Tag: Faith Evans Ruch

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Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

This Week At The Cinema: Indie Memphis Winners and BTS

‘Magic Bullet’

Tonight at Studio On The Square, The Ballad of Shirley Collins. It would be hard to imagine what contemporary music would look like without the invaluable folk and blues archives of Alan Lomax. The songs he and his partner Shirley Collins collected on their epic road trip across the US in 1959 provided the basis for a couple of generations of music. Collins gets her due in this documentary, presented by Indie Memphis, that follows her through those years and into a successful career as singer of traditional English songs, before losing her voice in mysterious circumstances. Tickets available at Indie Memphis.

This Week At The Cinema: Indie Memphis Winners and BTS

Wednesday night, what’s sure to be the best shorts program of the year happens at Crosstown Arts: The Indie Memphis Award Winners Encore. Films include “Black 14,” an exquisitely edited, all-archival documentary film about a 1969 anti-racism protest by black college football players in Wyoming, and Narrative Short Film winner “Magic Bullet” by Amanda Lovejoy Street. The Hometowner short award winners include narrative short “Bonfire” by Kevin Brooks; Music Video Award winner “I’m Yours” by Faith Evans Ruch, directed by Melissa Anderson Sweazy; “Minority” by Will Robbins, and the experimental documentary “Windows” by Jason Allen Lee. More details at the Indie Memphis website.

Magic Bullet Trailer from Amanda Street on Vimeo.

This Week At The Cinema: Indie Memphis Winners and BTS (2)

Thursday night at the Paradiso, Korean boy-pop sensations BTS get the Truth Or Dare treatment with Burn The Stage: The Movie.

This Week At The Cinema: Indie Memphis Winners and BTS (3)

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Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

Music Video Monday Special Edition: Indie Memphis Winners

Tonight, the 21st annual Indie Memphis Film Festival closes with a program that is always a highlight. The Hometowner Music Videos bloc contains 35 exceptional videos by Memphis artists and filmmakers.

At the awards ceremony last Saturday night, the Indie Memphis jury awarded Best Music Video to “Gomenake” by Someone Who Isn’t Me (S.W.I.M), directed by Akis Papastathopoulos. Both the band and the filmmaker are from Athens, Greece.

Music Video Monday Special Edition: Indie Memphis Winners (2)

The jury awarded two Hometowner videos: Honorable Mention went to “BW” by Weird Maestro, directed by your columnist, Christopher Scott McCoy. “BW” will make its world premiere tonight at the festival, and we’ll feature it on Music Video Monday when Unapologetic Records is ready to drop it.

The Hometowner Jury Award winner is a Music Video Monday alumna: “I’m Yours” by Faith Evans Ruch. The video was helmed by Melissa Anderson Sweazy, who co-directed Good Grief, the documentary which pulled off a rare sweep of the jury and audience awards and the poster contest at Indie Memphis 2017.

Music Video Monday Special Edition: Indie Memphis Winners

Tune in tomorrow (after you vote) for a full list of winners from Indie Memphis 2018!

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Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

Music Video Monday: Faith Evans Ruch

Catch a fire with today’s MVM.

Music Video Monday frequent flyer Faith Evans Ruch is back with a new song and a new video full of fire, revenge, and doppelgangers. “I’m Yours”, which features the singer playing both good and evil twins, drops as Ruch is preparing to embark on a European tour. Check it out!

Music Video Monday: Faith Evans Ruch

If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com

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Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

On Location: Memphis Brings 15 Films to Clayborn Temple

In this month’s Memphis Magazine, I wrote about the rebirth of the Clayborn Temple. As part of the program to breathe new life into the Downtown landmark, the On Location: Memphis Film Festival is sponsoring a 15 week film series.

Sebastian Banks of Black Rock Revival in Verge

The series kicked off last Thursday with the acclaimed Fruitvale Station, and most of the works screening in the storied sanctuary share some element of social awareness in their theme. This week’s offering is Verge, a music documentary by Lakethon Mason that made its debut at last year’s Indie Memphis Film Festival. Verge tells the story of several independent Memphis musicians struggling to get ahead in the modern music industry, including Black Rock Revival, Faith Evans Ruch, Nick Black, and Marco Pave.

VERGE:MEMPHIS trailer from oddly buoyant productions on Vimeo.

On Location: Memphis Brings 15 Films to Clayborn Temple

The screening is free to the public, and kicks off at 6:00 PM at Clayborn Temple, 294 Hernando Street.

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Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

Indie Memphis Wednesday: Verge is the Memphis Music Doc For Today

Day 2 of Indie Memphis continues the distinctly Memphis vibe set by The Invaders and the IndieGrant shorts bloc on day 1. Today, the focus is on music.

Sebastian Banks of Black Rock Revival in Verge

There are a lot of documentaries about Memphis music, but Verge is different in that it’s not a historical documentary. First time director Lakethan Mason set out to make a movie about seven musicians who are adding to Memphis’ musical legacy today. “The subjects were chosen by spending time with the music community,” Mason says. “We started off with about 13 individuals that we sought out from their social media presence. There were also artists I had known over my years as an artist manager that I wanted to capture. Of course, the film would have been six hours long if we’d gone with 13, so we narrowed it down to seven exceptional artists: Nick Black, Brennan Villines, Faith Evans Ruch, Kendell MacMahon and all the bands she’s been a part of, Black Rock Revival, Marco Pave, and Kia Johnson.”

 

Verge director Lakethan Mason

Verge follows the artists through performances and their day to day struggles to make it in the industry. “It’s not just about the music, it’s about what’s behind the music. We went behind the scenes and got to know these people. I wanted the world to know they’re more than just artists, they’re people, too.”

The most fascinating thing about Verge is the insights it gives into the depths of the musicians personalities that you don’t get to see from the audience, like Brennan Villines’ work for St. Jude, or Faith Evan Ruch’s nursing career. “What I was most impressed with, was that each of these individuals are creating their own path to success,” says Mason. “We often define success as, you’re going to be performing in front of hundreds of thousands of fans in arenas. But these people are defining their own success.”

Singer Nick Black performs in Verge

The film was produced with support from executive producer J.W. Gibson. “Verge is a homegrown project, from the artist to the filmmaker to the visionary,” says Mason. “There’s a tenacity of spirit that I see in Memphians. If they want to do it, they’re going to do it. We’re a maverick city. We’ve got the indie spirit. We do it our own way, but we don’t fit into a box. We don’t play well with the industry that wants to churn out sameness.”

VERGE:MEMPHIS trailer from oddly buoyant productions on Vimeo.

Indie Memphis Wednesday: Verge is the Memphis Music Doc For Today

The Indie Memphis Film Festival continues through Monday, November 7.

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Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

Strong Local Offerings Lead Indie Memphis Lineup

Indie Memphis announced its full lineup for the 2016 festival at a bustling preview party at the Rec Room last night. 

Bad, Bad Men,

The most striking feature of the 150-film collection is the strongest presence by local filmmakers since the early-2000s heyday of DIY movies. The Hometowner Competition boasts six feature films, including Old School Pictures’ Bad, Bad Men, a wild comedy of kidnapping and petty revenge by directors Brad Ellis and Allen Gardner, who have racked up several past Indie Memphis wins. Bluff City indie film pioneer Mike McCarthy will debut his first feature-length documentary Destroy Memphis, a strikingly heartfelt film about the fight to save Libertyland and the Zippin Pippen rollercoaster. Four first-time entrants round out the Hometowner competition: Lakethen Mason’s contemporary Memphis music documentary Verge, Kathy Lofton’s healthcare documentary I Am A Caregiver, Flo Gibs look at lesbian and trangender identity Mentality: Girls Like Us, and Madsen Minax’s magical realist tale of lunch ladies and gender confusion Kairos Dirt and the Errant Vacuum. 

‘Silver Elves’


Usually, Hometowner short films comprise a single, popular, programming block; This year, there are enough qualified films to fill four blocks. Sharing the opening night of the festival with the previously announced Memphis documentary The Invaders is a collection of short films produced by recipients of the Indie Grant program, including G.B. Shannon’s family dramedy “Broke Dick Dog”, Sara Fleming’s whimsical tour of Memphis “Carbike”, Morgan Jon Fox’s impressionistic dramatization of the 1998 disappearance of Rhodes student Matthew Pendergrast “Silver Elves”; Indie Grant patron Mark Jones’ “Death$ In A Small Town”, actor/director Joseph Carr’s “Returns”, experimental wizard Ben Siler (working under the name JEBA)’ “On The Sufferings Of The World”, and “How To Skin A Cat”, a road trip comedy by Laura Jean Hocking and yours truly. 

Other standouts in the Hometowner Shorts category include three offerings from Melissa Sweazy: the fairy tale gone dark “Teeth”; “A.J”, a documentary about a teenage boy dealing with grief after a tragic accident, co-directed with Laura Jean Hocking; and “Rundown: The Fight Against Blight In Memphis. Edward Valibus’ soulful dark comedy “Calls From The Unknown”, Nathan Ross Murphy’s “Bluff”, and Kevin Brooks’ “Marcus”, all of which recently competed for the Louisiana Film Prize, will be at the festival, as will Memphis Film Prize winner McGehee Montheith’s “He Coulda Gone Pro”. 

The revived Music Video category features videos from Marco Pave, Star & Micey, Preauxx, The Bo-Keys, Vending Machine, Nots, Caleb Sweazy, Faith Evans Ruch, Marcella & Her Lovers, John Kilzer & Kirk Whalum, Alex duPonte, Alexis Grace, and Zigadoo Moneyclips. 

Internationally acclaimed films on offer include legendary director Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson, starring Adam Driver; Manchester By The Sea from Kenneth Lonergan; and Indie Memphis alum Sophia Takal’s Always Shine. Documentary cinematographer Kirsten Johnson’s spectacular, world-spanning Cameraperson, assembled over the course of her 25 year career, promises to be a big highlight.

Michelle Williams and Casey Affleck in Manchester By The Sea

The full schedule, as well as tickets to individual movies and two levels of festival passes, can be found at the Indie Memphis web site. 

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Music Music Features

Dreams Can Come True: Your Guide to DreamFest 5

DreamFest started out as a one-night showcase of local talent, put together by Catherine Evans as a way to promote artistic unity among local bands and performers that she enjoyed. The point was to get as many different types of artists to perform in a collaborative environment, and each year the festival has grown. Now in its fifth year, DreamFest starts this Friday and runs throughout the weekend, with over 30 bands and solo artists scheduled to play at 1524 Events & Banquet Facility (on Madison), the Buckman Performing Arts Center, and Madison Dance Studio.

“What we aim to do with the weekend is emphasize community, diversity, and unity,” Evans said.

“Aside from the obvious tie-ins to MLK weekend and Martin Luther King’s dream, the ‘Dream’ in DreamFest also refers to the fact that we are all pursuing our dreams. And hopefully, DreamFest Weekend helps us all get that much closer to realizing them.”

The fest breaks down into three parts: DreamFest: The Concert, on Friday, January 15th; DreamFest: An Artistik Celebration on Saturday, January 16th; and DreamFest: “Rella Remixed” on Sunday, January 17th. The fest ends with a special edition of the monthly event “Artistik Lounge.” Here are the basics of what you need to know.

DreamFest: The Concert. Friday, January 15th.

DreamFest kicks off at 1524 Events & Banquet Facility. Doors are at 7 p.m., and admission is $10. While this night is meant to serve as an introduction to some of the rising stars of the Memphis music scene, seasoned veterans like Chinese Connection Dub Embassy and Brennan Villines are also scheduled to perform. Chinese Connection Dub Embassy have been a go-to band for all kinds of local festivals, and their reggae versions of classic rock songs, along with their originals, have gained the band a loyal following.

Villines also performs around town quite often, and his latest album Free was recently released. Originally from Kentucky, Villines is a skilled piano player who has received a number of different accolades for his playing, including the Herbert Herman Award for excellence in music performance from the University of Memphis. Jay Da Skreet, Mika Genesis, Brecan Bland, Liv Green, Mac Daro, Kevin De Liban, Lady Stax, Da Ladie, Devin Crutcher, Hot House Gruv, SP, Life’s Poet, U901, and Idaly Maceano will also perform. The night will be hosted by P.A. Bomani.

Faith Evans Ruch plays DreamFest 5 on Saturday, January 16th.

DreamFest: An Artistik Celebration. Saturday, January 16th.

The second night of DreamFest is also at 1524 Madison and serves as a reunion for artists who played the Artistik Lounge last season. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show is free (Donations are accepted). Highlights include Faith Evans Ruch and Tyke T, the local rapper who has seen his songs get TV placement on MTV and Vh1 over the last couple of years. His song “Stop Us Now” was recently featured on the VH1 show Black Ink Crew: Chicago. In an interview last year, Tyke T told the Flyer that he was working on a new EP called One Wednesday Night, so the chance of hearing him play new material on Saturday seems high.

Ruch also announced that new music is on its way, with “Thank You” and “Sugar” set to be released next month.

The other artists performing on Saturday night are Yung Taz, Mike Sweep, JuJu Bushman, Cameron Bethany, Sleepy J, Omega Forte, Hippy Soul, Chinese Connection Dub Embassy, Jus Bentley, Virghost, plus the Dreamer Cipher ft. Mac Daro, Crisis 901, Fridae Black, and Kina Del Mar. The evening will be hosted by TamE and Ron. There will be free food and drinks available.

“Rella Remixed.” Sunday, January 17th.

A family-friendly reinterpretation of Cinderella goes down at the Buckman Arts Center on Sunday at 2 p.m. The production will be scored by IMAKEMADBEATS, making for a hip-hop version of this classic fairy tale. Admission is $10.

The Artistik Lounge. Sunday, January 17th.

The grand finale of DreamFest 5 features a special edition of “Artistik Lounge,” which takes place the third Sunday of every month. The event will feature T.O. Crivens and multiple performers familiar to the “Artistik Lounge.”

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Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

Music Video Monday: Faith Evans Ruch

Today’s Music Video Monday is here for your Halloween hangover. 

Faith Evans Ruch’s new single “Cold Blooded Killer” comes with a bloody good video from director Edward Valibus. Ruch sings that she’s a “Big bad wolf all done up like a sheep” as she brandishes a knife and stalks the camera in stark duotones. It’s just the spooky postscript you need after Halloween weekend. 

Music Video Monday: Faith Evans Ruch

If you would like to see your video on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com

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Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

Music Video Monday: Faith Evans Ruch

“Rock Me Slow” is Memphis director Edward Valibus second music video for Faith Evans Ruch. The gorgeous cinematography is courtesy Memphis camera ace Ryan Earl Parker.

“’Rock Me Slow’ is an emotional song to experience,” Valibus says. “In Faith’s previous music video ‘PBR Song,’ the video concept and song told of determination and courage to face the end of a romantic relationship. The inspiration for the video concept in ‘Rock Me Slow’ is to be a sequel. She’s now in solitude, reflecting on the past, and feeling the pain of heartbreak. We find her in a secluded environment to work out her feelings.”

Music Video Monday: Faith Evans Ruch

If you have a video you would like featured on Music Video Monday, email a link to cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.