In pre-pandemic times, Analog Love was scheduled to make it's world premiere at the Phoenix Film Festival at the end of March of 2020. The same week, LUCKY, the horror satire I produced, was scheduled to premiere at South By Southwest. And that would've kicked off the festival tours for both films, which in a lot of ways I spent my whole life prepping to make. I was so beyond proud of both and the incredible crews that were responsible for making them both a reality. And I was so, so thrilled to finally put positive things out into the universe. And then... Covid happened and derailed it all.
Had those premieres happened and we weren't in lock down, I don't think the smear campaign against me would've happened. At least not in the unfair and cruel way that it did. But this is, sadly, the time line we're stuck in. And all we can do is focus on the day ahead of us, not the past. Two years after our original intended premiere date, and one full year after the release, we finally got to screen Analog Love in Arizona, the state it should have premiered in in the first place.
Both this screening, and the NY one, came about totally organically. In this instance, I have a small group of friends that have been successfully hosting some incredible genre related screenings in the Phoenix area. Aaron Hudson and my old friend from the NY days Samantha Hurdich. And once I learned about Zia Records regularly scheduled Sunday Soundtrack Series, it seemed like the perfect fit. And it was!
We screened it at the Majestic, located in Tempe, AZ on Sunday, September 11th and it truly felt like a homecoming. More so than even the NY screening in a weird way. Aaron and Sam had waited until the night of to actually watch the movie, despite me having given them Blu-Ray's months earlier, and I really appreciated it, because I got to sit next to them and hear their genuine laughs and reactions. It was a slightly smaller space than the NY venue, and hence slightly less people, but the people that were there truly got it and were responding with extreme enthusiasm, and I could feel it.
Aaron and I did a Q & A afterwards, but it turned more into a general conversation between the group of people that stuck around and ourselves. I particularly found it heartwarming and sweet when a couple started telling us about their great mixtape story, but both disagreed about the details surrounding said tape. It's one of the things I love about our little film - it always instigates conversation and inspires people to share their mixtape story, whatever it might be.
I know some friends in attendance walked away inspired to make mixes!
And I'm just so, so grateful for the opportunity to share this documentary whenever I get a chance. It means a lot to me. It took my crew: myself, Buz Wallick, Joe Maddrey, Travis King, about 6 years of our lives to complete, and while its bittersweet that we didn't get to screen it for more festivals during what became one of the oddest times in our human history, seeing it these two times this year was a beautiful gift and reward in itself. I truly hope people keep sharing it with loved ones and it continues finding an audience.
I'll be sharing more playlists / mixes that tie more directly into the film on this blog in the near future. But for now, I'll cap this off with a recent song by Liam Gallagher of Oasis that really has helped put things into perspective this year, "Too Good For Giving Up."
Back on August 20th, 2022, I returned to Long Island, NY and finally got to show my latest documentary project, Analog Love. 2 years after all our festival screenings were canceled due to Covid. And one full year since it was released, digitally, by Passion River. And it was long overdue!
I only got to screen the doc one time for an audience and that was a "cast & crew" screening back in January of 2020. And the one thing I didn't anticipate is how communal the film would play. People were laughing out loud, agreeing with some of the track choices and techniques expressed by the interviewees, and just having a great time.
I was so, so excited to bring this movie on the road, mainly because of the great conversations I knew it'd inspire, post-screenings. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. At least not in this (awful) timeline.
Cut to August of 2022... I decided I wanted to go back to NY after a lengthy 8 year absence. After the turbulent few years we've all just had, I just wanted to be around my childhood friends again for a bit. While I was planning the trip, I was talking to my old friend and colleague Matt Roren, whom I played multiple shows with in our respective band, and who also programs the "Cult Cafe" screenings at the Cinema Arts Centre. They've been closed for the last 2 years too, so when he suggested their first screening back be Analog Love, I was so, so honored. I figured if I only got to screen the movie once, at least it'll be on my home turf with friends from high school, the band days, Tower Records, my family and beyond.
I arrived at the venue early so that I could catch up with Matt. And much to my surprise, he was in the process of finishing up a batch of handmade mixtapes he'd made to give away to the first attendees! And if he ran out of tapes, he had an expanded CD version too! And looking over the track listing, it really was curated based on the discussions in the film!
The screening itself was a blast. The Cult Cafe is truly a unique venue to see a movie, with a coffee house / bar vibe, and an enthusiastic audience that just wants to see something good together. And mixtapes (or Playlists) are a big part of every screening that Matt hosts there. In fact, the usual crew there gifted Matt with a mixtape for his grand return.
It's been several weeks since that NY screening and I feel like so much has happened since then. (Including a second screening in Tempe, Arizona, which I'll save for another blog!) But the most important question on your minds... what was on that mixtape?
Well, I finally had a bit of time to digitize and make playlist versions! So, here we go: track listing and embeds below!
ANALOG LOVE: Cult Cafe Cassette Volume 001
1. Panzerfukked by Funeral Dancer
2. You're Gonna Miss Me by 13th Floor Elevators
3. Amsterdam by Peter Bjorn and John
4. Marie douceur - Marie colere by Marie Laforet
5. The Hero and the Madman by Thin Lizzy
6. Pilot Can at the Queer of God by The Flaming Lips
7. Unmarked Helicopters by Soul Coughing
8. The Gunner by True West
9. Intrigue by Marianne Faithful
10. A Face That Could Launch a Thousand Ships by The Paper Chase
11. Simply Beautiful by Al Green
12. Softcore by Pilotpriest
13. No More Sorry by My Bloody Valentine
14. I'll Stick Around by Foo Fighters
15. Slow Ride by Foghat
16. Can't You Hear Me Knocking by The Rolling Stones
17. Everybody Wants Some!! by Van Halen
18. Axel Fletch by Pilotpriest (Replacement track: Firefox)
19. Outburst by Wesley Willis
20. Trust In Me by Belly
21. Ultimatum by The Long Winters
I think it's long overdue we start sharing some more Analog Love inspired mixtapes and playlists, right? Stand by! More to come!
NINE INCH NAILS: Less Than from the EP "Add Violence"
Focus?
We didn't even notice
We awake in a place
We can barely recognize, yeah
Hypnosis
And you can justify it all
Your back is up against the wall again
Shut up, silence
Add a little violence
And offend and pretend
And defend and demand my compliance
And you can always justify
The missile trails across the sky again
So what are you waiting for?
You got what you asked for
Did it fix what was wrong with you?
Are you less than?
Go and look what you've gone done
Welcome oblivion
Did it fix what was wrong with you?
Are you less than?
Needful
Too many fucking people
You'll have to take care of yourselves
You know I've got my hands full
And you can always justify
The missile trails across the sky again
So what are you waiting for?
You got what you asked for
Did it fix what was wrong with you?
Are you less than?
And look what you've gone done
Come on welcome oblivion
Did it fix what was wrong inside?
Are you less than?
So what are you waiting for?
You got what you asked for
Did it fix what was wrong with you?
Are you less than? (Are you less than? Less than?)
And look what you've gone done
Well, welcome oblivion
Did it fix what was wrong inside?
Are you less than?
A few weeks after my father passed away, and while we were in the middle of starting the Pike Project album, this song came to me, fully formed. I picked up the guitar and out of nowhere, the chords, the lyrics, the melodies; it was one of those rare instances where it all just flew out of me. It took several attempt to record it on my iPhone without crying through a take.
When I presented the song to Christian, it became an unspoken thing where we were going to try to record it exactly as I did on my phone. Live, one take, one mic, raw and emotional. Crack in my voice and all. And that became the last track on the album. I also released it on the PIKE PROJECT "For Dad" EP which came out on his birthday, August 19th. It’s still really, really hard for me to listen to those two songs, Fade Away and this one, A Life Well Lived. But I’m glad they exist.
Here’s a little music video version I put together. Another tribute to my dad, but also, this song is for anyone that’s ever lost someone close to them. The pain of it never goes away, you just learn to live with it a little better with each day.
A Life Well Lived
In times of darkness, there’s always room for light
In times of struggle, we rise to face the plight
Love’s there to guide us, (it’s) the only thing that counts
Love is the brightness, when shadows seem to mount
We all take comfort in how we are loved
Give it all back without hesitation
Cause in the end, we all can only hope
Someone will hold our hand, as we leave this earth
Know that your time here is, in fact, finite
Take joy, and look back, appreciate the sight
Of a life well lived, eventually we die
I know you did your best, I know how hard you tried...
This isn’t goodbye, this isn’t so long
We all live on when we love with all of our heart...
Thank you...
Thank you...
