About
Riley Smith is a Composer, Electronic Producer, and Mandolin player from Portland, Oregon. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Psychology, technology and composition, he moved to Los Angeles. In college he frequently composed music for the MFA Dance Program, and continues working choreographers and film makers alike. Currently, Riley works as Dave Porter's assistant composer, aiding Dave on shows such as Better Call Saul and The Blacklist. Riley also works as a freelance assistant music editor on various TV shows including Marvel's Agents Of SHIELD. When he's not working in TV, Riley does freelance composing, and creates electronic music under the moniker McMurray.
In the spring of 2015, Riley Smith completed his senior thesis on expectation and emotion in music. The paper covers topics ranging from auditory perception and memory to emotion theory and statistical probability. The goal of the thesis was to research the ways that listeners' expectations effect their emotional response to musical stimulation.
In the summer of 2019, Riley sat down with VoyageLA Magazine to talk about his start as a composer, and his approach to his art.