1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

Jacob: I came into filmmaking by way of theatre. I studied at the University of Oregon and after school, I met Micah Van Hove through a mutual friend. I read for a part in his first feature film Menthol, and was lucky enough to get cast in it. Through that experience, he really opened my eyes to the opportunities of story telling film offers. That experience proved that even with a restricted budget, one can still tell a meaningful story, and more importantly it could be our story and told the way we wanted to tell it.

Micah: I've always wanted to challenge people around me to be better in the hope that I can too become a better person. Filmmaking seemed like the ultimate arena to conduct that kind of behavior.

2) What’s the backstory here - what was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?

Micah: Jacob called me and asked me to go on a road trip. He said he was sitting on fourteen cases of perfectly-good-but-factory-rejected-beer and that we oughta do something with it. That became the initial impulse. Jake is always pushing me into new possibilities. I think that's why we keep working together over and over.

Jacob: Well, the truth is I love Phish and the experience of going to concerts. I was planning on going to their 2015 labor day shows in Colorado, and making a road trip out of it. I didn't have much money, so the plan was to sell beer at the shows to offset the expenses. I sent Micah a picture of all the beer stacked up and said he should come with me and film it. It wasn't until he showed up the morning we were meant to leave did I think we were actually going to go through with it, without really knowing what "it" really was. Micah was constantly shooting everything I did for 2 weeks, and let the camera pick up what it picked up from his snake in the grass vantage point. Not worried about delivering immediate exposition or doing anything that felt forced or unnatural. When I look back on this film, I'm astounded by Micah's camera work, his attention to detail, and his unrelenting commitment to the craft of filmmaking.

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the most?

Jacob: Since we only had a very general outline while shooting (guy sells beer at concert) establishing a deeper linear narrative while editing was the main hurdle we had to get over. Micah made a first cut, and then Jeffrey Reeser joined on and really added so much creative value in the editing room. He was able to create a flow and provide context and connect themes. This project would have been dead in the water without his input and support. I really enjoyed sitting in his grandparent's pool house and chipping away at it and laughing over the course of several months. One of the hardest things for me to decide was what musical selections to include in the concert, because I knew fans of the band could be critical of how the concert is represented. We tried to include the different musical territories Phish can provide, while marrying it together with all of the visual stimuli a Phish concert has. 

Micah: The choice is always when to manipulate the reality in front of you or when to hang back and let it unfold. One of the more fun things for this project was getting the camera and sound package down to a small enough kit that we could sneak it into huge venues and play some scenes there. I loved working with the supporting actors in the film who really shine within the framework we set out. And when it's all said and done, I enjoy the fact that we made the film for the cost of a sound recorder, a lens, beer, gasoline. We all just really wanted to do this, and we were rewarded by the good will of the Phish community and many others along the way.

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why? 

Jacob: I rewatched Holy Motors recently, and I really love that film. It's got a little of everything. It's unpredictable, funny and weird. A visceral experience. 

Micah: Patrick Wang's two-part ensemble piece A Bread Factory. Following the foibles of an ailing theater company in a fictional city in New York, Wang made a totally unique movie. Meditative and humanistic while also bitingly funny, the film completely disposes with the concept of 'pace' and instead allows a small universe to be built in front of your eyes.

5) What’s next for you?

Jacob: I've continued to keep live music a priority in my life, and have started making videos trying to capture the experience of being there. Check it out if you care to, Drop in Sessions is the name. The spirit of Super Heady is very much in my style of filming. I've also been writing and hope to make more traditional narrative story soon. And yes, I still love Phish...

Micah: Currently prepping for my next feature film Snake Oil Song, inspired by a short film I made in Peru with the mentorship of Werner Herzog in 2018.

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MVH: http://umuima.com | IG: @umuima

JK: @jakeking8