[erikwithak]

In an interview in the latest issue of Relix Magazine ( published 5/12/2011 ) Kevin Barker mentions that his movie The Family Jams is definitely going to get a DVD release ! The Brooklyn based company ( Factory 25 ) has the movie on their website , but no release date yet...............

[sophie]

[zygoticmynci]

I don't like that it's called The Family Jams, unless it's trying to be ironic.

[sophie]

[Steve]

I wonder if it will be playable over here in the UK...

[jeannie]

http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/devendr ... vd_release

It looks like The Family Jams finally has a set release date: April 21 (or April 18, if you're lucky). Most interestingly, a 52-page book is being published alongside it, "containing original writing from Banhart, Newson [sic], Vetiver's Andy Cabic and director Kevin Barker".

Exciting!

[oneofthose]

I posted this over at the FB page but for anyone who hasn't migrated to there...

My copy of The Family Jams DVD arrived today (incredibly less than 5 days after I ordered it from the US to the UK).

It's pretty exciting. It comes in a book with a few b&w pics of Joanna looking hilariously drunk in all of them. But the DVD has an extra section of never-before-seen complete performances from 2004 including three by Joanna (Yarn & Glue, Sprout And The Bean and Book Of Right On) plus a full, completely nuts jam of Devendra's Shame with Joanna heavily featured on backing vocals and facial expressions.

I've not watched the film through yet to see if Joanna's drunk Fleetwood Mac singing has made it back into the edit from the early screenings. Probably not as I imagine the rights would be too expensive. But, well worth grabbing a copy I'd say.

[Steve]

I've just watched this tonight.

I have to say, I was not expecting to enjoy it very much, but in fact it was very engaging!

I intend to list the music in a little while (I've lost the remote to my player, and so can't get to the bonus feature called More Tour alluded to by OneOfThose above), but here are a few of the other things in the main film that caught my attention:

Devendra Banhart (to whom I warmed as the thing went on) scored an early point by comparing someone to Waldo Jeffers from the Velvet Underground's "The Gift". He added another one later on for his appreciation of Nick Drake: his father even mentioned the shop in Brighton where he (nearly) bought the disc from.

A cameo appearance by Linda Perhacs, whose story is incredible.

A rather moving section where it is explained that Joanna had to leave the tour for a period to attend the funeral of a school friend, who was killed in a car crash - she is visibly fragile when she returns.

Soon after this, there is another car accident - although it's not explicitly stated, it would appear that Joanna's car (Françoise!) was badly damaged. We had earlier caught a glimpse of her harp being manœuvred through the back hatch of this car.

And then we see Joanna driving the tour van, and being visibly shaken when they pass a small aeroplane crashed at the side of a desert road. She goes on to explain that her "daddy flies: he flies small Pipers and Cessnas and gliders...".

A segment where Joanna is very moved to be the recipient of a card from her youngest fan - someone's not-quite-two daughter!

Antony (of The Johnsons, who does have a remarkable voice but for a while was on almost every piece of music released that I found it a bit tiresome) made a guest appearance which was quite an eye-opener in two ways. First he said how humbled he was to be on the bill with this group of people, sigling out Joanna's emergence in particular as the most "significant moment in culture for 20 years".

Antony then went on to sing one of the loveliest songs ever, "Afraid", which was written and originally recorded (with a bit of help from John Cale) by someone with perhaps THE most remarkable voice ever, Nico! [Are you reading this, LawnsOfDawns?]

This was followed by another version of "Afraid" by Meg Baird (of Espers).

Sadly, the Stevie Nicks / Fleetwood Mac song, "Dreams", didn't appear.

[Steve]

THE FAMILY JAMS

Film released in 2010, documenting a tour in 2004, comprising:

Devendra Banhart - DB
Andy Cabic / Vetiver - AC / V
Joanna Newsom - JN
Stacy Nuner - SN
Joan Brinkworth - JB
Jonny Fritz (The Corndawg) - JF
Zach Cowie - ZC
The Pleased - tP [this band including Joanna Newsom]
Alissa Anderson - AA
Antony And The Johnsons - AJ
Meb Baird [of Espers] - MB
Kevin Barker - KB
Espers - E
Colm O'Ciosoig - CO
Noah Georgeson - NG


Title {writer} performers

Three Little Babes {trad / arr JN} JN
Bridges And Balloons {JN} JN
Shame {DB} DB JN V SN JB
Amerilie {AC} V JN
Lost And Found {AC} V
This Side Of The Blue {JN} JN
Clam Crab Cockle Cowrie {JN} JN
Charles C. Leary {DB} DB
Will Is My Friend {DB} DB AC
Don't Let Me Go {Colin Langenus} JF
Amour Fou {AC DB} DB V ZC
Bridges And Balloons {JN} DB V SN
Swansea {JN} JN
Untitled Harp Music {JN} JN - this is also circulating as Prepared Harp Improv.
Cosmia {JN} JN
One Horse {NG} tP DB AA
Afraid {Nico} AJ
Afraid {Nico} MB KB
Early Morning Rain {Gordon Lightfoot} AC
Voices {MB, Helena Espvall, Otto Hauser, Brooke Sietinsons, Christopher Smith, Gregory Weeks} - E
Roots {DB} DB JN V SN E
Hey Who Really Cares {Linda Perhacs, Oliver E Nelson} DB KB
Dragonflys {DB} DB
Untitled Guitar Music {DB} DB
This Is The Way {DB} DB
Shame {DB} DB JN V ZC CO NG
At The Hop {DB AC} DB AC

I'd add that the excerpts from of Three Little Babes and Bridges And Balloons early in the film are especially good.
The excerpt from Cosmia is in the 'Ys Street Band' ep style, but is played on the prepared harp!
Also, I am sure there was a short snippet of Amour Fou near the beginning in which Joanna did appear: certainly there's a version somewhere around on YouTube.
A few of the songs in the above list may be slightly out of order or may appear more than once (for example, not being familiar with DB's work, I found myself mixing up Will Was My Friend and Shame).
Nico is credited under her birth name, Christa Päffgen, here transcribed Christa Paeffgen.
Joanna seems to be in a song whose lyrics sound like "I love to ... dance / with my boots outside my pants", which may or may not be Roots: I will need to have a further look at this!

[Steve]

MORE TOUR

Bonus feature with The Family Jams dvd

Complete live versions of the following songs:

Yarn & Glue - JN
Sprout And The Bean - JN
unknown song in Spanish - Devendra Banhart / Vetiver
The Book Of Right-On - JN
Farther On - Vetiver
Angels' Share - Vetiver
Little Monkey - Devendra Banhart
Will Is My Friend - Devendra Banhart / Vetiver
Shame Devendra Banhart / Vetiver / Joanna Newsom

[Steve]

Curiously, I thought Devendra Banhart sounded strangely like T Rex in at least one of his songs!
And there was a tonality in Joanna's voice in that final version of Shame that I don't remember hearing in anything else she recorded up until The Man Who Ran The Town!

[milkisobel]

is that possible to have few pics of the book and such ? i'd wonder if it's worth the price to buy this+shipment to europe