Just yesterday, I posted about the collaborative effort of Jace Everett and CC Adcock on the Season 3 finale song of “Evil”. Below, is the video for the mini-documentary that has now been released by HBO showing how the recording came to be.
Click here to read the interview with Jace Everett and to enter to win a Season 2 soundtrack CD. It’s easy to enter. All you have to do is to just answer a question in the comments area.
The True Blood Season 3 Finale episode airs on September 12. I’m having trouble believing that Season 3 is almost over because it seems like yesterday when we were all waiting patiently for the season to start.
While a finale episode is always bitter sweet, I think this finale might be a bit sweeter than usual, because it includes as its title song, a collaboration of two great True Blood musicians.
Also, as a special treat, the Vault is running a contest where you can win a True Blood Season 2 soundtrack CD. See the contest rules below.
Inspired to remake a classic blues tune, True Blood’s music supervisor, Gary Calamar and CC Adcock came up with the idea to remake, for the finale’s title song, “Evil“.
Jace Everett, the writer and performer of the show’s title theme song, Bad Things, was asked to join in and work with CC to create a new version of the classic blues song by Willie Dixon, which was recorded and made famous by the great blues artist, Howlin’ Wolf. CC Adcock, the musician who wrote Bleed 2 Feed, which is on True Blood’s Season 1 soundtrack, and who has appeared with his band playing at Arlene and Rene’s wedding in Season 1, got together with Jace and fellow producer, Mike Napolitano to record this great new version.
Below is the mini-documentary about this collaboration recording, presented by HBO, showing how the recording came to be.
Jace Everett
Since the resulting recording of “Evil” by CC and Jace is the title song of Season 3′s finale episode, it seemed appropriate to find out more about it. Recently, I had a chance to speak to Jace Everett about the making of the song and that interview is below with a bit also thrown in by Gary Calamar.
Can you tell me how the song and the collaboration with CC Adcock came to be?
Gary Calamar (music supervisor) and CC Adcock were bouncing some ideas for a “classic”song to use this season for trailers. Much as they used Dylan’s song “Beyond Here Lies Nothing” for last season. Howlin’ Wolf was one of the blues greats they had in mind.
How did you and CC get together on it?
CC and Gary thought it would be cool to get me involved. They called me up and CC and I spent a couple of weeks bouncing ideas back and forth. The whole production style, while certainly a collaborative effort, was really the brain-child of CC and Mike Napolitano. Mike engineered the track and had some great ideas to augment where CC and I envisioned it heading.
Tell the fans a bit about the origin of the song?
This is a classic blues written by Willie Dixon. Willie wrote so many songs that are now considered standards. Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and others all recorded his tunes. To say nothing of the fact that white boys like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and countless others have been aping Willie’s tunes ever since. Now I guess CC and I are getting in on the action!
Can you tell me about the experience of making the recording? When was it recorded and where?
I flew down to New Orleans and spent a couple of days with CC bouncing from studio to studio. The track is a really good mixture of raw and loose musicianship and some cool loops and sound design. I really like the mixture of technology and raw humanity we captured.
I understand that a mini-documentary is being aired along with the season finale. What was the filming of that like? When did you do it?
CC had the good sense to get a camera crew there for the weekend! We just documented the event. It’s all shot on location in New Orleans.
Tell me what you think of the song Evil and does it fit in any of those made up music categories?
It’s an amazing song. The Howlin’ Wolf version is simply untouchable. It can’t be improved. Hopefully, we showed our respect and merely put a 21st century spin on it.
It’s, as a song, as pure a Blues number as you can get. I think where we took it is maybe a little “post-modern”, if you will.
What do you think of when you hear the word “Evil”?
Besides Dick Cheney? I don’t know. There’s the cartoon version of evil; pitch forks, horns and the like. Then there’s the real-life evil; the crap we humans do to one another through selfishness, laziness, greed, and religious fervor.
I guess I prefer the pitchfork! Far more manageable! LOL!
What do you think of True Blood’s big success?
Well, having spent a little time with the creators, cast, and behind the scenes folks of the show, I couldn’t be happier for them. They are a good group of people. I think it’s a real hoot of a show. Funny, sexy, scary, addictive. Obviously, it’s been good for me, too. Here’s hoping for another 10 seasons and the 3D Imax movie in 2014!!
Do you and CC have any plans for future recordings together?
Nothing concrete at present, but it would certainly be something I’d like to do. We have a lot of similar taste in music, but still approach things a little differently. It’s a nice mix that I hope we’ll explore in the future.
Gary Calamar has already told me that his eight year old daughter, Zoe and two friends did backups for the song and it is their voices at the end saying “Evil”. He said that CC sent him a demo and that Zoe and her two friends recorded their part in LA and it was sent back to be added to the song. Is this the way it went? Do you have anything to add?
Yea, my bit was done by then, but I think that’s how it went down. you know, with modern technology, it’s truly astounding what can be done in the recording world. Napolitano deserves big kudos for wrangling it all together.
What do you think differentiates this version of the song from the original?
Well, it’s louder! CC had the conceit to make a record that a young hip-hop fan could dig. You know the blues of the ’50′s and ’60′s was, at the time, “race music”. It could be argued that hip-hop started that way. Now, of course, hip-hop is ubiquitous. From jazz, blues, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and now hip-hop, black Americans have really invented the bulk of popular music. Then us crackers water it down a bit and make it safe! CC and I love the classic blues music. However, a lot of young black kids aren’t even aware of it. It became gentrified and adopted by white boys. I think CC wanted to bring the two worlds together. A lot of my friends in the hip-hop world are big fans of the show [True Blood] and I’ve gotten some really good feedback on the track from that angle.
Gary also mentioned that the acoustic recording of Bad Things would be available on Itunes, is this true? Or will it be elsewhere too, other than your acoustic album, Old New Borrowed Blues?
Yes, the acoustic version of “Bad Things” is also on the Season 2 soundtrack available at ITunes.
WIN A SEASON TWO SOUNDTRACK CD!
In honor of this collaboration, two True Blood fans will be chosen to win a CD of the Season 2 soundtrack. See contest rules below:
Jace Everett has released the video for the new song One Of Them from his latest album Red Revelations.
Jace talked about it on his Facebook fan page: “Matt Blair has directed, edited, and produced a new video for “One of Them”!! If you thought the song was a mind bender… Matt takes it to ground….
Notice to all in San Diego: Jace Everett Of ‘True Blood’ Fame In San Diego Tonight at The Casbah
As reported by KPBS.org, the man behind the music is actually playing The Casbah tonight. Alt-country musician Jace Everett penned the show’s opening song “Bad Things” and this past Sunday’s episode included his song “Damned If I Do.”
All those “True Blood” fans in San Diego for Comic-Con will surely be at The Casbah tonight, showin’ their fangs.
Source: KPBS.org
I’m a huge fan of Jace Everett and also of Gary Calamar.
I was privileged to meet Jace in Philadelphia in early June and I managed to snag an interview with the very talented Gary Calamar last fall.
In the article below from the KCRW Music Blog, Gary talks how Bad Things became True Blood’s title song and also about Jace performing on the Santa Monica pier tomorrow. If you’re in town, I suggest you go!
Jace Everett will be performing at the Santa Monica Pier this Thursday, July 22 alongside Chilean rapper Ana Tijoux and Italian superstar Jovanatti as part of the free Twilight Dance Series starting at 7pm.
KCRW is presenting the show and Gary Calamar, who is not only a KCRW DJ but a music supervisor for big time TV shows like “True Blood,” tells us how Jace’s song became the theme for HBO’s hit show:
“Jace Everett wrote and recorded THE PERFECT song for the opening theme for True Blood, although we didn’t realize it at first.
Alan Ball, the creator of the HBO show “True Blood,” told me a little bit about his writing habits. He said he will work on a script for a while and when he needs a break he’ll take a little trip to iTunes do some exploring and $99.00 later will get back to his script.
It was on one of these excursions that Alan found Jace Everett’s “Bad Things” for his then new series True Blood. We all thought it was super-cool but wasn’t sure it was “the one” . Second guessing is second nature for me. So, I as music supervisor of the show, went on a search for some other options, and found some bloody fantastic songs. We listened, we grooved, we dug, but in the back of our minds we were all still humming Jace’s “I Wanna Do Bad Things With You.”
Soon it became very clear that Jace’s song was ‘the song”. It’s perfect. A devilish blend of sex, menace, romance and humor…and it kicks ass. In a way i think it helped Alan and the writers find the unique tone for our show. I think “Bad Things” will go down in television history as one of the best tv theme songs…right up there with Green Acres and Mr. Ed.
Jace is in town and doing a show at the Santa Monica Pier on Thursday. I hope to see you there.”
source: KCRW Music Blog
The APM Music Podcast Series which features candid interviews with composers, music supervisors and industry insiders discussing the business of music for pictures, takes you inside the world of music production with topics such as composing and licensing for music used in film, television, trailers, promos, video games, new media, radio and more.
The Film & TV Music Podcast #66 with Gary Calamar - True Blood’s Music Supervisor
Listen to the podcast with Gary Calamar
Ann Donahue, Senior Editor at Billboard, interviews Gary Calamar about his role as Music Supervisor for HBO’s True Blood.
SHOW NOTES:
0:03 – Intro – Ann Donahue, Senior Editor at Billboard, interviews Gary Calamar.
1:35 – Gary Calamar on how he got the True Blood job.
3:08 – Gary Calamar on the difference between Six Feet Under and True Blood.
3:58 – Gary Calamar on the Southern influences of True Blood and its impact on the music.
5:13 – Gary Calamar on how True Blood has changed his approach to other work.
6:09 – Gary Calamar on Alan Ball as a songwriter.
4:49 – Gary Calamar on the end credits music of True Blood.
9:11 – End
The Film & TV Music Podcast #67 with Nathan Barr, True Blood Original Music Composer
Listen to the podcast with Nathan Barr
Ann Donahue, Senior Editor at Billboard, interviews Nathan Barr about composing for HBO’s True Blood.
SHOW NOTES:
0:03 – Intro – Ann Donahue, Senior Editor at Billboard, interviews Nathan Barr.
1:25 – Nathan Barr on how he got involved with True Blood.
2:00 – Nathan Barr on how he won the job for True Blood.
2:25 – Nathan Barr on his inspirations for the music in True Blood.
3:13 – Nathan Barr on how he composes the music for True Blood and the benefits of playing his own instruments.
3:50 – Nathan Barr on the recurring sonic themes in True Blood.
4:49 – Nathan Barr on the unique instruments he uses.
5:50 – Nathan Barr on his collaboration with Lisbeth Scott.
6:35 – Nathan Barr on what else he’s working on.
7:46 – End
The Film & TV Music Podcast #65 with Jace Everett musician and writer and performer of True Blood’s title song “Bad Things”
Listen to the podcast with Jace Everett
Ann Donahue, Senior Editor at Billboard, interviews Jace Everett on HBO’s True Blood theme song.
SHOW NOTES:
0:03 – Intro – Ann Donahue, Senior Editor at Billboard, interviews Jace Everett.
1:05 – Jace Everett on how he got involved with True Blood.
1:55 – Jace Everett on how he found out that Alan Ball had chosen his song.
2:29 – Jace Everett on the excitement of hearing the news and what it meant to his career at the time.
3:16 – Jace Everett on how the True Blood inspired his new album
4:00 – Jace Everett on the inspiration of “Bad Things.”
4:54 – Jace Everett on his current tour.
5:12 – Jace Everett on the fan reaction he has received.
6:14 – End
Jace Everett‘s brooding songs seem to make the air in the room a little more humid—he exudes an energy and confidence that few performers can match. His crackling rockabilly grooves and ominous vocal sensuality fit right in with his gritty, real-life song-stories.
At the MPI Producers Institute you can take a class with the voice and writer of True Blood’s “Bad Things” Jace Everett in the studio in Nashville as he records new songs for his upcoming album.
When: August 26-28
Cost: Tuition for this 3-day class is $1200.
Other Info: Class size limited to ten students. No previous experience required.
Registration: To register visit the MPI Tuition Page or call 615-283-0201 or email MPI at sessions@musicpi.com
No other program makes studying recording so much fun. Music Producers Institute is the only studio clinic in the world that shows you “the real deal.” They take you inside your favorite artist’s live recording session for a once-in-lifetime look at how they create their music. No other clinic allows you such access; you’ll see and hear the entire record-making process, from pre-production and arranging to tracking, overdubbing and mixing — all in world-class studios like the Sound Emporium, Ocean Way or Blackbird in Nashville, TN or Pedernales and Bismeaux Studios in Austin, TX. You’ll gain years of production experience attending our one, two and three day recording sessions.
MPI was founded in 2008 by Grammy-winning record producer and musician Steve Fishell as a way for young producers to improve their own skills. Fishell serves as host and teacher, explaining the record-making process with his step-by-step curriculum.
The Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., Iowa City, Iowa will host singer/songwriter Jace Everett and Charlaine Harris, the author of the critically acclaimed Sookie Stackhouse series, then screen the “True Blood” season première tonight, June 17, 2010.
The night will begin with a performance from Everett and will be followed by an intimate reception with Harris. The reception will be held on the Englert stage and provide a chance for fans to meet and talk with the author and have books signed. The event will finish with a screening of the third season première of “True Blood.”
“It’s an opportunity to see ‘True Blood’ on the big screen, larger than life,” Mayfield said. “How often do you get to see your favorite TV show in the theater? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
7:00 PM JACE EVERETT
Just “Google” Jace Everett’s name and you’ll find yourself knee-deep in the ooh’s and ahh’s of daily papers from Boston to Chicago and Seattle that can’t discuss HBO’s rocketing Golden Globe-honored drama TRUE BLOOD® without mentioning the brilliant opening title montage, devised around the swampy rockabilly come-on of Everett’s “Bad Things.”
RED REVELATIONS, the new album by the Nashville-based singer-songwriter, is a work of rare accomplishment and abandon, brimming with barely-contained emotions and urges. They are pervasive in the music, the voice and the songwriting. The primal, penetrating power of Everett’s roots-music fusion, revving up from insinuation to howling gale-force rock in a second.
Much of his sound can be attributed to his Southern roots. He describes the South as a hot and sticky place in which things go at a much slower pace than elsewhere in the country. These descriptions can also be used to describe the Southern gothic, rockabilly sound of his music.
“The South has a flavor all its own,” Everett said. “It colors everything you do.”
Religion has played a large role in Everett’s childhood, and religious themes can be found intertwined with sensuality in some of his songs.
“I’m singin’, Glory hallelujah, can I get an amen? / Her lovin’ feels so good, it oughta be a sin / I was lost, but now I’m found / Blind but baby, now I see / My angel loves the devil outta me.”
Everett said his music touches on sensuality, not sexuality, that “tells the boy-girl story in a different way, instead of the same story you hear over and over.” He believes his lyrics and musical tone have a sultry, dark feel to them, which creates a feeling of mystery.
“But the darkness is not overbearing; it’s the shadow that helps you see the light,” he said.
His lyrics are based on his past experiences with romance, failure, and success. He also writes music for the guitar. When it comes to combining the aspects, he takes ideas as they come to him.
He still finds “Bad Things” the most fun to perform, and he is working on putting out a new record by December.
“It’s exciting to create a song,” Everett said. “The feeling of joy from creation is hard to top.”
8:30 PM RECEPTION WITH CHARLAINE HARRIS
Celebrating the release of the most recent novel in the “Sookie Stackhouse” series, join Charlaine Harris for a special reception on the Englert stage! Books for sale on site by Prairie Lights, including the latest in the Sookie Stackhouse series, DEAD IN THE FAMILY
Since 2001, people have been lining up in bookstores in order to get their hands on the latest work in Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series. The launch of “True Blood” only increased the books’ popularity.
Harris has written three other series of books in the past, including ones based on the life of a Georgia librarian, an attack-survivor heroine, Lily Bard, and Harper Connelly, who can sense corpses after being struck by lightning. Although none of these series gained as much recognition as the Sookie Stackhouse story, they gave her experience in writing a long series.
Unlike many authors’ work today, the inspiration for Harris’ novels does not come from her own experiences.
“My life would’ve been pretty bizarre if that were true,” she said.
Instead, she gets ideas from things she sees on the news or things she has read. She credits reading as one of the biggest influences on both her imagination and her writing skills.
“Ever since I was young, I thought reading was one of the greatest things,” she said. “I still read a lot, and it’s one of the best pieces of advice I can give to writers.”
10:00 PM FREE SCREENING OF TRUE BLOOD® SEASON 3 PREMIER EPISODE*
Don’t miss seeing the season 3 premier episode on the big screen!
Concert ONLY: $15
Concert AND Reception: $30 Limited to 100 guests (**SOLD OUT**)
TRUE BLOOD screening: FREE
In the short video below we can see what to expect from the new music video of Jace Everett’s new song “One Of Them”. Looks like it’s going to be great, can’t wait to see the final product!
Jace talked about it on his Facebook fan page: “Matt Blair has directed, edited, and produced a new video for “One of Them”!! If you thought the song was a mind bender… Matt takes it to ground…. the full thing will be out soon, but here’s a teaser:”
“Bad Things” singer Jace Everett enjoys having his dog around when he’s recording music at his at-home music studio. He tells People Pets: “He’s on a lot of records actually,” Everett says of his Schnauzer-Welsh terrier mix named Teddy. “Every time we do a demo you can usually hear his collar being shaken and his toenails clicking on the hardwood floors.”
The pooch, who the singer rescued from a hoarder over two years ago, really does seem to have an ear for music. “He’s one of the few dogs I know that will sit down and just listen to you,” he says. “If he hears a guitar he’ll go in the other room to see if it’s one of his favorite tunes or not.”
Although he’d like to, Everett doesn’t take the dog on the road, which can be tough. “I miss him terribly when I’m on the road,” says Everett, whose been traveling a lot recently to promote his new album Red Revelations which came out Tuesday. But, he’s able to keep in touch with his furry pal via his computer. “I Skype with him,” he says. “I Skype with my son and my dog. Teddy can see me, but he has very little interest. He listens to me and his ears perk up — it kinda weirds him out I think.”
Teddy is actually weirded out by a lot of things. “He’s basically a big old coward,” Everett says. “He startles really easily.” So much so, that one day the dog walked into Everett’s recording studio and got aggressive with a hanging Chinese lantern.
“He came in and started growling and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong — it was really like that protective growl,” he recalls. “I realized the air conditioner was making that lantern bend and he was scared. I had to pick him up and let him sniff on it and when it touched his nose he flinched.”
Teddy won’t be joining Jace tonight at his charity gig in Nashville for the Red Cross of Nashville and Flood Relief. Jace will hit the stage at 10pm at the Exit/In 2208 Elliston Place – Nashville Tennessee. For more info visit this website.
