MOVIE FOR JULY 2014: “SUNSET STRIP – THE MOVIE”
With its unconventional mix of storytelling, original concerts, live performances, animation, and rare archival films, we dive into the mystique and hidden history of this curvy mile-and-a-half stretch of road that has steered world culture for nearly a century.
The Strip itself was born in the roaring ’20s as a dirt road connecting Hollywood studios to a new development called Beverly Hills. This “strip” between two cities fell just outside Los Angeles city limits, a no man’s land outside the reach of the LAPD, which gave free reign to both creative and dark forces. Generations of great artists were inspired here and great art was created here, right along side notorious speakeasies, nightclubs, casinos, brothels, and opium dens. It is truly a mix of light and dark, sunshine and noir, that is uniquely L.A.
Los Angeles filmmaker/musician Hans Fjellestad has been making music-oriented documentary features for over 10 years. His films include Moog, Frontier Life, When the World Breaks, Sounding the Space: Music for Architecture, and The Heart is a Drum Machine with Juliette Lewis, Elijah Wood, John Frusciante, and Jason Schwartzman. He also helmed Sunset Strip, featuring Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Ozzy Osbourne, Keanu Reeves, Sofia Coppola, Sharon Stone, Hugh Hefner, and Courtney Love. Hans is set to direct his debut narrative feature Lords of Chaos.
Hans has screened his work in theaters, museums, and festivals throughout the world and on major television networks including Showtime, MTV, Adult Swim, PBS, Arte, and BBC. His films and video art have shown at the London Institute of Contemporary Arts, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Tokyo’s Shibuya Cinema Society, Los Angeles Grand Performances Series, BorDocs Foro Documental Tijuana, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Columbia University, Gene Siskel Film Center, Miami Art Central, ARCO Madrid, São Paulo International Short Film Festival, and Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos in Mexico City.
As musician, Hans tours and records extensively as a solo artist and in collaboration with numerous players on the experimental music scene in over a dozen countries. He composes original music for theater, television, and film. He has been artist-in-residence at the Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood since 2008, where he programs and hosts the popular monthly concert series ResBox.
http://sunsetstripthemovie.com/
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BOOK FOR JULY 2014: The Frustrated Songwriter’s Handbook: A Radical Guide to Cutting Loose, Overcoming Blocks, & Writing the Best Songs of Your Life | By Karl Coryat and Nicholas Dobson
Stop pulling out your hair and crumpling up paper! The Frustrated Songwriter’s Handbook blasts away your mental roadblocks so you can tap into your deepest creative resources. Whether you’re a total novice or a seasoned pro, whether you’re a pencil-and-paper songwriter or a gearhead with way too much recording equipment, whether you just want to go further as a songwriter or throw out everything and start over, The Frustrated Songwriter’s Handbook will revolutionize the way you write music. It outlines a radical new system Immersion Music Method designed to help you smash through creative block, become recklessly prolific, and make quantum leaps in your musical and compositional skills. Bursting with mind-blowing tips and games and tales from the trenches of extreme songwriting, The Frustrated Songwriter’s Handbook will show you how to summon those elusive moments of inspiration on command, resulting in rogue creativity and fulfillment you never dreamed possible. You’ll learn how to:
• Confront and slay your biggest songwriting phobias
• Roll over procrastination like an armored tank
• Form a self-motivated group of composer friends (a “songwriter lodge”)
• Concoct new musical styles like a mad scientist
• Use technology to supercharge your creativity
http://www.amazon.com/The-Frustrated-Songwriters-Handbook-Overcoming/dp/0879308796
Paperback book for around $20. [Thanks to COMBO VP Andy Ard for the suggestion!]