PREMIERE: SPOONBENDERS WELCOME WINTER WITH 'RM. 157' MUSIC VIDEO

by JAMES DURAN

Portland, Oregon’s Spoon Benders have crawled back into our delirious minds with a new track and music video sure to satisfy your wintertime cultist-pleasures

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Whenever Spoon Benders release a new music video you know we’re gonna talk about it. The Portland, Oregon based psych-rockers have just shared ‘Rm. 157’, a scorching new track to help us ring in gods coldest season and true to their nature, the accompanying film is an 80’s-reminsicint, slightly uncomfortable cherry on top. A long time ago I spent three days tripping on acid in the desert, I forgot who I was, almost died, and everything around me became a terrifyingly-surreal version of a world I thought I maybe once knew - I’m not even kidding when I say that the first time I watched this video I got the same damn feeling.

We got a chance to speak with Spoon Benders member + director Katy Black about the inspiration behind the new song and it’s downright insane music video, put it on, definitely don’t take any acid while you watch it, and dive in

Hello Spoon Benders, welcome back. Rm. 157’s not only a kick-ass track but you’ve somehow managed to immortalize it with a video so gorgeous I'd like to own it on VHS and hang the movie poster on my wall. What was the inspiration for the track + the flick? It’s one hell of a ride.

Damn, that's amazing, thank you so much. Leo, our lead guitarist, composed the track in their practice space and sent us a demo. I (Katy) wrote the lyrics about 5 minutes before it was recorded at Trash Treasury in Portland, and the video was a bit of the same story. I just woke up with an idea for the video and wrote it down and called my friend Kurtis Russel, who makes amazing films in Portland, and he's always down for the weird so we went for it. I guess one of the inspirations I had for it was to feature all of our friends in the video, pretty much everyone featured is a very important person in our lives, and when we get an opportunity to be creative as a group it turns into a sort of symbiotic freakshow.

rm. 157 promotional poster

Katy, you directed this one. How was it being super hands-on with not only the music but the video as well?

I think it would have been more difficult if I had written the song, and if the lyrics I wrote were personal or more meaningful. Those lyrics have a pretty broad meaning, I think I remember Leo just telling me to "write lyrics about how the environment is fucked" which is a theme in Leo's music I think. As far as making the video goes, I don't know if I've had that much fun in a really long time. That was my first crack at writing and directing a video, Kurtis Russel, Ethan Shoemaker, and I were all really bouncing ideas off of each other the whole time. None of us were too precious about getting things exactly right, and we were all open to changing the ideas last minute if it made sense, so ya, I was running around a creepy old building in a cowboy hat feelin' like a kid in a candy store.

We’re obsessed with Harper King’s photography and seeing them deliver such an intense performance in-front-of the camera was awesome. What was it like working with such a frequent collaborator with a bit of a role reversal, King in front of the camera and Katy directing?

It was really perfect and natural, granted I (katy) am not nearly as good in front of a camera as Harper, but she has an amazing way of making me look like I'm not terribly uncomfortable in front of a camera. She and I have obviously had a lot of practice working together and being creative with one another, and since we live together we were both present in the editing process with Kurtis and it was a wonderful dynamic. Harper is an amazing actor though, I assumed she would be good but I didn't expect it to be that good. She fake cried in the basement of an old hardware store and you could cut the emotional tension with a knife. Harper King is unstoppable.

We heard you’re going on a West Coast tour very soon (dates below), what are you most excited about doing in LA when you visit us?

To be honest, we are most excited to get out of the Portland weather. But we also can't wait to see our friends in Blackwater Holylight and Meatbodies and just romp around with them for a while.

Lastly, what’s coming up for Spoon Benders after this winter run of shows? We’re itching for more.

We are scheming another single/music video with Kurtis. As well as hitting Boise Treefort in March that might have a little tour attached with a sick band so stay tuned for that. This spring should be a really fun one for us as well and we are excited for what unfolds ;)

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WORDS BY JAMES DURAN