Scott Hackwith (born September 3, 1968) 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 o
Cassette Recordings
a Los Angeles & Reykjavik, Iceland based company specializing in creating original music for placement in films, documentaries, television shows and commercials. Hackwith has completed jobs for hundreds of major clients. Cassette Recordings with a composer collective in Los Angeles as well as in Iceland, represents some award-winning composers, and past associations have included

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United S ...

, Iggy Pop, and

Dave Jerden Dave Jerden is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with artists in various genres including alternative rock, punk rock and metal. However, Jerden has stated that he dislikes the term "producer", preferring to refer t ...

( 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 ''Virtuosity'' is a 1995 American science fiction action film directed by Brett Leonard and starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Howard W. Koch Jr. served as an executive producer for the film. The film was released in the United Stat ...

'', Adam Sandler's ''

Airheads ''Airheads'' is a 1994 American comedy film written by Rich Wilkes, directed by Michael Lehmann, and starring Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Ernie Hudson, Michael McKean, Judd Nelson, Michael Richards, Amy Locane and ...

'', the award-winning ''

Love & Sex ''Love & Sex'' is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Valerie Breiman. It stars Famke Janssen and Jon Favreau. Plot When her rather explicit article on oral sex is rejected, magazine journalist Kate Welles is told by her e ...

'', starring

Famke Janssen Famke Beumer Janssen (; born ) is a Dutch actress. She played Xenia Onatopp in '' GoldenEye'' (1995), Jean Grey / Phoenix in the ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2014), and Lenore Mills in the ''Taken'' film trilogy (2008–2014). In 2008, she ...

and Jon Favreau an
Love is the Drug
starring

John Patrick Amedori John Patrick Amedori is an American actor and musician. He is known for playing Gabe Mitchell in ''Dear White People''. Amedori appeared in the film '' The Vatican Tapes'' (2015). He has also appeared in a number of television shows, including ' ...

and

Lizzy Caplan Elizabeth Anne Caplan (born June 30, 1982) is an American actress. Her first acting role was on the television series ''Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000). She received wider recognition with roles in the films ''Mean Girls'' (2004) and ''Cloverfi ...

Career

Born September 3, 1968, in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

, Hackwith eventually re-located to Los Angeles where he divided his time between playing lead guitar for T.S.O.L., recording numerous home demos on a four track and landing a day job at

Propaganda Films Propaganda Films was an American music video and film production company founded in 1986 by producers Steve Golin and Sigurjón Sighvatsson and directors David Fincher, Nigel Dick, Dominic Sena and Greg Gold. By 1990, the company was prod ...

. Working behind the camera for acclaimed directors David Fincher (''

Fight Club ''Fight Club'' is a 1999 American film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter. It is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. Norton plays the unnamed narrator, who is d ...

'', '' The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)'',

Dominic Sena Dominic Sena (born April 26, 1949) is an American film director and music video director. As a film director, he is best known for directing the films '' Kalifornia'' (1993), '' Gone in 60 Seconds'' (2000), and ''Swordfish'' (2001). As a music ...

('' Gone in 60 Seconds'', '' Swordfish''), Michael Bay (''

Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms ...

'', ''

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...

'') and

Mark Romanek Mark Romanek (; born September 18, 1959) is an American filmmaker whose directing work includes feature films, television, music videos and commercials. Romanek wrote and directed the 2002 film ''One Hour Photo'' and directed the 2010 film '' Neve ...

(''

One Hour Photo ''One Hour Photo'' is a 2002 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Mark Romanek and starring Robin Williams, Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan, Gary Cole, and Eriq La Salle. The film was produced by Catch 23 Entertainment, Kil ...

''). 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, Dig, whose debut EP Runt was issued by

Caroline Records Caroline Records is a record label originally founded in 1973. Initially founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976, and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. ...

(home to Brian Eno,

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Ar ...

) and topped the influential

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

chart. After coming to the attention of record exec-manager

Gary Kurfirst Gary Kurfirst (8 July 1947 – 13 January 2009) was an American music promoter, producer, manager, publisher, and record label executive. Kurfirst founded Radioactive Records, whose acts included Live, Black Grape, Ramones, Big Audio Dynamite, ...

(

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

, Blondie), the band signed with MCA's

Radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is consi ...

imprint. Dig‘s "Believe" single enjoyed success on Billboard's Top 20 Chart

Billboard.com ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

and at MTV, who aired the Hackwith-directed "Believe" video on the network's Buzz Worthy program for months.John Bush, Digat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

As a producer

Dig played alongside the

Flaming Lips Flaming may refer to: * Anything set aflame or on fire * Flaming (Internet), the act of posting deliberately hostile messages on the Internet * Flame maple, the striped figures in maple woodwork prized for their beauty * Fläming, a region in ...

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...

and many others, which led to some lasting alliances. The most notable include Iggy Pop, with whom he frequently participated in after hours jams (Pop even featured Hackwith's vocals on his

Brick by Brick ''Brick by Brick'' is the ninth studio album by American singer Iggy Pop, released in June 1990 by Virgin Records. Production and content After attracting mixed reviews for much of his 1980s output, Pop hired producer Don Was, who was a long ...

album), and The Ramones, who chose Hackwith to produce their 1993

Acid Eaters ''Acid Eaters'' is the thirteenth studio album by American punk rock band Ramones. Released in 1993, towards the end of the Ramones' career, the album is the band's first and only album entirely composed of covers. ''Acid Eaters'' forms a mu ...

, which

Spin Magazine ''Spin'' (stylized in all caps) is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. Histor ...

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 ''Weird Tales of the Ramones'' is a box set compilation by American punk band the Ramones. It was released on August 16, 2005. There are 85 songs on 3 CDs, plus a DVD containing the feature "Lifestyles of the Ramones", a documentary featuring seve ...

''(2005) and ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' (2006). Hackwith's numerous production credits, apart from all of Dig's albums, include

Beachwood Sparks Beachwood Sparks are an American alternative country band from Los Angeles. An article in ''The Daily Telegraph'' on America's underground psychedelic pop scene described Beachwood Sparks as "country through a kaleidoscope". Biography The band ...

' acclaimed 2002 '' Make the Cowboy Robots Cry'' album (co-produced with

Jimmy Tamborello James Scott "Jimmy" Tamborello, also known by his stage name Dntel , is an American electronic music artist and DJ. Aside from his main solo project, Tamborello is also known as a member of the groups The Postal Service, Headset, and Figurine ...

), live albums by punk spearheads the Circle Jerks, Agent Orange, 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 Channel'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 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

hit “ I'll be There", and produced a re-mix for a State Farm Insurance commercial.

Record producer and engineer discography

* Andrew McKeag Band - self-titled (2017) *

Secret Agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

- Pedro Pistola Piñata Party (2017) * HORN - 06-16-16 (2016) * GospelbeacH - Pacific Surf Line (2015) * Spiritualized - Sweet Light Sweet Heart (2012) * For a Minor Reflection - Höldum í átt að óreiðu (2010) * Modern Cinema - Modern Cinema (2007) * Beandip - Dark Brown (2007) * Circle Jerks (2007) * Agent Orange (2007) * Modern Cinema - Do Yo Think I'm Sexy (2006) * Only Son - The Drop to the Top (2006) *

(2006) *

(2005) *

- The Best of The Ramones (2002) *

- Best of the Chrysalis Years (2002) *

- The Chrysalis Years (2002) *

- Make the Cowboy Robots Cry (2002) * Lost at Last - Lost at Last (2001) *

- Masters of Rock: Ramones (2001) *

- Ramones Mania Vol. 2 (2000) * Dig - Life Like (1999) * Dig - Defenders of the Universe (1996) * Dig - Whose Side You On? (1996) *

(1993) * Dig - Dig (Dig album), Dig (1993) * Dig - Runt EP (1992)

Career

Dig

As a producer

Composer

Record producer and engineer discography

References

External links