SING: The Hotel Cafe Tour Documentary
Hello kids, as some of you may already know, I've been the Musical Director of the Hotel Cafe Tour since its inception in 2005. Our friend, Laura Crosta, has made an excellent documentary about the 2008 Tour. The REALLY exciting news is that it's also available for sale at http://www.singthemovie.com
Alright, here are some bullet points and a synopsis so I don't forget any of the critical information in my cluttered ramblings!
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Sing is premiering at the Nashville Film Festival on 4/17 at Noon, and 4/18 at 10pm. http://ow.ly/4qFyZ
Sing is re-airing on TV! 4/27 at 8pm EST on DISH Network Channel 197 or DIRECT TV Channel 267. Trailer:http://ht.ly/48EwT @DOC_channel
Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/singthemovie
Official Website: http://www.singthemovie.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/singthemovie
There is a room in Los Angeles where, every night, something transcendent happens. Depending on the players, folks either trickle in or line up. They huddle close to the stage as the first chords are struck. The evening’s soundtrack unfurls, welcoming anyone within earshot to the Hotel Cafe. That so much musical talent is concentrated in a few hundred square feet in Hollywood bears exploration.
"SING" examines the history of the Hotel Cafe tours and venue through the lens of the 2008 Tour. Anchored from this perspective, this feature-length documentary recounts the history of the venue, the history of the tour, and the relationships of the artists involved. The story unfolds from these multiple perspectives and shows how an intimate room unlike any other, without even a liquor license, went on to stage international tours and create global recognition.
The success each artist has experienced varies, from Grammy winning heights to never having been on the tour bus before. While on tour, each show is a great equalizer: there is no headliner and no hierarchy. The experience forces musicians to share not only their living space, but also the stage and their supporting band. The result is a type of chaotic magic that entices artists to line up side-stage to watch their bunkmates perform, invites collaboration, and creates versions of songs that could never be captured again, evolving before an enraptured audience and recorded only in our film.
Performance footage, photography, and interviews provide a testament to what can only be learned on the road through the bond between musicians and audiences. From the post-show highs to the realities of being a working musician, the stories shared by the artists in the film are unique, yet they all seem to repeat a similar refrain, a lie-down-in-the-road loyalty embodied by one artist’s statement: this room gave me my career.
