Songwriter Sebastian Blanck has had a lengthy career both as a solo artist and as part of the noise band Black Dice. He’s also an accomplished painter, a skill he occasionally gets to weave into his musical efforts. Blanck did just that for his new music video for “Magnolia,” a track off his forthcoming album Convince Me, a new collection that features, among other guests, Sharon Van Etten.
Videos by American Songwriter
“My wife, Isca Greenfield-Sanders, is a painter,” Blanck says. “We have been together since we met in college in Providence, RI. There are a number of beautiful Magnolia Trees on College Hill, the neighborhood where Brown and RISD are located. I went to RISD, and Isca went to Brown. Magnolia trees are my favorite tree. I find them especially beautiful in the spring when they are blooming. The first big gift Isca ever gave me was a painting of a magnolia tree. My song ‘Magnolia’ is about that in between time, when you are not a kid, but not quite an adult either.”
The video itself is an ode to Blanck’s wife, whose rendering is featured in various incarnations throughout the video. Blanck painted the video’s images himself before compiling them into an animated clip to accompany the track.
“The video features a number of my animations,” he explains. “In addition to being a musician, I am a painter. As I work on a painting, I take photos of the development of the piece. When the painting is complete, I create an animation to reveal that process. The video, like the song, is about Isca whom I have been painting for almost 20 years.”ᐧ
Convince Me is out June 16. Watch the video for “Magnolia” below.
