An Orillia singer-songwriter has stepped out of his comfort zone to film his first music video.
Michael Martyn has had videos made of live performances, but the one recently filmed for Bad for You has a story to tell.
“I’m more than happy to be on a stage and performing, but being on camera is a different thing,” Martyn said, who described himself as “a bit of an introvert.”
Filmed in Orillia at the Leacock Museum property and outside a warehouse on Wyandotte Street, and in Brechin along the train tracks, Bad for You was directed by Kerry Ann Wright, who also stars in the video.
When Martyn showed up to meet with Wright and the crew, he had a “very abstract, non-narrative, alt feel” in mind for the video.
“Kerry Ann said, ‘Nope. We’re doing it this way,’” Martyn said with a laugh. “I surrendered myself to someone else’s creative process.”
As described by Orillia’s 112 Records, “Bad for You is a three-chord rocker about sexual longing and desire. The video spins a simple narrative where Martyn’s signature D’Angelico New Yorker guitar, in the hands of actress/director Kerry Ann Wright, is the stolen object of his desire. Shot on location by David Delouchery of Hawkeye Films, this video is as fun, straightforward and punchy as the song it supports.”
Despite some reservations, Martyn was pleased with the final product.
“I like that we were able to tell a story in three-and-a-half minutes that looks really good, that’s really simple to follow and has some cachet to it,” he said.
Bad for You is off Martyn’s 2018 album, Rude Mechanicals. With the video, it sort of serves as the first single.
“I’d always envisioned this song as the single. It’s the first song on the album and it’s just really fun to play,” he said.
Rude Mechanicals is available on streaming services.
The video for Bad for You will be released Friday and can be seen on the 112 Records YouTube channel.
Martyn thanked everyone who worked on the video, including Wright, for their passion for the project.
At a time when musicians are struggling in the absence of live performances, “it’s important to find a way to reconnect with an audience,” Martyn said, adding releasing the music video is one way to do that.
“I want to give a shout-out to local venues that continue to support live music at this time, and all the musicians,” he said.
Martyn and other local musicians will be performing during Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital’s virtual gala Oct. 16. More information about that event can be found here.
