Inspired by Steven Blush's book "American Hardcore: A tribal history" Paul Rachman's feature documentary debut is a chronicle of the underground hardcore punk years from 1979 to 1986. Interviews and rare live footage from artists such as Black Flag, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, SS Decontrol and the Dead Kennedys.
James Taylor plays a selection of new songs and greatest hits in this intimate performance filmed in his Martha's Vineyard home. Includes an insightful interview with the singer/songwriter and such pop gems as "Secret of Life," "Wandering," "You've Got a Friend," "Fire & Rain," "Sweet Baby James," "Country Road," "Mexico," "Your Smiling Face," and more.
This in-depth retrospective surveys the history and music of the Smiths via interviews with the band, expert commentary and insights from insiders, including producer Stephen Street. Performance footage and TV clips round out the program.
A fading country music star returns to his hometown, where he reunites with his childhood sweetheart and also meets his 16-year-old daughter for the first time.
The Pixies are one of the most influential American acts of all time. Initially spanning the late eighties and early nineties they created the blueprint for alternative rock that would be followed and embellished upon by everyone from grunge to Britpop. After 10 years apart the Pixies reformed in 2004. This program is the second release in our Club Date series and features the Pixies in the intimate Paradise Club in Boston.
Documentary reviewing the music and career of female singer songwriter Sandy Denny. Although deeply revered amongst fans of folk music and the 'singer-songwriter' genre, she has never received the universal acclaim so long overdue and so often heaped on those of a far lesser talent. This documentary attempts to redress this imbalance and reveal why she remains such an inspiration to so many. The film includes musical performances by Sandy Denny, reviewed and re-assessed by a team of esteemed experts, obscure footage and rarely seen photographs of Sandy, brand new and exclusive interviews with Dave Swarbrick, Martin Carthy, Dave Mattacks, Gerry Conway and John Renbourn, Fairport Convention biographer and all-round Sandy Denny expert Patrick Humphries, folk journalist Colin Irwin and Uncut magazine's contributing editor, Nigel Williamson.
A reticent piano player Percival, along with Rooster, his flamboyant lead performer and manager, struggle to keep their speakeasy, in the Prohibition-era South, out of the hands of gangsters who want to take it over.
An intimate portrait of the legendary bass guitarist for The Who. This documentary includes the last footage ever recorded with John Entwistle, and features interviews with Pete Townshend, as well as other major figures in rock history.
Tyler Gage receives the opportunity of a lifetime after vandalizing a performing arts school, gaining him the chance to earn a scholarship and dance with an up and coming dancer, Nora.
For sheer power and audacity, no group in rock 'n' roll rivals the legendary Led Zeppelin. This documentary explores the early days of the band, from their formation up through the release of their first two albums. Featuring rare footage, interviews with the band's contemporaries and live cuts of classic Zepp hits such as "Whole Lotta Love" and "Communication Breakdown," this film traces the path the group traveled to international superstardom.
Best friends Galleria, Chanel, Dorinda, and Aqua, A.K.A. the girl band "The Cheetahs," get the opportunity of a lifetime when they strut their way to Barcelona, Spain, to perform in an international music festival. Along the way, the "amigas Cheetahs" learn that, although their paths are not the same, they are lucky to have one another for the journey.
Puccini’s melodrama about a volatile diva, a sadistic police chief, and an idealistic artist has offended and thrilled audiences for more than a century. Critics, for their part, have often had problems with Tosca’s rather grungy subject matter, the directness and intensity of its score, and the crowd-pleasing dramatic opportunities it provides for its lead roles. But these same aspects have also made Tosca one of a handful of iconic works that seem to represent opera in the public imagination.
20 performances by various acts in the different years of the festival. Founded in 1967, the Montreux Jazz Festival has established itself as one of the most prestigious annual music events in the world. The extraordinary list of artists who have played there is drawn from across the musical spectrum and from around the world.
A look at what goes on backstage during the last broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show, where singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, a country music siren, and a host of others hold court.
Legendary Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher played the renowned Montreux Festival on five occasions spanning his breakthrough years in the mid seventies right up to the year before his tragic early death at the age of 47 in 1995
Filmmaker Drew Thomas brings California's popular Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival to the screen with a different kind of musical documentary that not only showcases performances by some of the hottest acts to take the stage, but offers interviews with such musical icons as Beck, Joshua Homme, Mos Def, and Perry Farrell as well. From English icon Morrissey's performance at the inaugural Coachella Festival back in 1999 to Canadian indie rockers the Arcade Fire's electric 2005 set, the musical acts featured here run the gamut from hip-hop to alternative and virtually everything in between. Other artists featured include the Pixies, the Flaming Lips, Kool Keith, Radiohead, Saul Williams, and Squarepusher.
The Salzburg Festival has hosted every great star of the opera and concert hall, from Toscanini to Anne-Sophie Mutter, from Fischer-Dieskau to Barenboim, from Pollini to Mitsuko Uchida. In this film, the first to tell the story of this remarkable Festival, set in the birthplace of Mozart, director Tony Palmer has been granted unprecedented access to Austria's film archives. Highlights include performances of Jedermann from 1920 to the present day, featuring actors such as Maximilian Schell and Klaus Maria Brandauer; Don Giovanni (with Furtwängler in '54 and a controversial performance directed by Peter Sellars in the 1990s); a wealth of footage of Herbert von Karajan, including performances and never-before-seen home movies; and footage of the Nazi hierarchy at the Festival during the Second World War.