Nathan Barr’s “True Blood” Score Available This Summer

You’ve all been waiting for this and now it’s coming. The highly anticipated and beautiful score you heard throughout season 1 of True Blood, created by the very talented Nathan Barr, will be available for purchase this coming August. Also announced, more of Nathan’s melodic sounds will be heard in season 2! Here is the press release:

ACCLAIMED COMPOSER NATHAN BARR RETURNS FOR A SECOND SEASON OF “TRUE BLOOD”

Soundtrack to HBO’s award-winning series to hit stores this summer, along with a brand new web-based composing series.

Los Angeles, CA — HBO’s award-winning drama series, “True Blood”, returns for a highly anticipated second season on June 14th, 2009. According to cast members, this coming season will prove to be even more creatively explosive than the last. Nathan Barr, composer of season one, is also back for another musical journey in season 2.

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.”

The eagerly-awaited score soundtrack to TB’s first season will be released by Varese Sarabande Records and will officially hit music stores nation-wide this August. The soundtrack will feature an instrumental mix of score tracks from the show as well as his song with Lisbeth Scott, “Take me Home”.

“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.”

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.

Barr recently also co-created a composer-centered monthly web-series called “Open Barr” which will begin airing on www.nathanbarr.com in June. The series features one-on-one interviews with various successful composers from the music world focusing on but not limited to the film and television world. During interviews, guest composers are asked to divulge how their careers developed, where they get their inspiration, and explain the complications and triumphs of specific jobs. The pilot episode of the series will feature composer, Tyler Bates (Watchmen, 300), and future episodes will include acclaimed composers such as Jim Dooley, John Debney, and many more.

Recently nominated for a BMI award for his work on “True Blood”, Nathan will be attending the awards show on May 20th at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel to receive the award. This is the second nomination for Barr, as he received his first in 2006 for his rock-inspired score for “The Dukes of Hazzard”. BMI is the leader in the industry’s most important awards and honors. Its roster of songwriters and composers is unparalleled, ranging from industry to legends to the best of today’s hitmakers.

Barr attended the Paley Event for “True Blood” at the Cinerama Dome at Arclight in Hollywood on April 13th, where he was given a great nod from Alan Ball. Patrons of the event enjoyed music from the series composed by Barr himself. Other attendees included: Alan Ball (Executive Producer), Stephan Moyer (Bill), Anna Paquin (Sookie), Ryan Kwanten (Jason), Sam Trammell (Sam), Rutina Westley (Tara), Alexander Skarsgard (Eric), Carrie Preston (Arlene), and Nelsan Ellis (Layfayette).

On April 18th, Barr also attended the 20th Annual GLAAD Media Awards honoring Kathy Griffin. Barr desires to continually show his support for the GLBT community and believes that through the media we can foster awareness, understanding and respect.

New episodes of “True Blood” will air on Sundays beginning June 14th on HBO. For more information on True Blood and Nathan Barr visit www.nathanbarr.com.