Theatre in Review

Ken Payne

Ken Payne

Tuesday, 08 June 2010 19:43

Liza Richardson Has the Golden Ear

We hear music during TV shows and movies all the time. Sometimes we remember a scene forever solely because of the music chosen to play beneath it. When that takes place, the music supervisor has done a fantastic job. Liza Richardson has made that happen numerous times. Richardson is a successful music supervisor and certainly has the ear for the job. Music is as important to a film or TV series as any other component. It is of the most important tools used in conveying what the director is feeling. Needless to say, the music chosen to accompany a TV show or film can make or break the project. The songs used in a soundtrack can leave us with a long lasting impression or, if done improperly, could fail to evoke viewer emotion during a powerful or moving moment.

 

Richardson is currently working on the Friday Night Lights soundtrack and has worked on several other TV series including “Parenthood”, “Melrose Place” and “Life”. She has also worked on such feature films as the music supervisor or consultant as “Nacho Libre”, “Curious George”, “Syriana” “Failure to Launch”, “Lords of Dogtown” and “Push”.   

 

Buzz – Right now you are currently working on the soundtrack for Friday Night Lights. You’ve worked on so many projects as a music supervisor or music consultant. What comes into play when putting a soundtrack together?

 

Liza Richardson – Well, every one seems to be different for whatever reason. Obviously there are commonalities so films are different than doing television and ads are totally different. The difference is that, as a music supervisor, when I work on ads I’m strictly doing research and handing in a ton of tracks but I don’t usually get involved with negotiations or deal making. Whereas you work on films for a long time and there’s a lot of thought and labor put into it and things change, but for the most part it’s a long process. Television is more ephemeral - more immediate. It happens quickly. But all three of those mediums are totally different. I’ve never worked on a video game or anything. I don’t know what that’s like.

 

Buzz – So let’s take Friday Night Lights for example.

 

Liza – Basically in the beginning, which is a long time ago – about four or five years ago now - you get together with the show runner and the director and editors and the people that are working on the show and you kind of formulate what the musical landscape of the show is going to be. And then what I do is put together a collection of tunes – usually pretty big, like 300-500 songs that I think are in the ballpark for the show. Like on Friday Night Lights we use a lot of hard rock for football, we use some twangy country, we use a lot of indie rock for montages or score-like songs. And we use a lot of hip-hop for the more urban or ghetto type things that are happening. So you just put together a lot of university music and then as the show goes along I’ll get scenes given to me by the editor and I’ll work on them and try to suggest stuff from that pool of music that I gave him because it’s a lot of music for them to go through. So each scene that goes across my desk - I get ideas from that, or maybe I have some new ideas that I throw in and I’ll usually present between three and seven ideas per scene. I’ll pitch them and maybe they’ll choose something from that, but it doesn’t always work out like that. It’s all very collaborative. A lot of times the editors bring songs to the table or the director who’s working on the director’s cut will want to try something.

 

Buzz – So do they ever come back to you and say, “Uh uh, this is just not going to work?”

 

Liza – Oh, yeah. Sometimes they just give me a scene and they’ll just say, “Here’s the scene!” But they won’t have time to say what they are looking for and I’ll just have to interpret it without any direction and sometimes – yeah, I’ll get it wrong and I’ll just have to do it again.

 

Buzz – Is it easier to work on a feature film because it may not go off on as many directions as a long-running TV series?

 

Liza – Feature films are like…the bigger the budget the less work it is because you probably have back up on clearances and that kind of thing, whereas if you do an independent film you’re responsible from everything from soup to nuts. So the lower the budget on a film the more work it is. But I don’t know if I would say easier. There are certain films that are easier and there are some TV shows that are really a pain and some that go smoother.

 

Buzz – Do you ever find a great song for a scene and then go to the artist and they’re like, “No, I don’t want my music associated with that project.”

 

Liza – Oh, absolutely, which is the job of the music supervisor to navigate that whole thing for the producers. The idea is that you are so on top of the music you are pitching and that it comes from these reliable sources that are known to be ok with it. It happens. Songs are denied all the time and sometimes it’s for budget reasons and sometimes it’s for creative reasons.

 

Buzz – How often does a friend of a friend of a friend somehow get their music to you thinking it may be something you could use in a soundtrack?

 

Liza – Everyday. Constantly. I mean, it’s a constant situation that I try to navigate – who’s giving me what and keeping track of it and making sure I know where I found it – making sure I tag all my mp3’s with the source of it so that I can find it when I need it. I’m constantly getting pitches everyday. I don’t know how to quantify, but emails, digital downloads…

 

Buzz – Have you ever used a song from a no name band that made its way to you?

 

Liza – Yeah. Oh, yeah, totally. All the time. I met a girl at a party last year and we got into a conversation and – sometimes I just do it to be polite – “Oh, yeah, send me your stuff.” Because so often you get music submitted and it’s terrible. But I met this girl and thought she was cool and checked out her tunes and they were really beautiful and I got her a really cool spot in Friday Night Lights. So it happens all the time.

 

Buzz – Wow, that’s great. So you are also a DJ on a radio station. What kind of show do you host?

 

Liza – Yeah. I’ve been a DJ on KCRW since 1991. I’ve had various shows on the station and for about the last ten years I’ve been on Saturday nights from 8pm-10pm. The evening starts off from 6pm-8pm with Henry Rollins so he plays a lot of punk rock and intense world music – really wild and challenging. I come on after him with my show – I think – in the hopes challenging as well. It’s totally different than Henry’s show. I play a lot of indie rock, jazz music, world music - a lot of African music, reggae… It’s just sort of a jam session – a lot of current stuff and a lot of retro stuff. It’s just really fun. I just totally love it. It’s just once a week. I dedicate my Saturday to it. It’s not what I do for a living though.

 

Buzz – I read that you were selected as the DJ for the Academy Awards.

 

Liza – I was! In 2007 they decided to try having a DJ in the house. I guess the problem in the past was that during the commercial breaks a lot of people get up and move around. They just wanted to make it a little bit more inviting to stay in the theater so they wouldn’t have to rally everybody to get back into their seats after the break. So that was the concept. It was fun and it was an honor. I had a great view of all the celebrities and it was really, really fun.  

 

Buzz - You were previously and A&R scout for Geffen Records.  That seems like something you would take with you into music supervision.

 

Liza – Well, it all comes with DJ-ing. I started DJ-ing about twenty years ago - at least. I spent so much time with music – and had the time. My first couple radio shows I was on midnight to five Monday through Fridays in Dallas, and that gave me a lot of time to learn and explore music. When you think about it, when you’re on the air at four in the morning, who’s listening? So why not throw on this folk record or this blues record…? I had a lot of time to dig in and learn about music. So I think everything in my musical career started from that. It’s not so easy to make a great living in radio so I was trying to think of other ways to bolster my income and stay within my passion, which is music. So then I made a presentation and got a job as a scout for Geffen. But I am glad I never took A&R as seriously and switched over to music supervision.

 

Buzz – There are probably a few things in common with those two jobs, I would imagine.

 

Liza – Oh, yeah. You’re always looking for the next thing. They’re very similar. Both jobs are about discovering music, but A&R is more about developing it and turning your talent into a real record or real artist, whereas music supervision is more about taking something you find and finding a place to use it.     

 

You can check out the Friday Night Lights soundtrack at http://www.fridaynightlightsvol2tvsoundtrack.com/.

 

          

 

The weather was in question with thunderstorms almost certain to blanket Chicago the entire night. Still, the ominous report of storm-like conditions didn’t keep the fans from coming out in droves to see classic rockers Kansas, Foreigner and Styx at the outdoor concert venue, Charter One Pavilion, located between downtown and the lake on Northerly Island. On the way to the venue, the rain was light but threatening. Men, tried hard to keep their dates dry, but were often seen batting their heads in the process of balancing the umbrellas over their heads more so than their own. When arriving at the gate, everyone was told to leave his or her umbrellas behind in which a flimsy poncho was given for protection from the rain. Those umbrellas were not to be seen again by their rightful owners. 

 

Kansas was the first act to play and had to do so during only a light, warm mist. It seemed the weather was beginning to cooperate. Rich Williams patented guitar sound cut through the stadium taking the crowd back to the 1970’s when such a tone was such a familial earful for many and a time traveling expedition for others. Playing such notables as “Point of Know Return” and “Dust in the Wind”, Kansas got the dampened audience in the rock and roll spirit before sending them to the next band up, Foreigner, with their ultra-classic “Carry On My Wayward Son”.

 

When Foreigner took to the stage to the stage the rain had disappeared and the air was balmy, setting a perfect picture for an evening concert. Kelly Hansen’s vocals were spot on while guitarist Mick Jones went from one song to the other with effortless perfection. The band churned out one favorite after another including “Urgent”, “Hot Blooded”, “Feels Like the First Time”, “Cold As Ice” and “Double Vision” before ending on a triumphant note with a commanding performance of “Juke Box Hero” accompanied by fun animations of a cartoon band on the backdrop.

 

Styx then followed and began their set with an instrumental medley of their songs including, “Mr. Roboto”. Somewhere in their 7-8 minute opening number, the weather began to shift in which a gentle rain began to fall and light gusts of wind made themselves known from out of nowhere. However, both band and crowd didn’t skip a beat and the concert continued. Styx went into “Grand Illusion” before changing the tempo with the more upbeat “Too Much Time on My Hands” from their Paradise Theater album. In the meantime, the rain would take turns falling heavily until everyone scrambled to put their ponchos on, then, just as they were somewhat secured, almost come to a complete stop. Styx ignored the weather as the temperature suddenly dropped a good 15-20 degrees and the winds picked up. The rain also became steadier as the band played “Lady” and Tommy Shaw went into “High Enough” from his days with Damn Yankees. By the time James Young got to front the vocals for “Miss America” the rain was falling sideways and a crew of three members was trying to hold the swaying overhead speakers in place from the gusting winds. At the same time, the stage lights were also swinging from left to right. Heavy airstreams made it difficult to provide cover from the rain and ponchos were seen flying through the air like kites in failed attempts at putting them on one’s self spread like an epidemic. Just as the song ended, probably about a third through their set, Shaw announced to the crowd that the authorities that be were calling it a night and thanked everyone for sticking around as long as they did.  

 

It was a gutsy performance but the weather finally won. Bottlenecks of people traffic made the mass exodus a very sluggish process, and the non-agreeable climate made the walk to the Red Line even slower.        

 

      

 

 

Tuesday, 01 June 2010 18:29

Catching Up with Kansas' Rich Williams

Kansas is still known today as one of the best progressive rock bands to ever hit the stage. Known for such classics as “Dust in the Wind”, “Point of Know Return” and “Carry On My Wayward Son” the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 and is still going strong. Original members Rich Williams, Steve Walsh and Phil Ehart along with longtime band mates Billy Greer and David Ragsdale are currently touring with fellow rockers Styx and Foreigner while, at the same time, supporting their recent live concert DVD release, There’s Know Place Like Home. The three bands will hit Chicago on June 5th at the Charter One Pavilion.

 

I caught Rich on a windy day in Nebraska hours before he was to take the stage, where he joked, “there’s nothing to block the wind out here.”  

 

Buzz – I wanted to ask you about Kansas’ recent DVD release, There’s Know Place Like Home. This is a live DVD that commemorates the 35th Anniversary of your debut self-entitled album, Kansas. 

 

Rich Williams – We did an album with a symphony orchestra about 15 years ago and since then – just about every year – we do some symphony dates always in hope of one day filming it, and the 35th anniversary seemed like a really good time to do that. We didn’t know where we wanted to film it and we wanted it to somehow make sense, so it wasn’t until we went back home where we started that we really began to get a feel for the whole project.

 

Buzz – How is that different when Kansas plays live shows – having an orchestra behind you?

 

Rich – Well, we’ve done it quite a bit over the last 15 years so it’s another day at the office, really. It is different but it’s not as hard as one thinks because the symphony follows us. The conductor follows the drummer and they follow the conductor. We just do what we do.

 

Buzz – How did the idea of playing with an orchestra even come up in the first place?

 

Rich – I think for a long time – a long time before we even did the symphony album – we just thought that one day it would be great to do a recording with the symphony. I don’t think it was any one person; it was just kind of a band goal to do it.

 

Buzz – Now, you guys have been around since the early 70’s. Are you constantly picking up new fans along the way? Capturing new generations as you go?

 

Rich – With the Internet, songs in movies – classic rock radio plays us all the time – we’ve always had new kids every year, and having “Carry On My Wayward Son” on Guitar Hero II has boosted our following incredibly. Rock Band also has “Wayward Son” on it and that started bringing whole families to the shows that play the song together. So the face of the crowd is older, but it’s also younger.

 

Buzz – And then you also have those devoted die-hards that worship you guys as one of the greats in the progressive rock world. You are really reaching out to a diverse audience.

 

Rich – We do have a very loyal fan base.

 

Buzz – The last Kansas album was released in 2000. Do you guys ever kick around the idea of recording an album of new material?

 

Rich – Yeah, we have kicked it around a bit. We have a project that we might be doing at the beginning of next year – or even late this year. It’s hard to get it moving and it’s very expensive to do. Radio won’t play it and when we would play a song off our new album people would get up to get a beer or buy a t-shirt. The reality is that nobody really gives a shit.

 

Buzz – Why do you think the radio wouldn’t play new Kansas material? I mean, you guys have TONS of fans.

 

Rich – Classic rock radio would be the only format and they are very formatted. They don’t play new material. They only go three songs deep with us. There are a few stations here and there that will, but not enough to move a record.

 

Buzz – That’s very true. You guys have a massive amount of great songs and yeah, they only play the same three. It’s almost a disservice.

 

Rich – They have a structured formula and that’s what they have to do. There are very few independent classic rock stations that just do it the way they want to where the disc jockey just pulls the songs out and plays whatever he wants. They all have a list of what they have to play. 

 

Buzz – So how has the Internet changed Kansas?

 

Rich – I know a lot of kids have discovered us on the Internet. Like when they play Guitar Hero II and they really like the song so they find out who plays it and they start looking us up. I remember my middle son, several years ago, was on his musical journey on the Internet and downloaded some songs and asked me, “Have you ever heard of a band called Crosby, Stills and Nash?” That wasn’t something that was on his plate before, so it was all new to him. So there is a lot of discovery there.  

 

Buzz – Very true. Now you are currently touring with Styx and Foreigner. How has that been for you?

 

Rich – Well, it’s familiar. I think it was ’96 when Styx first did their reunion tour, we did that tour with them. And we have worked with them every year since. We also worked with them back in the 70’s so we’ve known them forever. And Foreigner – we did the Foreigner Four tour with them in Europe – and since they’ve been back together we did a show with them last year and a couple the year before. So it’s all great. It’s very familiar and the crews even know each other.   

 

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 19:52

Switchfoot Brings Down the House

While supporting their recently released studio album, Hello Hurricane, Switchfoot returned to Chicago, this time to the House of Blues, where they brought their highly-charged live show, beguiling songs and positive point of view to their doting fans once again. As the San Diego-based band made their way onto the stage the expected screams and cries were heard, but the moment the music rang out the crowd began to jump in unison, causing the floor to buckle enough to feel like a mild earthquake (4.3?) – and the shaking continued throughout the entirety of the concert.

The band’s first three songs, including “Stars”, were enhanced by a massive strobe light attack, making what were already high-energy numbers even more intense. By the time Switchfoot cruised into their fourth song, “Oh! Gravity”, the energy of the crowd was completely projected onto the band and vice versa, evident in both Switchfoot’s performance and fan reaction. Singer/guitarist/frontman, Jon Foreman, then set course through the jam-packed hall, high-fiving and delivering hugs to anyone near at the same time singing as the band played on. 

Switchfoot’s sound couldn’t have been more crisp and full. Meaty guitars echoed throughout the House of Blues via Jon and Drew Shirley’s rich sounding axes, often augmented when Jerome Fontamillas added a third when he wasn’t manning the keyboards or fielding a percussion instrument. Two toms – one on each side of the stage – were the victims of random beatings by both Jon and his brother, bassist Tim Foreman, adding to drummer Chad Butler’s bashing beats. 

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Taking a break from the joie de vivre of the revved power set about midway through the show, Switchfoot went into their emotional ballad “Always” as a piano was wheeled to center stage for Jon to play. Jon first explained how he learned to play music on his parent’s piano. The band’s set list was well-rounded and included such songs as “Free”, “Mess of Me”, “Bullet Soul”, “Dare You to Move”, “Needle and Haystack Life” and that night’s encore opener, “Hello Hurricane”, a melodic and hard-hitting piece that again found Jon enthusiastically roaming throughout the crowd.  

 

 

 

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As for a complete rock and roll show, Switchfoot’s performance had it all…almost. There was no talk of drug use, no cursing, no vulgarities, no negativity, no womanizing and no relating to the crowd with the message that being lost and depressed is cool. However, the lack of these rock show familiars is testament to how good Switchfoot really is – proof that a band can be highly entertaining with good music, high energy, fun crowd interaction and a strong message that there is always hope. 

 

  

 

 

 

  

Saturday, 07 November 2009 15:13

KISS Alive 35 - Larger than Life

alt35 years? Wow. It’s not so hard to believe that KISS has been around since forming in New York City in January of 1973, but what’s so amazing is their ability to still rock as hard as ever. Known for their spectacular live shows, KISS reminded everyone why they’ve always had a larger than life image

 

For those, like me, who have never seen Grand Archives before last Saturday night at Chicago's Schuba’s Tavern there’s one word that probably entered our minds collectively – WOW. On tour for their new release Keep in Mind Frankenstein, Sub Pop’s Seattle based artist, Grand Archives, kept the crowd mesmerized

 

Tuesday, 15 September 2009 14:46

U2 360 Tour - "Magnificent"

u22_newLeave it to U2 to revolutionize the art of the concert. In U2’s 360 Tour the band brings their show to major stadiums, in Chicago’s case Soldier Field, where they play their music on a circular stage below a giant, claw-like “spaceship”, catering to fans in every direction.

Wednesday, 01 April 2009 21:57

I’m a Believer in Davy Jones!

David-Jones-Current-25BBF4I was happy to see that Davy’s set included the great Monkees songs that he is known most for like “I Want to Be Free” and “Valleri”, but was also pleased to hear him sing songs in which Mickey Dolenz sang the leads such as “Steppin’ Stone”, “Last Train to Clarksville” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday”.

jeffrey nothingFans dressed in gothic attire and many disguised as bloody nightmares entered the ballroom where a giant six-foot-high chainsaw was sitting atop a stage. Resembling something between The Night of the Living Dead and a Nine Inch Nails concert, the crowd was a big part of the show itself creating it’s own brand of entertainment (for people watchers like myself) before the first act even took the stage.

james hart1Friday night was a night to remember for music fans that like it hard and heavy, as the Allstate Arena shook nonstop from one thunderous act after another. Burn Halo, featuring singer James Hart (formerly of Eighteen Visions) played as the ticket’s opener and was quick to show they were ready to take on an arena crowd.

 

 

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