Sugar Ray - 10 Seconds Down

What this video is

Released in 1995 as a single from Sugar Ray's debut LP Lemonade and Brownies (Atlantic Records), '10 Seconds Down' represents the band's pre-pop identity: a funk-metal, rap-rock hybrid rooted in the Orange County SoCal punk scene. The video was shot in Los Angeles by McG, a childhood friend of frontman Mark McGrath and the band's early creative collaborator, cementing a director-artist relationship that would later…

Why it matters

Documents Sugar Ray at their heaviest and most genre-hybrid moment, blending funk-metal, skate-punk, and hip-hop (via DJ Homicide's turntable presence) before their pivot to breezy pop-rock. Situates McG's early directorial voice within the low-budget SoCal alternative rock music video ecosystem…

The director

Joseph McGinty Nichol (McG), born August 9, 1968 in Kalamazoo, MI; raised in Newport Beach, CA. Earned a BA in psychology from UC Irvine. Formed record label G Recordings in 1993 and directed 50+ music videos for Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth, Sublime, and others…