Behind the Video: The Lacs Discuss Their Down Home “Hellraisers in Heaven” Music Video

The Lacs are blazing hot right now, thanks to the recent release of their latest single, “Hellraisers in Heaven.” In the four weeks since the release of the song’s official music video, it has garnered over 300,000 views, which is no surprise considering how hard this track hits. A collaboration with Alabama singer-songwriter Murphy Elmore, “Hellraisers in Heaven” is a musing on good-natured, young rebellion and the hope that forgiveness will be granted when it comes our time to transition to the afterlife. Like many of The Lacs’ tracks, it features a nice mishmash of country and southern rock, along with some elements of southern hip-hop.

Speaking of hip-hop, it’s a distinctive type that singer Clay Sharpe and singer and guitarist Brian King have concocted. There are many classic-sounding southern guitar riffs mixed with booming beats and rhymes, primarily about what life is like growing up in the South. In the 10+ years that they have been together, the duo has racked up nearly 2 billion streams across various platforms. Not too shabby from two southern boys, just wanting to share their songs with whoever is interested.

To get a better sense of how the clip for “Hellraisers in Heaven” came together, we caught up with both Sharpe and King, who discussed the origins of the video, its unique filming place, what they love most about the video, and more.

Who directed the video?

The Lacs: “Josh Kirk and our brother Crucifix directed and produced the video. Josh has shot several videos for us, and Cruce takes every video to the next level with his attention to detail and lighting. He should really be on big movie sets directing.”

What’s the concept behind the video? Help us to understand the video’s concept in more detail and how it ties into the lyrics.

“The concept was to depict a viewpoint where viewers could connect with our story and their past selves. We wanted them to see us looking back on our younger years, being your typical high school rebellious teenagers, and connect to that time in our lives. When you’re that young and experiencing life, you tend to be a little mischievous in a way that leaves you wondering and hoping God lets ‘Hellraisers in Heaven.’”

Where was the video made?

“The video was filmed in a small town in Tennessee called Cookeville. That’s where our brother Sonny Bama (the preacher in the video) lives. We used Sonny’s Impala in the video and a little church down the road from his house. We feel it worked out perfectly.”

What was your favourite part behind creating this clip?

“Our favourite part was seeing the younger fellas who portrayed us and how we grew up. Talking about the concept and our younger years is one thing, but seeing it depicted on screen was a full-circle moment. All the actors and extras did a great job.”

If you could get one guest to be in one of your videos, who would it be and why?

“Vince Vaughn. He’s one of our favourite actors. We’ve never met him, but he seems like a guy we would click with and joke around with while having a few beers at the bar.”

The Lacs & Murphy Elmore “Hellraisers in Heaven” single artwork

What makes a music video “bad” or “good”? What makes it “great”?

“A real video is always going to be good, but every now and then, you can shoot one to make people feel what you are feeling through visuals, and that is what makes it great. Whether it’s happy, mad, depressed, or lost, any video that can make the viewers feel or say, ‘I know how he’s feeling; I’ve been there,’ in our minds, that is a video connecting, that’s a great video.”

What do you hate about music videos? What did you wish there was less of? What could the medium do away with?

“What we hate about music videos is the waiting. We like always being on the move and want to knock stuff out quickly. However, getting the right shots takes time and a lot of patience. I remember one album cover shoot took us two days to perfect everything for one photo. Video shoots can be the same way. The end products are always worth the patience, but if there were a way to get everything completed quicker without sacrificing the perfectionism that we want, that would be great.”

Any mishaps on set?

“There are mishaps on every music video set we have ever been a part of; not all are bad, though. Sometimes they turn out to be better than the original plan.”