Laughing Pizza
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Laughing Pizza was an American family band that wrote and performed pop music for children, based in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a trio consisting of Lisa Michaelis, Billy Schlosser, and their daughter Emily.[1] They were best known for their G-rated music videos. which were played between children's stores on PBS stations for nearly eight years.[2][3] Their most popular songs included "Breakfast Jive" and "Share a Smile", which involved spelling out the word "SMILE" with arm motions, recalling the Village People's "YMCA".[4]
The band toured across the United States in their minivan, the Pizza Mobile, and performed at the White House twice, including once with Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers.[4][5] Although they signed a multi-year deal with Epic Records and Sony Wonder in 2006, they ended up releasing their five CDs and two DVDs under their own label, Little Bean Entertainment.[6][7] By 2011, the band had won six Parents' Choice Awards.[1] In 2012, they released their first film, Laughing Pizza: The Concert Movie.[8]
Background
[edit]Originally from New York, songwriters Lisa Michaelis and Billy Schlosser were both involved in the music business from a young age, performing together in a band on Star Search.[1] Michaelis was the vocalist on Frankie Knuckles' "Rainfalls", a Billboard No. 1 dance track in 1992.[1][9] Schlosser worked with Steely Dan for ten years and managed a recording studio in New York.[10] They also wrote songs for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, including "At the End of the Day".[11]
They were inspired to start Laughing Pizza after the events of September 11, 2001, when Schlosser was stranded in Boston for a week on a business trip and separated from his family, who lived in Atlanta.[1] Michaelis said that as parents, they had been taken aback when their five-year-old daughter started singing Britney Spears' "I'm a Slave 4 U", and decided there was a need for family-friendly pop music.[1][10]
All three members of Laughing Pizza were involved in songwriting.[1] Their daughter Emily played multiple instruments including the piano, drums, guitar, bass, and flute.[1]
Projects
[edit]Laughing Pizza started out producing its own music in its home studio, Little Bean Records, in Smyrna, Georgia.[10] By 2006, the band had self-released two CDs and two DVDs, when they signed a multi-year deal with Epic Records and Sony Wonder.[6]
Unfortunately, 6 months after the deal was signed, Sony Wonder folded and Laughing Pizza was left on a rock label with the likes of Good Charlotte, J-Lo, Shakira, Sean Kingston, and Celine Dion. Both parties decided to end the joint venture in 2008 so that Laughing Pizza could continue on their musical journey under their kids' label, which was reincarnated as Little Bean. The next year was spent performing, writing, and doing the leg work to get their music videos onto many PBS stations nationwide including GPB (all of Georgia); Columbus, OH; New York, San Diego, CA; Idaho; Louisiana; and Philadelphia, PA.
The family trio traveled across the United States performing at theaters, museums, music festivals, nightclubs, schools, and other venues. Laughing Pizza has also been featured on the Today Show, CNN, and Fox stations, as well as in Money Magazine,[1] The New York Times, Atlanta Magazine, Star Magazine, and the Huffington Post among others. They were the proud recipients of 7 Parents' Choice Awards, and their new one-hour docu-concert, "Laughing Pizza LIVE" had won a NAPPA award, as well as 5 Dove Awards and rave reviews from the Parents' Television Council.
Their song “On My Way” was chosen by Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton (who co-wrote the lyrics) to be featured in the book “Julie Andrews Collection of Songs, Poems, and Lullabies” (Little/Brown).
In 2011, Laughing Pizza filmed a one-hour concert, which was made to be a TV special and aired as a pledge special in June 2012 on PBS. It got one of the highest ratings ever recorded for the family portion of Pledge - second only to Sesame Street. In keeping with the family feeling of the event, shot at the Scholastic Theatre in New York City, the band was joined by hosts, celebrity Chef Todd English and his teenage son, Simon. The show also features dancers from the kid and teen program at the acclaimed Broadway Dance Center and a string trio from Juilliard.[citation needed]
In 2012, Michaelis was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and died on November 29, 2015.[3]
Music
[edit]Laughing Pizza's CDs include:[6][7]
- Meet the Pizzas
- Pizza Party!
- Let's Go Play!
- Holidays: Songs for the Whole Year
The band's DVDs include:[6][7]
- Feelin' Good
- Share a Smile!
- It's Pizza Time!
Emily drew the pictures on the covers of some of their CDs and DVDs.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h Shirley, Laura (October 14, 2011). "Laughing Pizza fun music for kids, parents". The Macon Telegraph. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kloer, Phil (August 28, 2008). "COVER STORY: Storybook weekend: FEST COURTS KIDS WITH POTTER TRIVIA, LAUGHING PIZZA AND MORE FAMILY FUN". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 28, 2024 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b Schlosser, Billy. "In Memoriam [Lisa Michaelis]". Laughing Pizza. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015.
- ^ a b Olivero, Helena (December 3, 2008). "Trio glad to be home for the holidays". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 29, 2024 – via Gale General OneFile.
- ^ Heyman, Marshall (August 15, 2012). "Heard & Scene: By The Bean-Shaped Pool". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 28, 2024 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b c d Walsh, Chris M. (June 17, 2006). "SONY TARGETS KIDS WITH PIZZA". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2024 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b c "About". Laughing Pizza. Archived from the original on November 24, 2012.
- ^ "About these pages: The weekend in pictures". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. February 6, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2024 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Dance Trax". Billboard. November 14, 1992. Retrieved December 28, 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Bruce, Leslie Everton (January 27, 2005). "Beautiful music made family-style". The Atlanta Constitution. Retrieved December 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Bishop, Mary Beth (March 7, 2005). "What's in her Pizza? Mom, Dad, and songs". The Atlanta Constitution. Retrieved December 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.