ALBANY, NY — Upstate Records (upstaterecordsny.com) recently produced and posted a new music video for Brick By Brick, one of the independent label’s hardcore bands. Hive Mentality features a guest appearance by
Orange Is The New Black’s Jessica Pimentel, who contributes a verse to the heavy track. The band, based out of Troy, NY, is made up of Mike Valente (guitars), Andy Parsons (bass), Ray Mazzolla (vocals) and James Muller (drums).
According to Upstate Records’ Kim Cangemi, who shot and edited the project, the video came together very quickly.
“Brick By Brick,” she notes, “is a nice group of guys. They didn’t want anything fancy. They just like to party and have a good time.”
The project was conceived around Thanksgiving of 2018 and shot in mid-December. Hive Mentality features the band performing in a rough and raw basement, well suited for their no-frills, hardcore image. Intercut with performance footage is stock footage of protests, violence and industrial imagery.
Cangemi shot the band in HD using two Canon cameras — an AX 11 and G40 - and with just key and fill lights, as the tight space wouldn’t allow for a backlight. She estimates that 15 passes were done to capture all of the band imagery, including group shots, individual performances and solos.
“Jessica (Pimentel) shot her part and sent it to us,” says Cangemi of the insert. She was given complete creative freedom, allowing her to shoot her perfomance as she saw fit.
Cangemi then edited the piece using Final Cut Pro X. Stock elements were licensed through her ShutterStock subscription. She sent the band a rough cut early on, which was well received, and ultimately spent two weeks delivering the final cut.
Upstate Records will release Hive Mentality - the band’s seventh studio album - on February 22nd. In addition to the track Hive Mentality, the release will also include Skid Row and Motorhead covers “Slave to the Grind" and "Iron Fist.”