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We received a note from HaleStorm Entertainment today, telling us, "Here's a sneak peak at 'The Sons of Provo'", along with the following URL: http://www.halestormentertainment.com/sonsofprovo/index.html
Some of this is pretty strange, so allow me to interpret... As far as I can tell, "The Sons of Provo" is real CD which you can purchase now which features music which is professionally produced and well-made, but the lyrics are somewhat of a tongue-in-cheek satire of contemporary pop music, as well as contemporary popular LDS music.
The CD is identified as a "soundtrack CD," even though it is associated with a mockumentary movie that you've never heard of, but which may or may not actually exit... Two of the three members of the band "Everclean" (a sort of fictional Jericho Road) are Kirby Heyborne and Will Swenson, who previously starred together in both "The Singles Ward" and "The R.M." The names are changed slightly in the website information.
Below is text from the actual "Sons of Provo" webpage which is on the HaleStorm Entertainment website, and mirrored with its very own URL on a dedicated website at: http://www.sonsofprovo.com
Sons of Provo - HOT New Music Sensation
It's the hit music from the soon-to-be breakout band, Everclean. Everclean recently began supervising the production of the feature film "Sons Of Provo"--which features the story of their rise to stardom..
Everclean is breaking all the barriers of hip hop, rap, and pop music with their album for the film. Featuring the talents of Will and Danny Jenson, and Kirby Laybourne, Everclean is sure to replace your old cds of 'Nsync, 98 Degrees, Britney Spears AND Eminem.
What the Critics are Saying:
"By complete coincidence I happened upon this 'Spiritchal Sensation and a Triple Combination' as I stopped into a Fillmore, Utah Gas N'Git. It was Fall. In the corner of the rusty dining room with a musty smell and a dusty stage, I heard 'EVERCLEAN' sing. They were fresh, they were clean-shaven and they ARE the newest sensation on the Mormon pop charts. If you haven't heard of them yet, watch out and give a listen, cause they're coming at you like a runaway locomotive on greased railroad tracks.
'EVERCLEAN' was created by Provo brothers (and youth-pageant-champions), Will and Danny Jensen. They recently lost their third member, but they've bounced back. Way back. Finding a replacement in Kirby Laybourne, (a scrapbooking specialist at a Provo craft store, who also performs in local community theaters) the three of them make up 'EVERCLEAN' and their music is nothing short of illustrious glory. What's even better, you can hear and see it all in the documentary film that chronicles their meteoric rise to stardom. Their newfound glory never compromises their spirituality. Keep your eyes peeled for their movie, 'SONS OF PROVO' at your local movie theater." --Talmage R. Leavitt, The Provo Semi-Annual Star. Nov. 15, 2003
Notes about the "Sons of Provo" movie and Soundtrack CD:
It's the hit music from the soon-to-be breakout band, Everclean. Everclean recently began supervising the production of the feature film "Sons Of Provo"--which features the story of their rise to stardom. Everclean is breaking all the barriers of hip hop, rap, and pop music with their album for the film. Featuring the talents of Will and Danny Jenson, and Kirby Laybourne, Everclean is sure to replace your old cds of 'Nsync, 98 Degrees, Britney Spears AND Eminem.
What the critics are saying:
"By complete coincidence I happened upon this 'Spiritchal Sensation and a Triple Combination' as I stopped into a Fillmore, Utah Gas N'Git. It was Fall. In the corner of the rusty dining room with a musty smell and a dusty stage, I heard 'EVERCLEAN' sing. They were fresh, they were clean-shaven and they ARE the newest sensation on the Mormon pop charts. If you haven't heard of them yet, watch out and give a listen, cause they're coming at you like a runaway locomotive on greased railroad tracks.
'EVERCLEAN' was created by Provo brothers (and youth-pageant-champions), Will and Danny Jensen. They recently lost their third member, but they've bounced back. Way back. Finding a replacement in Kirby Laybourne, (a scrapbooking specialist at a Provo craft store, who also performs in local community theaters) the three of them make up 'EVERCLEAN' and their music is nothing short of illustrious glory. What's even better, you can hear and see it all in the documentary film that chronicles their meteoric rise to stardom. Their newfound glory never compromises their spiritchality. Keep your eyes peeled for their movie, 'SONS OF PROVO' at your local movie theater." --Talmage R. Leavitt, The Provo Semi-Annual Star. Nov. 15, 2003
Popeye isn't the only one who eats spinach to nourish and strengthen his body. LDS cinema star Kirby Heyborne, of the Mormon films "The RM" and "The Singles Ward," also favors the leafy greens.
Earlier this month, the 27-year-old co-star of the upcoming fall film "Sons of Provo" munched on spinach leaves and a chicken salad sandwich in between takes at Glazies Donutsin Provo. The actor was gearing up for his fifth scene change of the day as part of a three-week shoot filmed primarily in Utah Valley.
"Sons of Provo" is a mockumentary that follows a fictional Latter-day Saint boy band, Everclean, on its path to Donny Osmond-like fame and glory. The film's actors drew inspiration from the popular local Christian quartet Jericho Road, and even watched the band's wistful, raindrops-and-wheat-fields music videos for inspiration.
The mockumentary reunites Heyborne and Will Swenson, who starred in "The Singles Ward" and co-starred in "The RM," and adds the talents of newcomer Danny Taresevich.
Shot on digital film in familiar Utah County locations, including Fat Cats and the apartment complex Liberty Square,the film's budget is a meager $200,000.
Its story begins as the fictional Will and Danny, creators of Everclean, search for a replacement after losing the third member of their group. The brothers, one-time participants in the child pageant circuit, eventually recruit Heyborne to round-out their hollering and hearthrobbing. On their route to stardom, the band encounters a number of obstacles because, as Swenson explained, they "think they're a little more professional and talented then they actually are."
Created and co-written by Swenson, "Sons of Provo" is one of several films based on the idiosyncrasies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints set to be released in 2004. It comes on the heels of a flurry of activity in the fledging genre in 2003 -- including the ambitious but critically panned adaptation of the LDS book of scripture, "The Book of Mormon Movie, Vol. 1: The Journey."
The less-than blockbuster sales of some recent other LDS films, such as the Latter-day adaptation of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," has some wondering just how long the Mormon cinema boom will last. With HaleStorm's "The Home Teachers" scheduled for release in January and "The Best Two Years" set for February, "Sons of Provo," may need something special to set it apart. That something, according to HaleStorm Entertainment publicist Jed Ivie, is the film's close tie with its quirky soundtrack.
In a savvy marketing ploy, HaleStorm released the film's CD in November as a way to generate advance buzz. Like the wildly successful 1999 indie film "The Blair Witch Project," which used a Web site and word-of-mouth on college campuses to persuade many that the movie was actual footage of filmmakers lost in the woods, Ivie said he hopes some will believe Everclean is real.
The 10-song soundtrack is bursting with inside nods to Mormon culture, such as "Dang, Fetch, Oh My Heck," "Nourish and Strengthen Our Bodies" and "Sweet Spirit."
Playing pop stars is a role that each of the cast members found to be a natural fit, as the soundtrack to "Sons of Provo" proves. Swenson, Heyborne and Taresevich all boast an extensive background in music performance and lend their voices to the CD, which sold out of a local Media Play the first weekend it was released.
In addition to co-writing the lyrics for the soundtrack, Swenson is also making his directorial debut. Although he is a seasoned stage director, "Sons of Provo" marks his first attempt at directing a film. In fact, from the original idea to the final product, Swenson has overseen almost every aspect of the film's production.
"I just may not trust someone to, I guess, see my vision through enough, and so I just wanted to make sure I got it done right," he said.
And although he's enjoyed the learning experience, he admits he may have taken on more than he bargained for.
"I'm wearing about 20 hats," he said, "and it's way too much."
Despite the stresses of making a movie, cast members agree they're having a great time -- something Heyborne attributes to the actors' artistic freedom. While they have a skeleton script to work from, the actors are free to improvise where needed, he explained.
"There's hardly been any takes that we've had where you didn't end up cracking up at the end," he said. "I can honestly say it's the funniest thing I've ever been a part of."
Only time will tell if audiences feel the same way.
[EXCERPTS]
...For those who don't recognize Heyborne's name -- or face -- here's a quick role call:...
...- And two upcoming films in which he'll appear are "Saints and Soldiers," a World War II drama, and "Sons of Provo," a boy-band spoof...
...Heyborne said he's quite proud of the movie ["The Best Two Years"]. And he's also happy that "Sons of Provo" is "a real change of pace. And believe it or not, it's actually us singing and dancing in the film. So I hope we don't come off as complete idiots. Or if we do, I hope people enjoy watching us come off as complete idiots. That would be all right. It would be par for the course."...
[EXCERPTS]
...Heyborne also co-starred in the insider-spoof "The Work and the Story," and later this year will be seen in the boy-band mock-documentary "Sons of Provo," directed by his "Singles Ward" and "R.M." co-star Will Swenson. And he has branched into drama, playing Nephi's brother Sam in "The Book of Mormon Movie" and, perhaps more tellingly, a British soldier in "Saints and Soldiers."...