dorsiafilms » Uncategorized

8.4.10

DorsiaFilms — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:08:00 +0000

It’s hard to beat a show at The Triple Door, Seattle’s classiest venue for seeing top shelf musical acts in an intimate setting. For three dates this summer, John Roderick of The Long Winters performs on the main stage. (Tickets)

I hadn’t really planned on shooting any footage, but the beauty of the venue combined with the unique nature of the shows proved hard to resist. Sitting with me in the front row was photographer Laura Musselman, and together we captured the footage used for what is shown here.

Three videos will be posted before the next show, which is August 14th. The first song is ostensibly the first single off of The Long Winters’ forthcoming album, and it’s called, “Not Moving To Portland”.

8.4.10 is a post from: dorsiafilms

5.6.10

DorsiaFilms — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:07:13 +0000

Thanks to a winning essay entered in a scholarship contest made possible by Matt Haughey of Metafilter.com, I will be attending MaxFunCon!

MaxFunCon is a weekend of fun and learning hosted by Mr. Jesse Thorn (Amerca’s Radio Sweetheart) of MaximumFun.org and several excellent podcasts, including The Sound of Young America and Jordan, Jessie Go!

Lots of really talented people will be there, and as clearly the least talented person in attendance there will be a lot for me to learn. To be surrounded by successful creative people doing great work is a situation that can only inspire DorsiaFilms to do better. It’s like Dirk says in Boogie Nights:

“I guess the only thing I can say is I’ll promise to keep rockin’ and rollin’ and making better films…We can always do better. I’m going to keep trying if you guys keep trying. Let’s keep rockin’ and rollin’, man.”

5.6.10 is a post from: dorsiafilms

3.31.10

DorsiaFilms — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:19:37 +0000

It’s been over a year since it was released. Don’t miss your chance to own what The Stranger calls, “an ideal gift for the Long Winters fan in your life,” The Seattle Weekly described as, “a tasty tease at the masterwork to come,” and what I call, “A colossal investment in time and money that set me on the path to financial ruin!”

Truly and honestly, there weren’t that many made to begin with and there really aren’t that many left. I don’t know if there will be a reprinting, and you know once this band goes back out on the road they will be gone. Remember missing out on those Long Winters-brand kazoos a few years ago? I sure do, and it still stings.

You can pick up one of these DVDs at a record store near you, or online from our partners at Barsuk Records.

3.31.10 is a post from: dorsiafilms

11.9.09

DorsiaFilms — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:34:57 +0000

We’ve moved to this shiny new site and are still getting used to it.

All of the furniture is here, just in a different place. And the water pressure is WAY better.

11.9.09 is a post [...]

11.9.09 is a post from: dorsiafilms

8.3.09

DorsiaFilms — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:47:00 +0000

One of the real gems of this summer will be Doe Bay Fest, a concert weekend August 14-16 on Orcas Island, Washington headlined by The Long Winters and featuring The Maldives, Hey Marseilles, Friday Mile, David Bazan, Weinland, The Moon Doggies, Slender Means, Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives, Spanish for 100, The Lonely Forest, Goldfinch, Tito Ramsey and more.

Word is the El Dubs might play some of the new material they’ve been working on since Putting the Days to Bed. What is certain is that they will unveil a new drummer – if only a temporary one until the position is shored up more permanently for touring purposes. The rest of the bill rounds out pretty well. I’m excited to see Slender Means – a band I saw many times a few years ago, but not a lot of since, and Friday Mile, who always put on a great show. Also not to be missed is a solo set from Phil O’Sullivan from Friday Mile, playing in the Cafe.

I attended this event last year and Doe Bay resort is really something else – it’s a beautiful piece of forest and pasture dotted with little shelters and gardens, surrounding the cold and tranquil waters of Doe Bay. Unlike camping at The Gorge, there is little chance you’ll wake up to some guy blasting Dave Matthews Band music out of the back of his 4-Runner at 7am. No, here the premium is placed on relaxation. It is a bucolic and wonderful place and it makes me wonder how the compound will deal with double the expected turnout this year, but I am confident they are up to the task.

The tickets are $30, which is a steal for a weekend’s worth of music in such a great setting. Be sure to camp and enjoy all that the grounds have to offer. They have trails, a rocky beach from which to swim in the bay, some (clothing optional) jacuzzi tubs and saunas, and some of the best views in the Puget Sound area.

8.3.09 is a post from: dorsiafilms

4.24.09

DorsiaFilms — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 03:36:00 +0000

Hard core editing sessions lately.

Taking it down in 4 hour increments when I get home from work. If I had to guess, I’d say the initial, rough cut is around 70% complete.

There’s just so much footage; it’s like a whale beached itself, and I have to carve out the nicest piece of whale-steak from the carcass, acting quickly before the meat spoils, acting quickly before I starve. You don’t want to know what it’s like.

Follow DorsiaFilms on Twitter! We’re hip to it only a few weeks after your mother. Will there be more frequent status updates than there are on the Production Blog? At only 140 characters, it’s a certainty.

Finally, the Live at the Showbox DVD is the 100,628 most popular in the Movies & TV category on Amazon.com! Why not buy two? One to open, and the other to keep in the display case with the action figures.

4.24.09 is a post from: dorsiafilms

3.19.09

DorsiaFilms — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:52:00 +0000

Just read that former Long Winter Sean Nelson will be hosting the morning radio show “The Morning End” on Seattle radio station 107.7 The End next week, March 23-27.

Say what you will about The End and their merry-go-round of host and format changes over the years, but I think bringing in a local musician to host the show is a good idea. From listening to his Audioasis appearances on KEXP and his guest appearances on The End through the years, I think it’s a good “get” for them. Sean’s good at the radio thing, and he brings a singular wit that assumes intelligence in the listener so often lacking from the morning drive radio shift.

Eddie Spaghetti from the Super Suckers hosted this week, and there’s no indication yet of who will host the week after Sean. Seems like the station is trying to guage response, so if you like the show and you want to hear more of it with Sean at the helm, a call or an e-mail is a good idea.

3.19.09 is a post from: dorsiafilms

3.9.09

DorsiaFilms — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:54:00 +0000

In what will likely be the last review the Live at the Showbox DVD gets, we have one from Blurt Magazine.

Many reviews have come in the form of backhanded compliment, along the lines of, “well, live show DVDs are generally garbage, but this one is pretty good!” In that way, it’s nice to at least be near the top of the pig pile.

Snow is falling, the whirring engines of the Mac Pro are heating my room, and with that the work continues on the first cut of the documentary.

3.9.09 is a post from: dorsiafilms

3.5.09

DorsiaFilms — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:43:00 +0000

Just updated the dorsiafilms.com site with a few housekeeping changes. A few things you might notice:

In an effort to transition away from auto-playing Flash videos, we’re switching to the more user friendly Vimeo embedded videos. This should make it easier to both post more clips and for other people to embed them in their own personal sites for sharing, which is encouraged. And it kicks YouTube’s ass.
Added some animated banner ads. These were going to be for the new www.thelongwinters.com website relaunch, but we like them too much to wait. Feel free to take and share those too on your social media platform of choice. They’re so cool, it won’t even feel like you’re advertising for us. Promise.

The Live at the Showbox DVD has almost sold out. If you haven’t purchased it yet, now is the time because we’re not sure yet if there will be another pressing. That decision should be made within the month.

Do you miss the banter of TLW shows? If you aren’t following John Roderick via Twitter, you really should. Regularly updated, you’ll learn things you never knew about the day to day life of JRod. It’s rock star demystification in 140 characters or less.

3.5.09 is a post from: dorsiafilms

1.30.09

DorsiaFilms — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:32:00 +0000

I was cleaning the lense of my camera before going to John Roderick’s house this week and thinking about how long it had been since our last on-camera interview. Too long, and the dates written on my archived tapes proved it. I had become sidetracked with the production and release of the Live at the Showbox DVD, a process that took me away from my initial ambition. I had been editing all along, but not shooting, and the story doesn’t just stop when you turn your camera off.

What began as an exploration many years ago of a band recording a CD and the people behind the music has become something more. The documentary is not about Putting the Days to Bed, and the more I think about it the more I realize it never was.

So in the unseasonably bright afternoon sunlight, I woke John with a knock on his door. Robed and bleary eyed he let me in so I could set up. Lately he’s been keeping banker’s hours.

If your bank is in Amsterdam.

I shot 3 hours of interview footage with John, picking up where we left off last time. I think editing has made me a better interviewer, because as I sift through the footage I already have I see spots where I could have narrowed the focus sooner and made my job easier.

Thing is, I’m not sure that my interviews with John could ever be called that. He’s like a Rube Goldberg Project of conversation; I’ll ask one question and get the answer, rolling the egg down the ramp into the bunsen burner that burns the string above it that leads to answers to another 10 questions I haven’t even asked yet. It’s a great experience and a challenge to edit, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Some of the topics we covered included the process of recording the newest record, choosing to live and work in Seattle, how and were the music and the lyrics are constructed (including tools used for their construction), addiction and sobriety, and his father.

We also discussed some roster changes. As has been reported elsewhere, Nabil Ayers has accepted a job as a label manager in New York for 4AD. I’m positive success and happiness will follow, because that’s how it goes for Nabil. More than being a great drummer, he’s also a great person and while I’m sad his new responsibilities keep him from the band I’ll be pulling for his success in this other endeavor.

1.30.09 is a post from: dorsiafilms