In this day and age of uncertainty in the music industry, sometimes the stars will align in serendipitous ways for an indie band: the right time, the right song, the right people all working in your favor. For the southern California grunge trio of MAL (pronounced “mall”), that time is now with the world premiere of the music video for the title track off of their new album, Acqua Macabre.
When MAL decided to make their debut music video, they looked to veteran director David S. Barron of amFilms HD to conceptualize the dark lyrics and hard-driving melody and bring them to life with a unique vision on film. What Barron ultimately came up with was quite a departure from the original meaning behind the words written by lead vocalist and guitarist Kris Jung. But that was just fine with Jung, Kevin Davidbadal (drums) and Peter J. Hollywood (bass).
“I interpreted it to be about a very dark, desperate and deranged person, who feels like they are reaching the end of it all. And considering, what transpired in America in 2015 with public cases of mental illness, I felt it was a story to tell,” said Barron.
The video is set in LA and stars actor Diego Garcia (The Shield, Entourage, Brothers and Sisters) who portrays a manic depressive poet having a mental breakdown – a dog day afternoon. After waking up lost and disheveled, the poet struggles with his pen, foreshadowing the raging war inside his own head: flashbacks, trauma and moments from his past that still haunt him. The genuine angst and passion that Garcia delivers throughout the video convey a frightening, yet heartbreaking glimpse to the hopelessness that millions of people feel every day.
“We were a bit nervous about seeing the video for the first time. We were really pleased with the way Dave took it in the direction that he envisioned with “keep it spooky” whispers in his ear. And that’s what the song should be: spooky, terrifying, dark and disturbing and left with no hope. Dave did justice for the song. We’d love to do another with him,” Jung said.
WATCH: World Video Premiere of “Acqua Macabre” – MAL
“The song was really written about the music industry and the feeling of every force in the universe turning against you; powerful insurmountable negatives surrounding everything. Diego’s performance really captured those emotions, albeit based on a completely different premise, but are equally maddening from an artist’s viewpoint.” said Kris Jung. “There are so many great musicians producing amazing music out there with groups pushing and working very hard to make a living at it, but the days of actually being able to have a viable, financially sound career in this industry are almost gone. There are no more big record deals, fat royalty checks or marketing investment in artists anymore. The days of people buying music (the number one product) are gone with streaming services and deals that trade exposure for publishing. I’m not saying that it can’t be accomplished. It can, but it’s a lot tougher.”
To make the performance compelling Barron incorporated various in-camera motion effects by having the band perform the music at
various speeds, frame rates. “I felt that the band could be who they are, and I wanted to capture them without frills, but I added the frame rate twist to create emotion, impacting the vocals. Kris sings “the dream is gone, it was never alive,” and in a sense, I needed the effect to mirror the story visually, “ Barron added.
“Playing it three times faster was nearly impossible. Actually, it was impossible, but the magic of Dave’s editing made it look smooth and really brought the lighting effects in the background to the surface. And that was the point: surrounding chaos as the chaos in Diego’s character was peaking,” Jung added.
“Independent cinema is taking risks, chances, and going with gut instincts. Risk creates an edge, makes the viewer uncomfortable. It was a pleasure to work with the band, the crew, especially my DP, Donald McKinnon. He really embraced what I wanted, how I wanted to capture, and he knocked it out the ballpark,” Barron pointed out.
Metaphorically, Garcia resolves his internal conflict by “facing” his demons in public. In the end, he throws the paper with the lyrics on the ground and walks away with purpose in his gait. Sometimes it just feels good to rave like a lunatic and get it all out…
CONNECT WITH MAL:
MAL members: Kris Jung (Vocals & Guitars), Kevin Davidbadal (Drums), Peter J. Hollywood (Bass)
LISTEN to Acqua Macabre on Souncloud HERE!
Download Acqua Macabre on iTunes HERE!
