Island Earth is a collective group that feeds off of each other. The creative process is constant and enduring. The irony involved in that, is that sometimes musical gems can get lost in such a productive shuffle. Beats and unfinished "half-songs" can often collect dust in musical purgatory, if they're not immediately cultivated into product the artist deem worthy for the ears of the masses. The Villebillies track, "Love is Kind of Crazy," was almost one of those aforementioned gems…nearly lost in the shuffle.

The beat was crafted and then tinkered with by several artists on the label, but to no avail. It wasn't until the group came up with an idea to produce and package a potential Island Earth compilation album centered around a Halloween theme that "Spooky" made it's unlikely, yet timely re-emergence.

Upon revisiting the beat, which was constructed by Dustin "Tuck" Tucker nearly an entire year before, it was decided that the potential was simply too great to allow the song to continue falling deeper and deeper into the farthest reaches of the label's catalog. Elephant Room hit the beat, couldn't get it quite to their liking. Josh Woods tackled to the song as well, but it still didn't seem to meet the IEM standard.

Ever the creative and talented artist, Demi Demaree was finally able to provide the song with the proper filling to compliment the haunting, yet alluring, chorus Tuck had laid out by sampling vocals from the legendary Dusty Springfield. If you are familiar with the Villebillies work, then you know that there a natural bond between the band, their sound, and the feelings associated with Fall/Halloween. It's hard to explain, but even more difficult to deny the feeling when one is engulfed in that signature sound. With the structure now in place, and the aforementioned sound and feel beginning to take hold, it was then that Tuck recorded his verse for the song.

Now what to do?

With all of the Island Earth artists working on various projects, coupled with time constraints, the concept for a Halloween Compilation album ultimately fell through. However, everyone involved knew that the song was simply too good to allow it to slip back into the recesses of creative stalwart. I came up with the idea to package and release the song as a much anticipated, and long awaited, Villebillies track. Derek "Child" Monyhan was called upon, and as per usual, delivered with the perfect verse to thoroughly round out the song. "Spooky" was finished and ready to be consumed by the masses…but I knew it still needed complementary visuals.

The timing, fortunately, still coincided with a Halloween release. Knowing that I would have to move fast, I had the good fortune of meeting a talented "Flow Artist" by the name of Katrina Gay (who also just so happened to be a fan of the band) and my vision became clear! Knowing that I was short on time (which is out of the ordinary, as all previous Villebillies videos were well thought out, involved multiple days for shooting, and were meticulously planned) I focused on my vision and was able to capture everything i needed for the video in only 2 short days of shooting! After diving into the editing process, it was only then that I KNEW something special was in the works!

The last step of the process was the title change itself. After the video was released by IEM, it was then that Sony reached out to the Villebillies and expressed interest in signing the band to a major label deal! Copyright dictated that the name of the song be changed from "Spooky" to "Love is Kind of Crazy". Considering the long road taken by not only the Villebillies, but by the song and video itself, the final change was very minor in the grand scheme of things.

The song and video have opened many new doors for all parties involved. The creativity will never stop. The quality product will continue to expand and grow. And the possibilities are limitless. IEM4L!