IOW: Artsy STILL is stylish thrill
It’s no error, dearest readers, for indeed we have a second “Image of the Week” to share with you between last Saturday and the next!
Our lovely friend Megan Johns, with her mysterious breath of a voice and offbeat orchestration in her song craft, has just released the fourth music video to be coupled with a track from her 2012 self-release, Hey, Lonely. Staged in the performance space behind the all-ages indie shop Error Records on south Neil Street in Champaign according to Smile Politely, this exercise in low-budget chiaroscuro was produced by Sam Ambler and Matt HarsH, who also did the honors for Johns’ “The Beat Was Burnt” some time ago, and shot by area photographer Mark Spomer. Appearing with Johns to perform “Still” is backing band Moonwish featuring James Treichler on drums, Dave Cohen on bass, and Sara Sasaki on violin.
At this rate of tenaciousness, Johns might end up with a complete video companion to Hey, Lonely by the time she releases a new music album! Half the cuts have now been adapted for this YouTube world including “Sunday Drive,” a hazy afternoon dream harnessed by Garrick Nelson, “Hey, Lonely,” an intimate DSLR solo portrait painted by Treichler, and “The Beat Was Burnt,” a monochrome murder ballad set aboard a train.
~ Jason Pankoke