Cory Stillman
When you want to lend your Philadelphia-set crime series an authentic Philly sound, what better place to look than Philly’s own hip-hop legends, The Roots? Peacock’s Long Bright River did exactly that when showrunner Nikki Toscano tapped the band’s keyboardist James Poyser to join forces with composer Dimitri Smith in crafting the series’ gripping score.
Poyser, a Philly native, had a preexisting familiarity with Long Bright River‘s setting in the Kensington neighborhood of the city, where the opioid crisis continues to wreak tragedy and havoc on the local community.
“I grew up in Philly and I still live here,” says Poyser. “Philly is a beautiful place, but a tough, hard-working town, and I felt it only natural to bring some of that Philly energy to the score.”
That energy manifests rather differently from what audiences might expect, however. Despite Poyser’s hip-hop roots, the Long Bright River score finds him and Smith bonding over their shared love of piano, developing an entirely new musical palette for this gritty police procedural.
“Since we’re both pianists, that naturally found its way into the score early on,” says Smith. “We of course approach writing for the instrument from our own unique angles, which I think gives our collaboration a really distinctive voice.”
Further distinguishing Smith and Poyser’s work is the unique soundscape they managed to inject into their score, moving beyond traditional instrumentation. Poyser began his work on Long Bright River by driving through Kensington and recording various sounds: traffic, construction, etc.
“I ended up using those sounds to make some drum kits, which I used on a few cues that needed some procedural and industrial energy,” says Poyser.
Smith and Poyser are fond of establishing these dual requirements for their compositions, which makes sense considering the fine line that Long Bright River walks between family drama and crime saga. “We needed to find a tone that balanced darkness and beauty,” Smith says. “Which meant organically propelling the plot forward while still speaking to the intimate aspects of the story.”
Check out our full conversation with Dimitri Smith and James Poyser below!
Hi Dimitri and James! What were some of your initial conversations like when approaching the tone and emotional arc of the score?
James Poyser: We discussed how to approach the writing of themes that capture the emotions of family dynamics and addiction, as well as the tone of the Kensington neighborhood the show is based in.
DS: Like James said, the show deals with a lot of different themes, so we talked a lot about how the score needed to help the audience thread that needle. At its core, the story revolves around a family drama that grapples with loss, guilt, and addiction – but it’s layered with a police drama and a serial killer mystery. So we needed to find a tone that balanced darkness and beauty, which meant organically propelling the plot forward while still speaking to the intimate aspects of the story.
2. How did you two approach collaboration on this project? Did you divide scenes, work simultaneously, or pass ideas back and forth?
JP: As we started out writing, we passed ideas back and forth, to see what sticks, and what worked for each character. Then it became natural to divide the scenes. There were a few times though, where a cue written by one of us would come back in a later episode developed further by the other.
DS: Exactly. We were in constant communication about what we were doing, but once we had an idea of what was working for different characters and motifs, it was divide and conquer. There are occasions where one of us adapted a theme that the other initially wrote, which is always a fun experience.
3. James, as a Philadelphia native, how did your personal connection to the city influence your approach to scoring a series so closely tied to its setting?
JP: Because of my connection to the city…I grew up in Philly and I still live here. I’m very familiar with the Kensington neighborhood the story is based in, and very familiar with the opioid crisis there. Philly is a beautiful place, but a tough, hard-working town, and I felt it only natural to bring some of that Philly energy to the score.
4. Given your experience in live performance and songwriting with The Roots, how different has the experience of scoring to picture been?
JP: A little different, but in both, I’m part of a team, so I’m still taking orders in both scenarios! Scoring to picture – you’re helping the story, supporting it, playing a nuanced role based off of the guidance of the director/producers and also based off of the performances onscreen. Live performance – there’s more leeway…we are the story and we are the “visuals” in a sense, so I don’t have to be as nuanced. I liken playing in the Roots to being placed in a circle: I can run around as much as I want, in any direction, as long as I don’t step “too far’ outside of the circle…which I still do anyway…we all do.
5. Dimitri, how did you adapt your own musical voice to fit within the sonic world James brings, especially considering his background in hip-hop and soul?
DS: It will come as a surprise to no one when I say that James is an incredibly talented and versatile musician, and hip-hop/soul music is just one of many musical worlds he lives in. In this case, the score didn’t want to lean into those genres, so James and I developed a palette together that could best serve this dark and emotional story.
Since we’re both pianists, that naturally found its way into the score early on. We of course approach writing for the instrument from our own unique angles, which I think gives our collaboration a really distinctive voice. We also worked a lot with small, intimate string ensembles – playing elegant legato parts as well as atmospheric/aleatoric textures.
6. Beyond your impressive credits in scoring for television, you also have a background in scoring for VR immersive experiences. How does your creative approach differ across such drastically different projects?
DS: There are a lot of technical considerations that go into scoring VR specifically, but at the end of the day my job is to work with the other filmmakers to tell a given story in the most compelling way we can. I always approach scoring from a story/character-first perspective, regardless of the genre or medium. It’s why I’m very particular about the gear and instruments that I use in my studio – fun and unique sounds are always great and help keep the audience on their toes, but these considerations have to be balanced with the all-important task of telling the damn story. That connection to the work needs to shine through in an authentic way, whether you’re scoring a fantasy show or a VR documentary.
7. Did you work to incorporate any unique instrumentation or sounds into the score?
JP: As I was starting on this score, I drove through Kensington and recorded a bunch of sounds: traffic, construction, just some of noise of the area with the idea of using them in the score. I ended up using those sounds to make some drum kits, which I used on a few cues that needed some procedural and industrial energy.
DS: I recorded a lot of textural solo violin, sometimes even just scraping and soft trembling tremolo, that found its way into much of the score. It helped give a lot of scenes the gentle, organic propulsion that it needed. I also used a crazy instrument called a “feedback organ,” which produces really wild distorted feedback loops. This helped ratchet up tension gradually in the show’s gritter moments.
8. Can you describe a specific scene or episode that challenged you both musically or pushed you in new creative directions?
JP: The opening scene for me. The show opens in Kensington, showing what life is like on those streets, with a bit of foreshadowing & tension. This was the first cue composed for the show, and I tried to create something that would set the tone for the series, having some mystery to it, as well as highlighting the grittiness of the city.
DS: The closing scene of episode 3 marks a big turning point for Mickey (Amanda Seyfried) and the score there had to significantly ratchet up in drama and scope. This was challenging because much of the score had been intimate and nuanced leading up to this, but this was an opportunity to make a big statement. The theme I wrote for this scene signifies Mickey reluctantly opening up about her troubled past, and is played here by soaring strings layered with my own voice. It appears prominently in several other scenes, and can also be heard in solo violin, solo cello, piano, and dark synth textures.
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