words by Chance Solem-Pfeifer
“Walk Away” is the final act of a love triangle. The three points being Capitol Ave. vocalist Ben Salzinger and two opposing forces competing for his affection.
But the fact that this song and the subsequent music video for “Walk Away” even exist, in a way, means he's made his choice. At the expense of some personal heartbreak, music and Capitol Ave. win.
“I think we can all say that we think the sacrifices are worth it to do something you truly enjoy doing,” says Zach Fuller, multi-instrumentalist and producer for the Omaha hip-hop band.
“Even though Ben is speaking about music and a relationship here, I think it is a message that most people can relate to. To pursue and chase something you really want, sometimes you have to make tough decisions and sacrifices, but in the end you have to do what is best for you.”
The rap/rock group, which worked completely under its own power scouting and shooting the "Walk Away" video, found a home in an old industrial warehouse near the Dundee neighborhood. The sequences in which Salzinger is shown sitting over a box of relationship memorabilia in an abandoned construction site, are meant to reflect a specific kind of emotional desolation.
“He felt it was a place that represented where he was at mentally when he wrote the song, as well as a place that he could return to to bury old memories,” says Fuller of stumbling upon the construction site during shooting.
If there’s an emotional kicker to this visual representation of the break-up song, it’s the non-fiction captured in it. In the video, Salzinger appears in the midst of mock romance with actress Isamar De Anda. Given the source material of a song based on a very real break-up — in which music was a culprit in the fallout — Fuller relays (via Salzinger) that shooting with an actress to represent an old girlfriend was actually cathartic. It felt something like closure.
You can see Capitol Ave. live at Venue 51 this Friday and then at The Waiting Room on May 15. Watch the premiere of the “Walk Away” music video below:
Chance Solem-Pfeifer is Hear Nebraska's managing editor. Reach him at chancesp@hearnebraska.org.