Photo Credit: The Ou Gallery.
This is not just a music video. It’s cinematic art that tells the story behind the song. “The song is a reminder that wealth in dollars is not wealth in spirit...and unfortunately it often takes a very heavy experience for us to realize or remember this. There’s so much trouble in the world...and too much of it a result of greed. Luxury and excess is hollow” says Jasmine Colette who plays the main character in the film and performs in the band.
“The song is a reminder that wealth in dollars is not wealth in spirit... and unfortunately it often takes a very heavy experience for us to realize or remember this. There’s so much trouble in the world...and too much of it a result of greed. Luxury and excess is hollow” says Jasmine Colette who plays the main character in the film and performs in the band.
“There is a quote I always think of, ‘Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money’” she points out.
The film was shot on location on the unceded Coast Salish Territories of the Quw’utsun known as Cowichan Bay, British Columbia. The concept and film credits go to Barclay Rose of The Ou Gallery in Duncan BC who’s partner Donavan Rose is the artist behind the album cover for Bare Knuckles & Brawn, and also Key Grip in the film production.
When asked about the making of the film, Rose explained “Lyrically, Hard Times Hit Parade is talking about our daily struggles to make ends meet, trading in your time for ‘money’ or ‘poison.’ We wanted to somehow make the visuals an allegory for the daily grind without being so obvious or giving everything away.
“The slow pace of the song and the film lends itself to reflection, the viewer can insert themselves in the story and has space to sink into the lyrics to create their own interpretations and also consider their own struggles and perspectives.
“Life can be tedious and monotonous, and the film can be read as someone working against time, or even working for nothing. There’s an existentialist questioning. But you could also read it into as a woman in a man’s world.
“The character, in the very beginning, hides her identity as an individual, as a woman. She slicks her hair back, and by wearing a nondescript work-suit with gumboots, her body and sexuality is somewhat obscured.
“Yet there are moments of exposure and fragility, as she continues to dig, her neckline and collarbone are exposed, her hair becomes loose. Life wears you down. She looks into the sun, asking for ‘pardon’ or respite from ‘the warden’ whatever that might be for the viewer.
“This central figure is juxtaposed with a sultry character, the ‘performer’ wearing a silk dress and a mask. You could read this as the forward-facing act, what the public sees. So by focusing on the working character, with no make-up, at the mercy of the elements, we’re taking the mask off in a way, and revealing the energy, time and work that goes in behind the scenes to make up a life, or a performance” explained Rose.
Blue Moon Marquee is currently working on their upcoming album ‘Scream Holler & Howl’, a collaboration with co-producer Duke Robillard (Roomful of Blues, Fabulous Thunderbirds) expected to be released in the spring of 2022.
Blue Moon Marquee currently makes their home in an island shack on the coast of the Salish Sea in British Columbia. A.W. Cardinal and Jasmine Colette (a.k.a. ‘Badlands Jass’) write and perform original compositions influenced by anything that swings, jumps or grooves. Influenced by early blues, swing, jazz and ragtime, artists such as Lonnie Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Blind Willie Jonson, Charley Patton, Howlin' Wolf, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Tom Waits, Memphis Minnie, and Django Reinhardt are deeply infused in the soul of their music.
Their songs have a heavy dose of atmosphere and texture with a penchant for poetic characters and gritty settings. It is this connection to the working class that draws so many people to their music, crossing many of the usual genre, age, and cultural bounds. Most importantly, they make every song their own. After several years of playing together, the group has developed a distinct, personal voice that can be heard in each song. The result is an infectious mix of blues, jazz, swing, and old-timey honky-tonk. Blue Moon Marquee's passionate performances and smouldering onstage chemistry is their trademark and it's something that enthralls audiences from back-room bars to festival stages, to velvet-seated theatres.
They have released four full-length albums of their original compositions: 'Bare Knuckles & Brawn' (2019), 'Gypsy Blues' (2016), 'Lonesome Ghosts' (2014), 'Stainless Steel Heart' (2013), and one online E.P., 'Last Dollar'. Their last album, 'Bare Knuckles & Brawn', charted in both Blues and Jazz genres on the Earshot National Roots and Blues charts.
Photo Credit: The Ou Gallery.
Website: bluemoonmarquee.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bluemoonmarquee
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bluemoonmarquee