After the release of their self-titled debut album earlier this October, DARK MARK vs. SKELETON JOE featuring Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees and Joe Cardamone of The Icarus Line have now premiered their brand new video for “Living Dead” via Rolling Stone. The gritty visual showcases black and white closeup shots of Lanegan, Cardamone, and Duff McKagan (who plays bass in the track) singing along to the track, intercut with a mysterious masked figure and distortion effects that transition from person to person. The eerie video is a perfect fit for the disquieting and pulsating opening track from their recently released self-titled album.
“The filming of the video took place in Killarney, Ireland after a 24-hour travel day where for the first time in my life, I drove on the wrong side of the road,’ laughs Cardamone. “My brother and I rolled into town, met Mark and started filming at the white wall. The footage of Duff was filmed after another 24-hour travel day when I returned to Los Angeles.”
“Duff is an old friend of Mark’s and when the cut started coming together it just seemed primed for his bass attack,” continues Cardamone. “Mark made the intro and Duff kindly added the bass hook which became one of the signatures of the track. What more could you want for a song like this?”
“‘Living Dead’ is somewhat a metaphor for living past your perceived expiration date,” explains Cardamone about the meaning of the song. “I know that I have felt that way after a few near misses and I don’t wanna speak for Mark but I know he can relate. After living three lifetimes you can start to feel like you are the living dead. If Mark wants to do a break down of the lyrics, I’ll leave that to him but usually he likes to leave that up to the listener.”
A project born from mutual respect, Dark Mark vs. Skeleton Joe mines electronic music and unearths an experimental sound for both of them. A prolific artist and author, Lanegan has collaborated with a host of bands and musicians, including UNKLE, Neko Case, The Duke Spirit and Queens of the Stone Age among many others. And while he’s worked many legendary acts over his career, this marks a new band for Lanegan, not a guest spot or featured artist. “The fact that it’s not like anything either one of us have done before is what makes this so interesting for me,” explains Lanegan. “When you have done as much stuff as Joe and I, you have to constantly search for the different and challenging to keep yourself engaged.”
