**Pre-release album**
Covers from a variety of eras and genres recorded live in studio (piano and voice). Genres range from jazz and pop to folk and rock.

COVER ME

Horror enthusiasts Jeannie Novak and Luis Levy review obscure, odd, and wholly original horror films that might not be getting the attention they deserve.

Producer & Editor: Jeannie Novak
℗ © 2024 Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy
All Rights Reserved.
Hosts: Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy
Producer & Editor: Jeannie Novak

EVIL ASTERISK PODCAST

Original solo piano improvisations were performed live by Jeannie Novak at Bakery Digital Sound & Vision (North Hollywood, CA) and engineered by Stacy Carson.

SYNCH (solo piano improvisation)

AFTERGLOW

Released during #CelebrationOfLifeMonth​, this song is about being born or "coming to life" metaphorically. (The song is also available on Spotify, YouTube Music, iTunes, Apple Music, Google Play, and more.) 

The instrumental version of this song is on my cinematic classical-jazz album, REIGN OF FIRE. Since the melody was so strong, I decided to write lyrics to it!

Music © 1993 Jeannie Novak [released as "Regulus (Arrival)" on the instrumental album, REIGN OF FIRE]

Sound Recording, Music & Lyrics ℗ © 2019 Jeannie Novak
Engineered by Sejo Navajas at 4th Street Recording Studio (Santa Monica, CA)

Arrival

SYNCH (project): Collection of nine solo piano improvisations synched to public domain footage. Although the music was recorded long before I curated the footage, both now seem to be inseparable :)

EQUILIBRIUM (music): Original solo piano improvisation performed live by Jeannie Novak at Bakery Sound + Vision (North Hollywood, CA) and engineered by Stacy Carson. The "rolling" motion of the improv fits well with the locomotion of the train; the music's peaceful moments also work nicely with the quiet beauty of the desert landscape and "equilibrium" photography of the desert flora at the end of the footage.

DESERT EMPIRE - 1948 - New Universal Pictures Commercial Department (footage): Railroad tour through the state of Utah with stops at several natural attractions, national monuments, and mineral resources. The footage begins with shots of a train moving through the environment and then transitions to a group exploring the natural landscape on horseback. Additional train footage appears throughout, but the film's final images show how resources such as water result in breathtaking desert flora.

** To get the full SYNCH experience, see the video on my YouTube channel at youtu.be/nAEGvA8RicY **

Music composed and performed by Jeannie Novak.
℗ © 2001 Jeannie Novak

equilibrium (piano)

Piano version of "Rotgut" -- one of eight horror-themed experimental keyboard pieces in the "saloon" tradition and part of the HORRORSHOW series (Ghost Town). Created for the Halloween maker community (parties, haunted houses, theme parks) and saloon music fans. Composed, recorded, and produced by Jeannie Novak in Santa Monica, California.

(c) (P) 2013 Jeannie Novak 
Image by Sigapo (Shutterstock.com); edited by Jeannie Novak.

rotgut (piano)

Piano version of "Carousel" -- one of eight horror-themed experimental keyboard pieces in the "circus" tradition and part of the HORRORSHOW series (Big Top). Created for the Halloween maker community (parties, haunted houses, theme parks) and circus music fans. Composed, recorded, and produced by Jeannie Novak in Santa Monica, California.

(c) (P) 2013 Jeannie Novak 
Image by Bruno Passigatti (Shutterstock.com); edited by Jeannie Novak.

carousel (piano)

Synth version of "Carousel" -- one of eight horror-themed experimental keyboard pieces in the "circus" tradition and part of the HORRORSHOW series (Big Top). Created for the Halloween maker community (parties, haunted houses, theme parks) and circus music fans. Composed, recorded, and produced by Jeannie Novak in Santa Monica, California.

(c) (P) 2013 Jeannie Novak 
Image by Bruno Passigatti (Shutterstock.com)

carousel (synth)

Synth version of "Grinder" -- one of eight horror-themed experimental keyboard pieces in the "circus" tradition and part of the HORRORSHOW series (Big Top). Created for the Halloween maker community (parties, haunted houses, theme parks) and circus music fans. Composed, recorded, and produced by Jeannie Novak in Santa Monica, California.

(c) (P) 2013 Jeannie Novak 
Image by Tshirt Designs (Shutterstock.com)

grinder (synth)

Synth version of "Clowncar" -- one of eight horror-themed experimental keyboard pieces in the "circus" tradition and part of the HORRORSHOW series (Big Top). Created for the Halloween maker community (parties, haunted houses, theme parks) and circus music fans. Composed, recorded, and produced by Jeannie Novak in Santa Monica, California.

(c) (P) 2013 Jeannie Novak 
Image by vonDUCK (Shutterstock.com)

clowncar (synth)

Synth version of "Fanfare" -- one of eight horror-themed experimental keyboard pieces in the "circus" tradition and part of the HORRORSHOW series (Big Top). Created for the Halloween maker community (parties, haunted houses, theme parks) and circus music fans. Composed, recorded, and produced by Jeannie Novak in Santa Monica, California.

(c) (P) 2013 Jeannie Novak 
Image by Jef Thompson (Shutterstock.com)

fanfare (synth)

Piano version of "Odditorium" -- one of eight horror-themed experimental keyboard pieces in the "circus" tradition and part of the HORRORSHOW series (Big Top). Created for the Halloween maker community (parties, haunted houses, theme parks) and circus music fans. Composed, recorded, and produced by Jeannie Novak in Santa Monica, California.
 
(c) (P) 2013 Jeannie Novak 
Image by Larissa Kulik (Shutterstock.com); edited by Jeannie Novak.

odditorium (piano)

Piano version of "Labyrinth" -- one of eight horror-themed experimental keyboard pieces in the "circus" tradition and part of the HORRORSHOW series (Big Top). Created for the Halloween maker community (parties, haunted houses, theme parks) and circus music fans. Composed, recorded, and produced by Jeannie Novak in Santa Monica, California.
 
(c) (P) 2013 Jeannie Novak 
Image by conrado (Shutterstock.com); edited by Jeannie Novak.

labyrinth (piano)

The Ghost in You [The Psychedelic Furs COVER]

Sister Golden Hair [America COVER]

Nothing to Lose [Claudine Longet COVER]

Losing My Mind [Liza Minnelli COVER]

Beth [Kiss COVER]

Backyard [Natasha Bedingfield COVER]

At Seventeen [Janis Ian COVER]

Alone Again (Naturally) [Gilbert O'Sullivan COVER]

Bad Liar [Imagine Dragons COVER]

SHELTER

Coming Home

Seeing Is Believing

Nightwalk

The Truth Hurts

My Very Best Friend

Outerworld

The Finish Line

Moving On

Star

Happy Now

Give Me My Heart

Stay With Me Now

They Say This Is Freedom

Trickster

Horror enthusiasts Jeannie Novak and Luis Levy review Kate Dolan's Irish folk horror drama, You Are Not My Mother (2021). EVIL ASTERISK PODCAST ℗ © 2024 Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy. All Rights Reserved. Intro Music: "Visitation (Synth)" © 2013 Jeannie Novak

//

ABOUT EVIL ASTERISK PODCAST: 
Horror enthusiasts Jeannie Novak and Luis Levy review obscure, odd, and wholly original horror films that might not be getting the attention they deserve.

Producer & Editor: Jeannie Novak
℗ © 2024 Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy
All Rights Reserved.

Hosts: Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy
Producer & Editor: Jeannie Novak

S1 E1 - You Are Not My Mother [EVIL*ASTERISK PODCAST]

Horror enthusiasts Jeannie Novak and Luis Levy review Robert Morgan's psychological horror film, Stopmotion (2023). EVIL ASTERISK PODCAST ℗ © 2024 Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy. All Rights Reserved. Intro Music: "Visitation (Synth)" © 2013 Jeannie Novak

//

ABOUT EVIL ASTERISK PODCAST: 
Horror enthusiasts Jeannie Novak and Luis Levy review obscure, odd, and wholly original horror films that might not be getting the attention they deserve.

Producer & Editor: Jeannie Novak
℗ © 2024 Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy
All Rights Reserved.

Hosts: Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy
Producer & Editor: Jeannie Novak

S1 E2: Stopmotion [EVIL*ASTERISK PODCAST]

Horror enthusiasts Jeannie Novak and Luis Levy review Ghostwatch (1992) – a groundbreaking BBC horror mockumentary that was presented as a "live" broadcast. EVIL ASTERISK PODCAST ℗ © 2024 Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy. All Rights Reserved. Intro Music: "Visitation (Synth)" © 2013 Jeannie Novak

//

ABOUT EVIL ASTERISK PODCAST: 
Horror enthusiasts Jeannie Novak and Luis Levy review obscure, odd, and wholly original horror films that might not be getting the attention they deserve.

Producer & Editor: Jeannie Novak
℗ © 2024 Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy
All Rights Reserved.

Hosts: Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy
Producer & Editor: Jeannie Novak

S1 E3 - Ghostwatch [EVIL ASTERISK PODCAST]

Horror enthusiasts Jeannie Novak and Luis Levy review Damian McCarthy's supernatural horror film, Oddity (2024). EVIL ASTERISK PODCAST ℗ © 2024 Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy. All Rights Reserved. Intro Music: "Visitation (Synth)" © 2013 Jeannie Novak

//

ABOUT EVIL ASTERISK PODCAST:
Horror enthusiasts Jeannie Novak and Luis Levy review obscure, odd, and wholly original horror films that might not be getting the attention they deserve.

Producer & Editor: Jeannie Novak
℗ © 2025 Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy
All Rights Reserved.

Hosts: Jeannie Novak & Luis Levy
Producer & Editor: Jeannie Novak

S1 E4 - Oddity [EVIL*ASTERISK PODCAST]

*Preview track from the upcoming project AFTERGLOW*

Live piano/vocal recording of "Frontier." The song is about a pilgrimage of sorts – an arduous journey that might or or might not be ultimately successful ... but the dream never dies.

Music & Lyrics ℗ © 2019 Jeannie Novak
Engineered by Sejo Navajas at 4th Street Recording Studio (Santa Monica, CA)

Afterglow

Frontier

Piano/vocal recording of "Diagonal Man" from my upcoming album, AFTERGLOW. Released in time for Valentine's Day, "Diagonal Man" is a quirky love song that's dedicated to my partner in crime!Music & Lyrics 

℗ © 2019 Jeannie Novak
Engineered by Sejo Navajas at 4th Street Recording Studio (Santa Monica, CA)

Diagonal Man

Deneb is a vertex of the Summer Triangle and the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus ("swan") -- signifying "grace." This star is located in the tail of Cygnus. "Passion" is the third piece in the Summer Suite from *Reign of Fire* -- and the seventh piece on the album. 

Engineered by Jimmy Street at Sunburst Studios (Culver City, CA). Mastered by Mark Waldrep at Pacific Coast Soundworks. 

Music composed and performed by Jeannie Novak.

(P)(C)1997 Jeannie Novak 
Novy Unlimited, Inc.

Image of the Cygnus constellation from Johannes Hevelius' 1690 star atlas, 
*Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia*

deneb (passion)

Piano/vocal recording of "Into the Night" from my upcoming album, DJINN. This song features themes of hope and repair – and it's also one of my original jazz songs.

The instrumental version of this song is on my cinematic classical-jazz album, REIGN OF FIRE. Since the melody was so strong, I decided to write lyrics to it a few months ago.

Music © 1993 Jeannie Novak [released as "Aldebaran (Night)" on the instrumental album, REIGN OF FIRE]

Sound Recording & Lyrics ℗ © 2019 Jeannie Novak
Engineered by Sejo Navajas at 4th Street Recording Studio (Santa Monica, CA)

Into The Night

SYNCH (project): Collection of nine solo piano improvisations synched to public domain footage. Although the music was recorded long before I curated the footage, both now seem to be inseparable :)

INTERLUDE (music): Original solo piano improvisation performed live by Jeannie Novak at Bakery Sound + Vision (North Hollywood, CA) and engineered by Stacy Carson. This was an improv based on a short film theme I composed called "Real." This piece seemed to work well with the nostalgia and innocence associated with a time where horses-and-riders, wagons, horse-drawn carriages, cable cars, motorcars, and daring pedestrians shared a busy thoroughfare -- Market Street in San Francisco before the fire of 1906. The music constantly builds, which also fits with the journey down this long street to its final destination (Embarcadero).

A TRIP DOWN MARKET STREET BEFORE THE FIRE - 1906 - Miles Brothers (footage):
This film pictures Market Street as seen from the front window of a moving cable car before the downtown area was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. This unusual record has been called the first ""structural film"" because it follows exactly the externally imposed structure of the car ride. Since the piece I chose was shorter than the original film (13 minutes), this version of the film begins as a "sightseeing car" passes through the frame. Highlights include: various young men and boys running back and forth--looking back at the camera; a lone, "proper" woman stepping into a cable car; wagons and speeding cars practically cutting off the cable car; a boy riding in the back of a small carriage/wagon peeking out from behind a tarp; a bearded man (who could have fit right in as a member of ZZ Top) standing at the Embarcadero entrance with his beard blowing in the wind; and finally, seeing the camera turn to look at "where it's been" at the end -- as kids excitedly jump and wave.

The four Miles brothers (Harry, Herbert, Joseph, and Earle C) were pioneers in American cinema. In 1902, they established one of the first motion picture exchanges in the United States. This film provides a rare view of the street before the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It was long thought to have been made in September 1905, after being dated as such by the Library of Congress based on the state of construction of several buildings. However, in 2009 and 2010, film historian David Kiehn, a co-founder of Niles Film Museum in Niles, California, a museum devoted to Essanay Studios, dated the film to the spring of 1906 from automobile registrations and weather records. Kiehn and eventually found promotional materials from the film's original release. The film was sent to New York City by train the night before the earthquake, which destroyed the Miles Brothers' studio where it had been kept. 

** To get the full SYNCH experience, see the video on my YouTube channel at http://youtu.be/u4ASVWynhx4 **

Music composed and performed by Jeannie Novak.
℗ © 2001 Jeannie Novak

interlude (piano)

SYNCH (project): Collection of nine solo piano improvisations synched to public domain footage. Although the music was recorded long before I curated the footage, both now seem to be inseparable :)

ILLUSION (music): Original solo piano improvisation performed live by Jeannie Novak at Bakery Sound + Vision (North Hollywood, CA) and engineered by Stacy Carson. This was an improv based on a short film theme I composed called "Virtue." I was surprised at how well the transitions and bookending in this footage worked with this piece -- bringing together the "magic" of special effects . . . and love.

BEHIND THE LENS - 1940 - Jam Handy Organization (footage):
This instructional (and promotional) film illustrates how scientific and special-purpose cinematography help reveal what would otherwise be invisible. The film reveals the inner workings of time-lapse (flowers blooming), slow-motion (little girl doing gymnastics), and Schlieren photography -- which magnifies heat waves and enables us to see the "warmth of a handshake and the smoke of a kiss." 

Henry Jamison "Jam" Handy was an Olympic breaststroke swimmer, water polo player, and leader in the field of commercial audio and visual communications. The Jam Handy Organization was hired by General Motors to product training and promotional films for Chevrolet. 

** To get the full SYNCH experience, see the video on my YouTube channel at http://youtu.be/y5KNP4Ic5DE **

Music composed and performed by Jeannie Novak.
℗ © 2001 Jeannie Novak

illusion (piano)

SYNCH (project): Collection of nine solo piano improvisations synched to public domain footage. Although the music was recorded long before I curated the footage, both now seem to be inseparable :)

ENTOURAGE (music): Original solo piano improvisation performed live by Jeannie Novak at Bakery Sound + Vision (North Hollywood, CA) and engineered by Stacy Carson. This was an improv based on a song I composed called "Parachute." The beginning of this footage in particular evoked an aerial ballet, which reminded me of the poem that inspired the song. 

FORMATIONS - 1936 - Jam Handy Organization (footage):
This instructional (and promotional) defensive driving film begins with graceful footage of planes performing in formation. It then transitions to an aerial view of cars navigating traffic -- and then introduces an "entourage" of four cars (one white, three black) that move in similar formation. The focus then turns to the white car -- illustrating the importance of being aware of surrounding vehicles -- then ends with the "entourage" re-forming and riding into the sunset together.

Henry Jamison "Jam" Handy was an Olympic breaststroke swimmer, water polo player, and leader in the field of commercial audio and visual communications. The Jam Handy Organization was hired by General Motors to product training and promotional films for Chevrolet. 

** To get the full SYNCH experience, see the video on my YouTube channel at http://youtu.be/jdugFXR4XZU **

Music composed and performed by Jeannie Novak.
℗ © 2001 Jeannie Novak

entourage (piano)

SYNCH (project): Collection of nine solo piano improvisations synched to public domain footage. Although the music was recorded long before I curated the footage, both now seem to be inseparable :)

FLIGHT (music): Original solo piano improvisation performed live by Jeannie Novak at Bakery Sound + Vision (North Hollywood, CA) and engineered by Stacy Carson. This was my "warm-up" piece during the session; it almost didn't become part of this project -- but the energetic, "hair-raising" footage seemed perfect for it.

HAIR-RAISING MOMENTS - 1929 - Pathe Exchange, Inc. (footage):
This collection of primarily stunt footage ranges from wild, closeup parachuting sequences to speeding motorboats, a lava-induced structural collapse, a graceful plane parachute -- and finally, a fatal attempt to break the land speed record by car (Stutz Black Hawk Special, piloted by Frank Lockhart) filmed on April 25, 1928.

** To get the full SYNCH experience, see the video on my YouTube channel at http://youtu.be/1-0X1wP6dCY **

Music composed and performed by Jeannie Novak.
℗ © 2001 Jeannie Novak

flight (piano)

Jeannie Novak is a singer, pianist, songwriter, composer, and performer based in Santa Monica, California.

Growing up in San Diego, Jeannie taught herself to read music at the age of 5 and began taking piano lessons three years later. She started her career as a professional composer and performer at age 12 – working as a piano accompanist and film composer. Eventually, Jeannie integrated voice with piano and began performing live as a solo artist at clubs and restaurants across town. After moving to the Los Angeles area, she also worked as a backup singer, studio musician, and stage performer.

Current music projects include AFTERGLOW (original vocal/piano songs ranging from folk to alternative), DJINN (original jazz, blues, and theatrical vocal/piano songs), OUT OF TIME (nostalgic retro originals), MAGIC HOUR (covers for the young at heart), COVER ME (variety of rock, pop, and alternative covers), and SNOW (holiday covers). She has also released MOONRISE (a collection of vocal/piano songs recorded live, accompanied by original photography), SYNCH (solo piano improvisations combined with historical public domain footage), REIGN OF FIRE (16 original cinematic classical pieces for solo piano), and HORRORSHOW (88 haunting synth, piano and ambient tracks).

jeannienovak

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