Music Matters

A wildly entertaining, star-studded documentary about The Beatles’s favorite American musician, Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?) is a vibrant and definitive portrait of one of the most talented singer-songwriters in pop music history. The film delves deeply into Nilsson’s artistic process, his spirited relationship with John Lennon, and the additions […]

An intimate look at writer and musician Nick Cave.

In August 1969, nearly half a million people gathered at a farm in upstate New York to hear music. What happened over the next three days, however, was far more than a concert. It would become a legendary event, one that would define a generation and mark the end of one of the most turbulent […]

An intimate look at the life and work of guitarist Eric Clapton, told by those who have known him best, including BB King, Jimi Hendrix, and George Harrison.

This film is based on interviews conducted with members of the legendary British rock band The Rolling Stones on the eve of their 50th anniversary. We were living in Brighton, England at the time; as you can imagine, 50 years of The Stones was a VERY big deal. We attended a live premiere of the […]

A rare look at Led Zeppelin, from their humble beginnings to their status as rock gods. Led Zeppelin: Dazed & Confused, the unique chemistry between singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones & drummer John Bonham led to tensions within the band, but were essential to their success. Take a journey where […]

The tale of the Grateful Dead is inspiring, complicated, and downright messy. A tribe of contrarians, they made art out of open-ended chaos and inadvertently achieved success on their own terms. Never-before-seen footage and interviews offer this unprecedented and unvarnished look at the life of the Dead.

A confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robbie Robertson’s young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band.

Amazing “fly on the wall” footage of the birth of the 1971 Imagine album. The film explores the creative collaboration between Lennon and Yoko Ono and features interviews and never-seen-before footage. Filmed at John & Yoko’s Tittenhurst Park.

This is a BBC 4 documentary about the legendary singer Johnny Cash. It portrays, retrospectively, his life and work. The major contributors to this film are his long-time manager, Lou Robin, his children John Carter and Rosanne Cash, musicians Cowboy Jack Clement, Merle Haggard, Little Richard, Kris Kristofferson and Elvis Costello.

A portrait of Keith Richards that takes us on a journey to discover the genesis of his sound as a songwriter, guitarist and performer.

A truly religious experience…

A very intimate, Very personal journey with Linda herself as your guide. With one of the most memorably stunning voices that has ever hit the airwaves, Linda Ronstadt burst onto the 1960’s folk rock music scene in her early twenties. This documentary covers Ronstadt’s life and career from childhood to the present day. Narrated by […]

Documentary showing how the long-playing album changed popular music for ever between the mid-1960’s and the late 1970’s by allowing artists to express themselves as never before.

In 1994, Kurt Cobain was riding on the top of the world as the creative genius behind the biggest rock band in the world. However, the singer/songwriter was notoriously full of personal demons as he struggled with depression and substance abuse. Tired of the rigors of fame and the pressure of the mainstream music industry, […]

Still rocking, still original, still relevant. Neil Young returns to his birth Canadian province of Ontario to revisit his old haunts and to perform in Toronto’s vintage Massey Hall.

With unflinching honesty, self-examination, regret, fear, exuberance and an unshakable belief in family and the transformative nature of music, singer-songwriter David Crosby shares his often challenging journey.

Retrospective look at the life and music of Jeff Buckley through the eyes of family, friends, and fans.

Explores the creative process of Nick Cave and his band as the singer struggles with an unspoken personal tragedy.

A documentary on the electric guitar from the point of view of three significant rock musicians: the Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White.

A look at the late ’60s and early ’70s rock band The Doors, including rare exclusive footage. The band’s music plays throughout.

This Emmy-winning documentary directed by Alison Ellwood, and co-produced by Alex Gibney, explores the colorful history of iconic US rock band The Eagles.

The film is semi-autobiographical, as director Cameron Crowe himself was a teenage writer for Rolling Stone. It is based on his experiences touring with rock bands Poco, the Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, Eagles, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Crowe has discussed how during this period he lost his virginity, fell in love, and met his musical […]

This compilation of footage from the Grateful Dead’s Canadian train tour depicts the height of the band’s music and fame for five days in 1970, along with that of performances from Janis Joplin, Buddy Guy, The Band and The Flying Burrito Brothers.

One of our favorites – and VERY good music as well! A young girl who has been abandoned by her former-groupie mother informs a fading rock star that she is his daughter.

Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Feature. Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970’s rock n roller, Rodriguez.

Ruminations on the life of Bob Dylan, where six characters embody a different aspect of the musician’s life and work.

Danny Says is a documentary on the life and times of Danny Fields. Since 1966, Danny Fields has played a pivotal role in music and “culture” of the late 20th century: working for the Doors, Cream, Lou Reed, Nico, Judy Collins and managing groundbreaking artists like the Stooges, the MC5 and the Ramones.

Charlie is my Darling is an intimate, behind-the-scenes diary of life on the road with the young Rolling Stones featuring

The Doors 1968 self-produced documentary film. Filmed by two ucla mates of Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrisson. It shows the atmosphere between the members and a live version of The End.

Heaven Adores You is an intimate, meditative inquiry into the life and music of Elliott Smith (1969 — 2003).

Writer and musician Nick Cave marks his 20,000th day on the planet Earth.

Arguably the BEST rock documentary ever made (OK, not arguably, it IS). Filmmaker and music journalist Cameron Crowe pays tribute to the Seattle-based band’s 20th anniversary with interviews and rare concert footage.

Funny, gritty, captivating and some damn good music to boot. Documentarian Bradley Beesley, the friend and neighbor of Flaming Lips front man Wayne Coyne, goes deep into the world of this well-known art-rock outfit.

Love this film! And the music is good (Alessandro Nivola is great in this AND a very good musician – check him out in Janie Jones as well). When an uptight young man and his fiancée move into his libertine mother’s house, the resulting clash of life attitudes shakes everyone up.

Val Kilmer nails his role as Jim Morrison in this Oliver Stone classic. The story of the famous and influential 1960’s rock band The Doors and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison, from his days as a UCLA film student in Los Angeles, to his untimely death in Paris, France at age 27 in […]

An entertaining “rockumentary” about Radiohead that shows some of the tedium of being a rock star, as well as some of the fun stuff.

Musician Cat Power narrates this documentary on Janis Joplin’s evolution into a star from letters that Joplin wrote over the years to her friends, family, and collaborators.

Daniel Johnston, manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist is revealed in this portrait of madness, creativity and love.

Ginger Baker looks back on his musical career with Cream and Blind Faith; his introduction to Fela Kuti; his self-destructive patterns and losses of fortune; and his current life inside a fortified South African compound.

Filmmaker Martin Scorsese examines the life of musician George Harrison, weaving together interviews, concert footage, home movies and photographs.

This informal black-and-white portrait of Leonard Cohen shows him at age 30 on a visit to his hometown of Montreal, where the poet, novelist and songwriter comes “to renew his neurotic affiliations.” He reads his poetry to an enthusiastic crowd, strolls the streets of the city, relaxes in this three-dollar-a-night hotel room and even takes a bath.

In 1972, the Rolling Stones, facing tax and management problems, leave the UK and rent a villa on the coast of France. They hole up in the house for months recording “Exile on Main Street,” their most reviled, then revered album ever.

Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam: The Vitalogy Tour took them to Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. ROCKS!

Directed by Ethan Hawke, the film documents the career of Seymour Bernstein, a classical pianist who abandoned his rising career as a concert pianist at age 50 to retreat to a more modest, private life as a music educator and composer.

A harrowing documentary of the Stones’ 1969 tour, with much of the focus on the tragic concert at Altamont.

Our own Lily Morda accompanies Ben Tajima in a beautiful rendition of Mississippi John Hurt’s Make Me a Pallet on the Floor.