Details on American Murder Song's third EP, The Reckoning, kicks off today's Horror Highlights. Also: Jennifer Blanc-Biehn joins the cast of Voyeur and a Daily Dead Q&A with Z Nation composer Jason Gallagher.
American Murder Song's The Reckoning Details: Press Release: "1816, The Year Without A Summer, was an infamous year. A natural disaster blew its vengeance over the American northeast until every damn thing was froze, and the ground became death. Trapped indoors, Mary Shelly penned her classic novel FRANKENSTEIN. Two hundred years later, cult film composers Terrance Zdunich (REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA) and Saar Hendelman (THE DEVIL'S CARNIVAL franchise) are resurrecting that fateful year as the setting for a bitter new batch of murder ballads. Prepare thyself for AMERICAN MURDER SONG's third extended play album, III. THE RECKONING.
On AMERICAN MURDER SONG's first EP, I. DAWN, Terrance and Saar led listeners through a series of bloody tales of killer young'uns and a new America pushing west. On their second EP, II. PROVIDENCE, the genre-defying duo welcomed audiences to the watering hole that served as the hunting grounds for America's first purported female serial killer. On III. THE RECKONING, they explore the desperate crimes of those devastated by The Year Without A Summer, including a narrated murder confession “June” performed by Lindsay Schoolcraft, live session player for the popular British metal band CRADLE OF FILTH.
On “June”, the narrator bemoans the fate of her family farm, a property that she inherited by way of bloodshed, that is now useless due to the agricultural ruin brought on by The Year Without A Summer. Check out this trailer for III. THE RECKONING, which features a medley of music from the new EP: https://youtu.be/1PkFU2L4qDM
Terrance and Saar invite audiences to hear III. THE RECKONING online today, and come out and experience the music of AMERICAN MURDER SONG live this fall on THE AMERICAN WAKE TOUR. All tour stops feature meet 'n' greet opportunities with Terrance and Saar, and all ticket pre-orders come with a free download of the new EP. To purchase a digital download of III. THE RECKONING or pre-order tickets to THE AMERICAN WAKE TOUR today, visit: http://AmericanMurderSong.com/GetNow
In addition to killer tunes and tours, AMERICAN MURDER SONG releases new videos every Tuesday that feature a rogues gallery of rock stars and cult personalities, including Sara 'Chibi' Taylor of THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE, Alissa White-Gluz of ARCH ENEMY, goth personality Aurelio Voltaire, alternative model Ulorin Vex, Curtis Rx of the horror band CREATURE FEATURE, Morgue, star of AMC's FREAKSHOW, noir cabaret scenester Toledo Diamond, and Scotty Morris of the popular swing revival act BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY. AMERICAN MURDER SONG's videos are directed by Jake Akuna with stop-motion animation by Harry Chaskin. III. THE RECKONING is mixed by Cedrick Courtois.
AMERICAN MURDER SONG
THE AMERICAN WAKE TOUR Dates:
10/6 – Las Vegas, NV
10/7 – Phoenix, AZ
10/8 – Tucson, AZ
10/9 – El Paso, TX
10/10 – Albuquerque, NM
10/12 – Kansas City, MO
10/13 – Des Moines, IA
10/14 – Minneapolis, MN
10/15 – Chicago, IL
10/16 – Detroit, MI
10/17 – Indianapolis, IN
10/19 – Columbus, OH
10/20 – Cleveland, OH
10/21 – Pittsburgh, PA
10/22 – Philadelphia, PA
10/23 – Providence, RI
10/24 – New York, NY
10/26 – Baltimore, MD
10/27 – Richmond, VA
10/28 – Charlotte, NC
10/29 – Atlanta, GA
10/30 – Jacksonville, FL
10/31 – Tampa, FL
11/2 – New Orleans, LA
11/3 – Houston, TX
11/4 – Austin, TX
11/5 – Dallas, TX
11/6 – Oklahoma City, OK
11/8 – Denver, CO
11/12 – Los Angeles, CA
III. THE RECKONING
Explicit: No
Genre: Soundtrack, Murder Ballads
EP Release Date: August 30th, 2016
Music and Lyrics by: Terrance Zdunich and Saar Hendelman
Music Mixed by: Cedrick Courtois
Music Arranged by: Saar Hendelman
Track Names:
1.) The Year Without A Summer
2.) June
3.) July
4.) August
5.) Pray
Album Liner Notes:
AMERICAN MURDER SONG: III. THE RECKONING is the third chapter in the hybrid film/concept-album project by Terrance Zdunich (Repo! The Genetic Opera) and Saar Hendelman (The Devil's Carnival franchise). Mixed by Cedrick Courtois and featuring Lindsay Schoolcraft, live session player for Cradle of Filth, the EP is a collection of original murder ballads set in 1816 America. AMERICAN MURDER SONG features not only music but stop-motion animation, moving daguerreotype portraits and a rogues gallery of cutthroats and murderesses. As Messrs. Storm & Tender, Saar and Terrance invite audiences to Follow The Mark: http://www.AmericanMurderSong.com"
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Jennifer Blanc-Biehn Joins the Cast of Voyeur: Press Release: "(LOS ANGELES, CA / August 26, 2016) – Actress/filmmaker Jennifer Blanc-Biehn has signed on to co-star in Voyeur (aka Bryan), a new thriller by writer/director Delaney Bishop (The Death of Salvador Dali). Filming began August 24th in Los Angeles and is set for a Spring 2017 release.
Blanc-Biehn joins an arresting cast of talent that includes Riker Lynch (Glee), Ayla Kell (Make It or Break It) and Fast Times at Ridgemont High's Robert Romanus in a suspenseful story about three friends whose road trip to the California desert's Coachella Music Festival is plagued with creepy twists, sordid turns and sheer terror along the way.
"I'm excited to join Delaney's crew," said Blanc-Biehn. "He's a great director, his script is amazing and I love the way he creates a sense of tension and unease throughout Voyeur's storyline."
Blanc-Biehn (The Crow, Party of Five, Everly), who runs independent film company Blanc-Biehn Productions with husband Michael Biehn (Terminator, Aliens), often has a hand in writing, producing or directing their provocative films (The Girl, Hidden in the Woods, The Night Visitor).
"When you're producing or directing a film, there are so many things to worry about and consider," said Blanc-Biehn. "I enjoy getting the opportunity to focus on a film strictly from an acting point of view and watch - and learn from - someone else's filmmaking."
For more info about Jennifer Blanc-Biehn visit: www.facebook.com/blancbiehn @jenniferblancb www.jenniferblancbiehn.com http://blancbiehnproductions.com
Other Twitter accounts: @MichaelBiehn, @canyoncar, @BlancBiehnFilms, @HITWRemake, @scaremestiff
ABOUT JENNIFER BLANC-BIEHN:
Actress, producer, and director Jennifer Blanc-Biehn has been working steadily in show business since she was a child, studying Drama at NYC’s Professional Children’s School. At thirteen, the New York native landed her breakout role in Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs and has since appeared in dozens of television shows and movies over the past thirty years such as Dark Angel, Party of Five, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and CSI. Blanc-Biehn hosts new stream.tv talk show Scared Stiff and runs her own production company, Blanc/Biehn Productions with her husband, actor Michael Biehn.
ABOUT BLANC/BIEHN PRODUCTIONS:
Blanc/Biehn Productions (BBP) is the partnership of married actors Michael Biehn and Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, merging their passions for acting and filmmaking into a full-service production company that caters to their diverse tastes in movies.
The duo produced and starred together in Biehn's directorial debut, THE VICTIM, a grindhouse film featuring scream queen Danielle Harris go to blancbiehnproductions.com and sign up for news and updates."
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Q&A with Z Nation Composer Jason Gallagher:
Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Jason. Going into season 3 of Z Nation, what new musical elements are you bringing to the table that fans haven’t heard in the first two seasons?
I’m focusing on my strengths this season, trying to bring more straight-up rock and roll into the show. You’ll hear a lot of it in the end titles, with those themes working their way through the entire show. I also acquired a few new toys, like an analog bass synth, a tape delay pedal, and a new upright piano that’s slightly out of tune. It all adds up to season 3!
Even though it takes place in a zombie apocalypse, Z Nation has a lot of fun mixed in with its frights. Do you take that same approach with the show’s music?
Making the music for Z Nation has always been fun, but the music never sounds fun at all! Karl (the co-creator and showrunner) always tells me to play everything dark and straight and to never play to the comedy even though there’s plenty of it with Murphy and Doc. It’s important for the show to stay in this dark world, and letting the humor cut through the darkness is part of that.
Do you have a favorite musical moment that you’re excited for fans to experience in season 3?
I had to recreate a Mahler opera in one episode, and they were considering getting a tenor to do the vocal. I put together a temp version with me singing, doing my best Pavarotti, and they wrote back, “Who did you hire to sing this, it sounds great!” I won’t be auditioning at the Met anytime soon, but I guess I can add that to my repertoire.
How much creative collaboration do you have with the producers and directors of Z Nation?
We have discussions about each episode with the director and producers where they tell me their ideas of what kinds of music they want and where. They usually reference other movies, bands, or soundtracks, and then they leave me up to my own devices. It’s a great back-and-forth and I’m really grateful for all the freedom I have creating the soundtrack.
Were you a big fan of zombie films growing up? Have any directly influenced or inspired your music for Z Nation?
I wasn’t a zombie movie fan! But I did love 28 Days Later and the reboot of Dawn of the Dead. When I started the music for Z Nation, I watched a lot of zombie movies and thriller TV shows, especially Lost. My friend Michael Giacchino was the composer for the series and I figured it was a good start. I got hooked and watched the entire series, it’s incredible. He did such a great job at finding a sound for the show, and it inspired me to do the same.
What has been the most challenging aspect of composing the season 3 soundtrack?
The biggest challenge has been to not rely on past techniques. I wanted to expand the sonic palette of the music, and I’m doing that with a few new instruments and plugins. I also took a new approach to preparing. I created a full playlist of big songs for the end titles, or anywhere else they might work, before the beginning of the season. I shared that with producers and editors, and it’s been a great library of music to draw from for the season.
With season 3 of Z Nation premiering with a two-hour special on September 16th, what other projects do you have on deck that you can tease, and where can our readers find you on social media?
I will be working with John Hyams (former Z Nation director and producer) on his new movie Maniac Cop, produced by Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive). He’s got a great team of people he’s putting together and I’m just happy to be a part of it. I also have a solo album I released earlier this year that I’m pretty proud of, check that out anywhere you listen to music. I’m @leroyjustice (it’s my band’s name) on Twitter and Instagram, that’s where I post most info about songs on Z Nation.
Tamika hails from North Beach, Maryland, a tiny town inches from the Chesapeake Bay.She knew she wanted to be an actor after reciting a soliloquy by Sojourner Truth in front of her entire fifth grade class. Since then, she's appeared in over 20 film and television projects. In addition to acting, Tamika is the Indie Spotlight manager for Daily Dead, where she brings readers news on independent horror projects every weekend.
The first horror film Tamika watched was Child's Play. Being eight years old at the time, she remembers being so scared when Chucky came to life that she projectile vomited. It's tough for her to choose only one movie as her favorite horror film, so she picked two: Nosferatu and The Stepford Wives (1975).
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