The new documentary Muscle Shoals tells the story of a little town of the same name in Alabama, USA, where an incredible amount of iconic music was recorded at Rick Hall’s FAME Studios. We’re talking tracks by everyone from The Rolling Stones to U2 and Aretha Franklin (all of whom appear in the film)… to name but a mere few.
The film, which premiered at Sundance at the start of the year, is screening at ACMI in Melbourne from Friday, and so I caught up with the director of the film, Greg ‘Freddy’ Camalier, while he was at home in Boulder, Colorado, to talk about the film and his incredible journey with it…
It’s been such an amazing year for this film, kicking off at Sundance…
Yeah it’s been non-stop, there was no way I could have predicted the trajectory this film would take. So it’s been incredibly busy, but a good busy of course. A whirlwind, a new rhythm to life… the travel, the pace and all the stuff going on. It’s been a blessing and exciting.
I was finally able to watch the film yesterday, and it really struck me as a love letter to the town, to Rick Hall’s studios and to the music that was created there… would you agree?
I don’t think I’d call it a love letter… I would call it a fascinating and compelling story of American music, that has somehow slipped further and further into obscurity year after year, decade after decade. And it’s a fascinating tale that had never seen the light of day…
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ON THE IRIS…
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Following screenings earlier this year at Sydney Film Festival, Muscle Shoals will screen at ACMI in Melbourne for a limited season over the Summer, opening Friday 27th December. For more details, visit: http://www.acmi.net.au/lp_muscle_shoals.aspx and you can read our review of the film HERE. A DVD release in anticipated in 2014.
