Amos Cochran

Musician of the Week

Instruments: Bass, piano, guitar, laptop and loads of effects.

Day jobs: Substitute teacher

First performance: My friend Matt Jones and I played at Arsaga’s on Crossover. We played about five Dave Matthews Band songs and had a lot of fun.

Favorite performance: Playing with my idols Steve Kimock and Reed Mathis was my favorite, but playing with your buddies is where it’s at; such as the String Theory New Year’s Eve show at Benson’s, 2005, and all of the Cecil the Cat shows at The Five Squirrels.

What bands have you been in?: Thomas Grey Band, Cecil the Cat, String Theory, Hump Back Jack, Mountain of Venus. Also played with Eoff Brothers, Solomon’s Vine, Minkus Finkus, Grandpa’s Goodtime Fandango for a few shows.

Type of music: Electroclassical, improv, rock, jazz

Originals or covers?: Mainly originals. Covers of Zeppelin, Radiohead and Michael Jackson

Sounds like: Johnny Greenwood and Reed Mathis ran through a loop sampler

Songwriter’s muse: The sky and sound

Influences: The Beatles, Radiohead, No Doubt, Stravinsky, Wilco, Sigur Ros, Coltrane, Jon Hopkins, Coldplay, Alexandre Desplat, Reed Mathis, JFJO, The Bad Plus, Philip Glass …

Accomplishments: I just finished the score for a short film called “Vise” out in Los Angeles. My first piece for a concert band, “Water Balloons” will be premiered in May. The Fort Smith Community Band will play it at a free concert at 3 p.m. SundayMay 16 at Ramsey Junior High School auditorium. Before the world of composing, I won, with the bands I was in, 10-plus awards at various awards shows in NWA.

What kind of crowd do you draw: The kind that enjoys the experience of music.

Any albums: “String Theory,” “The Red Eye Home” and “Cecil the Cat: Paper Bag.” I hope to release a compilation of solo works in the fall.

Backstage ritual: Putting on a new pair of socks.

Funniest or strangest thing that ever happened during a performance: “C’est La Vie” by String Theory being sung in a strange mix of German and angry.

Plans: Composing more for classical-type ensembles and scoring films.

Goals: Score a feature-length film and having more written works performed.

New Projects: Writing music for the web series “Law Firm” that will start filming this summer in New Jersey.

If you could open for anyone, who would it be?: Radiohead

Last CD purchased: Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck “IRM”

Most played song on your iPod?: “Silence is the Question” by the Bad Plus.

Website: www.amoscochran.com

Upcoming shows and tours:

May 14 at George’s with Cecil the Cat

May 15 at Ramsey Junior High School Auditorium, the premiere of “Water Balloons”

July 31 at George’s with Mountain of Venus and Friends featuring Melvin Seals