Cult Tacoma | The Art Dept.

video // Cult Tacoma : Cathedrals Tacoma

2012/08/26 / Comments Off / Posted in: recent projects, video

The second much-anticipated Tacoma Cathedrals show, presented by the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, filled Tacoma’s Immanual Presbyterian Church with the luminous sounds of local and independent musicians. We were on hand to film the event for Cult Tacoma.

Above, check out the arresting performance of headliner David Bazan‘s Strange Negotiations as backed with an original arrangement by Andrew Joslyn and his Passenger String Quartet.

Then watch the gorgeously executed performance by Pretty Broken Things:

video // CULT TACOMA : Squeak + Squawk 2012

2012/04/07 / Comments Off / Posted in: recent projects, video, video featured, video music

These are videos we recently produced for Cult Tacoma as part of their coverage of Tacoma’s recent Squeak + Squawk Festival.

video // CULT TACOMA : 1022 South

2012/03/20 / Comments Off / Posted in: recent projects, video, video epicurea, video featured

We produced further content for Cult Tacoma—this time featuring the epicurean artisanship of Tacoma’s 1022 South owner Chris Keil. To illustrate Chris’s philosophy and approach behind 1022 South’s cocktail alchemy, we captured his process for creating the hand-carved ice used in the drinks. As Sarah, who also shot and edited the video, writes for Cult Tacoma:

Nobody is asking Chris to dismantle 150-pound slabs into rugged, fist-sized rocks customized purely for patrons’ drinking pleasure. It’s a choice—and admittedly, a good one. Each a diamond in the rough, winking up at you from your glass with the self-sufficient pluckiness of a Klondike gold miner and the crystalline purity of glacier melt.

But melt is what they won’t do—at least too fast anyways.

“You’re going to notice a difference in flavor because of the difference in dilution,” says Keil. “You’re going to be able to enjoy your beverage more, whatever the drink is. It’s going to honor the ingredients more. It’s better quality ice. If you start with better quality ingredients, you end up with a better product.”

video // CULT TACOMA : Elk & Boar

2012/03/16 / Comments Off / Posted in: recent projects, video, video featured, video music

Here are a couple more videos we shot for Cult Tacoma. We caught up with the band Elk & Boar as they were preparing for performances down at SXSW last week.

Over coffee at Bluebeard the other day, we had a conversation with Kirsten—the Elk in Tacoma’s soulful Elk & Boar—about this and that and mostly, the weather. Our consensus was that Tacoma skies brandish more diversity—day to day, hour to hour—than any other place we’ve lived. From the gauzy west-facing pinks of afternoon to glowing cloud obelisks pervading the port skies at night to the otherworldly opacity of surprise snowfalls, Tacoma never fails to awe us when we look up.

Kirsten invited us to join Elk & Boar in their studio—”The Cottage”—to record a couple of their songs on just such a mercurial day . . .

video // Cult Tacoma : space works for Goldfinch

2012/02/09 / Comments Off / Posted in: recent, recent projects, video

Spaceworks Tacoma is a project to activate empty storefronts in downtown Tacoma with art and creative enterprise.

Spaceworks recently awarded Goldfinch—one of Tacoma’s finest local bands—a three-month artists’ residency in a Hill Top practice space next to Fulcrum Gallery.

Goldfinch plans to nest down and begin recording their new album during this time as well as open up their space to live shows and Art Walk events.

We will be shooting a series of short videos for Cult Tacoma documenting Goldfinch’s Spaceworks residency.

In this most recent episode (above), we have a christening of the space—headlined by one of our favorite 2011 Doe Bay Fest bands OK Sweetheart and also including live painting by Tacoma artist Briton Sukys, a hilarious bit of storytelling from his wife Megan Sukys (of KUOW) and some lovely pickin’ and whistlin’ by Grrr Animals‘ Mike Weller.

Click through, take a peep at the photos and previous video:

photos // First Night Tacoma : 2011

2012/01/03 / Comments Off / Posted in: event promotion, photography, promotion, recent, recent projects

Check out these photos of New Year’s Eve in Tacoma—First Night—which we shot for Cult Tacoma.

Happy New Year!

video // Cult Tacoma : First Night 2011/12

2012/01/03 / Comments Off / Posted in: photography, video

Fire-breathing dragons were on parade, kids were break-dancing and spray-painting, the tough girls where on roller skates and rabbits and tigers soared overhead. It was New Year’s Eve in Tacoma.

And shortly before the last night of 2011 suddenly became the First Night of 2012, Portland natives and Tacoma favorites Drew Grow & the Pastors’ Wives took to the stage to unleash the passion of a hundred fireworks shows. Or, at least, unleash the sound—as evidenced by Mr. Grow’s blown off hat and our blown out camera mic.

Check out these photos of the Dragon Parade and a live set by Portland locals (and Tacoma favorites) Drew Grow & The Pastors’ Wives.

Happy New Year!

video // Cult Tacoma : Big Sur

2011/11/28 / Comments Off / Posted in: promotion, recent projects, video, video music

The Warehouse approached us and asked if we’d like to shoot a studio session with their upcoming house show headliners Big Sur.

Of course we jumped at the opportunity—we thought it would be a great video to add to Cult Tacoma and we loved the idea of being in the studio with the musicians as they created their sublime folk pop.

video // Cult Tacoma : Frank Fairfield

2011/11/22 / Comments Off / Posted in: promotion, recent projects, video, writing

Here’s another video we created for Cult Tacoma. Nearly all this footage was shot by Sarah who wrote for the Cult Tacoma posting:

Before you hear him, you’re not sure you really believe Frank Fairfield. And it’s not his fault.With the momentum of a Dakota stampede, a slew of indie musicians has recently waded into the sweet river of folk salvation by the seat of their patchwork pants, ready to pledge themselves to a life of dirty long johns and homemade butter churning if only for a shot at a the cover of Spin. Why, throw in a washboard, some boxcar harmonies and a canteen of moonshine. Crickets and tarnation! You’ve got authenticity.

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video // Cult Tacoma : Doe Bay Festival : 2011

2011/10/28 / Comments Off / Posted in: photography, recent projects, video, video featured, video music

Doe Bay Festival is becoming one of our favorite weekends of the year. We spent most of it behind the camera and created this short video and collection of photos for Cult Tacoma. See below for the photos . . .

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