Last time we caught up with Tejon Street Corner Thieves we were premiering a hilarious video for their song “Never Meant To Be,” featuring the members of the band dressing up as other members of the alternative country scene. Today we’re premiering another new video from the band for their song “Demons.” Though it’s quite funny like the video for “Never Meant To Be,” takes on more the more serious subject of addiction.
“‘Demons’ is about battling addiction,” said singer and banjo player Conner O’Neal. “The literal demons in the song are representative of drugs and drinking. Those demons will eventually catch up to you if you don’t fight them.”
The video was created by sTaRaTs, aka Eli Bruner using a variety of mediums, including stop-motion, claymation and animation. The video mirrors much of the lyrics, showing the band riding their bus to a gig while a character that represents O’Neal eating magic mushrooms and smoking pot on the bus, which has some comical results. One moment, he’s scratching imaginary bugs off of his sleeve and the next he envisions a massive demon in the middle of the desert highway.
“Eli Bruner (aka sTaRaTs) knocked this one out of the park for us,” said O’Neal. “He used a combination of stop motion, claymation, and animation on the video. We even got to keep the clay figures he used! He did a great job capturing the theme of the song in a way we’ve never seen before!.”
The creation of the video was an evolution for the band and Bruner. O’Neal says they wanted to do an animated video for “Demons,” but ultimately put their trust in Bruner to bring the vivid lyrics to life. “He didn’t disappoint! He followed the theme of the song beautifully and was very innovative with his technique,” said O’Neal. “We’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
The lockdowns and quarantines imposed by the global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus has forced a lot of people to face their demons head-on and Tejon Street Corner Thieves are no different from the rest of us.
“Right now, mental health is a huge hurdle,” said O’Neal about the demons the band is currently facing. “Being confined due to the pandemic isn’t good for a group of guys who have sacrificed everything to travel and play music. We know that a lot of people out there are feeling the same way. We’re a very tight knit group of guys and we’re doing a great job of supporting each other during this. And all these projects with Liars Club Records have been a great outlet for us to focus on and stay optimistic for the future. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. And we’re moving toward it.”
As far as what the band members are up to right now? “We’re grinding away! We are just about ready to record another full length, and we have some great ideas to make it something special,” said O’Neal. “We’re planning to head to Portland in October to record with our friends there, and we’re planning on documenting the trip for something cool we’re working on. Until then, look for more from Liars Club. We’ve got plenty of new stuff coming out to hold you over until then!”
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