The Darkest Road

I’m beyond proud to present the video I created for Australian Metalcore/Powercore legends A Breach of Silence. Logistically this was one of the biggest clips I’ve created in my time working within the Music Video medium. Here’s a few notes on the filming locations, process and equipment used:

Story Elements:
The story footage was shot on a private production farm in the outer Brisbane area. With the help of Jacob Schneider (Actor/Photographer) and William France (Photographer/Musician) we headed off into the dark of night toward a private farm near Caboolture. I’d always wanted to film at a location with greenhouses so it was nice to finally make that happen. All moon light in the story footage is provided by a 1000 Watt Lupolux light at 2 O’clock, obviously the light would move with framing etc. I won’t lie it was amazing to finally get to film a big bonfire as well, another shot I’ve wanted to get for years! The only set specific gear was the Lupo and 2 x Fresnals for the greenhouses.

Dan’s Treatment:
Huge thanks to Frankie Nasso for booking someone to get the shots for us. Cheers!

Band Performance:
This part of the shot was logistically more intense than anything I’ve had to create thus far (bigger and better I hope). I recruited a close friend and very competent cameraman Adrian Pagano to assist on the night with lighting. Travelling further north, this time to Elimbah, we made our way to a HUGE private property and setup. The following lighting fixtures were used:
– 1200 watt HMI primary (lightstar)
– 1000 watt Lupolux
– 650 watt Lupolux
– 2 x 350 watt Fresnals (under Green GEL)
– 3 x Honda 20i Generators

Here’s a list of gear used of the shoot for anyone keen:
– Canon 5Dmk3
– Zeiss 35mm Flektagon f2.4
– Zeiss 50.m T*Planar f1.4
– Tokina 11-16mm f.28
– Genus Fader ND’s
– SmallHD DP4 EVF
– Jag35.com rigs
– Magic Lantern raw
– a shit ton of high speed cards
– home made snorii cam, the death rig

– Col B.

Give Us A Sign – Misery Signals Tour Diary Part 4 (Final)

May 17th & 18th (Brisbane)

Today we would make our trek home, back to Brisbane, Australia for the final leg of the Misery Signals Australian Tour 2014. The thought of showers, loved ones, beds and bros was more than enough to nix any thoughts or inclinations of exhaustion. One last airport rush (thankfully the flight was delayed so we could eat and drink), Kavinsky blasting in my ear, and we were on our way. We picked up the van, as we had so many times on this tour, and began our drive to West End to load in and sound check. Tonight was to be an interesting one with a rather hectic schedule due to a second ‘secret’ show that would be held after the headlining set at The Hi-Fi. There isn’t a whole lot to say about the Hi-Fi show other than everyone killed it. I was behind merch most of the night pimping out MS wares left, right and centre while sinking cups of coffee and red bull to quell any thought of rest.

Misery Signals - The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals - The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals - The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals - The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals - The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals - The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals - The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals - The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals - The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals - The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Misery Signals – The Hi-Fi, Brisbane

Lights out, roll out.

20 minutes after lights out at the Hi-fi we were making the short trip across the Brisbane CBD to Fortitude Valley to be greeted by Australia’s ‘Home of the Heavy’, Crowbar. This place is basically our answer Japan’s Hatsudai Wall or Rock Rock, it’s a no pomp, balls to the wall heavy music venue, so what better place to hold a secret show! After the second load in for the day I was dead to the world and the thought holding a camera for another set was not very high on my list of must do’s. So it’s at this point I said ‘fuck it’ and stopped taking pics for the evening. I instead mic grabbed, stage invaded, crowd surfed and in general let loose a weeks worth of frustration and stress.The below video of me was captured by Vanguard Touring competition winner Todd, who might I add was a really rad dude.

The chaos of the evening was instead captured by photographer and good friend HarlraH Photography (https://www.facebook.com/harlrahphotography) whom I have asked to supply the following shots. All credits for the Crowbar shots, HarlraH Photography 2014.

web2

Copyright – HarlraH Photography

web1

Copyright – HarlraH Photography

Copyright - HarlraH Photography

Copyright – HarlraH Photography

Copyright - HarlraH Photography

Copyright – HarlraH Photography

Copyright - HarlraH Photography

Copyright – HarlraH Photography

Copyright - HarlraH Photography

Copyright – HarlraH Photography

Copyright - HarlraH Photography

Copyright – HarlraH Photography

Also a huge thanks to Trad and the Crowbar team for letting us party and blast out a set. 3am started to roll around, I was now dead or dying and needed to get my car and get home to have some sleep. So I disappeared into the night.

Crowbar - Brisbane, Australia

Crowbar – Brisbane, Australia

Today would be the last show of the tour, the last day the lads would be in town and my last chance to hang out. The events were being held at Brisbane All Ages venue, The Lab (one of the only AA venues and a rad place to boot); with a relaxed vibe filling the air of the last day. Today had a sombre feel to it, the toll of the previous nights events had started to show on some of the crew and band, but also the fact that we knew it was all coming to an end had started to chime home (well at least for me). Brandan Schieppati dropped in to see the show which was a welcome surprise and having a chance to have a brief talk about strength and conditioning with him was awesome.

For today’s show I had decided to forgo the usual live setup (5DmkIII cranking to High Iso) to instead use my AlienBee (Paul C Buff lighting) Flash setup to allow much better image quality, not to mention a faster shutter speed. The following is what happened:

Stories - The Lab

Stories – The Lab

Stories - The Lab

Stories – The Lab

Stories - The Lab

Stories – The Lab

Stories - The Lab

Stories – The Lab

Stories - The Lab

Stories – The Lab

Stories - The Lab

Stories – The Lab

Stories - The Lab

Stories – The Lab

Stories - The Lab

Stories – The Lab

Stories - The Lab

Stories – The Lab

Stories - The Lab

Stories – The Lab

Stories - The Lab

Stories – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

Misery Signals - The Lab

Misery Signals – The Lab

After the show was done and dusted we (Stories, Misery Signals and Crew) met up at a Thai restaurant off the main drag in West End and shared one last meal together before we would part. I’ve always found end of tour meals/meet ups to have this odd feeling where everyone is super positive but somewhere inside we all just don’t want to acknowledge that it will end. For me this means no more touring, no more crazy cities. It means being chained back to a desk for weeks at a time taking part in the monotony of life. I work a normal government based job and the thought of returning to the desk at the end of a tour is pure agony; post tour depression in full effect. Despite any of these feelings we part, a journey now ended.

The Crew (minus Dan Harper)

The Crew (minus Dan Harper)

A HUGE thanks to Vanguard touring for taking me along on this trip. It’s been a pleasure and an experience to work with some of the best dudes in country, not to mention touring with one of my all time favourite acts.

Also here’s some video of Branden (Misery Signals) doing his thing. Sorry for the shaky cam at times, this is unedited footage of them live.

– Col B.

 

A Glimmer of Hope – Misery Signals Tour Diary Pt. 1

10 years ago I was introduced to the chaotic and beautiful sounds of Misery Signals (MS) by a close friend, Geordie. While others dabbled in melodic metalcore, MS chose to create and define a sound that is wholly and solely their own. The passion and emotion portrayed in their music was beyond that of many peers. I devoured it, imbibed it in a time of need. Honestly I was a pretty mentally messed up person when I first heard this and it helped me work through a near insurmountable number of conflicting feelings. Dropping 50+ kilograms, depression, and a few other things I won’t go into here.

Absent Light Tour 2014 - Australia

Absent Light Tour 2014 – Australia

Misery Signals - Adelaide, Fowlers

Misery Signals – Adelaide, Fowlers

Now a decade later I get to travel on the road with a band that has meant more on a personal level than any other. Invited by Vanguard Touring (Cam & Cosi) to ride shotgun on the tour which will be covering nearly every major state in Australia (Not WA in my case). All photos and videos, excluding instragram reposts, are the work of Col B Cadell Photo and Video. Misery Signals are joined by an incredible group of young musicians known as Stories (http://storiesaus.bandcamp.com/releases) from Sydney.

Karl, Misery Signals (Left) - Cam Gillard, Vanguard Touring (Right)

Karl, Misery Signals (Left) – Cam Gillard, Vanguard Touring (Right)

May 10th – The Espy

Flying into Melbourne is always such an odd experience to me, cold, wet, dry, hot; a million seasons in one day. Thankfully rain and grey skies were vanquished within hours of my arrival. Tonight is my first show of the tour, a personal favourite venue, The Espy in St Kilda, Melbourne. It’s a classic ballroom, on the foreshore of St Kilda beach. Wedged between streets of gluttony and an amusement park that offers more in the way of an abandoned asylum, than it does fun.

Luna Park - Melbourne May 12th

Luna Park – Melbourne May 12th

Luna Park/St Kilda - May 12th

Luna Park/St Kilda – May 12th

Palais Theatre, across the road from The Espy - Melbourne, May 12th

Palais Theatre, across the road from The Espy – Melbourne, May 12th

Melbourne is always rewarding. Friends live there, pour over coffee isn’t a foreign term, and the public transport works; compared to my native home – Queensland. This evening proved that point with MS playing to a packed and energetic room.

https://vimeo.com/94916704

Misery Signals - The Espy, May 10th

Karl Schubach – The Espy, May 10th

Branden Morgan - The Espy, May 10th

Branden Morgan – The Espy, May 10th

Chaos - The Espy, May 10th

Chaos – The Espy, May 10th

To finally see them in action again was a sight to behold; reminding me why I fell in love with this music. It’s passionate, personal, and powerful without skimping on neither technicality nor rhythm structure complexities. One show down, lights out, exit stage.

Ryan Morgan - The Espy, May 10th

Ryan Morgan – The Espy, May 10th

Greg Thomas - The Espy, May 10th

Greg Thomas – The Espy, May 10th

Kyle Johnson - The Espy, May 10th

Kyle Johnson – The Espy, May 10th

Karl getting some air time - The Espy, May 10th

Karl getting some air time – The Espy, May 10th

Shortly after I began the drive to drop off the crew, band and gear at their accommodation (only 1km from the venue). This proved to be one of the most frustrating experiences of the tour and it was day one. I mean, I should probably be happy to have all the shit out of the way, but vans + trailers + one-way dead end streets do not make for a fun – nor happy – Col. That said, the Tour Manager (Matt –  check out https://www.facebook.com/blackholerecordingstudio) is always supportive and is one of the reasons Australia can have a thriving scene.

Matt Cook - Tour Manager

Matt Cook – Tour Manager/Legend

May 11th – Lilydale Showground (Break the Ice festival)

I caught up with MS and the crew at their accommodation after satiating my senses at a local eatery. Dosed up on coffee, fed, rested (sort of), we packed up and began our short journey to Lilydale Showground for day two of the Break the Ice Festival. Spread over two days (Saturday/Sunday) Break the Ice is about as legitimate a hardcore fest as can get. A surprise lesson in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Ryan was had in the carpark at the show which was a welcome addition to the day. I’m an avid Kettlebell advocate and have always been interested in BJJ so this was a nice introduction.

I’ll take this time to also introduce Craig (him and I pictured below) who even when dead tired fires in fine comedic form. This dude is an amazing human and was an awesome surprise and pleasure to have working the tour.

Day one was headlined by Ringworm (USA) and Australian hardcore legends Mindsnare (a personal favourite). Today was MS’s turn with a slew of other bands I had neither heard nor recognized. I’m not as versed in the hardcore scene in Australia being a metal head primarily but I will say this; Foundation are something special and you need to check them out should you get the chance. They reminded me of an amped up Mindsnare only considerably younger, which is a good thing in my opinion. The crowd responded accordingly, bringing one of the most violent and epic pits I’ve seen in some time. A few bloodied and broken noses, a busted knee and a knocked out girl later and they were done, truly a sledgehammer of the Australian hardcore scene and something to watch out for. MS took the stage after a slight delay due to an ambulance arriving to tend to the injured crowd member. Again proving what makes them so special in the hardcore/metal scene. Giving an energetic and fevered performance to cap the day off. Tonight ended like any other on tour, pack down, roll out, and pass out.

Ryan - Lilydale, May 11th

Ryan – Lilydale, May 11th

Misery Signals - Lilydale, May 11th

Misery Signals – Lilydale, May 11th

Karl - Lilydale, May 11th

Karl – Lilydale, May 11th

Kyle - Lilydale, May 11th

Kyle – Lilydale, May 11th

May 12th & 13th (off days)

The next two days (12th & 13th) were to be off days. Something I would use to edit and upload my first round of tour photos. Meanwhile, MS had a photo shoot at a barbershop in Melbourne, visited sites, and took in what the city has to offer.

Hysteria Magazine also gave us access to their Instagram. To be continued……

 

Full Melbourne Galleries here:

Misery Signals Tour
Park Days - Off Tour Time

– Col B.