Fresh Country Air

Congratulations to Albany-based singer Joey Sontz, whose current single "I Melt" has top 20 on the Hotdisc Country Charts in the UK! 

Back in February I spent the day with Joey in Saratoga's Congress Park, filming a music video for the song, which is the second single off of his album It All Begins with a Song. It really is a great park, filled with interesting sculpture, buildings, and levels, which match the charms of the renowned resort town. Also charming was the interaction between Joey and his friend Rachel Wellington, who I captured larking about the park, having snow ball fights, getting sprayed by a water fountain, and hassling the local ducks (felt like I was directing the opening of Friends)! After a few weeks of dedicated editing, here is the final result:

In addition to the satisfaction of creating the video, I'm pleased to learn that it is featured on this week's Hotdisc Country Top 20 TV Programme, currently airing in the UK on Sky TV's Keep It Country channel! We'll see if the song/video can climb any higher in the weeks to come... fingers crossed!

Joey has been getting some nice reviews on his album, and offered his own words of praise on the edited video, saying that it looked like we had a large crew working on it... besides him and Rachel, it was just yours truly: videographer, director, and editor... signed, sealed, delivered!

Country Setting

Where to go in the Capital Region when you're asked to direct a country music video? Saratoga, of course! 

This proved to be a good call, as I joined musician Joey Sontz for some filming in the resort city's scenic Congress Park yesterday. 

Honestly, country music isn't normally my cup of tea, so I was a little wary about taking on this particular video project when Sontz first approached me about it. What finally convinced me was the idea of supporting a fellow musician/performer in the area, and Sontz's own enthusiasm (Rachel Wellington, his co-star in the video, admired the fact that "he doesn't give up on his dreams"). It also helps to be open-minded when it comes to music—his new album, It All Begins with a Song is actually quite well-produced (Jeff DeBusk of Tennessee's The Music Sanctuary at the helm), with some strong support from Nashville session musicians. 

Joey Sontz on the set of his new
music video. Photo: Jeremy Clowe

Yesterday was another great exercise for me to bring to life a vision inspired by music. The song we worked on is "I Melt," a rather straightforward love song from the album, slated to be the next single. I feel that I managed to capture some artistic moments, without being too cliché. Also, the weather was unseasonably mild, so our wintery "set" literally melted as we continued work (thanks for the visual metaphor, Mother Nature). The footage is now set to edit (yee-haw... where the real fun comes in!). As we wrapped, I took a swig from one of the local mineral springs for good luck.

On a related note: I'm still plugging away on my own music. I've made more advances with my guitar-playing, and look forward to attempting some new things in the year to come.

www.joeysontz.com

So... Where Were We?

I woke up this morning to the news that after more than a decade, musician David Bowie had finally released a new song (appropriately titled "Where Are We Now?") on this... his 66th birthday!

Being a fan, I was excited to give this a listen...



... but actually clicked it off less than a minute into it. 


A very gloomy, downbeat song after all this time, and definitely not what I expected. Sure, I am used to Bowie venturing into some odd sonic territories... at his best, that's what makes him David Bowie! But at first, second, and third listen, there is something very awkward and dreary about this one... makes it hard to listen to (not unlike the latest from fellow rock veterans Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones). 

I will say that Bowie earns points for continuing to be experimental. Apparently the song deals with the city of Berlin, where the artist lived in the late 70s, and perhaps looks at how much he and the city have changed since that time (it has a very regretful, sad feeling to it).

Following his tremendous rise in early '70s, Bowie moved to Berlin, Germany, to exorcise his rock and roll excesses, which included a heavy drug addiction. He recorded three very interesting, experimental albums with producer Brian Eno (Low, Heroes, and Lodger), and set the template for much of the electronic sound and style that would emerge in the 1980s. Listening to the song (and watching the video) from that perspective, I am somewhat more sympathetic... it gets better towards the end actually. There is a very heavy conceptual thing happening in the video, directed by Tony Oursler... it wouldn't feel out of place as a video art installation, which is cool. 

At the moment, I'm also intrigued by the upcoming album. The cover design takes one of those 70s Berlin albums, Heroes, and simply places a blank square over top with type that reads "The Next Day" (the new album title). I'm a little more prepared to see the brilliance in that minimalist move, following last year's graphic design class. 

As for the song... I have to say that it is hard to listen to work by an artist you admire, and admit to yourself that you're not really sure you dig it (I'm ok with melancholy, but prefer a little more melody to balance things out). Maybe I'll have to give it more time... 

In any event, I'm relieved to hear that David Bowie is back. Happy Birthday to one of the true originals, who apparently still has a few tricks up his sleeve...

Related Links:

www.davidbowie.com

"Everything We Know About New David Bowie Album 'The Next Day,'" Flavorwire.com, January 8, 2013

"David Bowie: The Next Day. That album cover design." Barnbrook Blog, January 8, 2013

"Born To Rock," Blue-eyed Soul Productions blog, January 8, 2012

The ∆ Experience

Here's a weird video for an equally weird (but catchy) song by the band alt-J:

A quick search, and it looks like they're British... of course. One of the more interesting things I have heard this year, and there's definitely been some cool things. I see the top 10 lists of 2012 are starting up... maybe I'll attempt my own in the coming weeks.

For now, it's the weekend!... Thank God. Long week... looking forward to some downtime.

http://altjband.com

I'm a Believer

Everyone is so cute in this video.... ♥

Undesign? You Got It, You Got It.

I have been busy researching the work of graphic designer Tibor Kalman (1949–1999), to present to my class tomorrow. The irony is that he was known for rejecting many of the conventions of graphic design, preferring a "vernacular approach" (i.e. plain, everyday, ordinary). He was a bit of a provocateur, who used his designs to make some pretty bold statements on a number of social issues.

Obviously I like the idea of design for the greater good, but I'm not sure what I think of his work overall. As I finalize the research for my presentation, I'm posting a clip he worked on for The Talking Heads, a band whose music I enjoy and whom Kalman created album covers for in the early 80s. This video is so-so, maybe a little dated... but you get an idea of some of the designer's style in using type in unconventional ways ("the way things fall apart"), as well as some of his social messaging (goes by way too fast though). I think some of the optical uses of type are more successful here than the early digital: specifically, where the lyrics are projected on to David Byrne's face, and the section where the singer sways with the "fields and trees."



I'll have more thoughts on Kalman's work later. In the meantime, I had no idea The Smiths' guitarist Johnny Marr played on this song-- talk about "type" casting!