Press release from Mason Jar Media:
American recording artist and composer Ben Lovett announces the exclusive release of his music video for “Don’t Freak Out” on The Huffington Post. The song was made in collaboration with legendary composer Van Dyke Parks and performed with the Asheville Symphony. Head over to The Huffington Post for the exclusive premiere – HERE
Lovett penned “Don’t Freak Out” with Parks in mind when asked to contribute a song to The Asheville Symphony Sessions, a compilation album featuring a select group of Asheville-based bands and artists paired with the city’s symphony orchestra. “I wrote ‘Don’t Freak Out’ to be sort of a trampoline for Van Dyke, I’ve been a fan of his arrangements for a long time and encouraged him to just go nuts with it,” says Lovett. The song, likable in the way of a familiar 60’s pop tune, features over 40 musicians including a children’s choir.
In regards to the video that generated from the recording of “Don’t Freak Out”, Lovett says there was never any intention of releasing it, but “the atmosphere in the studio was so kinetic that day. When I saw the footage I knew we had to cut something together to share with people.”
Perhaps most well known for his contributions to the music of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, Parks has long served as an inspiration for Lovett.
“Van Dyke has a unique and charismatic quality to his work that is very distinct,” Lovett explains. “It’s inspiring to any songwriter or composer, especially one like myself who’s trying to balance a career doing both,” Lovett explains.
Like Parks, Lovett finds himself comfortable at the helm of big arrangements, composing original scores for a number of successful feature films such as 2016’s sci-fi thriller “Synchronicity” which earned him a nomination for Discovery of the Year at this year’s World Soundtrack Awards in Europe. The score was nominated alongside blockbuster films including “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation”, “10 Cloverfield Lane” and “The Big Short”.
In contrast to the sunny, 60’s style pop of “Don’t Freak Out,” the soundtrack to “Synchronicity” is a mesmerizing landscape of retro-inspired sounds recalling the music of early 80’s science fiction films like Blade Runner. Lovett consulted with engineers at Moog Music, an Asheville-based company integral to the history and development of the modern synthesizer, to capture the iconic sounds of those early films.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized in the company of such accomplished composers, and to have created both “Don’t Freak Out” and “Synchronicity” in Asheville, with the support of the music community here, is especially satisfying.”
About Ben Lovett: Ben Lovett is a multi-hyphenate composer, songwriter, producer and performer whose work seems to cross every genre while remaining distinctly modern and untraditional. Based out of Asheville, North Carolina, Lovett has been the recipient of multiple awards and worldwide recognition for numerous collaborative musical and visual projects. Visit benlovett.com for more information.
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