My Life in Music: Discover Composer Todd Hannigan’s Memorable Ocean-Centric Sounds
Influenced by the likes of Nick Drake, Mark Knopfler, Robert Johnson, and Jimmy Hendrix, Todd spent years refining his own sound while playing the guitar until his fingers hurt in between catching waves with his friends.
It was these same friends he made while growing up in Ventura, California, that would ultimately change the direction of his life. Their early creative collaborations set Todd on the journey to becoming a composer dedicated to conveying the beauty, power, and precariousness of the ocean through music.
His work has been celebrated far and wide alongside being intrinsic components to films that have achieved cult status in the surfing scene.
To help get to know the 2013 Grammy winner (for his work on Big Easy Express) and the 11th Hour Racing Ambassador better, we sat down with Todd and asked him to take us on a musical trip down memory lane. Here are the stories behind his work in his own words:
This is where it all started (FUN FACT: this film with Jack Johnson is actually being re-released later in 2024 for the 25th anniversary). This reminds me of a very carefree time of my life without responsibility. I was a decent surfer, and life was good. I spent more of my days hanging out at the beach surfing with my friends.
Thicker Than Water, which is the name of the song I wrote and the title of the film, was the first thing I ever wrote for the screen. I started a guitar pattern, and these were the first words that came out. There was no lyric sheet, no writing the lyrics down; I sang it once, and that was the recording. All these years later, it’s probably the most meaningful song I’ve written about caring for the ocean. It doesn’t specifically say this, but when I listen back now, what I take from it is that if you go for the quick and easy compromises, it doesn’t really work out in the long run.
The film became a surfing classic, and the idea that people are moved by the song is really rewarding. It also helped me to continue to be able to do music as a job, which is a real blessing.
"Thicker Than Water, it’s probably the most meaningful song I’ve written about caring for the ocean."
I collaborated with Jack Johnson again on the soundtrack for this surfing film featuring Kelly Slater. If I’m being honest, at this stage I wasn’t really qualified to do it, but the team producing the film liked how I played the guitar. I wasn’t a composer (yet) - I was more like their friend who played music, so there was a lot of good fortune and luck about it.
It was such an enjoyable experience. Jack and I would each bring our ideas to the table and jam them together while recording. The result is that the music sounds like two guys having fun in a studio, which is exactly what we wanted.
I remember looking at the footage while we were writing, and I saw some of the most beautiful waves from around the world. Anytime you see images of the ocean, it’s always inspirational. I love the idea of looking at the footage and letting your body react to find the music that seems to fit.
What’s also interesting is that, unlike now, when music is instantly released digitally, back then the first time most people would hear it would be at film screenings in theaters. It was a big night out, and all the surfers in every town would gather to watch it, so you couldn’t escape the energy in the room. It felt like a dream to me as on the screen, you’d be watching amazing surfers in action when your song came on. It was a buzz!
To this day, this is one of the coolest scenes that I’ve ever got to score. It was a scene in the film where a young surfer named Britton Caillouette returned to the water for the first time after having his leg amputated. Britton was just a teenager when he was suddenly diagnosed with bone cancer, and his story shows that you can overcome adversity and get back in the ocean. It was very emotional, and the track I collaborated on with violinist Fernando Apodaca was called Triumph.
Britton is now a talented and successful Film Director alongside Chris Malloy, who directed Shelter at the creative film company Farm League. It’s cool that I’ve been able to collaborate with them both a bunch of times since this film.
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This Patagonia film shines a light on the life of professional surfer and environmental activist Ramón Navarro. It also explores his efforts to help protect the stunning Chilean coastline he was born onto. What Ramón has done and continues to do is inspiring.
Being able to help a filmmaker shed light on an important subject like this is not something I take lightly. I think of music as an honored partner on the journey of storytelling. You’re not seen, but you’re heard, and you’re felt. I’ve always felt very honored that a filmmaker would trust me enough to take their creation to the finish line.
"I think of music as an honored partner on the journey of storytelling."
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Another Patagonia film; this was the first film I did entirely from start to finish. I got to create it with five of my favorite musicians, and I wrote the whole soundtrack, which was 50 minutes of music. We each did a session together for about 30 minutes and formed the base of what would end up in the film.
I spend a lot of time thinking about the music I create, and I’ve been known to start dreaming about score, music, and sound. Sometimes, I’ll even get up in the middle of the night to record an idea!
I watched it again recently and it’s one of the best examples of stories and music that connects with the ocean. Every featured story is completely different, but they all lead back to the water and the power of the ocean to heal us and shape our lives.
The footage for this 11th Hour Racing project was so beautiful it made me want to create something special. It also made me want to get outside and care even more about the ocean and the environment. The inspiration for the music came from the footage, the images, the story, and what I thought it meant, what I thought was going through the mind of each character being featured, and considering the ocean and water as a character as well. It was a good variety to have the freediving, skiing and sailing all being very different. I think it allowed us more range musically.
I’m hoping the music adds to the experience and feels like one cohesive piece of art. Hopefully, it ages well and becomes a legacy piece so when my daughter is grown up and she’s maybe playing music she and everyone else can still look at Rhythm of Water and think it was well done.
Never miss a moment
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Jamie Haines, sailor “I grew up on the ocean, and in order to protect it, we need to solve the climate crisis. It all goes hand in hand.”
Ian Walsh, big wave surfer “As athletes, ocean health and sustainability are at the heart of what we do – without the ocean, we wouldn’t be here.”
Steve Benjamin, filmmaker “I really want people to fall in love with the ocean, to appreciate it more, and to try to alter their behavior around it. Everything ends up in the ocean, and it’s such a dumping ground for humanity. My hope is that people see the ocean as a living entity that needs to be protected.”
Amory Ross, storyteller “How can I describe the ocean? The ocean is impossible to describe because it is endless; it is full of life, wonder, and mystery.”
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