Music@Sundance/Slamdance

Music in film is my passion and Sundance usually has a slew of musicians coming through town. On Monday, January 23, I got a text message to get myself over to the Fender Music Lounge where James McCartney performed with his really tight band. I came in on the tail end of his show but got to hear his wonderful rendition of Neil Young’s Old Man. He will be on tour in the U.S. with some rare New York/New Jersey club dates.

The night before, Neil Young was in town giving an impromptu performance at the Bing Bar on Main Street. Young and Academy Award winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme were at Slamdance over last weekend with their latest collaborative music documentary, Neil Young Journeys. The film follows Young on the road from his hometown of Omemee, Canada to Massey Hall in Toronto for the final shows of his 2011 world tour.

This is their third collaboration and according to Jonathan Demme, the difference from the previous two projects: Neil Young: Heart of Gold in 2006 and Neil Young’s Trunk Show in 2010, that Journeys is just that– journeys where an unfolding narrative through songs address core life issues while driving a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria. Starting from his hometown in Omemee, Ontario to Toronto, Young reminisces histories of his life along with the history of the times and the songs are driving force. The car is a comfortable place for him where he listens to his music and makes musical decisions.

Neil Young, 66 who finally won his first Grammy in 2010, is a passionate believer in a primal connection between rock music and film. Demme considers him in his “golden prime” as a master composer, musician, singer and is captured by Demme’s filmmaking into an extraordinary musical experience. One thing he is passionate about is sound quality and the current lack of it in today’s music. In his opinion, people listen to music differently today. It’s all about the bottom and the beat driving everything and because of that resolution in the music, there’s nothing else you can really hear. The warmth and the depth at the high end is gone.

At the Lake Placid Film Forum in 2009, Demme brought his work on Neil Young’s Trunk Show for a sneak preview. He introduced the screening and reminded anyone who didn’t like Neil Young, his music or hearing Neil Young’s music very loud should probably leave the preview. I moved into the front row.