Gaper's Blog: The Unheard Music (Volume XXVII)

Q: What do the following television shows have in common: The OC, Rescue Me, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Chuck, Mad Men, Shark, Without A Trace ?

A: All feature(d) the same Music Supervisor, Glen Ellyn native (and U of Illinois alumnus)--Alexandra Patsavas. Let's face it, 80% of my readership have Glen Ellyn ties, so she's our homegirl. (Another odd bit of synchronicity: Alex also worked on the first three movies directed by the bass player of my first college band--Dizzy) In an era where radio playlists are tighter than ever, television has become the medium to break bands and Alex is at the forefront. We've all seen the effect of having a song prominently featured in a commercial. Feist became a star on the strength of her song "1 2 3 4" in that ubiquitous iPod commercial. The dancing helped, as did the blue sequined outfit.

Since a lot of us zip right throught those commercials with the aid of our trusty DVRs, the content of the shows themselves arguably play an even bigger role, which is where the Music Supervisor comes in. They are tasked with finding appropriate non-score, mostly extra-diagetic music that fits a given scene. They also then contact the appropriate songwriters and music publishers and agree on compensation for use in a TV show or movie. Then, we the viewers watch the shows, hear great music on them and rush to sites like this to find out what that song is. I had such a moment a few years ago while watching one of the shows Alex supervises and heard this gem, "Break Your Mama's Back", which I likely wouldn't have heard anywere else.

In the inevitable next step, Alex started her own record label--Chop Shop (which shares the name with her Music Supervision firm). Because when you've played a major role in bands like Death Cab For Cutie, Snow Patrol and The Fray becoming successful, you have earned the respect of the music industry and your skill as an arbiter of quality music justifies your own record label. The inaugural release on the Chop Shop record label is from a Kansas City band called The Republic Tigers. Since Alex and I are friendly, she sent me a copy of the Tiger's Chop Shop debut EP, the full-length comes out next month. The standout track (I smell a big hit) is the airy, melodic "Buildings and Mountains". I'm not sure why, but I envision a video for this song featuring fireflies prominently.