Backstory:
Illegal Director is the brainchild of former film school dropouts, Jimmy “Flash” Gordon and Keith “Lens” Williams. Meeting at a late-night, impromptu film viewing in their shared dorm room, the duo soon discovered a shared passion for not only movies, but music as well. They began crafting songs inspired by the films they loved, from cult classics to modern blockbusters. Dubbed Illegal Director, their band name is a nod to their initial dream of becoming filmmakers and the fact that they both left film school before graduating.

Genre:
Blending elements of indie rock with new wave elements and a cinematic flair, they crafted a distinct, exciting sound that can only be described as Cinematic Indie Rock.

Title:
“Behind the Screen”

Full song lyrics:
(Verse 1)
[Am] Behind the silver screen, there lies a [G] world unseen,
[Dm] Filled with love, filled with pain, [Am] under the celluloid rain.
[Am] We’re heroes in the night, under the [G] projector’s light,
[Dm] Lost in a world of pretend, [Am] until the credits end.

(Chorus)
[F] We are the Illegal [C] Directors, crafting our [G] own life’s sectors,
[Am] Behind the screen, we [F] find our dream, lost in a [G] world unseen.
[F] Here in the flickering [C] light, we find our [G] strength to fight,
[Am] Behind the screen, in our [F] dream, we are the [G] kings and queens.

(Verse 2)
[Am] In this cinematic space, we find a [G] saving grace,
[Dm] Drawing tales of joy and sorrow, [Am] dreaming of tomorrow.
[Am] We’re spinning tales in sound, while the [G] world keeps spinning round,
[Dm] And when the lights go down, [Am] we’re lost and we’re found.

(Chorus)
[F] We are the Illegal [C] Directors, ignoring all the [G] defectors,
[Am] Behind the screen, we [F] live our dream, nothing is as [G] it seems.
[F] Here in the flickering [C] light, we find our [G] right to write,
[Am] Behind the screen, in our [F] dream, we are the [G] unseen.

Band’s Favorite Fan:
The band’s favorite fan is Clark Thompson, a die-hard cinephile and music enthusiast from Brooklyn, New York. Clark discovered Illegal Director during their early gigs in small venues around the city. As a fan, Clark says, “Illegal Director’s music feels like the perfect mash-up of my two loves: cinema and rock. Their songs are not just music for me; they’re narratives, stories, emotions- everything that makes a great film. Plus, their live shows are like stepping into a movie itself. It’s an experience like no other.”