#NerdsUnite: The Porch Light Session
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Jordan. He was one of the first writers here on TNTML and he's a really rad mofo. I forget how we first started talking - but he lives allllllll the way over in Kansas and wants to talk to you about life from his side of the monitor in the keyword of nerd. I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT JORDAN!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @SaintPepsi
In regards to the soon to be seen Documentary on Bluegrass The Porchlight Sessions. Click here to jump to their Kickstarter Page http://kck.st/zg4vHG
Saintpepsi- I rarely get to see the behind the scenes aspects of production. So when my friend Ryan and I went to LA and stayed with his brother Chris, it was an interesting environment to find ourselves in. Chris and Anna Schwaber were fast at work on putting the finishing touches on a documentary centering around The history and current state of Bluegrass music. Now I feel like most people hear the term bluegrass and revert it into the same category as Country music. If I wasn't from Manhattan, KS a town that gets its fair share of Bluegrass singers through the local dive bars. I would assume much the same as well. Still the differences are easy to hear if you set them next to each other. In this world dominated by the industry standard of genes, the roots of music seem to fall to the wayside. So when we were offered a chance to pre-screen the movie for them we were glad to. I took away a beautiful history of a music I now know far more about. With the characters of this documentary standing out in my mind as clear now as when I watched it. The music and legend seem to sweep you away and leave you wanting to dance around in a dark bar to the rhythms produced by mandolins and banjos. Still this wonderful compilation of music and history is just moments away from release and it's hindered by a bit of financial need. Acquiring the rights for songs and appearances in the documentary often prove difficult in the finishing of any musical documentary. So through the wonderful use of Kickstarter they have been finding the funding they need to finish this unique project. Offering some pretty sweet shwag for any contributions you too can add to this movie in your own little way. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/schwaber/the-porchlight-sessions So without further distractions lets get to know the people behind the scenes. Welcome Anna! Could you tell us how and why you took off to make this movie? Also, could you give us a little back story on how you found yourself working with Chris as well?
Anna- I'll tell ya! It's a bit of a funny story and a round about way of making a bluegrass movie. After graduation from USC, I traveled to Australia to Australian National University in Canberra. While there I started singing backup in a folk band with a banjo-player I befriended there. At the time he was going by "Cowboy" Phil and I was surprised to find a large community down there that was really into Old Time, Folk, and Bluegrass.
I had never really thought of these as being genres whose reach extended far beyond the Appalachians and the region of Tennessee where I grew up, but Phil would pull out dusty old records and we would listen to bluegrass into the wee hours of the morning. I realized then that I had traveled halfway around the world to reconnect with a music from my own back yard. Since I was a kid I recognized that Appalachian culture and the people from that region have never been portrayed very favorably in films and on television. They are always toothless hillbillies sipping from a jug of moonshine, and this was not the image of a community that I knew and loved. From that moment, it became my mission to document the people surrounding this music and present them in the best possible light.
When I returned to the States, I went to Nashville and began this crazy adventure, that has consumed my life for the past 3 years. I had met Chris through mutual friends while attending USC film school and when I had enough footage at my disposal, I approached him about cutting a fund raising promo. It was then that our paths became inextricably linked and the project took on a breadth and scope that I had not anticipated. Originally meant to be a series of performances loosely tied together, Chris picked up on the potential of this material and helped to sculpt it into the film it is today, transforming it into a broad exploration of all things Bluegrass. It has been a long, and at times exhausting, journey but we are excited to be nearing the finish line.
Saintpepsi- That's fantastic. Having your roots in this culture really shines through in this documentary. I felt the passion play through it, having screened this film I have to say I was pulled along into the absolutely melodic family feeling it brought. I didn't know any of the people in this film and yet I felt that if I had been hanging out with them we would have been fast friends for life. The level of acceptance among the musicians and their fans was incredible. With so many musicians out there that do a show and leave with minimal fan interaction it was a breath of fresh air to hear these stories of new fans and old fans alike that would find their favorite musicians pulling up a seat and play next to them. Jamming out with the musician you idolize is a treat in itself, the stories of these bluegrass gods letting their fans play their instruments even more intense. So I can only imagine how excited they must have been for someone to look at them not as a back woods, hillbilly horror soundtrack. The willingness to tell their stories to someone who wants to grasp at the rich stories through song history that surrounds the music that they love. I noticed some people had their elitism even in this scene, I assume there will always be the traditionalist. Still, the over all feel I got was broad acceptance of the old and the experimental. Having such a willing group of musicians you must have been granted some pretty fantastic stories. Especially, for you being a bluegrass fan yourself. Do any stories jump out to you that really caught you off guard in joy of the moment.
Anna- Stories....I think over the summer in 2011, we got to do some pretty epic filming at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. It was pretty cool when we got to film with the Shaman of Telluride, Peter Rowan as we took him up the gondola for his interview. This made him look like he was on top of the world with the sweeping vistas behind him. I think the best part about working on this project has been finally getting to interview with some of the legendary musicians whom I've felt close to through all of the research we've done including looking at years of archival imagery. Its like I get to see the whole lives of these guys and then to see them in their 80's...its nuts! For example, we spent over a year trying to track down Doc Watson and when we got to interview him it was the day before I was supposed to be leaving the country and we drove all the way up to some random university I can't remember the name of outside of Cincinnati, OH. We arrived to the venue and sat through sound check with him, which was really beautiful to watch as Doc is a blind man and the way he interprets sounds is unique. We sat with him backstage in the dressing room to conduct the interview and he told us stories about his childhood in Boone, NC and growing up in the mountains. He also sang the classic song "Amazing Grace" for us that was just magic. We couldn't stay for the show as I was off to the airport! My mom had to do the returns on the rentals. It was great.
Saintpepsi- That sounds like such an amazing memory to have aquired. I got to meet B.B. King once, it was just for a moment and still one of the highlights of my life. You actually got to take time to meet, sit with, and talk to one of your legends. There must be so many fantastic things you have seen and done in the process of making this film. The personal journey itself must just boggle your mind. I know, if you looked back to the beginning of this film you can see just how far you have come. How do you think this film has changed your life? Helped shape you into who you are as a person right now? If you will. More so I know from some of the greater goals I have set up for myself, that it isn't always roses. The journey you take to get there can be quite daunting and that path can be bumpy at times. Have you found you have had to give up anything that seemed pretty important to you at the time to finish this story. Maybe, enlighten us about some of the struggles you had in getting here and how you conquered them. Obviously, you are proud of the work you have done so far and you should be. The film is fantastic. You have captured something majestic, and it's truly wonderful. Time, sweat, and energy go into any pursuit of this nature. I believe you know this far too well. So if you will take it away Anna. Too often the storytellers tale is lost behind their creations.
Anna- That's an interesting point about the storytellers story being lost, but in all honesty, the story behind the art's creation is generally part of the end result, isn't it? I mean who can't look at what and where we've filmed without thinking, where are these guys? Wait, how many people are there in this movie :)? Anyway, in terms of sacrifices, I've had my fair share and this project has certainly humbled me in many facets...and we are not even there yet! The film is not done, the deals have not been made, we haven't toured it yet, etc. So to reflect on the sacrifices would only mean looking back to a portion of this journey we are on when everyday we are continuously struggling. I was up until 4am working with Chris last night. He had to be at work at 8am and I was on a call at 10am so you can understand how we have given up a lot of our social and personal lives for this project thus far...but who hasn't for their passions? I can speak to the challenges during production as oftentimes, as soon as I'd make money, I'd go right around and pay for editing, or travel, or rental expenses...or drives! Its amazing how quickly we blew through those expensive little guys. To say I was homeless for the greater part of the year is also not entirely false, but is not entirely true either. I have great friends who have willingly let me stay for short spurts while I was back in forth between LA and Nashville. Most of the time I try not to think about all the out of pocket expenses I've poured into this project. I think its best you just know that it was money well spent ;)
Saintpepsi- I absolutely love your passion in this. This is why this film is and will be amazing. You have put your heart and soul into it. Final question. I have heard a great deal about Kickstarter and how it's allowing anyone with the drive to pursue their passion ands achieve them without the assistance of bigger cooperation. Sense you are presently implementing Kickstarter, what has your experience been with Kickstarter be it bad or good? How have you fully used it and would you use it again in the future? Also sense you were on the topic make sure to give our readers all the details that you can about your Kickstarter project so we can hopefully get you the funds you need to finish this film in the true way you envision it.
Anna- Kickstarter is good because it helps you crowd source. It allows you to connect with the people who are interested in your work, engaging them in your story or struggle along the way...most of the time, its an intense number of hours of work, a ticking clock, and lots of coffee. Kickstarter has turned us into hustlers. Its like hustler boot camp. So in a way its good for us.
PLS has been a project solely funded by our passion for the subject and how much of a responsibility we have to ourselves to complete the work of art. I've enjoyed the struggles from time to time because it makes those markers and milestones that much greater.
Their journey can be viewed here: http://kck.st/zg4vHG
support us by liking our FB and the Kickstarter page. It'll help us gain the attention of kickstarter for feature pages.
Thanks!
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