Callisto Cuts Off Bad Friends In “This Is Awkward”

As the old saying goes, your room reflects who you are and your state of mind. They say one of the quickest ways to learn about someone is to see their room or workspace.

That’s the idea behind Callisto’s music video for their influential debut single, “This is Awkward.” A band’s practice space is precious, usually profoundly private and personal. The music video for “This is Awkward” is an admittedly rare instance of a band providing a peek into what’s behind the curtain.

Callisto is further distinguished by having two vocalists, Howi Spangler and Brandon Hardesty, combined with balancing melodious, raucous and ultimately ferocious delivery of lyrics. Rounded out by the dynamic lyricist and drummer James DiNanno and vocalist, keyboard and guitarist extraordinaire Rob Dinanno, Callisto’s dedicated approach to their music could only be accomplished with a cast as diversely talented and versatile as they are.

The music video for “This Is Awkward” aims to start a conversation with the group’s fans by providing what feels like a glimpse into the band’s soul. As the camera turns on to reveal a red room balanced by blue light, subsequent shots reveal numerous tapestries, paintings and spray paint adorning the room's walls, reflecting the band’s creativity, artistic identity and headspace.

There are interesting parallels between the contrast of lyrics, like the repeated “I’m not your enemy” and the intimacy provided by peeking into their practice space. Still, knowing Callisto, every moment and lyric uttered probably provides an opportunity to find deeper meaning and connection. What a band.

Callisto’s “This is Awkward” is a statement, a straight-ahead, muscular mainstream rock debut that fans will surely enjoy. Whenever you’re ready, tap in and check out the new music video for “This Is Awkward,” available now on YouTube.

We loved “This Is Awkward” and the excellent idea of filming a rehearsal in your practice space. We have to ask, how did you even develop this idea for the music video?

James: So this was a place we rented. I envisioned a tight space that looked rundown and felt a little claustrophobic. Initially, there was a storyline included with the music video. As things developed, I just felt that we should keep shit simple. So we stuck with just the gritty performance footage as a standalone.

What was your favorite part about bringing the “This Is Awkward” music video to life? Howi: Working with Andrew Hall is always a treat. He has a good eye and always has cool ideas. He’s very talented at editing and trying new techniques to make his videos look unique.

Please give us the Callisto origin story! How did Callisto come to be? ROB: Callisto originally started as a 5(?) piece group but with entirely different members aside from James & myself. In 2017, when we arranged to kick off the project's first session, we had major disagreements with one of the former members (typical band shit) and had to start from scratch on day one of the scheduled sessions with Howi as our producer/engineer. I'm still amazed we accomplished as much as we did with those initial single releases because it was all born right then and there out of the ashes.

What is your favorite part about making music? Brandon: My favorite part about making music with Callisto is just doing different things without the pressure of worrying about how an existing audience is going to receive it. It's just about making music for the sake of making music and following the ideas. It has a certain pureness to it, which is pretty cool.

What’s next for Callisto? Any big plans for 2023? James: Teaming up with Elon. We plan to take a massive spaceship into orbit and perform exclusively for all the aliens…Tom Delonge can come too.

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