There’s Music in the Air and On the Screen!

By JBFC Marketing Volunteer Dotty Battel

Summer’s finally here and for all you music lovers, you’ll be happy to know that Sounds of Summer, our annual festival of new music docs (and a few sensational classics such as Stop Making Sense), returns to the Burns July 6–August 25. Whatever your musical passion, you’ll find plenty to love this year! Not only are we screening films featuring some of the globe’s most talented artists, but we will also pay homage to David Bowie and celebrate the amazing Prince. Tickets are on sale now!

Here are a few highlights that you won’t want to miss:

Wednesday, July 6, 7:15: Opening Night with Reception!
Yes, it’s The Beatles, and “Beatleologist” Scott Freiman (one of our most popular guests) brings his magic back with a new LIVE multimedia presentation about the making of their Magical Mystery Tour, which the Beatles conceived, wrote and directed for a BBC broadcast in 1967. “Songs you’ll never forget…and a story that’s never been heard.” (IMDB) But before you go, sit back and enjoy this clip of the Beatles explaining the making of the film:

Wednesday, July 13, 7:00: Jonathan Demme’s Next Music Film
If you are a fan of great concert films (and who isn’t?) you won’t want to miss this exclusive screening of a work-in-progress by Jonathan Demme, the legendary filmmaker who brought us Stop Making Sense and Neil Young: Heart of Gold! Nobody does it better than Demme! That’s all we can say, so check it out!

Tuesday, July 19, 7:30: Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
In a tribute to David Bowie, we are screening D.A. Pennebaker’s classic concert doc of Bowie’s final performance as Ziggy on July 3, 1973, which “remains the definitive portrait of the artist as a fruity vamp in a candy-striped jumpsuit pretending to be a rock star from another planet.”(The Phoenix.com) And best of all for you Bowie fans, the music, now digitally remastered for extra sonic boom, “can still blow your socks off.” (Jami Bernard, New York Daily News)
Q&A with Rita Houston, WFUV program director, recently named #4 in Billboard’s Top Rock Radio programmers and popular guest at the Burns, returns for this salute to Bowie.

Thurs, Aug. 11, 7:45: Vince Giordano: There’s a Future in the Past
Our friend Vince Giordano is back! Through this doc about Vince (bandleader, musician, historian, and collector) and his 11 member band, The Nighthawks, we are taken inside the world of a real “big band” that has dedicated itself to keeping alive the Hot Jazz music of the 1920s and 30s.
Q&A with Vince Giordano, filmmakers Amber Edwards and Dave Davidson, and WFUV’s Rich Conaty, host of The Big Broadcast.
Check out this video for a taste of their joyful sound:

Friday, Aug. 12, 10:00pm & Tuesday, Aug. 16, 7:45: Purple Rain
We are celebrating Prince’s life by screening his iconic feature film debut, a semi-autobiographical tale of abuse, romance, and the roots of his super-star musical career. “So much of Purple Rain is about the sheer presence of Prince—his outrageous outfits, his strange, fey charisma and, of course, his glorious music” (Josef Braun, VueWeekly)

This series is sponsored by: The Lucille and Paul Maslin Foundation and Janet Maslin and Ben Cheever. WFUV is the exclusive media partner of Sounds of Summer.