William Tyler honors the open road and cult 1970s cinema in the just-released video for “A Portrait of Sarah.” Directed by Michael Carter, the nearly eight-minute clip pays homage to Two-Lane Blacktop, a 1971 film starring James Taylor (yes, that James Taylor) and the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson (again, no joke). As IMDb helpfully points out, the film tells the “story of two men drag racing across the USA in a primer grey ’55 Chevy,” which means Tyler‘s new video pretty much does the same. He plays Taylor’s part (The Driver), JEFF the Brotherhood’s Jamin Orrall stands in for Wilson (The Mechanic), and comedian Chris Crofton assumes the role of their rival. It’s a beautifully shot piece, complementing a speedy, acoustic instrumental off Tyler’s Essential Impossible Truth. Watch the video above, and stream Impossible Truth in its entirety here at SPIN.
William Tyler tour dates:
July 30 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
July 31 – Monterey, CA @ Golden State Theatre Lobby
August 1 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Catalyst Club
August 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
August 3 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
August 4 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
August 5 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
August 7 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk Inside
August 8 – Dallas, TX @ Bryan Street Tavern
August 9 – Oxford, MS @ Lamar Lounge
August 21 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
August 22 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
August 24 – Cincinnati, OH @ Motr Pub
August 29 – Utrecht, the Netherlands @ Ekko
August 30 – North Dorset, U.K. @ End of the Road Festival
September 2 – London, U.K. @ St. Pancras Old Church
September 3 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Music Box
September 4 – Ourense, Spain @ Cafe Pop Torgal
September 5 – Santiago de Compostela, Spain @ Teatro Principal
September 6 – San Sebasian, Spain @ Kutxa Kultur Festibala
September 8 – Barcelona, Spain @ Sala Be Cool
September 15 – Amsterdam, the Netherlands @ Paradiso
