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Something touched me deep inside the day that music died.
Well it seems that rock is once again dead. At least according to OKay Productions' latest project, Rock is Dead. The pilot, written and created by Avi Sol, follows a young rock band that wants nothing more than to make it big.
We follow the band, currently titled Fantasy (Grant Miller, Del Alan Murphy, Connor Mendenhall, and Ru Benjamin Revolver), as they come to the realization that they might not be very good, especially with their current guitarist, Paul (Mendenhall).
Following drummer Ezra (Miller), we watch as he loses his girlfriend, moves back in with his aunt (Stephanie Silverma), and slowly begins to realize that success, platinum albums, and the cover of Rolling Stone may not be as close within reach as he thought. All while he's juggling the growing tensions between the band and soon-to-be ex-member Paul. There seems to be one tragedy after another befalling Ezra, who keeps it together with the power of music.
Praise goes to all the actors; clearly, these characters are people who have known each other and played together for a long time. I see some dedicated character work behind the scenes that will surely come out in further episodes. Miller, in particular, embodies just enough confidence and awkwardness to make his point of view compelling, and his clear goals something to be rooted for.
The pilot is fun, owing in large part to the fact that everyone on and off the camera seems to be good friends having a good time making something together, which in turn makes it more enjoyable for the audience. Sol's dialogue is strong in the back-and-forth banter between the members of the band, naturalized by the ease with which the performers interact with and are comfortable with one another.
The show follows a familiar format, in which rock music has once again lost its cultural footing as subversive and exciting, instead a relic of a once eccentric past (especially emphasized by Silverman). The ending of the episode introduces us to the mysterious Jordan (Brett Benowitz), a skilled guitar player who seems to be the very antithesis of the claim central to the title – boasting Jimmy Page-sounding riffs.
I can only assume director Morgen Ludwig had some previous experience in the world of music videos, or is at least inspired by it. The vision for the series is there, and it is strong. Even as a pilot, there is a distinct and intentional visual language that has been crafted. Minimalistic, seemingly shot on the streets of L.A. or in someone's house, the environment, in this way, is able to have more control exerted over it. The simple sets, red and blue lighting of the open mic night, and a framed Nick Drake album are neat and tidy, although they may not feel lived in. There appears to be an interesting colour grading, with the beige undertones of a 70s photograph, echoing the decades of rock and roll past.
Additional shout-outs go to editors Ethan Neihart and Katie Hervey for a strong command of flow and pacing that works in great tandem with the dialogue. The same goes for sound mixers Derek DeRoche and Alvaro Gomez, who provide the most essential aspect to a project about music. The strong direction and chemistry appear not only in the performances, but just as much behind the scenes.
Although the basis of the story is not necessarily a new one to audiences, the show is charming and quirky enough to be enjoyable on its own. While currently only a short half-hour runtime, Rock is Dead has the promise of more to come.
