keep you honest

" . . . entertaining set, professional and packed with great song-writing!"
-Arthur Kalimidis
President, LandMark Events - quotation

Nov. 28, 2010 - keep you honest placed 3rd (out of 16 bands) in the most recent Landmark Events BOTB held at the Mod Club on Nov. 28th, 2010. With their first official show as a live band, keep you honest is more than pleased with the result - placing ahead of talented bands such as "A Thousand Cures" and "Black Mother Pearl."

keep you honest will be moving on to the main event of the Landmark Events BOTB series taking place at the Opera House on a date to be determined in January, 2011.

Comments received from the panel of music industry judges were:
"Great work on stage and no fear - you know your material."
"Loyal crowd following - enthusiastic response."
"Good balance between instruments and excellent tone on guitars - tight performance." - Event Summary

Canadian indie band, “keep you honest” has caused a bit of a stir in the zombie enthusiast community with the release of their debut music video, “Lose Control” – a Zombie Short-film styled piece set to the song, “Lose Control” from the bands recently released self-titled album. The video debuted on Youtube in late July (2010) and has already hit 20,000 views.

The video tells the story of a mother and her son packing their car and leaving an abusive relationship and their home behind. While driving through a small rural community, they encounter a zombie outbreak. Before long, they are forced to leave the safety of their vehicle, and head off the road into the woods with several zombies in pursuit. Without spoiling the video for those who have not yet watched it, the rest of the video follows the mother and her son as they continue to run through the wooded countryside from an ever-increasing amount of zombies, and eventually try to make their escape.

For an indie music video, the production values are quite good and for the most part, consistent. The acting is believable and serves the video well, the camera work has some particularly nice steady-cam shots, the zombies are realistic with good makeup (and the purist will be pleased to find – slow!), and the footage has been colored nicely giving it a bit of a 70’s film vibe. One aspect that really stands out in “Lose Control” is the beautiful scenery and set locations. From country roads, creepy looking woods, and an old railway bed, the locations were chosen well and provide a great atmosphere for the video.

There are one or two instances where the video leaves the viewer a bit confused as to what is happening with the storyline (keep in mind, there is no dialogue), and where I may have preferred a different angle or more concise shot, but overall these are minor distractions at most. And while not particularly frightening or suspenseful at any one point, "Lose Control" does well in creating a nice atmosphere and managing to pull us into the story – which is impressive considering the length of the video is roughly five minutes, and as mentioned – void of dialogue.

Of course, the other half of a music video is . . . well, the music. As I primarily review video, I will not really comment too much on this aspect, but the track certainly sounds professional, catchy, and it works well with the ebb and flow of the footage. What I like about “Lose Control” as a music video is that it tells a story and engages the viewer. It is not just some abstract concept that no one understands, nor is it just random “eye candy” intended to be sensational and keep the viewers attention that way either.

I was able to speak with Luke Adams (vocalist/guitarist of keep you honest, and writer of the Lose Control video), and was impressed to find that the shooting of Lose Control was completed in only a day and a half, with a cast and crew mostly comprised of volunteers, and a budget of roughly $1000. In my opinion, this is an example of indie filmmaking done right. Instead of trying to accomplish more than could be reasonably achieved, “Lose Control” makes use of a relatively simple story concept and pulls it off with solid production values, and a little flair to boot. Make sure to give it a try if you need a quick zombie fix for the day!

"Lose Control" can be viewed on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPnG6m48RgY - Jenna Colburne - Seattle, Washington