Fitz Ross Productions, the local label responsible for dozens of Spare Room Sessions with Boston’s best independent artists, has one last sesh before capping their lens for good. With Saccharine’s aptly named tune “Leaving,” Fitz Ross says farewell.
Beautifully shot in Allston’s Ringer Park in collaboration with Sound It Out Films, this dreamlike vid has a way of asserting intimacy in even the most public, outdoor spaces. On cameras, Brandon Hafetz, Eric Walker, and Kit Castagne capture every small detail that pulls in the viewer– a bug crawling up a cable, one yellow leaf floating out of reach– while producer Toni Tiemann and engineers Zach Cadman and Connor Eichinger tie in the soft sounds of Kevin King’s voice, the plucking of silver strings, and the sharpness of Saccharine lyrics. View the video below.
Fitz Ross founder and executive director Brandon Hafetz has spearheaded the documentation of some of Boston’s most beloved, including Soft Fangs, Anjimile, Dent, Honeysuckle, Bent Knee… the list goes on. Along with thirty-plus sessions and thousands of hours editing, Hafetz and the crew also organized Fitz Fest in 2015 and 2016, a multi-day/multi-venue fest that showcased bands like daephne, Black Beach, and Horse Jumper of Love. And as anyone who’s ever tried to make money in the indie music business knows, these are labors of love, passion projects, a way to champion artists we believe in.
“The end of Fitz Ross is incredibly bitter sweet for myself and the rest of our extended ‘Fitz-Fam’, as we call it,” says Hafetz. “I’m eternally grateful for the dedicated efforts that were contributed by our team of volunteers and interns, for every band who trusted us to capture their art in a way they’d be excited about, and for every person that took the time to check out our sessions or attend a Fitz Fest.”
So what’s next? Hafetz says he’ll be working on music with Oh Malô in Brooklyn, as well as “an exciting new project that has some major ties to the Boston music scene,” which he’s hoping to announce by year’s end. As for the intersection of Boston’s film and music scenes, keep a lookout for photos taken by Kit Castagne, concert posters designed by Dylan Sylvester, videos shot by Sam Harchik or Eric Walker, animations created by Brett McLoughlin, or light shows designed by The Murdock Manor.
To see more of Saccharine, catch them at O’Brien’s this Sunday with Ripped Genes, and Red Mill, or at this FREE & ALL AGES show on October 22nd with Gauntly and The Aux at Winter Hill Brewing Company.