COLORAMA!

2010-07-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
Hope all of you are great.
My film music compilation CD called 'Themes For Scenes - Volume 1' is now available! This is a collection of music I've composed mostly for documentary, as well as, some animation and film trailer work.
You can hear tracks from the album now at:

http://www.myspace.com/574623023

The album is also available to purchase in CD form at HK Music on the SHOP PAGE:

www.hanskarlmusic.com

Thanks everyone,

-HK

Mindstyle does Dink Vinyl toys by MISS MINDY!

2008-08-13T01:50:00.000-07:00

"DINK" Vinyl toy from MINDSTYLE TOYS-accompanied by Hans Karl's music from the CD album SHAGXOTICA!

When I attended San Diego Comic-Con 2008 a few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Miss Mindy (Allen) and her sister C.J. Metzger. They are both incredible artists and illustrators. CJ (or Candace) is a painter, illustrator and graphic designer whose creations blend surreal and whimsical imagery. Along with her sister Miss Mindy, they designs toys for MINDSTYLE, and also publish their own books for BabyTattoo books. Miss Mindy's designs for her "DINK" toy that showed at San Diego are quite the little "stylish" wonders as well!

Furthermore, Miss Mindy made a Comic-Con 2008 video for the "DINK" toy. The video is accompanied by the track I composed for my SHAGXOTICA! CD called "The Uninvited Guests." This is a fun little visual extravaganza into the heart of Comic-Con. "DINK" is pretty cute..hehe...Check it out up top!
Over and out from Hans and Dink at Comic-Con......

Original score music for demo Episode #1 of 'THE HYRDE' cartoon!

2008-03-01T22:45:00.000-08:00

In January, I scored the demo episode #1 of 'The Hyrde' cartoon, which is now complete and ready for viewing here at Newgrounds: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/420310 The animation for this series is TOP NOTCH! Featuring the voice talents of Phillip Banks (as Inspector Spectre-http://www.philipbanks.com/), D.B. Cooper (as Ghoul Gal-http://www.db-cooper.com/) and Rob Feldman (as Zombor), the first episode juxtaposes the dark menace of an evil threat against the calculated, action-packed and often light humor of the main characters. All in all, this series is a real treat. To learn more about 'The Hyrde' and the story, please visit director Rob Feldman's wonderful creation at: http://www.thehyrde.com/

I will have updates on the progress of this cartoon as more info becomes available. Hopefully we will have more streaming links in the near future so that you folks might be able to view future episodes as they are completed.
HK............

My hand-painted BART SIMPSON vinyl figure!

2008-02-27T01:23:00.000-08:00

Recently, I had the chance to pick up my very own BART SIMPSON 10 inch qee figure from Comics, Toons and Toys (comic book shop) close-by in Tustin, California. What started out as a PURE white vinyl figure got transformed by me in the wee hours of the morning with some acrylic and oil paints and a whole lot of patience....this was a blast to create! I call him "Navajo Racer" Bart, with a dash of Rudolph and a little bit of robot-logic thrown in as well for good measure! hehe...

Last year, Meltdown Comics had a showing that displayed the handiwork of over 50 artists who also haind painted their own Barts. Shown above is a poster from that show where you can see some of the cool head glimpses of the Bart figures.

Spider-Man on my wall

2008-02-24T15:20:00.000-08:00

At the San Diego Comic Con 2006, I picked up a super cool Spidey painting from the Comic-Con Art Show. Oil on Canvas and pretty big too, it hangs in my den. I really love this painting and am FINALLY posting a pic of it. Only took almost 2 years......well, better late than never?

Check out 'THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY' comic book from Dark Horse....Grade A

2008-01-12T14:47:00.000-08:00

If you read comic books, or even if you don't, you really should give The Umbrella Academy a chance. Written by Gerard Way (from the rock band MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE), illustrated by Gabriel Ba (CASANOVA, from Image Comics) and with color art by Dave Stewart, this comic book really kicks the fun and interest level into high gear! With quirky and unique characters, as well as bold and colorful action, this title sure does have a great flow. It is a real breath of fresh air, and one of the best modern superhero comics on the stands right now.

A condensed skeleton of the main story is as follows (WARNING: SOME STORY SPOILERS AHEAD): Several kids are born simultaneously around the world. A scientist and entrepreneur named Sir Reginald Hargreeves takes notice of the births and quickly focuses on finding as many of the kids as he can. Once found, he then proceeds to adopt and raise seven of them. Wiping their identities clean and concealing them from the world, the kids are shown to have innate super-abilities. What little we see in issue #1 of Hargreeves interactions with the kids shows us that he never gives them affection or true love. This lack of fatherly affection takes its toll, as we find out all too soon. Moving quickly forward in the timeline of the series, we already get to see some of the kids as adults towards the end of issue #1. We also start to see more clearly the fruits of their loveless upbringings. We then go on to find out in later issues that they have been reunited to battle a worldwide threat of apocalypse.Knowingly or not, UA contains shades of the Science Fiction laced quirkiness that can be found in Alan Moore's comic book called Top Ten. Also in evidence here is some of the veil of historical fiction that made Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentleman such a great read. I also dig what feels to be a mixture of European and American sensibilities throughout the series. Throw in a dose of Grant Morrison doing some of his finely tuned Doom Patrol stuff and you have a real pretty picture of what this comic book is like.

Giving away any more plot points or detailed specifics than I already have would do damage to the first time reading experience I think. Oh, and what a wonderful experience that is! Let's just say that this fighting team of quirky "brothers and sisters" give us, in a very dysfunctional and pained way, some highly fertile ground for lots of interesting and fresh superhero stories. You could sorta call it a semblance of "family" ties without really knowing all of the details and back story yet as to why those ties are there or how they came to be. Thus, we are propelled even further into the story craft by a purposefully created sense of mystery and yearning that makes us want to know more. To know more not only about these strange and wonderful individuals who make up The Umbrella Academy, but about the amazing world of UA in general.

Mr. Way's dialogue, pacing and plot threads all flow quite seamlessly from issue to issue. His sense of quick-witted and absurdist humor are on display at several turns as well. I found Way's writing to have its own voice and a unique personality shining through in each and every issue of UA, despite the above mentioned influences. Ba's art is simply stunning and lends to the overall cohesiveness, to say the least. Dave Stewart's colors are superb as usual, and the covers by James Jean are extremely eye catching. Check out the cover to issue #5 above, which is due to hit comic shops this Wednesday, January 16Th, 2007.

Oh, and on a last note, I truly hope that someday someone turns UA into an animated property--either as a cartoon series, or as an animated feature. If it does indeed get translated to the realm of animation, I will be one of the first in line to check it out! It would also be quite interesting to hear just what a music score inspired by The Umbrella Academy would sound like. Like the comic book itself, I think it would probably be SUPER SWEET!

To learn more about The Umbrella Academy comic, go here (Warning-SPOILERS AHEAD!):

http://www.darkhorse.com/news/pressrelease.php?id=1387

or here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Umbrella_Academy

Best, HK..........

OC Weekly Magazine Interview

2008-01-08T18:29:00.000-08:00

This week's issue of Orange County (OC) Weekly contains a short interview with me in their "Aural reports" column. Rex Reason (a super nice guy!) interviewed me about what inspires me when I create instrumental music, as well as, a little about my past and my influences. The article can be found here: http://www.ocweekly.com/music/music/aural-reports/28307/

Composing new CD called 'Winter Chill'

2007-12-21T02:40:00.000-08:00

The composing of my newest CD of instrumental compositions is going well. I am aiming to have it done and to release the CD by sometime in spring of '08. For 'Winter Chill', the musical journey will be moody and contemplative, with inspirations thus far coming from fantasy and fantastical sources and also from nature and natural elements. The main instrumentation I am building off of at this point is Harp and Flute. There will also be other musical colors, mostly leaning towards the instruments of the orchestra such as woodwinds, strings and some piano as well. I will have some streaming audio examples posted soon either on this blog or on my main website for those who want to listen.
Over and out! HK......

JUST BACK FROM SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2007!

2007-07-31T21:44:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to visit Comic-Con 2007 in San Diego for a couple days last week. Here are a few of the highlights of my trip:

*I got to meet one of my favorite artist/creator combos in the person of Doug Tennapel. I picked up his new graphic novel from Image comics called 'Black Cherry.' I have already read it twice...it is incredible! If you don't know about this gifted storyteller and artist, please visit his site at: www.tennapel.com . He writes and draws graphic novels, creates characters that have been video games (Earthworm Jim), and has animated shows developed from his stories and characters. His new cartoon called 'Catscratch' is now on Nickelodeon. A REAL talented "cat!"

Here is a review of 'Black Cherry' by Sean McGowan that is on Amazon.com. I heartily agree with this review:

A Great Story that Tells the Truth, July 30, 2007
By Sean McGowan - See all my reviews
This book will understandably make a lot of people uncomfortable. Full of vulgar language and violent imagery, this is easily Doug's roughest book yet and probably will be for the rest of his career. However, his intention is not to shock, but to be honest about the way the world is. To balance things out, Doug also tells the truth about the only reconciliation for all of the sin depicted in the book: Christ's sacrifice. Along with all of this is a story that's as good as any of his others. Black Cherry is not for everyone, but those who can stomach its brutal honesty really ought to give it a try.

*I met the graphic novelist named Jesse Lonergan. I got to pick up his first graphic novel called 'Flower and Fade.' This is a SOLID debut effort. It is a reflection on a romantic relationship and how it develops and eventually dissipates. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it. You can find it at NBM Publishing here: http://www.nbmpub.com/comicslit/flower/flowerhome.html

*Taylor White and 'Monsters in Motion' (out of Placentia, California) were at the con. I got to pick up a few CD scores from Taylor and they were some great choices I am happy to say! I picked up Vic Mizzy's score to the Don Knotts films called 'The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.' Just listened last night and this score is SUPER-FUN! When you listen to scores like this, you realize where other great composers like Danny Elfman and Alf Clausen get some of their vibe! Also picked up Jerry Goldsmith's score for 'Escape From the Planet of the Apes.' What an awesome listen! When I listen to scores like this, I realize even more just HOW AHEAD of his time Mr. Goldsmith was...this score, at times and in some cues, almost sounds like a backdrop for a current movie in parts (the film was released in 1971)...and the rhythmic electronics in this score are nothing short of amazing! Jerry Goldsmith ROCKS! He has, in my opinion, influenced so many genres from electronica to lounge to avante garde film scoring. Pleae visit Monsters in Motion at: http://www.monstersinmotion.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/12

There were some other Comic-Con highlights that I will explore in my next post. Over and out from San Diego Comic-con for now.....HK.

My new composing work for the 'VES 50: THE MOST INFLUENTIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FILMS OF ALL TIME'

2007-05-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

I have begun composing the music for an animated bumper for the 'VES 50: THE MOST INFLUENTIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FILMS OF ALL TIME.' This animated piece is being created by The Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood (www.gnomonschool.com), and will contain my original instrumental music composed specifically for the animation. The piece will screen at the 2007 VES Festival of Visual Effects, that will take place at the Writer's Guild Theater in Beverly Hills on June 7-10, 2007.

The Visual Effects Society (www.visualeffectssociety.com) is putting on this 4 day event, and among the incredible panels and screenings, the highlight of the weekend is sure to be the VES 50: The Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time. This panel discussion on the VES 50 will be moderated by Academy Award-winning vfx supervisor John Knoll, and the session will feature fellow Oscar winners Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Doug Trumbull and (tentatively) John Dykstra (Star Wars).

Listen for my music to accompany the wonderful animated bumper that will be a part of this and other VES festival sessions. For more info on the recently announced top 50 VFX films of all time, please go to: http://www.visualeffectssociety.com/documents/ves50revelfin.pdf

Check out Will Eisner's 'THE SPIRIT' character from DC Comics...

2007-05-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

DC Comics currently has on their release schedule a comic book called The Spirit. The newest issue is number #6, which was released on May 23rd, 2007. For those of you who don't know about this character, The Spirit was originally created by the multi-talented writer and artist named Will Eisner in 1940. After selling his interest in a comic book packaging company to Jerry Iger, Eisner created his most famous character, The Spirit, a masked crime fighter. The Spirit was the lead feature in an unprecedented format: a 16-page color comic book that was inserted in Sunday newspapers, one of numerous Eisner innovations. This character went on to become on of comicdom's most beloved characters.

The current incarnation of The Spirit at DC is being both drawn and written by Darwyn Cooke, one of my favorite artist/writer combos. A couple of years back, Mr. Cooke won an Eisner award (the comic book industry's #1 awards ceremony held every year at the San Diego Comic-Con, and named after Will Eisner himself!) for his work on the comic book limited series called 'DC: The New Frontier.' If you are a comic book fan like me, you owe it to yourself to check out The Spirit character in his current form at DC. Cooke is doing a bang-up job on the series, and this comic has become one of my current favorites.

I am hoping that someday, in some form of audio-visual media, I might be able to compose instrumental music directly inspired by The Spirit and his unique world, much like I did for the character of Doc Savage for the documentary entitled 'James Bama: American Realist.' Whether that be in a movie, animated show, video game, or some other form, it would be fantastic to write music inspired by The Spirit!

For further info about the new 'The Spirit' comic book, please visit: http://www.dccomics.com/ For further info about the creator Will Eisner and the original incarnation of The Spirit, please visit: www.deniskitchen.com/docs/bios/bio_will_eisner.html

Have you heard these Orchestral Sound Samples?

2007-04-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Recently, I finally picked up several of the sound collections from the Vienna Symphonic Library. Each collection of sounds comes with an installation set-up that easily allows that particular collection to be used within the Vienna Virtual Instrument itself. The instrument interface is pretty nifty looking and great to use, and it can be used as stand-alone, or within a VST host music software program. In my case, I run the Vienna instrument within my Nuendo music software on my desktop PC.

These are some of the best and most "real" symphonic sound samples that I have ever used in the recording of my compositions. The varied harp collection sounds extremely "stringy" and "plucky", and most of the harps have a very pleasant tone to them-aggressive, without being too in your face. No plastic or toy-like sounding plucks here! Also, I found that the Orchestral Strings Vol. 1-Violins and Violas, especially in their section forms, are amazingly natural and intuitive sounding. Furthermore, the wind sections and solo winds from the Woodwinds 1 collection, especially the flutes and clarinets, have great articulations and "realistic" stuff happening between each note right out of the box-like someone is actually playing these instruments and slurring them together via the nuances of embouchure.

In fact, each of the three collections I bought have particular instrument "noises" and "peculiarities" that make the performances that much more real sounding, and they often happen between the notes. Sometimes I have found that many of these "realistic" sounds, such as the clicking of the keys on an oboe, can make things tricky in the mixing and/or mastering. So, be careful how you E.Q. your instruments and how much verb, or what kind of verb you bathe them in. Note that those factors can amplify the peculiar sounds in an unpleasant way.

Each collection from the Vienna Symphonic Cube can be bought separately, or as part of the whole cube. My advice, when buying individual collections, is to spring a little extra dough and get the FULL Library, which comes with the complete set of articulations and single note instances for each instrument in the collection. VSL sounds can be heard and bought from Ilio at: www.ilio.com. The VSL company site is here : www.vsl.co.at.

Who or what inspires you to create???

2007-04-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

Whether you're creating computer

graphics and illustrations, painting on canvas, writing via novels or comics or screenplays, composing music, taking photographs, developing video games,

devising mathematical formulas, drawing a comic book, directing films, dancing, acting, cooking, playing, thinking, emoting, devising spreadsheets, writing computer code, joking, philosophising, psychoanalysing, celebrating, playing a musical instrument, crying, bumming, or just simply communicating and expressing who you are......WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO CREATE??? I'd love if you'd let me know.

Some of my current reads......

2007-04-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

In between composing music, teaching piano and working on other creative stuff, I like to read novels and comic books. Hanging out in a favorite place and reading is a great way to spend time. Right now my reading list includes:
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's
Stone (J.K. Rowling-Book 1)
2. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
3. The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid (Bill Bryson-Memoir)
4. The Inhumans (Graphic Novel from Marvel Comics-Written by Paul Jenkins and illustrated by Jae Lee)
5. A whole stack full of other monthly comic books!

(Lamps #1 and #2-3D renderings by the talented artist Feby Delimarta. Contact her for image usages or freelance CG interior renderings at: Feby_delimarta@yahoo.com. Both images (c) 2007 by F.D. All Rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, lending or posting prohibited without the consent of the artist).
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Check out the paintings of Yumiko Kayukawa.....

2007-04-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

'Unconditional'

'Green Tea Ice Cream'

'The Entomologist'

If you don't know about her yet, you probably will in the near future. I am speaking of the brilliant painter from Japan named Yumiko Kayukawa. Mixing up pop-candy sensibilities with a dose of American Flashiness and Japanese Tradition is what this artist is great at! I feel that her work is very unique and bound for great heights. Check out her stunning work at: http://www.sweetyumiko.com/artwork.php Hope you enjoy her paintings as much as I do....HK.

'BIG FRANKIE AND HIS BRIDE'

2007-04-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

James Bama is a terrific guy and one of my favorite painters. He is letting me use two of his coolest Aurora Monster Model Paintings from the 60's for the second CD pressing of my score music from 'James Bama: American Realist.' Those images, both 'Big Frankie' and 'The Bride of Frankenstein', were two of my faves as a kid. Look for this second pressing sometime later in the year or even in early 2008. This pressing will contain an orchestral styled suite called 'Big Frankie and His Bride' that will be directly inspired by these two great paintings.