Grand Vanity
10th Annual Short Form Music Video Nominee
Record Label: n/a
www.grandvanity.com
Home Base: Sherman Oaks, CA
Genre: Rock/Pop
Category Entered: Music Video, Short Form
Work Submitted: “Got A Nerve”
Artists Featured: Grand Vanity is the featured musical artist, the video was made by Luke Asa Guidici
Label: Unsigned
URLs:
www.grandvanity.com
www.twitter.com/grandvanity
www.facebook.com/grandvanity
Influences: A lot of older pop/rock – E.L.O., The Beatles, Supertramp, Fleetwood Mac, The Sherman Brothers, Rodgers & Hammerstein.
What’s the meaning of your band name? It has been said that this world is all vanity and vexation of spirit. Our musical endeavors are a search for the grander side of a dim landscape, hence “Grand Vanity.” One other contender was “The Special Relationship,” on account of us being a married couple – one half English, the other American. It was more of a joke than a real name though.
Describe your nominated work: The video for “Got A Nerve” is a great introduction to us as a band. I think every band at one time has headed out in search of a cup of sugar, and then found themselves playing their instruments on the the street…!? The video tells that story, with a few detours through some stop motion animation, and green screen trickery.
Why did you choose to submit this work to The 10th IMA’s? The video Luke Asa Guidici made for “Got A Nerve” had real charm, and we’ve had a great reaction to it from everyone we’ve shown it to. Therefore we want to get it some exposure so we can become mega-stars and play giant arenas to millions of fans.
Did you use any unusual effects or instruments in this recording? We used an Engelholm Clay Cuckoo for some texture, and also a toy Voice Changer on the “Alien” setting. For the video, the funniest bit was synchronized jumping about 50 times in a row to create the effect of flying down the street… we had very sore knees after that.
Were there any happy accidents while in the studio, or did everything go as planned? The recording went mostly to plan. It took shape over a few evenings one week, the happiest moment was nailing the harmonica solo, I had to practice bending the note for ages.
Did fans help you fund this project? We funded the project from our own shallow pockets.
Who’s sitting in your audience? We appeal to those who love good songs, and aren’t too concerned about how trendy the music is. “Got A Nerve” appeals to the under 5′s too! Apparently my niece requests “the bouncy one” for car journeys on a regular basis.
What makes your fans unique? Our fans have enormous goodwill towards us – they must be the nicest people with the best music taste.
Are there any songs you wish you wrote? There are many songs I wish I had written. Some examples include: Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” The Beatles‘ “Strawberry Fields Forever” and Tom Petty‘s “I Won’t Back Down.”
What artists are you listening to that would surprise your fans? I love the band Semisonic, they had one giant hit with “Closing Time” in the 90s, but no-one seems to remember how good the rest of their songs are.
What is your dream show lineup? We would love to perform with Arcade Fire and the Dandy Warhols.
What are your guilty pleasures on the road? A really big fried breakfast.
Any close calls or mishaps while on tour? One local show we did, we’d unloaded all our equipment, and then couldn’t find the cymbals, so thought we’d left them behind. I sent Dani all the way home to pick them up, only to discover that the sound man had cleared them away thinking they belonged to a band from the previous night. Dani was not impressed.
Do you have any rituals before you go on stage? I get almost as sweaty setting up for a show as I do playing it. So I typically need a towel to mop my brow before taking to the stage.
Should music be free? No, music has intrinsic value and takes a lot of resources to create. Artists need to make a living like anyone else.
How has digital affected your career? Digital technology has enabled me to record all our music, and I’ve worked teaching others how to use it. While I’m wary of “progress at all costs,” I can’t deny there are amazing possibilities in the digital world.
Are digital singles vs. full albums the future of music? I hope full albums aren’t a a thing of the past. Hearing an intricately constructed set of songs (preferably on 2 sides of vinyl) is a joy that our culture seems to have relegated to rare occasions. I love hit singles, but am always keen to know if an artist/band can create more than 3 minutes of good music.
Finish this sentence: The music industry is… somewhat on it’s knees – but praying for another chance.