Exclusive Video Premiere "Helplessly Hoping" by Flat River Band
Country and bluegrass trio of brothers, Flat River Band, have created a magical and moving video to promote, “Helplessly Hoping” previously recorded by Crosby, Stills, & Nash. The tune is included on the band's recently released five-song EP titled Sights and Sounds by brothers Chad, Dennijo, and Andy Sitze (collectively known as Flat River Band). The video was recorded, produced, and edited by videographer-Mark Nicolosi in a cave in Wrigley, Tennessee. Watch the video on their official artist YouTube Channel.
“The brothers and I have always been fans of Crosby, Stills, & Nash, said Chad Sitze. “We just love those harmonies. We picked the tempo up a little, put some mean steel guitar on it, and changed the phrasing a little. It was very important to us while working this song up to record that we did not want to change or take away from the integrity of the song itself.”
“A few years ago a friend of mine showed me this cave in Wrigley, Tennessee while we were riding our UTV’s on the backcountry roads of Hickman county and I have always thought it would be a real unique place to capture a music video,” added Dennijo.
We bought a little more than 200 candles, although we did not use them all, but we just wanted to be prepared. The candles were placed at the direction of the videographer, Mark Nicolosi. A friend of ours made the candle stands, we borrowed a generator, and we brought a cooler full of Red Bulls along with a coffee maker. Mark wanted the brothers and I to commit to him until Sunrise, we went in the cave at 3:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon and walked out at 3:30 am Sunday morning. We were all exhausted, but we all felt like we captured some magic there in Wrigley, Tennessee,” shared Andy.
This is the third music video I have directed and shot with Flat River Band. I am a friend and a fan, and I am always humbled when someone asks me to do this. When they talked about shooting in this cave that they knew about, I thought it could be interesting. I knew it would be a performance piece wherever we shot it. When the idea of lighting it with candles came up, I was intrigued. I knew it would be a challenge because the only way to do that properly was to get rid of the sunlight so, we had to shoot deep into the night. You will notice that the camera moves pretty much all the time. That’s because the song does. One of the things I love about working with these guys is that their performance is always solid and just what the song needs,” stated videographer Mark Nicolosi.
Sights and Sounds is available on their website as well as all digital music platforms at http://smarturl.it/sightsandsounds
Sights and Sounds Track Listing:
1. Ain’t a Woman Like a River - Chad Sitze / John Colgin
2. I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love - Larry Wayne Gatlin
3. The River Song - Chad Sitze / Dennijo Sitze / Andy Sitze
4. Shining Through My Window - Chad Sitze
5. Helplessly Hoping - Stephen Stills
Stay current with everything Flat River Band on their website www.flatriverband.com. Follow Flat River Band on Social Media at the links below.
About Flat River Band
- The Flat River Band, consisting of three brothers Andy, Chad, and Dennijo Sitze, grew up in a multi-generational family band.
- Performing alongside their parents and grandparents, they held residencies at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, and at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
- Throughout their tenure in music, the Missouri natives have charted #1 hits on the bluegrass gospel charts and have opened for The Chicks’ Natalie Maines, Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs, Rhonda Vincent, TG Sheppard, and more.
- The trio's songs can be found in the 2018 movie The Least of These — A Christmas Story, featuring Duane Allen (Oak Ridge Boys), Deborah Allen, and Tayla Lynn (Loretta Lynn's granddaughter).