Scott Hackwith
Encyclopedia
Scott Hackwith is an American composer-producer-musician whose career has progressed from work as a professional guitarist and singer to recording producer and scoring motion pictures. Currently, he is the owner-chief creative officer of Slogan Music & Mix, a Los Angeles based company specializing in creating original music for placement in films, documentaries, television shows and commercials.
Since launching the company in 2001, Hackwith has completed jobs for hundreds of major clients. Slogan also represents some award-winning composers, and past associations have included The Ramones, Iggy Pop
, and Dave Jerden
(Rolling Stones, Janes Addiction).
As a songwriter-composer, Hackwith has both contributed songs and written soundtracks to numerous feature films, including the Russell Crowe
-Denzel Washington
headlined Virtuosity
, Adam Sandler
's Airheads
, the award winning Love & Sex
, starring Famke Janssen
and John Favreau and Love is the Drug, starring John Patrick Amedori
and Lizzy Caplan
.
, Hackwith eventually re-located to Los Angeles where he divided his time between playing lead guitar for TSOL
, recording numerous home demos on a four track and landing a day job at Propaganda Films
. Working behind the camera for acclaimed directors David Fincher
(Fight Club, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
), Dominic Sena
(Gone in 60 Seconds, Swordfish), Michael Bay
(Transformers, Pearl Harbor
) and Mark Romanek
(One Hour Photo
). Hackwith's talent quickly propelled him from production assistant to serve as art director and production designer for their music videos and TV commercials. Nonetheless, music remained his primary interest and Hackwith reserved the evenings to either perform, write or record his original material.
, whose debut EP Runt was issued by Caroline Records
(home to Brian Eno
, Smashing Pumpkins) and topped the influential CMJ chart. After coming to the attention of record exec-manager Gary Kurfirst
(Talking Heads
, Blondie
), the band signed with MCA
's Radioactive
imprint. Dig‘s "Believe" single enjoyed success on Billboard
's Top 20 and at MTV
, who aired the Hackwith-directed "Believe" video on the network's Buzz Worthy program for months.
, with whom he frequently participated in after hours jams (Pop even featured Hackwith's vocals on his Brick by Brick
album), and The Ramones, who chose Hackwith to produce their 1993 Acid Eaters
, which Spin Magazine called "the best Ramones record made in a decade." He also produced the band's retrospective sets Ramones Mania Vol. 2
(2000), Masters of Rock
(2001), The Chrysalis Years
(2002), Best of the Chrysalis Years
(2002), The Best of The Ramones
(2004), Weird Tales of the Ramones
(2005) and Greatest Hits
(2006).
Hackwith's numerous production credits, apart from all of Dig's albums, include Beachwood Sparks
' acclaimed 2002 Make the Cowboy Robots Cry
album (co-produced with Jimmy Tamborello), live albums by punk spearheads the Circle Jerks
, Agent Orange
, and many more.
's Bone Detectives TV series and forthcoming documentary Raised in the Ring. Scott was recently entrusted with Motown's original multi-track tapes of the classic Jackson 5 hit “I'll be There", and produced a re-mix for a State Farm
Insurance commercial.
Since launching the company in 2001, Hackwith has completed jobs for hundreds of major clients. Slogan also represents some award-winning composers, and past associations have included The Ramones, Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, and Dave Jerden
Dave Jerden
Dave Jerden is an American record producer, engineer and mixer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock, punk rock and metal genres....
(Rolling Stones, Janes Addiction).
As a songwriter-composer, Hackwith has both contributed songs and written soundtracks to numerous feature films, including the Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a...
-Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
headlined Virtuosity
Virtuosity
Virtuosity is a 1995 techno-thriller film directed by Brett Leonard. The movie tells the story of a virtual villain's successful attempt to escape into the "real world". SID 6.7, the villain program portrayed by Russell Crowe, is eventually transplanted into an android body and escapes...
, Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
's Airheads
Airheads
Airheads is a 1994 American comedy film written by Rich Wilkes and directed by Michael Lehmann. It stars Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi and Adam Sandler as a band of loser musicians called "The Lone Rangers" who take a radio station hostage, just so that their song would get played on the radio...
, the award winning Love & Sex
Love & Sex
Love & Sex is a 2000 film written and directed by Valerie Breiman. A comedy-drama, it stars Famke Janssen and Jon Favreau.-Cast:*Kate Welles - Famke Janssen*Adam Levy - Jon Favreau*Eric - Noah Emmerich*Monique Steinbacher - Ann Magnuson...
, starring Famke Janssen
Famke Janssen
Famke Beumer Janssen is a Dutch actress and former fashion model. She is known for playing the villainous Bond girl Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye and Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men film series .- Early life and education :...
and John Favreau and Love is the Drug, starring John Patrick Amedori
John Patrick Amedori
John Patrick Amedori is an American actor and musician.His most notable role has been as the 13 year old Evan Treborn in The Butterfly Effect. He has also appeared in a number of TV shows, including Law & Order, Nip/Tuck, Joan of Arcadia and Ghost Whisperer. He also appeared in the movie Stick It...
and Lizzy Caplan
Lizzy Caplan
Elizabeth Anne "Lizzy" Caplan is an American actress. In film, she is best known for her roles as Janis Ian in Mean Girls, Marlena Diamond in Cloverfield, and April in Hot Tub Time Machine...
.
Career
Born September 3, 1968 in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, Hackwith eventually re-located to Los Angeles where he divided his time between playing lead guitar for TSOL
TSOL
TSOL is an American punk rock band which formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California. TSOL is short for True Sounds of Liberty although they are rarely referred to by their full name....
, recording numerous home demos on a four track and landing a day job at Propaganda Films
Propaganda Films
Propaganda Films was a prolific and successful music video and film production company founded in 1983 by producers Steve Golin and Sigurjón Sighvatsson and directors David Fincher, Nigel Dick, Greg Gold and Dominic Sena...
. Working behind the camera for acclaimed directors David Fincher
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
(Fight Club, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 American fantasy-drama film directed by David Fincher. The screenplay by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord is loosely based on the 1922 short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald...
), Dominic Sena
Dominic Sena
-Life and career:Sena was born in Niles, Ohio. He is of Italian-American heritage. His family hails from the town of Bagnoli Irpino, Avellino, Italy. As one of the founders of Propaganda Films, Sena worked primarily in music videos early in his career. Sena directed several of Janet Jackson's...
(Gone in 60 Seconds, Swordfish), Michael Bay
Michael Bay
Michael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing high-budget action films characterized by their fast edits, stylistic visuals and substantial practical special effects...
(Transformers, Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor (film)
Pearl Harbor is a 2001 American action drama war film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Randall Wallace, who wrote the screenplay...
) and Mark Romanek
Mark Romanek
Mark Romanek is an American filmmaker, whose directing work includes feature films, music videos and commercials.He wrote and directed the critically acclaimed 2002 film One Hour Photo starring Robin Williams...
(One Hour Photo
One Hour Photo
One Hour Photo is a 2002 American psychological thriller written and directed by Mark Romanek and starring Robin Williams. Fox Searchlight Pictures distributed the film in the United States. One Hour Photo also starred Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan, Gary Cole, and Eriq La Salle. Williams won a...
). Hackwith's talent quickly propelled him from production assistant to serve as art director and production designer for their music videos and TV commercials. Nonetheless, music remained his primary interest and Hackwith reserved the evenings to either perform, write or record his original material.
Dig
In 1991, Hackwith formed the heavy alternative/grunge rock band, DigDig (band)
-History:Dig formed in 1991 in Los Angeles; vocalist Scott Hackwith had previously produced for The Ramones, and guitarist Dix Denney had played with The Weirdos and Thelonious Monster. After releasing an EP in 1992, they signed with Radioactive Records and issued their first full-length in 1993,...
, whose debut EP Runt was issued by Caroline Records
Caroline Records
Caroline Records started out as a subsidiary of Richard Branson's Virgin Records label during the early to mid 1970s. The label originally specialized in putting out budget price LPs by mainly progressive rock and jazz artists generally not considered to have a great deal of 'mainstream' or...
(home to Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, Smashing Pumpkins) and topped the influential CMJ chart. After coming to the attention of record exec-manager Gary Kurfirst
Gary Kurfirst
Gary Kurfirst was an influential figure in late 20th and early 21st century pop music as a promoter, producer, manager, and record label executive.-Early years:...
(Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
, Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
), the band signed with MCA
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
's Radioactive
Radioactive Records
Radioactive Records was an American record label. It was formed as a joint venture between talent manager Gary Kurfirst and MCA Records, and it is now out of business....
imprint. Dig‘s "Believe" single enjoyed success on Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
's Top 20 and at MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, who aired the Hackwith-directed "Believe" video on the network's Buzz Worthy program for months.
As a producer
Dig played alongside the Flaming Lips, The Ramones, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and many others, which led to some lasting alliances. The most notable include Iggy PopIggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, with whom he frequently participated in after hours jams (Pop even featured Hackwith's vocals on his Brick by Brick
Brick by Brick
Brick by Brick is an album released in June 1990 by the American singer Iggy Pop. After attracting mixed reviews for much of his 1980s output, Pop hired longtime Stooges fan Don Was as producer, who would later produce Avenue B, and opted for a hard-rock sound...
album), and The Ramones, who chose Hackwith to produce their 1993 Acid Eaters
Acid Eaters
Acid Eaters is the thirteenth studio album by the American punk band The Ramones.Recorded in 1993 , towards the end of the Ramones' career, the album is often set apart from other Ramones releases in that it is entirely composed of covers...
, which Spin Magazine called "the best Ramones record made in a decade." He also produced the band's retrospective sets Ramones Mania Vol. 2
Ramones Mania Vol. 2
Ramones Mania 2 is a compilation album by the Ramones that serves as a sequel to the band's first compilation album, Ramones Mania. It includes 25 Ramones songs, from the albums Brain Drain, Mondo Bizarro, Acid Eaters, ¡Adios Amigos!, and Greatest Hits Live...
(2000), Masters of Rock
Masters of Rock: Ramones
Masters of Rock: Ramones is a compilation album album by the Ramones released on EMI in 2001. It is made up of tracks from the five Ramones albums on Chrysalis Records, Brain Drain, Mondo Bizarro, Acid Eaters, ¡Adios Amigos!, and Loco Live.- Track listing :# "Pet Semetary"# "I Believe In Miracles"#...
(2001), The Chrysalis Years
The Chrysalis Years
The Chrysalis Years, is a three-disc compilation that includes all five of the Ramones albums on Chrysalis Records: Brain Drain, Mondo Bizarro, Acid Eaters, ¡Adios Amigos!, and Loco Live...
(2002), Best of the Chrysalis Years
Best of the Chrysalis Years
Best of the Chrysalis Years is a compilation album made up of tracks from the Ramones five albums on Chrysalis Records, Brain Drain, Mondo Bizarro, Acid Eaters, ¡Adios Amigos!, and Loco Live. It was released on May 28, 2002, by EMI International...
(2002), The Best of The Ramones
The Best of The Ramones
The Best of The Ramones is a re-release of the 2002 Ramones compilation album, Best of the Chrysalis Years, but with a new title, cover, and tracklisting...
(2004), Weird Tales of the Ramones
Weird Tales of the Ramones
Weird Tales of the Ramones is a compilation album by American punk band The Ramones. It was released on August 16, 2005. 85 songs are contained on 3 CDs, plus a DVD containing the feature "Lifestyles of the Ramones", a documentary featuring several of their music videos up to 1990 interspaced by...
(2005) and Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Ramones album)
Greatest Hits is a 2006 compilation album by the Ramones.- Track listing :All songs by Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone, Tommy Ramone except where indicated:#"Blitzkrieg Bop" – 2:14#"Beat on the Brat" – 2:31...
(2006).
Hackwith's numerous production credits, apart from all of Dig's albums, include Beachwood Sparks
Beachwood Sparks
Beachwood Sparks are an American alternative country band from Los Angeles. A Daily Telegraph article on America's underground psychedelic pop scene described Beachwood Sparks as "country through a kaleidoscope".-Biography:...
' acclaimed 2002 Make the Cowboy Robots Cry
Make The Cowboy Robots Cry
Make the Cowboy Robots Cry is an EP by American indie rock band Beachwood Sparks, released in 2002, which featured the return of drummer Jimi Hey.-Track listing:#"Drinkswater" – 7:12#"Hibernation" – 3:27#"Ponce de Leon Blues" – 6:55...
album (co-produced with Jimmy Tamborello), live albums by punk spearheads the Circle Jerks
Circle Jerks
The Circle Jerks are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Los Angeles, California. It was formed by Black Flag's original singer, Keith Morris, and future Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson. They were among the preeminent hardcore punk bands of the L.A. scene in the late 1970s.The band...
, Agent Orange
Agent Orange (band)
Agent Orange is an American punk rock band formed in Orange County, California in 1979. The band is one of the first to mix punk rock with surf music. They first gained attention with their song "Bloodstains" which they released on their own 7" E.P. An early demo of the song was presented to...
, and many more.
Composer
Hackwith subsequently became a full time composer for film and television. Along with work for commercial clients, Hackwith's 2009 credits include composing music for the Discovery ChannelDiscovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
's Bone Detectives TV series and forthcoming documentary Raised in the Ring. Scott was recently entrusted with Motown's original multi-track tapes of the classic Jackson 5 hit “I'll be There", and produced a re-mix for a State Farm
State farm
State farm can refer to:*Sovkhoz, a type of state-owned farm in the Soviet Union*Volkseigenes Gut, a type of state-owned farm in East Germany*Państwowe Gospodarstwo Rolne, a type of state-owned farm in People's Republic of Poland...
Insurance commercial.
Record Producer Discography
- For a Minor ReflectionFor a minor reflectionFor a Minor Reflection is a post-rock band from Reykjavík, Iceland. The band comprises four 20-year-olds. Their self-produced debut album Reistu þig við, sólin er komin á loft... featuring six songs lasting an hour in total, all recorded over a weekend in Iceland...
- Höldum í átt að óreiðu (2010) - Modern Cinema - Modern Cinema (2007)
- Beandip - Dark Brown (2007)
- Circle JerksCircle JerksThe Circle Jerks are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Los Angeles, California. It was formed by Black Flag's original singer, Keith Morris, and future Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson. They were among the preeminent hardcore punk bands of the L.A. scene in the late 1970s.The band...
(2007) - Agent OrangeAgent Orange (band)Agent Orange is an American punk rock band formed in Orange County, California in 1979. The band is one of the first to mix punk rock with surf music. They first gained attention with their song "Bloodstains" which they released on their own 7" E.P. An early demo of the song was presented to...
(2007) - Modern Cinema - Do Yo Think I'm Sexy (2006)
- Only Son - The Drop to the Top (2006)
- The Ramones - Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (Ramones album)Greatest Hits is a 2006 compilation album by the Ramones.- Track listing :All songs by Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone, Tommy Ramone except where indicated:#"Blitzkrieg Bop" – 2:14#"Beat on the Brat" – 2:31...
(2006) - The Ramones - Weird Tales of the RamonesWeird Tales of the RamonesWeird Tales of the Ramones is a compilation album by American punk band The Ramones. It was released on August 16, 2005. 85 songs are contained on 3 CDs, plus a DVD containing the feature "Lifestyles of the Ramones", a documentary featuring several of their music videos up to 1990 interspaced by...
(2005) - The Ramones - The Best of The RamonesThe Best of The RamonesThe Best of The Ramones is a re-release of the 2002 Ramones compilation album, Best of the Chrysalis Years, but with a new title, cover, and tracklisting...
(2002) - The Ramones - Best of the Chrysalis YearsBest of the Chrysalis YearsBest of the Chrysalis Years is a compilation album made up of tracks from the Ramones five albums on Chrysalis Records, Brain Drain, Mondo Bizarro, Acid Eaters, ¡Adios Amigos!, and Loco Live. It was released on May 28, 2002, by EMI International...
(2002) - The Ramones - The Chrysalis YearsThe Chrysalis YearsThe Chrysalis Years, is a three-disc compilation that includes all five of the Ramones albums on Chrysalis Records: Brain Drain, Mondo Bizarro, Acid Eaters, ¡Adios Amigos!, and Loco Live...
(2002) - Beachwood SparksBeachwood SparksBeachwood Sparks are an American alternative country band from Los Angeles. A Daily Telegraph article on America's underground psychedelic pop scene described Beachwood Sparks as "country through a kaleidoscope".-Biography:...
- Make the Cowboy Robots CryMake The Cowboy Robots CryMake the Cowboy Robots Cry is an EP by American indie rock band Beachwood Sparks, released in 2002, which featured the return of drummer Jimi Hey.-Track listing:#"Drinkswater" – 7:12#"Hibernation" – 3:27#"Ponce de Leon Blues" – 6:55...
(2002) - Lost at Last - Lost at Last (2001)
- The Ramones - Masters of RockMasters of RockMasters of Rock is a series of compilation albums issued by EMI Records in Europe. Each volume is by a different artist. Albums in the series include:*Masters of Rock , a compilation album of early Pink Floyd music; volume 1 of the series...
(2001) - The Ramones - Ramones Mania Vol. 2Ramones Mania Vol. 2Ramones Mania 2 is a compilation album by the Ramones that serves as a sequel to the band's first compilation album, Ramones Mania. It includes 25 Ramones songs, from the albums Brain Drain, Mondo Bizarro, Acid Eaters, ¡Adios Amigos!, and Greatest Hits Live...
(2000) - DigDig (band)-History:Dig formed in 1991 in Los Angeles; vocalist Scott Hackwith had previously produced for The Ramones, and guitarist Dix Denney had played with The Weirdos and Thelonious Monster. After releasing an EP in 1992, they signed with Radioactive Records and issued their first full-length in 1993,...
- Life Like (1999) - DigDig (band)-History:Dig formed in 1991 in Los Angeles; vocalist Scott Hackwith had previously produced for The Ramones, and guitarist Dix Denney had played with The Weirdos and Thelonious Monster. After releasing an EP in 1992, they signed with Radioactive Records and issued their first full-length in 1993,...
- Defenders of the Universe (1996) - DigDig (band)-History:Dig formed in 1991 in Los Angeles; vocalist Scott Hackwith had previously produced for The Ramones, and guitarist Dix Denney had played with The Weirdos and Thelonious Monster. After releasing an EP in 1992, they signed with Radioactive Records and issued their first full-length in 1993,...
- Whose Side You On? (1996) - The Ramones - Acid EatersAcid EatersAcid Eaters is the thirteenth studio album by the American punk band The Ramones.Recorded in 1993 , towards the end of the Ramones' career, the album is often set apart from other Ramones releases in that it is entirely composed of covers...
(1993) - DigDig (band)-History:Dig formed in 1991 in Los Angeles; vocalist Scott Hackwith had previously produced for The Ramones, and guitarist Dix Denney had played with The Weirdos and Thelonious Monster. After releasing an EP in 1992, they signed with Radioactive Records and issued their first full-length in 1993,...
- Dig (1993) - DigDig (band)-History:Dig formed in 1991 in Los Angeles; vocalist Scott Hackwith had previously produced for The Ramones, and guitarist Dix Denney had played with The Weirdos and Thelonious Monster. After releasing an EP in 1992, they signed with Radioactive Records and issued their first full-length in 1993,...
- Runt EP (1992)