Music Video: Tom Maxwell and The Minor Drag “Jacob…

Download the single from iTunes

This was a lot of fun to shoot and edit. I’ve never shot a music video like this before which was a great learning experience. I also learnt a ton about how music industry contracts work de facto. We actually recorded the music live at the venue while we were shooting the video. The mix sounds beautiful. The concept behind it was to document/shoot a music video. We had 3 cameras all Canon 60Ds and spread out across the floor. We covered Tom really well. The hardest part of the shoot was covering the piano and vibraphone players. Each take was a different solo, so unless we were recording them during that take it was impossible to show them playing. The vibes were easier to cover but he chose to use different color mallets (or whatever you call those things) and sometimes with 2 or 4.

It was a challenge but something that I’m glad I had a chance to do. It has been a long time since I’ve worked on or shot a music video that I wanted to do. I love this song and so glad I could work with the former lead of Squirrel Nuts Zippers lead Tom Maxwell. He is a very cool and fun guy to work with. I’m also very fortunate to work and be friends with a couple of North Carolina’s best filmmakers, Blake Faucette and Nic Beery. Enjoy this poignant Christmas music!

Recorded live on November 26, 2011 at The Murphey School, Durham NC

Tom Maxwell – vocals, guitar
James Wallace – piano
Mark Simonsen – vibraphone
FJ Ventre – string bass
Evans Nicholson – drums

Engineered and mixed by Thom Canova
Filmed by Andy Coon, Blake Faucette and Nic Beery
Edited by Andy Coon