Press Release Seven
For Immediate Release: April 23, 2008 •
NXNE FILM FEST DIGS DEEP INTO PUNK, BLUES AND ROCK ROOTS
North by Northeast Music & Film Festival and Conference
June 12 - 15, 2008
North by Northeast (NXNE) is more than an awesome music festival—it’s a film fest, too! Whether you’re into features, shorts or docs, NXNE movies will thrill your ears, open your eyes, blow your mind and rock your world. Feature films confirmed to date include:
DESPERATE MAN BLUES (2003) Australia
Joe Bussard was the founder of Fonotone Records, America’s last 78 label; he was also on a life-long quest to find and preserve what he called 'America's real music.' Cajun, bluegrass, blues, country, gospel and jazz music, Bussard loved it all—but his real passion was for music from the Mississippi Delta region. DESPERATE MAN BLUES follows Bussard from his Maryland home—with more than 25,000 rare records in the basement—to the bars and back roads of the American deep south. The film features music from the likes of Blind Willie McTell, the Carter Family, Charley Patton, Uncle Dave Macon, Lonnie Johnson, Son House and Robert Johnson.
THE MONKS: THE TRANSATLANTIC FEEDBACK (2006) Spain/Germany *CANADIAN PREMIERE *
In 1964, five American GIs stationed in cold war Germany formed a rock band to play the standard music of the day: Chuck Berry tunes, surfing songs, and British Invasion music. But once out of the Army, they stayed in Germany, started dressing like monks and made a radical shift in their creative direction. They began experimenting with their sound, eschewing melody for heavy, repetitive rhythms, embracing nihilism and incorporating feedback, existential rants and electric banjo into their music. As the self-proclaimed “Anti-Beatles” The Monks defined the musical vanguard, marrying art with music and, in the process, setting the direction for artists such as The Velvet Underground, The Sex Pistols, Einstürzende Neubauten, The White Stripes and Henry Rollins. Their first and only album, 1965’s Black Monk Time, was years ahead of its time and is still considered one of the most influential, challenging and important rock albums never heard. Using archival performance footage and interviews, THE MONKS: THE TRANSATLANTIC FEEDBACK tells the compelling story of these rule-busting art-rockers.
BLONDIE: ONE WAY OR ANOTHER (2006) United Kingdom * CANADIAN PREMIERE*
In the late ‘70s, a sexy bottle blonde led a punky electropop band out of the Bowery and onto the world’s stage. BLONDIE: ONE WAY OR ANOTHER is the story of Blondie in the band's own words. From their CBGB beginnings to their acrimonious 2005 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Blondie rocked the worlds of new wave, pop, dance and reggae. The filmmakers had exclusive access to Debbie Harry and all members past and present, and shot backstage and performance footage on the band’s UK tour and at the band’s induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. BLONDIE: ONE WAY OR ANOTHER features interviews with Clem Burke, Jimmy Destri, Noel Edmonds, Chris Frantz, Deborah Harry, Shirley Manson, Iggy Pop, Mark Radcliffe, Tommy Ramone, Chris Stein, Christopher Timothy and Tina Weymouth, and the music of Blondie, Talking Heads, Ramones, Iggy Pop and Patti Smith.
FAMILY MEETING (2007) Finland * SEE THE WENTUS BLUES BAND LIVE AT NXNE! *
While most people associate the blues with the deep American south, precious few are aware there’s a thriving blues scene in Scandinavia. At the heart of this Nordic blues explosion is the Wentus Blues Band, a hard-working band from Finland that’s toured 14 countries, released seven albums and headlined festivals. Shot in 2006 around their 20th anniversary concert, FAMILY MEETING features performances by legendary collaborates and fans, including Eddie Kirkland and Louisiana Red, ex-Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, Kim Wilson from the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Omar Dykes from Omar & The Howlers, Barrence Whitfield from The Savages, and kick-ass Swedish blues masters Sven Zetterberg and Clas Yngström.
WINTER SONG: A FILM ON DAKOTA SUITE (2006) Switzerland/UK
The Leeds-based band Dakota Suite is known for its evocative, moody, seemingly random music. Fragile frontman Chris Hooson, a youth worker, began his music career writing songs about things that really matter to him: his own personal tragedies, and the ups and downs of Everton Football Club. Word of his talent soon spread, but Hooson remained elusive as an artist, preferring to let his bleak aural watercolours speak for themselves. WINTER SONG: A FILM ON DAKOTA SUITE follows Hooson and the band on a journey through his past, from his youth in Holland to the bleak Northwest coast of England. Hooson’s mournful music and moody lyrics marry with rich imagery to create a hauntingly beautiful portrait of an exceptional musician.
AGILE, MOBILE, HOSTILE (2008) United States
He’s been called the Black Godfather, Mr. Bad Motherfucker and the Father of Rap; he’s legendary R&B howler, ladies’ man and all-round hell-raiser, Andre Williams. He’s worked with legends, had hit records, tasted fame, wrestled with addiction and survived homelessness… and, after more than 50 years in the music biz, he’s still a major club draw. AGILE MOBILE HOSTILE follows a year in the life of legendary R&B musician—a year that includes a stint in jail, eviction from his home, a life-threatening battle with pneumonia and his ongoing battle to stay sober. It’s a volatile year in the life of the feisty man behind such hits as Jail Bait, Mustang Sally, Thank You for Loving Me and Shake a Tail Feather.
The North by Northeast (NXNE) Music & Film Festival and Conference is a myth-busting, adrenaline-fuelled indie music and film festival that takes over Toronto for four days every June. The Music Festival is recognized worldwide as the place for fans to see breakout performances from great bands at intimate venues and for musicians to get vital international exposure.The Film Festival features the planet's most eclectic schedule of music-related films--concert classics to indie docs, from Rio to Rwanda.. And the Conference puts music insiders and veterans alongside next-generation thought leaders and cyber-punk upstarts who are defining the industry for the digital age. Catch the 14th annual North by Northeast Music & Film Festival and Conference June 12-15, 2008 at over 50 venues in downtown Toronto.