The 2018 Tribeca
Film Festival is in full swing. Running from April 18 through the 29,
brings the best of independent cinema to the city for two weeks of non-stop
screenings and panels.
Every year, the festival includes a bevy of music documentaries
in its schedule. This year’s festival is no different, supporting a full list
of thought-provoking musical films and documentaries. These films bring new and
interesting perspectives to the stories behind the music. And even though the
festival is half over, there are plenty of these films you still have a chance
to see.
With the Tribeca Film Festival still in town for the next
week, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at some of
the festival’s most interesting music documentaries. From stories about New
York’s musical history to those pinpointing awe-inspiring artists of all genres,
here are 10 festival films you can still catch that will leave you with a fresh
perspective on music.
(Note: There was a Patti
Smith documentary this year, but it is no longer being shown during the
festival, so it was not included.)
1.
‘Blue
Note Records: Beyond the Notes’: When Blue Note Records was founded in
1939, it became the foundation of the New York jazz scene, building up the
careers of some of the most important and popular artists of the genre. ‘Beyond
the Notes’ documents the label’s history and importance, as well as what keeps
it so relevant in today’s musical landscape, through archival photos and
performance footage and interviews with label artists past and present. (Site)
2.
‘Cosmic Debris’: ‘Cosmic Debris’ is a short that,
according to the Tribeca website, details “the friendship between animator
Gabor Csupo and musician Frank
Zappa.” (Site)
3.
‘Mr.
Soul!’: ‘Mr. Soul!’ takes a look at the late 1960-early 1970s variety show ‘SOUL!,’
which acted as a home for black voices in “literature, poetry, music and
politics” at a time where those voices were nearly silenced. The film uses
interviews with participants as well as archival clips of the show to showcase
its importance and lasting impact. (Site)
4.
‘Ryuichi
Sakamoto: Coda’: Composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has led a musical career that has
spanned multiple genres and earned him several awards. Director Nomura Schible
followed Sakamoto for the last five years documenting the process of the artist’s
latest work, an album inspired by the Fukushima nuclear disaster and his cancer
diagnosis. Since the film has not premiered as of writing this, there is also
still a chance to see a Q & A on Wednesday with both Sakamoto and Schible.
(Site)
5.
‘Satan & Adam’: Compiled using two
decades-worth of archival footage, ‘Satan & Adam’ tells the story of the
collaboration between harmonica player Adam Gussow and blues guitarist Sterling
“Satan” Magee. The two musicians formed a bond in 1986 that transcended race at
a time when New York City’s neighborhoods were still very segregated. (Site)
6.
‘Songwriter’: Ed Sheeran collaborator and music
video director Murray Cummings makes his feature film directing debut with ‘Songwriter,’
a documentary that follows the creation of Sheeran’s 2016 album ‘÷.’ While the
film mainly focuses on the collaborative spirit of the album and Sheeran as a
songwriter, it also goes into depth on how the singer got to where he is, using
family home movies to give the viewer perspective on his childhood leading up
to his massive stardom. (Site)
7.
‘Studio 54’: A documentary about the rise and
fall of Studio 54, this film uses “never-before-seen footage, period music” and
interviews with co-owner Ian Schrager and former regulars and staff to tell the
story of New York’s most infamous nightclub. This film gives the viewer an
exclusive look at what made Studio 54 the place to be in the late 1970s and why
its time ended so abruptly. (Site)
8.
‘The Velvet
Underground Played at My High School’: Running only eight minutes, ‘The
Velvet Undergound Played at My School’ tells the story of the pre-punk pioneers’
first show. Taking place at a high school in New Jersey, the show preceded
their work with Andy Warhol and Nico, showcasing what it was like to first hear
the band’s groundbreaking rock sound. (Site)
9.
‘Nico
1988’: Speaking of The Velvet Underground, ‘Nico 1988’ details the story of
Warhol superstar Nico’s final years. The biopic, written and directed by
Susanna Nicchiarelli, follows a drug-addicted Nico as she embarks on a European
tour while trying to regain custody of her child. (Site)
10.
‘Lambchild Superstar: Making Music In The
Menagerie of the Holy Cow’: More performance art than film, ‘Lambchild
Superstar’ finds Chris Milk and Damian Kulash (OK Go) taking pairs of
participants on a collaborative musical experience. Participants get to
experience what it is like to make a song within a fantasy world “replete with
magical music-making contraptions, friendly animals and robots.” (Site)
Music documentaries give viewers a chance to see music and
its creation in a whole new light. As the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival continues
to bring quality independent film to New York City for the rest of the week,
there is still a chance to see many new music documentaries and films, such as
the ones above.
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Find music from some of these documentary subjects and more
at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop. We have
thousands of titles to choose from in a wide array of genres to choose from.
Browse our ever-growing selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs,
cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our Plainview location or
online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the
time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.
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