Re-made Appalachian folk tales for Narrator, Chamber Ensemble, and original animation ala Peter and the Wolf.

(as told by Meemaw and Pawpaw and Them)
By J. William Adkins
Narrated by: Michael Bishop

Pammanottus: Fawn Hendricks
Melvin: Michael Bishop
James: Ronald Houchins
Flute: Kelly Sulick
Violin: Daniel Sender
Viola:Ayn Balija
Cello: Adam Carter
Piano: John Mayhood
Percussion: I-Jen Fang

About the Project:

I have recomposed a collection of existing Appalachian stories that have been passed down via oral tradition. My reworking incorporates diverse influences from multi-cultural sources ranging from the the writings of Kenji Miyazawa and Pu Songling to Gabriel García Márquez and Breece D’J Pancake.

About the Music:

Musically, it may be easiest to think of Strange Tales as a contemporary “musical drama”, whose predecessors include Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Stravinsky’s L’histoire du soldat. The compositional style employed in Strange Tales was inspired by the traditional Appalachian music I grew up with, as well as music by Toru Takemitsu, Charles Ives, Igor Stravinsky, andBéla Bartók. My musical style is best described as “George Crumb meets George Jones“.

Strange Tales from Appalachia: Pammanottus

Excerpt from Strange Tales from Appalachia - Pammanottus, by j.w. Adkins

Noctourne from Pammanottus

GWAR-chestra excerpt

Happy-montage

Behold! The Destroyers!

2015 Virginia Film Fest

Track for a Misery Brothers commercial for Texas Beach Bloody Mary. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JniR6oK7kcQ

Tomatoface!

Track for the Virginia Film Festival's theatrical trailer, 2016

Virginia Film Festival 2016

Track for The Autry Museum of the American West short film about Pomo Indian artist Mabel McKay. 

- Directed by Melanie Mandl
- j. Adkins, composer/guitar
- Adam Carter, cello

Recorded by Butch Taylor at Ravensworth Studios in Scottsville Virginia.

The Story of Mabel McKay

Orchestral arrangement/variation of "War on GWAR," a track from their new album. This track is part of GWAR's live show.

War on GWAR

Virginia Film Fest 2017

Composer of concert and media works. Co-founder of The Misery Brothers production company with Michael Bishop of GWAR, Melanie Mandl, Justin Laughter, and John Bryan. PhD in Music Composition from the University of Virginia

-Interests: Appalachian Folktales, Asian Literature, Film and TV Music

j.w. Adkins, Composer

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