Everybody gets stuck on something from time to time, whether due to perfectionism, procrastination, old hangups, or some other annoying cockroach. When you’re in that place where you just can’t seem to move forward, and you get cut off at every turn — you don’t have to be Catholic to understand you’re in Purgatory.
And that, dear friends, is just what happened with our latest music video, coincidentally titled “Purgatory.”
The video is an old idea I had last year for the 3rd track on our full-length record. (In fact, I recorded the first take for the video all the way back in September of 2022. For the record: 10 months is far too long to make a music video.)
The basic idea for the video is simple:
A single continuous shot, reflected in a mirror, with manipulated time - and actual shaving. (Gillette: call me.)
The speed effect enabled some demonstrative movements that look especially manic, a nice contrast, I think, to the song's slow tempo.
But there was a flaw in the plan:
Because of the shaving, more than one take per day wasn’t really possible, and with setting up the camera and mise en scene this just became a bloody (ha ha) pain in the neck. If I didn't get a take I was happy with, I had to wait a whole day to try again — which gave all those cockroaches time to interfere with the momentum.
In the end, this final take isn't perfect — and it's not the most recent — but I like it. And at a certain point, you have to move on. Nobody wants to stay in Purgatory forever. Hope you like the video. Here’s to getting unstuck!
In non-video news, the band has been busy with gigs in June and July, and more upcoming in August and September. Most recently we played at the Parkside Lounge on the Lower East Side with special guest John Paul Louis on keyboards, our first gig ever with a non-guitar instrument. John is a wizard on the keys, and he opened up some new musical colors that we hope to explore with John again soon.
Lastly, something for your calendar: If you happen to be in Brooklyn on Friday, August 18th, come see us at Young Ethel’s in Park Slope for our Hot Grunge Summer show. Music starts at 9pm. Hope to see you there!