Tag Archives: Music video

08.29.22
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Video Voyager: The Speaker Wars “It Ain’t Easy”

Hall of Fame drummer Stan Lynch and singer-songwriter Jon Christopher Davis have come together to create the music they want on their own terms; they are The Speaker Wars. Their music has a vintage classic rock vibe with a contemporary spin. Their video for their latest single “It Ain’t Easy” is simple yet effective. It’s all in black and white and depicts the band playing in the studio. The song itself if about aging in any industry, but specifically the music industry for Stan and Jon. Getting older doesn’t have to be a negative thing and this video shows their grace and acceptance of it. Just them playing music is all they need to share this message.

We spoke with Jon Christopher Davis about the video. Let’s dive in:

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?

“It Ain’t Easy”‘ is about finding a renewed sense of purpose while learning how to age gracefully. I think it speaks to the confrontation of aging in any industry.

What was the inspiration behind this video?

To simply show that mojo doesn’t have an expiration date unless you let it. Getting older and wiser is cool. It’s a privilege and it’s liberating. Life gets mighty precious when there’s less of it to waste.

What was the process of making this video?

We shot our scenes separately during the middle of the pandemic. Stan was in Florida, and I was in Texas. It’s always a challenge whenever you can’t be in the same room, but it turned out great thanks to our director, Brad Osborne. It’s simple and soulful, and that’s what The Speaker Wars are all about.

Watch here:

Connect with The Speaker Wars via:
Website // Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

08.24.22
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Video Voyager: Siren’s “High Wire”

Siren is the progressive fusion band of rock, metal, blues, and jazz, who are making strides with their latest release, the classic rock “High Wire.” The music video already has over 150K views on YouTube. The song is a metaphor for the music industry and the music labels that run it. Visually, the video depicts a clown (the musician) trying to catch the attention of the high wire girl (labels) by any means necessary. He does everything he can think of, like riding a unicycle and playing with fire. It isn’t until he leaves the confines of the circus tent (music industry at large) that he is finally able to get the girl.

We spoke with Siren about their video, so let’s see what they had to share:

Tell us the story of “High Wire”, and why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?   

“High Wire” is a metaphor for the music industry. The music industry is like a circus. The clown is the artist and the High Wire girl is the music industry. I think all Clowns would prefer to be the main attraction like a circus performer instead of a side show act. There is  a pecking order even in the circus world just like the music industry. Even Clowns can dream of greatness and sometimes as in this song come out on top.

What was the inspiration behind the video?

We envisioned taking the viewer into another world that exists within the circus tent. The relentless struggle and uphill battle the clown faces everyday to achieve his most fond desire of the High Wire girls love regardless of the cost. Our clown character was broken and burned but he never lost sight of his desires. He eventually triumphs in the end winning the heart/love of the High Wire girl. Rarely does the clown get the girl and in our story he does.

What was the process of making this video?

The video storyboard took a couple months to be completed. Mike and I had discussed a Black and White concept with only red standing out. The script for the story was basically the lyrics for the song. I had the idea for the old silent film intro at the beginning which worked out very well. Nathan, our video producer found the intro sound track that fit perfectly. This was the second time we had worked with Nathan’s company Kind Punk. He not only directed this video but was the main character the Clown. The High Wire artist was a joy to work with and she is not only beautiful but, She is also a very good actress. The video filming was somewhat difficult as the temperatures that day were in the 90’s and we were not getting a lot of air inside the circus tent. In the end it was worth it all. The video is like a mini movie that ties in with the song and lyrics. A great job by everyone involved!

Watch here:

Connect with Siren via:
Website I Instagram I Facebook I Twitter I YouTube I Spotify I Soundcloud

07.11.22
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Comedian Jeff Hilliard Releases His New Satirical Single and Video

If you haven’t heard of Jeff Hilliard, you may be missing out on a unique talent. This professional comedian, who trained under the folks at Second City in Chicago, has always been interested in being an entertainer and knew from an early age that this was his calling. He’s been in a few indie films, including Paul Schrader’s Dog Eat Dog film starring Nicolas Cage and Willem Defoe, Officer Banks, in Bernard Rose’s award winning film Frankenstein starring Danny Huston, Carrie-Anne Moss, Xavier Samuel, and Tony Todd, and recently starred in Traveling Light along with Stephen Dorff, Tony Todd, and Danny Huston.

His provocative point of view on the dark, twisted reality of modern-day society proves his creativity knows no bounds. His controversial music videos have garnered millions of views and have won numerous awards at many film festivals. His new video and single, “Abandon,” showcases his multi-genre musical ability and genius songwriting.

“Abandon” takes gender norms and flips it on its head. The video depicts a sad and lonely guy stuck in the past, still living with his mom, who’s obsessively calling a woman he hooked up with, Vivian. It immediately points out what society deems as normal, typically a man initiates a one night hook up and he’s generally married while the woman is calling him. He’s also making fun of the toxic masculinity often seen in the 80’s metal culture. He’s looking for love and actually singing about his vulnerability rather than trying to be a “man” like the metal ballads of that time.

Lyrically speaking, the lyrics are funny and made for a visual medium. They easily get stuck in your head as you find yourself singing the chorus doing mundane things. He sings “I ain’t no pump and dump/ I believe in the power of love/ one night is not enough/ how could you abandon our love,” as he’s dressed in outlandish outfits reminiscent of what metal bands would wear. This sad character really thought that he found love. While he’s creepy and not someone you want to hang out with, you do feel a little sorry for him too.

Watch here:

Follow Jeff Hilliard via:
Website // Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // TikTok // YouTube // Spotify

07.27.11
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Yuck Premiere Video Alongside Tour Updates

yuck

U.K. band Yuck has updated their touring schedule, alongside dropping a new NSFW (and kind of creepy) music video to accompany the song “Shook Down.”

The band just wrapped up playing the Pitchfork Music Festival, along with several other show dates around the midwest region of the country. The band will be touring throughout July.

“All Shook Down” is a very soothing and peaceful song which makes the contrast with the music video much more creepy. Check it out right here

and look for Yuck at Pitchfork and these other dates:

7/28: Cellar Door, Visalia, CA *

7/29: Casbah, San Diego, CA *

7/30: Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA *

10/8 – 10/9: Langerado, Sunrise, FL

 

* = w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra

07.13.11
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The Strokes Release “Taken For a Fool” Video


In perhaps their coolest video yet, Modern Mystery favorites just launched a new one for “Taken For a Fool.” It’s so cool we’re just going to let it speak for itself. There are more Strokes in here then you’ll be able to handle. That’s not a bad thing.

01.20.11
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The Boxcar Rebellion Ask You To “Step Out of the Car”

The Boxer Rebellion have put out their first music video for their upcoming album The Cold Still. The video for the song “Step Out of the Car” features director Giorgio Testi, whose work on Blur’s recent documentary Nowhere Left To Run netted him a Grammy nomination.

You can catch the video for “Step Out of the Car” below. If you find yourself enthralled, you can buy the single on iTunes right now.

The Cold Still will be available on iTunes on February 8th and everywhere else on March 8th.