The Drive To Five: Oh Buggles it's Eustace

We finish up our look at #PlatVnyl3 with something new. The Video Awards made its debut this year, giving the Platinum Vinyl Awards Big Time Status, with Song, Album, and Video Awards, along with the General Field. As we said in the opening post, video killed the radio star according to the Buggles. We were about to see if that were true.

For the inaugural year the video awards were incorporated into the show by genre, so each genre went in order Song, Video and Album. Both the song and album awards had seven nominees, the video awards, five. Of course not all of the genres were represented. In addition to the General Field Video Awards (Video of The Year, Video by A Male Artist, Video by a Female Artist, Video by a New Artist), seven genres were represented: Alternative, Pop, Dance, Electronic, Rap, Metal and Rock. #PlatVnyl4 would add Adult Contemporary. While we would like to increase the genres to include them all, at the present the number of genre's may fluctuate from year to year.

Sometimes at Night Beat HQ we seem to have more ties than a dad on Father's Day. The inaugural video awards had one as well. Alternative Video of The Year resulted in a tie, and it all revolved around the meaning of Alternative. If you meant Alternative Music, then the award was given to For King and Country for the post-apocalyptic The Proof of Your Love.  However if you were looking for best Alternative Video, well look no further than Benjamin Dunn and The Animal Orchestra and My Name Is Eustace. You couldn't get much more alternative then people dressed as giant rabbits. Strangely for now, the video seems to have been pulled by Youtube. The link leads to dailymotion.

The electronic genres were represented by the Fringe/GRAC section of CCM. The Dance-Synthpop Video of The Year even went international, with Canadian Valerie Anne Poxleitner aka Lights kept everyone on their Toes. The Electronic-Industrial half went for Shock Value, with Industrial Music Missionaries White Collar Sideshow won with Black Heart Hearse.

The judges rewarded shock value in the inaugural award. Heavy Metal Video went to Close Your Eyes and their beyond the grave love story  Carry You. 

For video of the year, however, shock did not rule the day. Disney did. You could say that things are looking up.  Up as in Pixar's up. Satellites and Sirens did a cover video of Poison and Wine by The Civil Wars using a scene from the movie. It got the award, after the judges stopped crying.

That concludes our look back at #PlatVnyl3. We look back to last years award next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

#PlatVnyl3 - Video of The Year

A category having its debut this year, Video of The Year honors the Music Video, once responsible for launching two cable networks (VH1 and MTV), now it is the red headed stepchild of the industry.

Judging in this category skews heavily to the visual element. The song could be simply average, yet when combined with the video it becomes unforgettable. Of course, both parts could be equally strong. A weak video and a strong song would not be considered, however.

Due to the visual element, the nominees for the video categories were reduced from the usual seven to five.

• Black Heart Hearse, White Collar Sideshow
• Carry You, Close Your Eyes
• Poison and Wine (The Civil Wars Cover), Satellites and Sirens
• The Proof Of Your Love, For King and Country
• Timing is Everything, Lights

Each of the nominated videos is a striking visual image in itself. From the Flashdance inspired Timing is Everything where Lights proves the truism that "something red always draws the eye" to the dystopian nightmare that is "The Proof of Your Love". In retrospect, perhaps Valerie (Lights) should have drenched herself with water (a la Jennifer Beals), because the judges went with the St. James Gang instead of her (For King and Country is Joel and Luke Smallbone, brothers to Rebecca St. James). Also on to the next round was a tale of Life, Love and Death that would impress even Evanescence. Carry You by Close Your Eyes.

When the smoke cleared, however, Walt Disney carried the day. Well, Pixar at least. Satellites and Sirens made an album of cover songs and then created a music video for each of them. They were all good, some silly, and a few notable. Among the latter category was a cover of The Civil Wars Poison and Wine. They used a montage of images from Pixar's UP, and it is a real tear-jerker.

Yes, the judges wept. If you don't while watching, then perhaps you need a hearse for your black heart. Just a few more to go. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Music Video Monday: Heart of A Child

Welcome to the latest edition of Music Video Monday, where we at The Night Beat endeavor to bring you the best music videos from among the CCM (at least how I define it) world. We begin with a concept video by Close Your Eyes entitled Carry You off of their album Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts. It's a reminder that Love Survives All, Even Death. We move on to a Live Concert Video. Thrash Fans rejoice. This is As I Lay Dying and Paralyzed, off of their album Decas.
This one goes down as a Hybrid Live/Concept, but we keep it hard. This is Righteous Vendetta and John The Revelator off of Lawless

Back to Concert Video, though done outside, so I guess it goes as Hybrid as well. Beware the Wolves at the Gate and their Heralds. This is off We are The Ones.


We finish with a Concept Video, though I would say it is interesting. Their was an old Minolta Camera ad campaign that said "From the Mind of Minolta". Let's just leave this as "From the Mind of A Plea For Purging". This is Heart of A Child off of The Life and Death of A Plea For Purging. I had originally planned to combine Hard Rock and Rock into One Post, but as I started looking I found too many videos to make that feasible. Next Monday we will continue with Rock. Among other things, it will be Amy Lee time once again. Until then I am Awaiting Your Reply.