Scoring a a gangster film can be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, there are many brilliant scores to draw upon - Howard Shore's The Departed, Jerry Goldsmith's LA Confidential, and Ennio Morricone's The Untouchables, to name a few. On the other hand, I knew the score to Chicago Overcoat had to both serve the unique needs of the film and, if possible, cover some new creative ground. Fortunately, Chicago Overcoat is as much a morality tale as it is a gangster film, and it was in Lou's double life that the director (Brian Caunter) and I found inspiration. Typically, a character has only one theme associated with him, but we decided that Lou would actually have two themes to help emphasize the conflict Lou felt between his work as a hit man and his love for his family. The meandering solo trumpet theme represents Lou's darker side. The trumpet's lonely, cold, and mournful music can be heard whenever Lou is "on the job." Electric and acoustic guitars represent Lou's warmer side, and are heard when Lou is interacting or thinking about his family. The two elements come together in the track "Lou Says Goodbye" and represent Lou's self actualization as a character. I knew Buddy Guy and other Chicago blues artists would be a big part of the soundtrack, and wanted the blues to play a part in the score as well. Beyond influencing the phrasing of the solo trumpet and harmonica players, the traditional I-IV-I-V-IV-I profession forms the basis of "Lou Gets a Piece" and "Stefano," as well as Ralph's theme (heard in "Loose Ends" and "A Good Cop"). I’d like to thank producer John Bosher and director Brian Caunter for entrusting me to provide the musical soul of the film as well as everyone else at Beverly Ridge Pictures. Credits Greg Nicolett, Composer and score producer Steve Mazur. solo guitar Derek Jones and Preston Shepard, Score Mixers Igor Nemirovsky, Daniel Chan, Brad Richie, orchestrators Recorded at Castle Oaks Studio