Heidi and I went to see “Rev on The Road”, a local presentation of some films from the Revelation Perth International Film Festival.
The double bill included: The Family Jams, a music documentary focussing on Vetiver‘s 2004 tour with Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom; and Stingray Sam, an episodic musical space western.
The Family Jams had a rather disjoint start, but later revealed itself to be a wistful and charming travelogue that manages to sincerely capture the life experiences of a close group of musicians and friends.
My favourite song from the film was probably “Bridges and Balloons” by Joanna Newsom. Here’s a video for it:
Stingray Sam was more focussed on entertainment with imaginative writing, good humour, and balanced pacing. The musical numbers (from the Billy Nayer Show) were particularly entertaining.
Episodes 1 & 2 of Stingray Sam are online on Cory McAbee’s homepage. My favourite song from the series features in episode 2; here’s a video: