Hemlock Grove and True Blood Composer Nathan Barr Talks His Two Emmy Nominations and Upcoming Works
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With the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards airing this Sunday, September 22nd, we thought now would be a good time to chat with composer Nathan Barr, who is nominated for two of them!
Barr is the genius who has scored every season of “True Blood.” He also worked with Eli Roth on Hostel and Cabin Fever, scored Grindhouse, and much more. We spoke with Barr recently about his career and his two 2013 Emmy nominations in the Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music category for “Hemlock Grove” and “The Americans.”
Dread Central: Nate, we interviewed you previously for your work on The Last Exorcism. Catch us up on what you’ve been doing since then.
Nathan Barr: “True Blood” has just wrapped its sixth season and will be returning for a seventh season next year. I’ve also done a couple movies since then; the most recent was a romantic comedy called The Big Wedding, which came out a few months ago, and I’m currently working on “The Americans” for FX and “Hemlock Grove” for Netflix.
DC: Being nominated for two Emmys in one category is an incredible accomplishment. What was going through your mind when you got the news?
NB: I’m very proud of my work on “The Americans” and “Hemlock Grove” so getting the recognition from my peers is very gratifying. I was surprised at seeing my name the first time and floored reading down further to see it again in the same category!
DC: When scoring “True Blood”, what is your main inspiration? What part of the show drives your work?
NB: “True Blood” is such a blessing to work on because it’s more than just a horror show. Each episode brilliantly blends action, drama, and romance so I enjoy contributing to that story with the music. My biggest drive in terms of inspiration for the score is the fact that I am truly a fan before anything else. I would be watching this show even were I not the composer!
DC: You work in many different film genres. What do you consider with a horror film that is different than other movie/television projects?
NB: As a genre I would say that horror is open to more musical experimentation than most other genres. As long as the music inspires fear, the sky is the limit in terms of instrumentation, harmony, tonality, melody, texture, etc.
DC: What future projects can we expect to hear your work in?
NB: “True Blood” Season 7 will start up next year in addition to second seasons for both “The Americans” and “Hemlock Grove.” I’m working on a stop-motion animated show for Amazon.com called “TumbleLeaf.” Lisbeth Scott and I are also in the process of producing and composing a Broadway musical, which is very exciting.
For more info visit the official Nathan Barr website, “like” Nathan Barr on Facebook and follow Nathan Barr on Twitter (@composerbarr).
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