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I caught two of the music documentaries at the Nashville Film Festival over the weekend, one destined to be a classic and perhaps even a box office success, the other a missed opportunity for Nashville.
I can’t recommend “Young @ Heart” highly enough...
A rare and remarkable confluence of bluegrass and presidential politics occurred this week when, in the midst of the pre-Pennsylvania primary, Barack Obama vs. Hillary Clinton “bittergate” brouhaha, an advance recording by Del McCoury and his sons came my way. Without endorsing any candidate or party, the album called Moneyland speaks to the same issues Obama was explaining. It’s a more artful expression of those ideas than Obama’s, who was speaking off the cuff and not with his usual precision. But McCoury, one of my musical heroes, is stepping forward boldly with a message that sounds exactly like what Obama (whom I continue to support incidentally) was trying to say.
To recap...
"Four Days of Infamy," STM's road documentary about the Infamous Stringdusters is set to screen as part of a three film block at the Nashville Film Festival called "Diggin' Your Roots" at 4 p.m. on April 23 at the Regal Cinema Green Hills. Also on the bill are films about the Jayhawks' Mark Olson and famed Vanderbilt DJ Ken Berryhill. If you've never been to the festival, do yourselves a favor. It's an amazing good time, and we certainly hope to see you at our screening.
I haven't posted news in ages but not because there's not news. We've been crazed actually. We're finishing edits on a new video bio piece about the precocious and super-talented Sierra Hull, a favorite of Alison Krauss and many other bluegrass stars who've noticed her talents on mandolin and on the microphone. Her debut album comes out on Rounder Records on May 10.
We've also been privileged to be in the studio for recent shoots of album tracking sessions by songwriter and Americana star Darrell Scott and mad fiddle scientist Casey Driessen. Scott's album, recorded in his home, leans heavily country with Hargus "Pig" Robbins on piano. We're figuring out what to do with remarkable footage of Darrell and his dad Wayne dueting on a song they wrote together years ago. Casey tracked his new album just off Music Row with bassist Viktor Krauss, drummer Matt Chamberlain and, coincidentally, Darrell Scott on all kinds of instruments. And then there was a trip to shoot the Infamous Stringdusters in Chicago. And the Waybacks at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville. We're also finishing a promotional piece about Orchestra Nashville and prepping an amazing project about which more to come. On top of this on the home front we sold our house after much repair and painting and bought a new one. Which means String Theory Media will soon move into slick new space in a finished garage near the 12 South neighborhood. Stay tuned for more.
