Verbena - Way Out West

2003

Verbena - Way Out West (2003) Director: Kiefer Sutherland / Ted Newsome Era: Post-Grunge / Alternative Rock Twilight (2003) - Late Capitol Records alternative rock era; southern rock-inflected garage sound emerging from the post-grunge commercial cycle, released the same year the band disbanded. High curatorial value as a confirmed-director artifact at the intersection of celebrity culture, post-grunge twilight, and action-sports media crossover. The video's documented road-diary provenance, 10 days on tour, shot and produced by a TransWorld Skateboarding veteran, directed by a major Hollywood actor, makes it a rare multi-industry convergence document. As Verbena's final music video before disbanding, it functions simultaneously as a promotional artifact and an unintentional farewell document for a critically noted but commercially marginal Capitol Records act. Context: Released in 2003 as the lead single from Verbena's third and final Capitol Records album La Musica Negra, 'Way Out West' arrived at a transitional moment in post-grunge commercial alternative rock, after the Napster-era collapse of the major-label indie-alternative pipeline but before the full consolidation of MySpace-era DIY distribution. The video's road-diary verité style, directed by actor Kiefer Sutherland and shot/produced by action-sports media veteran Ted Newsome, reflects the era's blurring of celebrity culture and underground rock authenticity. Verbena, a Birmingham, Alabama band that had previously worked with Dave Grohl as producer, occupy a liminal southern rock identity, too raw for mainstream, too label-associated for indie credibility. The band disbanded in 2003, making this video a documentary artifact of their final commercial chapter. Director notes: Ted Newsome's own portfolio site (tednewsome.com) describes the video as 'a montage from 10 days on the road with Verbena,' indicating a road-diary/tour-documentary production approach shot over an extended touring period. Newsome's LinkedIn profile states he 'produced, shot + cut this music video with Kiefer Sutherland directing,' establishing a clear division of roles: Sutherland as director, Newsome as producer/DP/editor. IMDb's Kiefer Sutherland 'Other Works' page independently confirms his appearance in and direction of the 'Way Out West' music video for Verbena (2003). The video was released in support of the single from La Musica Negra (Capitol Records, April 2003), Verbena's final studio album before disbanding later that year.