User:CarvinKnowles

Carvin Knowles (born 30 September, 1963) is a composer, music producer and artist, perhaps best known for his music for the "Pie Scene" in Universal's "American Pie."

Early Life and Education

Knowles was born in Long Beach, California to a mixed ethnic, multicultural family of musicians. At the age of 6, his family moved to Oklahoma, where as a teenager he became involved in the New Orleans-Tradition Marching Brass Band, “The T-Connection,” playing funk and soul in a style that would eventually be banned as “indecent” in the city of where he lived.

Knowles took his BMA in Music Composition from the University of Oklahoma in 1988, where he studied Composition under Michael Hennagin and Early Music under Dr. Eugene Enrico. His post-graduate studies have included classes in orchestration under Emmy® Award Winner Thom Sharp and master classes with the great opera composer Gian Carlo Menotti.

Inspired by the movie scores of Bernard Herrman, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams, Knowles flew to Hollywood the week after his graduation to compose music for film. In the years of struggle before his first break, Carvin worked on his unfinished opera “The Dream King,” producing workshop performances and recordings.

Recordings

In 1997, Carvin began producing albums for Oglio Records, a label dedicated to preserving the music of the ’70s and ’80s. Carvin was a contributing writer for Oglio’s “Sex-O-Rama” series that included ’70s-style funk with wah-wah guitar grooves and too much bass. His production of “Porno-Style-Grooves” was so convincing that even his own mother believed that he was writing music for adult films. But despite the effect it had on Knowles' reputation, “Sex-O-Rama II” caught the attention of Paul Weitz, who directed “American Pie.”

After his music was used for the infamous Pie Scene in “American Pie,” thousands of fans insisted on attributing the music for every ’70s adult film ever made to him. The unwanted publicity has all but eclipsed an artist who’s career has included a complex and diverse variety of music that spans the gamut of independent films produced in Hollywood.

Soon after his small taste of independent film success, Knowles began focusing on the music that he loved. Funk, Electronica, Dub and World Music. For several years, he was a part of Los Angeles’ underground club scene, appearing “live” to play theremin (a kind of electronic instrument), or a variety of vintage Moog synthesizers or jazz trumpet or flute while the DJs kept the groove going.

Film Music

From the beginning of his film scoring career, Carvin has been regarded as the go-to guy for any job that seemed too difficult, strange or controversial for other composers. His his range has included Orchestral Score, Jazz, House, Jungle, Lounge, Dub, Breakbeat, Indie Rock, Blues, Ancient Music, World Music and, of course Funk. His first film score was for The Bogus Witch Project an extremely low budget "movie" made up of comedy sketches. He has contributed music to Diplomatic Seige, Strangers With Candy, and Cecil B. Demented. His love of controversy and his eclectic range led him to score Th!nkFilm’s important 2005 documentary “F*ck” which explored issues of Freedom of Speech during the George W. Bush administration.