Watch Rad ’80s Bluegrass Documentary ‘That’s Bluegrass’

There's nothing quite like a great, vintage documentary. And one about bluegrass? Well, that's documentary gold, in our opinion. So we were pretty excited to find That's Bluegrass, a late '70s/early '80s documentary that explores the genre's front porch origins and features footage of Jimmy Martin, Ralph Stanley, Lester Flatt, and more.

Director John G. Thomas captures the landscape — physically, in beautiful shots of Appalachia, and spirtitually, by showing the deep roots of the genre's community — through 53 minutes of live performances, candid interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage. Highlights include a young Marty Stuart playing mandolin for Lester Flatt, some insider scoop on Earl Scruggs wanting to hire a guy named "Bill" (that's Monroe, for those of you playing along at home), and footage of Dr. Ralph Stanley, now 88, back in his younger years. Performances include "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," the latter of which you likely recognize from the classic television show The Beverly Hillbillies

It's so good that Rhonda Vincent herself stumbled upon it, posting a link to Facebook and citing one of the film's best moments — Lester Flatt singing the theme song for Martha White baking products. The documentary also contains the last filmed interview with Flatt before his 1979 death from heart failure at the age of 64.

Check out the trailer and watch That's Bluegrass in its entirety over at Vimeo — a couple bucks if you want to rent it, a few more if you'd like to make it yours forever.

That's Bluegrass from Echelon Studios on Vimeo.

FILM PREMIERE: The Orphan Brigade, ‘Soundtrack to a Ghost Story’

Artist: The Orphan Brigade (Neilson Hubbard, Ben Glover, and Joshua Britt)
Hometown: Franklin, KY
Album/Film: Soundtrack to a Ghost Story
Release Date: November 13

In Their Words: "I grew up in Franklin, KY, where the house is located. My uncle ran the Octagon Hall as a Civil War Museum when I was growing up, so it was kind of 'in the family.' I studied history at university and always loved the wild history of Kentucky so I loved hearing about the place. Over the last few years, it developed this haunted house reputation thanks to many of the television ghost shows. I went there a lot as a kid, but for some reason, never spent a lot of time in the actual house. I would go to family gatherings on the grounds and run around in the fields.

When I went back after all these years, it felt like stepping into an old, distant memory. Even during the first visit, we started talking about recording music in that place because it's pretty obvious that the house has some unique sound characteristics. The Octagon Hall has a big heaviness to it, just in the architecture, but also because the place is full of a history filled with slavery and death and personal tragedies. It's centered right in the middle of the place I come from in the South. It's a part of my life I do feel a love and a pride for, but this place forces me to look at that past — and at brotherly warfare and poverty and death — and decide for myself what a life is. Also, that whole part of Kentucky is one of the most beautiful places I have laid eyes on. Going back to Franklin and to the Hall made me feel all of those things at once, and that is the strong force that inspired me to make art there." — Joshua Britt

THE ORPHAN BRIGADE – Soundtrack To A Ghost Story // THE FILM from Neighborhoods Apart Productions on Vimeo.


Photo credit: Jim Demain