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After callously crushing all of the moderately selling artists, multinational corporation record labels are beginning to sag under their own weight. It is clear that a new model of music distribution is necessary. Lo-Fidelity’s  _The Lost Dogs . . . Via Chicago_ is as good a prototype as any for the future of recorded music; a digital recording of a single acoustic concert in low light levels by a producer who doesn’t hide his affection for his subject. There is some loss in production values moving from the mega-label to an independent, but not as much as one might fear. The future doesn’t look so bad, providing it is willing to learn from its early attempts.

Filmed during a single live concert, the biggest strengths of the project are the three artists that make up alternative Christian music super group the Lost Dogs. Terry Taylor, Mike Roe and Derri Daughtery each have respected careers as music producers and performers. September 28, 2002 caught them in good spirits introducing “Moses in the Desert” from their yet-to-be-released CD Nazarene Crying Towel and delivering old favorites like “Free Drinks and a Dream,” “The Wall of Heaven,” “Wild Ride,” “Why is the Devil Red?” among many others, in a polished, well timed, in tune performance.

Only a handful of annoying production decisions betray the indie nature of the project. While all the shots are in focus and well framed, the performance segments are presented in hard-edged, digital black and white with none of the softness or depth film emulsion film provided classic recordings. Much like sitting under a bare light bulb for extended periods, the screen can be hard to watch. Inexplicably interspersed between the songs are lengthy artist monologues shot on the same stage in the same lighting conditions--in color. John Thompson, former publisher of TrueTunes and author of Dances with Wolves is credited as interviewer, but his image and/or voice never appears on the project, a strange omission. Grainy traveling shots of Chicago’s most-recognizable street-scapes are also cut into the mix, although the concert took place in a remote suburban setting. The project cycles between these three elements without explanation. Fans of concert videos will find the breaks jarring. Fans of give-and-take interviews will miss the questions the Dogs are responding to and fans of Chicago will yawn at such obvious shots of the tourist spots.

Despite these flaws, _The Lost Dogs . . . Via Chicago_ is a real service to supporters who want a lasting memento of this group in its present form. The sound is nicely produced, and a bonus music CD of the show is a nice addition. Anyone unable to travel to their infrequent shows should appreciate the opportunity to own an intimate, immediate look at these living musical legends. Perhaps their friends will be persuaded to join them on the journey to a show during the next tour.

The future of do-it-ourselves projects is very promising. Kudos to Lo-Fidelity for paying such close attention to one of Christian music’s most important, yet obscure groups. This reviewer is confident the lessons learned in the production of . . . Via Chicago will be well applied to the next effort. 

Shari Lloyd  9/4/2003