Milwaukee Musicians Find Opportunities in Film, TV and Other Media

Milwaukee-area musicians have a history of contributing to film and TV, going all the way back to Liberace. Four decades later, ex-Violent Femmes drummer and current Nineteen Thirteen member Victor DeLorenzo teamed with John Wesley Harding (aka Wes Stace) to write music for the 1992 film The Paint Job. Recently, multi-talented musician Josh Schmidt undertook writing music for seven films. Some musicians, such as Milwaukee expatriate John Wong, an in-demand film and TV composer now in Los Angeles, credits the Brew City for a solid foundation to build from.

Others have had the luxury of having their song placed in film and TV. Recently, Trapper Schoepp had his song used in a trailer for HBO’s reboot of “Perry Mason.” In 1994, Mike Hoffmann’s band, the Carnival Strippers, placed a song in the film Speed. Around the same time, The Yell Leaders had songs in TV shows such as “Dawson’s Creek,” and The BoDeans’ “Closer to Free” became the theme song for “Party of Five.” These are just a few examples.

For locals trying to make their way in a COVID-19 world, finding a way to express oneself and pay the bills has never been more important. Without the luxury of concerts, musicians have had to get creative in how they connect musically with the outside world. For many, writing music for TV and film have unlocked new possibilities. It’s a form of music that’s been hospitable to all walks of life.

Several local musicians—a mix of veterans and newcomers—spoke about why that music has limitless appeal.

SAM ECOFF

When he’s not teaching at the Waukesha County Conservatory of Music, Sam Ecoff is busy composing music for television, film and other media. His compositions have appeared on a variety of shows, including “The Today Show,” “American Ninja Warrior,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “American Idol,” “ CSI,” “The West Wing” and “The Teen Choice Awards.”

It’s a far cry from his classical and music theory-trained background. “I quickly discovered there was a real disconnect between the training I received in college and what the world of music for TV and film demands of a media composer,” he says. “Whereas art music is about innovation and compositional technique, media music focuses on groove, emotion and scene-setting.”

FOR MANY, WRITING MUSIC FOR TV AND FILM HAVE UNLOCKED NEW POSSIBILITIES. IT’S A FORM OF MUSIC THAT’S BEEN HOSPITABLE TO ALL WALKS OF LIFE.

Ecoff feels there’s a misconception that film and TV music needs to be hummable or epic. However, most work goes by unnoticed and barely heard. “If the music in a production is well constructed, it sets the emotional scene for the viewer without drawing a lot of attention to itself,” he says. “The music tells you the moment you’re watching is especially triumphant, poignant, or heartfelt. If I’ve done my job as a composer well, you’ll never stop to think about the music behind the images you are seeing. You’ll feel the emotion of the moment without stopping to consider if there was even music playing.”

He uses session musicians and exotic instruments to further breathe life into his collection of sounds. “At the end of the day, I’m just a guy sitting at a computer in a corner of my basement, but when you hear music I’ve written, hopefully you hear something more than that,” he says.

Ecoff was once asked on the spot to fill in for another composer without time to prepare. He brainstormed six pieces. “I recall walking away, wondering if anything I just did would be even marginally useful,” he says. “Those six pieces have since appeared over and over again, in film trailers, hundreds of TV shows and all over YouTube. I guess the moral of the story is to be prepared, since your moment might come at any time.”

JUSTIN KROL AND QUINN SCHARBER

Justin Krol and Quinn Scharber have spent the better part of the past decade touring and recording in various bands. However, finding their ability to tour limited due to their growing families, they wanted a new way to challenge themselves. After getting songs on network TV, they decided to start writing for TV and film.

The biggest challenge at first was on the technical side, figuring on how to time code and composing directly to picture versus just free form recording like they were used to. However, it quickly became second nature. “It took us a minute at the very beginning to find our niche—and trust me, we’re still always working on it—but I think that we've developed a certain aesthetic that comes through, no matter what the genre is,” says Krol. “We’re always looking for a tonality and feel that aligns

with the picture. It can be as simple as a single piano note or a complex combination of elements to create a certain pad to put a melody over.”

So far, they’ve written over 100 songs ranging from film shorts to commercials. Their work includes music for well-known brands such as Coach, Ford, Nobull, Chase Bank and Yeti. One of their Coach ads, which came as a result of connection to a music license agency, features Jennifer Lopez. “The J-Lo deal was part of a post-Super Bowl spring campaign for Coach,” Krol says. “There were four or five spots that they used one of our songs for.”

They’ve also scored two documentaries— Let This Be Therapy, out later this year, and 2019’s Who I've Always Been. Scharber says they’ll “enthusiastically try anything at this point,” and they pride themselves in “being reliable and delivering good, consistent work.” Versatility is most important as is knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses. “If I can explore all sorts of not just genres but sound in general, I’m the happiest I can be in terms of creativity,” he says.

“It's been super fun for us to be able to constantly switch mindsets within any given day,” says Krol. “Every day is completely unpredictable in the best way possible… You’re free to experiment in every genre, and you should. Some of our best stuff has come out of playing with genres that were completely uncharted territory for us.”

JORDAN DAVIS

Jordan Davis is constantly looking for new ways to express himself musically. In addition to fronting his Milwaukee-based band, Space Raft, and creating chiptune music for video game developers, Davis has found exciting new challenges writing for TV and film. So far, he’s worked on two indie films, Brian Perkins’ Speed of Sound and Cris Siqueira’s documentary Ape Girl. “Both were films directed by friends of mine and were able to coach me through what was needed for the project,” says Davis.

Speed of Sound was work culled from another film project of Perkins that he had writ-

ten music for called You Poor Thing. “The initial film project was abandoned, but it resulted in songs that I used for the first Space Raft LP and set up a working relationship between Brian and myself,” says Davis.

“Cris was aware that I was working on this project for Brian and asked if I would be interested in also writing the main theme to her film about a Brazilian sideshow attraction that migrated to US carnivals… I wrote a ballad with lyrics called ‘Lowland Gorilla.’ I recorded several versions of the song on different instruments to give varying moods for different applications.”

These experiences have given him a chance to expand his musical skills. When he’s writing for his band, he envisions what would be “gripping for an audience member, and then creating interesting parts for the musicians to play to provide that experience.” With film, there’s “much clearer directive to reinforce the narrative and not get into the way.”

“I found it very liberating to rid myself of the expectations of how a piece of music would sound on stage, or how a drummer would react to it,” he says. “That left me free to try more adventurous rhythms or break traditional harmonic rules and use dissonance for mood. Film music doesn’t have to pretend to make sense for the stage, it can just exist as music without a performer’s need to assemble for presentation. It simply exists in the ether, a place that I am very happy to reside in.”

Watercolor Spot by Katflare/Getty Images

ZACH PIETRINI

Milwaukee songwriter Zach Pietrini hopes to release his new album sometime next year. In the process of working on it, he stumbled into another use for his music. Engineer Kyle White, who runs Cave Studios in Pewaukee and specializes in licensing for film and TV, suggested writing music in that format. With his help, Pietrini wrote several collections of songs that dabble in Americana, rock, experimental music and country. One set of songs sounds like The Black Keys, he said.

“We have been making these collections of about 10 songs and shopping them to different agencies,” says Pietrini. “Right now, they have all found a home with Atomica in Texas and BMG in Nashville. BMG is one of the biggest licensing agencies in the United States, so we're pretty pumped about that. Now, it’s a waiting game.”

The biggest challenge so far is adjusting to the fast pace that comes with writing for TV and film. “It’s a challenge to have to come to the studio with an idea and finish with a song in one sixhour session,” says Pietrini.

While it’s a new form of music, he hopes others get the same authenticity they get from his past work. “I hope my music embodies this accessible, very human, very open posture,” he says. “That’s what I try to bring in all of the projects that I work on.”

Joshua Miller is a music writer and frequent contributor to the Shepherd Express.

THIS MONTH IN MILWAUKEE

17 THINGS TO DO FROM OCTOBER 7 THROUGH NOVEMBER 4

By Harry Cherkinian, Jean-Gabriel Fernandez, Allen Halas, Tea Krulos, David Luhrssen and Shane McAdams

GOTHIC MILWAUKEE WALKING TOUR

It seems like every old building in Milwaukee has some kind of ghost story to it. One of the local ghost lore experts who has studied them is Anna Lardinois, who runs a tour company called Gothic Milwaukee and is the author of Milwaukee Ghosts and Legends. Lardinois leads walking ghost tours that explore the Downtown area, and another that voyages into the Yankee Hill area. Things are a little different because of the pandemic. Lardinois is leading limited, private tours with a maximum of eight people, a good option if you want to have a family adventure. “I want to do a full reopening in October, but I’m not sure if it’ll be possible,” Lardinois explains. Check out gothicmilwaukee.com for updated info.

STREAMING SUNDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS

DJ Bizzon Soul Sunday Brunch, Wayback When-Day and The QuaranTURNUP One of Milwaukee’s hardest working DJs isn’t letting a lack of local club nights deter him, as DJ Bizzon has turned his regularly scheduled events digital, broadcasting via Twitch and launching a Patreon with exclusive content. With a different theme every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday night, join him for a variety of dance parties from the comfort of home. You can stream his sets at twitch.tv/djbizzon. Sundays 12 p.m. to 2 p.m, Wednesdays 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays 8 p.m. to 10 p.m on Twitch.

STREAMING TUESDAYS

ACA Music & Entertainment’s Tuesday Night Jazz Missing Jazz in the Park this year? Emanating from the North Coast Center for the Arts performance space, ACA Music & Entertainment have been producing regular weekly live streams to keep jazz artists playing during the pandemic. All the proceeds from the shows benefit the artists, and their October lineup includes Cosmic Endeavors Collective, Doorstoppers, Dan Schneck and Friends, as well as the Andrew Trim Group. It starts at 7 p.m. on Facebook.

STREAMING WEDNESDAYS

Non-Pop! Non-Pop!, the combination of live artwork and DJ sets cultivated by local artist Moses and his associates, had recently moved to club Site 1A before quarantine shut things down locally. Fortunately, the group has been able to turn that weekly club night into a streaming experience, blending music and art into something unique, emanating from several Milwaukee locations and featuring some of the city’s top DJs and visual artists. Non-Pop! can be streamed at twitch.tv/yononpop at 5 p.m. on Twitch.

STREAMING SATURDAYS

Cactus Club’s Digital Dream A longtime hub for local music, Cactus Club has shifted programming online (on Vimeo) in addition to regular carryout orders from their Bay View location. Digital Dream is an online streaming series, encompassing not only live performances, but also DJ sets, film screenings and more. October will feature a MKE Live: Groove Edition show from Isharai Artist Management, as well as weekly DJ sets from local acts entitled “REACHout Radio.” You can get the full schedule of digital programming at cactusclubmilwaukee.com.

STREAMING SATURDAYS

The Cooperage’s Covid Couch Series The Cooperage had become one of Milwaukee’s biggest live music destinations within the last few years, hosting a variety of notable local and touring acts in their Walker’s Point location. The venue’s Covid Couch Series is a weekly concert via Instagram Live, bringing a high-quality show to your phone with the intimacy of an at-home performance. The streams can be found on The Cooperage’s Instagram page: @cooperagemke.

STREAMING SEPTEMBER 20 -NOVEMBER 1

First Stage, The Quest for Solomon’s Treasure With the help of their playwrights-in-residence and taking advantage of the online platform, the children’s theater company has devised an uncommon season starting with John Maclay’s The Quest for Solomon’s Treasure. Rather than resorting to filmed theater, the company chose to explore new opportunities given by the virtual medium. The piece will be a seven-episode web series focusing on local history—the Solomon in question is Solomon Juneau, one of Milwaukee’s founders. Each episode will feature a different young performer, as well as a number of clues for audiences to put together. John Gurda consulted on the history.

THROUGH OCTOBER 31

Inspiration Studios, “Vacation Vibes” West Allis painter Ronni Shmauz has been described as a “folk artist,” but self-taught—beyond the bounds of the academy—is probably a better way of understanding her work. In the past, she has painted mannequins, gourds, windows and deer skulls, as well as canvases. “I love to find the beautiful diversity in nature and in people; to see the beauty in our uniqueness and to respect our Earth and all of its beauty,” Shmauz once explained. Her current exhibition is at Inspiration Studios, a community-oriented gallery and performance space, 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis.

THROUGH NOVEMBER 28

Racine Art Museum, “Wisconsin Photography 2020” After a six-month hiatus, the Racine Art Museum opens to the public again with one of its mainstay exhibitions. “Photography 2020” features 83 works by 29 artists, selected from 103 individual submissions. The juried exhibition began in 1979, and over the past 40-plus years, it has offered opportunities to local photographers and for the museum to fortify its permanent collection. With the assistance of this year’s juror, Lisa Volpe of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, RAM acquired works by Michael Knapstein, Elizabeth Kazda, Azure Bielefeldt, Dean Segal and Timothy Abler. This diverse array of photographic viewpoints includes majestic cornfields, explorations of individual identity and abstract configurations of household objects.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9

The Mod Violets live streaming from Linneman’s Riverwest Inn With yearning harmonies and minor keys, Milwaukee’s Mod Violets are known for sharp, guitar-driven melodies and reflective lyrics veiled in an aura of psychedelia. But the first song recorded for the next album, “Get For Gone,” sounds more like the happy side of the British Invasion. “It’s the poppiest, most optimistic thing I’ve ever written,” says guitarist-vocalist Mark Lonteen. He penned the lines (“love is there for those who gave it”) after the pandemic began. “I didn’t want to write anything despairing,” he says. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.

STREAMING OCTOBER 9-10

Milwaukee Paranormal Conferenc Somehow, it seems entirely natural when a paranormal event goes virtual. This year’s Milwaukee Paranormal Conference is a showcase of things that are fleeting and furtive, not really there but there anyway. The program for Friday, Oct. 9, features ghost stories around the digital campfire, trivia and online concerts by Wisconsin alt-rock-pop band Sunspot and other performers. On Saturday, Oct. 10, speakers and panels will take up UFOs, ghosts, cryptozoology and similar topics. “Though we miss the in-person interaction this year, an advantage of this set-up is that the

online conference is free,” says organizer Tea Krulos. “We’ll have a couple of guests who might have found it challenging to get to Milwaukee, but we are able to work with them to have an online appearance.” Other dimensional visitors? We’ll see. For more, visit milwaukeeparacon2020. heysummit.com.

OCTOBER 9-11

Covered Bridge Art Studio Tour No reservations, no tickets—just watch for the red arrows and flags in this self-guided tour of art studios on Ozaukee County. The Cedarburg Artist Guild invites the public to a day in the country to meet artists (and yes, maybe purchase their work). The studio spaces are as varied as the art and include a restored 19th-century barn and stone house, a spare bedroom in a suburban ranch home, an industrial garage, a 1850s stone woolen mill, a walk-out basement—maybe even a tent. All creative spaces where sculpture, jewelry, photography, woodworking, pottery, weaving, leatherworks, stained glass, encaustics, collage, prints, fiber arts and paintings are produced. For more information visit cedarburgartistsguild.com.

STREAMING OCTOBER 15-29

Milwaukee Film Festival “Thankfully, we still have some time to answer this question,” executive director Jonathan Jackson told the Shepherd Express in May when asked if this year’s festival will be live or virtual. The answer is virtual, but with virtually little change in the caliber and diversity of offerings. The schedule will be announced on October 5, and films can be accessed on demand, including through Amazon Fire, Android TV, Apple TV and ROKU. As their website states, “Screenings will be a little less crowded this year, and your seat might not have a cupholder.”

STREAMING OCTOBER 16-NOVEMBER 12

Skylight Music Theatre, Being Earnest One likes to think that Oscar Wilde would have had a grand time in the ’60s. Not so much for the politics—he might have satirized pretensions on all sides—but the Carnaby Street colors and euphoria over new possibilities that emerged from the counterculture. Skylight brings this sensibility to the fore with its online musical version of Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. His witty-catty dialogue rings true amidst the production’s mod setting and music inspired by the bands of Swinging London.

STREAMING FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16

Milwaukee Rep’s Curtain Call Ball The Rep moves its biggest fundraiser online with its virtual Curtain Call Ball. The fundraiser will provide much-needed funds, as well as celebrate the 10th anniversary of artistic director Mark Clements. “While we can’t gather in person, if there is one thing I know, it’s that Milwaukee Rep can put on a show, be it in person or online,” says executive director Chad Bauman. “I’m looking forward to gathering virtually with friends and supporters of a theater that we all hold dear and that needs support now more than ever before.” Beloved Milwaukee Actor James Pickering will emcee the livestreamed event featuring performances by national and local thespians including Michael Doherty (The Nerd), Kelley Faulkner (Always… Patsy Cline), Gavin Gregory (Ragtime), Zonya Love (The Color Purple) and more. For information on Curtain Call Ball, the Rep’s other virtual programming and its “2020/21 Season Reset,” visit milwaukeerep.com.

STREAMING SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24

Battle of the Culture Presents Battle of the Performances Local podcast Battle of the Culture has created a platform for local hip-hop artists to showcase their lyrical abilities. On Saturday, Oct. 24, they’ll be launching the first installment of their Battle of the Performances live stream. The show will include performances, as well as interviews and music videos from Milwaukee hip-hop acts and artists from throughout the Midwest. Head to battleoftheculturepodcast.com for more information.

STREAMING OCTOBER 25-NOVEMBER 4

Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival The 23rd annual event has gone virtual this year with the year’s five selections hailing from Israel, Germany, Italy and Norway. As usual, Jewish characters are shown in situations that touch the human spirit and address matters of universal concern. The Crossing concerns Norwegian resistance during World War II, Aulcie is a biography of basketball legend Aulcie Perry, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is a children’s story, Thou Shalt Not Hate is a moral drama and The Electrifiers is a rock musical. Each will be followed by a Zoom talkback. All films will be available for a 72-hour period on Eventive and wrap-up with an exclusive talkback program on Zoom on its last day. Films open at 12:01 a.m. on their opening day and close at 11:59 p.m. on their closing day. For more information, visit jccmilwaukee.org.