Maxine

This film was written and created around the song "Texas Sun", by the talents of Khruangbin and Leon Bridges. This song, released in 2020, became an anthem for me during the 10,000 mile roadtrip alluded to in the intro of this video. Covid was rampant, the country was in upheaval, I had no prospects. So I left my lonely ranch job and took Maxine to the coast, hoping to live a little before the world ended.
What followed was one of my best seasons; six months on the road through every western state. My cousin introduced me to Texas Sun in Seattle, and almost instantly after, the song became absolutely synonymous with that time in my life, in which my only purpose or existence was cruising worry-free down the Pacific Coast on the back of Maxine. It was arguably the healthiest I had ever been.
For 5 years, I've nursed those memories and grown this visual/musical idea in the back of my head, hoping to bring a little bit of those old vibes back to life. The hope in this film was to portray a little bit of that atmosphere from that 2020 trip, and keep those memories alive just a little bit longer. It was a hell of a time to be alive.
As always, the idea then morphed into something larger in scope (surprise!) and I tacked on the intro to set up the backstory of Maxine's well-deserved overhaul in 2024, which incidentally was very analogous to my own journey of healing at the time. What resulted is a bit of a melodramatic mish-mash, but I hope someone out there finds it inspiring, or if nothing else, at least digs the vibe.

Thank you to my great friends for being a part of this project with me. My creative pursuits come a little less frequent with every year. It is a blessing to know that I still have the dedication and talents of my artist friends to rely on when they do occur.
Jacob Hilger - Director of Photography
Regina Velasco - Production Assistant/Vehicle Driver/BTS Photographer/Playlist Selector/Snack Operator/Glove Wrangler/WD-40 Specialist/Sunglasses Polisher/Casting Director
Geoffrey Kristansen - Additional Photography/Grip

Groove on.