“I’m a loser and today is Valentine’s Day!”
The chorus rang out through the set like a barker hawking salt-water taffy. Over and over, the lyrics of “Valentine’s Day,” Durham County Band’s inaugural single, were sung, shouted, spoken, and chanted. The band gathered family and friends earlier this year to record the video that will forever immortalize a lonely disdain for this most commercial and most romantic of holidays.
While the actors and actresses tried to recapture the anguish and sadness of their worst Valentine’s Day experiences (tinged, of course, with a healthy dose of self-aware saltiness), the band was guiding them with praise, prompts, and props. In one take, a woman smears her make-up with fervor and rage; in another take, a man is showered with chocolate hearts. Floating cupids are batted away with annoyance and scented red candles are played like drumsticks.
Despite the song’s dismal message, the mood on set was upbeat and fun, more like a celebration of misery than misery itself.
Bronson Brown, the video’s director and editor (and Durham County Band’s bass player), was overjoyed with the shoot. “We were hoping it would feel like a party, like a gang of us got together to sing and hangout while there happened to be a video camera going. Everyone took to the spirit of the day, the spirit of the song, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.”
Furious editing will follow, as the band will be widely releasing their first single in time to capitalize on Valentine’s Day fever.
“We’ve kicked this song around for so long, and finally we decided to pull the trigger and get it out there into the universe,” said Pete Wheeler, Durham County Band’s guitar player, principal song-writer, and studio guru. “It was like “it’s now or never, boys, so let’s make it now!’”
Whether you love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and Durham County Band is set to revolutionize the anti-Valentine’s Day sentiment in music. Be sure to watch for the Valentine's Day video on the DCB YouTube Channel!
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