Music drives the movies

By Chris Connelly

SALEM — From the Texas Blues to the revolutionary sounds of Jamaican Reggae, and from a square sixties youth group to new audio art — seven of the 34 documentary films featured in the Salem Film Fest 2010 focus on music.

courtesy photo

But even before the films start showing, starting at 6:10 Friday, Feb. 26, there will be live music in CinemaSalem’s main theater. In what may be a prophetic prelude to the 7 p.m. showing of ROCK PROPHECIES, Guitar Center King of the Blues finalist Graham Whitford, 18, of New York City is scheduled to perform. Whitford is the son of Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford.

Whitford plays again at Victoria Station in Salem at 9:30 p.m. Friday with local musician Grateful Ted. This concert is sponsored by Salem Sounds.

In its third year, the Salem Film Fest, Feb. 26 to March 4, kicks off with legendary documentary film maker Les Blank, who will be on hand to show his newest work ALL IN THIS TEA, but the festival also features his classic 1969 portrayal of a Texas blues legend, THE BLUES ACCORDING TO LIGHTIN’ HOPKINS.

It includes performances at an outdoor barbeque and a black rodeo; and a visit to Lightnin’s boyhood town of Centerville, Texas. The rich 16mm photography, calm camera moves and editing, as well as the unobtrusive filmmaking became Blank’s signatures and influenced generations of documentary film makers.

In ROCK PROPHECIES director John Chester explores photographer Robert Knight’s amazing career. Knight’s photos chronicle bands like Zeppelin and the Stones before they became famous and Chester follows him on his quest to help the bands of today become the rock legends of tomorrow. When Knight stumbles upon Tyler Dow Bryant, a 16-year-old Texas guitar phenom, he’s convinced he may have found the next Stevie Ray Vaughan. Knight risks his reputation and career and takes a chance on Bryant.

Director Luciano Blotta’s RISEUP is a journey into the heart of Jamaica and the worldwide cultural phenomenon of Reggae. In a society where talent abounds and opportunity is scarce, three distinct and courageous artists fight to rise up from obscurity and write themselves into the pages of history. With music and appearances by legends Lee “Scratch” Perry, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, and a slew of soon-to-be superstars, RISEUP follows artists in the dangerous streets, back alleys and crowded dancehalls of Kingston and the countryside. These artists demonstrate the raw power of hope and courage in a land which is largely unseen, but certainly not unsung.

TRIMPIN: THE SOUND OF INVENTION is an amusing journey through the sonic world of a wildly eccentric creative genius. Producer Peter Esmonde’s film follows artist/inventor/engineer/composer (and MacArthur genius) Trimpin as he designs and builds a 60-foot tornado of more than 500 automatic electric guitars; constructs an ensemble of huge marimbas that converts real-time earthquake data into music; collaborates with the Kronos Quartet on an outrageous world premiere with toy instruments…and that’s just for starters.

FOOTSTEPS IN AFRICA from director Kathi von Koerber is an exciting visual narrative accompanied by a diverse musical score. Shot during a road trip in the Sahara Desert of Mali, Kiahkeya performers and a camera team lived with the nomadic Tuareg/Kel Tamashek tribes and visited Tuareg festivals. The film captures the people in their element, investigating their music, their dance, their survival skills and the rituals that the Tuareg carry within to keep their culture and heritage alive.

GIRLS ROCK from directors Arne Johnson and Shane King, is band camp like you’ve never seen it before. At Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp, girls from eight to 18 are taught that it’s OK to sweat like a pig, scream like a banshee, wail on their instruments with complete and utter abandon, and that “it is 100% okay to be exactly who you are.” The girls are taught lessons of empowerment from self-defense to anger management by “indie” rock chicks such as Carrie Brownstein from Sleater-Kinney. At the end of the week, all the bands perform a concert for over 700 people.

SMILE ‘TIL IT HURTS: THE UP WITH PEOPLE STORY is the true tale of the squeaky clean, smile-drenched singing phenomenon, Up With People. Over the course of 40 years, the group emerged from a religious cult with a mission to counter the counter-culture. Backed by corporate America, they performed an upbeat ideology to 20 million worldwide and at four Super Bowl half-times, and eventually became a pop culture joke parodied on The Simpsons and South Park. Kitschy archival footage and the honest reflections of former members reveal what can happen when ideology, money and groupthink converge to co-opt youthful idealism.

For dates, times and locations that these all the other documentary films will be shown check the festival schedule.