Michael Andrews (musician)

Michael Andrews, also known as Elgin Park, is an American multi-instrumental musician, producer, and film score composer. He is best known for a cover version of the Tears for Fears song "Mad World", which he recorded with Gary Jules for the Donnie Darko soundtrack, and which became the 2003 UK Christmas number one.[1] He is a founding member of the San Diego genre-defying band The Greyboy Allstars, where he goes by the moniker Elgin Park.[2]

Michael Andrews
Andrews in 2012
Background information
Also known asMike Andrews, Elgin Park
Born (1967-11-17) November 17, 1967
OriginSan Diego, California
GenresFilm score, experimental, folk
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
InstrumentsGuitar, piano, keyboards, bass guitar, marimba, drums
Years active1985 - present
Associated actsThe Origin, Greyboy Allstars, Elgin Park
Websitewww.elginpark.com

Soundtrack production

After joining The Greyboy Allstars following the dissolution of his band The Origin, Andrews fell into film score composition by chance in 1998 when The Greyboy Allstars were asked to score Jake Kasdan's first feature Zero Effect and worked on the music for the highly regarded (though short-lived) TV series, Freaks and Geeks. In 2000, Richard Kelly commissioned him to do the soundtrack for the film Donnie Darko. Its original score album went on to sell over 100,000 copies (in part because of Andrews's remake of Tears for Fears' "Mad World", featuring Gary Jules),[3] and Andrews became a composer to watch. He has since gone on to compose scores for the movies Out Cold, Nothing, Cypher, Orange County, My Suicidal Sweetheart, Me and You and Everyone We Know, The TV Set, a segment of Paris, je t'aime, Unaccompanied Minors, Bridesmaids, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Daddy's Home among others.

Donnie Darko

In early 2000, Jim Juvonen gave Andrews a copy of the script for the as-yet-unmade feature film Donnie Darko. Director Richard Kelly knew Andrews worked with The Greyboy Allstars, and made music under the name Elgin Park.

Like his role models John Barry and Ennio Morricone, Andrews wanted a song on his otherwise instrumental score. He chose "Mad World" by Tears for Fears (originally released in 1982), which his childhood friend Gary Jules sang as Andrews played piano.

The first soundtrack record was released by Andy Factor, a friend of Andrews, through his Everloving Records label in 2002. As Donnie Darko was not a hit at first, there was little interest in the soundtrack in the US. The film was more popular in Europe, especially in the UK, where it outgrossed the US release.

This sparked interest in the soundtrack and "Mad World", which was a 2003 Christmas #1 on the UK Singles Chart. It reached the top 30 of the American Billboard Modern Rock chart in 2004 and hit #1 on the Canadian Digital Singles chart in January 2007.[3] It charted in countries like Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Australia in 2003 and 2004, and a snippet was used in the television commercial for the 2006 Xbox 360 video game Gears of War.

Me and You and Everyone We Know

In 2005, Andrews scored Me and You and Everyone We Know, a film by Miranda July praised at both Sundance and Cannes film festivals. The score to the film was released on Everloving Records on July 12, 2005.

Initially taking cues from the characters' dialogue, Andrews began writing the score. He came to understand the film's world as a kind of alternate reality where people believe in fate and chance—and this was the world he needed to paint with his music. He also saw the feelings July was trying to get across in her film as very primary. "She tries to break things down to very basic, simple shapes—the simplest shapes possible, and that totally influenced me in my music".

Andrews at the Unsung Heroes tribute to Eleni Mandell, January 2017.

Working out of his custom-built backyard studio in Glendale, California, Andrews spent three months creating the score using an orchestra of obscure vintage synthesizers (a miniature hotwired Casio keyboard was unearthed at a garage sale for $10) and drum machines. His concept was to play what he termed amateurish, emotional, naïve, magical and simple music on highly unemotional, inorganic instruments—for example, a calculator with built-in twelve-note keyboard that lends a haunting portamento melody to one of the film's motifs.

Other instruments used in the score include Andrews's modified piano (rather than hitting the strings directly, the hammers first make contact with a piece of soft felt, creating a warmer, slightly muffled tone), as well as his Moog and Vocoder synthesizers. Despite all the electronic gear, no MIDI was used in the recording, so that all the humanness, all the subtle variations of rhythm, are intact. Inara George adds vocals in several climactic moments throughout the film. In some cases, cues were composed of only two or three tracks in order to attain the magical simplicity for which the film called out.

Solo career

Andrews released his first solo album, Hand on String, on his own newly established label, Elgin Park Recordings, in Summer 2006. He is credited on the album as Mike Andrews.

In August 2012, Andrews's second solo record "Spilling A Rainbow" was released on Everloving Records performed mostly alone, and with Dan Long and Steve Kaye recording.[4]

Discography

Albums

Singles
Year Single Peak positions
AUS
[5]		 AUT
[6]		 BEL
(Fl)
[7]		 DEN
[8]		 FRA
[9]		 GER
 NED
[10]		 SWE
[11]		 SWI
[12]
2001 "Mad World"
(featuring Gary Jules)		 28 13 23 2 30 3 4 10 23

Productions/Appearances

Filmography
Year Title Director(s) Studio(s)
1999Chapter ZeroAaron MendelsohnArama Entertainment
2001Donnie DarkoRichard KellyNewmarket Films
Out ColdThe MalloysTouchstone Pictures
2002Orange CountyJake KasdanParamount Pictures
CypherVincenzo NataliPandora Cinema
2003NothingVincenzo NataliAlliance Atlantis
2005Me and You and Everyone We KnowMiranda JulyIFC Films
2006The TV SetJake KasdanThinkFilm
Paris, je t'aime: La VampireVincenzo NataliFirst Look International
Unaccompanied MinorsPaul FeigWarner Bros.
2007Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox StoryJake KasdanColumbia Pictures
2009Funny PeopleJudd ApatowUniversal Pictures
2010CyrusJay Duplass
Mark Duplass		Fox Searchlight Pictures
She's Out of My LeagueJim Field SmithDreamWorks Pictures
2011BridesmaidsPaul FeigUniversal Pictures
Bad TeacherJake KasdanColumbia Pictures
Jeff, Who Lives at HomeJay Duplass
Mark Duplass		Paramount Vantage
2012The Five-Year EngagementNicholas StollerUniversal Pictures
The Reluctant FundamentalistMira NairIFC Films
2013The HeatPaul Feig20th Century Fox
2014 NeighborsNicholas StollerUniversal Pictures
TammyBen FalconeWarner Bros.
New Line Cinema
Sex TapeJake KasdanColumbia Pictures
2015The Adderall DiariesPamela RomanowskyA24
Daddy's HomeSean AndersParamount Pictures
Red Granite Pictures
Gary Sanchez Productions
2016Dirty GrandpaDan MazerLionsgate
Neighbors 2: Sorority RisingNicholas StollerUniversal Pictures
2017Daddy's Home 2Sean AndersParamount Pictures
Gary Sanchez Productions
The Big SickMichael ShowalterFilmNation Entertainment
Apatow Productions
2018I Feel PrettyAbby Kohn
Marc Silverstein		Voltage Pictures
Wonderland Sound and Vision
STXfilms
Instant FamilySean Anders Paramount Pictures
Closest To Hole Productions
Second ActPeter SegalSTXfilms
Huayi Brothers Pictures
2019Against the ClockMark PolishBenaroya Pictures
Always Be My MaybeAli WongNetflix
2020 The LovebirdsMichael ShowalterQuinn's House
3 Arts Entertainment
Media Rights Capital
The King Of Staten IslandJudd ApatowApatow Productions
Perfect World Pictures
TBAYes DayMiguel ArtetaNetflix

Television Scores

References
  1. "The Official Charts Company – Michael Andrews Featuring Gary Jules – Mad World". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  2. "Elgin Park - Elgin Park | Songs, Reviews, Credits".
  3. "Donnie Darko". EverLoving. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  4. "First post in awhile..." MySpace. June 4, 2009. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  5. "Michael Andrews discography". australian-charts.com. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  6. "Michael Andrews discography". austriancharts.at. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  7. "Michael Andrews discography". ultratop.be/nl/. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  8. "Michael Andrews discography". danishcharts.dk. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  9. "Michael Andrews discography". lescharts.com. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  10. "Michael Andrews discography". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  11. "Michael Andrews discography". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  12. "Michael Andrews discography". hitparade.ch. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  13. http://filmmusicreporter.com/2018/02/26/michael-andrews-scoring-hbos-the-zen-diaries-of-garry-shandling/
  14. http://filmmusicreporter.com/2017/06/06/michael-andrews-scoring-netflixs-friends-from-college
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.