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2008 Tucson Film & Music Festival: Official Lineup

By Mike Everleth ⋅ October 1, 2008

Not every film at the 3rd annual Tucson Film & Music Festival is about music and musicians, but a good 99% of them are. There’s also a ton of documentaries, plus short films, a music video showcase and more. If you love music and movies about it, this is the festival to go to and it runs Oct. 9-12.

There’s only one brief Underground Film Journal shout out: Underground Film Journal regular Jay Hollinsworth will be screening his new, ingenious video for New Radiant Storm King’s “Clouds Cover Everything.” Jay’s becoming NRSK’s official videographer it seems and it’s sounds and looks like it’s a marriage made in heaven.

Otherwise, here’s the full lineup:

Oct. 9
7:30 p.m.: Throw Down Your Heart, dir. Sascha Paladino. This documentary travels along with banjo expert Bela Fleck as he tours across Africa to discover the forgotten history of the banjo and to record an album.

Oct. 10
7:30 p.m.: Slide Guitar Ride, dir. Bernd Schoch. Meet and tour along with one-man-band sensation Bob Log III who performs with his face covered by a bubble mask motorcycle helmet and sings into a phone receiver as a microphone.

Oct. 11
12:00 p.m.: Full Moon Lightning, dir. John Gardiner. Over 60 years ago, Floyd Lee left his hometown and troubled childhood behind. Now, he and his blues return to his home to reconnect with his painful past.

2:00 p.m.: “Desert Shorts”
AL’s BEEF, dir. Dennis Hauck
Cowboy: A Love Story, dir. Jenny McNabb
Four Minutes ’til Noon, dir. Jonathan Taylor
Make My Day, dir. Pelle Møller
Passion to the Max, dir. Felix Allen
The Line, dir. Kent Bassett
Bola De Oro, dir. Ari Palos

4:00 p.m.: “Relationships 101”
A Song Without a Name, dir. Chris Newberry
Birds, dir. Mark Betancourt
December Story, dir. Jacob Rosenberg
Empty House, dir. Sean Christensen
The Skooks, dir. Norwood Cheek

5:30 p.m.: Nowhere Now: The Ballad of Joshua Tree, dir. Don DiNicola. Joshua Tree is a major destination in the California desert for musicians of all stripes. Eric Burdon, Gram Parsons, Victoria Williams, Gram Rabbit, The Sibleys, Ted Quinn, Emily Adams and more talk about what draws them here.

6:00 p.m.: Adventures of Power, dir. Ari Gold. A profile of Power, the greatest air-drummer of all time, who discovers a whole network of people who share his passion.

7:30 p.m.: Anvil: The Story of Anvil, dir. Sacha Gervasi. The true story of heavy metal band Anvil, consisting of just two friends, “Lips” and Robb Reiner, who have been rocking out for nearly 40 years.

Oct. 12
12:00 p.m.: Song Sung Blue, dir. Greg Kohs. A documentary about Michael and Claire Sardina, also known as Lightning & Thunder — a Neil Diamond tribute band.

1:00 p.m.: Your Name Here, dir. Tamar Halpern. Two teenagers decide to start a band, which is a good idea until all kinds of adults want to horn in on their action.

1:45 p.m.: “Scene & Heard: Music Doc Shorts”
New Uke City, dir. Clyde Folley
Squirrel Nut Zippers “Musical Candy”, dir. Clay Walker
Vinyl Scrapyard, dir. Billups Allen

3:00 p.m.: Teary Sockets, dir. Jackson Anderson. A rock star who moonlights as an animal activist gets into a whole heap of trouble when he sets a group of genetically engineered cattle free.

3:30 p.m.: “Music Video-rama”
“8 Lineas” by Violadores del Verso, dir. Alberto Blanco
“Bubblecraft” featuring Pilotdrift, dir. Geoff Marslett
“Care For Some Whiskey?” by Leerone, dir. Hank Friedmann
“Clouds Cover Everything” by New Radiant Storm King, dir. Jay Hollinsworth
“Creepy” by The Mission Creeps, dir. Gene Torres
“Falling From Mars” by Alyssa Suede, dir. Tracie Laymon
“Final” by Jose Saavedra, dir. J.M. Aragón
“Hold Your Breath and Brace For The Crash” by Man On Earth, dir. Ian Fischer
“Kill Box” by German Hernandez, dir. Mischa Cantu
“Mundo Caliente,” dir. Bob Barancik
“Night Lies” by Bang Camaro, dir. Michael Pope
“Quiet As A Mouse” by Margot and The Nuclear So & So’s, dir. Mike Jenson
“Rest My Chemistry” by INTERPOL, dir. Blip Boutique
“Seeing Hands” by Dengue Fever, dir. Lance Acord
“Super Hero Mother-F@#*ker Superman” by Allhelluja, dir. Chad Michael Ward

5:00 p.m.: A Deal Is a Deal, dir. Jonathan Gershfield. A London subway driver accidentally kills two people with his train and learns that he’ll lose his job if he kills a third. So, he finds a poor schmuck who wants to commit suicide to strike up a deal so he can get fired and onto the dole.

5:30 p.m.: Martino: Unstrung, dir. Ian Knox. Paul Broks, a neuropsychologist, studies the strange story of Pat Martino, who went from suffering from amnesia to becoming a master jazz guitar player.

7:30 p.m.: Nerdcore for Life, dir. Dan Lamoureux. A documentary on the world of nerdcore hip-hop, also known as “geek rap,” which seeks to help eliminate anti-nerd stereotypes.