Jack Antonoff

Bleachers release music video for “Rollercoaster”

Bleachers, the musical project headed by Jack Antonoff recently released a music video for their new single, “Rollercoaster.” Their new album Strange Desire was released in July and features guest on vocals from Grimes and Yoko Ono. The video was directed by Richard Shepard, the clip has the band performing standing up on top of a moving vehicle.

Antonoff said of the video:

The idea of getting on top of a car and playing on a highway felt distinctly 90s in a way that excited me about videos I saw growing up. Didn’t think it would be acutely dangerous — the breaks ended up going out and we literally almost died. There’s something special about almost dying for a video. Beyond that, “Rollercoaster” was written while I was driving home on the NJ turnpike. The song always felt like driving on a highway to me sonically. That part was perfect. Working with Richard was a dream because of his wide scale cinematic feeling. The car crash in his film Dom Hemingway is possibly the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life.

Shepard said:

Jack Antonoff came to me with the idea of the band playing on top of a van. I thought is was such a funny cool idea, and together we riffed on all the other stuff. The girl in the car, the fight at end. I was thrilled that Jack asked me to work with him on this. We shot out near Lancaster. We had a day to do everything, which was ambitious considering all the car stuff. I came up with the old ice cream truck idea, and it seemed perfect both visually and technically for what we needed to do. Of course the truck broke down while we were filming—including losing its brakes with the entire band on the roof—so we only had a few hours to get most of what you see in the video. It helps though, because we shot so much at magic hour with that beautiful lens-flaring sunset. Jack dressed Stefanie, the girl in the video, with his own wardrobe, which is why they look like doppelgängers. During editing Jack was very involved, helping set the tone and pace of the piece. It was a true collaboration, and I think the finished product is a great reflection of that.

Bleachers is also on tour currently and dates can be found below.

Bleachers tour dates:
10-28 Atlanta, GA – Center Stage *
10-29 Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom *
10-31 New Orleans, LA – Voodoo Music & Arts Experience
11-01 Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s *
11-02 Dallas, TX – House of Blues *
11-05 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern *
11-06 San Francisco, CA – The Independent *
11-07 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom *
11-08 Vancouver, British Columbia – The Rio Theatre *
11-09 Seattle, WA – Showbox *
11-12 Denver, CO – The Bluebird Theater *
11-14 Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall *
11-15 Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre *
11-16 Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater *
11-22 Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage *
11-23 Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts *
11-25 Boston, MA – Paradise Club *
11-26 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer #
12-06 Norfolk, VA – 96X Winter Meltdown
12-19 Toronto, Ontario – The Edge Jingle Bell Rock
03-13 Tempe, AZ – Pot of Gold Festival
* with Wild Cub
# with Vacationer

Top 10 Moments of Austin City Limits Weekend Two

10. The Calvin Harris set in its entirety. It was as if the audience almost shook the ground during the set. Mixing a variety of songs, such as “I Don’t Care” by Icona Pop, Harris seemed virtually unstoppable and looked as though he was on top of the world. Many fans had been at the festival since 9, or even earlier, in the morning waiting for Harris, thus making the experience all the worthwhile.

9. When Davy Havoc from AFI crowdsurfed. He went into the crowd various occasions while singing. However, this time, he climbed over the front few rows and balanced himself amongst audience members  to finish off one of the songs. Many fans were glad he had stepped over, and on, them, receiving bragging rights for the rest of their lives.

8. The absolute raw energy during Spoon’s set. The Austin natives seem to have an unwavering attitude to them that keeps crowds coming performance after performance. Their set during this festival was no exception. There is absolutely no beating watching Spoon play as the sun begins to set in the background.

7. Temples’ style and performance. The way the band dresses and sound makes their listeners and audience time travel back to the 1970’s. With that sort of early Led Zeppelin influenced style and psychedelic rock sound, there is nothing that could make Temples’ set more enjoyable.

6. Mø’s general vibe towards the audiences. It seemed as though she treated everyone as if they were on stage with her as she spent a few songs actually in the crowd.

5. How happy Fitz and the Tantrums seemed to be performing at the festival. Performing both weekends and a show in between in Austin, it seemed as though they were still genuinely ecstatic that they were able to perform three times in a row in the Austin.

4. Jack Antonoff’s energy. Playing during what felt like the hottest part of the day, Bleachers seemed unstoppable when it comes down to their energy, and maybe a part of that were a part of that.

3. When St. Vincent pulled an Eddie Vedder and climbed up on the side of the stage and began acting as though she was falling off. Her set overall was the typical wildness that she is so closely related to. At the end of her set, she stole a hat, glasses, and a crutch from various audience members in the front row and wore them until she left the stage.

2. Outkast. Currently on a reunion festival tour, Outkast seems to be just as exciting as they were when they were just starting out.

1. Finally, Young and Sick never seem to disappoint in a live setting. The feeling from listening to their music is so unmatched.