Michael C Hall and an evening of Dexter music

On June 10, Angel and I got all fancy and headed to a concert at the Largo to see the fabulous composer, Daniel Licht. Licht is currently the composer for the showtime series, Dexter, though his resume is quite extensive. I have been a fan of Dexter for several years now, and for any of you who have not seen it I strongly encourage you to check it out. Well, after being a fan of the show for a couple years it wasn't until last summer at
San Diego Comic-Con, that I learned who about Daniel Licht. I was fortunate enough to find myself in a panel concerning musical composition in TV series, and was immediately impressed with Licht.

The panel featured Licht as well as the crew from Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra and Falling Skies.

Until that moment, I never thought about how the music in a series is made, or inspired, or really what the music represents. I absolutely love movie soundtracks. I love how a well placed song has the ability to bring you back to a particular scene and draws out in you the emotions the characters are feeling. However, I never really considered this in a series.

One thing that caught my attention about Daniel Licht while he was discussing Dexter compositions was his mention of tools like saws and knives that he utilizes as instruments. Everyday equipment that Dexter uses becomes a potential instrument. Additionally, he also made reference to instruments a particular indigenous tribe allowed him to use that are actually made of human bones. Needless to say, I was really impressed. So when I found out he was performing at the Largo and tickets were only $30, I jumped at the opportunity to hear him live. The promise of Michael C. Hall being there to introduce the show was an added bonus.

The show was so great. Michael C. Hall was adorable when he came out and introduced Mr. Licht and credited him for the success of the show. Oh my gosh, I was like 5 feet from him, I totally would have jumped up and grabbed him if I didn't think that was totally inappropriate.

Licht had a full orchestra on stage with him as they went through a large collection of Dexter pieces, including the blood theme. Licht was amazing, jumping around one piece to the next, shuffling through instruments, swapping a pair of scissors for a piano and knives for glasses filled with water. He blew me away. One of the most mind blowing moments was when he played the xylophone with a couple of bows. I never knew you could play the xylophone with bows. The players in his orchestra were also insanely talented. I would like to purchase the recording of the show and listen to it over and over again, reliving the live moment through sound.

Grant it my musical exposure is limited, but I'd say the show is a close second to the Sufjan Stevens show I caught at Zellerbach in 2007. Oh my gosh, live orchestras are so amazing!!!

The other highlight was meeting him after the show and talking to him a bit about his music.

Of course, the music immediately conjured up scenes from the show and I am now giddy with excitement at the thought of what the next season will bring when it premieres in September.