Michael Sempert (born 1981), also known as Mike Sempert, is an American singer-songwriter and film/tv music composer based in Los Angeles, California.[1] He was signed to the record label Velvet Blue Music in 2014 and released his first solo album, Mid Dream, the same year.[2] Sempert has composed music or written songs for multiple films and television shows including Grey's Anatomy, Bloodline, A Room Full of Nothing and Bixler High Private Eye.[3][4] He is the founder of the San Francisco-based band Birds & Batteries.[5] Sempert's original compositions have been licensed by ABC, Netflix, NBC and others for use in their television shows.[6]
Michael Sempert | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Mike Sempert |
| Born | 1981 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock music Jazz Film score Electronic music |
| Occupation(s) | composer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, guitar, synthesizers, pedal steel guitar |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Velvet Blue Music |
| Website | michaelsempertmusic |
Biography
editEarly life and education
editSempert was born in 1981, in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended and graduated from Brookline High School in 1999. Sempert studied jazz and classical piano throughout his childhood.[7] In 2004, he graduated from Tufts University as well as New England Conservatory of Music where he majored in Peace and Justice Studies and Jazz Composition, respectively.[8] During his early years, Sempert was influenced by the music of Talking Heads, Stevie Wonder Thomas Mapfumo, Tom Petty, Squeeze and Weather Report.[7][9]
Career
editSempert started his professional music career in 2004. He formed the band, Birds & Batteries, as a sole member and recorded an album of demos called Nature vs. Nature. The demo collection was released as the album, Selections from Nature vs. Nature in 2005.[10]
In early 2005, Sempert moved to San Francisco where he expanded Birds & Batteries and assembled a four-member performing band which included Brian Michelson (drums), Jill Heinke (bass) and Christopher Walsh (guitar).[11] As the songwriter, lead-singer and multi-instrumentalist, Sempert wrote and produced four albums and two EPs for Birds & Batteries which were released between 2005 and 2012.[12] During that time, the band toured United States extensively and performed at numerous festivals and concerts including South by Southwest, Noise Pop, 35 Denton, Mission Creek Festival, and Doe Bay Festival. The albums by Birds & Batteries were reviewed by NPR, The Fader, San Francisco Bay Guardian and Pitchfork.[13][14][15][12]
Sempert moved to Los Angeles in 2013 and began composing music for films, television shows and commercials.[16] He released his first solo album Mid Dream in 2014, on the label Velvet Blue Music.[citation needed] The single "Finest Line" from the album Mid Dream was featured in SyFy's television drama, Defiance in 2015. The same year, he released an album of instrumental electronic music under the moniker Volcanic Legacy titled Uncanny Valley. Sempert's second solo album, Tend the Flame, was released in 2016. The songs from the album were used in various television shows including Grey's Anatomy, Quantico, Heartbeat and Stitchers. Over the years, Sempert's compositions were featured in various television shows such as Kingdom, Bloodline, Gossip Girl and others. Between 2015 and 2019, Sempert composed music for the feature films Jaywalking, A Room Full of Nothing, Sex Weather, Roads to Olympia, Bixler High Private Eye and the short films Stock, Dynamite and A Seasonal Thing. His third solo album, Reunion of Sparks was released in early 2019.[17][18]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Grey's Anatomy | "Distance" |
| 2018 | The Fosters | "What I Want" |
| 2018 | Revenge | "Mid Dream" |
| 2017 | Kingdom | "The Weather" |
| 2017 | Bloodline | "For A Long Long Time" |
| 2017 | Quantico | "Distance" |
| 2016 | Heartbeat | "Distance" |
| 2016 | Stitchers | "Distance" |
| 2015 | The Missing Girl | "Finest Line" |
| 2018 | Revenge | "Mid Dream" |
| 2014 | Defiance | "Finest Line" |
| 2010 | Gossip Girl | "Lightning (UTNG Version)" |
| Year | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Love in Dangerous Times | Feature film |
| 2020 | The Kid Who Only Hit Homers | Television film |
| 2019 | A Seasonal Thing | Short film |
| 2019 | Roads to Olympia | Feature film |
| 2019 | A Room Full of Nothing | Feature film |
| 2018 | Bixler High Private Eye | Television film |
| 2018 | Dynamite | Short film |
| 2018 | Stock | Short film |
| 2018 | Sex Weather | Feature film |
| 2018 | Jaywalking | Feature film |
| 2018 | Homestate | Feature film |
| 2015 | Hey | Short film |
Discography
edit| Year | Album | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Selections from Nature vs. Nature | LP |
| 2007 | I'll Never Sleep Again | LP |
| 2009 | Up to No Good | EP |
| 2010 | Panorama | LP |
| 2011 | Unfold | EP |
| 2012 | Stray Light | LP |
| Year | Album | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Mid Dream | LP |
| 2014 | Mid Dream Complete Sessions | LP |
| 2016 | Tend the Flame | LP |
| 2019 | Reunion of Sparks' | LP |
| Year | Album | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Stray Light Remixes | EP |
| 2015 | Uncanny Valley | LP |
References
edit- ^ "Good Morning Young artists and Ms.Metronome". ted.com. TED (conference). Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ "Mike Sempert". velvetbluemusic.com. Velvet Blue Music. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ "Bloodline – S3E8 "Part 31" – Music and List of Songs". Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ "Grey's Anatomy S14E12: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Music". Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ Catlett, Stephanie (March 25, 2011). "An Interview with Michael Sempert of Birds & Batteries". littlevillagemag.com. Little Village. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ "Michael Sempert – crew A Room full of Nothing". aroomfullofnothingmovie.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Mike Sempert of Birds & Batteries (1995–1999)". theowlmag.com. The Owl Mag. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ "Tufts Magazine Archive Online". news.tufts.edu. Tufts University. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ Murphy, Tom (March 30, 2011). "Michael Sempert of Birds & Batteries on Panorama and San Francisco". westword.com. Westword. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ Mason, Stewart. "Selections from Nature vs. Nature – AllMusic Review by Stewart Mason". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ "Birds & Batteries Daytrotter Session". pastemagazine.com. Paste. September 30, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Meaning what?". San Francisco Bay Guardian Archive 1966–2014. San Francisco Bay Guardian. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ Young, Susannah (November 3, 2009). "Out in the Woods". pitchfork.com. Pitchfork. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ "Birds and Batteries: 'I'll Never Sleep Again'". npr.org. NPR. September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ "Birds & Batteries, "Sneaky Times"". thefader.com. The Fader. November 2, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ Thompson, Alex (April 12, 2016). "5 SF-to-LA Transplants Reveal What They Miss Most About the Bay Area". 7x7.com. 7x7. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Mike Sempert Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Michael Sempert – Filmography". IMDb. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ "Birds & Batteries – Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2020.