December 21, 2011
Festival Express is a rousing record of a little-known, but monumental, moment in Rock n’ Roll history, starring such music legends as Janis Joplin, The Band, and the Grateful Dead. Set in 1970, Festival Express was a multi-band, multi-day extravaganza that captured the spirit and imagination of a generation and a nation.
What made it unique was that it was portable; for five days, the bands and performers lived, slept, rehearsed and did countless unmentionable things aboard a customized train that traveled from Toronto, to Calgary, to Winnipeg, with each stop culminating in a mega-concert.
The entire experience, both off-stage and on, was filmed, but the extensive footage remained locked away until 2003, when director Bob Smeaton released the movie. A momentous achievement in rock film archaeology, Festival Express combines the long-lost material with contemporary interviews nearly 35 years after it was first filmed.
Enjoy this awesome documentation of what surely would have been an incredible ride to take.
Festival Express - Directed by Bob Smeaton and Frank Cvitanovich, 2003
Pt.1, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt.5, Pt.6, Pt.7, Pt.8, Pt. 9, Pt.10
password = hippie
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April 27, 2011
Return of the Rub-A-Dub Style takes an exclusive look into the legendary Wednesday nights, run by Echodelic Sound, at the Dub Club in Echo Park, L.A.
Featured in the mix are U-Roy, Ranking Joe, Tippa Lee, Sugar Minott, Trinity, Scientist, Ranking Trevor, Sister Nancy, Shinehead, Brigadier Jerry, Tristan Palmer, Jah Faith, Nevada Joe, Welton Irie, Philip Frazer, Rootsman and Junior Reid among others.
Peep the commentary regarding the club nights and the history of the deejay as well as vibe on the live performances in which these legends ride such riddims as Cuss Cuss, Answer, Real Rock, Heavenless, Banana Walk, Jah Vengeance and, of course, Sleng Teng.
Extra features include extended live performances and interviews along with a slideshow of photos. Absolutely crucial footage to be found on these stellar reels. Don’t hesitate to check the film and, when it’s done, rewind mi selecta!
Return of the Rub-A-Dub Style; Echodelic Sound, 2011
After checking out the wicked feature above, keep the vibes level with these original tunes laid down by the Echodelic Soundsystem. Massive!
Return of the Rub-A-Dub Style (Audio Companion); Echodelic Sound, 2011
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February 22, 2011
Americans generally like to hear good news. They like to believe that a new president will right old wrongs, that clean energy will replace dirty oil and that fresh thinking will set the economy straight. American pundits tend to restrain their pessimism and hope for the best. But is anyone prepared for the worst?
Meet Michael Ruppert, a different kind of American. A former Los Angeles police officer turned independent reporter, he predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter, From the Wilderness, at a time when most Wall Street and Washington analysts were still in denial. Director Chris Smith has shown an affinity for outsiders in films like American Movie and The Yes Men. In Collapse, he departs stylistically from his past documentaries by interviewing Ruppert in a format that recalls the work of Errol Morris and Spalding Gray.
Sitting in a room that looks like a bunker, Ruppert recounts his career as a radical thinker and spells out the crises he sees ahead. He draws upon the same news reports and data available to any Internet user, but he applies a unique interpretation. He is especially passionate about the issue of peak oil, the concern raised by scientists since the seventies that the world will eventually run out of fossil fuel. While other experts debate this issue in measured tones, Ruppert doesn’t hold back at sounding an alarm, portraying an apocalyptic future. Listening to his rapid flow of opinions, the viewer is likely to question some of the rhetoric as paranoid or deluded, and to sway back and forth on what to make of the extremism. Smith lets viewers form their own judgments.
Collapse also serves as a portrait of a loner. Over the years, Ruppert has stood up for what he believes in despite fierce opposition. He candidly describes the sacrifices and motivators in his life. While other observers analyze details of the economic crisis, Ruppert views it as symptomatic of nothing less than the collapse of industrial civilization itself.
Collapse - Directed by Chris Smith, 2009
Pt.1, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt.5, Pt.6, Pt.7
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February 9, 2011
It was the July 28th, 1979 when The Specials first appeared on the U.K. singles chart. The record was “Gangsters” and it spent 12 weeks on the charts, eventually reaching #6. At the end of August that year, “The Prince” by Madness was released, it spent 11 weeks on the charts and reached #16. The scene was set and over the next twelve months, Two-Tone and British Ska exploded.
Records by The Selecter, The Beat, The Specials, The Bodysnatchers, Bad Manners and Madness were all over the singles and album charts. After extensive touring and live performances, the Two-Tone sound emerged as a mighty force in British music.
The Dance Craze DVD captures some of the best performances from the Two-Tone era and hopes to recreate the atmosphere and pure energy that existed at these shows. Judge for yourself!
Dance Craze – Directed by Joe Massot, 1981
Pt.1, Pt.2, Pt.3; Tracklist
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January 18, 2011
Secondhand Sureshots is a filmed experiment in creative sound recycling. Dublab directors Bryan “Morpho” Younce & Mark “Frosty” McNeill sent beatmakers Daedelus, Nobody, J Rocc and Ras G on a safari into L.A. thrift stores with orders to make new music out of five finds while the cameras filmed the whole process. The result is a mini-documentary about putting new life into old vinyl as well as a collection of the tracks that each person created.
For more details on the graphics involved with this release from Hit + Run, check the photo gallery here and also visit here for a collection of videos to get you itchin’ to see the full-length feature.
Secondhand Sureshots; Dublab, 2010
When the guys at Dublab & Hit + Run hit up every dollar record bin in the L.A. area looking for album covers to salvage and repaint to make that Deluxe Super Set, they were left with one problem…what to do with the hundreds of discarded, sleeveless records that no one wanted?
The solution was to give them to J Rocc who used the rejected vinyl to continue with the project and create a mixtape for Stones Throw.
J Rocc – Secondhand Sureshots; Stones Throw Podcast #52, 2009
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December 16, 2010
The history of hardcore punk – the tougher, faster, and more politically-minded stepchild of the ’70s punk movement that arose in the ’80s – is examined in exuberant detail in Paul Rachman’s documentary American Hardcore.
Rachman’s cameras careen across the landscape of the U.S. to trace the movement’s beginnings in cities like Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York, and cherrypicks interviews with the musicians that helped shape its sound and impact including Henry Rollins and Greg Ginn of Black Flag, H.R. of Bad Brains, Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat and Fugazi, and many others.
Hardcore’s violent reaction against the Reagan administration and the complacent mindset of middle-class America is also detailed in countless performance footage clips and poster-art reproductions, which do much to dismiss the popular opinion of hardcore as nothing more than mindless hooliganism. Some fans may find the omission of certain bands a considerable oversight (San Francisco’s lethally satirical Dead Kennedys (!) are mentioned only in passing), but for most punk devotees, American Hardcore will be vital and essential viewing.
American Hardcore – Directed by Paul Rachman, 2006
Pt.1, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt.5, Pt.6, Pt.7
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October 25, 2010
Inside Wat Sapam Tammaram, a small temple located on the east coast of Phuket that receives very few visitors, but features a great view of Ao Sapam, Koh Yao Yai and other islands in Ao Phang Nga. The walls of the ‘bot’, the ordination hall, are decorated with some incredibly-beautiful paintings. Mesmerized every time I go in there.
http://www.thegoldbrick.net/video/watsapam.flv
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September 8, 2010
July 20, 2010
Checkin’ out the intimidating weather system that moved in at sunset while on the way back from Mu Koh Hong, Krabi. We were bookin’ it across the choppy water on that longtail to get back to Tubkaak safely. Areas seen are Koh Yao Yai, Koh Phi Phi (in the distance), Koh Poda, Koh Kai, Railay, Ao Nang, Nopparathara, Khlong Muang, Tubkaak and back north towards Mu Koh Hong (an archipelago).
http://www.thegoldbrick.net/video/krabiweather.flv
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June 18, 2010
Taken in Phuket during the final night of the nine-day Vegetarian Festival that takes place throughout Southern Thailand. An insanely awesome event with more fireworks than you could possibly imagine.
http://www.thegoldbrick.net/video/phuketvegetarianfinale01.flv
http://www.thegoldbrick.net/video/phuketvegetarianfinale02.flv
http://www.thegoldbrick.net/video/phuketvegetarianfinale03.flv
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May 16, 2010
Rockers features Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace as a drummer looking to earn extra cash by selling and distributing records to the soundsystems throughout Kingston. Also featured in the film are Dillinger, Big Youth, Burning Spear, Kiddus I, Jacob Miller, Gregory Isaacs, Richard “Dirty Harry” Hall, Robbie Shakespeare, and Harry J’s studio. A classic look into the late-70s Reggae scene that is filmed as a narrative, but, since nearly everything is presented in its true element, it comes across as a documentary.
“I’m like a stepping razor, don’t you watch my size, I’m dangerous…“
Rockers – Directed by Ted Bafaloukos, 1978
Pt.1, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt.5, Pt.6, Pt.7, Pt.8
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April 29, 2010
Took this video back on Loy Krathong Day, in November 2009, in Bang Niang, Phang Nga. Friendly exhibition of sepak takraw from the locals. The first time I came across this game here in Thailand, I was amazed. Crazy acrobatic flips, kicks and headers. Check it out if you’ve never seen the action.
http://www.thegoldbrick.net/video/sepaktakraw.flv
Need more comedy in your sepak takraw video? The Onion has you covered with their recap of the 2008 King’s Cup and the antics of Chonburi Tigers’ striker Nguyen Thi Buch Thuy (a Vietnamese, not Thai, name by the way). As usual with The Onion…classic.
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April 20, 2010
Ever wonder what British Columbia’s most profitable industries are? Logging? Fishing? Tourism? Ever think to include marijuana? If you haven’t, think again.
No longer a hobby for the stereotypical hippie culture of the ‘60s, BC’s illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into an unstoppable business giant, dubbed by those involved as ‘The Union’. Commanding upwards of $7 billion Canadian annually, The Union’s roots stretch far and wide. With up to 85% of all ‘BC Bud’ being exported to the United States, the BC marijuana trade has become an international issue with consequences that extend far beyond our borders. When record profits are to be made, who are the players, and when do their motives become questionable?
Why is marijuana illegal? What health risks do we really face? Does prohibition work? What would happen if we taxed it? Medicine, paper, fuel, textiles, food, etc. Are we missing something?
Follow filmmaker Adam Scorgie as he dives head first into Canada’s most socially acceptable illegal activity. Along the way, Adam demystifies the underground market and brings to light how such a large industry can function while remaining illegal. By interviewing experts from around the globe, including growers, clippers, police officers, criminologists, economists, medical doctors, politicians and pop culture icons, Scorgie examines the cause and effect nature of the business behind getting high.
Nobody’s innocent in this exploration of an industry that may be profiting more by being illegal. Join Adam Scorgie as he unravels the mystery of The Union.
The Union – Written by Brett Harvey & Adam Scorgie; 2007
Pt. 1, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt.5, Pt.6
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March 25, 2010
The notion that oil motivates America’s military engagements in the Middle East has long been dismissed as nonsense or mere conspiracy theory. Blood and Oil, a new documentary based on the critically-acclaimed work of Nation magazine defense correspondent Michael T. Klare, challenges this conventional wisdom to correct the historical record.
The film unearths declassified documents and highlights forgotten passages in prominent presidential doctrines to show how concerns about oil have been at the core of American foreign policy for more than 60 years – rendering our contemporary energy and military policies virtually indistinguishable.
In the end, Blood and Oil calls for a radical re-thinking of US energy policy, warning that unless we change direction, we stand to be drawn into one oil war after another as the global hunt for diminishing world petroleum supplies accelerates.
Blood and Oil – Directed by Jeremy Earp; 2008
Pt.1, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt.5, Pt.6, Pt.7, Pt.8
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March 19, 2010
Filmed at the Guan Ou Shrine procession, in Takuapa, Phang Nga, during the annual vegetarian festival that takes place throughout the south of Thailand.
http://www.thegoldbrick.net/video/takuapavegetarianfestival02.flv
http://www.thegoldbrick.net/video/takuapavegetarianfestival03.flv
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