Music Video by: Vinnie Guidera & The Dead Birds / Article by: Sac.Indie.Music
One at a time they creep in, those pesky, dreadful negative thoughts, whenever we sit idle. We likely all find ourselves “perpetually battling negative thoughts,” as Vinnie Guidera puts it. I certainly do, and it really is a daily battle trying to think happy thoughts, so to speak.
Vinnie is the guitarist and lead vocalist of the local Sacramento band Vinnie Guidera & The Dead Birds, who recently released their new album Afterimage. With the album already released, we’re excited to premiere the music video for one of its standout tracks, “One At A Time”!
The video depicts the home as a supposedly safe and familiar space, but on the inside (our minds), there’s a brewing, moody racket (the band) stirring up emotions of negativity. It explores the question of “Are these just imagined thoughts, convincing us something is wrong when really, everything is fine?”. That’s the concept behind the video according to Vinnie, and it does a great job of capturing the unsettling feeling that negative thoughts can bring.
The song itself mirrors this concept, pairing its dreadful theme with an unexpectedly upbeat tempo. It builds and releases tension throughout, even creating space by using a sound reminiscent of a ticking-clock as we stare at the spinning ceiling fan when suddenly the band comes bursting back in, just like our intrusive thoughts returning right when you think you’re finally relaxing. The result is a vivid, and relatable portrayal of muscial mental noise!
Now go immerse yourself in the video for “One At A Time”, and then read our interview with Vinnie for a behind the scenes exclusive about the video and a little background about the band. Don’t forget to give the whole album a spin on Bandcamp or even pick up the cool splatters vinyl!
If you made it to the end of this little article, then you’re the first to know that we are prepping for another exciting announcemnt currently in the works, so stay tuned! For now keep supporting the DIY music community of Sacramento. Spread the word about this little blog /micro label, and get out and see a show!
Cheers!
Sac.Indie.Music
WATCH THE VIDEO:
“One At A Time” by Vinnie Guidera & The Dead Birds
Behind the Scenes: A Chat with Vinnie Guidera
Sac.Indie.Music: Tell us a little about the band, who are the members, and of course how did you come up with the band name!
Vinnie Guidera: The band consists of me (Vinnie Guidera) on guitar and vocals, Kevin Hayes on bass, and Ian McDonald on drums. This started as a solo project that we built up for a full band, so I think we just played the first few shows under my name. Then the “Dead Birds” part came after Ian mistook a plastic bag in my back yard for a dead bird. We take the songwriting a little more seriously than we took the task of naming the band.
Sac.Indie.Music: The video is really fun! The colours really pop, and the video work creates a nice balance of tension, can you tell us what exactly is the meaning being the song “One at a time”?
Vinnie Guidera: One At A Time is about dread creeping in during idle moments and perpetually battling negative thoughts.
Sac.Indie.Music: What is the idea or concept of the music video and how does it connect with song? Tell us more about the process of making the video!
Vinnie Guidera: Since the song is about fighting off this feeling that something is wrong when everything should be fine, I wanted to capture familiar spaces in an uncanny way. The threat is inside rather than outside. This was basically the concept for the album’s cover art, so I just wanted to expand on that and put it in motion.
Sac.Indie.Music: Was filming easy? Did you running into any challenges?
Vinnie Guidera:Filming was pretty smooth. We’re a DIY band through and through, so I’m used to figuring out how to execute ideas practically. Everything was done with equipment we already had. A couple colored lights, a fog machine, and my dried up flowerbed, haha. But I have very little experience in video production, so I just had to trust that if I could effectively create a sense of space, it would all come together.
Sac.Indie.Music: Why did you choose this particular song to make a video for? Are you planning any other video releases for other songs on the new album?
Vinnie Guidera: I think One At A Time is fairly representative of Afterimage as a whole, both musically and topically, so it made sense to try to tie this to a visual piece. I don’t know if we’ll make any more videos for this batch of songs. We’ll see if any more ideas come along.
Sac.Indie.Music: It’s been a long while since you’ve been back playing gigs, how did it feel to be back on stage for your recent album release show? Are you happy to be back in the mix of things?
Vinnie Guidera: It felt great. We used to play constantly with a show every week or two, and we had talked about slowing down a bit, but between the pandemic and taking time to write and record, we’ve only played a handful of times in the last five years. I’m getting my stage legs back, but it just feels good to be loud again and show people what we’ve been working on all this time.
Sac.Indie.Music: Do you feel like the music scene has changed since you last played?
Vinnie Guidera: So much has changed. Some of my favorite venues no longer exist, and some of my favorite local bands aren’t active anymore. So it feels a little like being a stranger in my hometown. But it’s also incredible to see new spaces established and new people step up in the community to put cool things together. I sincerely love playing music in Sacramento, even if I feel like an old man who is behind the curve. I still need reassurance that it’s normal to charge a $15 cover though. That feels like an LA cover charge to me.
Sac.Indie.Music: Now that the video and album are out in the world, what are your goals for the rest of the year? Any plans for more gigs, touring, or just staying local?
Vinnie Guidera: We are three guys with day jobs, so it can be hard to string together a proper tour. But we’ve got some Pacific Northwest shows planned for the fall that will be announced soon, and I look forward to getting back out to Reno and the Bay Area. I’m just excited to play again, anywhere they’ll have us.
Sac.Indie.Music: Is there anything else you would like to share about the new album?
Vinnie Guidera:I’m just really happy with how it turned out. I’m lucky that I get to make music with two of my best friends, and removing myself from the equation, I think they’re the best rhythm section around. So even if I’m completely off the mark and all my contributions to this album are terrible, I can at least be sure that the other two thirds are great.
Sac.Indie.Music 