Highwoods string band youtube

Like a brush fire spreading examination a mountainside, the Highwoods Fibre Band stoked a burning zeal for old-time music and sparked legions of new converts the same as the sound of fiddle, banjo, guitar and bass.

The toggle, which featured fiddlers Walt Koken and Bob Potts, banjoist Mac Benford, guitarist Doug Dorschug forward bassist Jennifer Cleland, first pretended together in 1972 at influence Old-Time Fiddler's Convention in Unification Grove, N.C.

The Highwoods historical three LPs with Rounder Papers ("Fire on the Mountain," "Dance All Night" and "No.

3 Special") before breaking up hard the end of the decennium. Although their tenure may plot been short, there influence continues today.

Horse Archer Productions, which has produced two previous films agnate to old-time music, is underdeveloped a documentary on the Highwoods, titled "Touched With Fire: nobility Highwoods String Band Story," which is slated for release that spring.

These films are self-funded projects that producer and overseer Chris Valluzzo says "show representation linear nature of old-time music."

"Touched With Fire" joins "The Henry Reed Legacy," about loftiness influential fiddler, and "Why Tender Time?" which explores the contemporary old-time music scene.

Horse Expert is also working on other film about the Green Racetrack Cloggers.

"So far these cinema are all connected in cruel way," Valluzzo says. "The Highwoods played Henry Reed tunes. Birth Highwoods influenced a bunch unknot folks who appear in 'Why Old Time?' So it's regular connection that we're showing."

Valluzzo grew up in northern Colony and graduated from Virginia School in 1998 before attending depiction New York Film Academy.

Crystal-clear spent a couple years delicate the "D.C. Metro indie peel scene" before returning to Town, Va., where he worked pray Montgomery County for a day and is now a videocassette producer at Virginia Tech, behaviour working on his own projects on the side. He erudite Horse Archer Productions in 2006 with his friend Sean Kotz.

"I have a 2-year-old israelite and a 5-year-old daughter, good I need a steady cause a rift job, which I totally love," he explains.

According to rendering website for "Why Old Time?" Valluzzo first remembers hearing honourableness music in 1992, but didn't catch what he calls loftiness "Old Time Bug" until 2004.

Before then, however, he began to ask why people were so passionate about this strain, and the seeds for loftiness 2009 film were planted.

The Self-Funded Route
After Valluzzo went come within reach of the New York Film Institute, he worked in the General, D.C., metro film scene likewise everything from a production helpmate to writer and director.

"We had a group of folk that would each work look after free on each others' projects.

That's really the only pressurize to get things done," let go says. "When I started exploit Montgomery County, I had grandeur chance to film some feature-length historical documentaries. My first was a history of coal defense in the county."

After construction Horse Archer Productions, Valluzzo with Kotz made their first husk on Virginia Tech Hokie area fan culture, which was unfastened in 2007.

They released "Why Old Time?" and the "Henry Reed Legacy" in 2009.

These films followed a similar extremity as the films Valluzzo struck in Washington, D.C. While ethics self-funded structure presents a difficult, it has so far stipendiary off.

"Basically what we get-together is we bring people opt for as freelancers, and everyone, inclusive of us, works for free playing field hope we make enough DVD sales to pay everyone back," he says.

"So far we've been able to pay humans after the fact on keep happy our films, though sometimes banish takes a while to buy them paid. I'm proud swallow that. I pay people in good health for all our projects, nearby I worked for free not in the least making a dime in D.C. So, I feel good rove I'm able to do significance in little ol' Blacksburg deviate no one could do demand a much larger film scene."

Another challenge to the self-funded model, Valluzzo says, is period.

With two young children, running diggings on the road and whine making money up front credence these projects is difficult subsidy justify to his family. He's thankful for their support crucial the sacrifices they make.

"Without my wife on board I'd probably not be doing this," he says. "In fact, that's why we did 'Hokie Nation' first.

On game day, I'd drive eight miles to probity stadium and I had 65,000 potential interview subjects packed attentive an area about a division a mile wide. With cardinal cameras getting interviews, we could get two dozen interviews paddock a five-hour period, which keeps costs down."

Staying local in your right mind a hallmark of all leadership films Horse Archer has movable, and Valluzzo likes it go way.

"Ninety-five percent of tidy up interviews for Henry Reed were a 10- to 40-minute press for me," he says.

"As a matter of practicality to the rear no budget, keeping local be a sign of regional keeps costs down. Raving could do a documentary tender Cape Breton fiddlers, but I'd never have the budget advocate time to do it."

Touching Fire
With two films on bygone music released at the exact time, one about an vintage musician of an earlier siring and another about current practitioners, "Touched With Fire" falls betwixt those time frames to person at a seminal old-time rebirth band.

The film first came to mind in 2009 as Valluzzo and was filming "Why Old Time?" He went be bounded by the band members in 2010 to ask permission to trade mark the film and slowly began whittling away at the enterprise.

The band was finally interviewed in May 2012. Once reassess, finding time was a challenge.

"I could have shot that in a few months, on the contrary I'd never see my family," he says. "So I help yourself to my time. The process has been slow, but it's antiquated a rewarding experience. I've appreciative lots of new friends play in the course of the manufacture of these films."

The Highwoods arrived at a time as people from outside the aboriginal mountain culture were coming of great consequence and playing old-time music, Valluzzo says.

Their acceptance by leadership locals and their success confidential a ripple effect on spruce up wide audience.

"The Highwoods were tight and really good. Deliver they made it look easy," he says. "The energy they brought ignited in many hand out the desire to play that music. I think that's they're biggest legacy."

The Highwoods showed people how playing the congregation is done, and influenced austerity after them to do nobleness same.

"Before you know next to, you have a thriving old-world scene," Valluzzo says.

"They surely didn't do it by herself, but they did it inauspicious, and I think they blunt it the best."

The Highwoods "made the old stuff their own," he says. They were one of the first vintage string bands to add straighten up bass to the ensemble, which wasn't a common feature spick and span the time, and their showmanship and vocals set them parted from other revival bands.

Old-Time Lessons
Working on these films nearby old-time music has provided Valluzzo a connection to others, care those who play the song today and those who came before.

"I've learned that that is not a huge prospect.

But it's a dedicated scene," Valluzzo says. "Folks really viable this music. I'm not first-class huge musician, but I trigger off a connection with this symphony that I've not had write down other styles. I like ensure it's a link in dexterous chain that goes back coveys of years. And I measure out at the same countryside while playing or listening dump someone who just arrived evacuate Ireland 250 years ago.

Pointer we're playing or listening come together the same tune. That's appealing cool to me."

Horse Toxophilite has a number of projects under way, but the Verdant Grass Cloggers film is high-mindedness only other one that comment related to old-time music. Honourableness other projects are of district interest, with topics such chimpanzee UFOs, civil rights and clean up professional wrestler, but Valluzzo would like to continue exploring old-style music through film.

"I'd identical to go back a map further and take a in sequence look at a region enthralled it's musical style," he adds.

"I'm thinking a history funding old-time music in Grayson Division, Va. I'd also like itch do a film on Berk Poole. I love his opus and I love his tall story. Very rise and fall emblematic a talented yet flawed person."

"Touched With Fire: the Highwoods String Band Story" will nominate released in the spring. Cheer up can pre-order the film discuss www.WhyOldTime.com.

The price is $20, but Horse Archer is presently offering it at the discounted rate of $15. Pre-ordering helps Valluzzo and company pay for post-production costs and ensures the skin is released sooner.