A live performance of the expansive, emotionally raw “Being Human,” a standout from local favorites Bent Knee on last year’s Shiny Eyed Babies, needs an equally compelling venue; like, say, the Hand Forged Works iron forge in North Andover.
“When we were discussing potential film locations with Chris DeSanty (of Gipsy Pixel) and Dave D’aranjo (of Interrobang Records), we wanted to avoid the sterility of the normal studio environment,” wrote Chris Baum via e-mail. “Being Human” is the first in a series of videos filmed at Hand Forged and premieres today on DigBoston. “Live in-studio videos often feel clinical and precise; we were looking for an environment that would be a bit more raw. After brainstorming locations throughout Massachusetts, I came up with idea of filming at Jonathan Rummel’s iron forge — the cold, industrial environment seems like the perfect fit, and Jonathan, being a musician himself, already had a modest collection of instruments and sound equipment on site.”
Baum’s instincts proved correct: this soaring version of “Being Human” is stunner, and a really good commercial for seeing them perform live (at The Lilypad on April 16, perhaps?). Now that I think about it, I wonder how many people could fit in that iron forge…
Baum adds, “The shoot wouldn’t have been possible without tremendous help from Geoffrey Neilson and James Willetts. James was one of our front-of-house engineers, and Geoffrey supplied the sound equipment, for our concert filming at Davis Square Theatre back in July, and their success in pulling off the production gave us the confidence to perform and shoot in a non-studio environment. We’re also extraordinarily grateful for Erik Bailey for lending us the Fender Rhodes for the session. That instrument is magic.”
