Missing Pages – Modus Operandi (DVD-Video Concert)
Picture: B- Sound: B- Extras: B- Concert: B
There is
no doubt that there is an interesting Blues component to many Rock band
upstarts, often informed by everything from Pearl Jam to The Dave Matthews
Band. Hailing from West Mifflin,
Pennsylvania is the band Missing Pages, leaning more towards Matthews’ outfit,
but trying to cut their own distinctive identity. One big step in the right direction is Modus Operandi, a new DVD-Video concert
release that is one of the best and most interesting we have seen all year.
At a time
where most concerts are being shot in HD and both the directors & cameramen
act like they have lead weights on their bodies and equipment, this is a
concert that has life to it, feels it and has a sense of presence. This is thanks both to the band on the climb
and director Jimm Needle, who seems to be going out of his way to avoid every
possible mistake we’ve seen in such programs the last few years. The songs in the concert, shot at the Mr.
Small’s Funhouse outlet on April 30th, 2006, include:
1)
L.I.S.
2)
A Song For Missy
3)
Perfect
4)
One Summer Night
5)
Heather
6)
Someday
7)
Someday Jam
8)
Nothin’s Wrong
9)
Bad Way
10) Selfish
11) I’ll Wait For You
12) Back Here Again
13) Hero
14) I Believe It
It is so
good that even if you are not a fan of all the music, you will find yourself
impressed by the concert presentation itself.
This is not to say the band has botched anything, but even those not
interested in the music genres they play in will be impressed by what they see
here. When we get a concert, we expect
it to have some showmanship and not be dull, but the video age (especially in
these early digital years) has made for some boring and dull live shows that
are not so live.
Modus Operandi breaks that monotony and not a
moment too soon, not because of some fancy editing or trick camerawork, but
simply because the makers cared enough to do this right.
The
letterboxed 16 X 9/1.78 X 1 image looks very good for a non-anamorphic
production shot on digital, with a good choice of camera shots, proper
lighting, good editing and an overall natural feel missing from most concert
DVDs we see. Detail can be an issue, but
color and depth fare better. Add the
Dolby Digital 5.1 mix that has a good soundfield in part because the music is
recorded well and you get impressive playback.
Mind you this is for an independent band and is an independent release.
Extras
include branching video mode with featurettes for all 14 songs, a behind the
scenes shooting of the concert, text bios of all five band members, stills
section/slide show, featurette about the band and section featuring their Music
Video for the song Weekend In L.A.
that includes the Video, a making of the video and an alternate cut of the
Video. On the final cut of the clip,
shot at the famous West Mifflin, PA amusement park Kennywood, color is
exceptional for a 2 X 1 letterboxed clip.
Editing is pretty good and the audio is also clear.
Some
bands and music acts try to get by on their music recordings and maybe a Video
or two, but as Eagle Vision has proved, concert discs are in demand more than
ever and it makes a big difference if a band can get a good one together,
especially like this. It’s what
thousands of other bands would kill to get made. We have seen dozens of indie concert discs
and the amazing thing is how they make the most pedestrian errors, but this one
is exceptional. Music lovers and concert
fans in particular will find it at least worth a good look.
For more
information and to order this disc, you can go to the following links:
www.jimmneedle.com
www.missing-pages.com
www.missing-pages.com/dvd
-
Nicholas Sheffo
