Z Nation - 10 Questions with Composer Jason Gallagher

SyFy's freshman post-apocalyptic horror drama Z Nation wrapped its first season last Friday, with a finale that achieved the highest IMDb rating among all of the 13 episodes that made up the series' first season. I was given the opportunity to interview Z Nation's composer Jason Gallagher. Unfortunately due to a technical glitch, namely a spam folder, this interview didn't make it online before the season finale. We've included the questions of the finale that we asked Jason anyway, and we also asked him about a few other things about his job that you may find interesting.

Alongside scoring for Z Nation, Jason is also the lead singer and songwriter for the band Leroy Justice. The band's track, Have Mercy, plays during the opening credits, and it's Jason's voice you hear singing. Myself and SpoilerTV's Z Nation reviewer Robert Fruin teamed up to put some questions to Jason, so without further ado, let's hear what he has to say, firstly about the season finale -- before it was scheduled to air.

1. Can you tease anything about the upcoming finale?
All I can say is the same note I got about the music from director John Hyams. There is no underestimating the lengths they will go to make sure you're coming back for season two.

2. By the end of the finale, will we have a general idea of where the show is heading in terms of story?
There's some mystery to what will happen to our crew, and a big dose of doom. Though some big things are revealed, and a new character emerges who was a lot of fun to score.

3. Will we being seeing any new zombies in the finale? The glowing ones from going nuclear were top class!
There is definitely a new type of zombie revealed. Though I would say it's more disgusting than shocking or funny. Personally, the Viagra zombies were my favorite so far, even though we never actually saw them.

4. This is a question a lot of people have asked Robert Fruin on his SpoilerTV reviews. Will be get any confirmation as to whether Addy or Mack are alive? Can you tease anything?
I think everyone is curious about what happened to Mack when he stayed for Addy, especially after the last episode. We definitely find out more about them in the finale.

5. What will be the main focus for the finale? Will it be on the Lab where Murphy, and the group are heading?
The lab plays a big role in the finale for sure. In a lot of ways, the last episode of the season reminded me of the first episode of the season, if that gives you any idea of how crazy things get.

6. You played Keith Richards in an episode. What was that like?
It was a blast. The cast and crew were the best and we had a lot of fun. Thanks to the excellent hair and makeup team I think I found a new look. Plus I got to yell "zombies" in a close-up. It was a zombie fan's dream come true.

7. You’re a relative newcomer when it comes to working in television. How have you enjoyed the experience so far?
Scoring the show has been a huge challenge. I think that happens any time you're asked to put your creativity on a schedule. But the whole Z Nation team has been so cool to work with that it's made it a pleasure to be a part of the show.

8. Composing a song to perform with your band, Leroy Justice, and score for television must require a bit of adjusting? Talk us through how you go about the latter compared to the former.
When I'm writing music with my band, there's a lot of checks and balances with the other players. I can bring ideas to them and we can work out how they will end up sounding. With Z Nation, I'm basically on my own to create the sound of an hour long episode and then present it to producers. It's been a lesson on how to make decisions quickly and have confidence in what I think works.

9. Which episode is your favorite musically?
It has to be episode 7, the Fubar episode. The director Abram Cox made a lot of it in the style of an old western, like Sergio Leone movies. That gave me a great excuse to create a Ennio Morricone-style soundtrack. Warren's zombie-killing rampage has to be my favorite scene in the series. I hired a trumpet player to really take it over the top.

10. To finish up, what have you found to be the most challenging, and the most rewarding parts of your job?
When you get a new episode to score, it can be a little intimidating to think about all the music that needs to be created. It's been important to take it one scene at at time and not to get overwhelmed, especially with the tight schedule and turnaround from week to week. But seeing the final product on Syfy every Friday makes it worth it. I'm proud to be part of the Z Nation team.

That's all from Jason. You can visit his website, www.jasongallagher.net, to hear some of his music and learn even more about him. He is also on Twitter @leroyjustice, and you can visit the website of his band, Leroy Justice, at www.leroyjustice.com. You can also read my interviews with ABC's Castle composer Robert Duncan, and CBS's Criminal Minds composers Marc and Steffan Fantini.

Thanks for reading! Our apologies once again for the technical glitch, but we hope you found the interview interesting anyway. As usual please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Jimmy and Robert.

About the Author - Jimmy Ryan

Jimmy Ryan lives in New Zealand, and works in the IT industry. He is an avid follower of drama television and has a keen interest for television ratings and statistics. Some of his favorite shows right now are Person of Interest, Scandal, House of Cards, Orphan Black, The Blacklist, The 100, How To Get Away With Murder, Elementary and Castle. You can visit his television ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com or follow him on Twitter, @SeriesMonitor.

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