Idyll Worship: Salem Makes a Scene for Interview

 

Though our profile of Salem, the trio of Michigan musicians pioneering the musical genre known as witch house, ran in Interview‘s September issue, we thought it would be appropriate to wait to share this, a video the band made exclusively for our iPad app, until Halloween. It’s a little spooky, you see—in the best, Lynchian way. The video intercuts footage shot by lead singer Jack Donoghue on his cell phone, featuring a peaceful Michigan drive, complete with rosy sunrise and friends jumping into a lake, and some more disconcerting stuff: a dead deer the band found in the road, which they’re not afraid to come close up on; and an eerie statue of praying hands, viewed from every direction. The whole thing is underscored, of course, by music by the band’s John Holland and Heather Marlatt, in their signature gloomy, atmospheric style. If you’re having a Halloween party tonight, project this onto a bare wall with the music intact, and you’re all set.

FOR MORE ON SALEM, CHECK OUT OUR SEPTEMBER FEATURE ON THE BAND. DOWNLOAD INTERVIEW’S IPAD APP HERE.