Well, here it is folks. I have been given the green light to go ahead and release the second music video for Portland band, Starfucker, directed by yours truly. I have gone in a completely different direction with my second video, utilizing live footage, green screens and After Effects for nearly all of the production. The concept behind the video was to extract and canonize the best and most recurrent elements from a typical hip hop video scenario; flashy dancers, big cars, intense focus on the artist, and a loose story line revolving around money and some sort of frivolous conflict. We took these motifs and stylized them in a way that was more relevant to the song whilst still keeping the feel of the video big, and flashy. The video should feel familiar, but with a certain layer of grit screwing up the picture. Please watch it 1,000,000 times and be sure to tell me what you think.

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I got very excited last fall when Dave Longstreth of the Dirty Projectors walked past my front porch in Portland, Oregon. I stopped him and asked him what he was doing in town (knowing that they were based in Brooklyn). He immediately became bashful at the fact that I had recognized him but, to quickly answer my question, he told me that the Dirty Projectors we recording in Portland. This information, straight from the source, was confirmation that i would be getting a new Dirty Projectors record sometime in the future. I let him go so I could sit back and fantasize about what the follow-up to 2007′s Rise Above would sound like…. Would it be another concept/cover album? Would it be as mind-fuckingly amazing? Well don’t worry, dear readers; speculate no further, Bitte Orca has arrived. This album trumps Merriweather, smashes Veckatimest, and most certainly rises above, Rise Above. It’s all 100% original material; no cover/concept this time, and it has fucked my mind repeatedly.
The Dirty Projectors have created a record that satisfies all of the criteria I look for when seeking out new listening material. First, and foremost, it’s intelligent. It makes me THINK; about making music, about what music should be and where it should be going. It sets and example for the rest of us, it takes sound in a brave direction, as all new music should. Second, it’s beautiful. The females (Angel Deradoorian and Amber Coffman) take a leading role on many of the songs (as the album cover might suggest) and sew us through the rest of the record with their flawless, engaging harmonies. Longstreth’s song writing is kept simple at times and taken straight from outer space at others. At it’s root, this is pop record. But the Dirty Projectors have a delightful way of taking something we all know and are familiar with and pushing it to an extreme that no other musical outfit could have accomplished.

The Dirty Projectors – Cannibal Resource (DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED BY REQUEST)

The Dirty Projectors – Remade Horizon (DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED BY REQUEST)

New flyer design showcasing my 3 year old sister and a donkey. I know she looks like a 12 year old, but that’s creepy. C’mon, man, it’s my SISTER. Show’s at my house!! Come! GREAT BANDS!

Last night I went to a party celebrating the first official monetary compensation received by Portland band Nurses from their new label, Dead Oceans (Akron/Family, Dirty Projectors, Phosphorescent). In honor of their celebration I figured I give them some well-deserved internet love. I have had the pleasure of watching Nurses over the past year slowly rise to the tipping point they are at now. This band has so much potential it’s thrilling to think where they’ll be one year from today. Their debut album, Apple’s Acre, (CORRECTION: their debut record was called Hanging Nothing But Their Hands Down) is a dreamy walk through a damp psychedelic forest. Minor chords and reverb are the trees stretching too high into the air to make out their end and ominous samples make up a dense fog, making it difficult to see quite where you’re going. I highly recommend checking this band out and giving them as much love as you have to give. Also look for a new track from Nurses on the new Tender Loving Empire compilation, Friends and Friends of Friends Vol. 2 coming out May 16th.

Nurses – Technicolor

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Nurses – Apple’s Acre

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Nurses – Lita

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So I have pretty much wrapped up production on Starfucker’s new music video for the song “Medicine” off their new mini-LP Jupiter, due to be released May 2nd. The music video will premiere sometime this month, hopefully before the record is released. I am told we will be pushing for Pitchfork again or possibly MTV2. I’ll be sure to let everyone know when that progresses.

These are a few screenshots from the video as a little preview. The video was shot in 2 separate shoots; first the dance footage, then the Go sequence. All of the compositing was done in After Effects with a little help from Maya for some of the backgrounds. Final Cut polished it all off and there ya go. I’m really excited to see how the video is premiered/received. Please let me know what you think.

Starfucker – Medicine

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Starfucker – Boy Toy

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I have safely returned from the most jam-packed “vacation” ever. I visited one million people, met my girlfriend’s parents for the first time, drove over 3,000 miles, from Washington D.C. to Miami beach and back, visited both my parents, one in Virginia, and one in West Virginia, saw an of Montreal show in Baltimore and much MUCH more all in 2 weeks. It was insane, now I’m happy as hell to be back in Portland. To every one of my loved ones who I was lucky enough to see, I love you. It was unexplainably wonderful to see all of you. To everyone I missed, SORRY! Next time, friends.

My apologies for not keeping up with the postings but what kind of vacationer would I be if I was blogging while I was supposed to be forgetting it all? I have a TON of things to share with all of you in the coming weeks including a MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERE, a few rad new flyers for SUPER RAD shows, a few tracks from, and a review of, the NEW DIRTY PROJECTORS record, Bitte Orca (I have to give it a few more listens before I can write about it) and much much much more. Be sure to stay tuned; I have a lot of catching up to do…