Alberta-based singer-songwriter Ryland Moranz has always been a firm believer that the old ways are the best ways. So when he set out to create the video for his latest single ‘Where Are My Blue Eyes’, the self-professed ‘analog snob’ decided they should shoot it on 16mm film.
After the filming the video in Lethbridge and Edmonton with director Evan Uschenko, the film was processed, developed and scanned. The developed film was then augmented by applying paint, ink, and by scratching with the needle from an old CBGB’s pin. Each frame was painted by hand, a process that took over 40 hours. The result is an intriguing piece of art in which all the luck, trial, and mistakes can be seen in earnest. Not everything in this video is perfect, and that’s exactly the point.
“‘Where Are My Blue Eyes’ is the most honest thing I’ve ever written, and the video reflects that,” says Ryland. “All the imagery; musings on love, the fallacy of humanity and the salvation that is found in the temporary nature of the universe is at the heart of who I am as an artist and as a growing human being. This song came to me as a revelation, and it revealed that nothing is ever really forgotten and that I am as I am just as you are as you will be. And if that’s the case then all is right in the universe.”
Following the October release of ‘If I Had Wings’, ‘Where Are My Blue Eyes’ is the 2nd single from Ryland’s new album XO, 1945, which will be out on January 15th. A song that Ryland calls his favourite song he’s ever written, ‘Where Are My Blue Eyes’ actually came about by accident.
“I was on tour with Leeroy Stagger in California and we had a day on in San Rafael,” says Ryland. “I was in a music store and found an amazing banjo that dated back to 1890. It was the real deal from its handcrafted inlay to its ivory tuning pegs; an equally stunning and sinister feature. It was in a tuning I didn’t recognize, which turned out to be open C, an old timey sort of tuning that evokes the tectonic cultural tone of the instrument. I became obsessed with the tuning and over the next afternoon developed what became the bones of the song.”
Ryland Moranz’s new single ‘Where Are My Blue Eyes’ is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. His new album XO, 1945 will be released on January 15th, 2021 through Tonic Records.
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