O Brother Where Art Thou
The Ardis formerly known as Snuffy
there. Looks like it's on the local channel here (28 KCET) at 8pm Monday in
case anybody is in S. Calif. The show is called "Down from the Mountain" and
has probably been on other stations earlier -- here in the PRC, we git the good
shows a few months later than they do in the US.
I remain ever vigilant and a little bit hongry,
X
Guv Bob
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/BrotherDave
The Ardis formerly known as Snuffy
From: Tribe (johnc...@sprynet.com)
Subject: 'Down From the Mountain': A Feel-Good Ode to Ol'-Time Music
Newsgroups: rec.music.country.old-time
Date: 2001-06-16 08:30:09 PST
June 15, 2001
'Down From the Mountain': A Feel-Good Ode to Ol'-Time Music
By A. O. SCOTT
New York Times
A number of songs performed in "Down From the Mountain," a documentary by D. A.
Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus and Nick Doob, are about the promise of life after
death. If you have any affection at all for traditional American music, the
movie itself, which opens today at the Screening Room, is pretty close to
heaven.
The filmmakers, whose previous collaborations include "Moon Over Broadway" and
"The War Room," recorded the onstage and backstage doings at a concert last
year in Nashville that brought together artists whose work was used in Joel and
Ethan Coen's "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
"Down From the Mountain," which includes several songs not heard in "O Brother"
or on its million-selling soundtrack album, may sound like a footnote to that
film, but in some ways the reverse is true. It was the music, after all - a
miscellany of blues, gospel, field hollers and bluegrass breakdowns - that lent
emotional weight and historical resonance to the Coens' exuberantly silly
pastiche of Southern folklore, Preston Sturges and Homer's "Odyssey." And here
the voices of Ralph Stanley, Alison Krauss, Chris Thomas King and a few dozen
other keepers of the old-time flame are presented in their unadorned and
timeless glory.
If "Down From the Mountain" is a rich document of the latest folk revival, it
also suggests that the music never really went away, and that the power of
songs like "Angel Band" and "I'll Fly Away" endures after many decades and
countless versions. Although some of this music has been called old-time at
least since the 1930's, there is nothing antiquarian about the spirit of the
performances, and there is clearly still room for innovation in these venerable
idioms.
Ms. Krauss joins Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch in a haunting version of
"(Didn't Leave) Nobody but the Baby," described by Ms. Harris as a combination
lullaby and field holler stitched together especially for "O Brother." Mr.
King, a brilliant blues guitarist (who plays a similar role in the Coen
brothers' film), performs an original song (with his partner, Colin Linden)
that pays homage to the traditional form and updates it.
Mr. Stanley, who was making records before many of the others were born and
whose voice is a national treasure, serves as a benificent patriarch, taking
all the attention in stride and generously sharing the stage with the others.
It's not possible to list them all, or to rank their performances.
If you're like me, your head will be buzzing for a long time after the movie is
over, with the ethereal harmonies of the Cox family singing "I Am Weary (Let Me
Rest)," the deep resonances of the Fairfield Four doing "Po Lazarus" or the
Peasall Sisters' endearingly off-key "In the Highways."
While the music speaks for itself, a few of the artists try to explain its
appeal. "It's the way people talk, but it's the way no one talks," says Ms.
Welch, capturing one of its many paradoxes. The music is as simple as a
three-chord progression and as complex as Mike Compton's virtuoso mandolin
licks. It's at once plain- spoken and otherwordly, grounded in a vanishing
rural way of life and uncannily modern. How can songs so preoccupied with
death, sin and heartache bring so much joy?
"Down From the Mountain" does strike an inadvertently poignant note. The master
of ceremonies at the Nashville concert was John Hartford, the singer, fiddler,
riverboat captain and raconteur who died on June 4. In his black vest and white
shirt, his unruly gray hair topped by a battered black felt hat, Mr. Hartford
looks as if he wandered onto the Grand Ole Opry stage out of a lost corner of
the 19th century - a hellfire preacher or a confidence man. His stage patter is
loopy and charming, his fiddle playing is terrifying and his bone-dry version
of "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" will make you believe that such a place
exists.
DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN
Directed by Nick Doob, Chris Hegedus and D. A. Pennebaker; directors of
photography, Joan Churchill, Jim Desmond, Mr. Doob, Ms. Hegedus, Bob Neuwirth,
Jehane Noujaim, D. A. Pennebaker and John Paul Pennebaker; edited by Mr. Doob
and D. A. Pennebaker; produced by Mr. Neuwirth and Frazer Pennebaker; released
by Cowboy Booking International. At the Screening Room, 54 Varick Street, at
Laight Street, TriBeCa. Running time: 98 minutes. This film is not rated.
WITH: The Cox Family, the Fairfield Four, John Hartford, Emmylou Harris, Chris
Thomas King, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Colin Linden, the Nashville
Bluegrass Band, the Peasall Sisters, Ralph Stanley, Gillian Welch and David
Rawlings and the Whites.
Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company
ConnieG999
kudzoo...@aol.combacknow (The Ardis formerly known as Snuffy) writes:
>"Down From the Mountain," which includes several songs not heard in "O
>Brother"
>or on its million-selling soundtrack album
Oh, lordy, help me please. I want this music so badly....But having read all
the posts I can, I'm confused. Do I want the "Down from the Mountain" CD (music
only) or the DVD (music and video) or do I want the "Oh Brother, Where Art
Thou" Soundtrack, or the DVD of the movie? ( I did NOT see the movie so that's
no help!)
I certainly can look at (the late) John Hartford any day, but I'm primarily
interested in the music. OMG, Harris, Krauss, and Welch on one song? I could
just swoon even thinking of it. I guess I could manage TWO purchases, but
still, which two???
Please tell me what ones to get for the most MUSICAL impact.
Oh, and by the way, thanks for helping me spend my Christmas money. (G)
Helen
Charlie's advice concerning your interest in the music. Buy the
soundtrack and rent the movie. Just my opinion.
Helen
"ConnieG999" <conni...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020105205800...@mb-cn.aol.com...
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Wubba
family enjoys listening to it- kids and all!
I heard yesterday that the "Oh Brother..." soundtrack was the most popular
(most purchased) movie soundtrack last year. Hope that's a huge hint to the
movie makers!
Favorite lines from the "Oh Brother..." Movie:
*"My hair, my hair!"/I'm a Dapper Dan Man!"
*"Pete, We thought chu' was-a toh-d!"
*"Momma says he's bonafide!"
*"But I'm the Pater- Familis!" (sp?)
Wubba
John Chancey
is an outright riot! I bought "Down From The Mountain" on VHS for my dad
for Christmas after seeing it on PBS - I agree with the poster that said
Gilliam Welch and John Hartford are a hightlight also the Peasall girls are
about as cute as they come.
I see that they are taking this show on a national tour (schedule is at
http://www.downfromthemountain.com/) some east coast shows in Jan then to
the west end in Feb. A lot of shows already sold out. I'm not sure how it
will be without John Hartford, who was the perfect "host" or emcee on the
video concert.
I picked up Johnny Cash's "American III: Solitary Man" CD yesteday... wow!
every once in a while I'll run across something that totally blows me away -
this is one..... anybody heard it?
"Wubba" <wu...@SPAMFREEskywardinternet.com> wrote in message
news:3c388...@news.newzpig.com...
Helen
"You shall see things...a cow on the roof of a cotten house..."
"Anthrax tuck most 'is cows, the rest don't milk.....
"Get in boys! I'm gonna R-U-N O-F-T"
...a geographical oddity...two weeks frum everwhar!"
Helen
"Wubba" <wu...@SPAMFREEskywardinternet.com> wrote in message
news:3c388...@news.newzpig.com...
ConnieG999
>I agree...buy the soundtrack and rent the movie "Oh Brother..."
Hmmm, well, I maybe didn't supply enough information. (G) I don't rent movies
because I don't have a VCR. I do, however, have a DVD player in my computer.
So if I were to buy the two items that would best cover ALL the music, do you
still think it should be the soundtrack and the movie itself, or should we
change that to, buy the soundtrack and the music CD of Down from the Mountain?
Joe Williamson
@aol.com says...
I have both and I think you'd be glad if you got both yourself.
ConnieG999
<di...@databasix.com> writes:
>Then rent the DVD at your friendly, neighborhood Blockbuster
Not an option, thanks.
ConnieG999
Joe Williamson <joewil...@hotmail.com> writes:
> it should be the soundtrack and the movie itself, or should we
>> change that to, buy the soundtrack and the music CD of Down from the
>Mountain?
>
>I have both and I think you'd be glad if you got both yourself.
Thanks - guess I'll get the soundtrack and the music CD of Down from the
Mountain. I appreciate all the help I got on this, didn't mean to be a PITA.
(G)
Luminaria
suggest as a Very First DVD?
I'm leaning towards something like "The Princess Bride", or "Star Wars", or
"Bladerunner" myself... my kid pointed out "Willie Wonka"...
However, I was thinking of maybe getting something I hadn't seen YET!!! LOL
What do you think? What are some of your favorite more recent movies, say,
from the last couple years? (Yes, yes, I already know, O Brother Where Art
Thou... besides that!)
--
Assume I said "YMMV",
Peace,
Lisa
Joe Williamson
> We just got a machine capable of playing DVD's - what would you folks
> suggest as a Very First DVD?
> I'm leaning towards something like "The Princess Bride", or "Star Wars", or
> "Bladerunner" myself... my kid pointed out "Willie Wonka"...
I got
Blade Runner
Alien
The Music Man
Lawrence of Arabia
The Bridge on the River Kwai
My Fair Lady
Hoosiers
O Brother Where Art Thou
Streetcar Named Desire
Deliverance
Lonesome Dove
and a CD with Yo-Yo Ma doing the Bach Cello Suites
all within a week or two.
gwar...@zoomnet.net
Lisa:
Not really pertinent to the DVD question, but I have another offer for
you. I know how much you enjoy activities with your son, and I have
several mp3 versions of 'The Man Without A Country' and thought you
might enjoy listening to them with your son, and maybe share a little
discussion time. This is more pertinent at the present time, with the
American Citizen joining the Taliban and the difficulty of the
government trying to decide what to do with him.
Then of course, you may be too young to even know who Phillip Nolan
was.
Anyhoo, if interested, e-mail me, and I will burn a CD (wav or mp3)
and mail to you. No charge. Just sharing my love for OTR. Same offer
goes for Donner and Wubba. Any more info, if you are interested will
be via e-mail. Now I return to the occasional lurk mode
jerry
Oh, as to the movie, I am sure he would enjoy Goonies, American Flyer,
Dirt Bike Kid, Journey of Natty Gann, Martin's Day, Kid Colter, Rad, &
Toby McTeague. Not sure if any are on DVD, but would be well worth
the rent at the neighborhood video store.
On Sun, 6 Jan 2002 21:51:44 -0500, "Luminaria" <la...@javanetDOT.com>
wrote:
ConnieG999
>We just got a machine capable of playing DVD's - what would you folks
>suggest as a Very First DVD?
My very first one was "Shrek", the edition with all the extras on it. It's SO
funny for kids AND adults.
Donna
>We just got a machine capable of playing DVD's - what would you folks
>suggest as a Very First DVD?
>
>I'm leaning towards something like "The Princess Bride", or "Star Wars", or
>"Bladerunner" myself... my kid pointed out "Willie Wonka"...
>
>However, I was thinking of maybe getting something I hadn't seen YET!!! LOL
>What do you think? What are some of your favorite more recent movies, say,
>from the last couple years? (Yes, yes, I already know, O Brother Where Art
>Thou... besides that!)
If you haven't seen Shrek, get it! It's wonderful! The Dr. Doolittle
movies are good, too.
Donna
The Ardis formerly known as Snuffy
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/BrotherDave/
And when I thunk of good movies, besides a few already mentioned, here's what
landed in my haid...
10. Breaking Away
9. Norma Rae
8. October Skies
7. How the West Was Won
6. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
5. Blazing Saddles
4. The Flim Flam Man
3. Any of the Ernest movies
2. How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
and the number one most highly recommended DVD...
1. Any of the Three Stooges movies
Wubba
> The Matrix.
> dick
~~~~~~~~~~
Oh that's a definite Y-E-S!! We ~really~ liked that movie.
Wubba
Great lines from Matrix:
*I know Kung Fu!"*
*I know what you're thinkin' kid... "Why on earth didn't I take da blue
pill!"*
Barbara Petty
Check yore listings. We've watched it a couple of times, already.
In addition to those saying that Wubba mentioned, let me add...
" I counted to Three......."
Idjit BoB
>>We just got a machine capable of playing DVD's - what would you folks
>>suggest as a Very First DVD?
Don:
>The Matrix.
Yup, the Matrix.
Idjit BoB
President of "The Multicultural Society of New BoB"...
where we defend your right to shoot road signs, buy huge
satellite dishes, and wear his-and-hers Marlboro jackets.
Wubba
"Barbara Petty" > In addition to those saying that Wubba mentioned, let me
add...
> " I counted to Three......."
Hey Barb! You made it through the holidays with a smiley sense of humor
still intact despite your new homelife situation... Good job! Have hoped
all was okay down there.
That movie has a slew of funny lines and they actually remind me of my mom's
uncles (bet they just turned over in the graves) from West TN too...
Especially Pete. :oD
Wubba
Barbara Petty
watched it with us.
She was originally from Pennsylvania, a true Yankee, He is from
Louisiana. He laughed with us at all the funny places. But she just did
not get it!! That made everything even funnier.
When they were Baptizing at the river, she asked if that really
happened?She thought that was just something that happened in the
movies. She acted amazed when we told her that it did indeed
happen.Hubby told her he could drive her down the road a'piece and show
her the Baptismal Hole.
She also could not believe that we knew most of those songs......LOL
So we had a good time.
Didn't you think that this movie was such a departure for George
Clooney?
Loved the music!!
barbtoo
Duc de Savoie
> " I counted to Three......."
"...the whole Bible from Genessee to Revelation."
Bud
Wubba
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
*(Couldn't snip as there is too much to comment on...)
I hear you!
My sister in law from Michigan thought "O Brother" was really stupid.
Evidently she didn't get the humor, or couldn't relate even though her
Granny is direct from Puryear TN. But then, s-i-l is a "city gal" into
traffic, broadway shows and gourmet food. Of course I love her, but... I
often wonder what her real perception is of me LOL! She brings her son down
to get "countr-i-fied" ..whatever that implies, I'm not sure. I make sure
it means getting 'simple pleasures' like lettin' his cute little toes out of
his ever present shoes. Playing without the need for the latest
Fisher-Price contraption, or Teletubbies video.
Concerning baptisms... I saw a river baptism (total immersion) just last
year. T'was a common thing even into the 60's around these parts. I never
saw the white robes bit though...think that was more for imagery? I
appreciate total immersion as it really embodies the concept of "burying the
old life"- to be rasied to the new (Chrst's burial and resurrection
symbolism).
I didn't know most of the old-time music songs that were used in the movie,
but that same Granny I refered to (age 72 yrs) above knew nearly all of
them. That surprized me. She said she used to hear the old men sing alot of
them on Saturday nights at the /pickin' parties and dances in Henry TN. She
couldn't believe that a movie was made using those old songs. My favorite
is Alison Krauss's "Down to the River To Pray".
Yup...George still had the male lead- but he was able to pull off that "I'm
in total ignorance of how ridiculous I am " and still come off as rather
attractive, eh? Remember George Clooney grew up in KY- albeit in a burb of
Cinci...and to wealthy parents (Dad was a Talking Head for a TV station).
But hey- he had to have had some experience with the accent and at least a
glimpse of how some folks behaved outside of his lifestyle/generation in KY,
to help his acting.
Wubba
Barbara Petty
in some of the back country churches, the white robes were common. It
protected a person's modesty. After all, you do come up out of the water
a'wringing wet, with your clothes a'sticking to you.
My maternal grandmother used to sit on the front porch of her "shotgun"
house in an old wicker rocker. She'd rock the whoever was the youngest
child to sleep. And she'd sing..."go to sleepy little bay-bee..."
All 6 of us grand kids been rocked in that rocking chair, and her 6
young'uns before that.( and one or two great-greats too.) On the right
side of the rocking chair was a hole in the wicker where so many little
feet had pushed on it while they were being rocked.
That rocker was used for lots of things...breaking beans, talking 'bout
important stuff, reading the newspaper on Sunday afternoons, reading out
loud, and story telling.
barbtoo
Duc de Savoie
>year. T'was a common thing even into the 60's around these parts. I never
>saw the white robes bit though...think that was more for imagery? I
>appreciate total immersion as it really embodies the concept of "burying the
My wife said that when she was baptized in the Baptist Church, she wore a white
robe. However, it was in a large tub of water rather than in a river. This is
the North, you know.
Bud
Joe Williamson
ducde...@aol.com says...
River baptisms still done in these parts, although you can bet NOT at
this time of year, when you'd have to chip a hole down to the liquid
water.
The baptismal tank deal has been a staple in larger Baptist churches for
decades.
Donna
I almost got baptized in the river, but they decided it was too cold
that winter night for a river baptism, and contacted another church
down the road to see if we could use theirs. I was baptized in the
white robes in another church's bapstry. I have seen quite a few river
baptisms, but none with people wearing white robes. Meanwhile, the
robes were worn at all the immersion baptisms I've seen done inside a
church.
Donna
>On Tue, 08 Jan 2002 22:05:55 GMT, "Barbara Petty"
><bwp...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>
>>"shotgun" house
>
>Whazzat? I know I've seen/heard that expression before, but my addled
>brain won't behave sometimes. Just curious...and thanks for the
>explanation about the robes. Makes sense. :)
LOL! Explanation I've always heard about "shotgun" houses was:
Companies originally built all the houses in groups around their
mills, etc. Most of the houses were built using the same
blueprint...and most of those, if you opened both the front and the
back door, you could stand outside the front door and shoot a deer out
the back door without hitting a wall or anything in the house. They're
often called "Row Houses", also.
Donna
John B
> >"shotgun" house
>
> Whazzat?
Charlie, sorry for jumping in the middle of a thread etc. Around these
parts a "shotgun" house is one that you can stand on the porch, shoot a
gun through the front door and straight out through the back door. In
other words, the rooms all shared common doorways or hallway. Now a
"dogtrot" house is a different story....
JohnB
Wubba
"Barbara Petty" <bwp...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:73K_7.345347$W8.12...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> As for the White Robes....
> in some of the back country churches, the white robes were common. It
> protected a person's modesty. After all, you do come up out of the water
> a'wringing wet, with your clothes a'sticking to you.
Oh my, I guess I thought it was a bunch of members attending who were also
wearing white robes. Until lately all baptismal garments were thick white
cotton material - and even it was awful clingy. Now they are made of a
nylon/plastic back (to let the water whisk right off) in a sort of
shorts/jump suit style so there is no "ride up- billowing" whoopsies! "Cuz
it's supposed to be a "spiritual" moment not a uh... physical one ;o)...
I've never been to a baptism where there were many folks gettin' dunked.
Usually just one or maybe two.
Wubba
Duc de Savoie
>white robes in another church's bapstry. I have seen quite a few river
>baptisms, but none with people wearing white robes.
Oklahoma's Marion Thede in "The Fiddle Book" mentions getting baptized in a
river. She says when she came out, her soul was white, but her robe was a
"muckledy dun."
Bud
The Ardis formerly known as Snuffy
suffering -- after the opening, are the next few songs representative of the
rest of the show?
I meen, I like a good old painful-to-listen-to, drag-assy song jest as much as
the next feller, but I ain't a fanatic about it. Two's about all I kin handle
at one sitting.
Helen
one in which Robert Mitchum is the narrator....). Those blue eyes of that
grown-up Kurt Russell are AWESOME!! He plays a great Wyatt Earp. And it
has my all-time favorite hero...Sam Elliott. Others in the movie are: Val
Kilmer, Bill Paxton, Dana Delaney, Jason Priestley, Michael Biehn and a
cameo by Charlton Heston..... Great movie.
Helen
Helen
regarding DVD movie recommendations. To my list I add: anything with Sean
Connery or Harrison Ford, Robert Redford or any movie that Ron Howard
directs.
Paula Franke
> We had some RV Buddies coming thru here, headed to warmer lands.....They
> watched it with us.
> She was originally from Pennsylvania, a true Yankee, He is from
> Louisiana. He laughed with us at all the funny places. But she just did
> not get it!! That made everything even funnier.
> When they were Baptizing at the river, she asked if that really
> happened?She thought that was just something that happened in the
> movies.
Happens here in Happy Hollow at least once a month in the creek. (Last
winter they actually did it during a flash flood when the temperature was in
the 30s!)
Actually, none of us in the holler attend that particular church, so it
amuses us that the church folk choose to baptize in a cow wallow. We figure
that since none of them live in the holler, they don't realize the cows use
that particular spot the rest of the month.
On the other hand, perhaps the cows have been paying attention and figured
out their own plan on getting into Heaven when the humans aren't using it!
paula
The Happy Holler Witch
ConnieG999
>my all-time favorite hero...Sam Elliott.
{{{swooning}}}
He can eat crackers anywhere he wants. (G) Lordy, that man is beautiful.
Wubba
(Snipped to here)
Actually, none of us in the holler attend that particular church, so it
> amuses us that the church folk choose to baptize in a cow wallow. We
figure
> that since none of them live in the holler, they don't realize the cows
use
> that particular spot the rest of the month.
>
> On the other hand, perhaps the cows have been paying attention and figured
> out their own plan on getting into Heaven when the humans aren't using it!
>
> paula
> The Happy Holler Witch
LOL! Like the deeply sunken in hoof-holes along the bank isn't a dead
giveaway??? Betcha they also "receive" a bad case of E-Coli for the effort.
Sometimes there's a line that has to be drawn!!
Wubba
Paula Franke
> LOL! Like the deeply sunken in hoof-holes along the bank isn't a dead
> giveaway??? Betcha they also "receive" a bad case of E-Coli for the
effort.
> Sometimes there's a line that has to be drawn!!
Well, one *would* think that the hoof holes would be a clue, not to mention
the copious cow patties, but most of the church folk are city people.
I keep meaning to take of picture of the cows when they're using the wallow
and title it "Shall We Gather at the River". (Everybody around here
considers me heathen anyway...one of the local Baptist preachers pronounced
me "unsavable" a couple years back, but he still likes me anyway.)
BTW, the baptism last winter during a flash flood had a particularly
interesting sidenote: one of the newly saved was swept away downstream a few
yards. Bet she was starting to rethink some priorities after that!
Paula
The Happy Holler Witch
Randy Bennett
be forced tobuy a DVD player. It worked!
On Sun, 6 Jan 2002 21:51:44 -0500, "Luminaria" <la...@javanetDOT.com>
wrote:
>We just got a machine capable of playing DVD's - what would you folks
>suggest as a Very First DVD?
>
>I'm leaning towards something like "The Princess Bride", or "Star Wars", or
>"Bladerunner" myself... my kid pointed out "Willie Wonka"...
>
>However, I was thinking of maybe getting something I hadn't seen YET!!! LOL
>What do you think? What are some of your favorite more recent movies, say,
>from the last couple years? (Yes, yes, I already know, O Brother Where Art
>Thou... besides that!)
>
>
>--
>Assume I said "YMMV",
>
>Peace,
>Lisa
>
>la...@javanet.com
>http://users.javanet.com/~lanat/lisa.htm
>
>
>
Spock
"Randy Bennett" <randyb...@dont.spam.earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3c474dc...@news.earthlink.net...
Trail Dog
"Spock" <Sp...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
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