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from Amy McCullough / Music Editor of Willy Week

I don't think I've made any bones about the fact that I love me some of Portland's Crosswalks. In fact, I posted the very song the indie-pop trio's new video is for, "Ghost Writer," as a Cut of the Day on this very site only 4 months ago. So, as I'm sure you can imagine, I was just tickled to find that the band chose the track–which appears on its recent release (and debut full-length), New Ghost Lights–to premiere its video-making career. I emailed bassist (and vocalist) extraordinaire Emily Vidal for the lowdown, and she put it so well herself that I'd just feel silly typing anything more:

This is our first video; we worked closely with Amanda Stark (our friend and manager) on the concept, shooting and editing. As a video production person by day, I did the majority of the shooting and editing, but we conferred on all of the creative choices…this was a team effort in every sense of the phrase.

The karaoke scene we shot at the Blue Monk in one day. The poolside karaoke video we shot at a friend's house last fall. (Man, we spent so long making it I have to remember what it's about!)

The idea arose as a mix of what I thought Dave's song was about (I was wrong, turned out, but a less than literal interpretation is sometimes better anyway) and the long standing desire based on previous brainstorming with friends to do some kind of video involving a karaoke bar (because that's just plain fun!).

I'd say that the video is pretty open to interpretation, but to me the themes really are driven by the karaoke (lip service, lip syncing, taking on someone else's persona and words) and the ghosts (the wispy nature of time, reality and perception). The combination of the two amount to the wispy reality of our own persona and our own words.

What does it mean to be an artist or a musician or filmmaker these days–the days of remix culture? It's all been hashed and smashed and rehashed so many times that it's hard to know if I'm standing here speaking words and ideas that have formed in my own mind, or if I'm unwittingly lip syncing to a prerecorded track that is an endless loop of minor mutations. I find myself confused and a little disappointed to be existing in this state: unable to fully own my thoughts and ideas, or to know that I'm not a ghost of pop culture past, present and future. So I guess the video is kind of a loose take on that: We're trapped in the monitor presenting our 3.5 minutes–offered up as another echo to be folded into the aggregate consciousness, looped into the machine as reality recedes.

Oops, going off the deep end…too many William Gibson novels. Then again, maybe this is just a fun, silly video, with the bonus excuse to get a bunch of people together in a bar.

(Dave, Brendan and Amanda, rebuttals or input to my take on things?

Dave: "Well said, Emily."
Brendan: "No dissent here."
Amanda: "…reminds me of your songs."

I think they're being way too agreeable.)

That's about it. The pool was actually very cold!

Okay, one more thing: WW and LocalCut's own AP Kryza is apparently among the video's karaokeing fools. Perhaps you'll find your own friend or colleague within!

The Crosswalks next show is Saturday, Oct. 6, with Wallpaper and Sea Caves. 9:30 pm. $5. 21+. Image: still shot from the video, taken from the band's MySpace.