Movie Club

Bio

Formed in October 2018, Movie Club is an instrumental rock duo out of Venice Beach, California. Movie Club is Jessamyn Violet on drums and Vince Cuneo on guitar.

After only a few weeks of playing together, the band performed their first show for a Cal Jam party that local legend Robbie Krieger (The Doors) was headlining. Seeing the potential of the project, the two started writing every day and playing live around Los Angeles. The band experimented with mixing their favorite genres of music and channeling other instrumental groups.

They went on to drop two EPs, “Kraken” & “Hammerhead,” collaborating with producer Matt Wignall (Cold War Kids, Wargirl) and bassist Erick ”Jesus” Coomes (Dr. Dre, Kanye, Lettuce). The group performed 30 shows, received KCRW airtime, & built an international following in one year.

To further show their range, Jessamyn & Vince decided to make a grittier & more psychedelic EP with their third release “Man O’ War” out 3/31/20. Inspired by both modern and classic psych rock bands, they retreated to the desert to demo their new songs. Working with a different team, the four song EP was recorded at Kingsize Soundlabs by Brian Rosemeyer, featuring bassist Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie, Black Crowes).

Drawing from their deep love of film, Movie Club produces and directs their own cinematic music videos in order to illustrate their visual, musical, & artistic influences. Their first music video, “Surf Basement,” is classic black and white. Beautifully shot by DP Mike Mast, it shows the group wandering a dilapidated pier in the Pacific ocean. “Navy Seal” is a tribute to surf rock legend Dick Dale, and was coincidentally recorded the day after he passed. For the music video, the group collaborated with notorious street artist Muck Rock & surf videographer Michael Veltman. For their latest “Man O’ War” music videos, they recruited talented videographer Dustin Downing. “Moonbow” was filmed in Venice and was an ode to Beastie Boys “Sabotage.” “Bones” was shot at an abandoned California water park and has heavy references to “Mad Max” and “Indiana Jones.” “Driftwood” was shot in front of iconic independent Hollywood venues during the quarantine as a video tribute to the end of an era.

Movie Club’s mission is to keep producing unique art for an international fan base. They released Black Flamingo on Nov. 27th, 2020 to international critical acclaim. The band’s debut full-length record features special guests on a few tracks: bassist Tim Lefebvre, Rami Jaffee on organ, and violinist Jessy Greene. The album was recorded and mixed by Jeff Thompson and mastered by Mike Tucci. “Like a road trip through a David Lynch film, with Movie Club you’re never quite sure where you’re going to end up,” says Louder Than War in their review of the album. The music video of the title track “Black Flamingo” was directed by Ran Pink and features the bandmates dressed in masquerade masks performing magic tricks in a tiny spirit house.

Movie Club’s 4th EP “Fangtooth” was released August 10th, 2021. Their seventh music video, made for the single “Trap Door”, features the duo exploring the wild terrain of Salton Sea, CA, and won “Best Music Video” at the 2022 Istanbul Film Awards.