In Support of Living

Submitted by admin on Sat, 2004-05-01 07:00.

In Support of Living is a collective headed by Toronto space-rocker Brad Ketchen of Hollowphonic. ISOL will be performing live scores to Portland, Oregon experimental filmmaker Rob Tyler, who has previously done videos for The Microphones and Wendy and Carl. Wesley J Ramos electronically discussed the melding of music and film with Brad and Rob.

How did you guys meet and what was the genesis of the melding of the film painting project and the band participating?

BRAD KETCHEN: Joachim Toelke (formerly of Southpacific) told me about Rob and his work.

ROB TYLER: I was/am working on a series of short films about inanimate objects called Novice Robots (i.e. blenders, electric can openers, washing machines, etc.) and I originally contacted Joachim to see if he would be interested in recording a song for an oscillating fan movie. He was busy or out of the country at the time and he referred me to Brad. We swapped each other's videos and CDs through the mail. I took a liking to the In Support Of Living recordings he had sent. I asked him to compose some music for my film paintings and he has since recorded two songs for the film painting.

BK: It was perfect timing because Hollowphonic's was on a down low and this project is a perfect fit with my interest in sound design and score work. With the industry in a slump, I could satisfy my interest in working with sound for film and combine it with my musical interests and it keeps James and I generally inspired and motivated to create.

Can you briefly describe your work and how the art and the music inspire each other?

BK: In Support of Living was formed with idea of a collective of musicians and artists to combine a mixed media format as well as an arrangement where James and I could do mixes on our separate workstations and not always be dependent on a live band format. At it's most stripped down, it's me and James Gray in a more electronic set. In a full band scenario we are joined with live drums, percussion, flute, stringed instruments and so forth.

RT: I have been painting colour and drawing shapes and scratches on Super-8 and 16mm film for off and on five years now. When projected, the film creates swirling images of colours and shapes, very soothing and mellow. This is very tedious work, very time consuming and often very frustrating. When I got the ISOL demos in the mail, I would lay on my floor for hours and just paint and draw on film while listening to them on repeat. Many of the paintings that I am proud of were created this way. I guess it's just natural for the two – ISOL and the film paintings – to go together. Like peanut butter and jelly I guess.

BK: The colours and the movement of Rob's film's definitely inspire the musical piece from the first time I sit down to view the films, so inspiring in fact that normally a musical idea comes to me instantly and the track is created in a night.

Tell us about the pending music video for the band and perhaps your upcoming projects we should know about.

BK: Basically, Rob shipped me some rolls of Super-8 and we went up north to an open field and shot ourselves doing different things, including playing table hockey. I believe Rob plans to cut out our likenesses and glue them to 16mm film.

RT: When the film is developed, I am going to cut out each frame individually and glue and tape the small Super-8 frames onto to clear 16mm film leader (leader is the stuff people put on the beginning of films so that a film can be loaded into a projector). It should create a soothing shutter effect that should work well with ISOL's music. As far as new projects in the works, my short film Blender: Rotation Test 1-3 is screening in a few film festivals this spring and summer, and my short movie A Closer Look At Parking Lots is touring around to architecture schools in the U.S., part of an abstract show called "Up In Smoke" put on by Microcinema International.

BK: My next assignment, I believe is to create a track around the oscillating fans. I promise

BY WESLEY J RAMOS - Wavelengthtoronto.com

“In Support of Living, three words: The New Hotness” TorontoIndie.com

“In Support Of Living certainly took the title of lushest act of the night, with a seven-piece lineup playing over top of some densely arranged samples. If I were to draw more shoegaze parallels, I'd put them alongside late-era Slowdive with a dash of less goth-y 'Cocteau Twins'”
Chromewaves.net

“I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by their sound. Dreamy landscapes, Moog distortion, and sweet, not sickly sweet, just Splenda sweet vocals.”
TorontoIndie.com

- indietoronto.com, chromewaves.net