From the Quad City Times -- February 2, 2006
Musicians combine forces for ‘Ness’ soundtrack
By David Burke
Individually, Quad-City musicians Mark Johnson and Scott Morschhauser had wanted to try to break into the world of scoring movies.
Working together, they got their chance.
Johnson, owner of Brass Sail Recording in Rock Island, and Morschhauser, leader of the local act The Metrolites, combined forces to create the soundtrack for “Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life.” A production of Muscatine, Iowa, author-filmmaker Max Allan Collins, it’s a movie version of the one-man stage show written by Collins.Johnson had been asked to write some music for the play, which premiered last summer in Des Moines. When Collins turned the play into a film, he asked for more.“He said, ‘I want wall-to-wall music,’” Johnson said.“Which is unusual for a film,” Morschhauser said.“The music has to be a character,” Johnson said of Collins’ instructions. “It has to support the different people he’s talking about, and give that identification sonically as well as what he’s saying. That was the biggest challenge of what it was.”He called on Morschhauser for some instrumentation on the soundtrack, and eventually the two became partners in the project.“That was like a present,” Morschhauser said. “Mark and I have the same aspirations, since The Metrolites are working on film music.”Seven musicians, including members of The Metrolites, the Josh Duffee Orchestra — including Duffee on drums and “Nervous Neal” Smith on saxophone — and even Nate Collins, Max’s son, contribute to the score.Although most of the soundtrack is instrumental, it closes with a Metrolites vocal song, “Ol’ Fascist Gal,” that will be on the group’s third album, to be released this summer. The Metrolites will play before and after a showing of the movie Friday night at the Rocket Theater, Rock Island.Much of the soundtrack is reminiscent of the 1950s “Untouchables” TV series, Johnson and Morschhauser said, with elements of Henry Mancini’s scores thrown in. The two worked together to match the scenes with the music. When they finished, Collins saw a rough cut and told them, “I’m glad my movie could illustrate your music.”“It was a compliment, but there was a slight problem there,” Johnson said.So he pulled back from the “wall-to-wall” concept, learning to stop the music for effect, Johnson said.Johnson and Morschhauser say they’ll work together on other movie projects, and have a line on a few films in the near future.“I always claim that film music is the new classical music,” Morschhauser said.David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com.ifyougoWhat: “Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life,” part of Max Allan Collins’ residency sponsored by Quad-City ArtsWhen: 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3Where: Rocket Theater, 224 19th St., Rock IslandHow much: $8Information: (309) 793-1213