Don Capria X Concrete Dream in the woods of PA

This month I took a road trip out to mining country Pennsylvania to shoot a music video for Concrete Dream. The location was an old abandoned school that the town allows artists and creatives to use. I was in awe of the dilapidated building and all of the natural light the rooms received. I immediately started plotting a larger production to shoot there. Pretty sure it will be a horror.  🎬🔪

Concrete Dream rocking the stage

Thinking of a master plan

Always having fun on set

the auditorium

things left behind

The Pandemic Special - Anecdota

I worked on a script during the quarantine and made it all about the stresses one goes through when facing isolation. People would reveal their true colors, argue over nothing and argue over everything and as the months unfolded last year we saw it was more about society than the pandemic.  I stayed home and worked on something from the perspective of the youth, what would they do i this situation or worse. The result was ANECDOTA. It stars 11 year old Bella Grace, who I was very grateful to work with during Abaddon.  Here are some Behind the scene photos shot by Jammi York. More on this project to come!

Bella Grace taking some echincea 

Bella Grace about to test the mace

Poster image by Jammi York

we both had chuck taylors on

Christiano Covino doing the Cinematography 

West Kill New York - hunting for stories

Starting off 2021 I took a well needed road trip to the snowy mountains of West kill - Hunter in the Catskills. My writing partner, Peter Conti came with me to get a good feel for the landscape that Abaddon plays out in. We checked out the houses tucked behind Stony Kill Creek and even stopped off to see the frozen, Fawns Leap area. Greene County holds miles and miles of beautiful land and plenty of rough terrain to keep a murder suspense going for 10 episodes. More on Abaddon to come. 

Peter Conti - Don Capria

Some houses on the way up the mountain

Diner Coffee for the win

Snapping some proper photos 

Cute Air Bnb.. 

church

Lost Angeles

I double masked up and jumped on a plane to Los Angeles to do some photo and video work with Omerta. We did a few shoots for their Black Friday drop which included some amazing new additions including a really dope gear bag. The trip was unlike any other LA trip of mine as my visitation was very limited to work and city itself was under strict lockdown restrictions since the pandemic began. I did get to see my cousin Danny for a socially distant coffee and catch up. He is a set designer currently working on Young Sheldon and his credits go all the way back to Star Trek. The shoots were all a succes and allowed me to link up with long time homie Skinhead Rob of the Transplants over at Brooklyn Projects for a shoot. I also went to the valley and shot Tati Mcquay's little brothers and dad, Stan the man McQuay. I also pais a visit to my brother Risk who was hosting a podcast that afternoon. The gun range shoot was the highlight of the trip and we took a batch of really great photos there. But the energy of the city itself was very hard for me to enjoy as Los Angeles was a sad vision of what once was an energetic, colorful place, where with peoples dreams. I hope the politics change soon and Los Angeles returns to its original lively character rest in peace to Swingers and many of the other places that are permanently close their doors forward to the ones that open in 2021.

Omerta snapback

Big Chris at the range

shooters at the gun range

gentlemans bag from Omerta

with Risk in LA

with Skinhead Rob and Dirty Mick

Stan the Man McQuay and sons

The Contagion before and after

Back out to PA this month to Ricky Armelino's to record a new Concrete Dream record. That means good food, good energy and good output. These trips are always successful on every spoke of the wheel. We worked on a brand new track called "Contagion" which ws inspired by the current pandemic. The song is raw and maybe one of their hardest tracks. We moved right away on shooting a music video. I wanted to create a video that was as destructive as the virus and included the fear that was attached to it through mass media. I think we hit the mark. Video will drop in Oct. 

Jeremiah Mayhem & producer Ricky Armelino

Mangiamo with the boys

drummer Juan Bang doing set design

John Kennedy breathing between shots

Bassist Mena getting down

my ace AC Christiano Covino w/ Jeremiah Mayhem

with Jeremiah Mayhem and Mena

directing the talented Chi Flo for her feature in the video

Don Capria - COVID 19

This crisis has many layers to it. Some of them are thick and ripe others are thin and brittle. I look for the positive in any situation even when if feels like I'm an extra in someone else's movie (which is how this pandemic has felt at times) So, I took a photo, I looked at it, looked at this current situation and I came up with an idea. That idea has become a script and that script will become a film. I decided to take on a sci-fi / horror short with Bella Grace and a small team of my best people. We are st to film Anecdota in May and will be releasing it free on the web immediately after we film. Oh, Yeah, and I saw the poster for Abaddon the other day and it looks insane, I cant wait to share the project with the world. Next up... Anecdota

Bella Grace warrior 

The Photo that started the ideation 

Location scouting with Leon Vataj

Travail

interior set for Anecdota

LA Originals & NY LAW

The month of March 2020 is a funny one. Im coming off my most productive trip to LA I've had in years and I have a ton of great events and a shoot approaching fast. But, we witnessed the coming of a global pandemic. I did my best to observe and take care of my own business once lockdown was ordered but prior did get out for some stuff. I took a bunch of meetings downtown for various film projects, grabbed some Chicken and Waffels at Sweet Chick in the LES with my bestie Lisa. I attened a charity event that honored my dear friend and business partner Lou Fasulo. It was a packed house at Westchester Country Club as people lined up to give him praise and worship for a life of dedication to teaching Law. A very proud evening and I got to spend it with my west coast friend Anthony Colombo Jr. who was a student of Lou's in a couple of decades ago. I celebrated my birthday under quarantine, not a first but thats a longer story. Under quarantine it is all about creating and with that you need equal parts output and input so I have been reading more and watch more Netflix. I am very excited to watch LA Originals, a documentary on the life of my good friend and collaborator for many years Estevan Oriol and his partner Mr. Cartoon. A must see for anyone who loves art, music, and wants to learn about the pioneers who helped shape the LA chicano culture in the 90's.

Sweet Chick on Ludlow

Lou Fasulo giving a speech at Westchester Country Club

with Lou Fasulo and Anthony Colombo Jr. 

Estevan Oriol shooting my artist Enisa in the Meatpacking district circa 2016

Estevan Oriol shooting my artist Danny Diablo in DTLA circa 2001

poster art for LA Originals