david sophia - killing my lobster's 'the wonderful world of science'

david sophia's music
for killing my lobster's 'the wonderful world of science'

July - August, 2005
Killing My Lobster's "The Wonderful World of Science" sketch comedy show.

Director: Paul Charney

Cast: Melanie Case, Liisa Ingimundson, Daniel Lee, Nick Olivero,

Nicole Socia and Corbett Truby.

Venue: The Victoria Theatre in San Francisco, California from July 14

to July 24, and at the Ashby Stage in Berkeley, California from July 28 to

August 6.

My role: Musical Director, Composer/Songwriter and Performer/Musician.

The band consisted of myself on guitar, glockenspiel and percussion;

Jonathan Kepke on keyboard; Simran Gleason playing computer/MIDI

noises & sounds, digital theremin, steam cleaner, circular saw blade gongs,

various whistles and bottles (all played by shooting a jet of steam

from the steam cleaner), vocoder, and typewriter; and Olive Mitra on drums

for weeks 1 to 3 of the show, and Brian Gorman on drums for week 4.

The music for the show included, among other things, an Opening Science

Theme, a variety of Science Theme variations, a news show melody, a

snippet of anxiety music, brief scientist fight music, and, of course,

a song-and-dance Finale at the end of Act II.

And now, the music samples:

01 Opening Science Theme

02 Twinkle Theme Variation

03 Slow Science Theme Variation

04 Sexy Soul Theme Variation

05 Froggy Theme Variation 1 - Calypso, Fast and Slow

06 Froggy Theme Variation 2 - Fast Calypso

07 Extra Science Theme Variation

08 Final Opening Theme Variation

09 KML Science Finale

This music was recorded live at the Ashby Stage in Berkeley, CA. Vocals on Science Finale added later, with the following folk contributing their voices: Daniel Lee, Melanie Case, Corbett Truby, Nicole Socia, Nick Olivero, and a little vocal oomph added by myself and Haia Sophia Siegel.

Notes about music samples:

Most of the music used for transition moments between sketches in the show

involved different variations upon the Opening Science Theme -

the "Twinkle" variation is based around the glockenspiel and keyboard;

the "Slow" variation is the original theme, only more relaxed;

the "Sexy Soul" variation happens while two actors get it on;

the two "Froggy" variations take place directly before and after

a sketch leading off Act Two, wherein all the characters were frogs;

the "Extra Science" variation is based around the MIDI/computer noises;

and the "Final Opening Theme" variation is the last instance of this

theme, and takes place immediately prior to the Finale sketch.

Finally, in this version of the "Finale" you cannot really hear the

actors singing, but you can hear the music very well. I will upload

a version with better singing as soon as I get one.

The show ran for 4 weeks, with 10 performances in San Francisco and

8 performances in Berkeley.

Reviews:

"... a mad professor-style musical accompaniment from the Lobster live band."

-Chloe Veltman, SF Weekly, July 20, 2005.

Full text of review HERE.

"A clever musical finale" that "leaves the evening on a high note."

-Rob Avila, San Francisco Bay Guardian, July 27, 2005 issue.

Full text of review HERE.