Fun as elaborate staged music videos can be, there’s something refreshing about simply witnessing a band play original music in a studio.
Such is the case for Asheville-based Appalachian desert rock band The Silver Doors with the visual accompaniment to their debut single, “Redeemer.” Shot during the last week of 2022 by Adam McMillan of local creative agency Shadow Light Creative, the video finds Brett J Kent (vocals/bass), Alex Cox (vocals/guitar), Bryce Alberghini (drums) and Justin Lawrence (electric violin) recording the song live together at Drop of Sun Studios in West Asheville.
“I think the video represents our ethos in that way — all sharing the same space where we can interact with each other and feel the energy in the room. And as our debut music video, I also thought it was a good idea to show our faces a little to introduce ourselves and let people connect with us and get familiar,” Cox says. “We all come from raw, live, rock ‘n’ roll sensibilities, so I feel like the video showing us all in the same room captures what we’re about pretty accurately.”
Approached as if The Silver Doors were shooting a music documentary, the fly-on-the-wall imagery then received a psychedelic touch in post-production by editor Tabitha McDonald, who added trippy coloring and an even trippier kaleidoscope effect. The creative touch nicely complements the band’s sound, which combines a solid rock trio foundation with the distinct extra layer of Lawrence’s violin, tracked in a recording booth while looking out at his bandmates on the Drop of Sun floor.
“Justin is so skilled and we are so lucky to have him,” Cox says. “He can create textures, soundscapes, searing lead solos that sound like [Jimi] Hendrix, complimentary melodies — whatever you want. He simultaneously sets us apart, takes us to the next level and pushes us musically. As soon as Justin decided to join, it felt like the band found its true direction that it was meant to have.”
The Silver Doors plan on returning to the studio before the end of 2023 to build on the three tracks they recorded at the close of last year with engineer Alex Farrar, who also mixed and mastered the songs. Until then, catch them live at The Odd on Thursday, March 23, and at Fleetwood’s on Thursday, April 6.
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