SFIAAFF: Music Video Asia
So we have a cousin. No, this is not some coy way of referring to the newest -ist site, Austinist(welcome!), we're talking about our actual cousin. Anyways, our cousin plays this game whenever we watch videos together, called "spot the Asian." There's always one (but no more than one) Asian hip-hop dancer in any given video, for instance. Hapas Jay-Z and Foxy Brown count for half a point. And there's always Chad Hugo, or Linkin Park, or the kid who plays violin for Yellowcard.... yeah, it's kind of slim pickings on mainstream MTV -- which is why the Asian-Am Film Fest's Music Video Asia program is so key!
Every year, the Asian-Am film fest selects a number of music videos featuring bands from Asia, bands with Asian-American members, and Asian video directors and production crews. (Yes, Korean-American Joseph Kahn directed the Britney Spears Toxic video, but no, he was not featured this year.) Plus, we're always psyched every year to go to this show -- come on, watching music videos is our very favorite thing to do in the whole world!
This year's video selections ranged the map. Thoughtfully collected by program curator Chi-hui Yang, they included local SF Asian-American indie musicians, breakthrough British dance artist M.I.A., some excellently head-bobbing hip-hop from across the country and the globe, a local metal band, Filipino emo, a huge array of music from Japan, and a Hives-like Swedish band with an Asian lead singer. Brief reviews after the jump.
Image of Dealership video from director Jason Koxvold's site, bubble-squeak.com
Hip-hop really ruled this year, with adorable Chicago-based Filipino hiphoppers the Pacifics (their lead vocalist was so cute, we just want to eat him up!!!!) and Ill Again from LA, with a deceptively casual flow and a visually formalistic video that reminded us of Michel Gondry. And an amazing Japanese hip-hop group, Rhymsters, with their 8-Mile-esque video and some really sharp-sounding Japanese. Also receiving some laughs: three Adidas-knockoff-clad New Yorkers, calling themselves The Notorious MSG and their video featuring Chinese restaurant workers going on a rampage. Are they the Cantonese Beastie Boys or Fat Boys? We're not quite sure. And local artist Lyrics Born, with his great SF downtown video for "Last Trumpet."
On the indie pop side, hooray! Dreamy Dealership is back -- with our favorite video of the bunch, for the song "All The Kids," featuring t-shirt graphics, shots of SF, and the Mile High Club -- the local color puts it over the top for us, just edging out the Ill Again clip! Oakland's Citizens from Here and Abroad contributed their MTV2 Subterranean favorite, "Appearances" -- directed by the same guy who directed the Dealership video, Jason Koxvold. Watch Mr. Koxvold, he's going places.
On the down side, something happened to the DVD and Spike Jonze's creepy video for the Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Y Control" got deleted from the show. Just as well, as the scenes in that video with the dead dog might have pushed what seemed like an audience buzzed on too much movie theater candy over the edge. And man, do we hate the Black Eyed Peas! We don't care if Will.I.Am is Filipino -- we hate them!!!
But that's it! All the other videos were great!! We loved the Strokes-like Japanese band L'Arc-En-Ciel (betcha five bucks they're in the next Q. Tarantino movie.), and M.I.A.'s show on Wednesday is going to be awesome -- she's so totally the 2000's Neneh Cherry! And did we mention that the Asian-American rappers are so cute we just want to eat them up!!!! And who knew there was so much emo coming out of the Philippines?
Will someone please give Chi-hui Yang a weekly TV show playing these videos and the many others that we know are out there, maybe on NAATA sponsor Asia Street on International TV? And can we be a guest VJ? We've always wanted to be a VJ!