Front Porch Band’s Beliefs: Station Conversation

Sometimes, it takes a pair of trained online video watchers to figure out what’s happening in a new viral short. And Jill Weinberger and Liz Shannon Miller are occasionally up to the task. In today’s Station Conversation, they tackle the Front Porch Band’s I Believe Campaign, a music video about politics… But whose politics, exactly?

Liz: Okay, Jill, here we go. Load up The Front Porch Band’s I Believe Campaign. But don’t start it yet. We’re going to simul-watch it.

Jill: Ooh, the suspense.

Liz: The game is — what the heck is this video about. Ready?

Jill: Yes.

Liz: Okay, on my mark. 1…2…3… MARK.

First thing I’m going to say is country music probably means this tilts conservative.

Jill: So far it seems like what they really believe in singing a little flat. And I don’t believe him when he says he believes in rock n’ roll.

Liz: Yeah. but I do want to know who is in his arms. Is it a woman? Is it America?

Jill: Oh, that’s an unfortunate hat that just went by.

Liz: I kind of liked it. The same way I like this one token black guy they found.

Jill: I thought there were two. ‘Cause I was like, “Hey, a black guy!” and then “Hey, another black guy!”

Liz: Black Guy #2 showed up just as I was typing that!

Jill: So far all I can ascertain that they believe in is jingoism and flagrant overuse of posterboard.

Liz: Neither of those things distinguish it from a Republican or Democrat viewpoint.

Jill: Maybe it’s just some band promoting itself with vague feelgoodiness, and not political at all. But in their tags, they have both “barackobamadotcom” and “johnmccaindotcom.”

Liz: I saw that, and was confused.

Jill: Plus “britney spears” and “offshore drilling.” And I did not intend to sound dirty when I put the two phrases next to each other.

Liz: Great, well, now we’re ALL thinking it.

Jill: Hey, at this point Britney could use the association with something good and sexy. Like offshore drilling.

I will say Front Porch Band is an awesome name for a generic country group. Oh, Front Porch COUNTRY band. Even better. Otherwise I would have thought they were neo-punk.

Liz: Yes. I’m sure they run into that problem a lot. I do kind of like the name. It has a whole old-timey-presidential-election vibe.

Jill: It’s homey and folksy. And they did appear to be singing on a front porch in the video.

Liz: Yeah, that’s what I like to see in music videos. For example, if you’re up against the wall, Britney, you had better be UP AGAINST it.

I have to say, I like I Believe Campaign more now that I understand it’s really just a band promotion, and not technically politically themed.

Jill: I think it was more intended for a political candidate to stumble across, fall in love with, and adopt for his campaign. And they didn’t care which candidate.

Liz: Which candidate do you think should claim it?

Jill: I would have to say either neither, because I still think it’s generic and kind of empty (though vaguely nice and feel good), or John McCain, because I do not care for him or his campaign thus far. But I would agree that hollow feel goodiness is also something that Obama’s been accused of. You have to admire the genius of a candidateless campaign song that you write in the hope that ANY campaign will pick it up and deliberately tag so both campaigns will get a pingback.

Liz: Yeah, my thought is that there’s potential here. And, to draw upon stereotyping, the bulk of country music fans who will respond to this video aren’t necessarily thrilled with either candidate. So if properly redone (possibly by will.i.am?), it’s a perfect fill-in-the-gap for the Obama campaign. That’s what Hillary had going for her in the midwest — her persona has just a hint of country-fried.

I guess the only real indicator of political intentions is that the word “change” never appears on any of their poster boards (and how ironic is it that they’re borrowing a music video device from Bob Dylan?).

Jill: I’m not sure they know they’re doing that. I also enjoy that they seem to have generated a serious debate about offshore drilling in their comments section.

Liz: Really? Is it about its sexy virtues?

Jill: Sadly, no.

Liz: I guess that’s the thing about viral video. You can never predict exactly where it’s going to go.

Jill: Perhaps this video is like a little red, white, and blue balloon, released hopefully into the sky with no knowledge of where it’ll land and whose life it’ll brighten.

Liz: I like that. It makes me believe in hope. And freedom. Not change, though.

Jill: Yeah. I think we’ve discovered what they believe in — hyperbole.