Anyone who reads this blog knows that I'm a champion of filmmaking to tell music stories. So a cluster of upcoming docs about or driven by the roots music revival feels like a gold rush. I've just donated to the Kickstarter campaign of filmmaker Anna Schwaber for her ambitious and exciting Porchlight Sessions film. It's a portrait of bluegrass in all its "big tent" glory. The vibe struck by the trailer seems to me just right, acknowledging that tradition and change can and must coexist. And she seems to get the story straight from a huge variety of artists. I'm really looking forward to see this when it premieres at the Nashville Film Festival.
Then there's this interesting feature following Mumford & Sons, Old Crow Medicine Show and others on a tour by vintage train. The homage to the wonderful 1970s film Festival Express is explicit. The new-era take on the American musical odyssey by rail was made by Emmett Malloy, known for his acclaimed White Stripes documentary Under Great White Northern Lights. Also at the Nashville Film Festival.
Big Easy Express Official Trailer from S2BN Films on Vimeo.
Another film looks back at the life of one of the most influential figures in the modern day roots music movement - John Hartford. It rapped its successful Kickstarter last fall and is in its final stages of editing. Entitled John Hartford, Oh Yeah!, it tells the story of the witty and unique multi-instrumentalist, historian, singer, songwriter and river boat pilot who died of cancer in 2001. Talk about a guy who could preserve tradition while stirring the pot, Hartford was an architect of newgrass, even though he wasn't really trying to invent a new branch of bluegrass. If this film can capture even 20% of his lovely, quirky personality, it will be amazing.
Another interesting project that's reached its Kickstarter goal but that merits attention as it evolves is Folk To Folk, which documents specific music scenes and the "recent spike in popularity" in folk music. We give them extra props because one of the guys being interviewed is wearing a Music City Roots cap at about 1:25 in the trailer.
There's somethign happening here, and what it is ain't exactly clear, as some folksingers once sang. Every move to document this new back-to-the-people movement in music is welcome. These look like some of the best new looks at a very big and diverse story.