It was pretty clear when I interviewed the members of Shadowgraphs for a Creative Loafing music feature back in July that the band's days in Charlotte were numbered. Indeed, the band will soon be taking off for the wild gray yonder — Portland, Oregon. What Indieland will gain: a terrific shoegaze band with psychedelic flourishes. What Banktown will lose: the same. But you don’t have to miss the band’s farewell concert on Saturday, December 9, at Snug Harbor. And you definitely don't have to miss CL's exclusive premiere of the band's new video for their song "Cloud Reflections," from their 2017 album Venomous Blossoms.
I caught up with Shadowgraphs guitarist and vocalist Charles "Wils" Glade last week to talk with him about the making of the video, and the experience sounds as trippy as the video looks.
The footage comes from a Shadowgraphs performance videographer Blake Raynor shot at a show the band did at the nonprofit Los Angeles cultural arts center HM157, a massive old Victorian mansion in Lincoln Heights, along with L.A. experimental psych-pop acts HOTT MT, Antoine Diligent, Morgan Delt and Vinyl Williams. The latter band is the project of Lionel Williams, the grandson of legendary film composer John Williams. Glade remembers it as "a crazy show" that occurred about halfway through Shadowgraphs' month-long tour of the West Coast this past June.
"It was outside with giant projections and a bunch of people, like 200ish," Glade said. "The green room was a legit Teepee. Our good friend Blake Raynor from Charlotte has been living in San Diego for a couple years now, so he decided to drive up for the show with his friend. When he got there he told us that he wanted to film parts of the set that night, which we were totally cool with. Blake teaches film at the University of San Diego."
The band also enjoyed hanging out with Williams. "Lionel's grandad was responsible for the soundtracks to Star Wars, ET, and Indiana Jones, so it was amazing to see them play again," Glade said. "We actually met up with them for another last-minute show in Portland that was also mind-melting. All of the acts that night were top-notch and we got to hang out with a ton of really rad musicians in L.A. after the show."
And the song? "It's about the insecurities of relationships — when you are unsure if the other person still loves you," Glade said. "It's kind of a break-up song."
And now Shadowgraphs is breaking up with us. I, for one, will miss them. They've been a big part of what helps make Charlotte weird.
The footage comes from a Shadowgraphs performance videographer Blake Raynor shot at a show the band did at the nonprofit Los Angeles cultural arts center HM157, a massive old Victorian mansion in Lincoln Heights, along with L.A. experimental psych-pop acts HOTT MT, Antoine Diligent, Morgan Delt and Vinyl Williams. The latter band is the project of Lionel Williams, the grandson of legendary film composer John Williams. Glade remembers it as "a crazy show" that occurred about halfway through Shadowgraphs' month-long tour of the West Coast this past June.
- Shadowgraphs' Bryan Olson (left) and Charles "Wils" Glade.
The band also enjoyed hanging out with Williams. "Lionel's grandad was responsible for the soundtracks to Star Wars, ET, and Indiana Jones, so it was amazing to see them play again," Glade said. "We actually met up with them for another last-minute show in Portland that was also mind-melting. All of the acts that night were top-notch and we got to hang out with a ton of really rad musicians in L.A. after the show."
And the song? "It's about the insecurities of relationships — when you are unsure if the other person still loves you," Glade said. "It's kind of a break-up song."
And now Shadowgraphs is breaking up with us. I, for one, will miss them. They've been a big part of what helps make Charlotte weird.