Ugly Beauty

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 23 Nov 2016 10:08 am

This is a song composed by Thelonious Monk that appears on my Steelonious cd--the only waltz he ever wrote.

This morning I took some video with my phone and made a little music video for Ugly Beauty. The video was taken in an area that I grew up in--a historically industrial area. We played on the railroad tracks, in the old factories (most of which no longer exist, including the old RCA plant in Harrison, NJ). The video presents the ugliness of progress amidst the backdrop of nature's beauty.

Ugly Beauty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBNTg0TSdBY

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 23 Nov 2016 5:28 pm

Great video Mike, very mesmerizing, total fits the music. I know that train root well, I love industrial sites, very sad that many are gone, but they are so darn interesting and in a way, beautiful to look at.

Great light in the video, did you plan it or just do it with your phone on a whim?

Definitely do more!

Btw, I met your buddy at the gallery in Morristown before Glenn's show. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 24 Nov 2016 7:22 am

Craig, I just shot the video yesterday morning at 6:30. I held the iPhone up to the glass and tried to capture that beautiful sky. The whole video was about 10 minutes, and I edited it down. No filtering or anything, just natural light.

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 24 Nov 2016 8:30 am

Amazing what can be done on a cell phone. No need for an expensive camera. Good thing NJ transit had the windows clean.

Was talking to sax player Bob Magnussen a few weeks ago and he Plays into his phone all the time and sends the recording all over the world.

Your video has the same feel as pat me there's long train home video from years ago.

Maybe you should do a shore line video for one of the other songs.

Have great holiday!

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 24 Nov 2016 11:26 am

Very, very nice!

Bud Angelotti · Post by **Bud Angelotti** » 24 Nov 2016 6:18 pm

That was perfect!
NJ transit, early morning.
Beauty in the Ugly.
Less is more. Perfect!

Neil McCollum · Post by **Neil McCollum** » 25 Nov 2016 4:52 am

Hi, Mike

Good to know that you're still doing Thelonious Monk.

And nice to know that you're a New Jersey native, as am I, born in Rahway, NJ, not to far from Harrison.

Keep up your great work.

-neilvmcc

Billy McCombs · Post by **Billy McCombs** » 25 Nov 2016 7:16 am

Really enjoyed that.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 25 Nov 2016 10:02 am

The more I listen to Ugly Beauty, the more I hear the spaces between notes and phrases, really spacious. Great production.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 1 Dec 2016 5:31 am

Thanks for all the kind words.

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 5 Dec 2016 6:42 pm

Hey Mike, I don't go to the city often, but my wife and I took my daughter to MOMA last week for a project she had to do for a college art course, and saw the whole view of your video out the window of our train just as you videoed it. I could hear the whole song as we traveled the route, I will always hear it when we make that trip again.

Still can't believe the quality of your phone's camera as my window was not so much dirty, but just scratched and pitted a bit. Wanted to bring attention to this again, since it is such a great song and visualization to go along with it.

Happy Holidays!