"We Juke Up in Here" Racks Up Acclaim as Filmmakers, Musicians Hit the Road for Screenings, Concerts

"We Juke Up in Here" Blues Project Racks Up Acclaim as Filmmakers, Musicians Hit the Road for Screenings and Concerts

New Film on Mississippi Juke Joints Enjoys Global Attention (Clarksdale, MS) – Since its world premiere in April, the new blues documentary “We Juke Up in Here” has earned rave reviews from audiences and critics alike. In the coming weeks, the film will enjoy an even higher profile as its filmmakers and featured musicians embark on a series of high-profile screenings and public performances in the United States and abroad. “We Juke Up in Here” tells the story of Mississippi’s once-thriving culture of down-home blues clubs known as juke joints. It is available in a deluxe two-disc collection (DVD with CD soundtrack) fromwww.wejukeupinhere.com and at quality record stores. “We Juke Up in Here” is a joint production of Broke & Hungry Records and Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art. In late August, the film’s creators and several of its featured musicians will travel to Switzerland to participate in the Geneva Art Festival (www.genevartfestival.ch). The film will screen on Tuesday, Aug. 21 and Wednesday, Aug. 22 and will be followed by live performances by three of the film’s stars: Terry “Harmonica” Bean, Louis “Gearshifter” Youngblood and – in his first overseas performance – Jimmy “Duck” Holmes. “We Juke Up in Here” and several of its featured artists also are slated to make prominent appearances in Philadelphia, Pa., in the coming months as part of a yearlong series called the Mississippi Blues Project (www.mississippibluesproject.org). Big George Brock will be the first of the film’s stars to make the trip out east when he and his band perform at the Philadelphia Folk Festival on Sunday, Aug. 19. Two months later, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and Terry “Harmonica” Bean will travel to Philadelphia to perform on the set of World Café Live. Their Oct. 22 performances will broadcast on the nationally syndicated NPR show. In February 2013, Anthony “Big A” Sherrod, the film’s youngest musical star at 28, will also perform in Philadelphia. The film “We Juke Up in Here” also will screen in Philadelphia at a still-to-be-determined date in the coming months as part of the Mississippi Blues Project. The project is being produced and presented by WXPN Radio. In late October, “We Juke Up in Here” will have several public screenings. On Thursday, Oct. 25, filmmakers Roger Stolle and Jeff Konkel will present the documentary at the Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis before embarking on a three-day screening tour in Mississippi: Friday, Oct. 26 in Jackson; Saturday, Oct. 27 in Ocean Springs and Sunday, Oct. 28 in Meridian. (Click here for information.) “We Juke Up In Here” follows music producers Konkel and Stolle as they explore what remains of Mississippi’s once-thriving juke joint culture. The film is told largely from the vantage point of Red Paden, proprietor of the legendary Red’s Lounge in historic Clarksdale, Mississippi. Featured artists include Terry “Harmonica” Bean, Big George Brock, Hezekiah Early, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, Anthony “Big A” Sherrod, Robert Lee “Lil’ Poochie” Watson, Elmo Williams and Louis “Gearshifter” Youngblood. “We Juke Up in Here” is a follow-up to the award-winning film “M For Mississippi.” The new movie reunites Konkel and Stolle with Damien Blaylock, their cinematographer and co-producer from the earlier film. Joining the production team for “We Juke Up in Here” was cinematographer and co-producer Lou Bopp. Since its release, “We Juke Up in Here” has been heavily profiled in publications across the globe. A sampling of reviews includes: "Must-viewing." – Friday Blues Fix (U.S) "Roadhouse nirvana." – Blues Rag (U.S) "Idiosyncratic alchemical magic." – Dusted Magazine (U.S) "Visually sexy film." – Real Deep Blues (U.S) "Superb!" – Folk Bulletin (Italy) "Beautifully produced." – Blues & Rhythm (U.K.) "Fascinating." – Les Inrocks (France) "Love at first sight." – Blues Magazine (France) "First class." – Blues News (Germany) The soundtrack to “We Juke Up in Here” also has received heavy radio airplay. The week, the soundtrack topped the charts on “B.B. King’s Bluesville,” the dedicated blues channel on XM/Sirius Radio. For more information about “We Juke Up in Here” or to arrange a screening or a performance by one of the film’s stars, contact Jeff Konkel at jeff@brokeandhungryrecords.com or Roger Stolle at roger@cathead.biz. ### (ALL PHOTOS BY LOU BOPP)

Broke & Hungry Records / Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk Art - Soundtrack: We Juke Up In Here - New Release Review

This is part 2 of a review of the incredible package that has been put out by Stolle and Konkel who earlier did M for Mississippi and Now We Juke Up In Here documentaries. The cd starts with the title track, We Juke Up In Here, performed by Big "A" and the Allstars. I mentioned during my review of the film that I could sit and listen to it for quite some time. The song has a Stax type sound and it's solid and it real. I love this track. Big "A" Anthony Sherrod commands the crowd with his vocals and music style. (I'm already preparing for something on him!) Rabbit in a Log is preformed by Louis "Gearshifter" Youngblood. This song has more of a rock a billy sound but watch out for that axe (solo) in the middle... woah! You Know I've Tried is performed by Lil' Poochie & Hezekiah Early. Lil' Poochie is a great vocalist and this is a terrific song to demonstrate his skills. Baby (Do Anything For Me) is performed by Terry "Harmonica' Bean.This is a great track in it's unpolished form. Could've Been Married, performed by Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, is really performed in my absolute favorite style of playing, not unlike early John Lee Hooker... a man and his guitar, a rhythm between the vocals and the guitar somewhat like a man trying to sing in between his own playing. There is something particularly endearing to me listening to the way he expresses his feelings in vocals and keeps the simple rhythm and then adds the next vocal line where he see's fit as opposed to where the standard structure commands it to be. Elmo Williams & Hezekiah Early perform Jug of Wine, a primitive form of blues rock. It's the way rock began and possibly how it should have remained (Early throws a flashy drum solo in the middle) but the primitive rock blues style is way cool! Get Rich and Marry You, performed by Louis "Gearshift" Youngbloog is up next. This track really shows how similar blues is to country (and is a specific reason I don't use standard definitions for types of music... it's all just music...some is good...and some is bad). This could just have easily been done by Johnny Cash. Big "A" is back with his second track, Call Me A Lover. This is another great song showing both an evolution to city style blues and a firm hold in the early JL Hooker styling and phrasing. Great sound! Bring You Fine Self Home, performed by Lil' Poochie & Hezekiah Early takes the form of a fast rock style boogie and again Lil' Poochie demonstrates his great vocal capability and command as a performer. Down South, performed by Big George Brock, sounds just great with Big George on vocals and harp and Frank Vick on drums. Makes you wonder why anyone needs anything else. I don't hear anything missing... and I seriously doubt that there are any overdubs! Holmes, Bean and Vick team up on the last track, Someday (Get Over You) with Holmes on Guitar and vocals, Bean on Harmonica and Vick on Drums. The song is a standard can't count the bars (that's good) blues and a great track to wind down the recording. Duck is such an interesting vocalist and guitar player and Bean a fine harp player and it shows on this track. There is one unlisted track on the recording and it is played in the streets with all of the trucks passing by in the recording. It actually adds a lot to the authenticity of the recording. This is an absolutely great cd and allows you to get a great filling (not feeling) of the music tasted in the film. It's terrific that the film makers have made available this cd of the music from their exploration because only short snippets of the music is actually present in the film. You'll listen to this cd over and over. It's filled with great honest music!
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Broke and Hungry Records / Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art film: We Juke Up In Here! - New Release Review

I have been waiting for this for a long [explicative] time! Once you watch the film that will make a lot more sense. The film opens with just absolutely terrific intro music and the audio is superb and you are thinking.. I don't need no stinking film. Then it begins...Clarksdale, Mississippi and with Roger Stolle and Jeff Konkel dogging around with Red Paden, owner of Red's Lounge. Red is a "real" man and although most of what Red says is unintelligible, the film is captioned for your assistance. A quick tour around Red's place and then a trip out to the former Red's Wine Club, lets just say tin shed and rust. Red tells tales of running his club with huge parties and politics in the back woods towns. He's quite a character. It's funny to watch these guy broach the question of whether Red ever get's any "white folks" out to his place. He's obviously more comfortable answering than they are asking. The first live clip is Big "A" and the Allstars. Big "A" is a younger fellow dressed in really slick clothes (with glitter) and alligator shoes. He has great style. There are only a few short clips and an interview of Big "A" but I'll be looking for video to share!
On the road to Po' Monkey's, described as the coolest looking Juke Joint in Mississippi. Arriving the men are greeted by Willie Seaberry who has been in the Juke Joint business for 55 years. Great signs outside... and the inside is like the coolest dive bar you've ever been in ... and believe me..I've been in your share of dive bars! Po Monkey's got no live music. He indicates that it's more reliable to have DJ's. But it is a place to experience! Back at Red's Lounge, Louis "Gearshifter" Younblood plays parts of a few tunes and is interviewed. Gearshifter actually has a lot of country in his style. Some terrific shots of the countryside and a number of closed previous clubs. I'd like to get some still shots and post them just because of the aesthetic quality in the state of deterioration. The film then focuses on the Do Drop Inn in Shelby, Mississippi where Konkel and Stolle in 2008 filmed Junebug Jefferson. It is under new ownership and the new owner is trying to get live music going again but the community is is so poor that the cost is prohibitive. This place was earlier called Big "E"'s place. Funny that I have a friend in Mississippi named Big E.

Big George Brock, on harp with a drummer is next up at Red's. George is an authentic player who has also has run blues clubs in St. Louis. His suit is quite dapper in dark red and stripes. The contrast from his clothes to his surroundings is quite amazing. It's interesting to get his perspective on what is happening to live blues music venues.

Terry "Harmonica" Bean is up next and a clip of his playing and a discussion of his experience playing in Juke Joints as well as internationally. Again I'll say, If you frequent "dive bars" because you like the atmosphere, you'll understand immediately what this film is discussing. Jimmy "Duck" Holmes is up next and is right on spot with his music. The thing that strikes you is the similarity between the people, the players and the clubs. They are all real. The clubs may be raw and the players may have rough edges... but they are real. There is no pretense. That's what makes this exploration so terrific!

Now off to Blue Front Cafe owned by Jimmy "Duck' Holmes. Even with Holmes owning the club it's hard to sustain a live blues club. Roosevelt Roberts Jr. is featured and Holmes indicates that he is trying to get live music back. It's really telling that the people turn out for the party created by the music, but not for the music itself. But I believe personally that is where it all began. The party and the environment. Elmo Williams is up next on guitar and Hezekiah Early on horn. As the musicians sit around and discuss what is happening to the Juke Joints and why they are disappearing I see a parallel in the 5th largest city in the US where I live. Larger bars with more glitz show up and the smaller bars have a hard time competing because they don't have the amenities... but the "atmosphere" is missing in the new clubs. We (my friends and I) typically judge a bar by the music that is playing when we walk in the door, how the patrons are dressed and how much daylight is inside. Darker is better. In fact, if not for the inability to breathe the next day, smoke is good too! Robert Lee "Little Poochie" Watson is up next and it isn't about flash...but it's real. He belongs in a Juke Joint and it's great seeing him there!
This film is an exploration of Juke Joints and the life that surrounded them. The deterioration of the small town and the movement to the modern life. The documentation of the deterioration is extremely interesting and hopefully through this positive exposure people will see what they are missing when they don't look in the corners. Bob Corritore runs a great club in Phoenix and although it isn't a "Juke Joint", it is real and real people go there and the environment is right. When I moved to Phoenix there was another small club that was absolutely terrific called the Mason Jar. I saw Albert King among others there. It's still a bar but it's a specialty club. What does this have to do with the film... the film is a slice of what we are all losing each day. It's a documentation of not only the blues but of small town America privately owned businesses. It is brilliantly shot and as indicated earlier, the soundtrack is excellent. Be sure to catch the Extras. There is some great footage there which didn't make the film including 6 great blues performances and some interview footage that is quite entertaining! If you love blues music, if you love dive bars, if you have curiosity about the beginnings of the blues and want to hear some great music and see the delta... this is a great bet!

This package includes a great documentary 18 page booklet and an accompanying 14 track music cd. I will review the cd separately yet this week. I believe that it deserves separate consideration even though it is a part of this very extravagant tri-fold presentation package.
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Clarksdale, Mississippi's 9th annual Juke Joint Festival is "half blues festival, half small-town fair and all about the Delta"

JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL CELEBRATES MISSISSIPPI LIVING DELTA'S BLUES HERITAGE

April 12, 2012 (Clarksdale, Mississippi) – Clarksdale, Mississippi’s Juke Joint Festival & Related Events may only be on its 9th edition, but it is already the stuff of blues legend.

“Last year was the biggest Juke Joint Festival yet, and this year looks to top it,” according to co-organizer Roger Stolle. “There were attendees from at least 21 foreign countries, 45 US states and 53 Mississippi counties... and not a hotel room to be found.”

This year's main event is Saturday, April 14th -- all day and all night -- with official related events kicking of Thursday and continuing on through Sunday. The official line-up of events can be found on-line at www.jukejointfestival.com.

MULTIPLE STAGES PLUS RELATED EVENTS

“We’ll feature over a dozen daytime stages and 21 nighttime juke joint venues on Saturday,” according to co-organizer, Nan Hughes. “Plus, we there will be tons of wonderful related events all weekend long -- for both familes and music fans. Then, there are all the nighttime juke joint venues as well.”

Tonight, Thursday, April 12th, the festival weekend kicks of early with just such a related event in the Delta Cinema lobby at 6pm. It's the annual Juke Joint Festival poster signing by artist Cristen Barnard plus free live blues by KM Williams. At 7pm, Grammy Winner Jimbo Mathus performs his iconic "Songs for Rosetta Patton" album live on the cinema’s main stage.

Then, on Friday, April 13th, related festival events include a Clarksdale Blues Hero marker dedication for the bluesman late Foster "Mr. Tater" Wiley, “Conversations with Big George Brock & Gearshifter” at the Delta Blues Museum, and a special free movie premiere of We Juke Up in Here: Mississippi's Juke Joint Culture at the Crossroads at Delta Cinema (11 Third St., downtown Clarksdale).

"It is the follow-up to 2008's M for Mississippi blues documentary and features Clarksdale's Red's juke joint prominently as well as several of the Delta's surviving, real-deal bluesmen," according to Stolle, also one of the film's producers. "We'll offer a free reception starting at 5:30pm along with live blues performances by some of the film's stars. Then, the free screening starts at 7pm." More information is at www.wejukeupinhere.com.

HALF BLUES FESTIVAL, HALF SMALL-TOWN FAIR

Saturday’s Juke Joint Festival itself will offer up more than just blues, notes the event’s third co-organizer, Goldie Hirsberg.

“Oh, we’ve got something for everyone – from visiting tourists to area families,” she explained. "Most of the daytime fun is free, and the nighttime 'Juke Joint Crawl' is just $15."

After Saturday’s Juke Joint Festival itself, a Sunday of additional related events will cap off the weekend – including the annual free Cat Head Mini Blues Fest from 10am till out front of the Cat Head blues store at 252 Delta Avenue.

“We want to thank all of the sponsors, volunteers, attendees and performers in advance for all of their contributions that make this event happen every year,” said Hirsberg. “The local community support in particular continues to amaze us. Clarksdale is not only a great place to live, it’s also a great place to hold a festival. Thanks to everyone, and see y’all there!”

Full music line-up, event schedule, pre-sale wristbands and much more available on-line at www.jukejointfestival.com. Festival hotline (Mon-Sat, 11am-4pm), 662-624-5992.

###

New Film and Music Project Focuses on Mississippi Juke Joints

New Film and Music Project Focuses on Mississippi’s Network of Surviving Juke Joints “We Juke Up in Here” is latest production from the makers of the award-winning 2008 film “M For Mississippi” (CLARKSDALE, MS) – A new film and music project being released this spring will pull back the curtain on Mississippi’s century-long tradition of down-home, quasi-legal blues clubs known as “juke joints.” “We Juke Up in Here: Mississippi’s Juke Joint Culture at the Crossroads” is being released in a deluxe two-disc collection with a DVD featuring the documentary along with exciting bonus features, and a CD soundtrack with music from the film plus additional recordings by the featured artists. A full-color pullout booklet includes insightful essays by the filmmakers along with extraordinary photos of the featured musicians, juke joints and proprietors. The two-disc collection currently is available at www.wejukeupinhere.com and will be released in stores on May 15. Public screenings of the film are being held in Mississippi and beyond throughout the spring and summer. “We Juke Up in Here” is a joint production of Broke & Hungry Records and Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art. The project reunites the team that produced that award-winning 2008 blues film “M For Mississippi.” “We Juke Up In Here” follows music producers Roger Stolle and Jeff Konkel as they explore what remains of Mississippi’s once-thriving juke joint culture. The film is told largely from the vantage point of Red Paden, proprietor of the legendary Red’s Lounge in historic Clarksdale, Mississippi. Paden, a true Delta character and jack-of-all-trades, has been running his blues and beer joint for more than 30 years – providing one of the region’s most reliable live blues venues and an authentic stage for a cavalcade of veteran blues performers, both legendary and obscure. Featured artists include Terry “Harmonica” Bean, Big George Brock, Hezekiah Early, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, Anthony “Big A” Sherrod, Robert Lee “Lil’ Poochie” Watson, Elmo Williams and Louis “Gearshifter” Youngblood. Told through live music performances, character-driven interviews and rare on-camera blues experiences, “We Juke Up in Here” takes viewers below the surface of the quasi-legal world of real Delta jukes while it’s still living and breathing. The project reunites Konkel and Stolle with cinematographer Damien Blaylock who was instrumental in the success of the earlier film, “M For Mississippi.” Rounding out the production team was Lou Bopp who provided both video and still photography. For more information on “We Juke Up in Here” visit www.wejukeupinhere.com. WORLD-PREMIERE: PHOTOS BY LOU BOPP

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We Juke Up In Here! New Blues Film We Juke Up In Here Set for April Release on Both Big Screen and DVD

Makers of Award-Winning 2008 Film “M For Mississippi”

Return with New Documentary on Mississippi Juke Joints

(CLARKSDALE, MS) – The hotly anticipated new blues film, “We Juke Up In Here: Mississippi’s Juke Joint Culture at the Crossroads”, (www.wejukeupinhere.com) will have its world premiere on Friday, April 13 at the Delta Cinema at 11 Third Street in Clarksdale, MS. The event is free and open to the public. The inaugural screening is being sponsored by Delta Music Experience (www.amandagresham.com). The event takes place as the kick-off to Juke Joint Festival weekend in Clarksdale (www.jukejointfestival.com). The film’s premiere kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 13 with a reception and meet-and-greet with the filmmakers in the lobby of the Delta Cinema. The reception will feature refreshments and live music by several artists featured in the film, including Elmo Williams, Hezekiah Early and Robert Lee “Lil’ Poochie” Watson. The film will screen at 7 p.m. following the reception. “We Juke Up In Here” follows music producers Roger Stolle and Jeff Konkel as they explore what remains of Mississippi’s once-thriving network of juke joints – the down-home, quasi-legal blues clubs that have served as the testing ground for blues talent in Mississippi for more than a century. “We Juke Up In Here” pulls back the curtain on the state’s contemporary juke joint culture through exciting musical performances, compelling interviews and rare on-camera experiences. The film is a joint production of Broke & Hungry Records (www.brokeandhungryrecords.com) and Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art (www.cathead.biz). The project was produced in partnership with the Associazione Roots ‘n’ Blues of Parma, Italy (www.rootsandblues.org). “Through the years, Roger and I have spent countless nights hanging out in down-home juke joints throughout the Delta, drinking cheap beer and enjoying some of the hottest blues imaginable,” said Konkel, owner of Broke & Hungry Records. “Over time, we’ve seen some subtle and some not-so-subtle changes in Mississippi’s juke joint culture. With this project, we’ve tried to address some of those changes by going straight to the source: The juke joint owners and the musicians they hire. The end result is an insider’s look at the past, present and future of Mississippi’s juke joint tradition.” “We Juke Up In Here” reunites Konkel and Stolle with Damien Blaylock, their co-director for the award-winning 2008 film “M For Mississippi.” Also returning from the earlier film is sound engineer Bill Abel. Rounding out the production team for “We Juke Up In Here” is co-producer Lou Bopp who provided still photography and shared cinematography duties with Blaylock. “We Juke Up In Here” will be released as a deluxe two-disc collection in April with a DVD featuring the documentary along with exciting bonus features and a CD soundtrack with music from the film plus additional recordings by the featured artists. A full-color pullout booklet includes insightful essays by the filmmakers along with extraordinary photos of the featured musicians, juke joints and proprietors. The collection is available for pre-order at www.wejukeupinhere.com for just $25 (including worldwide shipping). In late March the set’s price will increase to $29.99 plus shipping and handling. Orders are slated to ship in the second week of April. “We made the decision early in our planning for ‘We Juke Up In Here’ to make the collection as comprehensive as possible,” said Stolle, owner of Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art. “We want our customers to really get a feel for Mississippi’s contemporary juke joint culture, so we’ve included all kinds of extras on the DVD, including optional English closed-captioning, optional French and Italian subtitles, extended and deleted scenes, artist and filmmaker biographies, a photo gallery and more. We also compiled a scorching CD soundtrack featuring 14 performances featured in the film. It’s the next best thing to a trip to the Delta.” In addition to generous support from the Associazione Roots ‘n’ Blues of Parma, Italy and Delta Music Experience, “We Juke Up In Here” was made possible by these additional sponsors: AJStephans Company/Jeff Rose (www.ajstephans.com), Blues For A Cause (www.bluesforacause.org), Blues Matters Magazine (www.bluesmatters.com), Cathead Vodka (www.catheadvodka.com), Il Blues Magazine (www.ilbluesmagazine.it), Jerry and Marge Konkel, Lemuria Books (www.lemuriabooks.com), Grant Mills, Nayati Dreams (www.nayatidreams.fr), The New Roxy (www.newroxyclarksdale.com), Scot Randle, Roadhouse Lou, and Smokestack Blues (www.smokestackblues.com). ### PHOTOS BY LOU BOPP (COVER DESIGN BY JOEY GRISHAM):

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2nd annual Clarksdale Film Festival brings Hollywood excitement to the Mississippi crossroads — January 26-29, 2012

2nd annual Clarksdale Film Festival brings Hollywood excitement to the Mississippi crossroads — January 26-29, 2012

Movies range from Delta blues to Memphis wrestling, from a Hollywood award-winner to a stolen Picayune pickle!

(CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI) For the second year in a row, the Clarksdale Film Festival promises to make you laugh and cry as you feast on a celebration of Mississippi and Southern filmmaking – and maybe even a little fresh popcorn.

"The Clarksdale Film Festival is a wonderful excuse to experience the entertainment and restaurant mini-mecca that our revitalized downtown has become," said Nan Hughes, president of the non-profit Clarksdale Downtown Development Association (CDDA). "What other small Delta town offers such great movies, food, history tours, museums, shopping and live music in the middle of winter?"

The Clarksdale Film Festival runs Thursday-Sunday, January 26-29. The main screening venue is historic Delta Cinemas at 11 Third Street, downtown. More information is available at www.jukejointfestival.com or 662-624-5992. Tickets are $5 per day or $10 for a weekend pass; available at the Delta Cinemas box office during festival hours. Official festival hats and shirts are also available.

"We're showcasing over two dozen Mississippi, Southern or blues music films in two theaters," explained Roger Stolle, co-organizer of the event and owner of Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art in Clarksdale. "On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, we'll feature live blues in the theater lobby by Sean "Bad" Apple along with complimentary hors d'oeuvres by Oxbow Restaurant at 6pm. Then, at 7pm, we'll showcase films like Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin', Blues: Pain Created to Heal Pain and The Help – all featuring special movie guests and followed by Q&As or meet-and-greets."

Co-organizer Goldie Hirsberg adds that the festival wishes to thank its generous sponsors – especially Clarksdale/Coahoma County Tourism, Clarksdale Revitalization Inc. and the City of Clarksdale. For a complete list of sponsors, please visit www.jukejointfestival.com. The official Clarksdale Film Festival schedule is below.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CLARKSDALE FILM FESTIVAL2012 SCHEDULE:

CLARKSDALE FILM FESTIVAL

Delta Cinemas (both theaters)

Thurs.-Sun., January 26-29, 2012

11 Third St., Clarksdale, Mississippi

Info: www.jukejointfestival.com - 662-624-5992

"Mississippi gets its close-up... to celebrate the Magnolia State's films & filmmakers." – Garden & Gun magazine.

Brought to you by the non-profit Clarksdale Downtown Development Association (CDDA) – the same friendly folks who bring y'all Clarksdale's annual Juke Joint Festival – and our generous sponsors, especially Clarksdale/Coahoma County Tourism, Clarksdale Revitalization Inc. and the City of Clarksdale.

TICKETS:

$5 per day or $10 weekend pass. Available at Delta Cinemas box office during film festival days/hours. (Limited "media passes" available; email roger@cathead.biz

with request/credentials.)

THURS JAN 26

DELTA CINEMAS LOBBY:

5:30pm - doors open; ticket/merchandise sales

6pm - Sean "Bad" Apple performs live blues

6pm - complimentary hors d'oeuvres courtesy of OXBOW restaurant (while quantities last)

MAIN THEATER:

7pm – “Festival Welcome” from Clarksdale Downtown Development Association (CDDA)

7:10pm - Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin' (91 min., adult language/sports violence) – Clarksdale premiere with Q&A / Meet-and-greet featuring wrestlers "Superstar" Bill Dundee & Buddy Wayne plus director Chad Schaffler & executive producer Ron Hall. Documents the wild and wooly history of Memphis and Mid-South professional wrestling -- once seen on local TV and a few times a year at the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium. From the carnival days of cult hero Sputnik Monroe (who integrated the Memphis wrestling audience before the Civil Rights movement) to masked men, midgets, tag teams, female wrestlers, and the rise of bad-guy heel Jerry "the King" Lawler and Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Hart in the 1970s, Memphis Heat

delves into a time-forgotten, pre-cable TV world where almost anything happened inside and outside of the wrestling ring and no holds were barred!***

***Filmmakers, actors or representatives planning to attend.

FRI JAN 27

DELTA CINEMAS LOBBY:

All day - ticket/merchandise sales

6pm - Sean "Bad" Apple performs live blues with special guest "Mr. Johnnie" Billington (also one of the stars of the evening's feature film)

6pm - complimentary hors d'oeuvres courtesy of OXBOW restaurant (while quantities last)

UPSTAIRS THEATER:

11am-1:15pm – Barefoot Workshops: Clarksdale Retrospective, Part I

– "Best of" selection of award-winning film shorts shot over the past half decade in Clarksdale and vicinity highlighting notable residents, businesses, blues music and history.

1:45pm – It's Not About Film (15 min.) – Barefoot Workshops’ documentary program teaches filmmakers with no-to-some experience professional filmmaking techniques in just two weeks—by telling the stories of people in the Clarksdale area. This film, directed by Barefoot alum Karen Kohlhaas, follows a Barefoot group from first class to final screening – with a few mishaps along the way!

2:30pm – Hard Times: The Blues Story of Big George Brock (69 min.) – The archetypal "Delta gone North" story of the Mississippi bluesman is told through eyes and music of then-74-year-old Big George Brock. Damien Blaylock directs; Roger Stolle produces. Filmed half in St. Louis and half in Clarksdale.

4pm – We Juke Up In Here: Mississippi's Juke Joint Culture at the Crossroads trailer (3 min.) – Preview trailer for upcoming film exploring the past, present and future of the Magnolia State's juke joint culture and music.

4:05pm – M For Mississippi: A Road Trip through the Birthplace of the Blues (94 min.) – Filmed partly in Clarksdale, the award-winning M for Mississippi follows two blues fans -- Jeff Konkel and Roger Stolle -- on a week-long road trip to visit some of the region’s last surviving delta blues characters and juke joints -- including James "T-Model" Ford and Red's Lounge.

6pm – The Delta Dies Last (55 min.) – Channel Ziltch owner Conor Coughlin documents his own relocation from big city Chicago to small-town Clarksdale just as the Delta town's annual Juke Joint Festival roars to life.***

7:30pm – Land (53 min.) – Clarksdale-born director/actor Will Goss puts a contemporary spin on the age-old tale of the "deal at the Crossroads" -- substituting a greedy Delta farmer for the usual shortsighted Delta bluesman. Filmed around Coahoma County using a local cast.***

MAIN THEATER:

Noon – The Story of Cotton (60 min.) – Historian Willy Bearden and Deep Delta Films presents The Story of Cotton – a complicated history forever tied the Delta and Deep South; documentary features amazing archival photos, contemporary interviews and more to tell the story.

1:30pm – The Blues (90 min.) – Award-winning, archival The Blues film comes to us via Robert Gibbons and Canadian television circa 1966. It features rare interviews and beautiful performances by Mississippi natives Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Otis Spann, Sunnyland Slim, Bukka White and more -- all caught in their prime, in a comfortable setting.

3pm – Bite Size trailer (3 min.) – 4 kids, 3 cities, 1 future. Bite Size

(coming soon) will tell a story and seek a pledge to "create a healthier system and reverse childhood obesity." Filmed partly in Clarksdale.

3:05pm – Southern Foodways Alliance (55 min.) – Four fabulous Southern foodie film shorts: Ride That Pig (12 mins), Phat Thai (17 mins), Eat or We Both Starve (13 min), and To Live and Die (13 mins)... from director Joe York and the Southern Foodways Alliance in cooperation with the Center for the Study of Southern Culture's Media and Documentary Projects Center at the University of Mississippi.

4:30pm – Mississippi Innocence (60 min.) – A film by Joe York and Media & Documentary Projects at the University of Mississippi. "Every story of a wrongful conviction and exoneration is incredible, but the one in Noxubee County, Mississippi, has got to be one of the best" – John Grisham (author of The Innocent Man).

6pm – Watermelon Slim (18 min.) – Director Karen Kohlhaas and Barefoot Workshops present the fun and fascinating story of entertainer, philosopher, gardener, ex-trucker, activist and blues musician Watermelon Slim a.k.a. Bill Homans – a Clarksdale immigrant and enthusiast.***

7pm – Blues: Pain Created to Heal Pain (70 min.) – U.S. premiere with introduction / Q&A featuring Earwig Music president Michael Frank. Special guests Mrs. Big Jack Johnson (Angenette Johnson) and bluesman "Mr. Johnnie" Billington. Brazilian produced 1989 documentary featuring Clarksdale and Mississippi-connected bluesmen Big Jack Johnson, "Mr. Johnnie" Billington, Wade Walton, Son Thomas, Honeyboy Edwards, Sunnyland Slim, Louis Myers & Dave Myers, Kansas City Red, Eugene "Sonny Boy Nelson" Powell and Jack Owens & Bud Spires.***

***Filmmakers, actors or representatives planning to attend.

SAT JAN 29

DELTA CINEMAS LOBBY:

All day - ticket/merchandise sales

6pm – Sean "Bad" Apple performs live blues

6pm - complimentary hors d'oeuvres courtesy of OXBOW restaurant (while quantities last)

HISTORY BUS TOURS (Sat only):Historian Robert Birdsong takes you on a fascinating film, music, literary & theater bus tour of Clarksdale. (First come, first serve.)

Noon - Wait for bus at Delta Cinemas, 11:45am.

1:30pm - Wait for bus at Delta Cinemas, 1:15pm.

UPSTAIRS THEATER:

11am-12:30pm (approx.) – Barefoot Workshops: Clarksdale Retrospective, Part II

– "Best of" selection of award-winning film shorts shot over the past half decade in Clarksdale and vicinity highlighting notable residents, businesses, blues music and history.

1pm – Barefoot Workshops: Mississippi Delta, Sept. 2011 docs (54 min.) – Drawing on a Dream (on musician/painter Duff Dorrough), Music is Life (on music teacher Alberta Jones), Just Monkey

(on Po Monkey's Lounge & folk artist Larry Grimes).

1pm – Mississippi film shorts

– Talented up-and-coming filmmakers share a variety Mississippi-connected short films.

- The New Roxy (6 min.) - Mini doc on the New Roxy Theater by Clarksdale's Leonette Henderson.***

- The Best Day (17 min.) - Sci-fi/horror short by Coop Cooper; 1st narrative short filmed in Clarksdale, MS by locals.***

- Illumination (22 min.) - Sci-fi, drama about a man on a journey towards redemption by Michael Williams.***

- The Fall of Henry (22 min.) - Exploration of one bad night from two perspectives by Mississippi's Glenn Payne.***

2:30pm - MORE Mississippi film shorts

– Talented up-and-coming filmmakers share a variety Mississippi-connected short films.

- Gypsy Heart (22 min.) - Tale of a traveler and his troubled hitchhiker by Mississippi's Daniel Lee Perea.***

- Wolf Call (16 min.) - The Emmit Till Mississippi story told from the public record by Rob Underhill.***

- Tupelove (16 min.) - Elvis-inflected film by Mississippi-born Mike McCarthy, created for Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau.***

- Mickle's Pickle (9 min.) - A tale of love, theft and a pickle in Picayune, Mississippi, by Nathan Willis & William Aughtry.

4pm – Where I Begin (78 min., adult language/theme) – Filmed in Oxford, Mississippi area,

Where I Begin is the third feature film from award-winning director Thomas L. Phillips. A decade after a tragic event, a man decides to return home to his small southern roots, only to find that the past is not really the past and that people may change but they never forget. His unexpected homecoming once again intertwines him with the family, friends and the town he left in his wake.***

5:45pm – 25K (80 min., adult language/theme) – Money. Guns. Bad decisions. "The best independent action comedy film about incompetent Mississippi Bail Enforcement Agents you're likely to see this year." Two incompetent bail enforcement agents make consistently awful choices that lead to violent consequences. 1970s, "hicksploitation" style film directed by Billy Chase Goforth; produced by Houston Nutt III, Billy Chase Goforth.***

8pm – Honeyboy (60 min.) – Film festival debut of this newly re-cut music documentary by Scott Taradash (Free Range Pictures). Honeyboy tells the unforgettable story of the last living Delta bluesman of his generation – the now, late-great David "Honeyboy" Edwards – who passed away last summer at age 96. Told through music and interviews, Honeyboy captures more than just an amazing man; it also captures a time and place; it captures a music that will never go away.***

MAIN THEATER:

Noon – Dedan le Sud de la Louisiane a.k.a. In the South of Louisiana (45 min.) – A Southern music movie classic by French filmmaker de Jean-Pierre Bruneau featuring a beautifully shot, travelogue study of Cajun music and culture, circa 1974.

1pm – Surfing a 300-Mile Long Wave (45 min.) – The story of a 300-mile long canoe adventure from Memphis to Vicksburg riding the crest of the Great Flood of 2011 with Clarksdale-based guide John Ruskey, writer W. Hodding Carter and photographer Christopher LaMarca. An unforgettable voyage down the main channel, down the back channels and through the flooded fields and forests of the Lower Mississippi River Floodplain. Written and narrated by Ruskey, and featuring music from his "Riverman" CD.***

2pm – Six Generations of Blues: From Mississippi to Chicago (90 min.) – Michael Frank (Earwig Music) presents interviews and performances by Honeyboy Edwards, John Primer, Aron Burton, Johnny Drummer, Dave Spector, H-Bomb Ferguson, Sunnyland Slim, Bob Corritore and others... plus Clarksdale's own legendary oil man Big Jack Johnson with Terry "Big T" Williams and Lee Williams.***

3:45pm – The Films of the Mississippi Blues Trail (85 min.) – Immaculately-produced film series created for Mississippi's world-famous Blues Trail project. 16 episodes ranging in subject from Muddy Waters to Robert Johnson, from Rabbit Foot Minstrels to Trumpet Records. Directed/produced by Robert Gordon & David Leonard. Cinematography by David Leonard. Edited by Eileen Meyer. Exec. Producers Wanda Clark & Allan Hammons.

5:30pm – Best of the Biscuit: King Biscuit 25 Years (66 min.) – Cinematic tribute to one of the world's great blues festivals – the King Biscuit Blues Festival in nearby Helena, Arkansas. Features all-new, live blues performances by Mississippians like Charlie Musselwhite, Pinetop Perkins, Grady Champion, Paul Thorn and other favorites from region. Produced by Clarksdale, Mississippi's Vincent Productions.***

7pm – The Help (146 min.) – Critically-acclaimed, Golden Globe-winning feature filmed in Clarksdale and Greenwood, Mississippi. Delta filmmaker Coop Coopwood will hold a special Q&A following the film with local extras, location scouts and stand-ins. The Help is the fictionalized account of an aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African-American maid's point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis. Directed by Mississippi homeowner Tate Taylor. Starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. (NOTE: Watch for scenes filmed on E. 2nd Street, in the historic Bank Building and at Wong's Foodland in Clarksdale.)***

***Filmmakers, actors or representatives planning to attend.

SUN JAN 30

MAIN THEATER:

Noon – Mississippi Innocence (60 min.) – ENCORE – A film by Joe York and Media & Documentary Projects at the University of Mississippi. "Every story of a wrongful conviction and exoneration is incredible, but the one in Noxubee County, Mississippi, has got to be one of the best" – John Grisham (author of The Innocent Man).

1:30pm – Honeyboy (60 min.) – ENCORE – Newly re-cut music documentary by Scott Taradash (Free Range Pictures). Honeyboy tells the unforgettable story of the last living Delta bluesman of his generation – the now, late-great David "Honeyboy" Edwards – who passed away last summer at age 96. Told through music and interviews, Honeyboy captures more than just an amazing man; it also captures a time and place; it captures a music that will never go away.

RELATED EVENTS NEARBY…

SOUNDS AROUND TOWN

(in addition to nightly 6pm blues in Delta Cinemas lobby):

THURS, JAN 26 – Madidi (Stan Street, 5:45pm), Rust Restaurant (Jacqueline Nassar, 7pm) and Ground Zero Blues Club (Blues Jam w/Stan Street, 8pm)

FRI, JAN 27 – Hambone Gallery (Slim Fatz, 6pm), Ground Zero Blues Club (Lucious Spiller Blues Band, 9pm) and Red’s Lounge (Slim Fatz, 9pm)

SAT, JAN 28 – Rust Restaurant (Ming Triplett, 7:30pm), Bluesberry Café (Watermelon Slim "live, 8pm, plus 7pm dinner film and 9pm "Watermelon Slim" film), Red’s Lounge (Robert "Bilbo" Walker Revue, 9pm), Ground Zero Blues Club (Terry "Big T" Williams & Family, 9pm) and Hopson Commissary (Rowdy South, 9pm).

SUN, JAN 29 – Channel Ziltch (Superbad Film Fest Jam, 2pm) and Red’s Lounge (Robert "Bilbo" Walker Blues Revue, 7pm)

More live music updates at www.cathead.biz

RESTAURANT FILM SERIES

(casual, TV screenings of popular movies to enjoy while you drink or dine):

Delta Amusement Café – Fri. & Sat., 9amStone Pony – Fri. & Sat., 11:30amMadidi – Fri., 6pm

Lady at the Levee – Fri. & Sat., 4pm

Rust Restaurant – Sat., 5pmBluesberry Cafe – Sat., 9pm

NOTE: Clarksdale Film Festival schedule subject to change. Film festival tickets valid for Delta Cinemas and History Bus Tours only. Nighttime music venues have separate cover charges.

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