A 12-part documentary series chronicling intimate performances by northwest bands, Into the Woods represents what producer Jordan Kinley terms “a return to ritual.” The ritual, in this case, is translated as the sense of community that develops when friends gather together to hear and play music. The first episode, screening tonight at Holocene, features Wampire and a group of close friends as they journey over the snowy mountain passes to a cabin in the woods near Mt. Hood. Kinley sat down with us to talk about the project, and explain why—if for no reason other than to see Wampire strip down to their undershorts—you should attend.
opbmusic: In a few words, what’s the big idea behind Into the Woods?
JK: The best parts of Don't Look Back aren't where Bob Dylan is playing, but when he's walking around on couches and mumbling, all whacked out on speed. Our shows try to figure out a really simple concept that brings out the personality of the band. A lot of stuff out there right now just has bands playing in interesting and beautiful locations, but the location doesn't inform the personality.
I really do think of this project as a return to ritual. In the western world we don't get much of it anymore but its pretty crucial to creating a community and Into the Woods is a quirky little ritual. Each episode will have an entirely new set of people that provide a new personality and group experience. A band like Wampire is going to bring more of a party crowd, while some one like The Nurses might bring a more down to earth crowd. And we’d give [anything] to shoot an episode with Pavement.
opbmusic: There’s an interesting story behind the idea, right?
JK: Tom [Oliver] was interested in figuring out a way to photograph musicians. Ralf [Rodriguez] was really into the idea of getting away from the city and putting people in a different environment. They were both shocked when they realized that they had the same idea simultaneously. When I got involved I was really into the documentary aspect. Each person really has a different idea of the project but it provides a really great tension that you need in any kind of creative process.
opbmusic: What’s the significance of the northwest bent?
JK: Our aim is to have intothewoods.tv become the Pitchfork.tv or Vice of the northwest. No one from the inside really covers this scene. It’s mostly Brooklyn people coming out for two weeks and filming. We don't really want to talk about the scene, we just want to show it, and we're hoping to create a living archive of what’s happening from San Francisco to Seattle. Also, we are really trying to avoid making shows with a bunch of talking heads speaking about the music scene in a surgical way. Into The Woods isn't about the music scene, it is the music scene.
opbmusic: What was the filming of the first episode like?
JK: The lead up to the shoot was very stressful. Lots of long hours. We were dealing with limited funds and a huge task. I think we had to dig a total of four cars out of the snow, but the concert was really fun and the after party was a blast. We shot until five in the morning. When we went to edit the footage, we realized that there were these amazingly intimate moments. The snowstorm was an unexpected surprise, it was the first big snow storm of the year and it was really beautiful.
opbmusic: What can the audience at Holocene expect tonight?
JK: Doors at 8:30. Tunnels and Golden Retriever will play first. Then we'll screen the film. Then Wampire—the band featured in the first episode—will play a show. Rocky will undoubtedly get into his underwear.
Here's a teaser:
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