Original score from the 2024 comedy feature film directed by Chris Cottam, starring Paul Reiser, Colm Meaner and Jane Levy, produced by Maxfilms, released by Quiver Distribution (USA) and Kaleidoscope Entertainment (UK).

THE STORY: Two estranged cousins who never knew each other try to make amends for many generations of family dispute.

THE SCORE: “This score was quite unique for me because I had to do a deep dive into Irish music – a style and genre that I hadn’t explored before this film. Spent some time before I started scoring the film listening to lots of traditional artists and the traditional forms of the reels and the jigs, as well as the instruments that are often used in Irish music. I wanted to create a palette that combined Irish traditional instrumentation with orchestral elements – and have some of the instruments (like the Uileann pipes, whistles, Irish banjo, accordion, Irish bouzouki) play in ways that they don’t normally play – which is for the comedic leaning cues and scoring for the American/Irish blending of cultures that is dealt with in the film. On top of that I had an Irish friend of mine do some Irish vocalizing and rapping and whistling in some cues – as well as an Irish dancer (a wonderful dancer from Riverdance) – we mic’d her feet as she danced along to different cues that I had written and used the sound of that for a bunch of the percussion in the score. One of my favorite cues from the score is the cue called Irish Eyes – where we used the original recording of “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” (from the year 1916!!). We needed a cue that transported us from the older generations to the current times. We started with the original vocal of the great Irish tenor John McCormack from the 1916 recording and – through some very cool digital editing – slowly morphed the original accompaniment of the 1916 recording to a contemporary orchestra accompaniment that I recorded here in Los Angeles, creating the ‘old meets new’ feeling in the film.” – Steven Argila

THE COMPOSER: Steven Argila has experience working in every genre of the music business, including as a composer, songwriter, producer, arranger, music director, orchestrator and performer. A graduate of the Juilliard School, his classical training gives him the ability to work in a wide variety of styles, from lush orchestral scores to punk and everything in between. Steven has created scores and songs for every genre, from drama, comedy, and musical feature films (The Problem With People, Frontline, The Knife, The Grotto, Son of the South, Sylvie’s Love, Basmati Blues, Abe & Phil’s Last Poker Game, Lazy Eye, The Thing About My Folks, Mad Song) to documentaries (Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, Gilbert and George Day Tripping Again, Alive and Kicking), mocumentaries (Memron), anime and animation (High Guardian Spice, Monster High, Max Steel, Scooby Doo, Barbie), TV dramas and comedies (Mad About You, Belated, Wayne, There’s Johnny, 10 Items Or Less) video games (Metal Gear, The Quiet Man), as well as indie pop records, classical recordings, and musical theater. Steven composes, records, mixes, and produces his scores at Remo Music, his studio on the eastside of Los Angeles.

MMS24045  THE PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Music Composed by STEVEN ARGILA
Release date: November 8, 2024