press summary 2013

PRESS
SUMMARY
2013
PETER CASE
CHRIS SMITHER
MARY GAUTHIER
DAVE ALVIN
in
a film by
TOM WEBER
TROUBADOUR BLUES PRESS KIT 2013
Troubadour Blues is a journey into the world of well-traveled singer-songwriters
like 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, and has since been shown at theaters and music venues throughout the
United States and Canada. Many of the screenings have featured live
performances by artists featured in the documentary.
Troubadour Blues 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.
North American DVD and digital distribution is through MVD Entertainment
Group. For information on rights for other territories, contact Dan Gurlitz,
Soundview Media Partners. For information on screenings and personal
appearances by the filmmaker and featured artists, contact:
Tom Weber Films LLC
[email protected]
http://tomweberfilms.com
http://www.troubadour-blues.com
1283 Cedar Blvd.
Pittsburgh PA 15228
(412) 370-1736 (m)
TRUE STORIES
FROM THE FRONT LINES
OF AMERICAN MUSIC
Ten years in the making, this music-filled documentary explores the world
of modern-day troubadours like PETER CASE, MARY GAUTHIER,
CHRIS SMITHER, DAVE ALVIN and more – gifted musicians who travel
21st century America on highways of song.
“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.” (Boston Globe)
“The major strength of this film comes from the trust and bond apparent
between the filmmaker and the artists captured during interviews
and performances.” (No Depression)
With electrifying live performances
of 40 songs by some of America’s
finest songwriters. Includes
“Ice Water” and “Entella Hotel”
by Peter Case, Mary Gauthier’s
award-winning “Camelot Motel,”
Slaid Cleaves’ #1 Americana hit
“Broke Down,” Chris Smither’s
evocative “No Love Today,” and more.
ARTIST: Various Artists
TITLE: Troubadour Blues
SKU #: TW01
UPC: 735885349493
PREBOOK: 12/11/12
STREET: 01/15/13
RETAIL: 19.95
GENRE: Documentary
RUN TIME: 93 min.
BOX LOT: 30
LABEL: Tom Weber Films
FORMAT: DVD
800.888.0486 • F 610.650.9102 • PO Box 280, Oaks, PA 19456 • www.MVDb2b.com
Links to Published Reviews of Troubadour Blues
Nashville Tennesseean by Peter Cooper
January 18, 2013
http://blogs.tennessean.com/tunein/2013/01/18/troubadour-blues-showcases-worldclass-working-musicians/
USA Today/Arizona Republic by Ed Masley
June 17, 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/USCP/PNI/Features/2012-06-17-PNI0617ae-troubadourblues_ST_U.htm
Pasadena Weekly by Bliss Bowen
May 31, 2012
http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/troubadour_blues/11265/
Boston Globe by James Sullivan
Jan. 1, 2012
http://articles.boston.com/2012-01-01/arts/30575761_1_mark-erelli-songwriters-lorimckenna
Boston Herald by Jim Sullivan
Dec. 31, 2011
http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/general/view/2011_1231troubadour_sings_
tales_of_life_on_road
No Depression (online magazine) by Terry Roland
Nov. 18, 2011
http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/film-review-troubadour-blues-reaches-outto-touch-us-all
Erie Times-News by Dave Richards
Oct. 27, 2011
http://www.goerie.com/article/20111027/ENTERTAINMENT0702/310269899/Eriefilmmaker%27s-%27Troubadour-Blues%27-screens-at-museum
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Manny Theiner
Oct. 20, 2011
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/movies/mt-lebanon-filmmaker-tom-weber-givesus-the-troubadour-blues-319886/?print=1
Buffalo Artvoice by Kevin Hosey
Oct. 13, 2011
http://artvoice.com/issues/v10n41/film_reviews/troubadour_blues
Buffalo News by Jeff Miers
Oct. 7, 2011
http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/gusto/music/sound-check/article584787.ece
TROUBADOUR BLUES SCREENING HISTORY 2011-13
Sept. 30, 2011
First pressing of 1,000 DVDs delivered (release date).
Oct. 14, 2011
World Premiere, Buffalo, NY, Buffalo International Film Festival
Oct. 25, 2011
Pittsburgh, PA, Hollywood Theater, with Mark Dignam
Oct. 28, 2011
Erie, PA, Erie Art Museum, with Mark Dignam
Jan. 1, 2012
Shelburne Falls, MA, Mocha Maya Cafe.
Jan. 2, 2012
Cambridge, MA, Club Passim, with Brendan Hogan
Jan. 4, 2012
Williamstown, MA, Billsville House Concerts
Feb. 23, 2012
Memphis, TN, Folk Alliance International Conference
Feb. 25, 2012
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Winter Roots & Blues Roundup
March 15, 2012
Austin, TX, Austin Recreation Center (SXSW Music)
May 23, 2012
Nashville, TN, Douglas Corner, with Joe Scutella
June 5, 2012
Altadena, CA, Coffee Gallery Backstage w/Julie Christensen
June 7, 2012
Sacramento, CA, Swell Productions at Antiquité, with Peter Case
June 9, 2012
San Francisco, CA, KC Turner Presents, with Peter Case
June 13, 2012
Houston, TX, Anderson Fair, with Vince Bell
June 14, 2012
Austin, TX, Jax Neighborhood Cafe, w/House of Songs
June 20, 2012
Marfa, TX, Padre's, with Primo Carrasco and David Beebe
June 23, 2012
Phoenix, AZ, Rhythm Room, with Bob Corritore & Rocket 88
June 29-30, 2012
Easton, Suffolk, UK, Maverick Festival, with Amy Speace
Sept. 7, 2012
State Theatre, State College, PA, Woody Guthrie Centennial
Sept. 12, 2012
Cambridge, MA, Club Passim, with Scott Alarik and guests TBA
Sept. 13, 2012
Nashville, TN, Americana Music Association conference
Oct. 18, 2012
Greensburg, PA, DV8 Espresso Bar and Gallery, with Habatat
Oct. 26, 2012
Erie, PA, PACA Performing Arts Center, with Acoustic Grammar
Nov. 7, 2012
Columbus, OH, Natalie's Coal-Fired Pizza, w/Peter Case
Nov. 8, 2012
Kent, OH, The Kent Stage, with Peter Case
Dec. 4, 2012
Berryville, VA, The Barns at Rose Hill
Dec. 5, 2012
Ashland, VA, Ashland Coffee and Tea, with Charles "King" Arthur
Feb. 28, 2013
Somerville, MA, Somerville Arts Council, with Thea Hopkins
April 3, 2013
Carrboro, NC, ArtsCenter Live, with Peter Case
April 13, 2013
Atlanta, GA, Red Light Cafe, with Peter Case
April 14, 2013
Charlotte, NC, The Evening Muse, with Peter Case
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
“The music keeps welling up underneath, in good times and bad, reshaping and
revitalizing itself, and whether or not there are riches to be had there are still
people who have the gifts and determination to make it their life’s work, and even
make a living out of it.”
-- CHRIS KEARIN, Dreamers Rise
“Music careers with longevity are constructed on hard work and time spent
learning the trade, not on a few weeks of prime-time television exposure ...
Thankfully the art of songwriting is alive and well in the hands of the traveling
troubadours.”
-- ARTHUR WOOD, Maverick Magazine (U.K.)
“The major strength of this film, which overcomes any technical limitations
presented by a small budget, comes from the trust and bond apparent between
the filmmaker and the artists captured during interviews and performances ...
They take us on a journey of self-discovery that is vital to us all as individuals and
a society.”
-- TERRY ROLAND, No Depression
Director’s Statement
When I set out somewhat naively to make a documentary about troubadours, I simply
thought that it was a story that needed to be heard. Almost a decade later, my primary
artistic goal remains the same: to tell that story to as wide an audience as possible. As
Peter Case observes, your subject matter is built into your life and your job as an artist is
to dig down inside yourself and find it.
The nature of the subject dictated the narrative style of the film. These are gifted
storytellers, and the best thing a filmmaker can do is to stay out of their way. I wanted
the audience to engage with these artists as I did, seeing them on a stage and then
gradually getting to know them. This dictated that there be no scripted voiceovers, no
omniscient narrator telling the film audience what to think. Likewise, I used no archival
footage; everything you see is original.
The digital revolution has liberated filmmaking by eliminating the need for big budgets,
expensive equipment and large, intrusive crews. As Francis Ford Coppola observed,
technology has taken the professionalism out of movie making, freeing filmmakers to tell
smaller and more personal stories. Troubadour Blues is one of those stories.
Production Note
If there's one thing I've learned making Troubadour Blues, it's that living people are the
most interesting and challenging documentary subjects. Maybe this is why so many films
are made about famous dead people -- they've stopped evolving; they're easier to pin
down; they don't talk back. Take Peter Case, for example. His appearance changed so
much over the course of the film that I decided to open with a single song constructed
from half a dozen different performances: you see him evolve from boyish rock and roller
to bearded elder, and back again, in three minutes. Peter had major heart surgery seven
years into filming, necessitating a change in the ending; he then came back with a new
album and a new sound, necessitating another re-edit. Someone asked me at a
screening what was my most memorable experience in the making of the film. I
responded that it was sitting in my living room at 3 o'clock in the morning with Peter as
he watched my film for the first time. I don't think I breathed for an hour and a half. That's
what making a film with a living subject is all about.
Filmmaker Biography
Tom Weber is a documentary filmmaker whose work examines musical performance in
its social and cultural contexts. His feature-length film Troubadour Blues, which
documents the lives of singer-songwriters on the folk/roots circuit, is now being
distributed independently via a website, festivals and traveling screenings. He is working
on another documentary, Don't Give Up Your Day Job, about "hidden musicians" who
perform locally while making a living outside of music. He also produces concert videos
and short artist profiles. Weber is co-author of Reggae Island: Jamaican Music in the
Digital Age (1992, rev. 1998) and received his Ph.D. from Bowling Green State
University with a dissertation on globalization and cultural change that focused on
reggae. He has taught at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Thiel College, Edinboro
University of Pennsylvania and Gannon University, and is a former broadcast and print
journalist. Weber is a native of Erie, Pa., and currently lives in Pittsburgh.