Michael Sempert

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Michael Sempert
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Born1981 (age 42–43)
Boston, MA, U.S.A.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesMike Sempert
CitizenshipUnited States of America
Education
  • Peace & Justice
  • Jazz Composition
Alma mater
  • New England Conservatory
  • Tufts University
Occupation
  • Songwriter
  • Composer
Years active2013-present
Websitemichaelsempertmusic.com

Michael Sempert (born 1981; also known as Mike Sempert) is an American songwriter and composer for film and television. His film credits include the Nickelodeon TV movie Bixler High Private Eye and indie films A Room Full of Nothing[1], Sex Weather[2], Jaywalking, Homestate[3] and Roads to Olympia[4]. His songs have been used in the television shows Bloodline[5], Grey's Anatomy, Quantico and Gossip Girl[6]. Sempert is a graduate of Tufts University and New England Conservatory of Music where he majored in Peace & Justice Studies and Jazz Composition, respectively.[7]

Life and career

Early life

Sempert was born in Boston, MA and studied jazz and classical piano through childhood. His early influences include Talking Heads and Stevie Wonder[8] as well as the music of Thomas Mapfumo, Tom Petty, Squeeze and Weather Report.

Birds & batteries

After graduating from the double-degree program at Tufts and New England Conservatory in 2004, Sempert formed the band Birds & Batteries as the sole member and recorded an album of demos called Nature vs. Nature, which was eventually re-released as the album Selections from Nature vs. Nature[9] In 2005, Sempert moved to San Francisco and assembled a live band which included long-time members Brian Michelson (drums), Jill Heinke (bass) and Christopher Walsh (guitar). Birds & Batteries toured the United States extensively between 2007-2012 with festival performances at South By Southwest, Noise Pop, 35 Denton,, Mission Creek Festival, and Doe Bay Festival.[10] As songwriter, lead-singer and multi-instrumentalist, Sempert wrote and produced four albums and two EPs under the Birds & Batteries moniker, which received critical praise from NPR[11], The Fader[12] and Pitchfork who described their 2009 EP Up To No Good as "like a high-concept mashup... fusion of two of the slickest eras of pop production."[13]

The band's sound was a blend of electronic and organic elements; Sempert's voice was described by Daytrotter as "Tom Petty meets Randy Newman"[14] and "sweet, yet kind of bitter, and totally memorable."[15] The music of Birds and Batteries has been described as "difficult to categorize"[16] and the San Francisco Bay Guardian likened the band's sound to a "constantly evolving hybrid aesthetic... [that] contains robust, electronic toned folk-rock... experimenting with pastiche... that finds ways to craft strangely charming and captivating music."[17]

Solo career

In 2013, Sempert moved to Los Angeles and began scoring films and commercials.[18] He released his first solo album Mid Dream on the label Velvet Blue Music in 2014[19], which was described by the Bay Bridged music blog as "an absolute stunner"[20] and included the single "Finest Line,"[21] a song that was featured in the television show Defiance. In 2015, Sempert released an album of instrumental electronic music under the moniker Volcanic Legacy titled Uncanny Valley[22]. That same year he co-founded the commercial music house West Channel with fellow composer Peter Bayne.[23] Sempert released his second solo album Tend the Flame in 2016 which included the single "Distance," a song that was used in television shows Grey's Anatomy,[24] Quantico, Heartbeat and others. In the years following, Sempert scored the feature films Jaywalking, Sex Weather, Roads to Olympia, Bixler High Private Eye and the short films Stock[25], Dynamite[26], and A Seasonal Thing. In the summer of 2019, Sempert released his third solo album Reunion of Sparks.

Discography

Birds & Batteries Studio Albums[27]

  • Selections from Nature vs. Nature (2005) - LP
  • I'll Never Sleep Again (2007) - LP
  • Up to No Good (2009) - EP
  • Panorama (2010) - LP
  • Unfold (2011) - EP
  • Stray Light (20120) - LP

Solo studio albums

  • Mid Dream (2014) - LP[28]
  • Mid Dream Complete Sessions (2014) - LP
  • Tend the Flame (2016) - LP
  • Reunion of Sparks (2019) - LP

Volcanic legacy studio albums

  • Stray Light Remixes (2013) - EP
  • Uncanny Valley (2015) - LP

Filmography

Composer

  • A Seasonal Thing (2019) - Short
  • Roads to Olympia (2019)
  • A Room Full of Nothing (2019)
  • Bixler High Private Eye (2018) - TV Movie
  • Dynamite (2018) - Short
  • Stock (2018) - Short
  • Sex Weather (2018)
  • Jaywalking (2018)
  • Homestate (2016)
  • Hey (2015) - Short

Songwriter

  • Grey's Anatomy - S14 E12 (2018) "Distance"
  • The Fosters - S05 E13 (2018) "What I Want"
  • Kingdom - S03 E01 (2017) "The Weather"
  • Bloodline - S03 E08 (2017) "For A Long Long Time"
  • Quantico - S02 E15 (2017) "Distance"
  • Heartbeat - S01 E06 (2016) "Distance"
  • Stitchers - S02 E04 (2016) "Distance"
  • The Missing Girl - (2015) "Finest Line"
  • Revenge - S04 E18 (2018) "Mid Dream"
  • Defiance - S02 E07 (2014) "Finest Line"
  • Gossip Girl - S04 E09 (2010) "Lightning (UTNG Version)"

Commissioned Works

Chamber music

  • (2016)The Villain for Clarinet Choir (for B♭clarinet and bass clarinets)
  • (2013) Uncanny Valley (for three flutes and samples)
  • (2012) One Tree Catching Light (for three flutes and samples)

In the media

                       

References

  1. ↑ "'Princess of the Row' Wins Audience Award at Method Fest". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  2. ↑ "Sex Weather". NW Film Center. 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  3. ↑ Malin, Sean L.; 1:45PM; Oct. 17, Mon; 2016. "Austin Film Festival Film Review: Homestate". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2020-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ Olympia, Roads To; Movie, ContributorThe (2016-03-29). "'Roads To Olympia': A Film With Impact". HuffPost. Retrieved 2020-05-21. {{cite web}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  5. ↑ "Bloodline - S3E8 "Part 31" - Music and List of Songs". What-song. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  6. ↑ "Gossip Girl S4E9: The Witches of Bushwick". Tunefind.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ "Tufts Magazine Archive Online". news.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  8. ↑ Murphy, Tom (2011-03-30). "Michael Sempert of Birds & Batteries on Panorama and San Francisco". Westword. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  9. ↑ "Birds and Batteries: 'I'll Never Sleep Again'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  10. ↑ "Birds & Batteries Gigography, Tour History & Past Concerts – Songkick". www.songkick.com. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  11. ↑ "Birds and Batteries: 'I'll Never Sleep Again'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  12. ↑ "Birds & Batteries, "Sneaky Times" MP3". The FADER. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  13. ↑ Pitchfork.com, "Out in the Woods" by Birds & Batteries, retrieved 2020-01-09
  14. ↑ "Birds & Batteries - Daytrotter Session - Sep 30, 2010 - on NoiseTrade". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  15. ↑ "Get a Haircut in Birds and Batteries' New Video For 'Strange Kind of Mirror'". SF Weekly. 2011-03-03. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  16. ↑ Catlett, Stephanie (2011-03-25). "An Interview with Michael Sempert of Birds & Batteries". Little Village. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  17. ↑ "Meaning what?". San Francisco Bay Guardian Archive 1966–2014. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  18. ↑ "West Channel Music House". West Channel Music House. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  19. ↑ "From The Horse's Mouth: Mike Sempert on Mid Dream". Ghettoblaster Magazine. 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  20. ↑ Amable|April 15, Jody; Roll”, 2014|Comments Off on Mike Sempert releases “Oceans of Rock ‘n’ (2014-04-15). "Mike Sempert releases "Oceans of Rock 'n' Roll"". The Bay Bridged - San Francisco Bay Area Indie Music. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  21. ↑ Francisco, About Sjimon Gompers Sjimon Gompers is based in San; profile, his blog is Goldmine Sacks full (2014-04-30). "Mike Sempert, "Finest Line" - New Music". IMPOSE Magazine. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  22. ↑ Francisco, About Sjimon Gompers Sjimon Gompers is based in San; profile, his blog is Goldmine Sacks full (2015-03-27). "Week in Pop: ACTORS, Landshapes, Macajey, New God, Volcanic Legacy - Chatter". IMPOSE Magazine. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  23. ↑ "West Channel Music House". West Channel Music House. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  24. ↑ "Grey's Anatomy S14E12: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Music". Tunefind.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ↑ Kelly-Clyne, Luke (2018-12-11). "And You Thought You Knew Everything About Stock Photography". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  26. ↑ "Maceo Paisley | Tao of Maceo". Flaunt Magazine. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  27. ↑ "Birds & Batteries | Album Discography". All Music. Retrieved 2020-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ↑ "Mike Sempert Album Discography". All Music. Retrieved 2020-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links

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