Nathan Peter Larson (born September 12, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and author. He came to prominence in the 1990s as the guitarist for the rock group

Shudder to Think Shudder to Think was an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1986, they released three albums on the Washington, D.C.-based label Dischord Records, and two on Epic Records. Their early work was largely influenced by post-hardcore although ...

. He has since worked on many

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

compositions. He is married to

Nina Persson Nina Elisabet Persson (; born 6 September 1974) is the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish rock band The Cardigans. She has also worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums as A Camp and one under her own name, and has also appeared as a ...

, the lead singer of the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

rock band

The Cardigans The Cardigans is a Swedish rock band formed in Jönköping, Sweden, in 1992 by guitarist Peter Svensson, bassist Magnus Sveningsson, drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead singer Nina Persson. Post-hiatus shows since 2 ...

, and the couple have collaborated on several musical projects. Larson is responsible for arranging 12-hour

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

concert events, and is one of the founders of the LUMEN PROJECT. In May 2011, Larson's

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, '' The Dewey Decimal System'', was published by

Akashic Books Akashic Books is a Brooklyn-based independent publisher. Akashic Books' collection began with Arthur Nersesian's ''The Fuck Up'' in 1997, and has since expanded to include Dennis Cooper's "Little House on the Bowery" series, Chris Abani's Black ...

. The second book in the series was published summer 2012, and is entitled ''The Nervous System.'' The third and final installment in this series, ''The Immune System'', was published in 2015.

Music career

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

-born Larson was the lead guitarist for the 1990s band

, and the original bassist for the

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

band

Swiz Swiz was an American hardcore punk band formed in 1987 in Washington, D.C., United States. History The founding members were Shawn Brown (vocals) and Ramsey Metcalf (guitar), who later added Nathan Larson (bass), Alex Daniels (drums) and Ja ...

. Larson was also the creative force behind the group Mind Science of the Mind, and founder of the band

Hot One Hot One is a rock band formed in 2005. Its members are guitarist/vocalist Nathan Larson, bassist/vocalist Emm Gryner, drummer Kevin March, and guitarist Jordan Kern. The band is characterized by a glam rock/post-punk sound and overtly political ly ...

. Larson and his wife Nina Persson have also been frequent musical collaborators, Persson providing vocals on several of Larson's film soundtracks, and Larson being a member of Persson's

A Camp A Camp is the solo side project of Nina Persson, vocalist for the Swedish indie pop band The Cardigans, her husband, composer Nathan Larson, and former Atomic Swing guitarist Niclas Frisk. Persson formed A Camp when The Cardigans took a break af ...

project and of the band on her solo album ''Animal Heart''. Larson is also credited as co-writer of several songs on The Cardigans' 2005 album (and last to date), ''

Super Extra Gravity ''Super Extra Gravity'' is the sixth studio album by Swedish band the Cardigans. It was produced by Tore Johansson, who last worked with the Cardigans on '' Gran Turismo'' and later with the band Franz Ferdinand. The album was released in Germany ...

''. He has produced albums for The Ark,

Angela McCluskey Angela McCluskey (born 28 February 1967) is a Scottish singer-songwriter based in California. She performs as a solo artist and as a member of the folk rock group Wild Colonials. McCluskey has also provided vocals for Curio and recorded the Eu ...

's THE THINGS WE DO (Manhattan /

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

), among other work. Larson is one of the co-founders of the Subchamber Ensmble, an experimental chamber music group. In 2017, he was a co-founder of the international nonprofit LUMEN PROJECT, which creates 6-24 hour audio and visual experiences. In addition to his work with "

drone music Drone music, drone-based music, or simply drone, is a minimalist genre that emphasizes the use of sustained sounds, notes, or tone clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmon ...

" concerts, Larson is also a prolific

film composer A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

and has contributed to over 60 scores, as well as music for such series as

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

's ''

VINYL Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

'' and ''

Show Me a Hero ''Show Me a Hero'' is a 2015 American miniseries based on the 1999 nonfiction book of the same name by former ''New York Times'' writer Lisa Belkin about Yonkers mayor Nick Wasicsko. Like the book, the miniseries details a white middle-class ne ...

''.

Select discography

; Solo * ''Jealous God'' (

Artemis Records Artemis Records was a New York-based independent record label, founded in July 1999 by Danny Goldberg with Daniel Glass as President, and closed in April 2006. The label was acquired by E1 Entertainment. Artemis had a leading share of the U.S. i ...

, 2001) * ''FilmMusik'' (Commotion Records, 2004) ; With

* '' Your Choice Live Series'' (

Your Choice Records Your Choice Records was a German independent record label that was founded in 1988 by producer Tobby Holzinger. The label specialized in independent punk music, including live releases of German and other international acts.http://www.de.wikiped ...

, 1992) * ''

Pony Express Record ''Pony Express Record'' is the fifth studio album by American post-hardcore band Shudder to Think, released in 1994 by Epic Records. Although signing to a major label from the independent Dischord Records shocked and alienated some fans of the ...

'' (Big Cat UK Records, 1994) * ''50,000 B.C.'' (Sony Music, 1997) * ''

High Art High culture is a subculture that emphasizes and encompasses the cultural objects of aesthetic value, which a society collectively esteem as exemplary art, and the intellectual works of philosophy, history, art, and literature that a society con ...

'' (Velvel Records, 1998) * ''

First Love, Last Rites ''First Love, Last Rites'' is a collection of short stories by Ian McEwan. It was first published in 1975 by Jonathan Cape, with cover designed by Bill Botten, and re-issued in 1997 by Vintage. Context The collection is McEwan's first pu ...

'' (1998) ; With Mind Science of the Mind * ''Mind Science of the Mind'' (

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

, 1996) ; With

* ''

'' ( Stockholm Records, 2001) * '' Colonia'' (

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

, 2009) ; With

* ''Hot One'' (Modern Imperial Records, 2006) ; Film scores * 1998: ''

Velvet Goldmine ''Velvet Goldmine'' is a 1998 musical drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes from a story by Haynes and James Lyons. It is set in Britain during the glam rock days of the early 1970s, and tells the story of fictional bisexual pop star B ...

'' (contributed songs with Shudder To Think) * 1999: '' Boys Don't Cry'' * 2000: ''

Tigerland ''Tigerland'' is a 2000 American war drama film directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Colin Farrell. It takes place in a training camp for soldiers to be sent to the Vietnam War. ''Tigerland'' was the name of a U.S. Army training camp during t ...

'' * 2002: ''

Malcolm Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim may refer to: People * Malcolm (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Clan Malcolm * Maol Choluim de Innerpeffray, 14th-century bishop-elect of Dunkeld Nobility * Máe ...

'' * 2002: ''

Lilja 4-ever ''Lilya 4-ever'' ( sv, Lilja 4-ever) is a 2002 crime drama film written and directed by Lukas Moodysson, which was released in Sweden on 23 August 2002. It depicts the downward spiral of Lilja Michailova, played by Oksana Akinshina, a girl in t ...

'' * 2002: ''

Storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural pre ...

'' * 2002: ''Le Chateau'' * 2003: '' Mannen som log'' * 2003: '' The Deal'' * 2003: '' Dirty Pretty Things'' * 2004: '' The Woodsman'' * 2004: ''

Prozac Nation ''Prozac Nation'' is a memoir by Elizabeth Wurtzel published in 1994. The book describes the author's experiences with atypical depression, her own character failings and how she managed to live through particularly difficult periods while compl ...

'' * 2004: ''

A Love Song for Bobby Long ''A Love Song for Bobby Long'' is a 2004 American psychological drama film directed and written by Shainee Gabel, based on the novel ''Off Magazine Street'' by Ronald Everett Capps. It stars John Travolta as the title character, an aging alcoho ...

'' * 2005: '' Little Fish'' * 2005: ''

Palindromes A palindrome is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as the words ''madam'' or ''racecar'', the date and time ''11/11/11 11:11,'' and the sentence: "A man, a plan, a canal – Panam ...

'' * 2008: '' Choke'' * 2008: ''

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...

'' * 2008: ''Yes Madam, Sir'' * 2009: ''

Like Dandelion Dust ''Like Dandelion Dust'' is a 2009 drama film directed by Jon Gunn and based on the novel by the same name by Karen Kingsbury. The film won 26 awards at 23 film festivals. Plot Two police officers knock on the door of a home and a drunk man answe ...

'' * 2009: '' The Messenger'' * 2010: '' American Mystic'' * 2010: ''

Trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another * Trust (bus ...

'' * 2011: ''

Margin Call ''Margin Call'' is a 2011 American drama film written and directed by J. C. Chandor in his feature directorial debut. The principal story takes place over a 24-hour period at a large Wall Street investment bank during the initial stages of the ...

'' * 2011: ''Choose'' * 2011: ''

Our Idiot Brother ''Our Idiot Brother'' is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Jesse Peretz and starring Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer. The script was written by Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall based on Jesse and Evge ...

'' * 2011: '' Silent House'' * 2013: '' Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes'' * 2014: ''

God's Pocket ''God's Pocket'' is a 2014 American drama film directed by John Slattery, his feature film directorial debut. Slattery co-wrote the screenplay with Alex Metcalf, based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Pete Dexter. The film stars Philip Seymour ...

'' * 2014: ''

The Skeleton Twins ''The Skeleton Twins'' is a 2014 American comedy-drama film directed by Craig Johnson and starring Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig. The film premiered in competition at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2014. It won the Screenwriting Award: ...

'' * 2017: ''

Saturday Church ''Saturday Church'' is a 2017 American musical fantasy drama film written and directed by Damon Cardasis; and was his first feature film. The film stars Luka Kain, Margot Bingham, Regina Taylor, Marquis Rodriguez, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, and In ...

'' * 2018: ''

Juliet, Naked ''Juliet, Naked'' is a novel by the British author Nick Hornby published in 2009. It tells the story of Annie, the long-suffering girlfriend of obsessed music fan Duncan, and the object of his obsession, singer-songwriter Tucker Crowe. The pl ...

'' * 2020: ''

High Fidelity (TV series) ''High Fidelity'' is an American romantic comedy television series, based on the 1995 novel ''High Fidelity'' by Nick Hornby and the 2000 ''High Fidelity'' film. It premiered on the Hulu streaming service on February 14, 2020. The series st ...

Personal life

Larson is married to

lead singer,

. They wed in Malmö, Sweden. They have a son named Nils who was born on September 30, 2010. The couple formerly resided in New York City in the

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

neighborhood of

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, but currently reside in Malmö, Sweden. He was previously engaged to actress and musician

Kerri Kenney-Silver Kerri Kenney-Silver (born January 20, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and musician. She is best known for starring as Trudy Wiegel on the mockumentary series ''Reno 911!'' and previously for her sketch comedy work on MTV ...

Awards

* GRAS SAVOYE Award at Cannes 2004 for THE WOODSMAN score * the Georges Delerue Prize for the Best Music, Ghent Film Festival 2009, Belgium for A RATIONAL SOLUTION * Movieline's Young Hollywood Award for Best song in a motion picture (Velvet Goldmine) * Produced Emmy-award winning song for Nickelodeon's "Nickellinium” * The Deal received the BAFTA award for Best Television Drama

References

External links

*
Lumen Project events

Larson interview regarding Lumen Project

at ''akashic books'' : plot summary and review blurbs
''The Dewey Decimal System''
at ''A Camp'' : plot summary {{DEFAULTSORT:Larson, Nathan 1970 births American film score composers American male guitarists American punk rock guitarists American rock guitarists Georges Delerue Award winners Guitarists from Maryland Living people American male film score composers Shudder to Think members The 8G Band members The Field School alumni American emigrants to Sweden A Camp members