SONG:   “Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror”
by Jeffrey Lewis
6 min

DIRECTOR:  Mark Locke, Fort Mark Films
www.fortmarkfilms.com

SYNOPSIS:
Jeffrey Lewis encounters Will Oldham on the NYC subway, or does he?

www.thejeffreylewissite.com

www.myspace.com/jefflewisband

Director Biography

UK writer/director Mark Locke arrived in the late 1990's with a series of award-winning shorts featuring casts of amateurs and shot on budgets that were so shoestring they were 'that bit of plastic on the end of a shoestring'. Films such as EAT IN, THE MISSING LINK, LUBE and the wonderfully titled WHEN I LEAVE THE SIXTH FORM I'M GETTING STRAIGHT INTO SOMETHING MEDIA RELATED becoming international festival, TV and internet favourites and still receiving regular screenings today.

He went on to make £3.5 million feature film CRUST, a comedy about three ordinary people and a seven foot boxing shrimp. It was theatrically released as far and wide as the United States and Japan, where it was such a hit it inspired a sub-genre of copycat films, including Calamari Wrestler and Crab Goalkeeper.

In recent times Mark's also utilised his skewed humour and visual skills in the world of music promos. Often working with bands he loves, even if it means returning to the 'bit of plastic' budgets of his shorts (some as low as £150!), Mark's already responsible for various MTV, YouTube and music industry favourites. These include FASHION PARADE for Misty's Big Adventure (which made the NME's Top Ten YouTube Clips Of The Year), WILLIAMSBURG WILL OLDHAM HORROR for US Antifolk artist Jeffrey Lewis, and the brand new promo for UNKLE.

The Jeffrey Lewis Band Biography

Jeffrey Lewis was raised in New York City and is a maker of comic books, tragi-comic folk narratives, and lysergic garage rock. With brother Jack on bass and David Beauchamp on drums, the Jeffrey Lewis Band mixes 60s acoustic psychedelia like Pearls Before Swine with the experimental art-punk of the Fall and the urban lyricism of Lou Reed, sounding a bit like if Woody Guthrie fronted Sonic Youth. Live shows also incorporate "low budget videos", Jeff’s large illustrations displayed to accompany certain songs. In 2001 Jeffrey Lewis signed to Rough Trade Records and has since released four albums.

The Jeffrey Lewis Band has toured the US, UK and Europe, sharing bills with Devendra Banhart, Black Dice, Thurston Moore, the Fall, Beth Orton, Frank Black, the Fiery Furnaces, Daniel Johnston, Scout Niblett, the Mountain Goats, the Moldy Peaches, Cornershop, the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, Wooden Wand, the Cribs, the Danielson Famile and others.

The album Jeffrey Lewis: 12 Crass Songs was released in the UK and Europe in October 2007 on Rough Trade, with US release slated for January 2008. The album is a collection of songs by the legendary anarchist punk band Crass, reworked by Jeffrey into glorious folk, rock, psychedelic, orchestral and electronica productions which dazzle the ear while losing none of the political power of the originals. For the recording of 12 Crass Songs Lewis was joined by Helen Schreiner on back up vocals.

12 Crass Songs follows in the footsteps of the critically acclaimed Jeffrey & Jack Lewis: City & Eastern Songs, which was produced by Kramer (Galaxie 500, Butthole Surfers, Low, Daniel Johnston, etc) and was selected as one of 2006's best albums in Time Out NY, the Boston Globe, CMJ Monthly and elsewhere. Jeffrey's most recent comic book series Fuff is currently up to issue six.