FanFare

Dolly Parton's long awaited, first-ever rock album Rockstar is now available! Rockstar (via Butterfly Records with distribution by Big Machine Label Group) is a 30-song collection which includes 9 original tracks and 21 iconic Rock anthems that pair Dolly with some of Rock n' Roll's most legendary names. [more inside]
posted by one for the books on Dec 3, 2023 - 1 comment

Part 2 of the MGM+ docuseries follows the residents of Laurel Canyon from the late 60s through the mid-70s as they write more political songs and start locking their doors for the first time after frightening neighborhood connections to the Manson Family murders. Footage and stories of Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers, Altamont, Little Feat, Linda Rondstadt (incl. her role helping start the Eagles), the Doors, Bonnie Raitt, an adorably young Jackson Browne, the love between Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash, the cocaine and ego battles that broke up CSN, and more.
posted by mediareport on Sep 14, 2023 - 1 comment

2-part MGM+ docuseries about the famous LA mountain neighborhood where Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, the Byrds, Love, Crosby/Stills/Nash/Young, the Monkees, the Turtles and many more found cheap housing and creative community in the mid-late 60s. With Mama Cass’s generosity and openness as a central ingredient, Lauren Canyon - above the smog, but also only a few minutes’ drive from the clubs on Sunset Strip - produced an amazing amount of psychedelic folk and rock music. Part 1. 100% on RT. [more inside]
posted by mediareport on Sep 14, 2023 - 4 comments

[TRAILER] An exploration of the personal and creative struggles behind the music of four-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jason Isbell. A documentary film by Sam Jones (I Am Trying to Break Your Heart). [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Aug 7, 2023 - 3 comments

[TRAILER] Daniel Johnston, manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist is revealed in this portrait of madness, creativity and love. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Aug 7, 2023 - 1 comment

[TRAILER] At 14, best friends Robb Reiner and Lips made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, hailed as the "demi-gods of Canadian metal" influenced a musical generation that includes Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. Following a calamitous European tour, Lips and Robb, now in their fifties, set off to record their 13th album in one last attempt to fulfill their boyhood dreams. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Aug 7, 2023 - 8 comments

[TRAILER] The story of the Black queer origins of rock n' roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator - the originator - Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard's complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon's life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Aug 7, 2023 - 1 comment

[TRAILER] A look at the life of activist, musician, and cultural icon Kathleen Hanna, who formed the punk band Bikini Kill and pioneered the "riot grrrl" movement of the 1990s. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Aug 7, 2023 - 3 comments

Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Aug 7, 2023 - 7 comments

A documentary on the once promising American rock bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. The friendship between respective founders, Anton Newcombe and Courtney Taylor, escalated into bitter rivalry as the Dandy Warhols garnered major international success while the Brian Jonestown Massacre imploded in a haze of drugs. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Aug 7, 2023 - 8 comments

[TRAILER] Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning), two rebellious teenagers from Southern California, become the frontwomen for the Runaways -- the now-legendary group that paved the way for future generations of female rockers. Under the Svengalilike influence of impresario Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), the band becomes a huge success, with Joan as the band's hard-rocking heart, and Cherie as the sex kitten. However, the teens' stormy relationship threatens the band's future. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Aug 7, 2023 - 6 comments

[TRAILER] In 1970s England, troubled musician Ian Curtis (Sam Riley) rises to fame as lead singer of the band Joy Division. A husband and father, Curtis begins to feel the strain of his band's growing fortune, his crumbling marriage to wife Deborah (Samantha Morton) and his worsening epilepsy. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown on Aug 7, 2023 - 1 comment

In a postapocalyptic world of mutant animal people, store-brand Mick Jagger (Lou Reed) attempts to summon a cthulhu (Iggy Pop) using Debbie Harry while her bandmates try to save her and the world. [more inside]
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace on Jul 27, 2023 - 10 comments

I'm not even that big of a Foo Fighters fan but Grohl was already the rock star I most wanted to have a beer with before I read this book. It's an autobiographical sketch of his life, told in stories ranging from poignant (Kurt Cobain), to hilarious (the time he got a text from his wife asking if it was okay for AC/DC to join them for dinner), to downright this guy can't be human (flying RT from Australia to LA to attend the daddy-daughter dance with his daughters). Dave Grohl really is one of the good guys. And he is a hell of a storyteller, in music or print.
posted by COD on Feb 3, 2022 - 2 comments

"Traces the roots and history of this iconic musical legend with rare live and studio performances of Beefheart, interspersed with contributions from virtually all members of The Magic Band along with a panel of esteemed experts." - Amazon description
posted by The corpse in the library on May 12, 2021 - 1 comment

A career retrospective of British punk band The Clash, featuring exclusive interviews with the entire band. - IMDB
posted by The corpse in the library on Apr 13, 2021 - 1 comment

A celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew", a band that provided back-up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys and Bing Crosby. - IMDB
posted by The corpse in the library on Mar 23, 2021 - 9 comments

An in-depth look at the Canadian rock band Rush, chronicling the band's musical evolution from their progressive rock sound of the '70s to their current heavy rock style.
posted by The corpse in the library on Mar 18, 2021 - 10 comments

"The film follows Twisted Sister from their beginnings as a cross-dressing glam band, playing cover songs for 4 shows a night, 6 nights a week – from New Jersey bowling alleys and Long Island beach bars, to the suburban mega-clubs of the late 70s/early 80s, and on to their bust-out appearance on the UK rock TV show, 'The Tube'. Through it all, Twisted stood ready to do or die, not just for the music, but also 'the show'. They refused to play the usual bar band role of 'human juke box for drunk and horny teens'. Every night, the band would give their all to the crowd, and mounted a full frontal attack on anyone not participating. They were going to force you to pay attention – and you were going to have fun whether you liked it or not."
posted by The corpse in the library on Mar 18, 2021 - 2 comments

An exploration of the history of the Bee Gees, featuring revealing interviews with oldest brother Barry Gibb, and archival interviews with the late twin brothers Robin and Maurice. - IMDB. Trailer at HBO, YouTube, and Amazon. [more inside]
posted by Iris Gambol on Mar 17, 2021 - 11 comments

After hearing a young boy's cry for help, a sister and brother venture into a vast field of tall grass in Kansas but soon discover there may be no way out ... and that something evil lurks within. (Netflix Original) [more inside]
posted by jazon on Oct 14, 2019 - 4 comments

A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes. [more inside]
posted by graventy on Mar 7, 2018 - 15 comments

Diamonds are on everyone's mind as the team needs to steal a head sized diamond while a much smaller and more laughable diamond leads to job action.
posted by Mitheral on Jul 13, 2016 - 4 comments

The rise, fall and near-resurrection of a 1980s metal band. [more inside]
posted by ob1quixote on Feb 6, 2015 - 3 comments