Prepare to become a dancin’ fool after just one view of RVA’s rock and roll group Avers‘ new video for their latest track, “Vampire.”
You can’t help but get up and move and tap your toes and shake as the band’s sound man/friend/musician extraordinaire Patrick Ball dons cutoff denim shorts, which leave little to the imagination, and a rainbow-striped vest as he dances his way in a motorcycle helmet around Richmond.
“We’ve been thinking about this video for awhile because we’ve been out on the road with our friend Patrick, and the idea started from…he tends to wear these extremely short shorts during the summer, and we’ve just been in all sorts of different hilarious scenarios, more notably in the southern states on tour,” said Alex Spalding, vocalist and bassist for Avers.
“One day, we just realized that he was a ridiculously good dancer… He also owns a moped, so I think that ties it in for us.”
The video is infectious, light, fun and it’s a feel good track which is something I think we all could use right now. Ball dances in the streets, down by Brown’s Island, storms the stage at The Broadberry, outside of Bamboo Cafe and Lombardy Market. past Nils Westerguard’s mural at Belmont and Patterson, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Boulevard, Byrd Park and Scott’s Addition.
Spalding said a number of local bands make some cameos as well.
“When he’s at The Broadberry, it was No BS Brass Band’s soundcheck,” she said. “Jon from The Head and the Heart dances with Patrick.”
Ball continues to mesmerize us as he whips out some killer soul train-esque dance moves through the group of VA flaggers near the VMFA, followed by some cartwheels and a jiggly, wiggly dance.
Ball gives us a little show in front of the huge trippy cat mural at Starlite and he breaks it down in a big crowd outside of Helen’s before a guy in front of him looks at the camera and motions for him to get out of there.
He wiggles and gyrates his way through a convenience store and scares off an unexpecting driver with his wild dance moves. Mad props to him. I’ll dance with him any day.
About halfway through the video, he can be seen at a mysterious bar or club busting out his moves Studio 54 style with old school effects abound. Near the end of the video he’s joined by Cait Morris, a friend of the band’s, and they take to the streets to perform as a duo and ride around on his bike. They strut past the Byrd Theatre, share an ice cream, and he breaks out a solo routine on the bridge. The video comes to a close with him trudging up to his bedroom and flopping down on his bed.
Avers recorded the video about three weeks ago with the band behind the camera along with their friend Nicholas Baker and it dropped on Tuesday.
This is the first single off their second full-length album, Omega/Whatever due out via Egghunt Records July 29th and the fourth single they’ve released thus far. “Everything Hz” was the first track released off the forthcoming album.
Spalding said this album is a little bit different from their previous EPs.
“I think that this record, we made it while we were, over the course of a year while we were in between touring at our heaviest,” she said. “I think unlike our first album, or the EP we released… unlike those it sounds much more cohesive, like we sound live.”
The five bandmates plan to play shows in Philly, DC, and New York in the coming months, but you can catch them in RVA at their album release party on Friday, July 29th at The Broadberry along with Camp Howard and Blank Range.
Fans will be able to get the new Avers album on vinyl or CD at the show. It will also be out on iTunes and all the digital platforms.
