Updates

Berklee Graduation 24′

I’ve stopped writing as much these last few years, since I’ve been in grad school. The writing never stopped really, the audience just shifted. A few weeks ago I graduated with my Master’s in Music Production and Engineering from Berklee College of Music, lifelong dream achieved.

That journey, filled with obstacles, fufillment, and learning from music royalty, isn’t one I’m ready to full unpack yet. Needless to say, it was a life-changing experience. But now I need some time to think, meditate on the lessons learned. I’ve got a lot of music to release in the interim, starting with my third Studio Arlen album HaTtr3ck, which will be coming out by late summer.

After that, I’m going to release the pop EP I created for my Berklee Masters Thesis, a real fun and modern approach to my songwriting. I’m working with the visual artist now on the cover art. Then I have a back to roots album in the works; I am overflowing with material and ideas, as always.

Berklee has given me the gift of more confidence in what I’m doing, and that means I can release more than I have in the past, comfortably.


Updates

Updates Feb. 2022

I enrolled in Berklee College of Music last year to pursue a Masters in Music Production. It’s been occupying much of time. Interestingly, it’s also been a time of immense output for me. I have three full albums in process: one that needs a good final mix, one that is awaiting mastering, and a third in development.

Two of these albums I plan to release under the new Studio Arlen name. For me, it’s a way to delineate my more theatrical/film score work from my folk songwriting. I’ll continue to release music under Jerry Arlen for my more personal albums. I’ll use the Studio Arlen name for less focused releases.

Each Jerry Arlen album takes me years of development honestly, it’s the cost of doing everything myself and I want to release more. So Studio Arlen is a perfect place, expect to see future iTunes, Spotify releases under that name.

Here’s a preview of a track off the first release for Studio Arlen: Dr1ve (PreMaster).


Jazz Evolution Broadcast

Season 4: Episode 2

This week takes a couple selections from Andy Mckee’s most recent release Symbol, as well as the Deluxe version of Jimmy Eat World’s Futures. While ten years old, the demo version of ‘Drugs or Me’ presents a fascinating alternative to the beautiful track from the pop rockers.

We start with Andy’s cover of Streets of Whiterun a classic score from the video game Skyrim by Jeremy Soule that is perhaps one of the most celebrated game scores of the 2000’s. From here we dip into fast paced Jazz with some Wooten and then the joyful ramble of the Oscar Peterson Trio’s Almost Like Being In Love.

Promises by Beach Bunny was one of my favorite tracks of last year, bringing a garage band intensity I think is fair to pair with Rough Draft, an early-2000’s acoustic track by Yellowcard. From here we break the acoustic momentum with a bit of Atmosphere’s Love Each Other, guaranteed to hook itself in your mind for hours after. Black Frost continues our smooth momentum and Mingus’s B.S (itself a repurpose of the Hatian Fight Song off ‘The Clown’) brings in such a necessary swing for the morning.

Our next three tracks are smashed together for pace. We move from the Killers excellent 2018 hit The Man, an electric soundstorm, to the smooth, controlled, but no less fast-paced Finesse. This gets us nice and exhausted, in a good place for the Drugs or Me (Demo). This track is going to dip us into a more emotional, beautiful place.



I choose to follow this with another cover track from ‘Symbol’: Purple Rain. This is a fascinating and intimate cover, one that focuses more on tone and emotionality from McKee, an artist known for his technical mastery. Heavy Heart from talented Michigan-based Clarinetist Dave Bennet off his excellent ‘Blood Moon’ takes us towards the close and we end on a triumphant note. From the ‘My Hero Academia’ soundtrack You Say Run, which by my ears is perhaps one of the greatest scores written for a TV show.

Tune in next week, on WCBN-FM 88.3 or right here on StudioArlen.com