus on the DVD with his film “20% Off”, and it’ll be making the festival rounds over the next few months. It’s not available online- some of the festivals he’s entering it in won’t screen it if it’s been broadcast. I also wrote a theme for Carol Benwell’s web comedy series “Stand Up Guy”, and scored episode 3, “Good Cop Bad Cop”.

Work has been busy. We finished a huge musical for Desert Stages, and I’m doing a batch of miscellaneous tracks for Stage Stars Records, and then hopefully turning my attention to finishing the Messiah and bulking up the winter holiday content on Spiritrax. Productiontrax has been growing by leaps and bounds too, particularly the stock video section.

Some other news: At Best Derivative has been picked up for distribution! The entertainment company that bought the rights is aiming to re-release the 2-disc DVD nationwide on November 17th. I’ll be very curious to see where it ends up- if you see it at a video store, or on demand in a hotel or something, let me know!

I’ve been lucky to get out of the Phoenix heat during part of July- a week in Boston and a weekend in Colorado. But I’m back and diving back into music. At work, I’m sequencing a musical for Desert Stages, as well as arranging some common hymns and continuing to plow through the Messiah for Spiritrax.

Bad Cactus has had two successful gigs, and is booking events for the fall and 2010, as well as planning a record. I’ve also been playing with the Sugarthieves most Wednesdays, and hitting jam sessions when I get the chance.

In composing, I’m finishing up “Got Milk?” with director Chris Redish, and looking forward to working on the new episode of “Stand Up Guy.”

We have a lot of musicals in the office this month- one for Desert Stages here in Scottsdale, another for Children’s Musical Theaterworks in Fresno, Cali., mastering The Wizard of Oz and Little Shop of Horrors albums for Stage Stars, and David’s orchestrating an original Gerry Cullity musical for Desert Stages- all due in the next two weeks. I also fit in some karaoke arrangements of patriotic songs for Spiritrax, just in time for July 4th events, and they’ve been selling well.

In the composing department, I’m finishing a 5-minute comedy for SCC senior Chris Redish, entitled “Got Milk?” I’ve also been offered the next episode of the web comedy series Stand-Up Guy by local producer Carol Benwell, so that’s next in line. And Ryan and Jeremy (of At Best Derivative-fame) are starting pre-production for their next movie, a historical Western about Arizona lawman Commodore Perry Owens. I’m super-excited to do another feature- but I’m also glad I have another year or so before it takes over my life. Speaking of, the DVD of ABD has finally been released- it’s at the Friar’s Lantern store.

The Bad Cactus Brass Band has had a promising first month. We’ve recorded a solid demo, which is up at badcactusbrassband.com, and band photos and gigs are in the works. Our first show is on July 8, opening for the Sugarthieves at the Sail Inn.

I’ve also been practicing trombone every morning before work. Besides Bad Cactus, I’ve played this month with Renee Patrick, the Sugarthieves, the Jazz Alliance, and David Bernstein, as well as at the jam sessions at Pita Jungle and 98 South in Chandler.

Phoenix has a new sound- it’s the Bad Cactus Brass Band. We don’t have any photos of ourselves yet, but we have six music tracks up at badcactusbrassband.com, and more to come. Watch out Phoenix- here comes Bad Cactus!

Here’s a sample from a new track, just to give you a taste:

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I Found a New Baby

Well, the first rehearsal for my New Orleans project was very promising. Here are two tracks we recorded. This is a five-man band- we’ll be getting cutting a demo in a few weeks with a bigger group.

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First rehearsal Monday night- won’t say more now, but hopefully I’ll have something to book soon.

Also, just finished a first draft of music for a 5-minute comedy short by SCC student Chris Redish titled “Got Milk?” I’ll let you know when it’s ready to watch-