Spirited performance
Teen series puts eerie twist on love of music
There's a lot to like about the new Netflix teen series Julie and the Phantoms. It's about a band, which means tons of musical numbers.
It's got Kenny Ortega behind the scenes — you know, the guy who choreographed Dirty Dancing and the High School Musical movies, among many other things.
And, it's unabashedly uplifting. Based on a Brazilian series and filmed in Vancouver, Julie and the Phantoms centres on high schooler Julie (Madison Reyes), who's struggling to revive her passion for music after her mother dies.
One day, she meets three guys and they start a band together, only the guys are the dead members of a '90s punk-rock band.
Spooky but heartwarming, right? Reyes and Charlie Gillespie, who plays lead guitarist Luke, spoke about the show:
Q
When did you first start playing music?
A
Reyes: I started taking singing and acting seriously in sixth grade after my first musical. I didn't want my mom to spend money on an expensive vocal coach or lessons, so I just taught myself some things. I also used to play the violin. In my freshman year, I started piano, mostly just learning songs off of YouTube.
Gillespie: My parents brought me and my siblings to a mentor who helped us develop songs that we could play in local venues, and we were playing a lot of the classics like Proud Mary and Summer of '69. I was on the bass and played around with a few instruments, and I was in the school orchestra. The tuba and trombone are my favourite wind instruments.
Reyes: I didn't know that, but I can see it. (Both make trombone sounds.)
Q
What was the training for the show like?
A
Reyes: We all play our instruments
in the show and we all sing and dance.
Gillespie: We had this boot camp that lasted a month and a few weeks. We were taught vocals and we had instructors for piano and bass, working on being able do solos and stuff.
Q
The two of you wrote the song Perfect Harmony for the seventh episode. What was that experience like?
A Reyes: It was everything from writing it to getting it approved from Netflix and us recording it in the studio, to learning the choreography to putting it all together and filming it and seeing it completely done. I'm very proud of us and grateful that Charlie wanted to write the song with me.
Gillespie: And it's going up the charts! (Both cheer.)
Q The guys are from the 1990s — are you fans of music from that era?
A Gillespie: Maddy's a huge R&B girl, so we'd hear her jamming out to a lot of that music, like TLC. I love Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers — more of that punk-rock energy.
Reyes: My dad grew up in the '90s, so he always had me listening to his music and watching the movies. I definitely sometimes question if I was born in the wrong era.
Q What's the biggest thing you want people to take away from the show?
A Gillespie: Music has brought so much joy to us, and seeing kids and families not just singing the songs but picking up instruments and developing their craft is inspiring. Music is a love language, 100 per cent.
Reyes: It's definitely cool how we talk about things that aren't talked about as much, like death and grief. And if you want to take up piano or guitar, take it up. You never know until you try it. Look at me. I didn't think I was going to get this far, and now I'm sitting here having this conversation. And if you can't see it in me, hopefully you'll see it in our show and our music.