Last year, Jordan Gruver, with the help of her incredible team, produced and recorded a series of live performances of some old and new originals in the Los Angeles Arts District. The extended cut of the session is now live on YouTube.
Originally, the series was meant to be part of Jordan’s Tiny Desk submission. Unfortunately, due to illness, the shoot was pushed, and the deadline was missed, but with everyone’s efforts, the project still came to life in its own way. The creative team of Sarah Rooney (Director), Sophie Smith (Producer), and Kyle Stubbs (DP) wanted to lean into the raw realities of filming a live session, from the band’s setup to the equipment and the crew making it happen. The behind-the-scenes footage not only acted as a transitional element but as a personable entryway into the making of the session. The team really wanted to lean into the ‘making of something’ storyline.
Director Sarah Rooney shares, “My friend Jake Geitner offered his warehouse office space in downtown LA for the shoot. We toured it and fell in love.”
From a cinematography perspective, the series was meant to look and feel pretty natural, raw, and intimate. They wanted to take advantage of the vast warehouse space they were so graciously given access to.
DP Kyle Stubbs shares: “I wanted to make this project as awesome as it could be, despite our limited budget. I was fortunate to have several talented friends donate their time and expertise. To take advantage of the large space, I chose Steadicam, operated by Adam Gharib. My gaffer and roommate, Aaron Hill, co-owner of A Good Cause Productions, donated his grip and lighting package — which made it possible to light up the warehouse and achieve the visual quality we were looking for.”
And the making of it shows, in both the footage and the songs themselves.
Over the past several weeks, Jordan and her team released four songs individually: Drunk on Dreaming, Neither Do You, Places We’ve Walked, and Lately.
Their editor, Elizabeth Pinotti, put together a behind-the-scenes cut that shows the incredible crew who lent their time to this session and the fun that went into it. Jordan adds, “We really just wanted to capture a raw moment in time, something immersive that makes you feel like you were hanging out with us in the room.”
Jordan shares, “The full extended cut features three unreleased songs, written over two years during the time I lived in LA, and mostly capturing a blurry line between a deep friendship and an idealized love. It’s about that specific ache of wanting someone to fill a space they just aren’t meant to. LA has a way of breaking you down and putting you back together, and I think you can hear that transition in the music—it shifts from hazy indie rock ballads down to a quiet acoustic lullaby at the end.”
Watch the full extended cut, now live on YouTube.
The Crew:
Director: Sarah Rooney
Producer: Sophie Smith
DP & Colorist: Kyle Stubbs
Steadicam: Adam Gharib
Gaffer: Aaron Wayne Hill
Key Grip: Lucas Villa
1st AC: Sophie Donatella
2nd AC & GE Swing: Chase Pickford
Location: Jake Geitner
Sound Engineer: Jacob Mendez
Mixing Engineer: Grant Walker
Editor: Elizabeth Pinotti
Vocals/Keys/Music & Lyrics: Jordan Gruver
Electric Guitar: Chase Miller
Drums: Jon Brandt
Bass: Max Crane
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