New Brunswick-based composer Zachary Greer set out with a goal of working on as many film and television projects as possible. However, as he points out, the opportunities available from New Brunswick’s film industry are often few and far between. The obvious solution for was Greer was to take matters into his own hands to craft a soundtrack for a film that doesn’t even exist. “Final Breath” is the first single from his album about a historic New Brunswick event, that features chamber pop duo Pallmer.
If you’ve ever driven across New Brunswick, chances are you’ve spotted one of the more unique signs along this stretch of the TransCanada Highway. The sign for the village of New Maryland boasts a claim to the province’s “last fatal duel… and resting place.” For Greer, that tempting bit of folklore was filled with an irresistible cinematic energy that demanded a score.
The duel took place in 1821 between George Frederick Street and George Ludlow Wetmore after an unfortunate case of mistaken identity and besmirched honour.
“It just seemed so surreal and crazy that it happened right here in New Brunswick. We don’t always think of NB as having this kind of history that you could see in a big-budget film,” says Greer.
Having grown up watching classic westerns like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West, Greer says that story really hit home for him.
“What really pulled me into the story was the inner battle of the two characters. How they were so driven by their pride and fear of having a tarnished reputation was so interesting to me because it’s very real. During that time, all you’d have is your reputation, especially as an attorney, and if that were to be disgraced you may not continue to have work in that profession. Not even their families were enough to ground them and, I guess, in their eyes they may have been doing it for them too.
“The complexity of the human elements in this story are what truly inspire me because nothing is black and white.”
Crafting narrative from the recorded accounts, albeit a largely instrumental one, the album comes to its conclusion with the one exception. Featuring Pallmer’s Emily Kennedy on vocals, “Final Breath” is—if you’ll forgive the cliché, considering the subject matter—nothing short of both haunting and epic; a story that Greer envisions that might have been sung by some local group in a small tavern or pub, not long after the events.
“Pallmer has a modern style of playing on their instruments and they have an intimate and raw sound, which is exactly what I wanted for this story. I wanted raw and gritty sounds, but at times playing some having some beauty come through. That’s almost like a metaphor for humans themselves,” says Greer.
“I also wanted to find a balance by combining more contemporary styles of sounds and composing with traditional and Pallmer is fantastic at doing that in their own work so I knew they’d be perfect. I felt that Emily’s voice would hit that home even more; the raw but beautiful tone that’s almost a bit haunting. And her singing is unique too, the way that she embellishes certain words.”
The full album will be released via Bandcamp on January 21, 2020, and can be purchased with an accompanying digital booklet containing descriptions for each track to guide the listener through the story.