Composer & bassist Lord's musical output spans the rock, classical, jazz, pop, film, and experimental genres, and he has composed, produced, and arranged for a wide cross-section of instrumentation, including orchestra ("James Thresher Industries"), rock band ("The Elevator Chaser"), piano ("Kazak, The Hound Of Space"), string orchestra ("Creepin'"), and electronics ("Agah Eegah"). His music is largely
instrumental and generally eschews
song format, with some exceptions ("Bony Cleave", "Danny"). As a recording artist, Lord has appeared on over three dozen releases and won numerous awards for his work. Dreadnaught's
The American Standard (2001) was one of the best-reviewed
progressive rock releases of its year, and the decade-long retrospective
High Heat & Chin Music (2007) received a "Best Of NH 2007" award from
New Hampshire Magazine. As a bassist he has been noted for his crisp tone (achieved through frequent use of a
plectrum) and unusual bass lines.
Producer In 2002, while beginning preparations for what would become Dreadnaught's double-disc
Live At Mojo (Comet Records), Lord began composing and producing music for film and other media; his work includes music for "Flying Downhill", a documentary on
Olympic skier
Bode Miller, "Marilyn's Man", a
Marilyn Monroe documentary released by
Universal, "Wander", an award-winning short film which aired on
IFC, and the theme song for "The Exchange" from
New Hampshire Public Radio. Lord began producing for MMC Recordings in 2005 where he worked with
Richard Stoltzman,
Pixar/
Randy Newman orchestrator Jonathan Sacks, and company owner and composer/pianist
William Thomas McKinley among others, with credits on more than 30 releases over the next three years and recording with numerous orchestras, composers, ensembles, and players. In 2008, Lord launched PARMA Recordings, an audio production company, and Navona Records, a classical imprint. In 2009, PARMA acquired the classical label
Capstone Records and Big Round Records (previously owned by Congressman
Paul Hodes), and launched Ravello Records, an imprint dedicated to modern classical music. In 2011, PARMA acquired MMC Recordings and the boutique online publisher ThatNewMusicWebsite/ThatNewMusicLibrary. PARMA's releases include work by Pulitzer Prize winners
Lewis Spratlan and
Donald Martino,
New York Philharmonic concertmaster
Glenn Dicterow, former Congressman and
Orleans founder
John Hall, percussionist
Steve Gadd, the
London Symphony Orchestra, children's artist
Raffi, and jazz bassist
Eddie Gómez, violin and guitar ensemble Duo46 (music of John Carollo) among others. In 2011, Lord served as co-producer with
Pete Townshend of
The Who for Lawrence Ball's
Method Music, released in January 2012 on Navona Records. The album is a continuation of the concepts first explored in Townshend's
Lifehouse project and
Lifehouse Method website.
Performances Since its formation in 1996, Lord's primary performance vehicle has been Dreadnaught. The band began touring nationally in 2000 as a trio, performed in more than half of the U.S. states, and earned a reputation as a highly accomplished musical unit equally proficient in highly structured compositions and free-wheeling improvisation. With Dreadnaught, Lord has shared a stage with
John Entwistle (
The Who),
Tony Levin (
Peter Gabriel,
King Crimson),
NRBQ,
Jim Weider (
The Band),
California Guitar Trio, and the Young Dubliners. In 2005, the group began a prominent stint as house band for the
New Hampshire Public Radio series
Writers on a New England Stage at the Music Hall in
Portsmouth, where it has performed with
Stephen King,
Dan Brown,
Ken Burns,
Alan Alda,
John Updike,
Elmore Leonard,
Madeleine Albright, and
Mitch Albom, among others. The series has attracted international coverage and has been featured in press outlets such as
The Today Show and
Good Morning America. In 2011, Lord served as on-air host for the
NHPR/Music Hall live radio series
Live@TheLoft, which featured the artists
Buffalo Tom,
Stew (musician) & The Negro Problem,
Frazey Ford, and
Patty Larkin. == Credits ==