Scott reviews the documentary film, Blood, Sweat & Vinyl.
As most of
us know, the music industry has gone through a couple of dramatic changes in
the last 15 or so years. To keep it
simple, starting around 1999, with entities such as Napster choking up
everyone’s 56k connection, the music industry as a whole was outraged. “These fucking kids dare steal music from
us?!” This carried through the 2000’s as
we watched record sales dwindle from major all the way down to the independent
labels. “The music industry is
dying!” Don’t pretend you never heard
that in the last 10 years. But with all
of this gloom and doom weighing heavy on the minds of label execs large and
small, there were and still are record labels out there producing quality music
and interesting packaging for artists, and solely for the art itself.
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| Ok. Who brought the weed this time, man? |
Blood, Sweat, Vinyl. DIY in the 21st Century focuses on 3 such labels (Hydra Head Records, Neurot
Records, and Constellation Records), the people behind these labels, and some
of the artists they work with. The aura
and vibe of honesty just oozes out of the 90 minutes of this documentary. IT is viewing documentaries like this, with
people like this my faith in music and the printed sound is always saved. Blood,
Sweat, Vinyl. DIY in the 21st Century brilliantly and directly
illustrates the importance of supporting the artists that one appreciates by
truly supporting the art because, as discussed in this documentary, these
people make VERY little money and really do this because they want this music
to be heard and seen.
Blood, Sweat, Vinyl. DIY in the 21st Century also focuses on the challenge of truly appreciating
art. Scott Kelly of Neurosis says it
best in the documentary when he states that you just can’t listen to their
music, the music challenges you as like the majority of the bands featured in Blood, Sweat, Vinyl. DIY in the 21st Century. These are the people who have taken the
hard road. The ones who will have no
pension or monetary comfort, they are doing this because they have to, and it
is all they know.
There is not
one weak moment in Blood, Sweat, Vinyl.
DIY in the 21st Century. All of the
interviews are void of filler or fluff.
Somehow I think that any of the members of Neurosis or Cave-In have the
time or patience to mince their words.
Clear, concise, and to the point, this is what makes Blood, Sweat, Vinyl. DIY in the 21st Century
such and amazing and thought provoking documentary.
-Scott W. Lambert