JATK on the set of “Don’t Come Knockin’” music video. Photo credit: Amber Primm I’ve worked with our director JP DiSciscio (Overdue Films) many times. Back in 2012, he directed a quirky, epic 12-minute sci-fi short film called Every Little Thing You Love (link: https://youtu.be/ckwOEr_ZkNw) for my old band The Bynars. In 2016, I scored his short horror film Bloody Henry (link: https://vimeo.com/297815758). A lot of our interests overlap when we start channeling the past. We both have an affinity for old films, music, technology, and such. So, when we first set out to do a music video for “Don’t Come Knockin’” we knew we wanted to do something that was of a certain time, but also not incredibly specific, if that makes sense.
We landed on this concept of creating a performance video where JATK is the musical guest on a forgotten late-night TV talk show called The Dick Griffin Goodtime Hour. Someone found an old VHS recording in their basement, thought it was interesting, and uploaded it to YouTube. It’s a mashup of dozens of references from TV talk shows and band performances from the '60s, '70s, and beyond. We did our homework.
We landed on this concept of creating a performance video where JATK is the musical guest on a forgotten late-night TV talk show called The Dick Griffin Goodtime Hour. Someone found an old VHS recording in their basement, thought it was interesting, and uploaded it to YouTube. It’s a mashup of dozens of references from TV talk shows and band performances from the '60s, '70s, and beyond. We did our homework.
Dick Griffin at his late-night TV desk. Photo credit: JP DiSciscio.
We really wanted to step into that time and make it look, sound, and feel authentic. To do that, we used old tube cameras and did not rely on digital intervention for the tape effects - it’s all really bounced from VHS cassettes. We even used period-specific mics on set to capture audio.
JATK guitarist D. Orxata with Shaun Clarke (Director of Photography) and Masoud Arabkoucheshkhatibi (Camera Assistant). Photo credit: Amber Primm.
Shaun Clarke (Director of Photography) with JATK drummer Mike Champ. Photo credit: Amber Primm.
There’s an aesthetic, too, within the band wardrobe that I was keen on capturing. I love band uniforms. When done well, they just work great. From The Beatles to Devo to The Ramones to Daft Punk - when a band has “a look” - I’m intrigued. Artists in the 50s and 60s were dressing up and wearing suits on stage. We looked at Buddy Holly. We looked at The Beatles. Once you get into the late 60s and early 70s, band members start becoming individuals and wearing fashion of the time. For me, I wanted to lean into a time where the band is still dressing alike. There’s a little bit of individuality coming out. We’re not wearing suits, but mostly, there’s a sameness.
The wardrobe on the music video is credited to Jackie Matola, but - cat’s out of the bag! It’s me, Matt Jatkola! We just didn’t want my name listed twice in the credits.
The wardrobe on the music video is credited to Jackie Matola, but - cat’s out of the bag! It’s me, Matt Jatkola! We just didn’t want my name listed twice in the credits.