Read the Daily Record’s story on The Piano Guys, who perform Thursday, August 9 at MPAC!
Daily Record: “Piano Guys to perform at MPAC Aug. 9”
By Bill Nutt
The idea behind the Piano Guys sounds elegantly simple: piano and cello arrangements that mix classical and pop music.
But pianist Jon Schmidt and cellist Steven Sharp Nelson have more on their minds than just classically-influenced covers of songs by One Direction, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, and the like.
Schmidt admitted that the Piano Guys’ take on, for example, One Direction’s “That’s What Makes You Beautiful” go over particularly well with audiences. “That’s the stuff we do to impress our kids,” joked the father of five.
But the Piano Guys also perform original compositions in the classical vein. “My parents were immigrants from Europe who were brought up on classical music,” said Schmidt. Steve’s dad was a classical buff. It’s in our veins.”
Furthermore, they take classical pieces and movie themes (such as “Star Wars,” “The Mission,” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”) and included hip-hop beats and other rhythms. “It’s our way to ‘cool-ify’ our favorite classical pieces,” Schmidt said.
All four elements make up a Piano Guys performance, according to Schmidt. “People are blown away by the variety at our shows,” he said.
That variety will be on display when the Piano Guys play the Mayo Performing Arts Center on Thursday, August 9.
Schmidt emphasized that, though he and Nelson are the performance face of the Piano Guys, the group is actually a quartet. He credited videographer Paul Anderson and producer Al van der Beek with shaping the band as it is today.
Schmidt explained that he started as a pianist in Utah. “I did solo gigs for 20 years,” he said. “My writing style was always a blend of old and new. It was always about classical music, though. If I were a cook, classical would be my go-to spice.”
He and Nelson met on a recording session for one of Schmidt’s solo albums. In 2009, they made a video for “Love Story Meets Viva la Vida,” an original mash-up of songs by Taylor Swift and Coldplay.
That video, which had more than a million views on YouTube, caught the eye of Anderson, who owned a piano store called the Piano Guys. Anderson had the idea of using social to promote his store, and enlisted Schmidt and Nelson.
The final piece of the band the Piano Guys was van den Beek. “Al has a great background,” said Schmidt. “His knowledge and understanding of all types of music is an important part of the group.”
Schmidt also said that YouTube has been instrumental in the group’s name recognition. “When we started, YouTube was just starting to be big,” he said. “We were perfectly positioned to take advantage of it. It was the beginning of this cool new thing.
“I compare us to the musicians and artists who were able to take advantage of radio when (that medium) was starting,” Schmidt added.
In the past eight years, the Piano Guys have uploaded more than 60 videos, which have drawn hundreds of thousands of subscribers to their channel. In 2011 the group won the “Most Up-and-Coming Channel” award in YouTube’s “On the Rise” contest.
They have released six albums to date, two of which are Christmas collections. Their seventh release is scheduled for the fall.
Schmidt said that the group’s concerts (with multimedia contributions from van der Beek and Anderson) reflect their musical influences, with comedy thrown in. “At times, we’ll morph into a Smothers Brothers vibe, with me as the straight man,” he said.
“What really surprises me is the demographics of our audiences,” said Schmidt. “We seem to appeal to all ages. We see kids, grandparents, and everything in the middle. We are able to connect to people.”
IF YOU GO
THE PIANO GUYS
WHAT: Pianist Jon Schmidt and cellist Steven Sharp Nelson (along with videographer Paul Anderson and producer Al van der Beek) perform original classical interpretations of pop songs, as well as original compositions and pop-influenced versions of classical pieces and film scores.
WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday, August 9.
WHERE: Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South St., Morristown
TICKETS: $69 to $149
INFORMATION: 973-539-8008 or www.mayoarts.org.
