On Saturday, October 3rd, Reed Mathis used Democracy Comes Alive as the launchpad for a brand new Electric Beethoven video featuring special guests Mike Gordon (Phish) and Joe Russo (JRAD) that combines animation, stop motion, and live action footage to create an audiovisual space epic.
The video for “In Memory of a Great Man”, performed by Mathis, Gordon, and Russo, was created over a three-year period as a passion piece by director/animator Nick Setteducato. The video’s narrative, based on a story by Benjy Eisen, follows the animated crew of the starship Eroica, depicted as animated versions of Russo, Mathis, and Gordon. While exploring the cosmos, the animated voyagers collide with a very real Beethoven bust, and the collision sends kicks off a chain of events across different layers of space and the multi-verse.
Related: 2020 Reflections With Bassist Reed Mathis (Electric Beethoven, Golden Gate Wingmen)
While you’ll surely recognized the cartoon versions of Reed Mathis, Mike Gordon, and Joe Russo, another cameo you may not catch immediately is the Beethoven bust itself—the same prop used in A Clockwork Orange, borrowed from Peter Jackson‘s personal office.
Midway through the saga, the real-life Mathis and Gordon burst onscreen to deliver a dueling bass solo. The footage was captured backstage at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on July 20th, 2016 prior to Phish’s performance that evening.
The recording itself features only Reed Mathis, Mike Gordon, and Joe Russo, and predates Reed’s formation of Electric Beethoven as a band with different musicians. The recording appeared on Reed Mathis’ 2016 solo album, Beathoven, which featured various one-time-only trios, including this one with Mathis, Gordon, and Russo. The album also featured contributions from Page McConnell, Marco Benevento, Stanton Moore, Robert Walter, The Barr Brothers, and more. This edit of “In Memory of a Great Man” is also now available as a single on Spotify.
Watch the new music video for Electric Beethoven’s “In Memory of a Great Man” performed by Reed Mathis, Mike Gordon, and Joe Russo below:
Reed Mathis & Electric Beethoven – “In Memory of a Great Man”
Reed Mathis & Electric Beethoven joined 50+ performers and 10+ other speakers as part of Democracy Comes Alive, presented by Live For Live Music in partnership with voter registration nonprofit HeadCount. The 10-hour streaming event, powered by Nugs.TV and Plus 1, generated $40,000 and counting in funds for HeadCount as well as the participating artists, who remain out of work as the pandemic continues. In addition to the funds generated, Democracy Comes Alive led thousands of people to HeadCount’s tools to check your voter registration status and register to vote. For more information, head here.
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