Holidays bring a welcome slowing-effect to my typically hectic business day.

Jimi Hendrix

Good Friday. I trust all of you will take a moment to reflect on what this day means to you and your spiritual life…(and then relax and spend the rest of your day playing your guitar!)

I have been spending a lot of time on the SnagFilms web site. This morning I watched the :52 minute documentary of Jimi Hendrix.

Highly recommended.

The music career of Jimi Hendrix is well documented by films such as JIMI PLAYS BERKELEY, LIVE IN MONTEREY, and LIVE AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT amongst many others.

This film takes a different tact, and explores the life behind the musical genius.

Taking in his early days in Seattle, as well as his infamous stint in London, this is a comprehensive guide to Jimi’s life, that is fully endorsed by his family and many close friends.

CLICK HERE to watch the video.

I am not a big fan of country music (sorry… it reminds me of my ex-wife) but I am a HUGE fan of Jeff Bridges. Some of that comes from being a childhood fan of his father Lloyd (remember Sea Hunt?) and the rest comes from simply liking Jeff as an actor.

In Crazy Heart, Jeff plays the role of Bad Blake who is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who’s had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times.

View the official trailer by [CLICKING HERE].

THE GUITAR
STARRING: Saffron Burrows
DIRECTOR: Amy Redford
STUDIO: Lightning Media
RATING: R (nudity, language)

A doomed woman discovers her creative spirit during a final fling with life in this independent drama.

Melody Wilder (Saffron Burrows) is already having a bad day when she visits her doctor about a troubling lump in her throat — her boyfriend has left her, and she’s lost her job. However, this news pales in comparison to what her doctor has to say: the lump is an inoperable cancer, and Melody has only a short time to live.

Throwing caution to the wind, Melody rents a huge, luxurious apartment and furnishes it in high style, putting her purchases on a handful of credit cards she won’t be around to pay off. Melody also permits herself affairs with a few of the deliverymen who have become regular visitors to her loft, but she spends most her days alone, enjoying the trappings of wealth as she ponders what little future she has left.

One day, Melody makes an impulse purchase, a red electric guitar that looks like one she wanted as a girl. While Melody isn’t schooled on the instrument, she begins teaching herself to work out chord patterns and melody lines, and in the last chapter of her life discovers a way to give voice to the pain and confusion she’s buried within her.

Written by Amos Poe, and based on a real story, this beautifully realized parable, “The Guitar,” speaks volumes about living.

[CLICK HERE] to view the movie trailer.

All too often it takes a life-altering event to spur us to act on our dreams. The Guitar is a very moving story about living life and living it to the fullest. This movie was both inspirational and motivational and I recommend it highly to all (adult) guitarists. -GuitarDaddy

There’s a really cool project underway that when complete, will result in a guitar music (and player) documentary film.

The project involves a global search for six guitar players who have a story to tell about themselves, their guitar, their music, or better yet… all of those subjects combined.

James Smith, the Director & Writer of “Six Strings” says this:

“I am a film director and writer based in London, UK and am making a documentary film called SIX STRINGS about one of my passions: guitar music. My aim is to deliver a superb film and with the help of my production team, market it to film festivals around the world.

James Smith, Director and Writer

[CLICK HERE] to be re-directed to the official web site.

This week, on October 28th, “THIS IS IT” will open in theaters across America.

The movie will offer Michael Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London’s O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June, 2009, the film is drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, and genius as he creates and perfects his final show.

Back on September 8th, I wrote a post about Orianthi Panagaris, the talented guitarist who was scheduled to play with Michael Jackson on his upcoming tour. If you missed that post, you can read it by CLICKING HERE.

CNN recently posted this video of Orianthi sharing her thoughts about the upcoming movie, and the late, great “King of Pop”.

The movie is making quite the BUZZ in the guitar world… but what about the mainstream media?

Guitar World Magazine will have a feature story, as will most of the other guitar-focused publications on the newstand.

The NY Times posted their official review, and some of the snippets are worth reading…

IT MIGHT GET LOUD
GUYS WITH GUITARS, TRADING RIFFS AND METAPHYSICAL MUSINGS
By A. O. SCOTT

[Edit] The mystique of the electric guitar is as durable as anything in rock ’n’ roll. Whenever the power chord or the screaming solo seems destined for oblivion, it’s rescued and revived, either by a new generation of players or, as has been the case more recently, by a video game… [edit]

[edit]… The movie assembles a representative power trio made up of Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, the Edge of U2 and Jack White, most famously of the White Stripes.

Interview and archival clips are interspersed with a summit meeting, half jam session, half graduate seminar in guitar metaphysics, on a soundstage loaded with all kinds of cool equipment. The guitarists trade riffs and thoughts and at the end make their way through an acoustic rendition of “The Weight.” It is both stirring and amusing to see three superstars strumming along to this song, originally recorded by the Band.. [edit]

Each man has a different relationship to the musical past, and also to technology. Mr. White, a traditionalist wary of digital effects and innovations, is nonetheless as much given to tinkering as the Edge, who finds lyricism in complicated sonic treatments and modifications, or Mr. Page, famous for playing a double-necked guitar [edit].

For rock geeks of any age or taste, the lore in this documentary will be catnip. But “It Might Get Loud” is more than a narrowly focused fan artifact. It gives those of us with tin ears and clumsy fingers a chance to linger in the presence of serious artists with formidable chops and big, if not always clearly expressed, ideas about what they do. And it will put you in the mood to listen.

You can read the entire review without [edits] by CLICKING HERE:

The documentary film titled “It Might Get Loud” focuses on the history of the electric guitar as seen from the point of view of three significant guitarists: Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, U2’s The Edge and the White Stripes’ Jack White.

Watch the trailer to see how the movie tells the personal stories of three generations of electric guitar virtuosos. The movie reveals how each one developed his own unique sound and style of playing. It concentrates on the artists by traveling with them to influential locations and sharing rare and candid discussions as to how and why they write and play their individual styles of music.

NOTE: Information in this post is courtesy of MASCOT RECORDS.

Joe Bonamassa: Live From The Royal Albert Hall on DVD!

When Joe Bonamassa took the stage at Royal Albert Hall in May 2009, he fulfilled a dream he’d held since first picking up a guitar as a kid in upstate New York. The sold-out concert—fresh off the release of his album The Ballad Of John Henry—marked Bonamassa’s headlining debut at arguably the most prestigious concert venue in the world. “May 4, 2009 was a day 20 years in the making,” says Bonamassa. “I have never been so honored in my life. It was truly larger than the sum of its parts.”

The two decades he’s referring to began when—at age 12—he first opened for blues icon B.B. King, who said, “this kid’s potential is unbelievable.” King’s words are as fitting today as they were then. Bonamassa averages 200 shows every year, and with each gig, he comes more into his own as a virtuoso and a vocalist. At the Hall, Bonamassa had the added honor of being joined onstage by the legendary Eric Clapton. The Times of London cited Joe’s “searing excellence and showmanship,” and Planet Rock said, “The sight of two of the world’s best guitarists trading solos was more than a little thrilling.”

This two disc digipack DVD, which also features an exclusive interview with Bonamassa, presents that magical night in full—for posterity, and for all the fans that couldn’t be among the roughly 4,000 concertgoers filling the seats. The twelve-camera high definition, surround sound shoot was produced by Bonamassa’s longtime collaborator Kevin Shirley.

“Joe Bonamassa is a big star amongst his peers,” says Shirley, “garnering awards and magazine covers all around the globe. While he has a devoted audience that’s growing worldwide, his rejection of major label deals in favor of paving his own musical path has left the mainstream largely unfamiliar with his extensive repertoire and skill. Hopefully, this incredible performance—featuring Joe accompanied by an incredible band in addition to a guest appearance by Eric Clapton—will put an end to that. Directed by groundbreaking filmmakers Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen, this concert experience will become the benchmark for the genre. But pigeonhole Bonamassa at your peril—sure, the blues is the anchor, but this virtuoso refuses to play inside the box. Any box. Enjoy!”

The DVD is expected to be released on September 21, 2009. You can pre-order the DVD from Mascot Records HERE

The official trailer from the DVD has been posted on YouTube:

A new documentary film takes a close look at 3 guitar players from different generations. The tag line is: “A Documentary on the Electric Guitar From the Point of View of Three Rock Legends”.

Who are the 3 players? The Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White!

“It Might Get Loud” covers how each of the guitarists first got started playing guitar, who their influences were and how they got together with their respective bands

There is an exclusive review of the film at www.musicradar.com.

From the official web site… “It Might Get Loud” isn’t like any other rock n roll documentary. Filmed through the eyes of three virtuosos from three different generations, audiences get up close and personal, discovering how a furniture upholsterer from Detroit, a studio musician and painter from London and a seventeen-year-old Dublin schoolboy, each used the electric guitar to develop their unique sound and rise to the pantheon of superstar. Rare discussions are provoked as we travel with Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White to influential locations of their pasts.”

The film’s Official Web Site has limited information, but I promise to keep the blog updated as new news becomes available! The film is set to release on August 21, 2009.