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Jonathan Geer is a solo electro-acoustic artist, born and raised in the epic state of Texas.
He spent his formative years in Waxahachie, the cultural and social hub of the state.
In 2001, Jonathan graduated with a degree in Film Scoring from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
His unique style gathers together many disparate influences including Bjork, Chopin, Coldplay, Royksopp, John Williams, Thomas Newman and others ...
Interview (in collaboration with The Score)
How did you get your start as a composer?
I started composing music almost as soon as I began taking piano lessons when I was 10 years old. Much to my siblings’ irritation, once I got those keys under my fingers I couldn’t stop.
Do you have any formal musical training?
I took piano lessons since I was 10 and completed a degree in Film Scoring at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
What would you consider to be your strengths and weaknesses?
I think my strengths are my orchestral writing, stylistic diversity and a rock solid musical background and training. One of my weaknesses is that I sometimes rely too heavily on patches in third-party plug-ins. I feel like since I’ve begun composing full-time that I have less time for experimentation, but I realize it’s an essential elemental of keeping my music vital so I’m trying leave more time for it these days.
Who are some of your favourite composers?
I’ll start with some old dead people that I grew up with… Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Debussy. And on to the living… Joanna Newsom – her song ‘Emily’ on the album ‘Ys’ never ceases to blow my mind. Jump Little Children’s album ‘Vertigo’ is a pinnacle of song-writing and beautiful melodies from start to finish. Tin Hat Trio’s ‘The Rodeo Eroded’ is a great instrumental blend of folk, jazz, classical and avant-garde. I still have a special place in my heart for Bjork, but I miss her melodic writing from ‘Post’ and ‘Homogenic’. Nina Simone is brilliant. Kate Rusby has one of the most simple, pure and beautifully unadorned voices I’ve heard. I love the raw, emotional sound and thick harmonies of Bulgarian choir music. That’s probably enough hyperbolic statements for one paragraph.
Are you a multi-genre composer or do you like to specialize in one particular area?
I definitely like to branch out into different genres of music and find myself drawn to music that combines many styles in such a way that makes it difficult to classify. I do write a lot of epic, romantic orchestral music, but I have a lot of fun experimenting with sound design and electronic stuff as well.
What types of media have you composed for and which is your favourite (if any)?
I’ve composed for film trailers, television and video games. All of my music used for television has been taken from music libraries. I started doing library writing in 2006 and am still doing quite a bit of it. I enjoy it, although sometimes it can be hard to keep things fresh without sounding too unique. The work I’ve done for video games has probably been the most fun because I’ve had the most creative license in those. It could just be the particular developers I’ve worked with, but I feel like I have a lot more freedom in crafting the music. This doesn’t quite count as media, but a lot of my favorite composing happens when I have a specific group of musicians to compose for. I served as accompanist for a wonderful community choir in Lewisville, TX before I came to Austin. They gave a great performance of a completely new arrangement I did of the carol, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’.
Have you had any large clients, and if so, who were they?
My biggest client was The Weinstein Company when I did some custom writing for a film trailer for the Brazilian film, ‘Elite Squad’. I was working through PostHaste, a relatively new LA music library. I enjoyed the work, although it was very much a ‘hurry-up-and-wait’ kind of job.
What project have you enjoyed working on the most?
Well I don’t think I’ve ever had a project I’ve just NOT enjoyed working on. If you’re not enjoying the process of writing there’s a good chance it will show in the music. I love writing for video games because of the freedom and creativity I can bring to it. I wrote a 12 – 13 minute score for a small documentary about a leather shop which was a lot of fun. I ended up with just a small group of musicians in the studio… bass, drums and one amazing Milo Deering, who overdubbed mandolin, fiddle and dobro. There was no budget, but it was a lot of fun.
What advice would you give clients about how to prepare for working with you on their project?
I’m very flexible and have worked with a lot of different types of clients. I treat each project as something unique and really try to understand the client’s overall vision and how the music will fit into that vision. Sometimes clients have some pretty clear ideas about what they want and other times it’s really a blank slate where they give me a lot of artistic control. I think especially with new clients the most important thing is to keep the lines of communication open and flowing. It’s hard to go too far astray when you are both talking to each other every step of the way.
Any tips for how clients can best communicate their ideas to their composer?
These are very broad questions and there is no one-size-fits-all kind of answer. I think the most important thing is for both parties’ expectations to be understood. And then hopefully met or exceeded when all is said and done. If a client doesn’t really know what they want then it’s probably better to write a few short samples with different approaches to get the ball rolling in a certain direction. Small steps are better in the beginning. Once you’re both on the same page then it’s safe to go about doing the bulk of the writing.
If a client does have a good idea of what they want they will usually give me some examples or reference tracks. That is definitely helpful, and I know a lot of composers talk about clients falling too much in love with their temp tracks, but I’ve rarely experienced that. Usually the tracks are only used as a guide and in that capacity are very useful. The one time I did have a client too attached to a temp track turned out to be a frustrating experience of constant rewrites until my “original” track sounded very much like the temp.
What form of marketing/promotion do you use (if any)?
I’ve had a basic site with music clips, news, press, etc. for about 5 years (http://www.jonathangeer.com). Just recently I finished working on a website for all my royalty-free music and sfx (http://www.jonnyaudio.com). I use both of those sites when soliciting potential clients.
What advice would you offer those wanting to get into the industry?
There are many paths to take so take one that you love. If you don’t love it then you won’t make it. This industry is for people who passionately love what they do. Make sure you have a solid musical foundation. Master your instrument(s). Write amazing music. Be exceptional at whatever it is you do. Then sell yourself. That was the hardest part for me. You have to put yourself out there and get your music in front of people once its ready. And then you have to face a lot of “NOs” or just unresponsiveness. And that has to make you more determined, not less. Of course if you haven’t received a yes in 20 years you might start looking at your plan B. But then again, maybe not… maybe you’re a genius ahead of your time and you won’t be appreciated till you’ve passed on from this world. Who knows?
If you were stuck on a desert island with 3 tracks, what would they be?
Oh I hate these questions! My best friend is always making top ten lists and he wants me to do it with him. I never can. Why do we love lists so much? I remember EW asking Beck to put something in a top ten list and he wouldn’t or couldn’t do it. I think I’m with Beck… but in the spirit of answering questions I’ll just give you 3 tracks that I really love. I’m afraid if I had to spend desert island time with ANY tracks that I love that it might ruin them. What if I got sick of them and then didn’t love them after I was rescued? Does that mean I should pick songs I don’t like as well for desert island time? That way the songs I really DO love will be safe once I arrive home. I am, of course, assuming that I’ll be rescued at some point.
(These are tracks I actually DO love and hope would weather the test of desert island time.)
1) Emily – by Joanna Newsom – It’s over 12 minutes long too. I figure that’s a plus on a desert island. Almost like having 4 songs in one.
2) Chains of Love – Erasure – Okay we all have these songs that for some reason just make us happy. Maybe it’s a nostalgia thing. I’d try not to dance though because I need to conserve my energy. How big is the island? Are there fruit trees?
3) Pigeon – Jump Little Children – Totally depressing desert island song. But I can’t help it. It’s haunting, beautiful and poetic. Plus, at some point a dead pigeon might wash up and then I’d want to hear this song. So I’d be screwed if it wasn’t on the list.
Where is this island located? Are there pigeons?? This might affect my song selection.
What are your other interests outside of music?
Origami (there’s a daedalus I folded on my website!), photography, movies, cooking, gardening (a recent activity, but I love it), camping, hiking, traveling, video games, board games, reading…