The band’s video for the track Forced To Love off their most recent album, Forgiveness Rock Record, was co-directed by none other than our good friend and soon-to-be Skylark Director of Photography, Alan Poon. The video employs cutting edge 3D rendering and looks like nothing you’ve seen before.

From Arts & Crafts’s video description:

“It’s an experimental 3D scanning technology that detects the displacement of a grid pattern of any object in front of it,” Poon explains. “The data is then used to rebuild the object in three dimensions. Each band member’s performance was scanned using this technique and manipulated in the computer to create the effect you see in the final video.”

Check it out here:

And here’s a little behind the scenes clip starring Alan, his collaborator on the project, Adam Makarenko, and the band.

-blake

I’ve been listening to The Bees for several years now (they have four albums, Sunhine Hit Me, Free the Bees, Octopus, and Every Step’s A Yes) and they continue to be one of my favorite bands. Wolf People, on the other hand, are a recent discovery. They just released their second album today entitled STEEPLE.

Here are some bios, videos, and live performances to whet your appetite:

“Wolf People are an English psychedelic rock band based in London, Bedford and North Yorkshire. They formed in 2006 around the release of a very limited CD EP on Sea Records as part of the Lifeboat Series. The EP was Stuart Maconie’s record of the week on his BBC6 show. They have since released two 7” singles on Battered Ornaments Records, they quickly sold out and are now becoming quite sought after. The band have been embraced by the psych community receiving great praise in Shindig magazine and Terrascope.com amongst others. Influenced by Captain Beefheart, Can, Pentangle, Dungen, Amon Duul II and television, the music is largely blues rock based but incorporates elements of folk, jazz, kraut, and country. Wolf People signed to JAGJAGUWAR records in Autumn 2009 and are releasing their label debut TIDINGS, a collection of singles and EP tracks, on 22nd February 2010.”

“The Bees (known as “A Band of Bees” in America, owing to a rights conflict over their name) started out as the duo of Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher, both of whom hailed from the Isle of Wight. They recorded their debut album, Sunshine Hit Me, in a home studio in a shed in Butler’s parents’ garden. Butler and Fletcher, both multi-instrumentalists and singers, were avid record collectors and, even more so, avid record listeners with interests that extend back to the roots of British rock and into American soul, as well as a multitude of other directions. Sunshine Hit Me, released by We Love You as a U.K.-only issue and credited to the Bees, reflected their interests and listening, melding ’60s freakbeat and psychedelic sensibilities with ’70s power pop, and got nominated for the coveted Mercury Music Prize in 2002.

The Mercury nomination and the album’s critical success led to the assembly of an actual band, and a couple of years of steady touring. When the smoke cleared, the Bees were officially a sextet with everyone writing songs and switching off on instruments (and Fletcher doing their lyrics). And instead of recording their second album in the Butler family garden shed, as they’d intended, Butler’s stint producing another act at EMI ended up with the group booking three weeks there. It took that long for the six members — Kris Birkin, Michael Clevitt, Tim Parkin, Warren Hampshire, Butler, and Fletcher (all of them except lead guitarist Birkin multi-instrumentalists) — to create Free the Bees. Released in the summer of 2004 on the Virgin imprint, the album got rave reviews in England and earned notice in the United States as well, working its way into better stores and eliciting positive reviews from critics who normally would never have known about it. The group’s work has been variously compared to that of the Small Faces (and the Faces), the Beatles, the Byrds, Donovan, the Kinks, the Temptations, and early Pink Floyd, with some other interesting permutations. Butler, for example, counts his own influences as Lee Perry, King Tubby, and Fela Kuti. They saw further commercial success when the tracks “Chicken Payback” and “Wash in the Rain,” off of Free the Bees, were both picked up for use in television commercials.

In 2007, reduced to a quintet with Clevitt’s departure, they released Octopus, a brilliant, wide-ranging pop/rock opus that had inventiveness and unexpected influences quietly oozing out from between every note and chorus. Its feet were planted in 2007, but its musical influences looked back to the Kinks of Village Green Preservation Society and the Small Faces of “The Universal.” As with much of their earlier work, the album seemed to demand attention as much as it elicited delight, like a book the reader can’t put down. For all of their seeming ’60s influences, the group comes off as startlingly contemporary, just willing to reach back to artists and styles they admire when it suits them and the music at hand.”

And finally, I Really Need Love – A song from the bees new album!

-keith

As you know, our film is about a musician who loses his older brother/bandmate in a tragic accident. Of course The Skylark is fiction, but the story of Stevie Ray Vaughan sadly is not. Jimmie’s younger brother overcame a drug and alcohol abuse problem only to die tragically in a helicopter crash in 1990. He was 35 years old.

Thanks for the clip, Alan.

-blake

Check out this amazing ad for the show:

I was at the band’s gig last night, where I shot this short little video. They were amazing.

Tune in tonight and don’t forget to pick up Arcade Fire’s new album The Suburbs.

-blake

This is a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera), specifically the Canon 5D. Like any other professional Canon or Nikon camera, it shoots beautiful pictures. This model came out in 2005:

In comes the Canon 5D Mark ii, which arrived in late 2008 and changed everything:

Although the two cameras look the same, there is one enormous difference. Canon had received many requests from photojournalists to add a simple video record option to their pro-line of photo cameras so that one could capture the odd video in the field and post it online. Canon’s photo department obliged, and without collaborating with their video department, virtually slapped in an HD video feature. Little did they know they had created a camera under $3,000 capable of shooting more cinematic images than most cameras five to ten times its price. The reason? The camera is based on full 35mm frame photography (like a motion picture camera) instead of small chip television/video camera technology.

I don’t want to get too technical, because there are already loads of information out there from many great bloggers (links at the bottom), but when the 5D Mark ii first came out it was lacking many vital manual controls. While Keith and I were prepping to shoot SWEET NOTHING, some of the key issues had just been resolved via a firmware update and so it seemed like the perfect time to give HDSLRs a go. So, I sold this:

And bought my beloved, tiny 5D Mark ii:

Me and mine

Like most of my friends, I’m a bit of gadget freak. It’s an addiction that both pushes my career forward and in many ways holds me back. I’m sure a lot of you know what I mean. For those of you that don’t, well, what I’m about to say may be the geekiest sentence I ever written, but I’ll write it anyway… The first gadget that changed my life was a PowerMac G4 with Final Cut Pro. It enabled me to be a one-man post-production team, and Apple’s user-interface just made sense. That was 2001. Cut to 2009, eight years later, and you have the Canon 5D Mark ii, the second gadget that changed my life.

Keith and I were very lucky when we went into production on SWEET NOTHING because our good friend and cinematographer, Alan Poon, was living in NYC at the time and agreed to experiment with my new camera. He had his own set of Canon lenses, which we were planning to shoot with, but since we couldn’t find a follow-focus to rent, we were forced to rent a Nikon lens package with its own follow-focus. (A follow-focus is a necessity when shooting a narrative film. It enables someone other than the camera operator to make sure the actors are in focus as they move around.) One of the wonderful things about the Canon DSLRs is that they have a lens mount that allows you to put pretty much any old lens on it with an adapter. The old manual Nikons wound up being a great choice because they have a sharper, lower-contrast look than the Canons.

Looking back, the interesting thing about our first shoot with the 5D Mark ii is that Alan and I were not yet ready to ditch our years of film training/brainwashing, and so we treated the camera like every old mammoth we were used to, thus erasing one of the great aspects of the 5D, its minimal size. We virtually never took it off the tripod or detached it from our two external monitors. Still, the camera performed amazingly well and we were ecstatic when we finally saw the footage on a big screen.

Alan with the 5D Mark ii on the set of SWEET NOTHING

Here is a little teaser I cut to give you an idea of the vibe and look of SWEET NOTHING:

Since that project, I’ve shot almost exclusively with the 5D Mark ii, and already a lot has changed. Canon has released three new HDSLRs, all of which have their positives and negatives and range in price from $800 to $5000. That’s right; you can buy a camera, the Canon Rebel t2i, for $800 capable of shooting video similar to the  5D Mark ii! And the body is even smaller! Professionals are using these cameras to shoot television shows, commercials, music videos, and feature films. When I shoot with mine now, I try to keep it as stripped down as possible – truly guerilla! And I’m not the only one. Many projects are being shot with several HDSLRs at a time since they can be had so cheaply. How you use it is up to you. Some people still attach every gadget imaginable to their HDSLR, some attach nothing, some mix and match.

Here you can see director Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Spy Kids, Sin City) on the set of a music video with a souped up 5D Mark ii and then on the same set with a stripped down B-camera.

(images via philipbloom.net)

For my kit, after doing a bunch of research, I decided to invest in some old lenses instead of buying the far more expensive Canon pro-line L series lenses. Much of the old glass produces as good or better images and can be purchased cheaper. I decided to go with Contax Zeiss lenses, and managed to wing the deal of the century. I found someone selling a 28mm, 55mm macro (vivitar), 35-70mm macro, and a 135mm on craigslit for $600! Be jealous; I’ll probably never find a deal like that again… The Zeiss glass is amazing – a little cooler in tone, but tack sharp and with amazing bokeh (aesthetic quality of the blur). I bought an adapter to use these lenses from adorama for $28.

Two features sorely lacking from the 5D are a true viewfinder and professional audio controls/inputs. So I completed my kit with an LCDVF and a Zoom H4N. I recommend both of these devices without hesitation, but there are many other options out there. Putting your kit together is a very personal and, once again, addictive thing. Just keep in mind that if you go overboard, you’ll prevent yourself from enjoying the freedom of having such a small and simple device.

I carry my 5D Mark ii everywhere. It’s my photo camera, my home video camera, and my movie camera of choice. And now, I’m very happy to announce that Keith, Derrick, Alan, and I plan to shoot our first feature film THE SKYLARK with HDSLRs!

Feel free to ask me any questions. I could write a novel about my beloved Canon, but that would take time away from actually using it…

-blake

PS. My top 4 blogs on the subject:

Planet 5D

Cinema 5D

Philip Bloom

Hurlbut Visuals

Was I lying?! If you like what you see, the band is playing two gigs in Brooklyn this weekend before touring the country (Dates: Friday, June 25th, 7pm at Littlefield Performance and Art Space, & Saturday, June 26th, 4pm at Bar Matchless). They also have two bad-ass albums, MINISINK HOTEL, released in 2006, and NESTS released in 2008. I’ll be at the show on Saturday, so come and join me for a beer and some fantastic music!

-keith

I definitely feel like ‘What is the point? What’s the point of making music anymore?’ I feel that the album no longer has a stronghold or has any real bearing anymore. The physical format itself is obsolete; the CD is obsolete and the LP is kinda nostalgic. So, I think the album is suffering and that’s how I’ve always created—I work with these conceptual albums in the long-form. And I’m wondering, what’s the value of my work once these forms are obsolete and everyone’s just downloading music?

Every once in a while, since 2005, I’ve hit google hoping to find news of Sufjan’s return to songwriting. Today, I got my wish. I discovered an article from Paste Magazine, which reveals that not only is Sufjan finally working on a new album, but he is collaborating with another band I love, The National.

Knowing nothing about The National, my wife and I caught their performance at the All Points West Festival last year and they blew us away. We picked up their album Boxer shortly after, which is an amazing record that grows on you with every listen.

If you’re not familiar with Sufjan’s work, I’m not sure how to describe it, but he once called it “high art meets low art.” It’s sort of pop/folk/classical… rrrr… just check it out:

And The National on Letterman:

And finally, Sufjan supporting The National for a performance of “Afraid of Everyone” off the band’s new album High Violet (released last month):

Sufjan, we can’t wait to hear what you and the boys are concocting…

-blake

]]> http://theskylarkfilm.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/sufjan-stevens-and-the-national/feed/ 0 blakehamilton http://theskylarkfilm.wordpress.com/2010/05/30/great-new-york-bands/ http://theskylarkfilm.wordpress.com/2010/05/30/great-new-york-bands/#comments Sun, 30 May 2010 15:56:48 +0000 keith99h http://theskylarkfilm.wordpress.com/?p=860 ]]>

Considering our film is set in NYC and Blake, Derrick, and I live here (Blake actually lives in New Jersey, but I’m trying to remedy that), I decided to make a short list of some of my favorite, current New York based bands/musicians.

In no particular order:

LCD Soundsystem – Great band, great albums. I’ve seen them live twice and they were fantastic both times. I would call it Dance, Punk, Funk-Rock. I think many bands have tried to emulate them in the last few years.

MGMT – This band blew up fast. I prefer their first album, Oracular Spectacular, but their new album, Congratulations, is worth checking out. Electroclash, Psychadelic, Glam-Rock.

The Morning Benders – Just got into this band. I heard someone playing them in a coffee shop in my neighborhood and asked the guy at the counter who they were. Their new album, Big Echo, is fantastic. Sunny, Indie, Pop-Rock

London Souls – I’ve seen this band three times at Brooklyn Bowl and they never disappoint. Straight up throwback 60′s, 70′s inspired Rock. Think Cream, or Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Gogol Bordello – One of the best live shows you’ll ever see. Super high-energy Gypsy Punk-Rock!

Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra – I discovered this band one year at Coachella. Great live band. Members of their horn section are currently in the house band for the Fela show on Broadway.

Sharon Jones and The Dapkings – Sharon Jones is an incredible soul singer. She performed at Brooklyn Bowl a few months ago and I’ve never seen someone so tiny (She’s about five feet tall) with so much chutzpah!

Beirut – One of the most interesting singer-songwriters of the last ten years. His music is beautiful and unique. I have never seen him live, so if any of you ever have a spare ticket, give me a call! His first album was released when he was only 20 or 21 I believe. Whimsical, Gypsy, Pop-Rock.

Sufjan Stevens – Another incredible singer-songwriter. His songs often blend many instruments to create epic, sometimes heartbreaking pop music. I’m also dying to see him live.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Super fun Indie-Rock band. If you like bands like The Talking Heads, check them out. Their first self-titled album is my favorite.

TV On The Radio – This band is hit or miss for me, but when they hit, boy do they hit. Every album has a few killer songs on it. Check out their latest, Dear Science. Post-Punk, Electronic, Soul-Rock.

Interpol – I’ve been a big fan of this band for years now. They are often compared to Joy Division and although all of their albums are solid, their first one, Turn On Your Bright Lights, is still my favorite. Just great, straight-up Indie-Rock.

The Virgins – Another fun, 70′s New-Wave style rock band. The lead singer sounds like Elvis Costello to me.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band – A collective made up of musicians from various other successful groups (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, TV on the Radio, L’Trimm, Calla, Mooney Suzuki, Oakley Hall, Antibalas, the Dap Kings, Diamond Nights, Persephone’s Bees, Si*Sé, and Apollo Heights), I saw these guys at Brooklyn Bowl and enjoyed them very much. Their self-titled, debut album is a sort of throwback to the rock and soul of the 60′s and 70′s.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – I’ve been to a lot of live shows, and it’s rare that I see a performer and think, “Wow, that’s a rock star.” Karen O, their frontman, is one of those rare performers. If you ever have a chance, check them out live. Karen O is a sort of Joan Jett meets Chrissie Hynde (of the Pretenders) meets Blondie. Their whole band is fantastic and all three of their albums are different, but worth checking out.

Vampire Weekend – This is another band that blew up fast. Great summer music. Joyful, Afro-Pop, Indie-Rock.

Yeasayer – I got into this band recently and I think they are currently one of the most creative and unique bands out there. An eclectic, genre-bending journey into pop, rock, Middle Eastern and African musics, folk, and dub. Both of their albums are worth checking out.

Dayna Kurtz – Not knowing anything about her, Derrick, Blake, and I saw her open up for Patrick Watson at the Bell House recently. Dayna is a Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter who breathes honesty into every note she sings. We had the pleasure of meeting her after the show; stay tuned for more about that from Blake.

Listen and Enjoy!

-keith

Here are two clips from Laundromatinee:

And a music video for their track THE FLOOD PT. 1:

Just fantastic songwriting across the board. If you like what you hear, give this band your money and download their music. I highly recommend their last album, Glory Hope Mountain. Also check out their amazing song off  Friends in Bellwoods 2 (a compilation album of Canadian bands), called SLIPPERY WHEN WET.

The Acorn’s new album, No Ghost, comes out in the US on June 1st. You can download their new single for free here.

Enjoy.

-keith