On The Simpsons episode “Girl’s in the Band,” saxophonist Lisa is scouted by the director of the Capitol City Philharmonic, to her band teacher’s dismay. Homer works extra shifts at the plant so Lisa can play, putting strain on the family. Dave Matthews (who voices the bartender) and J.K. Simmons, who won an Oscar for his Best Supporting Actor performance in the 2014 film Whiplash, make guest voice appearances.
In Whiplash, Simmons played an abusive instructor of an ambitious jazz drummer (Miles Teller). The title refers to the Hank Levy piece “Whiplash” on which the young drummer struggles to keep the tempo, which incites his instructor to throw a chair at him, among other things. At the 87th Academy Awards, Whiplash also won Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing, and was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.
Note: The Dave Matthews Band’s song “That Girl Is You” was featured in The Simpsons episode “I’m Dancing As Fat As I Can” in February 2018. The Simpsons airs Sundays at 8 pm on Fox. [BONUS: Stream any FOX show through the FOX NOW: Live & On Demand app here. Download is FREE.]
