Project
Railsplitter Pictures teamed up with the History Channel to create Beyond Skinwalker Ranch.
The History Channel’s Beyond Skinwalker Ranch follows an Ex-CIA agent, an Investigative Journalist and a bunch of bad ass paranormal experts on the trail of “High Strangeness,” a term coined by Ufologist Josef Hynek in the 1970s to mean inexplicable, otherworldly occurrences.
“High Strangeness” is just about the most intriguing phrase out there, so you can imagine our excitement when our friend, Matt Ginsburg, Beyond Skinwalker’s EP, asked if we would help with the show. (Sidenote: Matt was previously was Flavorlab’s very first customer twenty-five years ago!) His ask? A theme song, original music throughout the episodes and the use of our catalogue. We couldn’t wait to get started!
Process
The show needed a weird western vibe to slip under the visuals of orbs, disappearances and UFO sightings. We had to keep the tension and intrigue high and marry an alien-evoking vibe with a western twang. David Carr, the director, wanted lots of machine -like sounds: Geiger counter zapping, electric meters clicking, gears turning. That needed to be a layer, too. The challenge was to twist all of it into the score.
Finding the raw sounds was a blast. Because we both wish we could’ve recorded those early sessions of us discovering which objects we found around the studio made sounds that could accompany footage of unexplained cow mutilations. Of course, cow bells were involved. If you listen really carefully, you’ll hear them.
SWEET SPOT
This job was right in our sweet spot. We always love working with old friends (Matt) and making new ones (David, Juan and Emily) while we’re at it. Both of us are grateful for how varied our projects have been over the years. The genres are always changing. The variation of the jobs and our friendship makes our work feels like play. It’s like we’re still sixteen, making music in our parents’ garage together. (Except that we have to pay taxes.) Can’t wait to see what project comes along next. Finally we’ll keep you posted.