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Custom Scores loved writing for the score," he says. "The first is 'The Prohibition Ram- ble,' which is the more modern version of the '30s piece of music. The second piece is called 'Temper- ance,' which was loosely based around the temperance movement part of the film. I was raised in a house that was heavily infused with classical music. My mother was a harpsichord and piano player, so there was Bach and Scarlatti, these kinds of musicians, this kind of music, happening all the time in our house. The 'Temperance' piece harks back to that time period, which is another side of music that Nathan Barr (inset) will soon start composing the fifth season of HBO's True Blood. rearranged, the Prohibition theme, which ini- tially is pretty modern, but we did just a slight variation on it to make it sound like it was from the '30s." As a piano player, Cieri has always gravi- tated toward improvised music that is rooted in jazz and blues. Growing up, he was also surrounded by classical music. His love of both was useful in creating the Prohibition score. "There are two pieces that I really I love. It tends to have a little bit of a Chopin flavor to it. It's a little quieter and more intro- spective than 'The Prohibition Ramble.' So there are two sides of the spectrum." When writing music, Cieri is a piano player first. His inspirations come by sitting down at the piano with a broad idea, such as the prohibition era, in mind. "I have the music that I've lived with and learned about from this era in the shadow of my memory. Then I sit with the piano for a few hours and swim around in it and experi- ment with it and act without judgment. I make up melodies just off the top of my head; just let them come. Then after two or three hours, there will be some little kernels in there I liked. I remember them and go back to them. I give them due attention, unpack them and try to develop them. So the writing process for me works like that. If I sit down to write a piece of prohibition music, with this explicitly in mind, it doesn't seem to work. But, if I just go wide with prohibition in mind, and cast a wide net, I find little kernels that I like and want to explore." Cieri played more than piano on the score. He also played the accordion, a rela- tively new instrument for him. "Playing the accordion was amazing fun," he says. "I feel like when you have your arms around an accordion, not much can be wrong with the world. I recreated the 'Il Pentimento Waltz' and I also wrote a couple of new pieces for the accordion, one called 'Genoviva's Dream.' That was super fun trying to navigate that piece on the accordion." A memorable scene for Cieri was during continued on page 43 Don't Be Old News... Don't Be Old Ne Aircast Custom Music creates news music packages energized with fresh, impactful sounds that project the power of your brand. Aircast Custom Music... Sonic Solutions Beyond Expectations! TM Scan here to see our latest work for KAKE! www.aircastmusic.com 1-888-MEGA-555 34 Post • November 2011 www.postmagazine.com