Dir: Bob Moczydlowsky
Country: USA
Year: 2009
Duration: 72mins
Print Source: info@72musicians.com
www.72musicians.com
There are many documentaries about famous bands, hip bands, important bands, about musical genres and youth subcultures. 72 Musicians is very different. Rather than simply focus on a celebrity or a name band, director Bob Moczydlowsky turns his camera onto a handful of groups from Lawrence and Kansas City. These are bands you have probably never heard of - guitarists, drummers, and bassists you'll never see live. These are the musicians who slog away in transit vans and old buses, carry their amps on stage and set up their own drums, they don't always get paid, and most have a day job. These are the people who play small clubs and bars for meagre crowds, who release records on tiny labels. They do it because they love it and because they have to. These are working musicians.
The story of a million musicians and a hundred thousand bands, 72 Musicians features interviews with nameless musicians intercut with footage of a live show organised and shot especially for this film. If you're after celebrities look elsewhere, but if you want some insight as to why people slog away at a dream, how they survive, what they drink, what their friends and family think and what keeps them going, then this film is for you.