All C-U is high on CHEMICALS
Well, in our humble opinion, all of Champaign-Urbana should be tweaked over CHEMICALS, the brand-new music video for the same-named Elsinore song appearing on The Chemicals EP, which bows at the end of this month. Lo-fi go-to team Matt HarsH and Sam Ambler assembled the visuals, reaching back farther in time for their cue than with the duo’s noir flavored treatment of “The Beat Was Burnt” by Megan Johns. Looks like the gang had more than a little fun emulating the one-reel comedies of the Teens and Twenties:
Ryan Groff, he of Elsinore’s soaring lead vocals, is barely recognizable as the sophisticate-about-town who is cursed by the Villainesse (Mindy Manolakes) after he refuses to spare a sister some change. She spends the rest of the running time attempting to poison our good fellow with laboratory concoctions entrusted to her three bumbling Henchmen (Chris Eitel, Cole Rabenort, Mark Woolwine) who manage to screw up the special delivery every time. At the climactic pie-eatin’ contest held in leafy environs looking suspiciously like the Mike ‘n Molly’s beer garden, the Villainesse herself shows up to off our unwitting hero – or will his best gal (Lindsey Markel) save the day?
CHEMICALS also features Josh Nee, Mike Prosise, and Brittany Pyle (who created the scenario with HarsH and Groff) as the good citizens bearing the humorous brunt of the misplaced trickery, along with pit stops at the Virginia Theater and the Blind Pig. Feel free to pat everyone on the back during the EP release show Saturday, January 30, 8:45 p.m., at The Highdive, 51 E. Main St., downtown Champaign, although pies to the face will probably not rate very well that night. (We can always hope for a viral video proving the contrary, however.) Zach May, We Landed On the Moon!, and Brighton MA will also play.
~ Jason Pankoke
[Updated 1/30/10, 1:15 p.m. CST]