Asheville musicians forge deeper connection with ‘Deeper Thirst’ music video collaboration

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David Earl Tomlinson and Silas Durocher, two well-known Asheville musicians, have forged a deeper connection with a collaboration on music video for one of Tomlinson’s new tunes.

The two have worked together musically before, and Durocher is credited as a producer on Tomlinson’s newest album, Catch a Thrill, released about six months ago. (Durocher’s main musical gig is with the Get Right Band.) But Durocher is also the man behind the camera on the recently released music video for “Deeper Thirst,” one of the songs on the new record.

“Deeper Thirst” has a smooth, slower groove than the rest of the hard-rocking album, a conscious decision to make the record a little more divers, Tomlinson says. The song is simple and raw, says Durocher, who wrote a couple of guitar parts for the tune. It stands as one of his favorites to play, Durocher adds.

The song stands out on the record, Tomlinson says, and its lyrical depth provided a great foundation for a music video. The story’s message is about “recognizing a longing for some kind of life that is more fulfilling,” he says. So Tomlinson sought out Durocher to collaborate on a video that would tell a story, rather than just be “a cool collage of visuals and band performance.”

Durocher says he and Tomlinson began bouncing ideas off one another and “eventually, I was like why don’t I just buy a camera and do it.” He had previously directed a couple of music videos for the Get Right Band, but working with Tomlinson was “the first time I’d had my hands on a camera,” he says.

“I realized fairly soon that I was a little in over my head,” Durocher says, “so I went deep.” He says he spent every day for two months working with the new camera, watching movies and music videos he admired to pick up techniques, and studing how-to videos on YouTube. Durocher says he was mentored by Andrew Anderson, a local video editor.

“I found to be process was aided by many years of being an artist. It wasn’t like starting fresh. I already knew how to problem-solve logistical issues, artistic issues,” Durocher says.

Filming always has its challenges, Durocher says. One morning, the group headed out to Whaleback Falls near Brevard to shoot the video’s climatic scene. Durocher expected the location to be deserted on a weekday morning, but found a couple busloads of school children splashing away. The crew worked around it and ended up with some great footage, including an underwater shot, he says.

Crew and cast members chimed in with their ideas, too. All held themselves to a high standard of production, Durocher says. The result was a music video all involved were proud to showcase.

“I was juiced by having so many people excited about it, and having it turn out so great,” Tomlinson says.

“All of it made for a really fulfilling, creative experience,” Durocher adds.