This video was just uploaded to Vimeo this afternoon. From the video description: “Sabotage Film Group and the Quiet Hounds took to these very grounds where so many were lost. ‘Beacon Sun’ is an Ode to these lost souls.” Nicely done.
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you can download all of our music for free at quiethounds.com
Kirsten SchultzOct 27, 2012 @ 21:10
Just gorgeous. I adore how they well they evoke the POW experience with economic means: brief references to the exposure to the weather, the breakdown of law and order, the desire of men and their families to be reunited. I also admire how the hound masks are both a visual pun on the band’s name and distancing devices (as masks are), that could inspire more than one reading: the masked figures as ghosts of the bare-faced POWs, or as stand-ins for the band members (people of the present imagining/viewing the experiences of POWs at Camp Sumter). The song itself is clearly a product of this century, but the use of banjo and mandolin will make many listeners think of the past, as both instruments are associated with folk revival, bluegrass, and old-timey music (genres which are perceived of as old, even if history tells a rather more complicated story).
John broganOct 27, 2012 @ 16:39
Can’t wait to share this video with my students. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Kevin LevinOct 28, 2012 @ 3:29
Hi John,
Glad to hear that you think this is useful for the classroom.
This song and video is a first for me. I can’t remember any ballad regarding Andersonville. ‘Beacon Sun’ brought a deep sigh and a tear through the lyrics and the haunting melody. Three of my sons are professional musicians, as well as history scholars and I’m looking forward to sharing this group’s talent with them. Anticipating hearing more from Quiet Hounds.
Bummer
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you can download all of our music for free at quiethounds.com
Just gorgeous. I adore how they well they evoke the POW experience with economic means: brief references to the exposure to the weather, the breakdown of law and order, the desire of men and their families to be reunited. I also admire how the hound masks are both a visual pun on the band’s name and distancing devices (as masks are), that could inspire more than one reading: the masked figures as ghosts of the bare-faced POWs, or as stand-ins for the band members (people of the present imagining/viewing the experiences of POWs at Camp Sumter). The song itself is clearly a product of this century, but the use of banjo and mandolin will make many listeners think of the past, as both instruments are associated with folk revival, bluegrass, and old-timey music (genres which are perceived of as old, even if history tells a rather more complicated story).
Can’t wait to share this video with my students. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Hi John,
Glad to hear that you think this is useful for the classroom.
This song and video is a first for me. I can’t remember any ballad regarding Andersonville. ‘Beacon Sun’ brought a deep sigh and a tear through the lyrics and the haunting melody. Three of my sons are professional musicians, as well as history scholars and I’m looking forward to sharing this group’s talent with them. Anticipating hearing more from Quiet Hounds.
Bummer