All the Way from Michigan not Mars
directed by Matt Boyd
starring Rosie Thomas, Damien Jurardo, Sufjan Stevens
Factory 25
One of the stars in the recent Subpop catalog is Rosie Thomas, an unassuming folk singer based in Seattle. After three successful albums she took some time off, but kept recording songs people want to hear. In this all-too-typical rock documentary, Director Matt Boyd follows her on tour with her friends Damien Jurardo and Sufjan Stevens. They visit college radio stations, play gigs at independent bookstores, and generally lead an earth-friendly, low-impact life that doesn’t trash hotel rooms or engage in much debauchery beyond a shot of foam at Starbucks. Rosie even tells a few jokes, and they’re quite funny. Crowds are appreciative, and between gigs Rosie chats about her life and goals in music. She comes across as a genuinely nice person, Jurardo and Stevens back her up in a supportive, all-inclusive manner, and the group seems curiously free of any sort of sexual or financial tension. Heck, even the people stringing microphone cables seem well-dressed, competent, and well-adjusted. There are a number of live songs from her latest album “These Friends of Mine,” and more than a few driving shots of various gray cityscapes on her tour. This is a film for fans and soon-to-be-fans, and never a rock and roll exposé. It’s “Chill out,” not “Rock on!”
Factory 25: http://www.factorytwentyfive.com
