One of the really great things about Asheville NC and the surrounding environs…. there is no lack of talented and uniquely creative people. This modest little nook in the Southern Appalachian mountains, has for the last Century (I’m estimating here) been a melting pot for creatives. Writers, fiber artists, painters, potters, photographers, chefs, musicians, you name it…. we’ve got it.
Being a practitioner of visual storytelling, I recently attended an event entitled, Music Video Asheville. I was really impressed by my fellow filmmakers and musicians. Especially surprising, was the diversity of styles in our area. The traditional sounds of Bluegrass, Americana and Folk are still strongly represented and loved. However, now we can ADD to that list… Indie Rock, Blues, Hip Hop, Post Rock, Jazz, Rap and the list goes on.
Notably a number of bands and musicians grabbed my attention that night. Chase Hudson and Sean Sullivan of 2PPM caught both my eye and ear. They reminded me of early Tortoise and numerous other Thrill Jockey artists I LOVE. And to hear this coming out of Asheville was a real treat! So armed with my knowledge of 2PPMs existence, I got in contact, hoping to suggest that when they needed more video-work, to keep me in mind. Turns out, they needed more video work!!
We spent an afternoon in their studio/living room filming B-Roll for a video from their upcoming release- Desert Country and Physics. Everything clicked, and not wanting to lose momentum, I had an idea.
I had been trying to get some local musicians to do an impromptu gig similar to the La Blogotheque series that has become so popular with many musicians….. turns-out, Sean and Chase were totally cool with it!! Previously I had scouted a location, got permission from the business adjacent, who very graciously allowed us to plug into their power and we were ready to roll. We unpacked, set-up and The guys got into a groove. The filming went perfectly…. and ended perfectly!!!
Check out how it all went down and you’ll see what I mean. BTW- NO downtown condo inhabitants were harmed (permanently) in the making of this film. Ha!
(There are two flavors Vimeo AND YouTube) Enjoy!!
