Being out of a band for the first time in many years gave Richard an opportunity to evaluate where he was at in his music career, or whether he really had a career at all. There had certainly been satisfying moments along the way, but somehow in the many endeavors to make an impact on the music world, he had precious little to show for it.
About this time technology was becoming accessible that would allow a single musician to create all the instrument parts played by a band or even an orchestra, all in the comfort of a home studio. Richard proceeded to follow this path, and took it a step further by setting aside songwriting in favor of instrumental composition. He entered the Film Scoring program at UCLA Extension where he was exposed to writing for real instruments. It was a liberating experience to be able to take the music in any direction without the logistical limitations of a four piece rock band.
With Film Scoring certificate in hand, the world was his oyster. Richard proceeded to build a recording studio in a converted photo studio that Bonita and he purchased as their new home in Hollywood. In between scoring micro-budget independent films, the studio attracted several clients who came in to do album projects. Richard continued to expand his skills as an engineer and producer.
Constantly investing in new recording technology and upgrading sound libraries, eventually allowed Richard to produce music that was competitive on any level. After a few trial runs, it was finally time to begin work on the long awaited magnum opus. And late one night while tweaking a mix on the molecular level, a sound was born that we shall call Cinematic Rock. And the rotund bald man was nowhere to be found.
