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Introduction
In his relatively short career, composer Shawn K. Clement's career trajectory has been fueled by undeniable talent, striking musicality and pure instincts. He has grown from an accomplished, respected guitarist and songwriter, to a successful composer with a distinct, recognizable style and sound.
Clement's music can best be described as compelling. His music is intense and deeply-layered, and contains potent melodies which evoke strong emotion. He possesses an exceptional talent for writing unforgettable themes and his versatility as a composer is unmatched.
Beginnings
Originally from Massachusetts, Clement was exposed to music at a very early age in his father’s music store, where local Massachusetts rock legends like Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, guitarist for Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers, and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, shopped and hung-out.
Clement pursued his love of music from the early age of 12 when he picked up the guitar and began his music career. “Playing music was all that I wanted to do. I played guitar day and night – nothing else mattered.” Unchallenged and bored with school curricular, he skipped classes just so he could hang out in the band room. “The band director would cover for me, as long as I wrote all of the arrangements for the Jazz Band.”
Clement competed in and won national guitar-playing competitions. During his school years, an under-age Clement started gigging regularly. He taught guitar lessons for 8 years, and conducted guitar clinics and seminars for colleges. Clement excelled academically and segued into composing when he studied at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Anxious to go out and pursue his future, in 1993 Clement first visited Los Angeles and joined a country band with a regular residency at the hottest club on the Sunset Strip, Roxbury. He played sessions with a diverse roster of musicians including Skunk Baxter, Don Johnson, Eddie Van Halen, B.B. King and Harry Dean Stanton. In 1994, he decided to live in Los Angeles full time. Arriving on January 17th -- the day of the Northridge earthquake -- he began his life in Los Angeles with nonstop writing, recording and performing.
Career
Clement began his work in film music in 1994. By 1995 he was writing music for Women: Stories of Passion, a series on Showtime that still airs today, and The Savage Dragon, an animated series for Universal, among others. In 1996 his life was forever changed when he signed on to score the first reality television franchise, World's Wildest Police Videos. World's Wildest Police Videos has consistently and continues to air in the United States and all over the world, and has generated a long line of work for Clement in the genre, including series and specials such as World's Scariest Police Chases, Avoiding The Moment of Impact (2&3) and When Good Pets Go Bad 1 & 2 (all for Fox Television); plus The World's Most Amazing Videos (NBC), The World's Most... series for Discovery Communications, and the World's Scariest Ghosts, hosted by James Coburn on ABC. In the huge volume of music written for these shows, Clement used the reality format to define a new musical genre that, for years now, has dominated primetime viewing. ASCAP presented Clement with a most impressive award – the prestigious “ASCAP 2000 Film and Television Award” for Most Performed Underscore, recognizing this accomplishment.
Although Clement dominates this notable niche, it's simply one facet to a multi-dimensional composer. His versatility can be seen in diverse projects in film, television and video games, across all genres. While the darker, intense side of music appeals to him the most, Clement’s extraordinary versatility takes him down every musical path imaginable.
Clement's credits include the acclaimed network series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, (1997-98) and the theatrical feature entitled A Fate Totally Worse Than Death, a Sid Sheinberg production recently released on DVD, starring Christopher Lloyd, Janet Leigh, Jonathan Brandis and Julie Benz. He enjoys composing for independent features like We Married Margo that debuted at the 2000 Slamdance film festival in Utah and won the Audience Favorite Award at the HBO/U.S. Comedy & Arts Festival, with a cast that includes Kevin Bacon, Cindy Crawford and Tom Arnold, and Erik Estrada, and Last Chance a film with Tracey Walter and Tim Thomerson, won Best Original Drama at its festival debut in April, 2000 in Houston, Texas at the World Fest. Further highlights in his career are two Batman projects for Warner Bros., each of which earned award nominations.
Clement's music has also been heard on television shows Entertainment Tonight, Extra Magazine, The Guiding Light, Ally McBeal, Donny and Marie, Married....With Children, Another World, The Maury Show, Wasteland, As the World Turns, Crime & Punishment, Ray Bradbury Theatre, The Heights and California Dreams.
In addition to scoring, Clement is one of the few composers who is also an accomplished songwriter. While composing for Buffy The Vampire Slayer he also createdsongs that have reached cult status.
Clement's sensibilities as a live player are one key to his artistry. "I take my first impulse and make it work when I compose," he says. "I grew up playing in bands, so I have the psychology of being able to play all night in different styles." “I've learned that music can't get in the way of what's going on -- music is another actor in the film; it creates an alternative form of dialogue that serves to reinforce the visual. That is the place that I write to – the point of artistry."
A mastery of musical gear has won Clement endorsements from Yamaha Guitars, Cakewalk Music Software, Garritan, Seymour Duncan, Dean Markley Strings, Rocktron, Lexicon, EMU, Frontier Design, Peavey and Nemesys. He has been featured in full-page ads in Mix, Keyboard, EQ and Recording magazines to promote gear for Frontier Designs.
In 2006 Clement was brought in on a state-of-the-art technology project, led by a partnership of Intel, Microsoft and Cakewalk. These industry giants worked together to create the 64-bit platform for the music products industry. Clement, selected for his complex, dense composing style, was asked to score a piece utilizing the new platform, to create music that shows the capability of this new technology for composing. “I was given a computer with limitless ability and was amazed by an environment where all creating generates from one place. The capability is inspiring and exciting – it was a tremendous project and I was honored to be a part of it,” says Clement.
Clement enjoys the diversity of scoring that his career has brought him. He has worked in virtually every genre, although he most enjoys composing dark, intense, deeply-layered music. Distinctly different than the majority of his contemporaries, Clement, like most of the great talents before him, has the ability to compose in all styles. He marvels at the genius of composers like Bernard Herrmann, John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Elliot Goldenthal, Danny Elfman and Ennio Morricone, as well as Led Zeppelin, Yes, Paul McCartney, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Bartok and Stravinsky, all significant influences in his world of music.
Clement has developed a confidence in his composing. Having artistically scored such a large volume of music has afforded him the opportunity to work with some of the most talented musicians in the world. In the fast-paced world of television and with the grandness of film, he continues to produce the highest quality score in any medium, in any genre. Clement is truly an exceptional talent.
For now, exploding into the world of features, dramatic television, and top-rated, theatrically-based video games, and with an enviable lock on the world of reality television, Clement continues to capitalize on his growing reputation for delivering exactly what producers and directors require: inspired music, imaginatively conceived, brilliantly performed and impeccably recorded. "I treat everything like a feature," concludes Clement, "I make it bigger than it is: it's exciting."
Personal
Shawn and his wife reside on a ranch just north of Los Angeles. The Ranch allows the Clements to practice their deep belief in protecting our environment. Environmentally-friendly programs have been instituted on the Ranch, such as recycling, composting, planting trees, reduction of waste, as well as organic gardening. The rugged, natural lifestyle they’ve chosen is a beautiful compliment to their love of music.
The Ranch is home to horses and dogs, all rescued from intolerable conditions and circumstances. These wonderful animals add greatly to the richness of life on the Ranch. The Ranch is also home to ‘free range’ chickens for egg production. Beyond their own animals, the Clements are devoted to participating in animal welfare and animal rights matters. In 2005 they helped with the intake of approximately 250 dogs that were rescued from Hurricane Katrina. With their extensive training by Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control, the Clements are certified as members of the team deployed for emergency evacuation of horses. During ‘fire season’ in Los Angeles County, the Clements must remain ready to be deployed to assist in the emergency evacuation of horses.
Shawn Clement has a lifelong passion for musical instruments of all kinds, but particularly vintage guitars. He has acquired an extensive, wonderful collection of vintage guitars over the years. He also enjoys collecting unusual instruments from around the world. Shawn often incorporates these instruments into his scores. To house his studio, Shawn has constructed a full-production recording facility which enables him to experience many gratifying and memorable moments in his world of scoring.
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