BLACK ROCK - MEDIA BLITZ - ETC

It's been a fairly eventful week, in politics, sports, and in the world of entertainment concerning bands, filmmakers and whatnot. I could easily fill up several posts with my usual astute or asnine commentary on the generally unfolding events in the media, as well as my personal political & social landscape. Since the weekend is basically here again and i gotta work through the whiole thing I'll just jumble a few thoughts out and let y'all sort it out as I ain't got a surplus of time to do it myself...

I don't know about you but I'm sure gonna miss ol' Tom DeLay... like I'd miss a hernia...

Tonight my anarchist rabble rouser pal Jim is back in town, and his band Shotwell is playing the Eagle Tavern, so I'll post a couple older Shotwell mp3'z for ya up front...



from their 1995 debut 7" on Broken Rekids


Shotwell - Through You

from their split LP with Miami on the flip

Shotwell - Ghost of A Chance



Also simultaneously happening there is an event on Thursday night here in the Bay Area that relates to my role keeping folks posted on indie film news at http://news.hiphopfilmfest.com


Thursday September 29, 2005

Fundraiser for Kevin Epp's New Film

Reception & Preview For Sponsors of "The Black Rock"

"The Black Rock"
A film by Kevin Epps

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Sept. 29, 2005
6:00pm-8:30pm
@ 111 Minna Gallery


"THE BLACK ROCK" FILM FUNDRAISING EVENT
co-presented by SF. Black Film Festival and Acteva


In an effort to raise funds to finish his latest project, "The Black
Rock", award winning filmmaker Kevin Epps will be hosting a special reception this Thursday September 29th in San Francisco.

His latest project is "The Black Rock", a film featuring the rarely heard about African-American experience at America's most notorious prison, Alcatraz.

info and trailer online at http://blackrockfilm.com/

Kevin's currently seeking completion funds and tax deductible donations to help finish this promising and unique documentary film. Epps' previous effort, the
critically acclaimed "Straight Outta Hunters Point" was a film about the evolution of a black community dealing with social, economic and environmental issues, has been considered "one of the most important films of 2003" by the San Jose Mercury News.

Epps was recently honored this summer as Favorite Independent Filmmaker for the Year 2005 by the Northern California Film Production Community (http://www.filmcalifornia.net/),

He has been busy working on several projects including "The Black Rock" over the past three years.

At the event Thursday September 29th he will be screening his latest work-in-progress cut, as well as discussing funding, sponsorship, in-kind donations, and what more is needed to complete this important and historically significant project.

More detailed information on these subjects will be provided for interested parties, including on how to make a tax deductible donation through his project's fiscal sponsors.





The fundraising event will be held:

Sept. 29, 2005

111 Minna Gallery
111 Minna Street (between Mission and Howard)
San Francisco, Ca 94105


reception: 6:00pm-8:30pm

ph. 415 424-0987

no-host bar & hors' doeuvres served

more info at


http://www.blackrockfilm.com

Mastamind Production, LLC
http://www.mastamind.com/

also this weekend is the Swift World Film Festival, featuring screenings of some other pretty cool new documentaries that I'd like to check out including...
Michael Franti's Middle East travelogue I Know I’m Not Alone shot on location in Israel, Iraq and Palestine during the summer and fall of 2004, the film is a musician’s journey, looking for humanity in the warzones of the region.

Here's Michael Franti & Speahead performing

Spearhead - Everyone Deserves Music



also showing is :

Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley

here's a couple tunes, including Buckley's version of that eerie Billie Holiday number recorded before he vanished into the Mississippi

Jeff Buckley - Strange Fruit

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah



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other stuff going down:

An actual NBA athelete has taken the risk to publically agree with Kanye West about Bush's racism and spoken out against the war in Iraq...

AN ATHLETE'S OUTRAGE : I AM Totally Against This War

NBA star Etan Thomas is using his media access as a platform
to call out the murderous agenda & painful negligence of the Bush
Administration and the country's ugly racial divide.
http://www.alternet.org/story/26081/

-->>PLUS: Read the transcript of Etan Thomas' speech,
delivered last Saturday at
Washington's antiwar rally




Rush Limbaugh recently blathered falsely to his listeners that AP & Reuters are more interested in "collaborating" with Cindy Sheehan than reporting on the recent Hurricanes...

http://mediamatters.org/static/audio/limbaugh-200509230011.mp3

http://mediamatters.org/items/200509230011

and don't forget than Bill O'Reilly's cutting edge mic technique - is not for the weak

http://mediamatters.org/static/audio/oreilly-200508170010.mp3

http://mediamatters.org/items/200508170010

if ya like that sort of thing maybe you'll appreciate audio of members of the Billboard Liberation Front pissing off cops while working SF's Haight St Mickey D's location dressed like mutant Ronald McDonalds and moaning for cheeseburgers and celebrating Ronald's birthday.
more pix , vids and more at SFist



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meanwhile in music news...

A Germs reunion gig is scheduled in LA on Oct 29th on a bill also featuring reformatted versions of Flipper & The Dead Kennedys, Suicidal Tendencies and a Marky Ramone's band. The surviving members of the Germs (guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom and drummer Don Bolles) recently played together with actor Shane West at a wrap party on the set of the Darby Crash bio-pic "What We Do Is Secret". Afterwards The Germs plan to tour the United States and Europe in the months ahead. Already confirmed is a performance during Riot Fest 2005, scheduled for Nov. 4-5 in Chicago, as well as a Nov. 25 date at the House of Blues in Anaheim, Calif. The 3 original era members have not performed publically together since Dec. 3, 1990 but served as consultants on the film that has been shooting in LA.

a pic from the set




Here is the original band :

Germs - Media Blitz

Germs - Lexicon Devil




Germs - Ritchie Dagger's Crime

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The current East Coast band Boy Sets Fire has announced plans to reissue some early recordings through the Equal Vision label, and has signed to Eurotrash punk label Burning Heart for a new release in 2006.



"Before The Eulogy" a compilation of outtakes & rare B-sides etc will be out on EqualVision Nov 1st



here's some of their currently available material

Boy Sets Fire - Rookie


Boy Sets Fire - Phone Call 4 a.m.

Boy Sets Fire - High Wire Escape Artist

Boy Sets Fire - Release The Dogs


anyhow

I gotta get going

see ya later...