SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA — Hayley and the Crushers’ (www.hayleyandthecrushers.com) new music video is an ode to the open road and the freedom of leaving problems behind. She Drives features footage of the band - led by Hayley Crusher Cain - performing at a dusty truck stop, intercut with narrative elements in which two bumbling police officers try to track the singer/guitarist down based on a “wanted” poster.
Photo credit: Thomas Ignatius
The song was written by Cain and produced by Paul Roessler at Josie Cotton's Kitten Robot Studios in LA, with Mass Giorgini at Sonic Iguana Studios handling the mastering. Cain says the idea for the song came after a conversation with a friend, who got into a fight with her partner and then recklessly sped off in her car.
“I was inspired by the idea that we can't outrun our worst feelings, but it sure is human nature to try,” says Cain of the punk/pop song.
Cain wore many hats to make this project happen. In addition to writing and performing the track — along with her husband/bassist Dr. Cain Esq. and drummer “Action” Benjamin Cabreana — she also conceived the premise for the music video, wrote its script, shot some of the footage, and ultimately edited it using Apple’s Final Cut Pro.
The shoot for She Drives took place over three days. Much of the material was captured on iPhone 11 smartphoness by Cain and Danielle Mercrusher Bagnall, but Curtis Campbell also came on-board to capture imagery with his Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K.
“It was by necessity,” says Cain of her many roles. “But, it is a collaboration, for sure. We are a DIY punk band at the heart of it, and I am always encouraging other bands to pick up the many hats.”
Cain has edited several music videos to date and has been using Final Cut Pro on the more recent projects after upgrading to a Mac workstation and additional storage.
“Video is so important,” she says of the band’s promotional efforts. “Look, I am not the best editor in the world, but I can edit it…You can learn what you need to learn for what you need to do…I found it to be a passion. As an artist, it’s really cool to take your idea from a seed to a finished product and think, ‘Wow I have actual control of this!’ It’s very empowering and I am glad that I stretched in that way.”
Cain began her process by placing the final recording of She Drives on her timeline and then editing a performance video from the four camera angles used during the shoot. After lining up the most interesting shots across the timeline, she then added the narrative clips, being careful not to step on the cool live shots.
“That has to be the heart of the video,” she says of the performance footage.
She had three days to cut the video in order to make the record label’s deadline for a premiere date.
“Having a deadline really helps,” she notes. “As I am going through the footage, I am killing darlings left and right.”
Some of her tips as a do-it-yourselfer include organization before importing footage and being familiar with the material.
“Take your time and look at what you have, and then only import what will help make the story happen. You can end up with way too much stuff.”
The video’s home-spun quality, Cain feels, is something that viewers can relate too.
“It may not work against you to have a quirky [look]. Audiences respond more and it’s quite exciting.”