I'm not sure when I first became aware of Typhoon, but I do remember being a fan right from the beginning. They didn’t have a ton of music available so I listened to the few songs over and over again. In 2011 they played in Missoula, Montana with the Decemberists and I drove the 2 hours from my home to see them live. Traffic was crawling through construction zones along I90 causing me to miss their set but I found my way to their merch table where I bought every album they had. Those albums sit in my living room, never gathering dust.

Few bands can tell a story like Typhoon. You feel in a single lyric the sorrow of years lost and the hope of an unwritten future. As a filmmaker, I love the journey their music takes me on but even if there wasn’t a single word spoken the music itself tells a story of trial and triumph, loss and longing, heartache and hope. 

I wrote to the band letting them know if they ever need a music video to give me a call. Months later I got an email from the band saying they were familiar with my work and would love to collaborate. Kyle explained the concept of the album and I immediately was on board. At the same time that we were talking about the video, I was saying goodbye to my grandfather. He was a giant of a man, a fire chief by trade and a quiet mountain in my life. He was stoically self-sufficient and hated feeling like he couldn’t take care of himself. It pained him to rely on anyone but himself and much like the man at the center of Typhoons album, he was not going to go without a fight. 

I took all of this in as I listened to the “Remember” on repeat as my wife and I raced through the Columbia Gorge, hoping to see him one last time. It was in those moments that I realized that what this man and my grandpa wanted, was to bundle up everything that still held value in their life and run away. But that doesn’t work in songs or real life. So in the end, their bag is still empty and you can only hope that they find peace in those final moments. 

I filled the video with my memories of my grandpa. His fire chief hat, a toy truck, a pile of old western novels, all are for my grandpa. I went to his farm north of Portland and filmed some of the scenes on the roads that he drove his logging truck on every day. It goes without saying but the film, “A Ghost Story” by David Lowery was also on my mind. In the end, it seemed the easiest way to represent the move from this life to the next was also the simplest. 

My hope is that the video can stand beside the beautiful album Typhoon made and encourage people to love their music like I have for the past 8 years.