STUDIO DIARY 003 • (3/6/26)
Paint slapped on canvas! Eli Kimaro visits Puzzle Tree Studio with her camera in hand! Plus, A Lot Like You music video!
To check out previous Studio Diary posts, visit my ‘archive’ page.
MARCH 06, 2026
After several weeks of pre-production, it’s exhilarating to be slapping bits of paint on the canvas for the score of the film Supermassive.
I’m grateful for all the time I've had to let ideas germinate. I’ve enjoyed exploring the various directions I can take our main theme. Originally written on piano in 6/8 time, I’ve found the piece to be extremely malleable.
Recently, I sketched a variation of the main theme to support a dramatic scene in reel four. I played the changes on piano in the high register, in 4/4 time, with a delicate, meandering melody. Me likey! Once picture is locked, I’ll track the cue for real and flesh it out with overdubs.
And I may have cracked the code on another important cue. I’ve decided to introduce an acoustic guitar-driven cue for the moment Darla enters the story. One of my 40+ ‘seeds’ kept landing under my fingers. And each time I returned to this little ditty, I suspected it may very well be the one to win this crucial moment in the film. Thanks to the chiming DADGAD tuning and a buoyant, carefree strum, it evokes the romance of the road.
So the other night, I listened to a couple of phone sketches of the idea against picture and was sold. I armed my control-room acoustic guitar mic—the Beyer m160—and recorded a sketch into my DAW to get a sense of my natural tempo for this piece.
I determined that it feels best at around 90 bpm. The temp track we’ve been living with is 80 bpm. I was curious how my new cue would feel at that tempo. It was horrible. Never mind that!
The temp track was “Never Learned (Film Version)”. While it won’t make the cut, it served its purpose, giving me a glimpse of how well a cue driven by acoustic guitar works for this moment in the film.
“Never Learned” began its life on my 2006 album, Under the Waves. That record turns twenty this year. You do the math! I’ll be celebrating the anniversary here on Love Songs Etc later this year. I’ve got some fun bits and bobs to share from that era. Stay tuned for that.
The ‘Film Version’ used as a temp track is the version I adapted for the score to the 2011 documentary A Lot Like You. For the album’s soundtrack release, director Eli Kimaro shot a ton of photos around my studio.
A Lot Like You’s editor, Eric Frith, skillfully crafted this music video for the film’s title track using Eli’s photos.
I’ve been using some of Eli’s shots from the ALLY soundtrack shoot as the images for my Studio Diary posts. She returned the other day to capture more images around Puzzle Tree Studio, including the one at the top of this post. Here it is without those pesky words and filter overlay.
I’ll be back in your inbox later with another installment of Studio Diary. Until then…
Peace & Love Songs,
Pete
PS: Today is Bandcamp Friday, where they waive the fee and 100% goes to the artist.
IN THE PUZZLE TREE RECORDS ONLINE STORE
Fade Away Blue • My latest full-length
Necktie Second (Deluxe) • 2xLP reissue of my 1994 debut
Plus old records, shirts, posters & a mug
• • •
LIVE & IN-PERSON
07/23-07/25 - Union, WA • Peace Love & Union Saltwater Songwriters Festival
You made me feel like I was in the audience with anxiety