What I’ve come to realize lately is people have questions and two of the most frequent I receive are “what is Phil Mucci up to?” and “when is he coming back to Austin?” The second I have no information on but the reply to the first has always been “chillin’ in California after relocating from big, bad NYC and directing stuff.” But what kind of stuff? We already know Mr. Mucci is an award-winning photographer who has worked with the likes of Christine Aguilera, Jay-Z, My Chemical Romance, The Killers, Trent Reznor and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, among others; we know he has done work for Sketchers both in (seditious) print and television; we know his short, The Listening Dead, premiered and stormed the Best Short Film Award at FantasticFest 2006; we know Far Out, the next short, was received well at both FantasticFest 2007 and the Boston Underground Film Festival 2009; we know he even directed a music video for Louis XIV’s “Paperdoll,” what is he doing now?

The answer to that showed up in the mail the other day. Multi-talented Mucci has dipped a toe back in the world of video directing with “I Get Off,” the lead single from the self-titled Halestorm, a rising band out of Pennsylvania. The album has been stores as of April 28th and debuted at #40 on the Billboard Album Chart. I have seen the band reviewed as “Post-Grunge” and “Hard Rock Alternative,” as well as “unoffensive Corporate rock” and these terms are as good as any I guess.

Led by singer Elizabeth Hale (neè Lzzy), Halestorm adds enough bluesy bass-lines to show some musical chops but rock just enough to separate themselves from most of the current dominators of the airwaves. I guess if this came on I wouldn’t be in any hurry to turn it off, nor would I rush to the radio to hear it. They seem to sandwich nicely between tour-mates Staind and Shinedown and if you like that stuff then this will be right up your alley. Ms. Hale seems to be more Joan Jett than Katie Perry, which sets her, too, apart from the crowd and the sites I’ve seen seem to think it’s her unique voice that elevates this band but underneath it is also implied that Lzzy is a pretty good looking young lass as well so don’t think the irony escapes me. Who better to exploit it, then, than Phil Mucci?

The video for “I Get Off” is already a step ahead of most video fare by actually attempting to deliver a narrative. True, the focus is mainly on the band themselves, as you have to promote the product and Mucci shines, emphasizing each member of the group (because everyone has a favorite) yet undeniably capturing Lzzy as the focal point and the allure, utilizing quick pans and unusual angles in a way consistent with the background tale yet boldly different from the standard video. Besides the “rocking,” the video portrays Ms. Hale in a cute little outfit covered by a cabalistic hood in a police station being railed at by an old detective. Whatever they’ve got on her is pretty big, too, as behind a two-way mirror, more detectives watch and discuss, including The Listening Dead’s own Peter Scriba! Mucci’s deft skill in the short form really makes you want to know, too because as soon as the pissed cop leaves the room she raises a hand and causes the papers on the table to flutter madly in the room and then goes ECW on the mirror with a chair! Where did she get these powers? What spell was she in the midst of when the cops busted her? How good a magician is she to get hauled in? Peter Scriba wants to know too but the continuing conversation seems fruitless because before you know it, Scriba is the prisoner and Ms. Hale is in control.

Mucci’s pacing and editing really make Halestorm seem far more metal than they actually are and really gives the band a unique edge. Elizabeth Hale is the kind of front-woman that rock music has been seeking since Polly Jean Harvey (and I made that up so if you want to use that as a jacket blurb feel free) and Mucci give it to them in spades. She is at once the kick-ass rock goddess belting out her soulful lyrics and a menacing commander of the supernatural in Mucci’s tale. Kudos to the costuming department for thematically fitting the look of the narrative with the band segments as well as the lighting department for giving that big rock feel while helping build the occult ambiance of the background proceedings. The true joy, of course, is watching Mucci’s style and ethos invading music videos. The subtle manipulation of the video cameras during the interrogation, the cool table-level shot of the coffee being swept to the ground, the over-the-shoulder shot of the cop’s hand pounding the table, the slow pan from Peter Scriba and the other cop past the still-sitting Lzzy to the video monitor where all is not normal, the calculated close-ups with excellent actors which serve to silently develop events (of which Mucci is an acknowledged master), the whole video is an exhibition of the rich palette with which Mucci creates. It’s hard to deliver any story in 3:04, let alone push a rock band but Mucci strikes a solid balance that allows the story to enhance the perception of the band and give the viewer something more than a band playing while people stand around looking cool.

Admittedly, the style of music Halestorm plays is not my bag but, as with anything else, you’ll only know when you check it out and if you like it that’s awesome. If you are a fan of Phil Mucci this video almost seems like a test from a Master of the short form for something else up his sleeve. Either way, Mucci gets to display his limitless talent, the band gets a bigger push (indeed, the single is #26 – in no small part to the video I bet) and a buzz-worthy video, the viewer gets a rare something worth watching and everyone makes money. If you see this video on Mtv2 or find it on the web, check it out. It’s at once a solid rock video and an occult-cop drama, all dripping with that macabre Mucci touch.