Austin-based Americana folk duo Jamestown Revival, made up of longtime friends Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance, co-wrote the score for The Outsiders, their first musical soundtrack. The duo was originally approached about a year after the release of their 2014 debut album, Utah, by musical producers for The Outsiders who were looking for songwriters “on the outside” of the stereotypical Broadway-composer world.
Music producer Justin Levine, who co-produced the soundtrack alongside the pair, says the “youthful, throwing-caution-to-the-wind-feel" of Utah got at the heart of The Outsiders. The duo began to compose two songs in their attempt to secure the gig: one they thought was “too slow” and not what production wanted, and the other, a stereotypical Broadway tune. They pitched the song with more Broadway vibes and production asked if they had any other ideas, so they sent the song they thought was “too slow”.
That song, “Stay Gold” received many praises from production, and almost a decade later is one of the biggest hits in the musical.
As they continued the writing process, Jamestown Revival dove into the storytelling and wrote songs that reflected the themes of Hinton’s novel. They also attended several musicals throughout the writing process to immerse themselves in the Broadway soundtrack world.
When asked what the duo learned throughout the creative process, they gave American Songwriter seven tips:
“Learn to serve the song”
Songwriting for a musical is different than songwriting for an album. They had to take the plot and storytelling of the novel and film and translate that into music that naturally moves the story forward.
“The opening number is often written last”
Grabbing an audience’s attention from the get-go can make or break a live performance. When it came to writing the opening number for The Outsiders as well as the Act 2 opening, Jamestown Revival had to find ways to hook people into the world of Tulsa in 1967.
“Don’t be precious about your songs”
Not normally part of their album-writing process, they had to frequently revisit songs they previously wrote, or fully scrap and rework songs for this project. The beauty of the writing for this soundtrack is that they had time to find the perfect melodies to match the story along the way.
“Write to each character’s voice”
Jamestown Revival had to step into Ponyboy’s shoes when writing the soundtrack for the musical. Each character has a unique voice and perspective, and the writing should not only match the character, but that writing must stay consistent with that characters’ story arc for the whole track. Ponyboy’s songs represent idealism and show that he is a dreamer, whereas his older brother Darrel carries a lot on his shoulders which translates to more angst in his songs.
“Let the performers sing the songs in their own way”
The beauty of musical theater comes from live performances, and giving performers creative freedoms to make stylistic choices in their singing, making it more compelling. Despite taking place in the ‘60s, most of the performers sing with a modern-pop tone that feels more authentic to the performance and storytelling.
“Great sound design can flesh things out more”
The Americana genre is often about minimalism, whereas theater is noted for its maximalist moments. A key to the sound design here was making sure the audience could tell the band was playing live, creating an opportunity for the theme of chosen community to also be created from within the pit.
“The power of collaboration is key”
With the help of Tony Award®-winning music producer, Justin Levine, the duo was able to produce a Tony and Grammy®-nominated soundtrack that resonates with audiences of all generations.
Don’t miss this show with “a heart of gold and the power to inspire an entire generation” (Entertainment Weekly), coming to Walton Arts Center for eight performances Sept. 1-6.
Show dates and times:
Tuesday Sept. 1, 7 pm
Wednesday Sept. 2, 7 pm
Thursday Sept. 3, 1:30 & 7 pm
Friday Sept. 4, 7:30 pm
Saturday Sept. 5, 2 & 7:30 pm
Sunday Sept. 6, 2 pm