Hear in Color lovingly creates ethereal music video
CONCORD, CA (Dec. 8, 2022) — There was a time when releasing new music demanded a well-produced accompanying video. And for many local artists today, that’s still the case.
Some prefer the DIY approach of capturing videos on their phones, splicing them into something watchable, synchronizing to music and uploading to YouTube. Others go to great lengths to bring as much artistic care to the visual elements as they do to their music.
Take, for example, the music video for “Tell Me (Something New)” by Concord-based band Hear in Color. The band collaborated with Bay Area freelance filmmaker Tony Holman for the project, and it’s clear from watching this video that professionals were involved.
“I feel like we were successfully able to create a dream-like atmosphere without going over the top and in your face with it,” Holman says.
That dreamy feel is what the band had hoped for to complement their song. “We wanted the video to be more of an aesthetic journey rather than following the lyrics word for word,” notes band member Isaiah Selva.
Shot over 2½ days in Concord, Walnut Creek and Port Costa, the video is a beautiful visual piece that mirrors the moody energy of the shoegaze song. In fact, it’s so well done that it won Best Cinematography in the Bright Ideas Film Festival at the Orinda Theatre in 2021.
As the video’s director and editor, Holman is quick to point out that production teams like his aren’t essential for making stunning music videos these days.
“I definitely think you can create high-caliber work with cell phones and free software,” says Holman, who primarily produces documentary work. “With music videos, you are able to get more creative and experiment with more unconventional cameras compared to when working on most narrative films.”
Hear in Color is eager to get to work on their next music video, and the group is hoping to put just as much time and care into it as their last one. For that reason, the band has launched a GoFundMe, which can be found at linktr.ee/hearincolor.
“Tell Me (Something New)” is just one of many East Bay music videos released in the last couple years. A YouTube playlist of more than 60 recent local music videos can be found at ConcordRockCity.com by clicking on “Music Videos.”
Elsewhere in local music
New holiday album from Concord band. For the third consecutive year, Sabertooth Unicorn has released another full-length Christmas album. Like their previous holiday releases, “Brand New Holiday Classics” offers a diverse collection of original holiday tunes, however, it is not recommended for children or anyone sensitive to strong language, references to recreational drug use or otherwise graphic content. Find a link to a Spotify playlist of all three of their Christmas albums at thebeatofdiablo.com.
Award for Clayton songwriter. The song “We Don’t Ever Give Up” by Clayton’s Stonewall “Stoneman” Towery was named Best Funk Song Summer 2022 at the World Songwriting Awards. It was written and produced for the motion picture “Starfunk and the Astral Pioneers,” currently in production in Texas. Stoneman is slated to release his first album on the Bentley Records Label by end of this year and will be releasing two more next year. Get more information at stonemanavenue.com.
KVHS holiday special
Whether you’re sitting down with the family for Christmas dinner or unwinding after a whirlwind of a weekend, tune into 90.5 FM at 7 p.m. on Christmas night for festive holiday tunes – both originals and covers – from bands and singer-songwriters from all around Concord Rock City and beyond. If you’re traveling for the holiday, you can stream the show live at KVHS.com.
Contact Dave Hughes at MrDaveHughes@gmail.com.
Dave Hughes
Dave Hughes is a local music advocate with an extensive network of independent artists. He produces and hosts a local music program on KVHS called The Beat of Diablo, every Sunday at 7:00 PM on 90.5 FM. Dave also catalogs local music releases at ConcordRockCity.com.