SMASH Music Videos
We’re happy to release EIGHT new videos for new cover songs created to benefit SMASH (Seattle Musician’s Access to Sustainable Health). A few months ago, SMASH approached us with the idea to create a virtual concert in lieu of their in-person fundraising event, and we were happy to dedicate our time, connections and resources to this cause.
We encourage you to take a look at their site, and donate if you have a chance!
SMASH paired musicians together to record their own takes on songs of hope. Our job was to match directors with these music artists, and we reached out to some of our favorite people in Seattle. Our final lineup of directors included Carlos A.F. Lopez, D.J. Walker, Claire Buss, Vivian Hua & Tifa Tomb, and All is Well directors Lael Rogers, Sam Kelly, Jr., and Tony Fulgham.
A huge shout out to every crew member who came out to work on these films. There’s a reason we love working here and it’s you guys.
There were creative challenges around remote shoots and the ever-present (and necessary!) COVID filming regulations, but every director, crew member, musician, and venue stepped up to the challenge to create a safe, creative space for these films.
Watch all the videos below!
Lael Rogers directed the music video for Naked Giants and Mirrorgloss’ cover of “Ball of Confusion'' featuring a neon-soaked Tacoma Dome, dance moves by Rainbow Fletcher, and a whole lot of Subarus. “The number one goal was to make this video as safely as possible and then, make it cool. The final product was created at the crossroads of safety and chaos.” — Rogers
Claire Buss directed the video “Too Many Termites” written by Caspar Babypants and produced by Chong the Nomad. In Buss’ own words, “I asked Chris and Alda to contort their faces according to a list of 20 or so really specific scenarios (‘you smell burnt toast and you’re not sure if it’s toast or a stroke’) . . . I asked my editor friend Karsten Kaufmann to ‘go buck’ in the edit, and he delivered!”
Tony Fulgham directed the video “Lean on Me,” performed by Adra Boo and Nikhil Bagga and had this to say about the process and creating the concert as a whole:
“I wasn’t actually supposed to direct one of these films. My intention on this project was to facilitate the connection between these amazing musicians and a group of directors that I’ve wanted to work with. As it turns out, we were short a video. I spent three days at London Bridge filming the recording session for all the songs. . . I spent an hour listening to Adra sing Lean on Me acapella, just to me. Jealous? You should be.”
D.J. Walker directed an energetic cover of Soundgarden’s “Loud Love” by Ayron Jones, Cameron Lavi-Jones (King Youngblood), and Lupe Flores (Wild Powwers) and featuring yet another Subaru but in a very different light… Walker wanted to “convey the vibe that during tough times love isn’t always done with softness, and hope isn’t always sweet, they’re often jagged and bitter to taste.”
Carlos A.F. Lopez captured our hearts with this sweet rendition of “I Can See Clearly Now” by Dave Matthews and Tom Nakayama. Lopez shot the video the Sunday before Election Day. He says, “I remember talking to [Tomo] about the irony of covering such a hopeful song during such an acute time of anxiety and uncertainty. He told me the thought of covering this particular song after the extended heavy smoke from this summer’s wildfires finally cleared. . . I can’t think of a better song, or two better artists, to help ignite the optimism that we need to keep pushing through these times.”
Sam Kelly, Jr. directed the genre-tastic video for “Pride (In the Name of Love” by The Black Tones and Mike McCready and made a personal video with a unique familial connection.
“The song’s connection to Martin Luther King, Jr. [and] the placement of the MLK Memorial Park in Seattle treated as a sci-fi ‘monolith’ was an amazing opportunity to put the monument on film for the first time. It’s even more special because the sculpture was designed by my uncle, artist/sculptor Robert Kelly, and the park was conceived by my father — Dr. Sam Kelly, Sr. . . . This sculpture is a tribute to MLK and those who paved the way for Diversity and Inclusion work in America. Making a music video with a ‘serious message’ also includes a healthy dose of levity. Something we all need to balance with our social conscience.”
Vivian Hua and Tifa Tomb directed the music video for Duff McKagain and Shaina Shepherd’s (Bearaxe) rendition of “A Change is Gonna Come” with a vocal performance that will knock your socks off. Hua filmed the video with a skeleton crew in a way that speaks to her experience as a video artist and VJ for live bands and electronic artists. “. . . the resulting piece has one foot in this world’s historical memory and one in the timeless eternity of nature. Together, we find that everything flows in cycles. Yes, a change is gonna come. But after that change, some rest before the change begins again,” says Hua.
Talia Green made us tear up with her video for Stevie Wonder’s “Heaven Help Us All” by Allen Stone, Whitney Monge, and The Head and The Heart. The shoot spanned multiple at-home remote locations including across state lines, and Green summed up making work during the pandemic beautifully:
“[The film] broke from the ways that each of the artists and myself have always known how to make work. But it was also an outlet for connection and creativity that I think we all deeply needed. When staying home is just about the only thing available to us, I found myself being let into the worlds of four incredible humans who I can’t wait to one day grab a beer with, or better yet watch on stage.”
We can’t wait for the day when we can sit in a crowded room full of people and watch live music as a community again. But in the meantime, this endeavor was such a healing experience and practice in community during a time of isolation.
We hope that the result is physical and mental healing through SMASH for our local artists, so when we come out the other side of this, we can all gather intact, healthy, and excited to be together again.