Here Comes the Rain Again

Revisiting the "Embers in the Ash" music video

Jun 12, 2025

With a quick glance toward the rapidly darkening sky, we hustle out from under the restaurant awning, dodging main street traffic frogger-style to make our way to the river walk. My pocket begins vibrating with the muffled tone of an emergency alert. I pull out my phone to see a “tornado warning” has been issued for the area, and we’re advised to seek shelter immediately. Brandon takes the phone off me (it’s our camera for this shoot) and calmly places it in the gimbal so we can begin filming while I fiddle with the tiny and temperamental bluetooth speaker I’d brought along for playing the song.

All of a sudden, the air goes eerily still and, for a moment, everything is silent. Brandon looks up at me with a sly grin. “Are you sure about this?”

I nod back: “Yeah, but whatever happens, if you see a funnel cloud, make sure you get it in the shot…”

Embers in the Ash was the first song we recorded for Between the Lightning and the Thunder, with the session taking place during the waning hours of the 2022 winter solstice. Being far too excited about the song to let it sit unheard, I scheduled the release for March 15, 2023 (the Ides of March).

The basic idea for the video came shortly after writing the tune. I’d envisioned a long single shot of me walking through town during a snow storm. Along my journey, Dallas was going to make an appearance on his bike and then, during the guitar solo, I would stroll past Michael Stingle as he was busking on a freezing cold street corner. I’d stop to listen, then drop some coins into his hat. I wanted to film everything in slow motion, so that you’d really see the flakes falling down. The inspiration for this came primarily from the video for Coldplay’s Yellow and this early Spike Jonze video for Wax.

The plan was we’d film everything at 60 frames per second, then slow it to 30 for playback, which meant I would have to lip-sync to a version of the song played at double speed so that the footage, when slowed down, would match up with the original studio recording. I could finally live out my childhood fantasy of performing in my favorite musical group as a kid… The Chipmunks.

The Double Time Version for lip-syncing:

1×

0:00

-1:11

Well, as the saying goes, “Man plans, God laughs” and we ended up experiencing the driest Pennsylvania winter in recent memory. No snow. No rain. Barely a flurry. As the clock kept ticking, days turned to months and the release of the single came and went.

Then on the first Saturday of April, I got a “serve weather” alert on my phone for later that afternoon. Realizing this could be our lucky break, I placed a Hail Mary call to my pal (and expert videographer) Brandon NewLove to see if he was available. Thankfully, he was up for it, so I checked the radar and we made plans to meet in Manayunk at 5:15 PM. Mike and Dallas were both out of town that weekend so unfortunately, we had to carry on without them. In the end, I don’t think Dal was too disappointed about not getting completely soaked by a pelting downpour.

We did a total of 5 takes, starting in a light drizzle, then finishing up with some giant droplets of rain plus a side of hail. The whole shoot lasted no more than 15 minutes. Then we hightailed it out of there to seek shelter in a nearby restaurant, Winnie’s. As we walked in, heads turned and the gasps were clearly audible. After sitting down and ordering food, I excused myself to the restroom where I dumped the half an inch of water that had pooled in the bottom of my Chelsea boots into the bathroom sink. Pretty disgusting. And twice during our meal, a janitor came by with a mop to soak up the water that’d been continuously dripping from our clothes.

The Aftermath:

In hindsight, the video turned out much better than I’d originally envisioned. Since the weather shifted so much during filming, Brandon suggested using multiple takes (instead of one continuous shot) which I think it really helped bring the lyrics to life. While writing this, it has only now just dawned on me how much the video unexpectantly relates to the title of the album: Between the Lightning and the Thunder, even though it was shot years prior. Some things you just can’t plan.

Thanks again Brandon for braving the elements with me. This couldn’t have happened without you, my friend. I owe you one.

Rest in Peace Brian Wilson

While putting together this newsletter, I was deeply saddened to learn that legendary musician and Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson passed away.

In the mid-1990s, as I was starting to find my way as a musician, I got heavily into the Beach Boys, particularly the Pet Sounds / Smile era. I scoured countless NYC record shops for bootlegs of the lost Smile sessions and picked up any book or boxset I could find. I even became a subscriber to the official Brian Wilson newsletter. Keep in mind that this was when he was still a total recluse. He had only just broken away from Dr Eugene Landy, and hadn’t released his comeback solo record Imagination yet. Mentioning out loud the mere thought of him ever touring or releasing new music was immediately laughed at.

December 1996 was a bit rough for me - I’d just suffered through a breakup and the thought of spending the upcoming Christmas holiday alone left me feeling weighed down with melancholia. Then one day, a Christmas card arrived in the mail (the only one I got that year, actually) from the Brian Wilson newsletter. I open it, and inside was the signed photo that you see pictured above. My jaw dropped as I starred at it with a mixture of confusion, awe and excitement. I still feel that way whenever I see it. So cool.

Over the years, I was fortunate enough to see Brian Wilson live many times. I caught that first comeback tour. I watched him perform Pet Sounds with an orchestra and then Smile with Van Dyke Parks. When he came through on a double bill with Paul Simon, I got to meet him in person and thank him for his music. He never made eye contact and was as awkward as you might expect but still gracious enough to sign my program.

Thank you Brian Wilson for all the musical inspiration over the years. You were loved and you will be missed. Rest in Peace Legend.

Artwork Spotlight

Tornado Alley

An oldie but a goodie, this collage was created in July 2012 using images hand cut from vintage magazines. The original is roughly 13 x 15 inches.

View more of my artwork here.

Upcoming Shows

If you’re in the eastern Pennsylvania area, don’t miss our album release party for Between the Lightning and the Thunder this weekend at the Water Tower in Oaks. I’m very excited to play with our pals The Pinheads (featuring Eric13 from Combichrist) as well as Phoenix 96, a newer band whose member ages range from 12-16 years old. The kids are alright…

Sat June 14 / The Water Tower, Oaks, PA “Between the Lightning and the Thunder” album release party w/ Eric13 and the Pinheads + Phoenix 96

Get Tickets

Fri July 11 / Starving Artists Cafe, Stockton, N J (MJC solo acoustic show w/ Anthony Porter)

Wed July 16 / The Chill on the Hill - A Celebration of Newport ‘65, East Whiteland, PA (MJC performing a special Johnny Cash set)

Fri July 18 / Bowery Electric, New York, NY Johnny Thunders Birthday Bash w/ Lenny Kaye, Diane Gentile, Ruby Dee and the Snakehandlers, Joy Buzzer, Steve Krebs and the Maynard G’s and more

Bookshelf

I’m about 90% through this oral history of Rough Trade records. I’ve been enjoying it but, as a music fan rather than business student, it definitely leans into the turmoil of running an independent record label and distribution network more than I would care for. Worth a read for the chapters on The Smiths though.

If you’ve got good book recommendations, drop a comment as I’d love to hear to them.