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Category:    Home > Reviews > Concert > Rock > Pop > Blues > Missing Pages – Modus Operandi (DVD-Video Concert)

Missing Pages – Modus Operandi (DVD-Video Concert)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B-     Extras: B-     Concert: B

 

 

There is no doubt that there is an interesting Blues component to many Rock band upstarts, often informed by everything from Pearl Jam to The Dave Matthews Band.  Hailing from West Mifflin, Pennsylvania is the band Missing Pages, leaning more towards Matthews’ outfit, but trying to cut their own distinctive identity.  One big step in the right direction is Modus Operandi, a new DVD-Video concert release that is one of the best and most interesting we have seen all year.

 

At a time where most concerts are being shot in HD and both the directors & cameramen act like they have lead weights on their bodies and equipment, this is a concert that has life to it, feels it and has a sense of presence.  This is thanks both to the band on the climb and director Jimm Needle, who seems to be going out of his way to avoid every possible mistake we’ve seen in such programs the last few years.  The songs in the concert, shot at the Mr. Small’s Funhouse outlet on April 30th, 2006, include:

 

1)     L.I.S.

2)     A Song For Missy

3)     Perfect

4)     One Summer Night

5)     Heather

6)     Someday

7)     Someday Jam

8)     Nothin’s Wrong

9)     Bad Way

10)  Selfish

11)  I’ll Wait For You

12)  Back Here Again

13)  Hero

14)  I Believe It

 

 

It is so good that even if you are not a fan of all the music, you will find yourself impressed by the concert presentation itself.  This is not to say the band has botched anything, but even those not interested in the music genres they play in will be impressed by what they see here.  When we get a concert, we expect it to have some showmanship and not be dull, but the video age (especially in these early digital years) has made for some boring and dull live shows that are not so live.

 

Modus Operandi breaks that monotony and not a moment too soon, not because of some fancy editing or trick camerawork, but simply because the makers cared enough to do this right.

 

The letterboxed 16 X 9/1.78 X 1 image looks very good for a non-anamorphic production shot on digital, with a good choice of camera shots, proper lighting, good editing and an overall natural feel missing from most concert DVDs we see.  Detail can be an issue, but color and depth fare better.  Add the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix that has a good soundfield in part because the music is recorded well and you get impressive playback.  Mind you this is for an independent band and is an independent release.

 

Extras include branching video mode with featurettes for all 14 songs, a behind the scenes shooting of the concert, text bios of all five band members, stills section/slide show, featurette about the band and section featuring their Music Video for the song Weekend In L.A. that includes the Video, a making of the video and an alternate cut of the Video.  On the final cut of the clip, shot at the famous West Mifflin, PA amusement park Kennywood, color is exceptional for a 2 X 1 letterboxed clip.  Editing is pretty good and the audio is also clear.

 

Some bands and music acts try to get by on their music recordings and maybe a Video or two, but as Eagle Vision has proved, concert discs are in demand more than ever and it makes a big difference if a band can get a good one together, especially like this.  It’s what thousands of other bands would kill to get made.  We have seen dozens of indie concert discs and the amazing thing is how they make the most pedestrian errors, but this one is exceptional.  Music lovers and concert fans in particular will find it at least worth a good look.

 

For more information and to order this disc, you can go to the following links:

 

www.jimmneedle.com

 

www.missing-pages.com

 

www.missing-pages.com/dvd

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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