John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light performed at TEDxDU on May 13.
Local rocker John Common’s new video features some unlikely stars: DU students, staff, faculty, and Denver community members.
Common and his band, Blinding Flashes of Light, filmed the video for “In My Neighborhood” at TEDxDU May 13. Shot over the course of the afternoon, the music video features shots of the band’s performance — including footage captured by the audience on their cell phones — interspersed with footage of TEDxDU attendees lip syncing the song lyrics. Trygve Myhren, chairman of DU’s board of trustees, even makes an appearance.
Entertainment reporter Kirk Montgomery from KUSA-TV in Denver featured the video project in his “E-Block” report on July 6.
Common was invited to perform at TEDxDU because his work embodies the event’s theme of “radical collaboration.” His past collaborative projects include the People’s Kazoo Orchestra and the Common Box Project, in which artists from around the country created box art inspired by his recordings. He asked filmmakers to do the same with the Beautiful Empty Short Film Conspiracy.
Filmmaker Darci Alishouse, who directed the “In My Neighborhood” video, recently was recognized by the film industry at the Los Angeles independent film festival, “Dances With Films.” She received the honor of Best Music Video for her work on Common’s “Turnaround” video. “Turnaround” and “In My Neighborhood” are songs off the band’s just-released record, Beautiful Empty.
The band recently kicked off its U.S. tour in Mobile, Ala. The band will continue up the East Coast through July 17th. Midwest and West Coast tour dates will be announced later.