[It’s Here!] 2013 Independent Film Festival Boston: The Music Docs
Posted on April 24, 2013 at 9:58 am | 2 Comments
It has arrived: The opening night of the 11th annual Independent Film Festival Boston is this evening at the Somerville Theatre. Spending some quality time in a darkened theater, escaping into some well-made stories… well, that’s exactly what many of us could use right about now. The staff of IFFBoston has always taken meticulous care in selecting their lineup, so even if you ignored all the recommendations and film synopses and just picked a few random screenings, odds are you’d find something new to love.
As usual, there’s a strong showing for music-related documentaries among the nearly 100 films being shown during the 7 days and nights of this year’s fest. Here’s a quick rundown, along with a bunch of my personal non-music picks at the bottom…
Downloaded
directed by Alex Winter (in attendance)
AKA “The Napster Documentary”. An in-depth look at the creation of the true killer app – the one that started the total transformation of the music business – coded right here in Boston by Shawn Fanning in the dorms at Northeastern University. Interview subjects in the film include Henry Rollins, Billy Corgan, Mike D from the Beastie Boys, and Noel Gallagher. Director Alex Winter (yes, that Alex Winter – Bill from Bill & Ted) will be at the screening for a Q&A.
Screening at the Somerville Theatre on Friday, April 26th at 7:00 PM
Tickets / Facebook / FB Event page / IMDB / Trailer:
Muscle Shoals
directed by Greg Camalier
Muscle Shoals, Alabama is home to the legendary FAME Studios, where Rich Hall helped make the truly iconic recordings that came to define the “Muscle Shoals Sound”. The roster of those who recorded there is stacked: Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Etta James just to name. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Percy Sledge, Gregg Allman, Bono, and Alicia Keys are among the interview subjects.
Screening at the Brattle Theatre on Sunday, April 28th at 6:00 PM
Tickets / Facebook / IMDB / Trailer:
The Punk Singer
directed by Sini Anderson
Kathleen Hanna. If you’re a fan, you’ve already clicked the link to buy tickets below. This is her story, from her days fronting Bikini Kill, helping define a grrl-powered movement, shifting gears into electro with Le Tigre and Julie Ruin, all the while remaining outspoken, always interesting, and always herself. Includes interviews with Carrie Brownstein, (husband) Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, Kim Gordon, Joan Jett, Corin Tucker, and bandmate J.D. Samson.
Screening at the Somerville Theatre on Thursday, April 25th at 9:45 PM
Tickets / Facebook / Kickstarter / IMDB / Trailer:
Taken By Storm: The Art of Storm Thorgerson and Hipgnosis
directed by Roddy Bogawa
This profile of graphic designer Storm Thorgerson and his Hipgnosis studios takes on an added weight in the wake of his death just last week. While his work is mostly closely linked to Pink Floyd (he designed nearly all of their LP covers), his full discography is absolutely insane, and it’s a safe bet you have a Hipgnosis-designed cover in your music collection. Hell, I’m looking at a Catherine Wheel cover he designed sitting next to me right now. Given those credits, it’s no surprise that the list of interviews in the documentary is long and impressive: David Gilmour, Robert Plant, Peter Gabriel, Noel & Fergal from The Cranberries, Rob from Catherine Wheel, Dominic from Muse, and more.
Screening at the Brattle Theatre on Friday, April 26th at 9:30 PM
Tickets / Website / Facebook / IMDB / Trailer:
Subtitled “The Untold Story of the Voices That Helped Shape Popular Music”, this one’s for the backup singers. The unheralded angels who have, for so many years, lent their voices to a litany of popular names while they themselves linger in relative obscurity. A few make it into the public eye (like subject Darlene Love), but most stay on the sidelines, and many are content to do so – to remain anonymous workhorses while others share the spotlight. This film turns that spotlight around for a moment.
Screening at the Somerville Theatre on Sunday, April 28th at 3:30 PM
Tickets / Website / Facebook / IMDB / Trailer:
A few more movies that jump out at me from this year’s lineup. Click film titles for screening info…
Passes and individual tickets for the 2013 Independent Film Festival Boston are available here. It starts tonight, April 24th, at the Somerville Theatre, and ends next Tuesday, April 30th at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. In between it spreads to the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square and new venues at UMass Boston and Theatre 1 at the Revere Hotel in Boston.
For up-to-date info, follow IFFBoston on Facebook and Twitter. See you in the seats.
[Last Night’s Playlist] New Music Night IX at River Gods
Posted on March 22, 2013 at 9:36 am | No Comments
Another evening well-spent, alternating hours up in the River Gods DJ nook with my pal Jay Clicky Clicky, playing nothing but new songs under our NEW MUSIC NIGHT moniker. We’re back on the every-other-month schedule, and we already know when the next one is: Mark down Thursday night, May 30th, for the tenth edition of NMN. Double-digits, kids. Maybe we’ll do something extra special for #10? Ticket giveaways? Hugging (DJ) booth? Oh, the possibilities.
Here’s what I played last night, along with links to where you can hear/download/buy the tracks. So click through and listen up. And check over here for Jay’s playlists, too.
New Music Night IX
at River Gods in Cambridge, MA
on Thursday, March 21st, 2013
* Boston-area band
Set one / Brad Almanac / 9pm – 10pm
* 01. Hallelujah The Hills – “The Three Minute Mark”
[ from their Winter 2013 single / stream & buy at Bandcamp ]
02. Mount Moriah – “Younger Days”
[ from their new Merge Records LP, “Miracle Temple” / stream the album ]
03. Neko Case – “That’s Who I Am”
[ from the “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County” soundtrack / stream via Soundcloud ]
04. Low – “So Blue”
[ from their new “Invisible Way” LP / MP3 ]
05. John Vanderslice – “A Better Whirlpool” (Bowie / “Big Brother” cover)
[ from his full-album covering of Bowie’s “Diamond Dogs” LP / MP3 ]
06. Ola Podrida – “Staying In”
[ from the “Ghosts Go Blind” LP, due out 4/30 / MP3 ]
07. Ex Cops – “Separator”
[ from the “True Hallucinations” LP / Video ]
08. Gold Paint – “Hold On”
[ from the “Faraway Places” EP & 7-inch / stream & buy at Bandcamp ]
09. Beach Fossils – “Careless”
[ from the “Clash The Truth” LP / MP3 ]
10. Wax Idols – “When It Happens”
[ from the “Discipline and Desire” LP, out next Tuesday / stream at Soundcloud ]
11. The House Of Love – “A Baby Got Back On Its Feet”
[ from the “She Paints Word In Red” LP, out next week / stream at Soundcloud ]
12. Suede – “Barriers”
[ from the “Bloodsports” LP / stream at Soundcloud ]
13. My Bloody Valentine – “New You”
[ from the “MBV” LP / listen at YouTube ]
14. Kid Canaveral – “The Wrench”
[ from the “Now That You Are A Dancer” LP / stream at Soundcloud ]
15. Tullycraft – “Lost In Light Rotation”
[ Title track from their forthcoming LP & new 7-inch / Video / stream at Soundcloud ]
16. The Little Ones – “Forro”
[ from “The Dawn Sang Along” LP / stream & buy at Bandcamp ]
17. The History Of Apple Pie – “See You”
[ from the “Out of View” LP / stream at Soundcloud ]
18. Mariage Blanc – “Footsteps”
[ from the “Undercurrents” LP / stream & buy via Bandcamp ]
Set two / Brad Almanac / 11pm – midnight
19. Mikal Cronin – “Shout It Out”
[ from his forthcoming “MCII” LP, out 5/7 on Merge / stream on Soundcloud ]
20. Golden Grrrls – “We’ve Got…”
[ from their new self-titled LP on Slumberland / stream on Soundcloud ]
* 21. Fat History Month – “Bad History Month”
[ title track from forthcoming LP, out 4/1 on Exploding in Sound / stream at Bandcamp ]
* 22. Bookkeeper – “Glory”
[ from the “Elphino” EP / stream & buy at Bandcamp / MP3 ]
23. Kingsbury Manx – “Future Hunter”
[ from “The Bronze Age” LP / stream at Soundcloud ]
24. The Replacements – “I’m Not Sayin” (Gordon Lightfoot cover)
[ from the “Songs For Slim” benefit EP / stream at P4K ]
* 25. Broken River Prophet – “Persephone”
[ from the “A Dagger & A Dove” LP / stream & buy at Bandcamp ]
26. Desaparecidos – “Anonymous”
[ from their new 7-inch / stream at Soundcloud ]
27. Telekinesis – “Wires”
[ from the forthcoming “Dormarion” LP, out 4/2 on Merge / Video ]
28. Survival Knife – “Traces Of Me”
[ from their new Sub Pop 7-inch / stream the b-side at Soundcloud ]
* 29. Ho-Ag – “See You At The Brush Pass”
[ from the “World-Destroying Zig-Zags” LP / stream at Bandcamp ]
30. Ghost Box Orchestra – “Vader”
[ from the forthcoming “Vanished” LP, out on 5/14 / stream at Bandcamp ]
* 31. Young Adults – “Context”
[ from the “Born in ’91” EP / stream at Bandcamp ]
* 32. Z*L – “Steev Millar”
[ from the forthcoming self-titled debut LP, out 4/23 on Midriff Records ]
33. Yo La Tengo – “Cornelia and Jane”
[ from the “Fade” LP ]
34. Rose Melberg – “Tonight You Belong To Me” (Patience & Prudence cover)
[ from her “September” covers cassette, available via Lost Sound Tapes ]
Next up for NMN: Thursday, May 30th. When winter will be well behind us. Right?