CINEMA

All I Can Say

Directed by Danny Clinch

OSCILLOSCOPE

Shannon Hoon, lead singer of the rock band Blind Melon, filmed himself from 1990-95 with a Hi8 video camera, recording up until a few hours before his sudden death at the age of 28. His camera was a diary and his closest confidant. In the hundreds of hours of footage, Hoon meticulously documented his life – his family, his creative process, his television, his band’s rise to fame and his struggle with addiction. He filmed his daughter’s birth, and archived the politics and culture of the 90’s, an era right before the internet changed the world. Created with his own footage, voice and music, this intimate autobiography is a prescient exploration of experience and memory in the age of video. It is also Shannon Hoon’s last work, completed 23 years after his death.

Awesome; I F***in’ Shot That

Directed by Nathaniel Hornblower

OSCILLOSCOPE

The Beastie Boys let their fans do the shooting as they take the stage of Madison Square Garden for the final date of their “Challah at Your Boy” tour in a concert video that truly puts the viewer right in the middle of all the action. With a mix of fifty DV and Hi-8 cameras distributed to shutter-bug fans and little more instruction than to keep the tapes rolling, director Nathaniel Hornblower and supervising editor Neal Usatin skillfully edit the resulting amateur footage into a kaleidoscopic, rough-edged take on the typically slick, professionally shot concert video.

Contemporary Color

Directed by Bill Ross IV & Turner Ross

OSCILLOSCOPE

Contemporary Color is a performance event and now a major motion picture inspired by the phenomenon of color guard, colloquilally known as “the sport of the arts”—conceived by David Byrne, co-commissioned by Brooklyn Academy of Music and Toronto’s Luminato Festival, and with support from WGI Sport of the Arts. Ten 20-40 person teams from the US and Canada will perform at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, alongside an extraordinary array of musical talent—performing together live.

Crock of Gold – A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan

Directed by Julien Temple

MAGNOLIA PICTURES

CROCK OF GOLD – A FEW ROUNDS WITH SHANE MACGOWAN deep dives into the life of the tortured Irish vocalist, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the Pogues, who famously combined traditional Irish music with the visceral energy of punk rock. Featuring unseen archival footage from the band and MacGowan’s family, as well as animation from legendary illustrator Ralph Steadman, Julien Temple’s rollicking love letter spotlights the iconic frontman up to his 60th birthday celebration, where singers, movie stars and rock ’n’ roll outlaws gather to celebrate the man and his legacy.

From Good Homes: Charlie Loves Our Band

Directed by Victor Guadagno

TIGHT LINES FILMS

Charlie Loves Our Band is a feature documentary that tells the story of the band From Good Homes. In the 1980’s, fifty miles west of New York city, three childhood friends, Patrick Fitzsimmons, Brady Rymer and Todd Sheaffer, crafted a style of music, influenced by rock & roll of the 60’s & 70’s, energized by the culture and energy of the 80’s and rooted in American storytelling and folk music. With the addition of Jamie Coan and Dan Myers in the early 1990’s, From Good Homes created a unique musical style originally identified as Hick-Pop, and produced several albums, two with RCA Records. Through their amazing canon of music, and annual reunion concerts, From Good Homes continues to build a community of diehard fans. Beyond the story of the elusive record deal is the story of the fans. “Devoted fans who don’t just see an occasional show, but see every show possible, and become friendly with other diehards, and basically live for the music in a way that goes way beyond traditional fandom”. – Jay Lustig – njarts.net. Charlie Loves Our Band is the story of these dedicated fans, and the band that they love!

Got The Blues – The Villain Cut

Directed by Oliver Santiago

SDL PRODUCTIONS

Los Villanos Blues Band are the subject of a documentary/concert film telling the story of their roots and bringing the blues to the streets of Mexico. Guitarists and brothers Javier and Abraham Villaseñor have been recognized for their contributions to the blues scene in Mexico by being inducted into to the Mexico, Blues Hall of Fame®.

The Hours and Times

Directed by Christopher Munch

OSCILLOSCOPE

Christopher Munch’s boldly original debut, THE HOURS AND TIMES (1992), is a fictional account of what might have happened in April 1963, when John Lennon and Beatles manager Brian Epstein traveled to Barcelona for an extended weekend getaway. In the four days they spend together, the suave Epstein (played by David Angus) and the provocative Lennon (Ian Hart in his first starring role) reflect on their lives, both private and professional, as they explore the unique bond they share. Munch’s sparse and intimate narrative, captured with exquisite black-and-white cinematography, is a thoughtful meditation on friendship and sexuality, crafted around a brief moment in the lives of two extremely well-known pop figures.

Jingle Bell Rocks!

Directed by Mitchell Kezin

OSCILLOSCOPE

In JINGLE BELL ROCKS!, director Mitchell Kezin delves into the minds of some of the world’s most legendary Christmas music fanatics and hits the road to hang with his holiday heroes – including hip hop legend Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons of RUN-D.M.C., The Flaming Lips’ frontman Wayne Coyne, filmmaker John Waters, bebopper Bob Dorough, L.A. DJ and musicologist Dr. Demento, and Calypso legend The Mighty Sparrow. In his search for the twelve best, underappreciated Christmas songs ever recorded, Kezin both asks and answers the question, “Why, when Christmas rolls around, are we still stuck cozying up with Bing Crosby under a blanket of snow?” Equal parts social history, pop culture pilgrimage, and revealing character study, JINGLE BELL ROCKS! follows this motley crew of merry misfits as they confront the Christmas music mainstream, reinventing the seasonal soundtrack for the 21st century. With rollicking live performances, intimate interviews, and a kaleidoscope of touching and rare archive footage, JINGLE BELL ROCKS! is a cinematic sleigh-ride into the strange and sublime universe of alternative Christmas music. It’s also a mix-tape of twelve of the weirdest, wildest, most poignant Christmas songs you’ve never heard.

The King

Directed by Eugene Jarecki

OSCILLOSCOPE

Forty years after the death of Elvis Presley, two-time Sundance Grand Jury winner Eugene Jarecki’s new film takes the King’s 1963 Rolls-Royce on a musical road trip across America. From Memphis to New York, Las Vegas, and beyond, the journey traces the rise and fall of Elvis as a metaphor for the country he left behind. In this groundbreaking film, Jarecki paints a visionary portrait of the state of the American Dream and a penetrating look at how the hell we got here. A diverse cast of Americans, both famous and non, join the journey, including Alec Baldwin, Rosanne Cash, Chuck D, Emmylou Harris, Ethan Hawke, Van Jones, Mike Myers, and Dan Rather, among many others.

Low Down

Directed by Jeff Preiss

OSCILLOSCOPE

Based on the memoir by Amy-Jo Albany, LOW DOWN is a compassionate, tender look at the complex relationship between Amy-Jo (Elle Fanning) and her father Joe (John Hawkes), a man torn between his musical ambition, his devotion to his teenage daughter, and his suffocating heroin addiction. Set against a sensuously textured 1970s Hollywood, the film beautifully evokes a colorful, seedy world of struggling musicians, artists, and vagabonds, in which Joe and Amy-Jo strive to live the lives they want against seemingly insurmountable odds.

The Public Image is Rotten

Directed by Tabbert Fiiller

ABRAMORAMA

After the breakup of the Sex Pistols, John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten), formed Public Image Ltd (PiL), his groundbreaking band which he has kept alive for over four decades, through personnel and stylistic changes, fighting to constantly reinvent new ways of approaching music, while adhering to radical ideals of artistic integrity. John Lydon has not only redefined music, but also the true meaning of originality.  With his trademark acerbic wit and unpredictable candor, Lydon offers a behind-the-scenes look at one of music’s most influential and controversial careers.

May It Last

Directed by Judd Apatow & Michael Bonfiglio

OSCILLOSCOPE

Filmed with extraordinary access over more than two years, MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS is a deeply intimate and revealing look at the Grammy Award-nominated North Carolina band fronted by Seth and Scott Avett. Directors Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio chart the Avett Brothers’ decade-and-a-half rise, while chronicling their 2016 collaboration with famed producer Rick Rubin on the critically-acclaimed album “True Sadness,” released on American Recordings/Republic Records. Using the recording process as a backdrop, the film depicts a lifelong creative partnership put to the test as band members undergo marriage, divorce, parenthood, illness, and the challenges of the music business. More than just a concert documentary, MAY IT LAST is a meditation on family, love, and the passage of time.

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band

Directed by Daniel Roher

MAGNOLIA PICTURES

ONCE WERE BROTHERS: ROBBIE ROBERTSON AND THE BAND is a confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robertson’s young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band. The film is a moving story of Robertson’s personal journey, overcoming adversity and finding camaraderie alongside the four other men who would become his brothers in music, together making their mark on music history. ONCE WERE BROTHERS blends rare archival footage, photography, iconic songs and interviews with Robertson’s friends and collaborators including Martin Scorsese, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, and more.

The Other F Word

Directed by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins

OSCILLOSCOPE

This revealing and touching film asks what happens when a generation’s ultimate anti-authoritarians – punk rockers – become society’s ultimate authorities – dads. With a large chorus of punk rock’s leading men – Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea, Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath – THE OTHER F WORD follows Jim Lindberg, a 20-year veteran of the skate punk band Pennywise, on his hysterical and moving journey from belting his band’s anthem ”F–k Authority,” to embracing his ultimately authoritarian role in mid-life: fatherhood. Other dads featured in the film include skater Tony Hawk, Art Alexakis (Everclear), Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Tony Adolescent (The Adolescents), Fat Mike (NOFX), Lars Frederiksen (Rancid), and many others.

Pulp

Directed by Florian Habicht

OSCILLOSCOPE

Though culminating with the farewell concert the band played to thousands of adoring fans in their hometown of Sheffield, England, PULP is by no means a traditional concert film or rock doc. As much a testament to the band as it is to the city and inhabitants of Sheffield, PULP weaves exclusive concert footage with man-on-the-street interviews and dreamy staged sequences to paint a picture much larger, funnier, moving, and life-affirming than any music film of recent memory.

Scott Walker: 30th Century Man

Directed by Stephen Kijak

OSCILLOSCOPE

SCOTT WALKER: 30 CENTURY MAN is a rare glimpse into the creative world of the most enigmatic figure in rock history, and will trace the undeniable impact he has had on popular music through casual interviews with some of his biggest, highest profile fans. We explore his fascinating trajectory, from jobbing bass player on LA’s Sunset Strip, to his domination of the British pop scene that began in the swinging summer of 1965, to his transformation into a composer of true genius; an uncompromising and serious musician working at the peak of his powers. At age 63, over the course of 2005, he went into the studio again, working on what could be his greatest artistic statement yet – and we were invited to document part of this process – a privilege no filmmaker has ever been granted.

Shut Up and Play The Hits

Directed by

OSCILLOSCOPE

If it’s a funeral… let’s have the best funeral ever.

On April 2nd, 2011, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM played its final show at Madison Square Garden. LCD frontman James Murphy had made the conscious decision to disband one of the most celebrated and influential bands of its generation at the peak of its popularity, ensuring that the band would go out on top with the biggest and most ambitious concert of its career. The instantly sold out, near four-hour extravaganza did just that, moving the thousands in attendance to tears of joy and grief, with New York Magazine calling the event “a marvel of pure craft” and TIME magazine lamenting “we may never dance again.” SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS is simultaneously a document of a once-in-a-lifetime performance and an intimate portrait of Murphy as he navigates both the personal and professional ramifications of his decision.

Straight Into A Storm: Ten Years of Deer Tick

Directed by William Miller

ABRAMORAMA

Featuring an exclusive introduction from director, William Miller

STRAIGHT INTO A STORM centers around DEER TICK’s 2015 10th anniversary run in New York City. A portrait of a hard rocking band known for their substance-fueled live performances on their evolutionary journey to become one of the greatest cult rock bands of our time. Anchored by a fan chosen setlist and New Year’s Eve performance, the film weaves in and out of time over the last 10 years utilizing never before seen archive footage from their booze drenched early days to the successful touring/recording band they are now- and everything in between.

Wild Combination

Directed by Matt Wolf

OSCILLOSCOPE

Wild Combination is director Matt Wolf’s visually absorbing portrait of the seminal avant-garde composer, singer-songwriter, cellist, and disco producer Arthur Russell. Before his untimely death from AIDS in 1992, Arthur prolifically created music that spanned both pop and the transcendent possibilities of abstract art. Now, over fifteen years since his passing, Arthur’s work is finally finding its audience. Wolf incorporates rare archival footage and commentary from Arthur’s family, friends, and closest collaborators—including Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg—to tell this poignant and important story.

Zappa

Directed by Alex Winter

MAGNOLIA PICTURES

With unfettered access to the Zappa family trust and all archival footage, ZAPPA explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time. Alex Winter’s assembly features appearances by Frank’s widow Gail Zappa and several of Frank’s musical collaborators including Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood, Ray White and others.