American Folk-Blues Festival: The Blues and Gospel Train

The Songpoet(en)

Eric Andersen is widely regarded as one of the most poetic songwriters that sprang from the Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1960s. His artful mélange of love, despair, hope and stirred memory has earned him a passionate international following and the respect and admiration of artists ranging from Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen to Lou Reed and Wyclef Jean. The Songpoet offers a look into the mind, soul and creative process of this multifaceted, complex and singularly driven artist whose career saw great expectations waylaid by misfortune.

Fleisch ist mein Gemüse(de)

Heinz Strunk, plagued by crater-like skin rashes, lives with his sick mother in Hamburg-Harburg in the 1980s. As a saxophonist, he tours the North German lowlands with the dance combo "Tiffanys". In this bizarre universe of Korn, Klaus & Klaus and Koteletts, bandleader Gurki teaches him how to deliver cheerful, upbeat music. To escape the vicious circle of shooting festivals and village weddings, Heinz wants to start a solo career and become a hit producer...

The Weavers: Wasn't That a Time(en)

Documentary about the blacklisted folk group The Weavers, and the events leading up to their triumphant return to Carnegie Hall.

Gary Moore: Emerald Aisles(en)

Taken from shows in Belfast and Dublin during the December '84 Irish Tour, filmed and produced by NFL Film's Phil Tuckett, Emerald Aisles captures Gary Moore and his band at their 1980s very best. Also features the 'Out In The Fields' promo video.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story(en)

Following a childhood tragedy, Dewey Cox follows a long and winding road to music stardom. Dewey perseveres through changing musical styles, an addiction to nearly every drug known and bouts of uncontrollable rage.

Indigo Girls: It's Only Life After All(en)

An intimate look into the lives of one of the most iconic folk-rock bands in America - the Indigo Girls. With never-before-seen archival and intimate vérité the film dives into the songwriting and storytelling of the music that transformed a generation.

T'Ain't Nobody's Bizness: Queer Blues Divas of the 1920s(en)

The 1920s saw a revolution in technology, the advent of the recording industry, that created the first class of African-American women to sing their way to fame and fortune. Blues divas such as Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Alberta Hunter created and promoted a working-class vision of blues life that provided an alternative to the Victorian gentility of middle-class manners. In their lives and music, blues women presented themselves as strong, independent women who lived hard lives and were unapologetic about their unconventional choices in clothes, recreational activities, and bed partners. Blues singers disseminated a Black feminism that celebrated emotional resilience and sexual pleasure, no matter the source.

Call(en)

Paris To Kyiv’s Fragmenti recording was originally released in 2005, a sonic tapestry of ancient Ukrainian song fragments and contemporary sounds. Nearly 11 years later, after circulating throughout the roster of artists on Balanced Records, a remix album has been compiled featuring electronic and avant garde interpretations by Ken Gregory, Joe Silva, Rise Ashen, Kasm, J57, Solidaze, Cayetano, Miguel Graça, Trevor Walker and Anders Peterson. This film accompanies the remix by Joe Silva.

Ella Fitzgerald Live in Australia(en)

Ella Fitzgerald visited Australia back in 1960. Gracefully stepping up to the microphone for the celebrated television event 'The BP Super Show', hosted by musician and entertainer Horrie Dargie, Fitzgerald delivered a mellifluous set of legendary songs in an intimate concert setting at The Embers Nightclub in Toorak Road, South Yarra Victoria. This rarely seen B&W television treat is considered to be one of the earliest audio-visual recordings of the 'First Lady of Song', backed by the smooth sounds of the Lou Levy Quartet. Beside Fitzgerald's performance of 14 memorable Jazz and Blues classics, the program also contains original BP musical interludes and jingles from the Horrie Dargie Quartet.

The Blues Brothers(en)

Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts his old band back together to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised.

J.B. Lenoir at Home(en)

J. B. Lenoir (1929 - 1967) was an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter, active in the Chicago blues scene in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1965 the Swedish/American couple Rönnog and Steve Seaberg visited J.B. at his home on the South Side of Chicago and recorded 30 minutes of music and conversation. Parts of the film was used in "Soul of a Man" (2003).

Blues Brothers 2000(en)

Finally released from prison, Elwood Blues is once again enlisted by Sister Mary Stigmata in her latest crusade to raise funds for a children's hospital. Hitting the road to re-unite the band and win the big prize at the New Orleans Battle of the Bands, Elwood is pursued cross-country by the cops.

Down the Tracks: The Music That Influenced Led Zeppelin(en)

Delve into the musical influences of iconic rockers Led Zeppelin, whose epic brand of arena rock grew out of a deep love of the blues, the skiffle and folk rock. Music historians and authors join producers Joe Boyd and Larry Cohn, as well as performers John Renbourn, Chas McDevitt and Davey Graham, in their analysis of the band's musical roots. An enthralling section also explores Zeppelin's fascination with the occult.

The Allman Brothers Band: 40(en)

The Allman Brothers Band were initially not happy with the first two releases, but they were able to fix the production mistakes only 40 years later. On April 29, a DVD will go on sale, followed by an audio recording of the famous concerts in New York 5 years ago. Then, on the Allman's favorite concert venue, the Beacon Theater, on March 26, 2009, they completely played the material of the debut (1969) and subsequent (1970) records, made under pressure from the producer in an undesirable sound for them. Now 15 tracks of the new DVD-CD-box are released in the form ... in which the public has known them for more than 40 years, but in the presentation of a completely different group (of the same name). 40: A very special number, and this DVD proves why the Allman Brothers Band is a special group indeed. Savor every note of every song, because chances are a band the likes of this one will not come our way again.

Neil Young: Heart of Gold(en)

In March 2005, Neil Young was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. Four days before he was scheduled for a lifesaving operation, he headed to Nashville, where he wrote and recorded the country folk album Prairie Wind with old friends and family members. After the successful operation and recovery period, he returned to Nashville that August to play at the famed Ryman Auditorium, once again gathering together friends and family for this special performance.

Eric Clapton: Sessions for Robert J(en)

Live, intimate, and raw, Sessions For Robert J is the essential audio/video companion to Eric Clapton's 2004 gold, Top 10 Me And Mr. Johnson, tribute to blues legend Robert Johnson. Filmed during tour rehearsals in London and Dallas plus a Los Angeles hotel room and the Dallas warehouse where Johnson made some of his final recordings, Sessions for Robert J finds Clapton performing all Robert Johnson songs with his touring band, acoustically with Doyle Bramhall II and solo-as well as discussing Johnson and his influence. A performance/documentary DVD with 14 tracks (from which the 11 CD selections are taken), Sessions for Robert J is blues heaven.

The Mountain Minor(en)

Life-worn Charlie struggles with leaving his present life and family in Ohio to return to his childhood Kentucky home and the music and lifestyle that once defined him. But first he must pass his musical heritage on to his grand-kids.

Pino Daniele Live @ RTSI(it)

Across This Land with Stompin' Tom Connors(en)

Stompin' Tom performs live at the Horseshoe Tavern on Queen St. in Toronto.

I Want to Destroy America(en)

A documentary film by Peter I. Chang which traces the life of the Japanese musician Hisao Shinagawa through his early years as a folk singer in Tokyo to his current occupation as a street performer in Los Angeles.