Students in Millersville University’s music business technology program have a special holiday tradition: releasing a music video with a wild-card element.
There have been giant snakes, time travel and a Sammy Hagar cover.
But this year, the Tell School of Music students took things international.
The Lilla Jul Rockeband, a studio band with a rotating lineup of current students, recorded “Jólakötturinn (Icelandic Yule Cat)” in Iceland in November. The music video for the original song, directed by Dan Hertzog, premiered on YouTube today.
So, how did a group of Millersville students end up recording a music video in Iceland?
Barry Atticks, director and creator of the Clair Brothers Music Business Technology major at Millersville University, visited Iceland in 2023 to scope out an opportunity for music industry students to work at the Iceland Airwaves Festival.
“I made it clear that my students were interested in gaining real-world experience—working with the live sound crew, mixing bands and assisting with technical needs,” Atticks said in an email. “Not handling security or ticketing.”
Atticks coordinated a trip for the students in November 2023, where they got hands-on live audio experience.
While on his preliminary visit in 2023, Atticks learned of the Yule Lads, which are Christmas characters in Icelandic folklore. These mischievous figures take turns visiting kids on the 13 days before Christmas.
The Yule Lads live with a giant cat who prowls neighborhoods looking for kids who aren’t wearing new clothes on Christmas Eve — a sign that they didn’t work hard enough throughout the year. The punishment? The cat eats them.
“The story of this massive, menacing cat was so captivating that I felt compelled to tell it through music in a short film,” said Atticks, who wrote the original song featured in the music video. The recording was co-produced by Logan Ressler.
When the students returned to participate in the 2024 Iceland Airwaves Festival, they scheduled time to record the “Icelandic Yule Cat” video.
Naturally, filming in a foreign country required a more involved process than past music videos. The team hired a location scout to find places to film that wouldn’t be interrupted by tourists. Locations included a black sand beach, a waterfall, a cave and a museum. A talent scout helped find a local family to act in the film.
There were challenges along the way, too, of course.
“Our original lighting technician failed to show up, leaving us scrambling at the last minute to secure a new lighting company — a significant challenge in a country as small as Iceland,” Atticks said.
Naturally, the video had a higher budget than past projects, and the school is accepting tax-deductible donations for those who would like to offset the production costs. To donate, visit lanc.news/mugive and select “Icelandic Yule Cat Music Video” from the drop-down menu.
With an international project in the rear-view mirror, where do Atticks and the music video project go from here? Atticks said that, budget permitting, he’d love to explore another country’s folklore through song and video.
“It would be an exciting way to showcase the rich tapestry of global folklore on screen,” Atticks said.