New Hampshire alt-rock band Gretchen & the Pickpockets are named after two of the members’ hometown road. But they’ve taken a rather unorthodox route in crafting their latest music video.
“Old Souls,” which we are premiering on Vanyaland today, originally appeared on the group’s latest EP, last year’s Anachronic, and takes their signature blend of jazz, soul, and rock and roll to a bit of a slower level. For the song’s video, frontwoman Gretchen Klempa utilized a grant from the Iguana Music Fund at Cambridge’s Club Passim.
The video was shot on a rural farm in southern New Hampshire and was ideated, directed, and produced by Klempa herself alongside Jonathon Millman and Mike Gillis. It tells a story of several couples from all different walks of life and of all different ages coming together and enjoying, well, life together. Klempa tells Vanyaland that this was the first video she’s ever really dived head-first into.
“I wasn’t planning on it, but the day we filmed everything was a 14 hour day and I just ran around the farm with Jonathon figuring out shots and directing people,” Klempa says. “It was really fun. The editing process takes a crazy long time but it’s so awesome watching footage and then being like, ‘That’s the shot!’ when you finally find an amazing two seconds.”
Klempa says the inspiration for the video simply came down to a notion of acceptance and togetherness. “My overall vision was that no matter who you are, where you’re from, what color your skin is or what your age is, anyone can grow old with someone,” she adds. “For months, I kept imagining a big white blanket in a field, and slowly couples come together in the field and do something with this really big white sheet, but I just couldn’t figure it out. Eventually the band was talking with Jonathon and we thought, ‘What if it was a parachute?’ And it all just kinda clicked together once we figured out what this ‘big white blanket in a field’ was supposed to be.”
The video itself is a testament to the amount of support our community has for the local music scene, and guitarist and vocalist Richie Smith is grateful for Passim’s annual Iguana Music Fund. “With their support, we were able to fund this entire production,” Smith says. “Being able to experience that kind of appreciation for local art was really a blessing. The Iguana Music Fund makes some amazing things happen.”
Check out the video for “Old Souls” below.