“Lady Gaga Audition” by Mia Maria | Love Drunk Video

by Django G-S

I normally don't do this, but, this story will be written in first person.

In order to properly-communicate what makes today's video release so special, I need to write the way I talk.

Oh my god, Kaitlyn Maria Filippini is totally killing it, you guys.

Our hometown sweetheart has performed in local folk groups All Young Girls Are Machine Guns and Midwest Dilemma, local rock band The Answer Team and DJ mash-ups like Joyride.

She has also shared the stage with stars such as Mary J. Blige, Josh Groban and Rod Stewart, in addition to performing with Mannheim Steamroller and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, among others.

She has been performing so much with so many different artists, that she finally developed an easier-to-spell and say stage name, Mia Maria.

When asked what she'd really like to be doing, the answer comes quickly.

"If I were lucky enough to get everything I wanted this year, I'd find myself preparing to tour with Lady Gaga," Filippini said.

Over the course of the last couple years, Filippini had a few chance meetings with Lady Gaga and some members of her management team, which eventually lead to an audition tape request from the pop superstar herself.

Filippini contacted me about hiring the Love Drunk crew to help her put together a high-quality audition video.

She wanted to blow Gaga's socks off.

"I arranged a few Lady Gaga songs into a short, three-minute piece for the sake of the video," Filippini says. "I knew it wasn't going to be the kind of thing Love Drunk normally does."

I initially agreed that this didn't sound like a Love Drunk video. While Filippini's arrangement of Gaga's songs was really quite beautiful, it was after all, not an original piece.

But it made me think: Why do projects like Love Drunk, Hear Nebraska, Ingrained, Omahype, Slam Omaha, Worlds of Wayne and Lazy-i even exist?

Is it just to document our thriving, yet sometimes fledgling music scene? Do these projects — and the passionate people behind the scenes — serve a greater purpose?

I can't speak for anyone else, but I believe we can fully agree on one thing: We are here to lift each other up.

Filippini has played dozens and dozens of shows, and recorded on several records for many different local performing artists — most of the time for free. I've never heard her ask anyone for anything.

I like to stay true to Love Drunk's live, one-take original music format. And while this song is not a Mia Maria original, I think the purpose of this music video project, in this case, supercedes the rule.

I hope you enjoy Love Drunk session #54.

audio.video.live.one take

audio recorded/mixed by matt hovanec (plan c recording)
video directed/edited by django g-s

cameras:
matt hovanec
django g-s
ben semisch
kyle wullschleger

photo by ben semisch

* performed on Monday, September 26, 2011

kaitlynmariafilippini.com
themastercraft.com
 

Django Greenblatt-Seay is the founder of Love Drunk. All he wants for his 30th birthday this year is to see Arrah and the Ferns perform in Omaha. Contact him at django@lovedrunkstudio.com.