Local band invites community to be part of a ‘live studio audience’ for music video recording

They say that “video killed the radio star,” but a local seven-piece band is hoping for the hypest live audience to show up and show out for an upcoming music video shoot. If you’ve spent hours watching MTV and longing to be in a music video, here’s your chance!

Benjamin Hall is the frontman of The Further Adventures of FatBoy and JiveTurkey, an eclectic group that originated in Detroit in 2005. Since Hall moved to Lansing in 2007, the group’s lineup has varied but still includes the original guitar player, Tim Williams. The band’s current lineup also features Josh Austin (trombone, vocals), Ian Knox (alto saxophone), Bob McCarthy (mandolin, guitar), Travis Therrian (upright bass) and Ian LeVine (drums, cymbals). The high-energy outfit plays a mix of genres — jazz, blues, country and soulful singer-songwriter hits from yesteryear. 

“We played a long time without a drummer,” Hall said. “It’s hard to play New Orleans-type music when you don’t have a drummer. We’ve added two horn players since the beginning, and also mandolin.”

Hall said it’s difficult to categorize the band’s genre, as their stylistic tastes span both regions and decades. 

“We play jazz, but we’re not a jazz band,” he said. “We play blues, but we’re not a blues band. We play country and rock ‘n’ roll, but we’re not a country or rock band. We’ve placed in the top three for Top of the Town in the jazz and blues categories, and we’ve won best experimental group. We’re all acoustic, with a horn section.”

As it’s been almost eight years since they recorded a professional video, the band felt it was time to add to their archive of promotional video footage. Hall promises something for everyone during Saturday’s free, all-ages shoot.

Expect “the best of the best, concentrating on our originals,” Hall said. “You might hear Waylon Jennings, Mel Tormé and Taj Mahal back to back. We play mostly obscure cover tunes, with a sprinkling of unique originals. We don’t play the songs you want to hear. We play the songs you need to hear.”

Lansing video production agency UnoDeuce Multimedia will record the concert. 

Hall encourages attendees to bring “the energy. The louder they clap, the better we play. We’ll be having a lot of fun and hope it’s contagious. We need the hypest of hype audience members. They should bring their clapping hands, stomping feet and woo-hooing lungs!”