Joy Division, Lou Reed, James Brown in SXSW Films
Plus: Gorillaz, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Wesley Willis, Daniel Lanois, Scorsese's Stones flick

What with all the hoopla surrounding the live music portion of the annual South by Southwest festival, it's easy to forget the event's pre-recorded happenings. We're talking about the SXSW Film Conference and Festival, which runs the week+ leading up to the music bit (with some overlap), March 7-15.

As in previous years, there are some big ticket showings, like the North American premiere of Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones doc Shine a Light, plus screenings of Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay, the LCD Soundsystem-bolstered 21, the filmic adaptation of Fight Club scribe Chuck Palahniuk's super-disturbing Choke, Super Size Me guy Morgan Spurlock's Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?, and directorial debut features from thespians Helen Hunt (Then She Found Me) and David Schwimmer (Run, Fat Boy, Run).

There are some charmingly offbeat selections too, such as Kids screenwriter Harmony Korine's latest Mister Lonely (featuring music by Spiritualized's J. Spaceman), a Super Size Me parody of sorts called Super High Me in which a man goes on a 30-day ganja binge, and Harry Potter fan culture exposé We Are Wizards.

And then there are a whole bunch of music-oriented films. Some highlights: the U.S. premiere of Joy Division, the documentary on the iconic post-punk act by Grant Gee, director of Radiohead's Meeting People Is Easy; Lou Reed's Berlin, documenting a live performance of the living legend's classic album in New York City; Young@Heart, celebrating the Sonic Youth-loving, David Byrne-befriending choir of elders; Gorillaz doc Bananaz; The Night James Brown Saved Boston, about the Hardest Working Man in Show Business' 1968 concert following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.; and features exploring Lee "Scratch" Perry (The Upsetter: The Life & Music of Lee "Scratch" Perry), Daniel Lanois (the previously mentioned Here Is What Is), Wanda Jackson (The Sweet Lady With the Nasty Voice), and the late, great Wesley Willis (Wesley Willis's Joyrides).

Brush up on all the important details right here.

Gibbard and Fisk's About a Son Score to Be Released

First the theatrical release, then the soundtrack, then the DVD. What's next for fans of Kurt Cobain: About a Son? How about the film's score? Barsuk will release Kurt Cobain About a Son: Original Score digitally on February 19 to coincide with the Shout! Factory release of the DVD. (A limited-edition, hand-numbered double vinyl version of the score will be out in April.)

As previously reported, the About a Son score is the original work of Steve Fisk (he produced Nirvana's Blew EP) and Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard.

Daydream Nation, Soon to Be a Teen Comedy Movie Starring That Girl From "Heroes"
Save the cheerleader, save the album

Daydream Nation: Sonic Youth's masterpiece, the inspiration for two decades of indie rock, still sounds great today, the greatest album of the 1980s, "You'd be hard pressed to find many fans of indie rock who don't have some love for this record."

Daydream Nation: Forthcoming teen comedy directed by Michael Goldbach, starring "Heroes" cheerleader Hayden Panettiere and maybe Kieran Culkin, "the producers are hoping to reinvent the coming-of-age story for the 21st century, calling the film an intellectual comedy a la Juno and Election."

See also: The Replacements, Can't Hardly Wait, Just Like Heaven, Things We Lost in the Fire

Gorillaz Documentary Debuts, Monkey Comes to U.S.

Although there's been no hint of a new Gorillaz album any time soon, the band/art project/cartoon collective centered around the music of Damon Albarn and the graphics of Jamie Hewlett has plenty of stuff going on.

The behind-the-scenes documentary Bananaz, directed by Ceri Levy, will premiere at the 58th annual Berlin Film Festival this week. The unveiling begins with industry-only showings of the doc today and tomorrow; public screenings run February 9 and 13-15. Bananaz will also screen in America as part of the SXSW Film Festival, taking place March 7-15 in Austin, TX.

But Berliners will have to trade one Gorillaz experience for another, as the summer run of performances of Monkey: Journey to the West, their spin-off "circus opera," has been cancelled. The production will be coming to the USA, however. It will be performed at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina on May 22-26 and 28-31, and June 1, 3, 5-8.

If you're in London, you can get a taste of Monkey this Saturday, February 9, at the British Museum. As part of their Chinese New Year celebration, the museum will present "Monkey Suite", which is "chamber music and visual excerpts" from the opera.

Hewlett also has another project in the works: "Phoo Action", a kung fu action comedy he's developing for the BBC, according to NME. Carl Weathers is in it! It airs February 12 on BBC3.

MCA Launches Film Company, Beasties Play Benefit

Photo by Nilina Mason-Campbell

Beastie Boy MCA, aka Adam Yauch, is launching his own independent film distribution company in collaboration with former ThinkFilm VP (and Awesome! I Fuckin' Shot That! partner) David Fenkel and (fellow former ThinkFilm employee) Dan Berger, according to a Reuters report.

A branch of Yauch's music and film production company Oscilloscope Laboratories, Oscilloscope Pictures will "acquire narrative and documentary features from festivals for release in the U.S. and provide funds to complete and release unfinished films," reports Reuters. The company will handle the theatrical distribution and marketing of its films. And since the company is self-financed, Yauch is looking at a business model in which filmmakers share some of the financial risk.

According to Reuters, Yauch plans to release anywhere from two to 10 films in Oscilloscope Pictures' first year. Its first movie will make its way to theaters this summer.

On the musical end of things, the Beastie Boys will perform at New York City's Terminal 5 on March 4 at a benefit show for the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function. The Institute, which was co-founded by Dr. Oliver Sacks, specializes in music therapy treatment and research. IMNF board member Moby will host the benefit. [MORE...]

Roots, TVOTR Members Cover Civil Rights Song for Film

Executive produced by Danny Glover for Louverture Films, Soundtrack for a Revolution is a forthcoming documentary showcasing "some of America's top contemporary musicians as they perform new and vibrant renditions of the Civil Rights Movement's freedom songs-- songs originally sung by civil rights protesters in mass meetings, on picket lines, in paddy wagons, and in jail cells throughout the American South."

According to an OK Player report yesterday, the Roots have teamed with TV on the Radio members Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe to record one of these songs for the film and its corresponding soundtrack. Roots MC Black Thought reportedly sang on the track.

Since the film is presently in production, there's no word quite yet when and where it will surface. Okayplayer reports that the Blind Boys of Alabama, Soulive, and Anthony Hamilton also collaborated on a track, while Corey Smyth (who co-founded Blacksmith Music with Talib Kweli) devised the Soundtrack project and Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman are directing.

The Roots, meanwhile, have been preparing their Game Theory follow-up under the title Rising Down. According to an NME.com report, Common, Mos Def, and Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy (fresh off production work with Lupe Fiasco) will appear on the record, while a separate OK Player report indicates that Q-Tip and Fiasco himself are involved as well, among others.

The Roots also have a few shows lined up, including spots at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the awfully douchey looking King of the Mountain extreme snow sports bonanza (which also features the awfully un-douchey Dinosaur Jr.). [MORE...]

David Yow Recovering, Appearing in Film
Qui guitarist Matt Cronk also hospitalized

David Yow-- of Scratch Acid, Jesus Lizard, and, most recently, Qui fame-- will trade the gurney for the silver screen at Los Angeles' New Beverly Cinema tonight (January 31).

It's the premiere of Al's Beef, a short-form Western by Dennis Hauck that features Yow himself in his first real acting role (excepting, of course, all those years of Tony-worthy stage theatricality).

Al's Beef tells the tale of a woman seeking revenge, and Yow plays a corrupt preacher. Sounds like an ace fit for the guy. The film stars Jordan Ladd, whose previous screen credits include Inland Empire, Grindhouse, and Hostel Part II, and Dean Stockwell, who you've probably seen on TV a time or two. Jorgan Geiger of Minus Story did the score.

Yow, as previously reported, was hospitalized earlier this week in Pittsburgh after one of his lungs collapsed. He was released Tuesday night, but Qui's live dates in February and March remain cancelled.

As if one trip to the hospital weren't enough for the guys, Qui guitarist/vocalist Matt Cronk also went to the emergency room this week. According to a MySpace bulletin, Cronk suffered three strokes and is afflicted with an "inflamed, infected, and strained heart." Yikes!

"Both [Yow and Cronk] are doing better with hopeful futures, but are not out of the woods yet," reads the bulletin, penned by Qui's third member and drummer Paul Christiansen (who we hope is taking his vitamins).

Christiansen plans to host Monday night karaoke at Los Angeles' Cha Cha Lounge to raise money toward hospital bills.

UPDATE: Check out these photos of Yow in Al's Beef:

Lekman, Glass, Ginsberg in Arthur Russell Documentary

One of the most singular music-makers of the modern era-- and almost certainly the most unique to emerge from Oskaloosa, Iowa-- the late Arthur Russell is the subject of a forthcoming documentary from filmmaker Matt Wolf.

Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell delves into the life of the maverick cellist and disco producer, who died of AIDS in 1992 at the age of 40. To help paint a complex portrait of Russell, Wolf interviewed several of those who knew Russell during his lifetime-- including Philip Glass, Allen Ginsberg, and Ernie Brooks (The Modern Lovers), as well as Russell's parents and partner Tom Lee.

Those inspired by Russell appear as well, including Jens Lekman (pictured below) and Electrelane's Verity Susman-- both of whom contributed tracks to Lekman's recent Arthur Russell tribute EP-- along with Russell-reissuing Audika Records' chief Steve Knutson.

The Berlin International Film Festival will play host to Wild Combination's premiere on February 13, 14, and 15. Look for it at Greece's Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in March as well.

Thanks to reader Abraham Raúl Araujo Díaz for the tip.

Kim Gordon/Becky Stark Film Details Revealed
Director also does video project with Devendra Banhart

Photos by Luke Gilford and Natalie Rodgers

From Sonic Nurse to..."sadistic doctor"? That's the big screen turn we can expect out of Kim Gordon in the previously reported, forthcoming short film from director/screenwriter Alia Raza.

Pure White Light, as they're calling it, has been in production most of this month and also stars Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark, OK Go's Damian Kulash, and writer and fashion maven Liz Goldwyn.

According to Raza, "The movie is about self-identity in the age of aesthetics and consumerism. It tells the story of a woman's journey from insecure, lonely ingenue to jaded sophisticate."

That story was penned by Miranda July, who met Raza through a Me and You and Everyone We Know producer and suggested the budding director choose a short story from one of July's collections and adapt it for the screen.



Stark plays the aforementioned "lonely ingenue" (that's her with Raza pictured above), while Kulash plays Stark's husband "who may or may not love her," according to Raza. Goldwyn portrays "a catty friend."

Pure White Light will be submitted to festivals, with screenings in New York City and Los Angeles planned but not yet set in stone.

And Raza's brush with indie rock royalty will hardly end there. In February, NYC gallery Greene Naftali will play host to several video pieces from Raza that feature Devendra Banhart, as well as actress Chloë Sevigny. As Raza describes, these are "one-take, real-time based diptychs dealing with grooming rituals, luxury consumerism, and decay." Devendra + grooming rituals = ROFL

CYHSY Play Planned Parenthood Benefit Show
The Great Buck Howard, that movie they're in, debuts at Sundance this weekend

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah don't mind if you make babies. They just wanna make sure you're well prepared to do so. So in lieu of introducing "Clap Your Hands Say Not Tonight, Honey"-brand contraception into an already overcrowded marketplace, they're donating the proceeds from their January 22 show at New York City's Bowery Ballroom to Planned Parenthood of New York City. Score! Er, responsibly, of course.

Hey, speaking of scoring, The Great Buck Howard-- the Tom Hanks/John Malkovich vehicle in which the band appears and provides a few new tunes-- will debut at the Sundance Film Festival over the weekend.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah hit Australia in February for the Laneway Festival and beyond. [MORE...]

Kim Gordon, Lavender Diamond's Stark Appear in Film

Photo by Kathryn Yu

Lights, camera, teenage riot! The inimitable Kim Gordon-- who's shown silver screen promise since back in the days of "Death Valley '69" and has since lent her thespian talents to Kurt Cobain semi-biopic Last Days, "Gilmore Girls", and more-- is set to appear in a forthcoming short film from Los Angeles-based producer/director Alia Raza.

Precious little is known about the short-form moving picture at this time, as apparently it's still in the planning stages. According to a post on Variety's Stylephile, other musical types partaking in the as-yet-untitled project include Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark (all over the movies these days) and OK Go's Damian Kulash, and the film is based on a short story by Miranda July.

Shooting is expected to begin later this month, and the film will also feature costumes designed by Magda Berliner and Jasmine Shokrian.

Thanks to Jeb Allured for the tip.

Califone, Fugazi Members Soundtrack Brent Green Films

Photo by Sanchez and Kitahara

Now that their shows with Iron & Wine are over, the dudes in Califone are basking in the glory of a tour well done and plotting their next collaborative venture. That venture takes the form of some gigs providing live soundtracks to animated movies by Brent Green. Green, as you may recall, directed the spooky clip for Roots and Crowns' "Spider's House".

These shows take place everywhere from Houston to NYC to Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival, and honestly, the entire schedule gets a little bit confusing because there are different lineups at every stop (including one with Fugazi's Brendan Canty!!).

Nonetheless, the full list of Califone/Green collaborative shows can be found after the jump, with all the relevant info simplified a bit. [MORE...]

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