Nathan Barr to Play Music Festival in Spain

True Blood composer Nathan Barr will perform a special arrangement of the show’s music at this year’s International Film Music Festival Ciudad de Úbeda, which will take place July 14-16, 2010 in Spain.

Nathan will perform in the concert, which he has arranged specifically for the festival. Those attending the event at the Palacio de los Dávalos, or ‘House of the Towers,’ are encouraged to wear their vampire garb, specifically Gothic or period clothing in the style of Spanish artist Victoria Francés.

Nathan will also take part in round table discussions and autograph signings throughout the event. He has a wealth of experience to offer, having studied music since childhood in various international locations, such as Tokyo, Japan.

He was also raised by musical parents. His mother played piano and the Koto, a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument. His father played the banjo, guitar, and shakuhachi, or Japanese bamboo flute.

Nathan hasworked as an assistant to Hans Zimmer on “As Good As It Gets” and “The Prince of Egypt,” before going solo on movies like “Cabin Fever,” “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “Shutter,” “Hostel” and “Hostel II.”

His current projects include the horror movie “Open House,” comedy “Peep World” and the thriller “Cotton.”

SOURCE: festival.bsospirit.com

Photo credit: festival.bsospirit.com)

Five Things You Didn’t Know About Jace Everett

Sunday night as people begin to turn on their television sets, one voice rings out before Sookie Stackhouse asks what her latest table would like to drink. The voice belongs to Indiana native Jace Everett who is singing about wanting to do “Bad Things.” With his album Red Revelations out now, People magazine sat down and found out five interesting things about this country blues singer that the average fan may not know.

Inspiration: HBO’s hit show “True Blood” picked Everett’s song “Bad Things” for its theme song. Every “True Blood” fan knows the lyrics by heart and can picture the opening credits in their mind. There are times we can find ourselves even humming along. Though Everett stated he wrote the song awhile ago, he isn’t shy about letting people know that the show has helped him write new songs. The infamous scene at the end of season one where Bill Compton goes out into the sunlight to try and save Sookie Stackhouse inspired Jace Everett to write his song “Burn For You.” Another song on his album titled “Damned if I Do” is, he lets People know, a love song . He’s sure to let readers know that he has never been in love with a vampire, but the song itself could be geared towards a vampire and a human.

Doing What Kids Do: Many people would admit to doing silly things as a child. Putting snakes in your sister’s bed or perhaps pinching your brother till he cried — they sound like typical things but not to Jace Everett. He recalls being bitten many times growing up. One fight that he believes was about a girl resulted in the other kid losing his ear lobe. Yes an ear lobe, Mike Tyson style. It seems he had a knack of being vampire like, even as a child. Perhaps that is why his song “Bad Things” seemed to fit just perfectly with the show “True Blood.”

Singing Isn’t His Only Talent. Well Maybe: He’s good looking, plays guitar and can serenade any woman off of her feet. What could be better? He speaks French. Though ladies, don’t get too excited. He’ll be the first to tell you that his French is terrible; it’s like talking to a toddler. He’s trying and has a good coach helping him along the way. His 13 year old son lives in the south of France and has become quite fluent in the language – he isn’t bashful in correcting his father’s lack of punctuation or grammar.

Wherever He Goes, They Follow: Though he isn’t headlining big tours like Brad Paisley or Toby Keith, Jace Everett is making his own fans in the country world. In his interview with People magazine, he talks about one woman who traveled 16 hours on a train from Sacramento to see him in Salem, Ore. She ran into some problems, got arrested and missed the show. Sadly, the fan arrived just as the band was packing up. Jace gave her a hug. There was a previous mishap where Everett misspelled her name and this time she wanted to make sure he got it right. “She had an agenda,” he joked. Some fans will do whatever it takes to meet their favorite musicians, especially if their name wasn’t written correctly. Let’s hope she doesn’t have a run in with the law next time she goes to visit Mr. Everett.

Jace Everett to the rescue: His dog Teddy had parvo, a disease which attacks a dog’s intestinal lining in the digestive system, killing cells. Teddy had been in the hospital for five days when Jace found him in the backyard with a bunch of other dogs. The parvo virus is a very serious disease and can spread to other dogs that are not protected. His terrier mutt is not safe at home in Nashville where Jace Everett can take care of him. “I run with my dog everyday,” he tells People. “He’s so sweet and so full of fun.” Talk about a sweetheart. We will have to add this trait to another one of his good qualities.

There is a little insight to the man behind the voice that draws viewers in each week as the opening credits roll. Don’t forget to head over to People’s Web site and listen to Jace’s song “Burn For You” inspired by Bill Compton’s heroic efforts to save his love, Sookie Stackhouse. I highly recommend it. Also, if you find yourself at your local records store, don’t forget to pick up a copy of Red Revelations that contains the other True Blood-inspired song, “Damned If I Do.”

Source: People Magazine

(Photo credit:  jaceeverett.com)

Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott Releasing True Blood Music Scores

The score to HBO’s highly-acclaimed and record rating-breaking drama series, “True Blood”, is set to release September 8th on iTunes, Amazon.com and in-stores nationwide via Varese Sarabande Records.  Award-winning composer, Nathan Barr, arranges all the music, and performs the majority of the instrumentals from his own private home studio in Topanga Canyon.  As it’s first track, the score will feature the popular song “Take Me Home”, sung by Lisbeth Scott and featured on Episode 6 of the show.

An exclusive music video for “Take Me Home” filmed August 17th and will be debuted the 1st of September on both Nathan’s website www.nathanbarr.com as well as Lisbeth’s website www.lisbethscott.com. A special give-away contest will also be taking place via these sites, where fans of the show can win (pre-sale) signed copies of the soundtrack signed by Barr and Lisbeth Scott.  Also featured on Nathan Barr’s official website are exclusive interviews where he discusses the music from True Blood and where he draws influences for the show’s extremely aesthetic sound.

A local signing for the score will take place at Dark Delicacies, 4213 West Burbank Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505 on September 13th from 1 to 3pm.  Barr and “True Blood” vocalist, Lisbeth Scott, will both be in attendance alongside Bear McCreary (Battlestar: Galactica and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles).

Executive Producer and show creator, Alan Ball, is extremely impressed with Barr’s score for the show. Ball recently expressed that “Nate’s score for True Blood continually impresses and surprise me, and one of the favorite parts of my job is driving out to his studio to hear his score cues, as I know I’m always in for a treat.  His music, with its distinct and completely acoustic flavor, perfectly captures the mix of suspense, terror, romance, and regional authenticity that the show calls for.  I know I can always count on him to take scenes which need that extra little bit of help and make them work better than I thought possible.”

Barr recently co-created a composer-centered monthly web-series called “Open Barr” which will begin airing on www.nathanbarr.com this Fall. In the series, Nate chats openly, intellectually, creatively, and at times hilariously with other high-profile names in the composing industry. The eclectic talents compare and contrast their lives, styles and creative processes.  The series will profile and expose the inner-workings of this often un-discussed realm of the music world, and offer viewers insight into what it takes to make it or break it as a true composer for visual media.  The pilot episode will feature composer Tyler Bates (Watchmen, 300).

Nathan not only composes his own original scores, he also performs all of the instruments heard in the majority of his compositions. Skilled in writing many styles and genres ranging from orchestral to rock, Barr is known for his collection and inclusion of rare and unusual instruments from around the world, which include human bone trumpets from Tibet, dismantled pianos, a rare glass armonica, and gourd cellos, among many others. Barr has scored more than 24 feature films to date, including Warner Bros.’ hit comedies The Dukes of Hazzard and Beerfest, to Eli Roth’s hit Hostel film series at Sony Screen Gems.” True Blood marks his debut as a composer for a full series.

Lisbeth Scott was raised as a classical pianist headed for a concert career practicing hours a day, until she ran away to California as soon as she could and began to discover her voice. Someone heard her singing and playing piano for a modern dance class in the hills of Idyllwild and suggested her voice for a score by composer Hans Zimmer.  Scott’s uniquely moving and shiver-inducing voice has been heard on literally hundreds of films. John Williams wrote a 5 minute solo specifically for her in the score for Spielberg’s film “Munich”. She was the featured vocalist and co-lyricist for the John Debney score to the film “The Passion of the Christ” and she was the featured vocalist and songwriter for the Disney film “The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe”. Lisbeth’s vocals can be heard on 2 tracks of the “True Blood” score, “Take Me Home” and “Sancto Erico“. Lisbeth’s own upcoming album, working title “Hope is a thing”, will be released this fall. A new website to garner support for the album has been launched at www.hopeisathing.com, and the title track can also be heard on the site.

“True Blood” details the whimsical co-existence of vampires and humans in small town Louisiana. Thanks to the invention of synthetic blood, humans have been taken off the menu and vampires have become fellow citizens overnight. Disconcerting to nearly everyone but Sookie Stackhouse (played by Academy Award winner Anna Paquin), a young, telepathic waitresses. As an outcast herself, she is optimistic about the integration of vampires. Drawn to the mysteries of their world, she falls in love with vampire Bill Compton (played by Stephen Moyer). “The story-telling and the characters in True Blood are all beautifully complex which makes my job as a composer very exciting because I have such a rich world to play with thematically.”

New episodes of “True Blood” air on Sundays on HBO.  For more information on True Blood and Nathan Barr visit www.nathanbarr.com.  For more information on Lisbeth Scott visit www.lisbethscott.com.  Also coming soon do not miss our in-depth, exclusive interview with the talented Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott here on TrueBloodNet.com.

SOURCE:  PR for Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott

(Photo credit: Nathan Barr and Lisbeth Scott)

“New World In My View” Lyrics

The song at the end of Episode 10 of HBO’s True Blood can be found on the Miami Vice Soundtrack.  Maybe they reveal more about where the show is going than just where the show has been.  Here are the lyrics, we’ll let you decide:

I got the new world in my view
On my journey I pursue
I said I’m running, running for the city
I got the new world in my view

I got the new world in my view
On my journey I pursue
Lord said I’m running, running for the city
I got the new world in my view

Come on yeah nonny, help me to run this holy righteous place
Can’t you yell then, save your calling, well he’s knockin at your door today

I got the new world in my view
On my journey I pursue
I said I’m running, running for the city
I got the new world in my view

(John he ? a record) oh he suffered for Jesus Christ
They places him on an island called Atmus
He had a great revelation sign

I got the new world in my view
On my journey I pursue
I said I’m running, running for the city
I got the new world in my view 3x

21st Chapter Revelation
John talking about the new world
Said I saw a new heaven and a new earth
For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away
And thou will no more see

And John said I saw a new Jerusalem coming down
From god out of heaven, prepared as a bride
A dawn for a husband, amen
You know (we are a city)? that’s set on the hill
Cannot be here, (a person is a city?), amen

So let us humble ourselves dear one
Get ready for the new world
Prepare yourself to live in that holy city
That same city, that same kingdom that Jesus was talking to his disciples about
When he left them and gone back to his father
Don’t forget it, amen
Said let not your heart be troubled
Believe in God, believe in me also

In my father’s house are many mansions
Everyone not so, I would have told you
I’m going to prepare a place for you
And if I go to prepare a place for you
I will come again and receive you onto myself
That what I am, that you may be also

Now tell me dear one, why was Jesus
He was standing on earth talking to his disciples, amen
Promising them that he’s coming back for them, amen
To live with them here on this earth, amen
He’s gonna live with you in your human body
And He and his family, amen

So don’t get the bible mixed up
You just keep that same old way that grandpa and grandma had
They didn’t know any better, got winked at them and said
And they was well blessed for what they knew
And you gonna be cursed for turning the word down, amen
Let the church say amen
Let’s wake up now and get in line

I got the new world in my view
On my journey I pursue
I said I’m running, running for the city
I got the new world in my view

I got the new world in my view
On my journey I pursue
I said I’m running, running for the city
I got the new world in my view

Source: soundtrackslyrics.com

(Photo credit: HBO)

True Blood: Are You Listening to the Music?

The music for HBO’s True Blood is an integral part of the show. Whether you realize it or not, it is always there in the periphery to help set the mood for each scene. It sets us up for an important happening . It alerts our senses. We’ve already talked about the opening song Bad Things by Jace Everett. How about the music for the rest of the show?

Alan Ball and crew are beyond excellent at composing or finding the right combination of songs and music for each episode. For the “Release Me” episode, Alan Ball stumbled across an obscure track by the group Bad Livers. The band split soon after their 2000 album containing that particular song titled Death Trip, which is still available at the iTunes store.

Episode 6, “Hard Hearted Hannah” got it’s name from a song with the same title. A sultry Bill plays it on the piano while singing in an ever melodic voice. His maker, Lorena, saunters over to an unsuspecting, gullible couple while he plays. The song originated from the Tin Pan Alley style of writing, popular in the 1920s. Originally written by Martin Ager, it has been covered many times by talented artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Jim Croce to name a few.

We see the song as a flashback of Bill and Lorena playing their bait and trap game. (And yes, that actually is Stephen Moyer singing the song. He has performed in musicals prior to joining the cast of True Blood.)

The Houston Press blog leaves us with this quote:

Like the song says, “To tease ‘em, and thrill ‘em, to torture and kill ‘em is her delight.” A perfect bit of gruesome vintage music from a show that’s already becoming a classic.

I have to agree. The song was perfectly suited to the scene, the era and the pair. Alan Ball is truly a master of setting the mood with music.

Source: blogs.houstonpress.com

Photo Credit: watchtruebloodseries.com

Jace Everett’s New Album “Red Revelations”

Jess d’Arbonne talked with Jace Everett.  Of course, you would all know him for his song, “Bad Things”, the opening theme song for Alan Ball’s True Blood. What’s amazing is this talented musician and songwriter has been struggling for years, basically remaining unknown, [Editor's Note: he may have had a local following, but many great musicians go unnoticed by the mainstream music industry].  In the Q&A he talks in depth about his musical interests.  Interestingly, in his modesty, he doesn’t discuss their influence on his music because he feels  that he would never be able to do these musicians justice.  When asked about who’s music he’s listened to he replied:

“Honestly, the person who got me turned on to music as a kid was Willie Nelson, who has never been reflected in my music. I don’t do Willy Nelson, because you can’t. It’s kind of like doing Bob Dylan. But “Red Headed Stranger” was my favorite album of all
time, a record he made back in the 70’s. That’s what turned me on. But I went through all the phases anyone went through: I loved KISS, I still love U2, I’m a big Tom Waits fan, I love  Bob Marley, I’m into Miles Davis, I like Jay-Z a lot. I’m kind of all over the map. I’m the kind of guy that listens to about eight or nine albums a year because I like albums. I buy an album and I listen to it for two or three months straight. My influences are varied, but I don’t know how much any of them show up in my actual music.”

In my personal, (and unprofessional) opinion, Jace’s music has a Rockabilly sound.  I also do hear a bit of Tom Waite’s ’story telling’ style in his music. Mr. Everett does not give himself enough credit for his musical talent; his answers to questions come off as self-depreciating.  Resonating this modesty, he spoke on the popularity of “Bad Things”.

“It’s great! Being a guy who’s trying to make a living, I’m hopeful that people who love the track will transfer that onto my new music and I hope that it’ll draw them in. But even if it doesn’t… shit, I write songs and I yell into a microphone! There’re far more talented people than me that never had this opportunity so I’m very grateful for it and it’s a huge honor.”

When talking about his new album, Red Revelations, he gives us insight into his feelings at the time that he was writing it and reveals what the title of the album means to him:

“It does. It’s kind of a misread of a lyric on the record. There’s a song called “One of Them” that has these crazy distorted vocals and the last verse says, “I read Revelations chapter one until the end”, and that’s R-E-A-D. Then I came up with this concept—I grew up really religious as a kid—about who that character in that song is. We don’t know what he is: We don’t know if he’s a vampire or if he’s become a Born Again Christian, or if he’s an alcoholic, or what’s happened to him. But he’s slowly losing his tether to reality. And I just thought it was kind of a cool title for the album. The world seems so apocalyptic right now and red is of course a color of danger and fire and all that jazz, so I thought, well, red revelations is kind of what this record is about.”

I will leave you with one last quote on what he says to do before you listen to Red Revelations.

“Pour yourself a tall one. Milton’s, preferably.”

Jace Everett is on Facebook and Twitter.  He encourages everyone to friend or follow him, saying:

“I am on both. And it’s just my personal Facebook page, but if anyone wants to friend me on Facebook, I will friend them back. I’ve got Myspace, also JaceEverett.com, If someone posts something, nine  times out of ten I’ll post back to them. Only reason I don’t  is because I don’t have time, but I try to make time for that every day.”

There is so much more to this article.  It is hard to convey all the angles it covers.
To read more of Jess d’Arbonne’s Blast article on Jace Everett, it is available at: blastmagazine.com

Source: Blastmagazine.com

(photo credit: JaceEverett.com/David McClister)

Jace Everett Talks True Blood and New Album

Jace Everett, the songwriter for True Blood’s theme song “Bad Things”, talked with Lorrie Lynch at USA Weekend. Jace talks about releasing his third album, “Red Revelations”, True Blood and his background.

Be sure to check out Jace Everett’s official Website and Myspace page.

So tell me about how Bad Things ended up on a cult vampire series.
That’s actually a really cool story of synchronicity. ‘Bad Things’ was on the Sony record back in 2005, and my friends at iTunes actually gave me the opportunity to be the iTunes Single of the Week in 2006. So ‘Bad Things’ was downloaded by about 210,000 people, and one of those people happened to be Alan Ball, the creator of True Blood

Read the entire interview at USA Weekend

Video of Jace Everett performing “Bad Things” on The Tonight Show.

Photo Credit: David McClister