Published: Feb. 10, 2018
NO LAUGHING MATTER
They have fun playing the scores of your favorite cartoons —
but it’s not as easy as it looks
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
As an aspiring musician, Joel Pierson moved from Washington
to the Big Apple to find a career.
He knew it was going to be difficult to stand out in that
setting. But he had an idea he contemplated for years and believed it was his
way into the music business: cartoon music.
“This was the best idea I had,” Pierson said.
It appeared he wasn’t the only one a fan of this idea.
Within two weeks, he was joined by six other musicians and a
vocalist to form the group The Queen’s Cartoonists.
The group, formed in Queens, New York, will play for the
first time in Washington County with a 7:30 p.m. show Feb. 16 at the University
of Wisconsin-Washington County in West Bend.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for senior citizens
(older than 62) and youth (younger than 17). Tickets can be purchased by
calling 262-335-5200.
This is only the second year the group has toured throughout
the U.S. And, so far so good.
“The response was very positive,” Pierson said.
The band features Pierson (piano), Rossen Nedelchev (drums),
Ian Hutchinson (bass), Drew Pitcher (tenor saxophone), Mark Phillips (clarinet)
and Greg Hammontree (trumpet), along with vocalist Tara Lynne Khaler. They’ve
also already released a self-titled album, doing so last year, and have been
featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, National Public
Radio, RAI-TV (Italy) and CBS’ “Evening News.”
Pierson said the common thread each of the band members had
was the desire to make music for a living. The struggle was figuring out how in
a competitive market.
So, instead of recruiting members through jam sessions or
gigs, Pierson decided to do word of mouth, sharing adult beverages.
The method worked and the idea grew.
“It only took a couple weeks to get a band together,”
Pierson said.
“I think it gave me some encouragement that it was a unique
idea and wanted to see what it could turn into,” he said when asked what it
meant to him to have the rapid response from fellow musicians.
But, Pierson said because of the complexity of playing
scores from cartoons, the band rehearsed for about a year before going out on
the road.
“The guys were interested in a project that had less
improvising,” Pierson said.
“It’s fast with sudden changes in tempo or style,” he said
when asked what makes cartoon scores difficult. “Think of a chase scene then
someone sneak around the corner or falls down the stairs. It’s very challenging
to pull off.”
Pierson wanted to play this kind of music because who didn’t
grow up watching Bugs Bunny or Goofy cartoons?
“It’s a real part of our cultural heritage,” Pierson said.
“Some scores are 100 years old. Studios put a lot of resources into (the
music). They pay a lot of attention to the scores. Plus all of us grew up to it.”
Pierson’s favorite growing up was Bugs Bunny, but also liked
“The Simpsons.”
He pointed to Looney Tunes as one example of the influence
music in cartoons has, using “Tunes” instead of “Toons.”
“Music was so important (to Warner Bros.),” Pierson said.
“They wanted the music to accompany the cartoon and the cartoon to accompany
the music.”
Pierson’s parents introduced him to classical music early in
his life and he thoroughly enjoyed it.
“I liked playing piano more than playing soccer,” he said.
When he was about 7 years old, a few years into piano
lessons, Pierson said that’s when he started to look at cartoons differently.
That’s when he took more notice of the accompanying music.
“Some of the music I was playing was being used in these
cartoons,” he said. “As an adult, it’s easier to get a perspective on how
difficult it was to pull it off.”
The adult attendees for a Queen’s Cartoonist show will get a
chance to relive some childhood memories from the classic Warner Bros. and
Disney cartoons. In addition, cartoons are synced to the band’s performance,
playing the music from a cartoon while it’s projected on a movie screen,
offering a different experience to watch the most well-known cartoons.
And, because of the cartoons, it’s a kid-friendly show, too.
“It is a show for all ages,” Pierson said.
In addition to the group’s selftitled album, their work can
be found on iTunes. They’ve also recorded a live album.
“It’s gone very quickly from inception to actually being on
the road,” Pierson said. “We’re very fortunate, but it’s also been a lot of
work. We’re looking forward to doing more touring and turn this into a serious
project.”
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