Americana Highways brings you this video premiere of John Kilzer’s “Hello Heart” from his upcoming album Scars (Archer Records), due to be released January 11. Scars was produced by Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, John Prine). It features Kilzer, with Steve Selvidge (guitar), Rick Steff (keyboards), drummers Steve Potts and George Sluppick, Dave Smith (bass) as well as Spang (guitar) who produced the session live together with the band.
This video is a meeting of the Memphis minds, as it stars Shannon Walton and was directed by Laura Jean Hocking; the pair met through the group Memphis Women In Film. Hocking and Kilzer have previously co-created award-winning films. Hocking also worked on the feature documentary Best of Enemies. Her comment about this video was: “I wanted to do something abstract and dreamlike rather than a narrative piece.” The original plan was to have Walton enter the pool but it was 35 degrees when they shot it in December, and the pool was not heated, so they opted to keep Walton on dry (but also very cold) land when this was filmed.
Kilzer, who is also known as Reverend Kilzer, sings this song about losing one’s love, but finding one’s heart: “hello heart, good-bye love.” He is also absent from the video, which heightens its message. The ethereal rhythms of the song are echoed in the dreamscapes, the surreal settings and shadowy blues of the cinematography.
Watch and see what happens: