While browsing around on MTV2 Europe's site I ran across the new Features video for "Blow It Out." I think it will be awhile before I'm delivered a copy for the actual site, but it's probably best for the time being that people go and see it on sites like MTV2 or NME because if anyone is monitoring traffic they will see at least a mild demand to see the video.

Here are the links I came across:

Blow It Out
Real Media:
Low
Medium
High

Windows Media:
Low
Medium
High


Oh, and for anyone wanting the final verification - the site that was posted the other day regarding release dates was right.

Blow It Out (Single) - April 11
Exhibit A (Full-Length) - April 18


Hope those links work.. and if not go here and sign up (use @dodgeit.com for your email if that is a concern).

Oh, and on a personal note - this is the best Features video I have yet to witness. Simple and precise.. well edited... kudos all around to all those involved. Very fine work.



Michael

MUCH better than that godawful Monty Python animation version!

wow, that was great. i love the simplicity of it. nice pacing and not too fancy. i like the other videos fine, but this one is much better. too bad it's for one of my least favorite songs (on the album anyway), cause it's definitely my favorite video.

Thanks for the link. This video is definitely much better than the scary nutcracker one. I like the tubes and reel to reel recorder, nice retro feel. If I can say anything bad about the video it would be that it is boring. Compared to the past videos, there just isn' t much going on. Of course that may make people listen to the song, which is good.

Freddy

Totally better than the crazy video. It's nice to see the Features back to doing a straight performance after the crazy antics of the LIAB video.

And man, this is one strong album. Four singles already? Crazy! And there are at least another 3 or so that haven't been tapped yet. How many singles are going to be released?

Really don't like the video at all, though I do like the song, and think it's probably the most obvious single on the album (and definitely the one that people remember the most from the live shows, from my experience).

I just have a thing against random performance videos, unless there's something extra happening in them (like there was in Million Ways...), and I was bored by the end.

As long as other people like it though, that's cool.

I watched this video and got chills. This is the one video of theirs I can see getting frequent airplay on MTV and the like. Very classy stuff. I think it's far from boring, but if you want more "going on", Chad already promised that the US version will be a bit flashier.

Great job, peace frog!

Just to clarify... I am resubmitting a video to the band and Universal for consideration. Right now, the version in the UK is the only version Universal has and is distributing to the proper channels. We did a couple of camera tricks that looked cool, but over the full length of the video was nausea inducing. So, I am playing with another "flashier" version. We'll see.

The video came together in literally 2 days. It was decided on a Friday afternoon that we were shooting a video on Sunday. By the following Thursday, it was in the UK. The concept was to bring this "glossy" sounding song into the very low-fi world of the infamous Features practice space. I think it works extremely well and I'm very proud of it. There's a lot of little touches around the room to look for. Most of which cant be seen on a Real Media window... my favorite has to be Roger's T-shirt.

I still can't believe that is the practice space.








ps-I liked the feet.

I really liked the overhead shot of Parrish surrounded by the ivories. He's like a warrior with his arsenal laid out before him.

ditto. great shot, man.

i've totally seen that place in real life... man, i feel cool. even if it was just a peek in to see if the car that was blocking everyone's from getting out happened to belong to one of em. well... that, and it just gave us an excuse to poke our noses in while the band were rehersing 'arcata' (which at that point hadn't been played yet, i don't think).

the reel-to-reel oozes cool.

what was with the poster behind rollum? couldn't tell who it was, but i assume it's one of the things you're talking about.

my favorite is still the 'million ways' video... just because it's such a damn cool video. but this is really good.. another quality features video. chad, i don't know you (other than on this board), but i really like your work from what i've seen.

Thanks for the kind words. Now I'm blushing.

The "poster" behind Rollum is actually an acrylic painting of Ted Nugent. I didn't get the full low down on it, but it was either stolen, or once the property of the Sparta High School Art Dept. One of their friends older brothers painted it. Towards the end of the day some of the words to Blow It Out had morphed into "sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down, other times I'm probably found, in a dingy litle room with a bitchin painting of The Nuge."

Not as funny looking at it now, but after 9000 takes of BIO, funny stuff.

Other fun facts... the 8 track was busted... we could get it to turn on, but it wouldn't run.. the shots of it running are actually Parrish walking the tape down the hall and out the door of the place. After one take it took two PA's and the producer to relay "Cut!" to him, he was so far out the building.

The walls were chock full of old setlists, flyers, posters, etc. It's really amazing the stuff they have saved. They even have this banner that MAtt's mom sewed for them while they were still in HS that has "The Features" on this satiny fabric. Very cool.

This is FAR AND AWAY the best Features music video yet. Hands down, this is the best. Any why? Because it's SIMPLE.

I watched this again with my wife and she didn't much care for it, but after seeing it again I started to like it more. I saw the really good angles, Nice lighting and just how well everything fit into the picture. It reminded me of a picture that is taken by someone that is just amazing at capturing a scene with a camera. The composition for the video was really nice is what I am trying to say. (and Parrish with the keys kicked ass, but then again when doesn't Parrish kick ass)

Was the mix for the video different than the CD? It seemed like one of the keyboards stood out more than when I played the video. (Of course that could be my computer's sound being different than my stereo system)

I'm not trying to be a know it all, but this was sewed around 1994-1995 when they finally settled on the Features for a name. Originally they went with names like The Jokers and Yellow Dye No. 5, but for different reasons they did not keep those names.

About '94 is when I ran into the group and Don was trying to come up with names the first day I met him. "Moon Bison" was one I remeber him liking. He came back a week or two later and said they had decided on "The Features" because they wanted something with "The" and that ended like with an "s" like the Beatles, The Kinks, etc...

After this was decided Matt's mom did this banner and then it was set in stone (or fabric). And yes Peace Frog it is "Very Cool" along with the videos.

They used to save EVERYTHING. I would love to see some of the old fliers they came up with.

I noticed that as well...

The mix for the video was a remix that went to radio. I believe it was mixed in late January. The keys are definitely up in the mix.

Cool, thanks for the info. This message board is kind of like a pop-up-video for the features.

Freddy

for some reason all of the links open with realplayer for me and realplayer is crap so ill wait until i can find a real windows media link.
grrrrrrr...

Whatever happened to those? OH! That's right! They stopped showing videos on VH-1.

I'm just hoping we never see them on "Where are they now?"

Their down and out
Their on their way up
They took some drugs
They made it
They took more drugs
They blew it
They took some more drugs and somebody died
They spent all of the money
They found Jesus (or some other deity)
Now they are walking through the park with their wife,kid,dog etc...

That's the formula. Besides Matt is walking through the park with the Wife and Kids now.

That's a totally sweet story. After this weekend, I can attest to such antics on the set of a music video.

I may have sun poisoning.

thanks so much for the video, I love this one. I think its my favorite. It show how they are live... well kinda. I think they have even more energy live!