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I was cleaning the lense of my camera before going to John Roderick’s house this week and thinking about how long it had been since our last on-camera interview. Too long, and the dates written on my archived tapes proved it. I had become sidetracked with the production and release of the Live at the Showbox DVD, a process that took me away from my initial ambition. I had been editing all along, but not shooting, and the story doesn’t just stop when you turn your camera off.
What began as an exploration many years ago of a band recording a CD and the people behind the music has become something more. The documentary is not about Putting the Days to Bed, and the more I think about it the more I realize it never was.
So in the unseasonably bright afternoon sunlight, I woke John with a knock on his door. Robed and bleary eyed he let me in so I could set up. Lately he’s been keeping banker’s hours.
If your bank is in Amsterdam.
I shot 3 hours of interview footage with John, picking up where we left off last time. I think editing has made me a better interviewer, because as I sift through the footage I already have I see spots where I could have narrowed the focus sooner and made my job easier.
Thing is, I’m not sure that my interviews with John could ever be called that. He’s like a Rube Goldberg Project of conversation; I’ll ask one question and get the answer, rolling the egg down the ramp into the bunsen burner that burns the string above it that leads to answers to another 10 questions I haven’t even asked yet. It’s a great experience and a challenge to edit, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Some of the topics we covered included the process of recording the newest record, choosing to live and work in Seattle, how and were the music and the lyrics are constructed (including tools used for their construction), addiction and sobriety, and his father.
We also discussed some roster changes. As has been reported elsewhere, Nabil Ayers has accepted a job as a label manager in New York for 4AD. I’m positive success and happiness will follow, because that’s how it goes for Nabil. More than being a great drummer, he’s also a great person and while I’m sad his new responsibilities keep him from the band I’ll be pulling for his success in this other endeavor.
I hope everyone had a great time celebrating their mono/multi/a/theistic holiday of choice.
A few more reviews are online, one from Tim Hanken at Easy Street Records, a really great music store in Seattle, where they made it a “Staff Pick”.
Another from My Old Kentucky Blog.
Have you already purchased the DVD? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Why not review it on your blog, or at Amazon.com, which I’ve heard is a somewhat popular internet site for buying things. Because the marketing budget was $0.00, every little bit is appreciated.
A few more reviews to read:
One from The Stranger, and another from The Seattle Weekly.
The DVD is selling really well, and it makes me happy that so many Long Winters fans have something to watch and re-watch until the band goes on tour again.
 Be sure to support your local, independent record stores this time of year. It may be easier to just stay home in your jammies ordering gifts, but they, and I, need your support in order to keep working.
On that topic, I want to emphasize that I am not making any money on the sale of this DVD, and in fact am taking a large financial loss. Even if every one of them sells, the best case scenario is that I get back half of what I put into it.
Please consider donating to DorsiaFilms (using the button on the upper RIGHT corner of the page) to help offset this burden and keep future film projects (like the documentary film) going. Thanks!
You’re so good at waiting; it’s about time.
The DVD is out today, available at many independent music stores around the country, and online at barsuk.com. To commemorate the occasion, three audio tracks (Scared Straight, Clouds, Cinnamon) have been released for your free listening and downloading pleasure here. This morning, be sure to listen to 90.3FM KEXP in Seattle, and online live at KEXP.org at 9:30am. John Roderick, groggy and only partially awake, will be in the studio talking to the morning show host John Richards about the DVD, and playing some tracks from it.
If you miss the show live, you can always listen via their handy streaming archive, where you can relive every second of John making fun of me.
I know I will. It’ll be great.
Good news:
You can now pre-order the Live at the Showbox DVD from Barsuk.com!
I’ve been told that they’ll begin shipping orders that come in beginning tomorrow.
Also, the first review for the Showbox DVD just got published and it’s very positive. Thanks Victoria!
I’ll keep posting reviews here as I learn of them. Even the bad ones.
Finally, tune in to KEXP next Tuesday, December 9th (release day) between 10am and 2pm, where John Roderick will be in the studio talking to Cheryl Waters about the DVD and playing some tracks from it. It’s sure to be radio magic.
The exact time of this isn’t certain yet, but as soon as it is you’ll find out here.
What was supposed to be a big update will be shelved until next Monday, at the latest.
The thinking is that information like links to how/where to buy it would be best released as close to the release date as possible.
It’s not my choice, but I get where they’re coming from. What do you think? Good idea/bad idea?
In the meantime, some reviews of the screener discs should start rolling in this week. I’ll link to them as I find them.
Expect a BIG update on Monday, December 1st.
Do you write for a music website? Please contact me via comment or email if you’re interested in reviewing the DVD, and I’ll make sure you get a screening copy.
Yes we can.
To open up a box of freshly minted DVDs and to see a year of hard work come to a tangible conclusion feels great.
 I’m really happy with how it turned out; the colors, the matte finish, how everything lines up.
 
All that’s left is getting it into your hands.
December 9th, 2008.
The master disc was sent this week to the manufacturer, and shortly the gears of the indie-rock industrial complex will begin cranking these out like so many crayons at the Crayola factory.
We’re doing all we can to get 12.9.08 as a release date. Stay tuned.
In which the band takes a field trip to the gun range:
higher resolution version available on the
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