Brooklyn’s Big Bliss makes post punk goodness that will melt your heart. In their new video for the song “High Ideal” the band takes that ability to melt hearts to a whole new level. As we hear the band play gorgeous blast-from-the-past ’70s guitars and hear frontman Tim Race sing art rock style lyrics about “the ideals we imitate” we enter a schoolroom full over very mischievous catholic school girls.
Director Nick Ray McCann had quite a bit to say about the video.
I love troublemakers. In creating the concept for this music video, I fell in love with the idea of a room of bored but clever kids who test the prehensile strength of the rules. Darlene Dues from “Orange is the New Black” plays their teacher, Sister Augustine. She balances the story out perfectly, embodying tradition and formality, but also the curiosity that runs parallel to that of the kids. Muffy Morton, the producer and also my girlfriend, often shares stories of going to Catholic school, and every one is hilarious. I went to public school in Baltimore, MD, so nuns and uniforms always fascinated me. To bridge our two experiences, she shared “The Trouble with Angels”, with me, to dissect troublemaking in this setting.
When it came time to shoot, I auditioned the girls individually and in groups to make sure they got along and could function as a mischievous team on camera. Their energy was incredible. I was exhausted after the audition but I knew that was a good sign. Steve Grise, the production designer, set them all up with their own notebooks and pencils and allowed them to decorate their book covers. This allowed the kids to create their characters and infuse their own ideas of who they are in the video. Adam Uhl, the cinematographer, kept the camera moving at all times to keep it chaotic and authentic. I had specific moments we had to hit, but we left the rest up to chance, running long takes where we ran across the room as the girls shredded their books. It’s more fun that way, and it also allowed us to watch what worked best, and for the kids to have all the time and resources they needed to give their best performance.
*dates with Fruit & Flowers
3/19 – Austin, TX – SXSW Beerland (evening)
3/19 – Austin, TX – SXSW – Little Dickman Records Showcase (daytime)*
3/20 – Norman, OK – The Deli*
3/21 – Lawrence, KS – Replay Lounge*
3/22 – Columbia, MO – Cafe Berlin*
3/23 – Minneapolis, MN – Eagles Club*
3/24 – Chicago, IL – Emporium*
3/25 – Grand Rapids, MI – Casserole House*
3/26 – Ft. Wayne, IN – The Brass Rail*
3/27 – Cincinnati, OH – The Comet*
3/28 – Columbus, OH – The Summit*
3/29 – Pittsburgh, PA – Spirit Lodge*
3/30 – Asbury Park, NJ – Langosta Lounge*
3/31 – Brooklyn, NY – Union Pool*
