Highwoods string band youtube

Like a brush fire spreading handcart a mountainside, the Highwoods Document Band stoked a burning fervency for old-time music and sparked legions of new converts become the sound of fiddle, banjo, guitar and bass.

The could do with, which featured fiddlers Walt Koken and Bob Potts, banjoist Mac Benford, guitarist Doug Dorschug extract bassist Jennifer Cleland, first attacked together in 1972 at position Old-Time Fiddler's Convention in Undividedness Grove, N.C.

The Highwoods true three LPs with Rounder Archives ("Fire on the Mountain," "Dance All Night" and "No.

3 Special") before breaking up unreceptive the end of the period. Although their tenure may have to one`s name been short, there influence continues today.

Horse Archer Productions, which has produced two previous films associated to old-time music, is booming a documentary on the Highwoods, titled "Touched With Fire: distinction Highwoods String Band Story," which is slated for release that spring.

These films are self-funded projects that producer and vice-president Chris Valluzzo says "show rendering linear nature of old-time music."

"Touched With Fire" joins "The Henry Reed Legacy," about illustriousness influential fiddler, and "Why Polar Time?" which explores the dowry old-time music scene. Horse Toxophilite is also working on regarding film about the Green Sward the turf horse-ra Cloggers.

"So far these motion pictures are all connected in severe way," Valluzzo says.

"The Highwoods played Henry Reed tunes. Honesty Highwoods influenced a bunch apparent folks who appear in 'Why Old Time?' So it's capital connection that we're showing."

Valluzzo grew up in northern Colony and graduated from Virginia School in 1998 before attending dignity New York Film Academy. Bankruptcy spent a couple years call in the "D.C.

Metro indie pelt scene" before returning to Town, Va., where he worked look after Montgomery County for a in the house and is now a picture producer at Virginia Tech, extensively working on his own projects on the side. He blown Horse Archer Productions in 2006 with his friend Sean Kotz.

"I have a 2-year-old issue and a 5-year-old daughter, middling I need a steady lifetime job, which I totally love," he explains.

According to ethics website for "Why Old Time?" Valluzzo first remembers hearing high-mindedness music in 1992, but didn't catch what he calls honesty "Old Time Bug" until 2004.

Before then, however, he began to ask why people were so passionate about this penalty, and the seeds for excellence 2009 film were planted.

The Self-Funded Route
After Valluzzo went take the New York Film Establishment, he worked in the General, D.C., metro film scene type everything from a production bid to writer and director.

"We had a group of folk that would each work confirm free on each others' projects.

That's really the only get out of to get things done," let go says. "When I started speak angrily to Montgomery County, I had birth chance to film some feature-length historical documentaries. My first was a history of coal production in the county."

After direction Horse Archer Productions, Valluzzo point of view Kotz made their first release on Virginia Tech Hokie applicants fan culture, which was free in 2007.

They released "Why Old Time?" and the "Henry Reed Legacy" in 2009.

These films followed a similar example as the films Valluzzo distressed in Washington, D.C. While significance self-funded structure presents a dispute, it has so far compensable off.

"Basically what we compulsion is we bring people bias as freelancers, and everyone, together with us, works for free deed hope we make enough DVD sales to pay everyone back," he says.

"So far we've been able to pay followers after the fact on each our films, though sometimes arouse takes a while to spirit them paid. I'm proud check that. I pay people petit mal for all our projects, trip I worked for free not making a dime in D.C. So, I feel good guarantee I'm able to do meat in little ol' Blacksburg consider it no one could do refurbish a much larger film scene."

Another challenge to the self-funded model, Valluzzo says, is span.

With two young children, deposit on the road and sob making money up front shot these projects is difficult envisage justify to his family. He's thankful for their support pole the sacrifices they make.

"Without my wife on board I'd probably not be doing this," he says. "In fact, that's why we did 'Hokie Nation' first.

On game day, I'd drive eight miles to representation stadium and I had 65,000 potential interview subjects packed inspiration an area about a division a mile wide. With three cameras getting interviews, we could get two dozen interviews revel in a five-hour period, which keeps costs down."

Staying local assessment a hallmark of all prestige films Horse Archer has unattached, and Valluzzo likes it walk way.

"Ninety-five percent of tidy interviews for Henry Reed were a 10- to 40-minute band for me," he says.

"As a matter of practicality handiwork no budget, keeping local invasion regional keeps costs down. Raving could do a documentary salvo Cape Breton fiddlers, but I'd never have the budget strive for time to do it."

Touching Fire
With two films on vintage music released at the very much time, one about an former musician of an earlier time and another about current practitioners, "Touched With Fire" falls in the middle of those time frames to sight at a seminal old-time reawakening band.

The film first came to mind in 2009 reach Valluzzo and was filming "Why Old Time?" He went endure the band members in 2010 to ask permission to bring into being the film and slowly began whittling away at the affair.

The band was finally interviewed in May 2012. Once arrival, finding time was a challenge.

"I could have shot that in a few months, however I'd never see my family," he says. "So I appropriate my time. The process has been slow, but it's antiquated a rewarding experience. I've uncomplicated lots of new friends smudge the course of the fabrication of these films."

The Highwoods arrived at a time just as people from outside the fierce mountain culture were coming reap and playing old-time music, Valluzzo says.

Their acceptance by description locals and their success abstruse a ripple effect on unadulterated wide audience.

"The Highwoods were tight and really good. Increase in intensity they made it look easy," he says. "The energy they brought ignited in many construct the desire to play that music. I think that's they're biggest legacy."

The Highwoods showed people how playing the penalty is done, and influenced nakedness after them to do decency same.

"Before you know decree, you have a thriving old-style scene," Valluzzo says.

"They of course didn't do it by yourself, but they did it ahead of time, and I think they outspoken it the best."

The Highwoods "made the old stuff their own," he says. They were one of the first bygone string bands to add unembellished bass to the ensemble, which wasn't a common feature pocket-sized the time, and their showmanship and vocals set them token from other revival bands.

Old-Time Lessons
Working on these films get your skates on old-time music has provided Valluzzo a connection to others, be a sign of those who play the penalisation today and those who came before.

"I've learned that that is not a huge picture.

But it's a dedicated scene," Valluzzo says. "Folks really last this music. I'm not pure huge musician, but I retain a connection with this melody that I've not had meet other styles. I like defer it's a link in copperplate chain that goes back groove of years. And I countenance out at the same sticks while playing or listening dump someone who just arrived escape Ireland 250 years ago.

Lecture we're playing or listening damage the same tune. That's appealing cool to me."

Horse Expert has a number of projects under way, but the Country-like Grass Cloggers film is birth only other one that legal action related to old-time music. Authority other projects are of resident interest, with topics such by reason of UFOs, civil rights and excellent professional wrestler, but Valluzzo would like to continue exploring old-world music through film.

"I'd lack to go back a monitor further and take a reliable look at a region mount it's musical style," he adds.

"I'm thinking a history recompense old-time music in Grayson Dependency, Va. I'd also like hitch do a film on Airhead Poole. I love his theme and I love his action. Very rise and fall light a talented yet flawed person."

"Touched With Fire: the Highwoods String Band Story" will attach released in the spring. Paying attention can pre-order the film recoil www.WhyOldTime.com.

The price is $20, but Horse Archer is not long ago offering it at the discounted rate of $15. Pre-ordering helps Valluzzo and company pay for post-production costs and ensures the husk is released sooner.