Premiere: daphne tunes "Thinkin on a Mem" Music Video
☆ By Sophie Gragg ☆
Photo By Pooneh Ghana
WARM, SURREAL AND JUST OUTRIGHT ENTERTAINING - daphne tunes gives us a whole world to escape into with his new “Thinkin on a Mem” music video. Showcasing a playful and bright side of their music, the “Thinkin on a Mem” video features a comedic game show setting, complete with a in video commercial. The video keeps the listener engaged with each moment thanks to the aesthetically pleasing look and its amusing plot.
daphne tunes continues to become a staple in the indie scene, playing with Kevin Krauter, Varsity, Good Morning and more. Lead by vocalist and guitarist Santiago RD, daphne tunes radiates a comforting and simply optimistic feel. Check out the “Thinking on a Mem” video below to escape into their world and read on to learn more about the making of the video and more.
LUNA: First things first, how are you all doing?
SANTIAGO: Thanks for asking! We're doing well, all things considered. Trying to take every day to improve a small thing & learn a new thing, but also we've been trying to lean into some of the slower, quieter moments of this isolation-station whenever we can.
LUNA: The “Thinking on a Mem” video is awesome - so fun, so well done and just a pleasure to watch. How did the idea of the video even come about?
SANTIAGO: So glad y'all enjoyed watching it! Honestly, I have been a lifelong fan of game shows. I initially wanted to do a public-access-style, budget version of 'The Price is Right' and recreate as much as I could. Throughout the pre-production stage, I joked around about all the different possibilities for the "grand prize" and at one point came up with the concept of "truth," quickly realizing that it'd be more of a curse than a prize to become all-knowing. The jokes ultimately just became the concept since we were pretty loose about the story throughout the process (to say the least).
LUNA: What was the creative process of shooting the video like? What role were you all playing in the making of it?
SANTIAGO: In terms of our band members' involvement, I wrote, casted, co-directed, co-built the sets, and also acted in the video because I have control issues I guess! Peter, our guitarist also acted as my scantily-clad assistant. Andrew Masi and his Austin-based company called SWNG Productions produced, shot, edited (Michael Gibson), and provided the equipment for both the game show as well as the commercial segment. A combination of romantic partners, close friends, and students helped fill in all the other roles.
Ultimately the pre-production took about two months and we shot the whole game show in about 36 hours in November of 2018. I received a bachelor's degree in radio, tv, & film from the university of texas and found a way through a fellow alum to go back 4 years later and use one of their sound stages. We filmed the commercial in Spring 2019 with a local photographer, Marshall Tidrick as the subject - another inside joke that found its way onto the final product.
LUNA: I can’t even imagine how much fun making the video was - especially the little commercial halfway through. Can you share a favorite moment/memory from filming?
SANTIAGO: It was a total blast! There's a montage towards the end of the video where the winning contestant (Benjamin "Jammy" Violet) competes in random trials to get through the final stage. Though every moment of production was filled with smiles, that was my favorite segment to film because it was just so full of joy. It was one of the last scenes of the shoot and folks were so antsy to go home, but Ben's acting and overall commitment to his role drove crewmembers to hysterics and the shoot ended on a total high note. I mean someone was literally rolling on the floor laughing.
LUNA: A lot of thought and care was put into this video and the viewer definitely gets a sense of your personality as well though the video. Why is tapping into the visual side of your music important to you?
SANTIAGO: Regardless of whether we're making videos or simply trying to convey a visual concept through our songs, I think I've been always moved by audio-visual connection. Beyond just going to film school and hoping to one day have a filmography as deep as my discography, I feel like I'm constantly writing and thinking about visuals in tandem with my music. While music tends to come more naturally to people as a language or form of communication, i think films have a distinct way of challenging people to expand and gain familiarity with new concepts. I can name just about as many movies that changed my life as I can records.
In fact, 'daphne tunes' the name comes from the color daphne blue and our first 2 records take as many of their ideas from colors and moods as they do from past musical influences.
LUNA: On the more sonic end, the track gives off a nostalgic/care free vibe. Do you find yourself drawn to more light-hearted themes with your music?
SANTIAGO: In past projects that I sang/wrote for, I thought too much about what we should sound like, what fans wanted us to sound like, and how we could 'make it.' Much to no one's surprise, that approach turned out to be exhausting, unrewarding, and detrimental to the intra-group dynamics of the band. From the get-go, my intention with daphne tunes was to have fun & write music without those pressures so I'm glad it's evident in our tunes! Also I'm a total people-pleaser so I'm not surprised that our songs have a light-hearted manner to them as well :)
LUNA: A lot is up in the air of course, but do you have any upcoming goals/plans you’d like to share?
SANTIAGO: Over the past couple of months we've been working on a covers-compilation with about 15 other artists. It's been a blast to collaborate with folks during this pandemic - something I think we've all needed to keep our spirits up. That record will be available for free-download later this summer via bandcamp.
In terms of new music, we're in the writing/demoing process with our next record. Any/all release plans are on hold while we wait to see how the world gets put back together. We had tour plans that obviously fell through, but we hope to get back on the road before the end of 2021!
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