While best known for its annual film festival, Slamdance will now also serve as a year-round showcase for the discovery of new and emerging musical talent. To launch its celebratory 15th year anniversary, Slamdance is excited to bring the new element of independent music into the fold.
The Slamdance Underground Music vs. Film Tour presented by OurStage and Dr. Martens kicks off in Brooklyn on New Year’s Eve and will continue cross-country representing the annual film festival and its commitment to independent artists in all mediums. Highlighted mid-tour are three performances in Park City, including the January 15th Housewarming Party at the Star Bar which starts up the 2009 Festival.
Balancing out the underground music presented by headliners Pseudo Slang and The Woes, which is focused on intellectual, chilled out hip hop and experimental blues, will be a surprise selection of Slamdance short films from throughout the festival’s history.
“Slamdance loves getting out there and mingling with the people, and our rich history of music at the festival – including past performances by Moby, Perry Farrell, Sheryl Crow and The Roots – has shown us that music and film are the perfect combination,” said Drea Clark, Slamdance’s Executive Director. “We also really wanted to spread Slamdance’s unique flair to different parts of the country, as we’ve long been about so much more than just films. Getting on the road to meet festival supporters, hand out copies of the last 10 years of shorts compilation DVDs, and interact with budding filmmakers and up-and-coming musicians seems like the perfect way to kick off our next 15 years.”
The 2009 Slamdance Underground Tour is proud to be presented by OurStage and Dr. Martens, who have partnered with Slamdance to help showcase the best in independent music and film to alternative artists across the country.
OurStage is a music discovery destination dedicated to new artist and new music discovery. On OurStage, artists, fans and industry professionals all come together to discover, judge, & enjoy the best new music and the best new artists online as ranked by the fans. Users are able to discover top ranked, categorized music without having to search through thousands of songs. OurStage is the perfect place for tomorrow's big filmmakers to find today's best independent music.
Pseudo Slang (Emcee Sick, Tone Atlas) signed with Fat Beats Records in 2005 after having independently released their Catalogue compilation with Baby Steps Hip Hop in 2004. Following extensive tours of the US, Canada and Denmark, Pseudo Slang is finalizing the recording of their debut album, "We'll Keep Looking" which features Vinia Mojica, Grap Luva, DJ Cutler, DJ Tommee, Third and more. The lead single "Broke & Copasetic," which features Vinia Mojica is currently released and available online and in stores.
The music of The Woes is a stew of Delta blues and early Country, of bluegrass and New Orleans marching band music, dished out by banjo, harmonica, accordion, French Horn and organ. The five-piece hails from New York City. In addition to finishing “That Coke Oven March”, their first full length album, they are also at work on film music for Spirit of '79, a documentary about the American agricultural movement. The documentary is being made by Keith Maitland for Illegalfilms and features interviews with, and songs by Willie Nelson and Arlo Guthrie.
The Slamdance Underground Music vs. Film Tour presented by OurStage and Dr. Martens schedule is as follows:
Dec 31 2008, 8pm at Goodbye Blue Monday in Brooklyn, New York
Jan 1 2009, 8pm at Valentine’s w/ Bryan Thomas in Albany, New York
Jan 2 2009, 8pm at Wright Gallery Records in Kingston, New York
Jan 3 2009, 9pm at Soundlab in Buffalo, New York
Jan 4 2009, 9pm at Howler’s Coyote Café in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jan 5 2009, 8:30pm at Cleveland Agora in Cleveland, Ohio
Jan 7 2009, 8pm at The Elbow Room w/ Jen Sygit and Sam Corbin in Ypsilanti, MI
Jan 8 2009, 8pm at Quenchers in Chicago, Illinois
Jan 9 2009, 8pm at Y Not III in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Jan 10 2009, 8pm at The Jackpot Saloon in Lawrence, Kansas
Jan 15 2009, 10pm at Star Bar for Slamdance Housewarming Party in Park City, Utah
Jan 16 2009, 5pm at Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah
Jan 17 2009, 5pm at Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah
Jan 20 2009, 8pm at Burts Tiki Lounge in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jan 23 2009, 8pm at Scoot Inn in Austin, Texas
Jan 25 2009, 8pm at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta, Georgia
Jan 26 2009, 8pm at The Garage at Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina
Jan 27 2009, 8pm at JJ’s Bohemia in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Jan 28 2009, 10pm at Acoustic Coffeehouse in Johnson City, Tennessee
2009 marks the 15th anniversary of the Slamdance Film Festival, one of the few remaining movie showcases whose sole mission is to nurture, support and introduce truly independent works from first-time filmmakers. This celebratory year takes place in Park City, Utah, January 15 – 23 and will screen about 100 films in total in all genres. However, in what is one of the toughest and most-aggressive competitions among festivals, only 20 features in the narrative and documentary feature categories combined screen in the main competition, which is strictly devoted to films without domestic theatrical distribution and budgets under $1 million, from first-time feature directors.
As it does every year, Slamdance will run concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival. Slamdance and the box office will be headquartered and films will screen at the Treasure Mountain Inn, 255 Main Street, the Festival’s headquarters since 1998. For more information, a complete listing of films in the Festival or additional news on the Slamdance Underground Music vs. Film Tour , visit www.slamdance.com or call 323/466-1786.
Chatelin Bruno 
