Press Release
DIY
Rockers Score MTV Director's New Film
instar lands "Drink" soundtrack, wins international praise
BOSTON, October 16, 2000 - MTV Animation Director Pat Smith, best known for his work on "Beavis and Butthead", "Downtown", and "Daria", has released a new short film entitled "Drink". The soundtrack for the film was created by the Boston-based rock band INSTAR.
A
swirling melange of disturbing visuals and pounding audio, the film has won
acceptance into the prestigious Austin Film Festival and the CMJ Film Festival
in New York City (October 19-22).
Two years in the making, Pat Smith wanted something different for his masterwork. "Animation often falls short in the audio department", explains Smith. "Animators get so focused on the visuals that they forget how key the sound is... I didn't want to make that mistake".
Karl von Kries of INSTAR produced a complex but compelling score that blends traditional Foley (environmental sounds synced with on-screen action, such as footsteps) and sampled drum loops, screamed vocals, found objects used as percussion, and straight-ahead rock.
"I wanted something that would drive the film the first time you see it, but has enough depth to make you want to go back and hear more", says von Kries. "Pat gave me a lot of freedom to create something without the usual Ôdirectorial' constraints".
INSTAR plans to add elements of the DRINK soundtrack to the band's live performance, and even re-mix some of the music as an audio-only release. INSTAR has had over 11,000 MP3 downloads in the past six months from the bands website, www.instarmusic.com, and expects the DRINK soundtrack to drive traffic even higher.
"Drink" wasn't von Kries' first success: INSTAR's first EP "Rich Girls" (released in 1998) received rave reviews, including an "Excellent" rating from the prestigious London music magazine New Music Express, and a host of positive North American reviews. The CD was spun coast to cost on college radio.
The "Rich Girls" EP was entirely self-recorded, drawing on von Kries' experience running a commercial recording studio in Northampton, MA (home base and stomping grounds for groups such as Sonic Youth, the Pixies, and Dinosaur Jr). Despite the challenges of working in the band's cramped studio, results were good. "No one had any idea this was a DIY project. I was often asked Ôwhat studio did you do the album in', and it was a lot of fun to point to a pile of equipment and say Ôthat's it!'"
Working on "Drink" was a refreshing change for INSTAR. "To collaborate with an artist of Pat's caliber is a rare treat", says von Kries. "It will be interesting to see how working in the world of film affects what I write for the world of pop or rock".
Press Release
DIY
Rockers Score MTV Director's New Film
instar lands "Drink" soundtrack, wins international praise
» See clips from the Film
» Hear, download music from Instar
BOSTON, October 16, 2000 - MTV Animation Director Pat Smith, best known for his work on "Beavis and Butthead", "Downtown", and "Daria", has released a new short film entitled "Drink". The soundtrack for the film was created by the Boston-based rock band INSTAR.
A
swirling melange of disturbing visuals and pounding audio, the film has won
acceptance into the prestigious Austin Film Festival and the CMJ Film Festival
in New York City (October 19-22).
Two years in the making, Pat Smith wanted something different for his masterwork. "Animation often falls short in the audio department", explains Smith. "Animators get so focused on the visuals that they forget how key the sound is... I didn't want to make that mistake".
Karl von Kries of INSTAR produced a complex but compelling score that blends traditional Foley (environmental sounds synced with on-screen action, such as footsteps) and sampled drum loops, screamed vocals, found objects used as percussion, and straight-ahead rock.
"I wanted something that would drive the film the first time you see it, but has enough depth to make you want to go back and hear more", says von Kries. "Pat gave me a lot of freedom to create something without the usual ?directorial' constraints".
INSTAR plans to add elements of the DRINK soundtrack to the band's live performance, and even re-mix some of the music as an audio-only release. INSTAR has had over 11,000 MP3 downloads in the past six months from the bands website, www.instarmusic.com, and expects the DRINK soundtrack to drive traffic even higher.
"Drink" wasn't von Kries' first success: INSTAR's first EP "Rich Girls" (released in 1998) received rave reviews, including an "Excellent" rating from the prestigious London music magazine New Music Express, and a host of positive North American reviews. The CD was spun coast to cost on college radio.
The "Rich Girls" EP was entirely self-recorded, drawing on von Kries' experience running a commercial recording studio in Northampton, MA (home base and stomping grounds for groups such as Sonic Youth, the Pixies, and Dinosaur Jr). Despite the challenges of working in the band's cramped studio, results were good. "No one had any idea this was a DIY project. I was often asked what studio did you do the album in', and it was a lot of fun to point to a pile of equipment and say that's it!'"
Working on "Drink" was a refreshing change for INSTAR. "To collaborate with an artist of Pat's caliber is a rare treat", says von Kries. "It will be interesting to see how working in the world of film affects what I write for the world of pop or rock".