FC2Video

The video for Banjo by Chad Lee (a song off his Sidewalks and Trains album) has an authentic feel, as if it were shot on a friend's farm on a day off from working the fields. Which is not to say the band is unprofessional, the band plays well with great energy and presence. The cast of the farm fable were caricatures of American farm life, bare foot, with overalls in tatters; the cast was a lovable rag-tag bunch of hillbillies. The song and the video tell a timely story that many people in America face of being pushed out of an old way of life in the interest of urban sprawl and overpriced condos. Despite the big bad banks and developers (In traditional suits and sunglasses) the video has a cheerful tone. The power of the Banjo reins supreme as Granny uses it as a weapon, forgoing the shotgun and picking up the banjo. There is a reference to the often spoofed, Dueling Banjos in the first ten seconds is clever, yet the song could have used even more banjos visually.

The video, while not without its good points, may need to put some of the production team out to pasture. The cuts between shots lose most visual impact they would have had by being far too quick, and the angles chosen for some of the shots are baffling, as they do not flatter anyone in the band. With a friendly lead singer, and a cast of expressive and strange characters, this home grown, countrified music video ends up being rather entertaining.

Website: http://www.chadleeband.com
Music: http://www.youtube.com/chadleeband#p/a/u/0/ZpGB1cgOUZw