Marquee Sports Network - Chicago Cubs Theme

Composer’s Cut: Behind the Music 

Composer Steve Ouimette teamed up with Oliver Spencer who brought the orchestral music and Jonathan Monroy who worked on the mixing and mastering in putting together the pieces. For Ouimette, much like in a song, the first step was to create a hook, a melody that would stick in the viewers’ head. “Can you sing along or chant it out loud, and does it get you excited,” he said. “That was the key ingredient for the theme translating to different genres of music. If you hear the melody and it’s memorable then it can translate universally, no matter what style.”

To create several variations of the theme and incorporate Chicago’s rich music scene didn’t post a challenge for Ouimette and his team. For them, it was just a matter of finding elements that would celebrate that sound. “Whether it was a gritty electric guitar, harmonica, or even the sound of the drums, we tried to blend tradition with modern sounds to keep things fresh,” he added. “The main theme is a hybrid of orchestral and blues-rock and the track just came alive as soon as Oliver Spencer brought his orchestral magic to it.”

The first time Ouimette and Spencer had the track together, he knew it was right, and I felt complete. So much so that the hair on the back of his neck stood up. It was then he knew that they had the foundation and could move onto the other genres. “Hard rock is my wheelhouse so that was really fun,” he said. “I had recently wrapped up a hip-hop album, so it was the perfect opportunity to translate the theme over. Finally, the blues track was a matter of choosing a style that fit in with Chicago. I opted for an electric blues because it felt right for this particular theme.” As a composer the message and emotion that they were trying to invoke in these pieces were simple. “Excitement and pride,” he said. “Chicago is a hardcore loyal town and I wanted to create a theme that’s both memorable and that makes you want to get up on your feet and shout and chant! Something to unify the fans. “The end result was a cohesive dynamic sports package.”

For more info check out the APM Press Release.