Excerpt:
“The afterlife of Joe Strummer is proving to be surprisingly rich. A blockbuster biography, a Julien Temple documentary, a string of tribute records, a limited-edition Strummer Telecaster and a Great Western loco bearing his name are all part of a wider sense that Strummer’s life and work remain an inspirational example. As Billy Bragg puts it here: “He’s not a legend but a legacy.”
Don Letts’ film supplies a snapshot portrait of Strummer’s life and times, including plenty of great home movie footage, and weaves this biographical material into Strummerville’s work. Several of the young acts that have been given a helping hand had only a vague (or no) notion of what Joe Strummer achieved, but all are quick to grasp that authenticity is at the centre of his output. “He was a man of the people,” says Alex Thomson of The Riff Raff, one of the hopefuls helped by Strummerville. “We’re trying to keep the fire burning.”
So far names like Shooting Star Poets and Nimmo And The Gauntletts remain on the fringes, but one senses that Strummerville, as alt.Fame college, will help deliver a breakthrough soon enough. “It’s about making bands stand on their own feet,” says one of the Gauntletts.
To support Billy Bragg’s Jail Guitar Doors initiative, an organization which aims to provide instruments to those who are using music as a way of achieving the rehabilitation of prison inmates, July 26th 2010 saw release of a download album from which all profits will be used to fund return visits to UK prisons.
The initiative is supported by Strummerville, the Joe Strummer Foundation For New Music, plus has seen involvement from the likes of Mick Jones (The Clash), Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters), Wayne Kramer (MC5) and Sam Duckworth (Get Cape. Wear Cape, Fly).
About Breaking Rocks: Released via Silverdoor Records, the album will be priced at £7.99 and will feature 31 tracks, including an exclusive recording of Billy Bragg live from one of Her Majestys Prisons, plus tracks from Pete & The Pirates, Baddies, The Neat, The Victorian English Gentlemans Club, Kids Love Lies, and many more.
Produced by musician and film director Don Letts, Strummerville charts the work of a new music foundation inspired by The Clash’s late lead singer Joe Strummer.
Following his death in 2002, the charity was set up in the spirit of his name the following year to create opportunities for people through music that have the will but not the funds to further their creative talents.
The documentary is spliced with previously unseen footage of the iconoclastic bellwhether in concert and at home; comments on man from the likes of Damien Hirst and Billy Bragg, and their relationship with the charity; and interviews with those who have been affected by his work. A touching tribute to the man of the people.
This film is a available on DVD exclusively from our website, click here for more info
Excerpt:
“Strummerville is an organisation I have a lot of love for. Joe Strummer was a hero of mine. His death affected me greatly and I wanted to do something to pay my own tribute and conceived and delivered Charlie Don’t Surf: A Cinematic Tribute To Joe Strummer. It took place at the Curzon Soho in London in 2005 and celebrated the film work of Joe, as actor and composer. The event was staged in association with Strummerville, the charity set up in his name following his death. When I heard that Don Letts had a made of film of the work they were doing, I knew I had to spread the good word.
Trish Whelan, director of the charity explained how the film came about:
“I guess [it] came about when Don saw so much good stuff going on around the charity and he got a real sense of the work we are trying to do here. He was the perfect person to tie it all in. He was so close to Joe for all those years and has such a great handle on good music and I really feel he managed to tap into the essence of Joe and the real essence of how we work here”.
Strummerville helps young, aspiring, struggling musicians get the basics to succeed. They help supply places to rehearse, places to record, exposure, advice and support and as with everything surrounding Joe’s life, the pool of talent to draw from is extensive and special.”
Excerpt:
“In addition to the brilliant music that Strummer made, the movie also showcases some of the young acts that have benefitted from Strummerville’s work — the best of whom are The Riff Raff, Nimmo And The Gauntletts, Smokey Angle Shades and Beans On Toast (who drew two lines underneath my left eye when I saw him at the South By Southwest Music Festival in March).
Strummerville is also affiliated with and supports other like-minded organizations, two of which get special attention in the film. Camden Calling is a non-profit outfit that uses music to help homeless and vulnerable people in the trendy London, England neighbourhood of Camden. The Bragg-founded Jail Guitar Doors, named after a 1978 Clash song, is an initiative which aims to provide instruments to prison inmates to help rehabilitate them.”
We are excited to be off to Sheffield next week to open the Sensoria Festival with the European premier of Strummerville - a Don Letts film.
Sensoria is the UK’s festival of music, film and digital - the 7-day hive of activity takes place 23 – 29 April.
Following the screening there will be a Q&A with Beans On Toast and Trish Whelan director of the Strummerville charity. There will be live sets from Strummerville bands Smokey Angle Shades, Beans On Toast, The Riff Raff and Nimmo & The Gauntletts.
Hot from a world premiere at SXSW in this documentary, Grammy award-winning filmmaker Don Letts shows how Joe Strummer’s unique contribution to the music world is manifesting itself through a charity set up in his memory - Strummerville. The film features contributions from supporters and founders of the charity, including Billy Bragg, Antony Genn and Damien Hirst, plus wonderful footage of Strummer himself.
Tickets are available in advance at www.showroomworkstation.org.uk or sensoria.org.uk or call 0114 275 7727
Showtime is Friday 23 April at 7pm at
Showroom Cinema, Sheffield.
Strummerville are fresh off our amazing trip to SXSW where we presented our take-over on the opening night of The British Music Embassy and our official showcase at Prague on 17 March.
Thanks to Supernovas, Smokey Angle Shades, Nat Jenkins, Beans On Toast and The Riff-Raff for making our debut at SXSW such a great experience. And thanks to Billy Bragg, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Chis Shiflett, The Good The Bad and Wayne Kramer for their support and awesome shows.
We were joined in Austin by Don Letts who presented his film also called Strummerville at the Paramount on 19 March. Big thanks also to Don for his wonderful support.
It truly was a positive and powerful experience for everyone involved.
STRUMMERVILLE’S FIRST U.S OUTING
What do Billy Bragg, The Foo Fighters, The British Music Embassy, the Strummerville family and legendary British filmmaker Don Letts have in common? All of these tastemakers in film and music will be celebrating Strummerville’s debut at this year’s SXSW Music and Film Festival.
Strummerville is a proactive charity, set up by family and friends in the wake of Joe Strummer’s death in 2002. Since then it has built a strong community network - offering otherwise unfunded bands and solo performers the chance to record, rehearse and play live. A regular feature at Festivals in the British Summer season, Strummerville’s work goes on all year internationally. Offering mentoring services, a magic bus on loan for gigs and tours, partnering with projects from Belfast to Bogota and a range of charities including The Amber Trust (helping blind and partially sited children enjoy music) and Jail Guitar Doors (helping prisoners gain access to guitars) Strummerville insures the spirit of the man who inspired its creation lives on in the most practical manner.
March 2010 marks Strummervilles’ debut at the internationally renowned SXSW Music and Film festival:
On the evening of Monday 15th March Strummerville will takeover the British Music Embassy. Hosted by Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters the night will feature performances from the infamous ‘National Treasure’ Billy Bragg in addition to some of Strummerville’s finest bands: Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Smokey Angle Shades, Beans on Toast, Nat Jenkins, The Good The Bad, and The Supernovas.
STRUMMERVILLE SXSW 2010 BRITISH MUSIC EMBASSY SHOWCASE RSVP CLICK HERE
Get Cape Wear Cape Fly aka the introspective Sam Duckworth received critical acclaim for his debut album ‘Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager’. A cross cultural line-up of Northern Irish, German, English and Italian members The Smokey Angle Shades take their name from a flying moth and create a world where the bar room rave ups of The Faces meet joyful country capers, spiced with psychedelic whimsy. Beans On Toast, a topical Troubadour, in the style of his East London (The) Clash inspired forbearer Billy Bragg, is a regular MC at Strummerville events with songs that are a jostling blend of humourous aside and a hardnosed invective. Nat Jenkins - Intense Richie Havens flare ups, finely plucked emotional landscapes; rock swagger and pop nous indicate a singer songwriter for all seasons. The Supernovas, a young band from Holloway North London with a sound influenced by the political attitudes of Castro and Chavez, combined with the wry irony of Morrissey, and the cutting observational skills of Lennon. And The Good The Bad bringing the finest New School Surf and Flamenco to the masses. On Wednesday 17th March Strummerville will kick off proceedings on the official opening night of the SXSW Music Festival by holding a second showcase at the renowned Prague. Wayne Kramer, singer, songwriter, producer and esteemed guitarist, will join the line-up for this special occasion.
On Friday 19th March ‘Strummerville – a film by Don Letts’ will premier at the Paramount. The film, directed by the London born, Grammy award winning filmmaker and artist Don Letts, captures the very essence of Strummerville. The film journeys through the past six months of the diverse Strummerville calendar, including interviews with the bourgeoning talents and the friends and family of Joe who work hard to keep the charity going. The documentary also includes unseen footage of Joe Strummer taken from Don’s personal archive. On the film Don says, “In a cultural climate that feels like punk never happened Strummerville (the film) serves as a timely reminder of a way forward. It worked back then and it can work again – and man it needs to!”
Don Letts was the first in-house DJ at London nightclub Roxy, playing a mix of punk rock, dub and reggae. Letts’ music choice influenced Joe Strummer and The Clash; he is credited as the DJ that single-handedly turned a whole generation of punks onto reggae. He became a close friend of Joe’s and is pictured on the cover sleeve of the 1980 release, ‘Black Market Clash’. His first film The Punk Rock Movie (1978) catalogued the Punk movement in the UK. He has directed many documentaries and music videos since and in 2003 his film Westway to the World featuring The Clash won a Grammy for ‘Best Long-form Music Video’
For more information please contact:
Kate Head: kate@stokedpr.com
Zoe Stafford: zoe@stokedpr.com 020 7841 4875
We are proud to announce our take over of The British Music Embassy on Monday 15th March 2010.
It will be taking place @ Latitude 30, 512 San Jacinto, Austin TX as part of the SXSW music convention and will be hosted by Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters).
Music will be brought to you by:
* Billy Bragg with special guests The Good The Bad
* Get Cape Wear Cape Fly
* Smokey Angle Shades
* Beans On Toast
* Nat Jenkins
* The Supernovas
Doors 7.30pm
Strummerville is delighted to be supporting Jail Guitar Doors and their great work and is proud to announce the London Premier of Breaking Rocks - a documentary about the charity on 01 October at the Proud Galleries, Camden, London.
The premier will be followed by live performances from Billy Bragg, Get Cape. Wear Cape Fly. The Rotten Hill Gang featuring Mick Jones, Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters) Wayne Kramer MC5, Night of Treason.
A night not to be missed
For Tickets visit http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/
For information visit
http://web.me.com/madinertia/breakingrocks
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