Part of what gives Z Nation such a comfortably creepy but undeniably entertaining feel is its soundtrack, written skillfully by composer Jason Gallagher. Z Nation, which returns for season 3 in the coming week, has carved out its own space in the zombie film and TV lexicon with its self-referential humor and its ability to be dark and scary without taking itself too seriously, and Gallagher’s music reflects the apocalyptic but campy feel to the show. There’s also a wild west feel to Gallagher’s music, which is reflected in the lawlessness and chaos of the show’s setting, spending much of its time in the American South and Midwest. “In the first season we talked about Neil Young’s Dead Man soundtrack a lot, and a little bit about the Full Metal Jacket soundtrack, and both of those had this ambient reverb,” explains Gallagher. “And I think when you put that electric guitar in there, they end up being pretty western sounding. Everything’s drenched in reverb and sounds like it’s being grinded against some metal tools, so I think that definitely gets a western vibe across with the right instruments.” Gallagher should know! He’s not just the composer for Z Nation; he’s also been featured in a season 1 episode as zombie Keith Richards. Who’s to say the character won’t make a return? “Look, I’m still alive, guys! Let’s bring me back!” jokes Gallagher. “I was in one episode, and I escaped! Sketchy and Skeezy, those guys end up everywhere, so where am I? Where’s Keith?” Another Rolling Stones connection of a sort comes with the new version of the Z Nation theme song. Whereas Gallagher himself voiced the original title track, “Have Mercy,” changes are in store for season 3. Gallagher tells the story: “A couple of producers reached out and said, ‘Hey, no offense, everyone loves the title track and you sound great, but what do you think about getting a Mary Clayton type singer?’ … if you remember Mary Clayton from ‘Gimme Shelter’ and the Rolling Stones… So it was great, we totally redid it.” And that’s not the only alternate version of “Have Mercy.” There was a bluegrass version composed for a specific episode in season 1, and the extended version features the very creepy vocals of New York City-Based rap artist, NOTAR. Gallagher says, “[Mike Notar] had the idea to do the lower octave version, very close-miked, and then pump that up so it had that zombie, dark feel to it.” Definitely worth a listen. Z Nation, as well as Jason Gallagher’s addictive musical stylings, returns to Syfy on September 16 at 8pm ET. Listen to the full audio version of the interview in the September edition of the Sci Fi Fidelity podcast (iTunes | Stitcher | Soundcloud), or simply listen below.
