Written by: Jo Ann L.B. Duggins
Cover Photo: Misha Vladimirskiy
Full Name: David Gross, Collin Ruffino, Jim Orso
Age: 29, 29, 32
Currently Residing: Brooklyn, NY
Currently Listening to: Wave Machines
I'm a judger. It's true. I will write you off at the utterance of Fall Out Boy. I know, I'm a horrible person, but I take music very seriously. I met someone who also represents that tenet. I had no idea David Gross was a musician, but I knew he liked some impressive bands. He's also an intimidatingly intelligent person. His stature denotes shyness, but his demeanor is that of a philosopher. He's that guy you don't want to say anything stupid around.
When David dispelled he was in a band, I was interested right off. I did my research on the internets. It's hard searching for "home video" because you get a lot of....well, home videos. Upon first hearing, "I Can Make You Feel It, " I was hooked. Visceral in nature, Home Video create a web of beauty in their electropop. These guys are making intelligent, epidemic worthy music. They are doing their own recordings, writing their own music and shooting their own videos. This, is quality. This is a band who works and is striving for something more than a radio hit. This is a band searching to leave its mark.
With a single on Gossip Girl, spot on reviews, and a newly released EP (It Will Be Ok), David, along with band mates Collin Ruffino and Jim Orso are finding a nice little niche in the auralsphere. I love listening to this band loud in my earphones while I'm in the park, as the sun sets and you can just see the stars poking through the sky.
Both you and Collin have known each other a long time....How did this collaboration come to be?
Collin and I went to high school together in New Orleans, and after 3 years in the same art class, he finally played me a tape of the music he and another friend were working on. I got excited because it sounded like the music I heard in my head and no where else, so we started playing together. That band was active off and on through college and then Collin and I started making music together again in NYC when we moved into the same apartment in Brooklyn.
You've been called synth pop, brit pop, and the such, how do you view the character of music you create?
To me the most important thing about music is that it hits on a gut emotional level, and I hope that some people have that reaction to Home Video. It's hard for us (and most bands, I would assume) to characterize ourselves as a particular genre as our music is constantly progressing. I would say it's pop music, but draws from a lot more.
You all have real rich cultural background both musically and geographically, how has this played a role in your musical endeavors?
Collin and I grew up in New Orleans, and then he went to NYU and I went to BU, and then we met up again in NYC. I came from a classical household, and Collin had to kind of ease me into the world of (good) 'pop' music in high school. We used to drive around New Orleans blasting Bjork and Massive Attack. It was an amazing time for me, I just had no idea that there was stuff out there in the world like that. When I first moved to NYC I was working for Warp Records, and listening to demos, going out to shows, seeing hyped bands, etc - it was a really inspirational period and I felt like I was just soaking it all in. Collin on the other hand grew up with pop and has an appreciation for a much wider spectrum of stuff that I do and that's definitely been channelled into Home Video as well.
You all opened up for Justice on New Year's correct? How was that experience?
It was a crazy night for all of us, especially myself... The show was great, and Justice guys were really nice. I was so excited - not only was it New Years' Eve, but it was our biggest show ever. I ended up getting black out drunk by 11pm. After we finished our set, I have very little recollection of what happened. I had our digital SLR camera around my neck all night (still sticky with bourbon), and so I have an artificial memory of what I saw. It looks so fun. I just wish I remembered it. I really do feel bad about drinking so much that night.
Do you all tour as a band and will you be doing so this summer?
Yes, we tour as a three piece - Collin, myself and our amazing drummer, Jim Orso. We don't tour nearly as much as we would like to - we're ready to go out on the road for 6 months. We're always working on getting good support slots. The best tour we had was probably the 3 weeks we spent opening for Blonde Redhead. They were amazing people, and their audience really responded to us. I think we're working on booking some European dates in September now.
What music is turning you all on right now and how do you feel about the declining music industry? What do you feel is happening in regards to its progression?
Every few months I get really excited about a new band. Most recently it's Wave Machines, from the UK. I also really got into Bat for Lashes and Chairlift. I don't feel like the music industry is declining - I think it's changing, but not declining. Major label sales maybe declining, but indie vinyl sales are up. Live music is doing well and there are still lots of really interesting acts out there that are making it work, which is really exciting to see. I have not lost hope!
Who would you most want to play with and why?
This is a tough one - I would have to say any of the bands that we're into at the moment - so a constantly changing list. It would be amazing to share the stage with Portishead, Cut Copy, Nine Inch Nails, Bat for Lashes, Blonde Redhead (again!), The Naked Hearts. Because the bands all make amazing music that we feel we have something in common with - not just based on the way they sound but based on some underlying philosophy behind the music.
You all not only recorded your own EP, but you also produce your own videos. Where did the concept for "I Can Make You Feel It" come from?
Collin had this idea of making a simple performance video where the lighting developed throughout the song. At first we tried to project animated scribbles as light in a dark room, but we realized it was going to be hard - we would need multiple projectors, the room was not really big enough, we would not have as much control over the final project... So we tested overlaying the scribbles on footage of ourselves backlit in silhouette. It was a really cool effect, so we decided to go for it and try to make the whole video using that technique. It meant a lot of scribbling for Collin, but in the end I think it really worked.
If your band was a painting what painting would it be?
The Empire of Lights by Magritte.
Who does the song writing and how does the creative process usually start?
We both do, although Collin does pretty much all the lyrics and vocals (I mean like 99.9% - I think I wrote 5 words total). Usually a song will start as an instrumental that we collaborate on - sometimes just a simple beat. We'll add some layers and if it's working and we're both feeling it, Collin will add some vocals, and then we keep building from there.
Most bizarre dream as of late?
This one sticks in my mind as one of the great surreal dreams in recent memory: I am driving in a green, mountainous area in South America, along a road that traverses a steep slope. The sky is perfectly blue, and there are rolling grassy meadows with wildflowers on both sides of the road - on one side going steeply downward, and on the other steeply upward. Looking over the edge, huge floating platforms come into view. As I drive, they get closer and closer to the road, just kind of hovering there... I see they are huge space walks, hanging from hot air balloons - like the kind kids have at their birthday parties except way way bigger, like the size of a football field. And there are lots of them. I jump on one from the road and realize that it's a school, and that each of the floating surfaces are part of a floating city... it gets hazy after that, but the imagery really left an impression on me.
Check our their video for I Can Make You Feel It:
For more on Home Video:
Back to Sounds
Cover Photo: Misha Vladimirskiy
Full Name: David Gross, Collin Ruffino, Jim Orso
Age: 29, 29, 32
Currently Residing: Brooklyn, NY
Currently Listening to: Wave Machines
I'm a judger. It's true. I will write you off at the utterance of Fall Out Boy. I know, I'm a horrible person, but I take music very seriously. I met someone who also represents that tenet. I had no idea David Gross was a musician, but I knew he liked some impressive bands. He's also an intimidatingly intelligent person. His stature denotes shyness, but his demeanor is that of a philosopher. He's that guy you don't want to say anything stupid around.
When David dispelled he was in a band, I was interested right off. I did my research on the internets. It's hard searching for "home video" because you get a lot of....well, home videos. Upon first hearing, "I Can Make You Feel It, " I was hooked. Visceral in nature, Home Video create a web of beauty in their electropop. These guys are making intelligent, epidemic worthy music. They are doing their own recordings, writing their own music and shooting their own videos. This, is quality. This is a band who works and is striving for something more than a radio hit. This is a band searching to leave its mark.
With a single on Gossip Girl, spot on reviews, and a newly released EP (It Will Be Ok), David, along with band mates Collin Ruffino and Jim Orso are finding a nice little niche in the auralsphere. I love listening to this band loud in my earphones while I'm in the park, as the sun sets and you can just see the stars poking through the sky.
Both you and Collin have known each other a long time....How did this collaboration come to be?
Collin and I went to high school together in New Orleans, and after 3 years in the same art class, he finally played me a tape of the music he and another friend were working on. I got excited because it sounded like the music I heard in my head and no where else, so we started playing together. That band was active off and on through college and then Collin and I started making music together again in NYC when we moved into the same apartment in Brooklyn.
You've been called synth pop, brit pop, and the such, how do you view the character of music you create?
To me the most important thing about music is that it hits on a gut emotional level, and I hope that some people have that reaction to Home Video. It's hard for us (and most bands, I would assume) to characterize ourselves as a particular genre as our music is constantly progressing. I would say it's pop music, but draws from a lot more.
You all have real rich cultural background both musically and geographically, how has this played a role in your musical endeavors?Collin and I grew up in New Orleans, and then he went to NYU and I went to BU, and then we met up again in NYC. I came from a classical household, and Collin had to kind of ease me into the world of (good) 'pop' music in high school. We used to drive around New Orleans blasting Bjork and Massive Attack. It was an amazing time for me, I just had no idea that there was stuff out there in the world like that. When I first moved to NYC I was working for Warp Records, and listening to demos, going out to shows, seeing hyped bands, etc - it was a really inspirational period and I felt like I was just soaking it all in. Collin on the other hand grew up with pop and has an appreciation for a much wider spectrum of stuff that I do and that's definitely been channelled into Home Video as well.
You all opened up for Justice on New Year's correct? How was that experience?
It was a crazy night for all of us, especially myself... The show was great, and Justice guys were really nice. I was so excited - not only was it New Years' Eve, but it was our biggest show ever. I ended up getting black out drunk by 11pm. After we finished our set, I have very little recollection of what happened. I had our digital SLR camera around my neck all night (still sticky with bourbon), and so I have an artificial memory of what I saw. It looks so fun. I just wish I remembered it. I really do feel bad about drinking so much that night.
Do you all tour as a band and will you be doing so this summer?
Yes, we tour as a three piece - Collin, myself and our amazing drummer, Jim Orso. We don't tour nearly as much as we would like to - we're ready to go out on the road for 6 months. We're always working on getting good support slots. The best tour we had was probably the 3 weeks we spent opening for Blonde Redhead. They were amazing people, and their audience really responded to us. I think we're working on booking some European dates in September now.
What music is turning you all on right now and how do you feel about the declining music industry? What do you feel is happening in regards to its progression?
Every few months I get really excited about a new band. Most recently it's Wave Machines, from the UK. I also really got into Bat for Lashes and Chairlift. I don't feel like the music industry is declining - I think it's changing, but not declining. Major label sales maybe declining, but indie vinyl sales are up. Live music is doing well and there are still lots of really interesting acts out there that are making it work, which is really exciting to see. I have not lost hope!
Who would you most want to play with and why?This is a tough one - I would have to say any of the bands that we're into at the moment - so a constantly changing list. It would be amazing to share the stage with Portishead, Cut Copy, Nine Inch Nails, Bat for Lashes, Blonde Redhead (again!), The Naked Hearts. Because the bands all make amazing music that we feel we have something in common with - not just based on the way they sound but based on some underlying philosophy behind the music.
You all not only recorded your own EP, but you also produce your own videos. Where did the concept for "I Can Make You Feel It" come from?
Collin had this idea of making a simple performance video where the lighting developed throughout the song. At first we tried to project animated scribbles as light in a dark room, but we realized it was going to be hard - we would need multiple projectors, the room was not really big enough, we would not have as much control over the final project... So we tested overlaying the scribbles on footage of ourselves backlit in silhouette. It was a really cool effect, so we decided to go for it and try to make the whole video using that technique. It meant a lot of scribbling for Collin, but in the end I think it really worked.
If your band was a painting what painting would it be?
The Empire of Lights by Magritte.
Who does the song writing and how does the creative process usually start?
We both do, although Collin does pretty much all the lyrics and vocals (I mean like 99.9% - I think I wrote 5 words total). Usually a song will start as an instrumental that we collaborate on - sometimes just a simple beat. We'll add some layers and if it's working and we're both feeling it, Collin will add some vocals, and then we keep building from there.
Most bizarre dream as of late?
This one sticks in my mind as one of the great surreal dreams in recent memory: I am driving in a green, mountainous area in South America, along a road that traverses a steep slope. The sky is perfectly blue, and there are rolling grassy meadows with wildflowers on both sides of the road - on one side going steeply downward, and on the other steeply upward. Looking over the edge, huge floating platforms come into view. As I drive, they get closer and closer to the road, just kind of hovering there... I see they are huge space walks, hanging from hot air balloons - like the kind kids have at their birthday parties except way way bigger, like the size of a football field. And there are lots of them. I jump on one from the road and realize that it's a school, and that each of the floating surfaces are part of a floating city... it gets hazy after that, but the imagery really left an impression on me.
Check our their video for I Can Make You Feel It:
For more on Home Video:
Back to Sounds