The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song will honor either a songwriter, interpreter, or singer/songwriter whose career reflects lifetime achievement in promoting the genre of song as a vehicle of artistic expression and cultural understanding. Paul Simon, one of America’s most respected songwriters and musicians, was the recipient of the first annual Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Named in honor of the legendary George and Ira Gershwin, the award recognizes the profound and positive effect of popular music on the world’s culture.
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The Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. The Proms were founded in 1895, and are now organised …
This musical celebration charts the lives and careers of some of the biggest selling acts in Irish rock, punk and pop from Van Morrison and Thin Lizzy to The Undertones and U2. From the pioneers of the showbands touring in the late 50s through to the modern day, the film examines their lineage and connections and how the hardcore, rocking sound of Belfast merged with the more melodic, folky Dublin tradition to form what we now recognise as Irish rock and pop.
Judy at the Palace. Sinatra at Carnegie Hall. Streisand at the Garden. Stritch on Broadway. Legendary performances come along so rarely. Elaine Stritch At Liberty is an autobiographical one-woman show written by Elaine Stritch and John Lahr. The show consists of spoken monologues from Stritch following her life and career, interspersed with showtunes and pop standards which compliment her stories. Many of these songs had been originated by Stritch in major Broadway productions, such as “The Ladies Who Lunch” from Company and “Civilization” from Angel In The Wings. Her experiences and relationship with show business are focal points, but she also explores more intimate, personal themes like her alcoholism and romantic relationships.
In 1950s Alabama, the owner of the Honeydripper juke joint finds his business dropping off and against his better judgment, hires a young electric guitarist in a last ditch effort to draw crowds during harvest time.
Martin meets Samantha, the sister of Nicole who is the leader of a band called “Chery Suicide”. While Martin and Samantha are beginning a relationship, Nicole is trying to get away from her ex-boyfriend an insane punk rocker named Ivan. One night Ivan breaks in to Nicole and Samantha’s apt. and they knock him unconscious. They run away in a taxi with Curtis the guitarist, Martin, and a blind street philosopher named Wally. They and the taxi driver make their way south to Virginia. In virginia they manage to buy instruments, a van, meet Lenny when their tire blows out, get chased by Ivan, give a concert, crash a Christian fair, and have a fun memorable time doing it.
A resident of a suburban dystopia tries to reassemble his fragmented memories of life as a teen.
On April 2nd 2011, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM played its final show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. LCD Frontman James Murphy, disbanding one of the most celebrated and influential groups of its generation at the peak of its popularity, ensured that the band would go out on top with the biggest concert of its career. The instantly sold out, near four-hour extravaganza featured special appearances by Arcade Fire and Reggie Watts and moved the crowd of thousands to tears of joy and grief. SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS both captures this once-in-a-lifetime event with stunning visuals and serves as an intimate portrait of Murphy as he navigates the 48 hours surrounding the show. Woven throughout is an honest and unflinching conversation between Murphy and author Chuck Klosterman as they discuss music, art, aging, and the decision to call it quits while at the top of your game.
The life and career of rock n’ roll icon Joan Jett from her early years ripping it up onstage as the founder and backbone of hard-rock legends The Runaways, to her long time collaboration with Kenny Laguna as Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and her enduring presence in pop culture as a rock pioneer and mentor. With her inimitable singles “I Love Rock n Roll,” and “Bad Reputation” Joan Jett inspired a generation of young women to rock.
Yehudi Menuhin was the 20th century’s greatest violinist. He was a child prodigy but the man behind the violin was harder to know. Endlessly touring and crossing continents and cultures, his contract with EMI was the longest in the history of the music industry. He took classical music out of the concert hall because he believed music was for everyone and had the power to change lives. An impassioned idealist, Yehudi wanted to give more to the world – he became a tireless fighter for humanitarian issues he believed in. In this film, commemorating the 100th year of his birth, family and close friends recall his extraordinary musical life, in which he embraced jazz and Indian ragas as much as Bach, Beethoven and Bartok. And incredible home movies take us on an intimate behind-the-scenes journey from his childhood in California, to meeting gypsies in Romania and travelling to India and beyond.
A documentary spanning over 30 years of the California Bay Area’s punk music history with a central focus on the emergence of Berkeley’s inspiring 924 Gilman Street music collective.
Celebrates the stories of eight female vocalists in the heavy metal genre. Through personal interviews, behind the scenes insights, and concert footage, these women describe in their own words, their choices, their lives, and the hardships and triumphs of being center stage in what is widely perceived as a male-dominated music scene.
