words by Andrew Norman | photo by Daniel Muller
When deciding where to shoot bands for Love Drunk videos, Django Greenblatt-Seay considers the theme of the song, the feel of the band and a host of other external variables that wind up determining who performs where. There should be some continuity between the music and the location — but it shouldn't be too obvious. Lighting is king, and the chance of being interrupted by cops, landowners and innocent bystanders has to be taken into consideration.
So when we started talking about shooting another Kill County video — in advance of their upcoming full-length, Dust in Wire (which recently achieved fully funded status on Kickstarter, though you can still contribute) — we considered many different potential backdrops. But if we were being honest, we all knew where Kill County would wind up — back on Ross Brockley's farm near Denton, Neb., the same spot where they performed their first Love Drunk song in April 2011. The comedian/actor/farmer's land features dozens of great places to sing a gritty folk song. This time, we chose an old dusty barn for the band, whose primary songwriters — Josh James and Ringo Allons — now hail from near Ann Arbor, Mich., and Austin, Texas, respectively. (Bassist Jon Augustine, "Dobro" Joe Salvati and drummer Eric Nyffeler live in Lincoln.)
I asked James for some background about that song, "Southwind." Here's what he offered:
"'Southwind' was one of the first songs that Ringo and I played in the early days of Kill County, and one of the oldest songs we continue to play today. I wrote the song in late 2007 while I was living up in Bellingham, Wash. I'd had some troubles up there, and was about to leave somewhat indefinitely for Texas and Nebraska.
"I have a pretty vivid memory of writing it. It was really early on a Saturday morning. I'd drank too much wine the night before, and it was cold and damp outside, sometime in late October. I was set to leave in just a couple of days, and [his now wife] Anna was staying behind.
"I remember the song just sort of happened. I woke up with the melody, and the lyrics wrote themselves. I think the song is about the loss of 'home' — not so much an actual place, but all the feelings and comfort that come along with growing up in a place, and having to take an inventory of what you have left when they're gone. I hold a lot of my songs close to my chest, but this one is particularly important. Like I said, this was one of Kill County's first songs, so beyond the attachment I have to writing it, it reminds me of how far we've come as a band."
See where they've come, and consider where they'll go next by watching the video below.
audio recorded/mixed by django g-s
video edited by django g-s
cameras:
django g-s
daniel muller
andrew norman
angie norman
photo: daniel muller
* performed on October 21, 2012, at Brockley Farmaceuticals, south of Lincoln, Neb.
Andrew Norman is Hear Nebraska's director. He thinks you'll enjoy learning more about what Brockley does on his farm. Contact Norman at andrewn@hearnebraska.org.