Foooood fiiiiight! Jared Mees’ Thanksgiving-themed music video for “Echo Chamber” teaches us a valuable lesson about family dynamics and societal politics in the Dis-Information Age.
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“Oh Jesus please help me not to become an asshole.” Such is the start of Jared Mees’ witty, engaged and timely new single “Echo Chamber,” a festive exploration of the holiday season’s complex family dynamics.
Oh Jesus please help me
not to become an asshole.
Enlighten me if by the off chance
its already too late.
I don’t wanna let my opinions
dumb down my actions.
Or fall asleep to the sweet sound
of my own voice echoing in my brain.
Watch: “Echo Chamber” – Jared Mees
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the new music video for “Echo Chamber,” off Jared Mees’ recently-released foruth album Life is Long (April 21, 2017 via Tender Loving Empire). Featuring the Thanksgiving table we Americans will all soon be seated around, “Echo Chamber” offers a look at what might happen if we strip ourselves of all pretense and inhibition, and let the truth out.
Cuz no one can blame anyone,
for believin’ they’re right.
But they can sure as shootin’
blame ya for startin’ a fight
Oh Jesus please, please help me
not to become an asshole,
enlighten me if it’s too late.
“The Holidays are that special time of year where you’re forced to sit around and talk with people who share your bloodline, who look just like you, but whose views you more or less despise,” Jared Mees reflects. Sounds like he’s in for a treat this year. “The video for the song ‘Echo Chamber’ imagines such a family gathering but if people actually acted on those frustrations… and potentially had a cathartic learning experience as a result.”
He continues: “Jeff Feazell (the video’s director) and I thought it would be fun to keep the actual politics out of the video and focus instead on the individual humans, the building tension beetween them, the eventual blowup and resolve. Shooting the food fight portion was really gross. It was really hot that day so everything stunk really bad. I hated that I had to wrastle around with a dead turkey (I’m a vegetarian), but it wouldn’t have been as believable if it had been tofurkey or something. The whole shoot was really fun though and the cast was awesome to work with.”
My ego got drunk every night for a while at the college
On the soothing elixir of ideals and perfect design.
But the hangover was rude,
I spent two years in fast food learnin’
a valuable new piece of knowledge.
The only truth worth believin is one that can be compromised.
Its my deepest desire to be true to my god and my country.
And I’ll be damned if relijin’ and politickin’ gets in the way.
Cuz you gotta listen hard to hear the ones who aren’t talkin’ like you.
Cuz that echo chamber gets louder and louder and L O U D E R RRrr… each day
Folks should enjoy “Echo Chamber” as a light-hearted affair, but note its deeper message and the silver lining – that maybe listening to one another is better than talking over each other. Should you find yourself at home this Thanksgiving, with family members who share different opinions, ideals, values, social mores, etc… Don’t call them wrong and storm out. Don’t yell at them, or say they’re on the wrong side of history. Don’t critique or criticize; instead, listen and rebut: Talk out your differences, explains your points of view, and find some common ground.
Maybe together, you might find a compromise – even if it means you have to get the smaller turkey leg.
What matters most – more than anything else – is that you’re having the conversation.
From all of us here at Atwood Magazine, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving dinner – and don’t miss Jared Mees’ new video!
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:: stream/purchase Life Is Long here ::
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photo © Jeff Feazell
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