Guitarist Nili Brosh
Guitarist Nili Brosh on Working with Danny Elfman
Israeli Guitarist Nili Brosh had already logged some thrilling career highlights—joining Tony MacAlpine's band, a starring role in Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson ONE, and guest spots with Andy Timmons, Guthrie Govan, Jennifer Batten, and others—when she received a call to audition for film composer and Oingo Boingo mastermind, Danny Elfman. The plan was to put a band together to perform at Coachella 2020, but the world-wide pandemic had its own agenda and the festival was cancelled, along with pretty much every music event that year.
Happily, in this case, the show went on—albeit differently—and Brosh was invited to join Elfman in the studio to record his music, including his recent single, "Happy."
"'Happy' was a song I had played in our brief pre-Coachella rehearsal time, so I had a good idea of what I needed to do coming into the studio," says Brosh. "The [musical] parts were already there, and I just had to give Danny a couple of solid performances. Of course, with the COVID restrictions, recording safely meant that every band member came in to play their parts individually, rather than have us record as a group. Selfishly, I liked that, because I find a one-on-one recording process with the writer easier. I could very specifically focus on what Danny needed from me."
For any musician, the experience of working for Elfman must be profound, as he has had a stellar and distinguished career as a composer for film (Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas), television (The Simpsons, Desperate Housewives), animated series (Batman, Beetlejuice), stage (Twyla Tharp's Rabbit and Rogue, Cirque du Soleil's Iris), advertising (Nike, Lincoln-Mercury), amusement parks (Hong Kong Disneyland's Mystic Manor), and orchestra (Serenada Schizophrana, "Eleven Eleven").
"Playing for Danny is definitely full of self-pinching moments," says Brosh. "But it's also a very comfortable atmosphere. He and his team have so much experience, and they know how to operate smoothly, so it really makes for a stress-free environment. In addition, I have been a fan of his for a long time, and the more familiar I am with an artist, the more natural it feels when I have to learn their music. I know this may sound cheesy, but it's true—being in Danny's band feels like home."
That Brosh is comfortable in a situation where she is performing for a multi-instrumentalist who can envision, notate, and/or play just about anything himself is a tribute to her work ethic and confidence. For a lot of professional musicians, looking over at Elfman might elicit a tiny bit of angst about making the boss happy.
"What helps me is I think Danny appreciates that I can pick up and interpret any new idea or part he comes up with quickly, and play whatever he needs in that moment," explains Brosh. "There are rearrangements of parts and edits happening all the time when he works, so he likes that I can adapt."
Apparently, one awesome gig wasn't enough for Brosh in 2020. There was more in store. Instrumental guitar superstar Joe Satriani asked her to reinterpret his song "Searching" for Stripped x Three—an album of Satriani's backing tracks where he summoned a group of incredible guitarists, including Phil Campbell (Motorhead), Steve Vai, Sammy Hagar, and Phil Collen (Def Leppard), to replace his original melodies with their own.
"The assignment was to jam my own version of any 90 seconds of 'Searching,'" says Brosh. "I listened to the backing track a bunch, and I picked out the sections where I heard new ideas. Joe said I had free rein to do whatever I wanted, so I decided to make his verse part into an improvised solo that leads up to a new chorus melody I created."
Perhaps even hipper than getting the call to contribute to the project, Satriani himself lauded Brosh's rethink, stating, "It’s so cool to hear Nili improvise in such an expressive, haunting way."
Of course, no musician thinks about last year without acknowledging the wreckage the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed upon the music industry. For many, livelihoods were damaged almost beyond repair, and even those lucky enough to retain some income had to pivot and strategize options for earning a wage from their music.
"Much like everyone else, this year hasn't been easy for me," says Brosh. "Having like-minded musician friends in my life has been helpful, as those friendships have kept my chin up during a dark time. I also try to look at the positives we've gained—especially the virtual ways of performing and getting content out there. Fortunately, I'm used to working from home, because that's how I've always done my Skype lessons, make records in my home studio, and practice. It has never been quite as isolated or as full-time as it is now, but I feel like I've had years of training to lead me up to the ultimate challenge of the industry lockdown. Additionally, I believe that adversity does tend to make for great art, and we won't know yet how all of this may inspire some glorious new work."
By Michael Molenda
