Buttons - Roller Rock from Kennedy on Vimeo.
NOIRC: What was it like working with local Mike Kennedy to direct your video for Roller Rock? What was your favorite part of the experience, who came up with the concept?
BUTTONS: Amazing! We originally met with Mike to pitch a video idea after he saw us perform for the Alternative Media Expo After Party with Ballzack. We had this elaborate idea for one of our songs called 'Castletimes' that would include a bunch of our friends (and some relatives) but it turned out to involve too much pre and post production. Mike asked us about a song we played at the show that reminded him of an eerie roller skate jam and suggested shooting the video at a roller rink. We thought it was a great idea since it would require only one day of shooting, have automatic production value, and still include all of our friends. The whole video was a collaborative effort between many different people. Ballzack acted as a scout and got Skate Country on the Westbank as the location. In addition, we had a great group of friends who put together their own costumes and waited around for hours for each shot. The shoot couldn't have gone any smoother - Mike and his crew did an amazing job! I think getting a lot of creative and talented people involved was our favorite part of the experience. I hate videos where you watch some guys play their instruments in an empty warehouse stomping around in puddles while cutting to shots of them sitting in an apartment moping about some dime a dozen hipster girl. We wanted to do a fun video that captured a bit of the New Orleans spirit without having to set our synths in front of the St. Louis Cathedral.
NOIRC: You covered 'Southern Night', an Allen Toussaint song, where did that inspiration come from?
BUTTONS: We were inspired to cover the song mainly because of the ethereal quality of the vocals. Toussaint recorded the vocals through a Leslie speaker and creates a sound similar to vocals run through a vocoder (what we primarily use). I think it's impossible to top Toussaint's version but it was interesting adding our own spacey analog synth feel to the tune. It is hands down my favorite song ever. (Toussaint's version of course)
NOIRC: How would you describe your live performance, will you guys be playing live anytime soon?
BUTTONS: Live smoked out synth dance party! First of all I think it's important for people to understand that we are a live act. We're not sampling other peoples songs or standing around mixing prerecorded tracks off a computer, although its understandable why people might make that mistake. Our approach is similar to the early pioneers of analog synthesis (eg. Giorgio Moroder, Yellow Magic Orchestra) - It's two guys behind a mountain of analog gear playing live. We also bring out smoke machines and usually try to dress up for the occasion. The one thing we have always lacked is visuals, but we're in the process of putting together a large programmable LED button display that goes across the front of the stage and responds to the music we're playing. It should be ready for our next show that will be at The Republic Dec. 4th in conjunction with Throwback night!
NOIRC: What are your thoughts on the local young music scene in New Orleans?
BUTTONS: It's wonderful to see such an active local music scene again. Before Katrina it seemed the local music scene was on the threshold of something big, however after Katrina there was nothing left. Shows featuring local or national acts were few and far between and the promotion was non-existent. Now it seems the local music scene is finally catching up to where it left off and we are excited to be a part of it.
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