The idea of bands scoring silent films is not a new idea. Ever since I saw a cello quartet provide an eerie backing to the original Count Of Monte Cristo, I knew the potential for the successful pairing of silent film and music. Richmonder Jameson Price also sees this potential, and has taken it upon himself to make it happen in the form of his Silent Music Revival series.
Price, also one the masterminds behind local band Lobo Marino, has been putting music to film since 2006, when he started spinning vinyl over films in his apartment. “I started projecting old 16mm films... I would put vinyl that I had listened to previously to the film, and just invite friends over to come watch the film. So it started off as just me hosting friends in my living room,” says Price.
Due to Price’s constant touring, the Silent Music Revival was put on hiatus until around 2007, when he made an effort to make it a seasonal event, this time with the addition of bands. He’s teamed up with Gallery 5 for the most recent installment of the series, Wolf//Goat performing to Charlie Chaplin’s 1921 film The Kid. ““I heard about Wolf//Goat when I came back into town. I didn’t really know them, and I really wasn’t up to speed on the current Richmond music, but some people had recommended me to check them out, so I just looked them up and really liked what I heard,” Price says about his pick of the music.
As far as picking the film, however, the process is not so simple. “I have a really long process for picking out the films. I’ll usually either download or stream the band’s music online and just listen to it over and over and over again and watch film after film until I kind of get an idea of matching the vibe of the music with the vibe of the film,” says Price. The kicker is that the band doesn’t get to see the film before the performance. Because of Price’s creative input into the film selection, he tells the band to essentially play their original music. Instead the band engaging in the art of scoring a film, the art lies in the pairing of film and band.
Wolf//Goat themselves say that because of this particular way of curating the show, they get the pleasure of playing songs they are already comfortable with. “Jameson kind of chose the film based on a combination of what he heard listening to our album as well as what he witnessed from our live set. So although we’ve added a couple new tunes, as well as filling out some gaps to make the show more congruent, it will be an original score of songs we already play,” the band says in an email comment. “We’re really excited to be a part of something as unique as this and really looking forward to collaborating with Jameson. It’s a really cool and interesting idea that people should take the time to check out.”
Down the road, Price says that he hopes to expand the event’s horizons. Since his time on the road, he mentions that there is a national interest in the silent film and music partnership. “People have been starting to do the event in other cities, so I’ve had the idea of maybe touring the event, and make it sort of a national thing. But that’s all sort of a visionary down the road type of thing,” Price says. Wherever it leads, he says hopes to keep it going as long as possible.
You can catch Wolf//Goat and The Kid at Gallery 5, located at 200 W. Marshall St, on Sunday, April 14th. Doors open at 7 pm, performance begins at 8 PM sharp. Admission is free.