http://www.intakeweekly.com live music December 2, 2004 (excerpt from) Video helps the local music stars Indy Music Channel producer has spots for hometown acts. By Jessica Halverson Making the video: Devil to Pay's 'Tractor F'n Trailer' An e-mail conversation with Devil to Pay's lead singer and guitarist Steve Janiak about this week's Indy Exclusive video: How did you come up with the concept for the video, alternating between the sepia-toned muscle car drive to the live shots? (Director Matt Mays) really came up with the conceptual part of it, and we brainstormed a little. It's basically a case of minimal budget vs. grandiose ideas. I can come up with concepts all day, but without a huge budget, they're not practical at all. The owner of the car is a former racecar driver and friend of Matt's. The Nova (nicknamed Christine) really fit in with the '70s vibe on the song. The "live" shots were filmed at the Melody Inn with all our friends and the "in-the-round" shots were filmed in the Murat Egyptian room, on the main floor. What was the process like? Was it very time consuming, hard work or more fun and spontaneous? It was different, that's for sure. Playing the same song over and over can be taxing. We also played it at a faster speed as well, for a different look, and that really can hurt your neck if you work it too hard. It was time-consuming, but on the flip side, you're on a tight schedule, trying to get in, get set up, get the shots you want, and get packed up and out, all in a matter of hours. It's very rewarding when you get the final product finished. Are you excited about Indy Exclusive? Do you think it is an important development? I think it's a long time coming and I'm definitely excited about it. I caught the 7DFC video the other day; it made me proud to see it on TV. I think it's very important, but its success depends on the viewers. No matter what happens, we'll definitely be getting our music in front of a new audience. Dan McNeal has been helping the local music community for a long time; he's a swell guy. What makes videos different / better / worse from getting your song on the radio or getting people to listen to your CD or come to a show? That's a tough question. We sent it out to some larger networks and they basically said we didn't fit the format for what they're playing currently. Any sort of major exposure would be huge for any independent band, but unfortunately it's so difficult to get past that level, and most bands don't. The competition in the music biz is really cut-throat, especially at radio stations and video networks. Everyone who's seen our video usually has good things to say about it. We're used to people discovering our band one at a time, and we're comfortable with that. When someone you just met comes up and says, "You guys rock, man!" that's when you know you're doing something right.