Graham Reynolds (composer)

Graham Reynolds Austin, Texas based, Composer-bandleader Graham Reynolds creates, performs, and records music for film, theater, dance, rock clubs and concert halls with collaborators ranging from Richard Linklater to DJ Spooky to the Austin Symphony Orchestra. As bandleader of the jazz-based but far reaching Golden Arm Trio, Reynolds has repeatedly toured the country and released three critically acclaimed albums. As Co-Artistic Director of Golden Hornet Project with Peter Stopschinski, Reynolds has produced more than fifty concerts of world-premier alt-classical music by more than sixty composers, as well as five symphonies, two concertos and countless chamber pieces of his own. Reynolds music has been heard throughout the world on TV, on stage, in films, and on radio, from HBO to Showtime, Cannes Film Festival to the Kennedy Center, and BBC to NPR. His score to the 2006 Richard Linklater feature A Scanner Darkly.^[1] was named Best Soundtrack of the Decade by Cinema Retro magazine. His awards include the Lowe Music Theater Award, four Austin Critic’s Table awards, an Amp Award, five Austin Chronicle Best Composer wins, a B. Iden Payne Award. Meet the Composer and Map grants, as well as support from the National Endowment for the Arts for several projects. 2011 sees twin CD releases on Innova Records, the label branch of the American Composers Forum, of “Three Portraits of Duke Ellington”, a triptych of band, strings, and remixes in tribute to and inspired by the seminal composer-bandleader, and “The Difference Engine”, a triple concerto for violin, cello, piano, and string orchestra. Duke! Three Portraits of Ellington went on to win an Independent Music Award for Best Tribute Album in 2012.^[2]

Golden Arm Trio

Reynolds’ regular performance and recording vehicle, Golden Arm Trio, is a band in name only, with Reynolds the sole constant member. The Austin, Texas based band has performed throughout the US, released three CDs in addition to the soundtrack to the Warner Brothers’ film A Scanner Darkly.^[3]

Golden Hornet Project

Along with fellow composer Peter Stopschinski, Reynolds is Co-Artistic Director of Golden Hornet Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization the commissions, presents and records new music. This is Reynolds primary outlet for composed music in which he is not the performer. The organization produces between four and six concerts a year.

Compositions

Reynolds prolific output includes five symphonies, two operas, string quartets, and countless chamber music pieces, in addition to the work with Golden Arm Trio and in film, dance, and theater.

Film

Of Reynolds' many film scores, the soundtrack to Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly is the most prominent. The 2006 Warner Brothers release featured Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr. and Winona Ryder. The soundtrack was released by Lakeshore Records.

Other features have included The Journeyman, Moonlight by the Sea, All About Tesla, Gretchen, I'll Come Running, in 2013 Before Midnight and others.

Syndicated radio-show host and documentary filmmaker Alex Jones has become Reynolds' most frequent film collaborator. Live film-collage artist Luke Savisky is another frequent collaborator. The multi-projectionist has been a featured artist at the Sundance Film Festival and tours regularly.

Theater

Reynolds composes regularly for theater and is a member of two theater companies, Rude Mechanicals (theater company) and Salvage Vanguard Theater. Rude Mechs are an internationally known experimental theater company that has toured throughout the United States and in Europe. Salvage Vanguard was the birthplace of the live sci-fi radio serial The Intergalactic Nemesis, which is now touring nationally; plans are under way to premiere Off-Broadway. In 2013, Reynolds composed the score for The Hidden Room Theatre's premiere of Paul Menzer's play, Invisible, Inc., directed by Beth Burns.^[4]

Evel Knievel vs. Godzilla: Soundtrack to the Play Stadium Devildare was released on CD in 2004. More of Reynolds’ theater music is featured on Golden Arm Trio albums.

Dance

Reynolds has composed for dance throughout his career, most recently completing a concert length ballet with Ballet Austin called Cult of Color: Call to Color with choreographer Stephen Mills and visual artist Trenton Doyle Hancock. Other dance collaborators have included choreographers Yakov Sharir, Andrea Ariel, Ellen Bartel, Margery Segal, and others.

The full score to Cult of Color was released on CD and online in April 2008, and music from other dance pieces are featured on Golden Arm Trio’s Why the Sea is Salt and The Tick-Tock Club.

He also collaborated with Ballet Austin in 2010 for "The Bach Project" and will be working with Mills on "The Mozart Project" which will premiere in Fall 2011 at the beginning of their 2011-2012 season. Graham will select Mozart pieces to abstract and recreate in his own vision. The score will be for amplified and effected violin and cello.

Miscellaneous

Reynolds is a vegan and does not smoke, and did not drink until recently.

Christina Marrs of Asylum Street Spankers is now collaborating with Reynolds.^[5]

As a free-lance writer, he writes feature articles and book reviews for the Austin Chronicle.

Reynolds teaches music theory and composition at the Austin Chamber Music Center.

References

1. ↑ 2008 interview on Outsight Radio Hours
2. ↑ "11th Annual Independent Music Awards Winners Announced!" Independent Music Awards, 2 May 2012. Retrieved on 4 Sept. 2013.
3. ↑ 2008 interview on Outsight Radio Hours
4. ↑ "Invisible, Inc. by Paul Menzer, Hidden Room Theatre at Rolllins Theatre". Austin Live Theatre. 
5. ↑ 2011 interview on Outsight Radio Hours

External links

• Graham Reynolds Interview and Feature Article
• Graham Reynolds' official site
• Golden Arm Trio's official site
• Graham Reynolds at the Internet Movie Database
• Interviews on Outsight Radio Hours
• Austin Chronicle articles by Graham Reynolds
• A podcast interview with Hooray for Humans on iTunes.