Troubadour Blues is a journey into the world of well-traveled singer-songwriterslike Peter Case, Mary Gauthier, Chris Smither, Dave Alvin, Slaid Cleaves and many more. Filmmaker Tom Weber spent nearly 10 years gathering material for this feature-length documentary, which provides a revealing look at the heartbreaks and joys of these modern-day wandering minstrels.
The 95-minute film premiered Oct. 14, 2011, at the Buffalo International Film Festival. It features live performances of 40 songs by the artists who wrote them, including Case's "Icewater" and "Entella Hotel," Gauthier's "Drag Queens In Limousines" and "Wheel Inside The Wheel," Alvin's "Ashgrove" and Smither's breathtaking rendition of "No Love Today."
We see the artists both on and off stage. In revealing interviews, the artists discuss their craft and the state of the music business today. Case's story provides the film's main narrative, and we go with him to Hamburg, NY, where he grew up and learned to sing the blues, to San Francisco, where he polished his craft as a street musician, and to Los Angeles, where he played in influential bands like the Nerves and Plimsouls before launching a 30-year solo career.
This is a story that needs to be heard. In our media-saturated age of instant pop stardom, there is real danger that the tradition of the itinerant working musician is being diluted or lost. This is a concern expressed in the film by a number of artists. Troubadour Blues explores the hidden corners of our culture, where honest, authentic songs reflecting the human experience are still being written and sung.
Press Reactions:
“The implicit theme of the Troubadour Blues film -- that we, as a culture, have undervalued the role of the storyteller and the authentic musician in our fascination with glittering, overproduced and largely disposably pop art -- is rather difficult to dismiss. The craft of the troubadour should not become a museum piece. Artists like [Peter] Case have devoted their entire lives to holding up their end of the bargain. The rest is up to us.”-- JEFF MIERS, Buffalo News music writer
"Troubadours didn't just live during the '60s folk scare. A new generation is among us today -- and they're captured eloquently and beautifully in this richly detailed, musically first-rate movie. The highway footage is evocative, but it's the interviews and performances by the likes of Peter Case, Dave Alvin, Amy Speace, Mary Gauthier and Mark Erelli that really bring this to life. These folks are a long way from the 'American Idol' experience, but they're at the heart of
American music.'''-- STEVE MORSE, music critic (Boston Globe, Billboard, Rolling Stone)
“Should you be a lover of music, a lover of songs where the words mean something, a lover of spending nights listening to tall tales and short stories, a lover of laughter and intimacy, this film is for you.”-- EASY ED, No Depression
TOUR DATES:
-Wednesday, May 23rd at Douglas Corner Café @ 7pm /FREE/donations accepted
W/ Joe Scutella 2106 8th Avenue South Nashville, TN 37204 (615) 298-1688
-Saturday, June 2nd @ McCabe’s Guitar Shop 8pm/$20 3101 Pico Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90405 (310) 828-4497 w/Peter Case
-Tuesday, June 5th @ Coffee Gallery Backstage 8pm/$15 2029 Lake Ave Altadena, CA 91001
(626) 398-7917 music TBA please make reservations
-Thursday, June 7th @ Antiquité Maison Privée 6:30/$25 2114 P St. 95816 Sacramento, CA,
w/Peter Case
Saturday, June 9th @ KC Turner presents—House Concert series, Berkely, CA http://kcturnermusic.com w/Peter Case
-Wednesday, June 13th @ The Anderson Fair 9pm/$15 2007 Grant Street Houston, TX 77006
(832) 212-4057 w/Vince Bell
-Thursday, June 14th @ Jax 6:30/Free/donations encouraged 2828 Rio Grande Street Austin, TX 78705 (512) 382-1570 w/House of Song
Sunday, June 17th @ Blue Door 5pm/$15 ad $20 dos 2805 North McKinley Avenue Oklahoma City, OK 73106 (405) 524-0738 w/Steve Poltz
Wednesday, June 20th @ Padre’s 9:30 pm/free donations encouraged 209 West El Paso Street Marfa, TX 79843 (432) 729-4425 Music TBA
The film is available on DVD and for non-theatrical screenings. For more
information: http://tomweberfilms.com and http://www.troubadour-blues.com
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