Laren Loveless in a still from the opening of Spectator's "Muddy Water"
As part of an intermittent series, we’re mixing-and-matching styles of presentation today. On one hand, we’ve got a host of videos to show you (including: Clownvis Presley, David Udell, iLLPHONiCS, Mark Brainard, Middle Class Fashion, Ross Christopher and Trip Daddys), while taking a moment to especially highlight (and premiere!) the new video by Spectator, a St. Louis group with a unique history, including a run of time here before a stint in Bay Area.
Spectator’s bio notes that “Spectator is Meg Rooney and Jeff Albert. Laren Loveless is usually behind the drums, and stars in this video made by Brian McClelland of Blip Blap. It was a cross-country collaboration.” The video for “Muddy Water,” highlighted below, is aimed at both US and international audiences. Again, from the bio, “Spectator released its second album The Last Exchange in the US in March 2015 and is currently gearing up for the release of the album this summer in Scandinavia on Painted Black, a sub-label of Nordic Records. 'Muddy Water' is the first single and the video release coincides with the overseas release.”
In a short email exchange with stlmag.com, Albert noted that, “We’re very excited to be back and reconnecting with our band. While we were out in the Bay Area, we played some as a duo and made a few trips back to STL for some key shows (our album release, Twangfest and most recently a Sofar session). Those trips were a lot of fun, but we had to pack practice into a couple days before the show, and it was a bit more hectic than we would like. Rather than feeling things out through regular practices, we really came back with an objective: practice a defined set and execute. We’re looking forward to getting back into a regular routine, letting songs evolve and breathe, and having the flexibility to play our shows and select songs for a set in a way that feels right for the moment. We spent most of the time we lived away focused on composing new songs, so we can’t wait to begin familiarizing our collaborators with them and fleshing them out in a live setting."
Can you talk about working with Blip Blap Video’s Brian McClelland?
This is our second time working with Brian McClelland; we did a video together a couple years ago for a track off our first EP, “In the Brick.” We approached Brian about this one because we knew we’d be participating remotely for most of the process and we felt like he has a good overall sense of our style. Brian works quickly and with purpose, and has an amazing eye. We knew he’d be right there with us both conceptually and visually.
So how much of the video was collaborative, vs. your ideas or his ideas?
We had a concept in mind when we first approached Brian, but the finished product resulted from a true collaboration between us, Brian, and our most-of-the-time drummer Laren Loveless (who stars in the video). We talked through the idea with Brian and Laren, and they both came in immediately with great suggestions. Meg and I put together a storyboard that served as a general guide at the outset, but both Brian and Laren brought tons of ideas to the video and they really shaped a great deal of it as a team, because it was the two of them doing all the shooting. We’d regroup to talk through things before and after each shoot, so we were able to feel connected throughout the entire process even though we weren’t physically present. The whole project took about two months.
What were your favorite shoots on this experience?
We weren’t sure we’d be able to pull off the shot of Laren wading out into the Mississippi, so that one is a favorite. It also took a lot of scheduling to work Angeline (Laren’s grandma-in-law) into the shoot, so those were great to get as well. It’s hard to pick favorites, because Brian picked such amazing locations and everything looks so great.
Can you tell me more about how you landed at your label?
We got connected with Nordic Records through Alec Frisch, who made the introduction right around the time we released “The Last Exchange.” We then started a dialogue and developed a relationship with them over the next several months before ultimately signing with Painted Black, a sub-label of Nordic that is focused on American bands and launching now. Their team is very established in the industry and are very cool to work with, we liked their ideas and their style right away.
Find more of Spectator all over, including at spectatormusic.com, spectatorstl.bandcamp.com, facebook.com/spectatorband, and twitter.com/spectatorstl.
Without further backstory, here’s the premiere of “Muddy Water”:
And now some more locally-tied videos, in vaguely alphabetical order:
Clownvis Presley: “Fresh Prince in the Ghetto”
David Udell: “All You Have to Give”
iLLPHONiCS: "What D'Ya Like" (Feat. Lena Charlie)
Mark Brainard: “Melissa”
Middle Class Fashion: “Don’t Stop It”
Ross Christopher: “Miles of Bones”
The Trip Daddys: “My Babe”
