NEW RELEASE: H.I.M. "Kiss Of Dawn"

Any sociologist student in need of a good thesis subject could do worse than traveling to Finland and figuring out what drives the thriving Finnish metal scene. My theory is they love the black metal to compensate for that Midnight Sun phenomenon where the sun stays visible at midnight. While most of Finland's musical exports are either too weird — see the symphonic metal band Nightwish, for a good example— or just too darn scary  — Satanic Warmaster, anyone? —  H.I.M. has been having some mainstream success in the U.S. with an a Gothic and Romantic version of hard melodic alternarock. The video for "Kiss Of Dawn" — a song title which  isn't probably  a reference to the aforementioned Midight Sun, or a reference to a chick named Dawn —  accentuates all those spooky castle elements that are probably required in any H.I.M video while keeping the focus on singer Ville Valo, who comes across as the brooding Goth love child of Jim Morrison and Morrissey. Director Meiert Avis also delivered a series of virals for other songs off the band's new opus, Venus Doom. --> watch "Kiss Of Dawn" plus some virals virals virals virals

H.I.M. "Kiss Of Dawn" (Sire/Warner Bros.)
Meiert Avis, director | Kris Eber , producer | Pusher, production co | Labuda Management, rep |  Danny Hiele, DP

SHOT: Bad Brains - Shavo Odadjian, director

The legendary and influential all-black hardcore band Bad Brains is back. If you're a young'n and have never heard of them — or if you doubt my choice of adjectives  — consider this: Their new comeback album Build A Nation was produced by the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch and the video for "Give Thanks And Praises" was directed by System Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian. That is respect.

The photo shows Odadjian and DP Danny Hiele literally putting their heads together as they plan the next move during one of the three days in Portland, OR and the nearby Sasquatch Music Festival.

The video was co-produced by Meiert Avis (with Brett Carlson) through his own Pusher production company.

artist: Bad Brains
song: "Give Thanks And Praises"
label: Megaforce
director(s): Shavo Odadjian
production co: Pusher
rep: Labuda Management

PROFILE: Meiert Avis, Pusher

 There are Rock Hall Of Famers like Bruce Springsteen, U2, Patti Smith, Bob Dylan and Van Halen. Current hitmakers like Avril Lavigne, All-American Rejects, Jennifer Lopez, Damien Rice, Audioslave, Josh Groban and Macy Gray. And then there's Warrant. Meiert Avis has directed videos for them all, plus a whole lot more, over an impressive and still growing career.

name: Meiert Avis  
company: Pusher
job/title: Director of music videos and commercials

First Video: My first video was for an Irish cult band called The Virgin Prunes. It was a long time ago. This was followed by a boat load of seminal U2 clips, peaking with the Grammy winning "Where The Streets Have No Name" video shot in downtown L.A. This video established U2 as the main contenders for "the next greatest rock band in the world," and didn't do my career any harm either. I have been making videos for musicians I love ever since.

My most recent clip is "Finally Made Me Happy" for Macy Gray's new album.

Strangest Video: I am an introverted person, so the whole directing process is strange for me. I remember going to meet Killing Joke after a gig in a bar somewhere in northern England to pitch them an idea for a video. Jaz got my treatment, hopped up on the bar and read my ideas to the whole bar in different character voices, to hoots of drunken laughter. I learned that videos should be entertaining. While I go into a shoot with a plan, I also enjoy that it's an inherently spontaneous medium, being performance based. You have to sculpt the uncertainty, work with the performers to spit lightning into a bottle.

What's Next: Right now it's a crazy time. The entire music distribution system is in play because of the internet. Music video is right at the front of all of this anarchy.

Everybody will get to be Andy Warhol.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are the latest band to open the directing process to their fans.

I love this, everyone should be so lucky as to create and be heard.  Maybe now they will have a competition to write the next Chili Peppers song, for free. Hopefully the concept that we all entertain each other for free, while legal snaps up the intellectual copyrights is a temporary aberration.

However, I am optimistic, short and long term. There is no other visual format where you get to create with so much freedom and at the same time reach a global audience.

Even with the current postage stamp online viewing windows videos have never been more relevant. Avril Lavigne's "Boyfriend" video has over three million hits on YouTube in three weeks and is their "most viewed" media this month. Avril is closely followed by the My Chemical Romance and Beyonce/Shakira clips. So, even though the business model is in flux and everyone is cutting budgets, videos are MORE important than ever and people want to watch them and talk about them more than ever.

Once the bandwidth issues have been worked out and we can watch videos, full screen, on-demand, there will be a huge renaissance in high budget music videos. Verizon has had fleets of guys out laying glass fiber all over the country. It will be mostly done by the end of the year. Then everything changes. One day everyone will be their own publisher.

So have some faith, and  remember, as Anthony Kiedis paradoxically said in the context of the Peppers' fan video competition, "Videos are harder than they look. It's very, very rare and beautiful and monumental when someone makes a truly good video."

NEWS: Labuda Signs Meiert Avis

Labuda Management is now representing music video vet Meiert Avis. The director's credits include:

• Matchbox Twenty "Unwell"
• Audioslave "Like A Stone"
• Jennifer Lopez "Baby I Love U"
• Avril Lavigne "Happy Ending"
• Bruce Springsteen "Brilliant Disguise"
• Bruce Springsteen "Human Touch"
• U2 "Where The Streets Have No Name"

His videos will continue to be produced through his own company, Pusher.

SHOT: Jibbs - Meiert Avis, director

artist: Jibbs feat. Melody Thornton of Pussycat Dolls
song: "Go Too Far"
label: Geffen
director(s): Meiert Avis
production co: Pusher

SHOT: Josh Groban - Meiert Avis, director

artist: Josh Groban
song: "You Are Loved"
label: 143/Reprise/Warner Bros.
director(s): Meiert Avis
production co: Pusher Media
rep: Robin Frank Management

NEWS: RFM Repping Meiert Avis and Syndrome

Robin Frank Management is now representing director Meiert Avis, whose credits include music videos for U2, Audioslave, Bruce Springsteen, Matchbox 20, New Found Glory, H.I.M. and many other acts. Meiert's videos will still be produced through his company Pusher.

The Robot Films directing team Syndrome is another recent addition to the RFM representation roster. Syndrome's credits include the video for the Sergio Mendes and Black Eyed Peas collaboration "Mas Que Nada."

NEW RELEASE: P.O.D. "Goodbye For Now"

P.O.D.
"Goodbye For Now"
Atlantic
Meiert Avis, director
Oualid Mouaness, producer
Pusher, production co
RW Media, rep
Description: The members of P.O.D. walk around in a wind storm of rubbish and ash that swirl all around them. They all end up at a warehouse where they perform for their fans. Another interesting visual trick, other than the storm effect, is the layering of various fisheye lens shots into 360° panoramic clips. -- Watch "Goodbye For Now" through the P.O.D. player

BOOKED: Seether - Meiert Avis, director

artist: Seether
song: "The Gift"
label: Wind-Up
director(s): Meiert Avis
production co: Pusher
rep: RW Media

NEW RELEASE: Alanis Morissette "Crazy"

Alanis Morissette "Crazy" Maverick/Warner Bros.
Meiert Avis, director
Nicole Acacio, producer
Pusher/Windmill Lane, production co
RW Media, rep
Description: Alanis Morissette plays a jilted lover in this video for her cover of the Seal hit, "Crazy." The singer stalks and then confronts a man who we presume to be her ex-lover. That presumption turns out to false, however, once we see the surprise ending and realize that Alanis was really involved with the woman.

NEW RELEASE: H.I.M. "Wings Of A Butterfly"

H.I.M. "Wings Of A Butterfly" Sire
Meiert Avis, director
Oualid Mouaness, producer
Pusher, production co
RW Media, rep
Description: H.I.M. perform from behind custom stands that are topped with magnifying glasses. These curved optics not only magnify and distort the images of the band members, but they also help broadcast HIM's "Heartagram" emblem across a Gothic city as if it were a beacon.

BOOKED: Darren Hayes - Meiert Avis, director

This new single from Darren Hayes will be featured as on an upcoming hits compilation from his former band, Savage Garden.

artist: Darren Hayes
song: "So Beautiful"
label: Columbia
director(s): Meiert Avis
production co: Pusher
rep: RW Media