The National have released Juicy Sonic Magic, a new mini-documentary.
The ten-minute film is in conjunction with their Black Friday Record Store Release (US-only) of the three-cassette box set entitled ‘The National: Juicy Sonic Magic, Live in Berkeley, September 24-25, 2018’.
Directed by David DuBois, the film celebrates the work of concert taper Mike “The Mike” Millard, utilising similar recording techniques.
Archivist and producer Erik Flannigan, who put the tape recordings together, explains: “The idea was to see if we could recreate what Matt Berninger calls the “juicy sonic magic” Millard captured in his 1970s field recordings.”
He adds: “With the advent of smartphones, thousands of people routinely record part of the show when they attend a National concert or any other performance. Forty years ago, when nobody would dare do that, one man made it his life’s work to preserve legendary concerts on tape.”