Momentum: An Austin Film Festival Recap
[#aff2010]

Director Nathan Christ, musician Bill Baird, AMP co-founder James Moody, Mayor's Chief Of Staff Ritch Bailey, AMO's Brad Stein, and HAAM's Carolyn Schwarz discuss music, politics, and other issues facing Austin's creative class at #aff2010. Photo by Yusef Svacina

It didn’t really register that I’d moved away from Austin until coming back to the Austin Film Festival for the Echotone screenings. I didn’t brood and plan about moving away for much time at all. Austin doesn’t really let you do that. Just when you think you can’t possibly stay another day – when the heat melts you to the sidewalk, when the lack of work becomes too stifling, when your curiosity/travel bug begins to tell you that other pastures might be greener – just when you start to think that way, some incredible 24-hour coffeehouse opens just down the street, or you see an inspiring show from Sleep Good or Machine or Shapes Have Fangs, or the guys at Transmission curate another brilliant Fun Fun Fun Fest. You start to think, maybe I can stay here another 5 years!

It’s hard to know if it’s a velvet rut or not. All I know is that I left. We finished making Echotone in February and have been moving ever since. I was lifted West by the swell of the Robin Lombaria’s Marfa Film Festival, truly one of the strongest weeks of my life – nothing short of a rainbow gathering, a collision of creative people, family, and beloved friends from all over the country. From there, a short respite in Chicago before working as a cook all summer in a Buddhist community deep in the French countryside. It was a different kind of a work, a time to recharge and regroup before the next push – the Echotone film festival circuit and the upcoming plan to develop Echotone into a miniseries.

After France, I decided wintry Chicago was the place for me. We want to explore the concepts and themes we discovered in the Austin story in other American cities (specifically Chi Town, L.A., and NYC). I’ve been up here on an anthropological dig, exploring the massive, sprawling megalopolis, trying to figure out where the passionate individuals lie, whether in music, film, or theater. Chicago’s been my docking point for the growing nationwide Echotone expeditions: Los Angeles Downtown Independent Film Festival, Dallas Video Fest, Hot Springs Film Festival, the upcoming Starz Denver Film Festival, and our madcap Rumble Tour, where we drove all across the West Coast with the film and the musicians from the film in tow.

Coming home to Austin took me by surprise. Both of our screenings were completely sold out, with people in the aisles and on folding chairs. The hometown support was deeply moving. Then there was the annual ATX Converge event, where musicians from the film (Machine, Dana Falconberry, The White White Lights, and Sunset) sent vibrations from within the beloved Mohawk (one of the epicenters of our film).

We racked up a lot of critical praise and had plenty of Austinites come up to us and gush about how we nailed the story, how it inspired them to continue in their artistic pursuits. I even had a young woman come up to me and say that she was about to drop out of her Music Business degree before she saw the film, that it had lit a fire underneath her to keep going and not give up. It was a big step for me when the musicians in the film gave it a thumbs up. Now, it seems, Austin is behind it.

So, yes, Momentum. It’s on the tips of our tongues. I dream about the word. I ponder what it means. I wake up each morning recognizing its importance. It’s up to us to keep going, to turn the vision into a miniseries and scale the mountain before us: the nationwide Echotone story.
- Nathan Christ, Director

All photos by Yusef Svacina, courtesy of Swatch Photography.

Recent Press from Austin Film Festival

-Interview with Director Nathan Christ and Producer Dániel Perlaky on KUT 90.5′s Texas Music Matters
-Feature Article by the Austinist
-AV CLUB’s AFF Recap – Echotone earns ‘best hometown representation.’
-Review by Jette Kernion at Cinematical.com

The Line extends around the block for a sold out screening at the Alamo Ritz. Slated for the same time that day was the AFF Award's Luncheon with David Simon, and a Texas Longhorns Home Game...Live Music is Austin's Pro Sport! Photo by Yusef Svacina.

Mayor Will Wynne's Chief of Staff Ritch Bailey, and Producer Nicholas Jayanty discuss momentum and community action after a sell out screening at the Alamo Ritz during @austinfilmfest. Photo by Yusef Svacina.

Director Nathan Christ post Ritz screening at #aff2010. Photo by Yusef Svacina.

The Voodoo Highway team basks in a pitch perfect screening of Echotone. Photo by Yusef Svacina.

Soaking in success Associate Producer Nate Ferrone is A-OK. Photo by Yusef Svacina.

Bill Baird and Victor Moyers catch a breath at the Driskill post screening #aff2010. Photo by Yusef Svacina.

I get by with a little help...Photo by Yusef Svacina.

Dana Falconberry hypnotizes at the ATX CONVERGE 2010. Photo by Yusef Svacina.

Jenny Gacy of the White White Lights delivers a sonic sermon... the Reverend Gacy has the stage. Photo by Yusef Svacina.

ATX Emerge/Art Disaster: Bi-annual Blowouts

Tonight and tomorrow night are double-headers, giant waves breaking one after another on the eve of SXSW Music.

They’ve got me more excited than any event happening during the official SXSW stretch. They are ATX Emerge, tonight at the Mohawk, and Art Disaster, tomorrow night at Beauty Bar.

Without hyping the exciting bands, I’ll speak as a documentary filmmaker. These events and the people behind them (including Emerge’s sister Fall event ATX Converge) were the petrie dishes for Echotone.

It was at ATX Converge that we first filmed Black Joe Lewis (the same month he and the Honeybears signed to Lost Highway/Universal Records). The Mohawk was quick to become the epicenter for the world of the story. Not only do our 3 central bands (Sunset, Black Joe, and Belaire) all play within the Mohawk’s walls on-camera, the Mohawk also directly plays into one of the downtown development stories in Echotone. The flats across the street have caused some interesting hurdles to spring up for the folks at the Mohawk.

SXSWers! Look up! Look at how much the city has changed since you were last eating our tacos! Also, don’t for a moment think that the weather is this pleasant year-round. The heat maelstrong is fast approaching. You’re in the sweet spot.

Lastly, the grassroots companies who organized the orginal Emerge 2 years ago (Reversal Films, Indierect Records, Swatch Post, Voodoo Highway) were all utterly instrumental in giving Echotone its legs.

Some of the brightest, most talented, most passionated (and many times the most preening) members of ATX’s film/music/fashion/design culture will be at Emerge tonight. And the music will blow you away.

Art Disaster, put on by Daniel Perlaky, is likewise a nonstop art orgy. The event is aptly titled and Mr. Perlaky seems to delight in the chaos of it all. DJs, MCs, psychadelia, screenprinting, poster show, a photo booth, and free booze. The makings of a beautiful mess of people coming together and sharing in the local energy.

Cutting the scenes together from what we shot of these events over the last 2 years already makes me a bit nostalgic. Not the syrupy kind. The kind that makes me want to go out and continue participating in this very inspiring time.

-Nathan

Look At Our Sound, version 5.1

Noise Pop San Fran is a complete blast. NYC was an inspiring winter wonderland.

Here are some clips from our long night at Gigantic, the surround sound studio. The magician you see is Tom Paul and he took our film to a new experiential level.

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

The Apeshits

Belaire

Dana Falconberry Valentine
The First Echotone B side Release!
Stream “Possum Song” Live by Dana Falconberry
below!

Dana Falconberry is one of the brightest gems in Austin, TX.

Her songwriting reminds me of Joni Mitchell and her voice recalls Joanna Newsom. Those references are limited, though, as Dana is her own unique force of nature. Just go to one of her shows and you’ll find an entire room full of people watching in rapt silence.

The fact that Dana can’t support herself off of her music should be a crime. That’ll change soon.

Expertly recorded by David Hixon and mixed by Dave Kelly, here are a few of Dana’s songs, two of which are in Echotone.

Click the play button below to stream “Possum Song,” and as an extra bonus download “Possum Song” and “Baby Blue Sky” live by clicking “Get 2 Echotone Valentine’s B sides Here.” Feel free to embed the widget on your blog, share it with fellow music lovers on your Facebook or Twitter, and be sure to stay tuned, because next week we are leaking a scene from the film featuring of one of these songs.