Not content to just be part of one of Seattle's hottest rock groups, The Black Tones' Eva and Cedric Walker are now planning to document the scene in which they're on the verge of dominating. Starting at 11 pm on January 11, 2020, they'll be airing Video Bebop on Seattle Channel, and on all subsequent second Saturdays.
The motivation to launch Video Bebop? To "create a new space where people could send and see their music videos," Eva Walker says in an email interview. "Too often, videos have been relegated to shady and shaky YouTube links and Vimeo streams lost in the vastness of the internet. Music videos are supposed to be celebrated and watched in one place, à la MTV. We wanted to bring that back with Video Bebop. Bring music videos back to the color TVs! Of course, we're also aware we're in the 2010s entering the 2020s, so the show will also be online, ha!"
"As a kid, I absolutely loved watching music videos on TV, enjoying the visual art that came with the music," Cedric Walker says. "The Northwest has an infinite amount of talented artists and to be able to host this show with Eva and provide a platform for the music video is absolutely amazing and exciting."
Eva says that a typical 30-minute episode will showcase about five Northwest-centric music videos of disparate genres. "If the video is good, no matter the style, we will play it," she says. "Our team is diverse and so our interests are, also."
The Video Bebop crew consists of Alaia D'Alessandro (Tres Leches, KEXP), Danny Sebastian (DARK SMITH), and Jake Uitti (a former Stranger freelancer and occasional Black Tones bassist). The show is sponsored by Sonic Boom Records and London Bridge Studio.
The Walkers prefer not to reveal the first show's full lineup, but they will say that they're excited about Vanna Oh. "[Her song] 'Bear Named Sue' is killer! You'll have to tune in for the rest!" Eva says.
The Walkers figure that they're the first set of twins ever to host a music-oriented show such as Video Bebop. "Also, we look different than most show hosts and people represented on TV," Eva says. "Our team is mostly non-white and we will cull videos from folks who also look like us.
"Video Bebop will be infused with the energy that Cedric and I have enjoyed together since being womb-mates. The show is going to grow, have guest hosts, expose the Northwest to music and videos they might never had heard from before. And because we are producing this show ourselves and independently, we have essentially complete control!"
"We are just a vessel and hopefully this is an opportunity for the entire region to bring music videos into 2020 and set the bar high," Cedric says.
