Monday, June 30th, 2008

Finiarchitecture: Director of Finisterre and Saint Etienne team up again

Paul Kelly and Saint Etienne, the team that made Finisterre, are back with a new film called This is Tomorrow. The film will be playing in London on July 11th and July 18th as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2008.

A Southbank Centre commissioned film, This is Tomorrow links the optimism and primary colours of the 1951 Festival Britain with the re-opening in June 2007 of the Royal Festival Hall, the most inspiring building in the country.

Soundtracked by Saint Etienne it is a journey into the past and the future of an internationally renowned and much loved architectural space and its epic refurbishment.

The film features interviews with people who have made major contributions to the site and its architecture, including designer Robin Day, original architects Trevor Dannatt and Jim Cadbury-Brown, Southbank Centre’s current artistic director Jude Kelly, artist Jeremy Deller and author Alain De Botton as well as builders, manufacturers, local residents and Southbank Centre staff.

Friday 11 July
6.20pm This is Tomorrow, BFI, Southbank, London
Finisterre’ screening followed by Q&A session with Saint Etienne and the films director Paul Kelly. Tickets also include admission to to BFI’s bar where the band will DJ until close.
Tickets: £8.60
Box Office 0207 928 3232
www.bfi.org.uk

Friday 18 July
6pm til 12 midnight Architecture Rocks!, Bloomsbury Ballroom,
37 – 63 Bloomsbury Square, WC1B
Saint Etienne Djing as part of London Festival of Architecture Closing Party
Tickets: £15
Box Office 0870 264 3333
www.lfa2008.org

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Friday, June 20th, 2008

“Radio On” at BAM’s Directors’ Fortnight at 40

The Directors’ Fortnight emerged in 1969 as an answer to the Cannes Film Festival after its 1968 shutdown due to protests spreading across France. The non-competitive festival takes place simultaneously in Cannes and focuses on new discoveries and directors who are on the cutting edge. Directors’ Fortnight has been proud to present the French premieres of debut films by Werner Herzog, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Nagisa Oshima, Martin Scorsese, Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, and many others. The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s series celebrates Directors’ Fortnight with a thrilling selection of films from their 40-year history. A co-presentation with Directors’ Fortnight, uniFrance, the French Cultural Services and French Institute Alliance Francaise.

Chris Petit’s Radio On (Directors’ Fortnight 1980) follows a London DJ who hits the road to investigate the mysterious death of his brother. This loose framework sets the stage for an anti-road movie where the protagonist has a series of chance encounters with various lost souls, none of whom he is able to communicate with or understand. Co-produced by Wim Wenders, Radio On captures the alienation many in Britain felt as the ’70s limped into the ’80s. Watch the trailer here.

Radio On: part of BAM’s Directors’ Fortnight at 40
Sat, June 21st at 2pm & 7pm

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Friday, June 13th, 2008

Don’t Knock The Rock

The Don’t Knock the Rock Festival lineup this year is full of great music docs…Here’s the lineup:

Opening and closing nights will take place at the Hollywood Forever Cemeter, and every Thursday night of July and August at The Silent Movie Theater, with some special Saturday Matinee Events!

Sunday June 29

OPENING NIGHT!

Cinespia and Don’t Knock The Rock present the ENCORE screening of the great rock concert film classic, rarely seen “THE T.A.M.I. SHOW” (1964)by Steve Binder

In 1964 young Steve Binder was hired to film a concert at Santa Monica Civic which featured the biggest jukebox stars of the day, who have since become pop history legends: Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Jan & Dean, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Lesley Gore, Chuck Berry, garage rockers The Barbarians, The Rolling Stones, James Brown, and more. Go Go dancers Toni Basil and Teri Garr back up the acts! The energy of the performances and the audience Steve Binder captured has not been matched since. If you ever wished you had been there, this is the next best thing!

Plus extra bonus material never before screened, and other surprises!

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When & Where:

June 29, gates at 7:30, film at 9pm
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
6000 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90038

SUNDAY AUGUST 31 CLOSING NIGHT FILM @ HOLLYWOOD FOREVER
To be announced! Staytuned!

DKTR THURSDAY NIGHTS @ THE SILENT MOVIE THEATER
611 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.655.2510

July 3rd TO BE ANNOUNCED — STAY TUNED!

July 10th -You Think You Really Know Me: The Gary Wilson Story
Championed by the likes of Beck and Matt Groening, and obsessed over by record collectors, Gary Wilson’s album “You Think You Really Know Me” is one of the most unique, personal musical statements of the 1970s. Inspired by the seminal album’s 2002 reissue, director Michael Wolk set out to learn more about its creator, only to find that Wilson had vanished shortly after its release, making for a story just as peculiar as the album itself. “You Think You Really Know Me: The Gary Wilson Story” is a look at the bittersweet life of a musician well ahead of his time and ripe for rediscovery. As a special treat, Gary Wilson will perform live on the Cinefamily stage after the screening. Preceded by the short film by D. Sticker “My Pal Foot Foot”.

July 17th – Such Hawks, Such Hounds (L.A. premiere!)
A heavy, heavy film exploring the music and musicians of the American hard rock underground from 1970 to 2007, emphasizing psychedelic and ’70s proto-metal-derived styles such as doom metal, stoner rock, desert rock and space rock, which have in recent years all formed a rich tapestry of ear-splitting sounds. The film charts the evolution of these styles, while serving as a character study of the musicians themselves: artists on the fringes of both straight society and hip indie circles. We see how these musicians work and live, and how they sustain careers outside the rock mainstream. Bands featured include Pentagram, Black Sabbath, Dead Meadow, Earthless, Fu Manchu, Sleep, Comets on Fire, Kyuss and Nebula. DJ Tony “Tee Pee” Presedo will be presiding over the decks before and after the show, and following the screening will be a Q&A with filmmakers John Srebalus and Jessica Hundley, and a live performance by San Diego psych band Earthless.

July 24th – Far East Punk Triple Feature: Beijing Bubbles/Rock ‘N Japan/
Wasted Orient (L.A. premieres!)
Don’t Knock The Rock serves up three slices of the new Asian punk rock culture. First up is “Beijing Bubbles”, an intimate document of five bands in China’s capital city. Going well beyond common clichés of life and society in China, the film is a well-paced portrait of how these groups struggle to maintain their individuality in the fastest-growing country in the world. Next is “Rock ‘N Tokyo”, an jolt of Japanese energy profiling some of their tightest and fastest bands, like Guitar Wolf and The 5.6.7.8.’s (featured in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill”.)

Rounding out the evening is “Wasted Orient”, a profile of Chinese band Joyside (also in “Beijing Bubbles.”) Obsessed with Johnny Thunders and American punk, the film follows the band spreading their beer-soaked message across an unprepared Chinese countryside. Filmmaker Q&As will follow the screenings of “Beijing Bubbles” and “Rock ‘N Tokyo.”

July 31st – This Is The Life (L.A. premiere!) + Return Of The Rub-A-Dub
Style (World premiere!)
“This Is The Life” tells the little-known story of a group of teens who, starting in 1989, regularly met at the South Central L.A. health food store The Good Life and revolutionized hip-hop by innovating rhyme patterns, melodic concepts and lyrical styles used by many of today’s biggest rap stars. Directed by former Good Life emcee Ava DuVernay, the film features interviews and performances from members of Freestyle Fellowship, Jurassic 5 and more. Also showing is “Return of the Rub-A-Dub Style”, which charts the dual history of reggae soundsystem culture in Jamaica and its renewal at L.A.’s weekly Dub Club, held in Echo Park, where hardcore Jamaican micsmiths known as “deejays” come from around the world to “chat on the mic” with their lyrics of consciousness. Featured artists include Brigadier Jerry, Ranking Joe, Sister Nancy and U-Roy. Filmmaker Q&As will follow the evening’s screenings, plus an after-hours party hosted by the Dub Club.

August 7th – Regional Punk Double Bill – You Weren’t There: A History of Chicago Punk + DFW Punk (L.A. premieres!)
This double feature celebrates two cities with overlooked vibrant punk scenes during the same early era. “You Weren’t There,” is a gritty, exhilarating look back on the impact punk had on the Windy City. From what is now considered to be the first punk club in America (La Mere Vipere) to other proto-hardcore clubs and DIY venues, Chicagoans made sure that there were outlets for the genre that was often blacklisted by the mainstream rock scene. Featuring archival footage of Naked Raygun, Big Black and more. Next, we leave Chicago behind for “DFW Punk”, covering the Dallas/Ft. Worth punk/new wave scene. If you thought Texas in the late ’70s was all about urban cowboys, country tunes and bible-thumping, get ready to be proved dead wrong. Filmmaker Q&As follow the screenings, and DJ Terry “Dadbag” Graham (Gun Club, The Bags) will be on-hand to spin tunes during the breaks.

August 14th – If It Ain’t Stiff (U.S. premiere!)
By the mid ’70s, rock had disappeared up its own corporate “arse”. Thank goodness for Stiff Records, a ramshackle indie label formed by two penniless visionaries that took music out of the boardroom and gave it back to the fans. Stiff invented the new wave with Nick Lowe, put punk on vinyl with the Damned, gave the world Elvis Costello and Ian Dury, and dominated the charts in the ’80s with Madness. In its own words, “If it ain’t Stiff, it ain’t worth a fuck.” The film features appearances from all the acts mentioned above, plus Shane MacGowan, Wreckless Eric, Larry Wallis, Devo Tracey Ullman, and label bosses Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Filmmaker Ben Whalley will be present for a post-screening Q&A, Stiff founder Dave Robinson will bring along videos he directed for the label, DJ Wreckless Ian Marshall will spin the Stiff catalogue, and be sure to stick around for our live Stiff tribute concert with very special guests later in the evening. Preceded by the short film by Carol Chiodini “Action Woman”.

August 21st –
Music Nerd Double Bill: Under The Covers + Let Me Be Your
Band (L.A. premieres!)
Seen through the eyes of world-famous rock photographer Henry Diltz and three- time Grammy-nominated art director/artist Gary Burden, “Under The Covers” takes us through the classic rock era of the late 60s and early 70s via the iconic album covers these two friends designed together. Bill Day’s charming film contains candid conversations with Ray Manzerek of The Doors, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, and footage of Joni Mitchell, America, The Eagles, and many more. A Q&A with Bill Day and Henry Diltz will follow!

And then it’s time for “Let Me Be Your Band,” a joyous ode to the tradition of the one-man band. It’s a heart-pumping trek leading to the rockabilly sounds of Hasil Adkins, the punk-infused Delta Blues skronk of Bob Log III, Eric Royer’s self-built five-piece bluegrass band, the haunting tones of the Lonesome Organist, Washboard Hank performing on his kitchen-sink tuba, and more. After the screening, filmmaker Derek Emerson will conduct a Q&A session.

August 28th – Far Off Town: Dunedin to Nashville (L.A. premiere!)
Founding member of the seminal 1980s band The Clean and a legendary presence on New Zealand’s independent music scene for almost thirty years, “Far Off Town” follows David Kilgour on a 2003 trip to Nashville to make his album “The Frozen Orange” with the alt country band Lambchop. The film is a fascinating glimpse into Kilgour’s creative process, and features David’s travels from Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner’s basement, to the recording studio of maverick producer Mark Nevers, to the underworld haunts of the Nashville music scene. Also performing in the film are The Clean and Kilgour’s other band The Heavy Eights, and strewn along his journey’s path are Yo La Tengo, Al Kooper, Billy Joe Shaver, Will Oldham, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot and David Berman (of The Silver Jews). Following the screening will be a live solo set from Kilgour, plus a Q&A with filmmaker Bridget Sutherland. Preceded by the short film by Sergi Rubio “Madison Class Of ’64”


SATURDAY SPECIAL EVENTS@ The Silent Movie Theater

Don’t Knock The Rock presents these matinees combined with special workshops to be announced!

Saturday August 2

THE WRECKING CREWby Denny Tedesco

Denny Tedesco’s love letter to The Wrecking Crew, a group of LA studio musicians which included his father Fender guitar player great Tommy Tedesco, Hal Blaine, Carol Kaye, Don Randi and Glenn Campbell. In the 1960s The Wrecking Crew played on over half of the country’s top 40 hits for the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, Jan & Dean, The Monkees, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Mamas and Papas, Tijuana Brass, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Rivers and were Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound. A beautiful film for our music savvy DKTR audiences!

Saturday August 16

SONIC YOUTH: SLEEPING NIGHTS AWAKE by Michael Alrbight

In the summer of 2006, a group of seven high school students from Reno, NV set out to make a documentary on Sonic Youth. As part of a non-profit organization called ‘Project Moonshine’, these teens were given cameras and a few days of training and set loose to record a day in the life of DKTR board members Sonic Youth! Shot on location in Reno, NV on the 4th of July, this intimate verite documentary is a behind the scenes look at one of the most influential indie bands of all time and contains some of the most insightful and candid concert footage ever recorded.

Want tickets to the Plexi’s films:
Tickets for You Think You Really Know Me-The Gary Wilson Story
Tickets for Wasted Orient

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Friday, June 13th, 2008

Julian Cope Vs. Lou Reed

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“Between thought and expression lies a lifetime.” -Lou Reed
“That’s Bullshit” -Julian Cope

I just read Rip It Up! by Denise Sullivan which was okay but this was the standout quote that I just can’t get out of my head, so I thought I would share.

Want more trash on Lou Reed?

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