JRM Official Blog

Composing has been an interesting journey and for many of you who know me, you know I have longed to be in Hollywood. Once I was here, I was not sure how I would get involved. Well, a chance meeting put me in touch with comedian Ralphie May and his wife Lahna Turner. Both very funny people, and both very motivated and driven entertainers. They invited me to write a few jingles for their new podcast, set to air Aug. 1, 2012, and now I am working just about everyday on the new podcast. We will be releasing weekly and I hope it continues. It may not be a movie, but it really feels like my first Hollywood gig. Special thanks to Ralphie and Lahna for giving me the shot, and to their producer Danny Lobell for the great working experience. I will have to focus on new music for myself, of course, but this new direction is fun for now! I will be posting soon!

I hope everyone is doing well. 2012 has been a very good year for me so far. Since January, I have had a music premiere or performance  every single month.

January: Tad Wind Symphony premiered Metropolis in Tokyo. An honor band in Chicago hosted by St. Xavier University performed Fanfare Della Vittoria.

February: Desert Winds performed Metropolis in Las Vegas.

March: New Mexico State University Symphonic Winds performed both Fanfare Della Vittoria and Metropolis.

April: James Shearer and the La Catrina String Quartet premiered Cauterizing The Soul (tuba and string quartet) in the Great American Tuba Show in Las Cruces, NM. James Shearer and the El Paso Brass Quintet also performed an arrangement of Fanfare Della Vittoria for Organ and Brass on Easter in El Paso, TX.

May: Desert Winds and the Coronado High School band premiered and performed Ballad For Winds at two seperate concert events in Las Vegas.

June: The Edge of Texas Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Barbara Lambrect, will perform both Fanfare Della Vittoria and Dreams of Flight on their concert in El Paso, TX.

Future projects, you ask?

I am currently working on a commission for A.J. Moreno: a 6-mallet marimba and 10 voice choir based on the poem The Bells by Edgar Allen Poe. I am also constructing and sketching out Symphony #1 for Winds. It is my first time attempting anything of this scope, but I feel I have enough material to get started. Wish me luck. So far I have one group in bids for the premiere. Any one else?I am also adapting my Mad Hatter Suite into a Wind Ensemble work for St. Xavier University thanks to my friend, Jeff Maleki.

I feel fortunate enough to have all of these things going on but the fact is I am still not where I need to be. I want to wake up every morning and compose. I want it to be my main source of income. But how? What am I doing wrong? What am I missing? I wish my pieces had more exposure, I wish I had more commissions, I wish I wish… I wish I did not have to have a regular job to get by, because it is affecting my creative mind and I sometimes just want to crash and sleep instead of do my writing. Who has the solution? Are you out there? Are you reading this?

For those of you interested in picking up one of my scores, please send me a message. I will gladly work with you. (more…)

Hello music lovers! This year has been off to an amazing start!!! The Tad Wind Symphony, conducted by my dear friend and mentor Takayoshi (Tad) Suzuki, premiered my new wind piece Metropolis in Tokyo, Japan on January 14th. According to Tad, it was a great success. Just a day later, my Fanfare Della Vittoria was performed by a high school honor band in Chicago, and conducted by my friend Jeff Maleki.

In February, Metropolis will be premiered in Las Vegas, NV by the Desert Springs Wind Ensemble, conducted by Charles Maguire. Tickets are $5, and can be purchased here: Buy Tickets
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Thank you all for your continued support of my music! As many of you know,I have graduated from UNLV and am now living in LA. Redondo Beach actually. I am three miles from the ocean, and am trying to use the new location to my advantage as far as inspiration goes. Please forgive me for not posting in a long while. School gets hectic, as does moving so I have neglected my blog for a while. But NOW I am back and will post regularly.

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Hello everyone. If you haven’t noticed, you can view video from my Graduate recital right here to the right of this window. The show was January 30, 2011, and was a great success. Be looking for more video soon from the UNLV Symphonic Winds, the UNLV Wind Orchestra, and the Tad Wind Symphony. SO, now that I am on the verge of graduating, I am left with the dilemma of what comes next. Well, I decided not to go into the doctoral program anywhere because of two reasons.
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My apology to my listeners. I have not kept up with my blog for a long while. I have been very busy creating new music for you, as well as teaching and living life. I have created new Choral music, and have two new wind ensemble pieces in the works. I also have been getting my feet wet in the film music world. I just recently completed the score to a new Roger Corman film starring Eric Roberts. I am also hoping to compose the score for a documentary film about the paranormal, and I will let you know how that goes. Keep your eyes here for new music that will be added soon. Contact me via email at justin@justinrainesmusic.com for more information and music orders. Have a wonderful visit to my site. Cheers, Justin

For those of you who heard my recent NPR Interview, I am posting the link for you to order the CD.

http://www.melosmusic.com/tadcdvol8.php

They are not expensive, so please order more than one if you like. They will make great stocking-stuffers. Keep your eye on this site for more information.

So, recently I have had accepted several future commissions. I will be completing a new wind piece for the UNLV Wind Orchestra conducted by Tom Leslie. Then I will be working on a film score for the UNLV Film School and Academy Award Winning Producer Roger Corman. Lastly, I have the honor of being commissioned for yet another new piece for the Tad Wind Symphony summer concert in 2011 in Tokyo, Japan. I hope this momentum continues because, as most of you know, being a successful composer is a difficult task. I have been blessed to have the support of the music community, my family, and friends. Thank you all. More music is sure to come. Visit often for recordings and information.

I have just finished, bound and copied my piece for the Da Capo Chamber Players. Da Capo, known as a Pierrot Lunaire ensemble made famous by Schoenberg, is a coming to UNLV to perform music composed by the composition students. The piece I created has many elements of 20th century music, as well as combining Romantic elements as well. It is called The Passing of Autumn and will be performed in March.

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