Greetings, Premier Guitar fans and friends. This month, in addition to sharing our current
turntable faves, we thought it’d be cool to tell you about our favorite music documentaries.
Besides being happy to share some cool titles you may not be aware of, we’re pretty proud of
the fact that there are no predictable “mockumentary” mentions.
STAFF PICKS
Joe Coffey
Editorial Director
What am I listening to?
Voyager, a new compilation of Kyoji Yamamoto
shreddery. Great stuff.
What is your favorite
music documentary?
The second segment of radio show This American
Life’s Episode 286: Mind Games. It’s a fascinating, documentary-style account of what happens
when an unknown band is pranked into thinking
they just played the most amazing gig ever.
Nick ireland
Marketing Manager
What am I listening to?
Johnny Cash, American
IV: The Man Comes
Around. When Cash
teamed up with Rick
Rubin for the American
series, it gave us what is arguably his most soul-piercing collection of songs. It just cuts straight
to the bone.
What is your favorite music documentary?
Wings for Wheels: The Making of ‘Born to Run’.
This is an up-close look at the arduous, note-for-note composing of the masterpiece album that
introduced the world to Bruce Springsteen.
Andy Ellis
Senior Editor
What am I listening to?
King Tubby, Select
Cuts - 100% of Dub.
With Sly Dunbar, Robbie
Shakespeare, and others
laying down deep drum-and-bass grooves, this is
superb jam-along music. In dub we trust!
What is your favorite music documentary?
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About
Wilco. An unflinching view of a band struggling
with creativity and label executives, the film has
great music and edgy drama. Despite its sad ending, it’s inspiring for anyone who plays in a band.
Chris Kies
Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
Huey Lewis and the
News, Sports. It’s a great
summertime album with
plenty of hits. Sure, it’s
known for its ’80s-style keys and sax parts, but
guitarist Chris Hayes still did his best to keep the
guitar in the mix.
What is your favorite music documentary?
Another State of Mind does a great job chronicling punk rockers the Youth Brigade and Social
Distortion as they went on their yellow-school-bus DIY tour in 1982. Warning: It depicts circle
pits and moshing.
GUEST PICKER
Lee Ritenour
What am I listening to?
Kurt Rosenwinkel. I
wasn’t able to get him
on my 6 String Theory
project, but I do enjoy his
playing quite a bit. His
latest album, Standards, is very good.
What is your favorite music documentary?
Standing in the Shadows of Motown. I knew a
bunch of those guys, so it was great to see how
they put all that together.
Jason Shadrick
Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
JJ Grey & Mofro, Georgia
Warhorse. This album
just drips with the sound
and soul of the swamps.
JJ combines horns, dirty guitar tones, and great
songs to create probably his best album to date.
What is your favorite music documentary?
Talking Guitars. This is a film about guitar
“improver” Flip Scipio and his passion for guitar
repair. Many big names have Flip on speed-dial,
including Paul Simon and Jackson Browne.
Shawn Hammond
Editor in Chief
What am I listening to?
Tegan & Sara, Sainthood.
Classic New Wave meets
smart pop with contagious
beats, hooky songs, imaginative use of guitars and effects, and vocals that
are simultaneously sexy and innocent sounding.
What is your favorite music documentary?
It Might Get Loud. I don’t watch a lot of music
documentaries, but this intrigued me. Contrasted with the laidback and genuine Edge
and Jimmy Page, Jack White confirms that he’s
a pompous poser who shouldn’t be dismissed
despite being out of his league. Inspiring, captivating, and touching.
Adam Moore
Senior Editor
What am I listening to?
The Rapture, Out of
the Races and Onto the
Tracks. An early EP by a
band who would later
shift toward dance and electronica, this guitar-driven outing is full of sloppy, funky, post-punk
grooves. The opening measures of the title track
are worth the price of admission alone.
What is your favorite music documentary?
Anthropologist/metalhead/director Sam Dunn
explores the often mysterious world of heavy
metal in Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey
with such passion and insight that even
outsiders will be totally engrossed.
Jordan Wagner
Associate Gear Editor
What am I listening to?
The Walker Brothers,
Nite Flights. A far cry
from their early hit “The
Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine
Anymore,” with a moodier, denser atmosphere.
Scott Walker’s dark songwriting is incredible,
and he’s easily my favorite singer of all time.
What is your favorite music documentary?
It might be dated at this point, but Nine Inch
Nails’ Closure was huge for me. It takes me
back to when my fire for music was just getting started, and NIN wasn’t afraid to show
its savage edge.
