A documentary about James Rabbit.

I'm featured briefly in a 10-minute documentary about a band I play bass in called James Rabbit (often featured on Fluxblog, including this post from a few days ago). Just after the five-minute mark, Tyler (the band's mastermind) and I are walking down the street as he flatters me mercilessly, and I am seen performing my song "(Did You) Tie Me Down (Or Up?)" with the band at a packed house show in Santa Cruz. (We did a nice job with it; I wish I could see the whole clip, featuring the ending harmonies!) I was actually sort of surprised and bewildered that this segment was featured, as my role in James Rabbit is definitely supportive more than anything, but I think the main benefit from its inclusion is to show a couple particularly warming facets of Tyler's character: his boundless enthusiasm for music and its creators (and having creators as his peers), and his too-humble self-effacement (the kind a real talent can sometimes have). When he says he and I are in different leagues, it only reinforces my opinion that we are not.I love being in James Rabbit. Tyler's songs are a blast to perform, and I relate to the man in several ways - not the least of which he outlines at the end of the video, talking about the reason he does James Rabbit. (Not to mention the affinity we share for Neil Hamburger, Laurie Anderson, Kate Bush, Lindsey Buckingham, Steely Dan...) Also watch out for my roommate John Acquadro popping balloons as percussion (he is credited at the end as John Quatro; this is a mistake, and you should read it as Acquadro), and my dear friend Jamie Burkart speaking about "the two wings of the eagle - total participation and successful production."Three short stories about Lindsey Buckingham, Tyler Martin and me:1. A couple years ago, at a show we had at the house I lived in called the Shop in Santa Cruz (a monthly event called the Shop Show, in fact), Tyler and some pals were going to perform the Buckingham composition "Holiday Road" and I was invited to sing the harmonies and do the barking at the end while wearing a full-body dog costume that they had somehow acquired. It was a success.2. Tyler rode with me from Berkeley to Santa Cruz one night past midnight, on the eve of my first performance in James Rabbit (the one in the video). As soon as we got on the highway, we popped Tusk by Fleetwood Mac into the tape player and let it play uninterrupted. At some point one of us said it would be something if we ended up pulling up to the house in Santa Cruz precisely as the album ended. This, of course, happened exactly.3. At the most recent James Rabbit concert, he wanted to do a cover. I suggested the Buckingham song "Don't Look Down," because I love it and because I covered it and know it well. It was mulled over, and then Tyler eventually made a much better suggestion for the tone of a James Rabbit show: "The Ledge" from Tusk. Tyler and I shared lead vocals and everyone in the band did the whispering "make it babe, make it babe, make it babay" part. It was a success.