Steel Train – “Bullet” [VIDEO]

Narrative: A day in the life of a group of friends as they hang out and go to a show.

Performance: Surrounded by fans in the basement of  VFW hall.  As it should be.

Song: Yes.  A churning, stomping four minute seventeen second injection of YES.

Why You Should Watch It:  Steel Train’s a band you need to know.  They write the kind of music that should be the gold standard in rock: jangly, full-steam-ahead guitars and wild, wailing melodies that come barreling out of frontman Jack Antonoff’s throat.  Being from Jersey, a pinch of young Springsteen is inescapable, and they’ve embraced it.

Here, they further flaunt their Jersey roots by producing a “day in the life” piece that wraps itself in nostalgia for the simple days of goofing off and hanging out.  It’s simple but eye catching and some of the photography is striking.   The performance here is the capstone.  Dark, intense reds, oranges and yellows illuminate the basement where the band is playing.  Beers and cheers and rock fists are raised high, chests are pounded and sweat drips off the faces of all involved.  It feels like the best show you’ve ever been to.

 Highlight of the whole thing?  When Jack shouts “And I wouldn’t mind if/Together we died alone,” the whole crowd shouts it with him, and it feels like watching the statement of a generation being born.

BONUS: Scarlett Johansson covered this song!  Chill and moody.

By: Chris Cullari | Beat-Play Ambassador Los Angeles | @ChriswithMWL|Music Without Labels & Beat-Play, LLC

Goot – “Pretty Eyes” [VIDEO]

Music videos are in a weird place right now.  No one really airs them, and as artists make less and less money, the bells and whistles of slick promotional materials become harder to justify.  Can’t knock it; that’s how it should be.  A musician’s music should always come first, but as a guy who loves the artform and enjoys making them, it’s kind of sad.  Artists still want nice videos, they just don’t want them to cost anything either, leaving us film/video/moving picture makers constantly challenged to turn out eye-catching work for free or with minimal resources.   The bright side is that the people who are left doing it are as passionate as the musicians.  We’re a slightly disturbed bunch, ready to put our rent on the line to do what we love.

This ongoing column will highlight videos for/by/with/from independent bands and directors making the most of what they have to kick your eyes and ears out yo’ head and earn a spot on your Twitter feed.

Narrative: Alex Goot meets a wide-eyed faerie and squires her through an episode of Dawson’s Creek.

Performance: Goot backlit at a piano.  It’s revealed he’s playing to the faerie at the end.  Meh.

Song: Cheez-Whiz pop.  For crackers, etc.  As far as talented youngins go though, Goot is one of the best.  He almost makes “Fireflies” bearable.  Almost.

He also plays all his own instruments and produces all his own tracks:

Kid’s been in the game since MySpace was popular (learn more about that here) and has not slowed down.  When the industry comes knocking, he’s going to make an amazing songwriter and producer if nothing else.

Why You Should Watch It: Because holy crap we live in a day and age where a camera available at Best Buy can be pointed at just about anything and make it look like   It’s a little miracle called the Rebel t2i, and along with its older brothers the 7D and 5D, you’ll be seeing its name in this column pretty often so click here and learn a little about the camera line changing micro-budget videomaking.  Granted, director Kurt Schneider has a solid eye and knows how to use locations, available light and attractive people to his advantage.  Images like the ones at 1:03, 1:18, and 3:23 don’t happen by accident.  They’re not beautiful in the “we spent thirty minutes composing this frame” way, but they feel honest.  They pluck at a nostalgic place in our brains, give us the feeling we’ve been there, like a handheld Norman Rockwell. The budgetary limitations are obvious – not everything is lit well, and there are occasionally double and triple shadows that look cheap – but for the most part, it’s a cute doc-style video that features some prettier than average pictures and will play well to its target audience.

Chris Cullari | Beat-Play Ambassador Los Angeles |@Chris_Cullari | Music Without Labels & Beat-Play, LLC |

Sarah Solovay – “A Little in Love” [VIDEO]

Sarah Solovay is an American singer-songwriter from New York City. A number of her singles have been featured on television programs and she’s was given the unique opportunity to open for John Mayer and Train last summer. Being that she’s yet to graduate high school, it is safe to say, we’ll be seeing more of Ms. Solovay in the future. Below is a video of Solovay performing “A Little in Love.”

You can find more information about Solovay at her facebook page.

Kyle C. Stilley | Marketing Strategist | @stillz | Music Without Labels & Beat-Play, LLC | kyle@musicwithoutlabels.com