Like many Americana artists, Amber Cross prides herself as a storyteller. The singer-songwriter recently released a new album entitled Savage on the Downhill, in which she lays down her roots — from Maine, through California, and Elko, NV — for everyone to hear.
One of the standout tracks on Cross‘ recent release is “Trinity Goldmine”. It’s a song that defines her artistic goal to paint pictures evocative of the landscapes she’s seen and the experiences she’s garnered with her music.
The accompanying music video, directed by Barry Goyette, showcases a unique story based around a character from Cross’ past.
Cross says, “I used to hunt with this fella who was kind of a dark character. Didn’t know much about him at all and didn’t ask. One day after a long hunt in the rain we were back at the cabin making supper, and he began to talk about his past. He was born and raised in Trinity, CA. His family owned a gold mine, and from the time he could basically walk he would work in the mines. He never had the chance to go to school. His parents ordered homeschool books but never offered to help. He was expected to work in the mines. I think his parents split at some point when he was probably 10 or 11, and he moved to town with his mom. I believe he began public school at that point, but his early experience had already deeply shaped who he was. Really nice guy. Super dark.
“The video was filmed and directed by Barry Goyette, who also did the photography for this album project. We both knew we wanted to film in my old Spartan trailer and Barry pushed pretty hard for Trinity to be the song featured, especially once I told him a little more of the story behind the song. He came up with a twist that pulled our ideas together. We played a bit off the actual story behind ‘Trinity Gold Mine’ and the album as a whole themed in a solitary lifestyle. When I watch the video, I envision the stories behind many of the songs on the record.”